Tusks and Daggers Part Thirty-Eight: The Bird Flies Free

Standing over the inky water, Helios played behind me with Tommy. Dark energy swirled off the smooth surface, Dackworth panicked audibly behind me. Dread bubbled in my gut, a shadowy hand reaching for my leg. Sir. Acorn called out for me, the hand ripping me into the chilly water. My hair floated behind me, the water rushing around me. Bubbles floated to the surface, the arm tossing me into a sea of cherry blossoms. 

“Fantastic, we are in a memory pond.” Dackworth grumbled under his breath, his one eye rolling.  “The only way out is living through the memory. You will become them, so let it play out. Let’s figure out who you are.”  Looking down at my hands, long glossy claws greeted my blurry vision. A silky onyx kimono grazed my hourglass figure, the person’s height matching mine. Lifting up my hair, midnight black waves cascaded over my fingers. Gazing into the reflection of the clear water, sharp ruby eyes met mine. Black lips contrasted my pale skin, the long sleeves hiding my scarred hands. A harsh female tone stole my attention, an older version of me sauntered up to me. A slap across the face stunned me, the strike drawing blood on my cheeks. Pure rage burned in my eyes, her wrinkled hand  striking me once more. Focusing on her equally bold as my sharp ruby eyes could, her scarlet kimono was a higher quality of fabric. The cold gaze sent chills up my spine, her clawed hands yanking on my waves. Cruel laughter erupted from her black lips, the one stripe of gray distracted me from the loss of my temper . 

“Why can’t you be like Lily? She is ethereal and perfect while you are the ugliest thing I have ever seen.” She screamed darkly, striking me once more. “You are a hopeless little nobody. I wish you had never been born. I am kicking you out. I never want to see your face again.” Time slowed down, my heart shattering. Kicking her out of the realm, grains of sand scratched my face. The rejection seared a deep hatred in me, dead trees twisted up from the ivory sea of sand. Glancing around, a floating ball of black flames hovered in front of me. 

“Poor child.” A cruel female teased snidely, all of my negative emotions coming to the surface. “I have a deal for you. Revenge can be yours. No longer will you have to think about any regret. The cost is only your heart and soul.” So much rage boiled in my veins, the next words escaped my lips. 

“I will do whatever you need me to do as long as you allow me to kill my mother. Hell, I will take over the world if you help me.” I laughed maniacally, leaning forward. “Take my heart and soul. Let us reign for all of eternity.” My heart no longer felt love, the desire to murder and destroy having always been inside of me. The flaming ball floated down my throat, my soul’s last light flickering out. A poison stained my heart the darkest black, all of my fears were gone. Long sleek wavy blades appeared in my hands, the scarlet handles soon to be dripping in fresh blood. Clapping my hands, the serenity of the cherry blossoms had decayed to haunting reminders. My mother sauntered out, her eyes narrowing in my direction. Raising my blades, one swift swing cut off her head. The high of killing her woke up something in me, the hunger to murder proving to be all it ever seemed to be. Smashing her head with my boot, seeing her brains splattered across the forest floor made crazed giggles tumble from my lips. Leaning my head back, her blood felt so nice on my skin. Kill, I had to kill. Clapping my hands, an innocent party of men walked drunkenly down the worn pathway. Dragging my fingers along the healthy oaks, the bark decayed underneath my touch. Wicked laughter rumbled in my throat, the men staring in my direction. 

“Kill, kill.” A voice whispered in my head, the desire allowing me to bath in the warmth. “Kill them all and taste their blood. It will make you euphoric.” The men barely stood a chance, my blades slicing through them with ease. Letting the blood rain over me, the shower felt better than warm water. Smearing it all over my face, the sole survivor sprinted into the woods. Dry leaves crunched with every slow deliberate step towards him. 

“Come out, come out wherever you are.” I taunted with a Cheshire Cat grin, a familiar energy dampening my spirit. “Come on out, Lily. I can’t wait to behead you. Maybe my nickname could be the Headless Horsewoman.” Chewing on my lips, she stepped out of the shadowy tree line. Her golden eyes met my crazed expression, my tongue licking my lips. Tugging her ivory waves into a ponytail, she adjusted her flowing gown. Ripping two sleek ivory swords from her back, her bone white boots pounded towards me. Blocking her attack, the horror widened her eyes. Taking in all of the blood painting my face, her snow white eyelashes fluttered.  Tears welled up in her eyes, her free blade stabbed my heart.  Stumbling back, her other blade pinned me to the largest oak.  Pain, I didn’t feel pain.  Struggling underneath the blade, Lily took a step back.  Pressing her palms together, her lips moved a mile a minute.  Her hair floated behind her, my heart floating out of my chest. Panic contorted my features, the heart splitting into thirteen pieces.   

