The Cost of Power

Chapter 2

We were falling through nothing but color and that strange liquid-like substance for what seemed like forever, until we fell with a thud onto cold hard ground. It took me a moment to get up, but when I did, Caleb was already standing, an extremely excited look plastered across his face.
    "Welcome to," He cleared his throat, and spoke the next words very loudly and with the voice of an authority figure (To the point where it was actually quite humorous). "The Wood of the Broken!" A satisfied look flashed across his face when I smiled, but then it was gone before I could make my face straight again.
    "So is there like... a hotel around here? Somewhere to sleep?" I knew by the amused look he wore that there were no hotels. Darn.
    "Yes, there is somewhere to sleep."
    My glimmer of hope