“Holy powers bequeath me the ability to seal us away.” Lily chanted boldly, my body growing translucent. “Seal us into our mirrors!” Releasing her palms, a wave of energy blasted us back into a pair of mirrors. The pieces of my heart flew into the sky, landing in random spots. Curse my fucking sister. 

A shrill shriek burst from my lips, my hands returning to normal. Clammy sweat drenched my skin, my heart beating out of my chest. An endless sea of darkness swallowed the space, making a big space feel so small. Untying Dackworth from my back, her childish giggles echoed in my ear. A chill ran up my spine, clawed hands curling around my shoulder. A hauntingly familiar energy embraced me, her hands clapping. Paralyzed with fear, my feet refused to move. Onyx silk robes caught the corner of my eyes, every muscle in my body trembling. Clank, Clank, Clank! A worn version of my enemy sauntered out of the shadows, cracks lining her porcelain skin. Her blades spun in her eager palms, the way the Cheshire Cat grin spreading cheek to cheek unsettling me. Raising my scythe to the attack position, now wasn’t the time to be weak. Lacking a proper soul and heart meant death was the only option, a defiant grin dancing across my determined face. Perhaps I couldn’t kill her today but I could find some weaknesses. Charging at each other, our blades clashed violently. Sparks drifted aimlessly, her attacks growing bolder.  

“How adorable.” She teased mercilessly, kicking me in the stomach. “That should render you useless. There is no way you are healed so soon from giving birth to our little royal baby.” She wasn’t wrong, the lining of my stomach decaying. Copper poisoned my taste buds, the internal bleeding finding its way up my throat. Struggling to my feet, my movements proved to be too slow. Attack after attack sent me into a hard wall or shards of glass. Help, I needed help. The damage was too much, my body curling into a ball. The heel of her boot slammed into my head, the creaking of my skull frightening me. She really had no remorse left, my quaking hand snatching her ankle. Yanking her off of her feet, her hungry eyes met my quivering eyes. Jumping to my feet, her claws dug into my leg. Falling to my face, my scythe slid out of my reach. Crawling towards my scythe, jolts of pain shocked my calf muscles. Venom seeped into my system, the wall of tears staining my cheeks. Just a bit further, my whole body protested with each attempt. Coughing up blood, a vine crept from my sleeve. Snaking around the handle, the vine pulling it into my eager palms. Closing my eyes, my leg had to go before the venom decayed the rest of my body.  Swinging it down towards my knees, a tortured scream bounced off the enclosing walls. Vomit threatened to fly up at my throat at the sight of my leg decaying to nothing. Cursing to myself, my situation was made worse. Ripping the bottom of my silk emerald dress, my shaky hands tied the end of my open wound. Laying flat on my back, a new plan needed to be formed. Taking deep breaths, her battle cry echoed in the frightening silence. Aiming for one of her eyes, the tip sank into the tender flesh of her left eye. Ripping it out, her eyeball dangled precariously on the tip. Having broken her concentration, a small crack opened up. Crawling towards the crack, a pale slender hand pulled me through. The beautiful garden stole my breath away, Lily examining my lack of a leg. Pulling me into the worn ornate chair, a golden glow bathed my wounded leg. Mouthing a silent spell, my jaw dropped at the sight of a new golden leg.  

“Sorry she took your leg.” Lily apologized sincerely, her ivory waves cascading her flowing silver robes. “I trapped her hoping that she would never wake up. She was born evil and always ready to kill. I caught her torturing and killing small animals. We did everything we could but my old man and I couldn’t handle her. So we sent her off to live with her mother.” Tears streamed from her beautiful eyes, my hands cupping hers. 

“A leg is simply a leg after all. Some people are born bad.” I comforted her warmly, guilt dimming my eyes. “ The way things were going anyway, I was sure to lose a limb. Besides, you healed it for me.” Shaking her head, her forehead pressed against the top of my hands. Uncontrollable sobs wracked her body, the nightmares haunting her had been implanted into my mind. 

“How can you be so calm?” She wept softly into the top of my hands, a small smile dawned on my face. “I can see why our queen picked you.” Scarlet colored my cheeks, her wet eyes meeting mine. Dragging my chair over to her, my arms pulled her into a warm embrace. My ears pinned back, all of her emotions soaking my shoulders. Years of pent up stress burst through the dam, the right thing to do was to hold her until the waves of emotion died down. 

“I have been through a lot. I may look calm on the outside but trust me. I am a bag of fraying nerves.” I explained serenely, her hands cupping my face. “I am getting over it. Time heals all wounds.” Tucking a piece of hair behind my ear, she kissed my forehead. A quiet smile did little to alleviate my concern for one of my first friends, something else weighing on her mind. 

“She murdered my fiance that day.” She admitted brokenly, my hands cupping hers together. “He was walking home from his bachelor party. When I saw him get brutally murdered by her, I wanted to hide. Since I completed the spell I will die the moment she dies.” Tears welled up in her eyes, the corner of my lips quivering. Unable to say anything, the tears now flowed seamlessly. The last line was a lie, her tell gave her away.

“It’s okay. I have lived for too long. My lover is waiting for me.” She promised sweetly, my stability slipping away. “I am the last piece that you need to destroy to free us all from the growing evil. Take some of my blood with you so you have an antidote next time.” Before I could protest, the pain of losing Scarlet tortured me. Seeing his face in the blue skies, my breath began to shorten. Hiding my panic attack with a polite smile, the idea of her dying taking me back to my weakest mental state. The scrape of her chair made Scarlet’s face fade away, several jars clinked in her arms. Cutting her palm, my eyes shifted to the white roses next to me. The delicate flowers danced in the gentle summer breeze, the wet sound of her blood sickening me. Refusing to look at her, my heart ached for my family. Folding my arms across my chest, the last cap screwing shut. Wrapping up her palm, a silver box resting on the table. Rising to my feet, my new leg worked fine. Wandering over to the edge of the gazebo, a sea of fluffy clouds drifted aimlessly. On the outside it looked nice but the reality of it all was that it was a prison. The state she was in resulted in what happened to the nicest of us, the heroes always taking the biggest burdens. Clearing her throat, her slender fingers gripped the railing with a nervous grin twitching on her lips. 

“I am sure now how you can see that this is a prison. Help a friend out and set this little bird free. Out you go!” She chirped cheerfully, shoving me in the middle of nowhere. Her slender hand shoved the jars of her blood out, my eyes rolling. Patting my body for any connections to my companions, dismay dimmed my eyes. Pinching my nose, the stinky swamp water bubbled. Coughing up blood, the pain of my last fight caught up to me. Sinking to my knees, my hands cupped my stomach. Vomiting up blood, a pair of boots stepped into my view. Antler bent down to examine my body, his kind expression releasing a wave of relief. Collapsing into a heap, his arms scooped me up. My vision blurred, the red sky spinning over me.  

“You took quite the hits, didn’t you?” He mused playfully, walking me towards his home. “I have a few people waiting to see you but first let’s fix the internal bleeding.” Petting his furry head, his wry smile met my worn face. Resting my head on his fresh mud brown robes, silent tears of raw agony and future loss stained my cheeks.  

“I was assigned to be her guardian.” He commented with a pleasant smile, rubbing his antlers on a nearby tree.” Her blood is a treasure to behold. Her lineage goes all the way back to the original queen. She gave up the crown to save us all. If I am being honest, the crown was the last thing she wanted.  Freedom was as all she ever desired.” Guilt dimmed my eyes, my fingers scratching the tops of my hands.  

“How can you be her guardian if she is trapped in the mirror?” I queried curiously, coughing up more blood. His lips parted to speak, a distraught Tommy leaping onto my chest. Boran paced in the home, Mishal slumbering in his sling. Darwin pointed out the window, Helios popping up next to him. My genuine smile brightened my feature, a soft chuckle echoing in my ear. 

“You have quite the family, Miss Lottie.” He expressed calmly, cocking his head to the right. “The answer is that I was her guardian before that happened. She was as tenacious as you yet she lacked the courage you have. I mean that in the best way. One could argue that your compassion for others is surely going to drag you down. Did you learn anything in your fight with Wraithia, the one you fought with?” Thinking deeply to myself, what did I learn?

“She can’t feel pain which would slow most people down. Another thing is that her energy is endless despite lacking a heart.” I returned with a curious glint in my eyes. “I learned that her true nature is made of pure evil. I need to find your master’s swords to add to my scythe to gain enough power to surpass her. I don’t suppose you happen to have them.” Setting me down on the steps, he shifted through his robes. My breath hitched at the sleek white blades, his other hand taking Dackworth from my quaking hands. 

“This is going to hurt but it will heal you in the end and grant you instant healing. Wouldn’t that be quite handy? Are you ready?” He queried anxiously, laying all three in the shape of a triangle. Punching me in the gut, my blood painted the weapons. Intense burning torched my existing cells, a distressed scream shattered the early morning air. All of her memories haunted me, her mirror cracking on the inside. Time stopped, her cracking skin catching the corner of my eyes. Tears welled up in my eyes, her warm embrace from behind stopping the agony.  

“I lied when I said that you needed to kill her to free me. You simply needed to combine my weapons with your scythe, your majesty.” She assured me kindly, her polite smile shattering her face. “Take down Wraithia for me. I have total faith in you. Thank you for freeing me.” One last kiss on the top of my head, the last of her energy floated into the sky. A wave of energy bathed the land, my blonde hair lightening to long snow white waves.  My vision blurred, a golden right eye stared back at me in the murky puddle. Teardrops shattered the smooth surface, my eyes falling on the ivory blade of my scythe. A migraine throbbed violently, a rough darkness enveloping me.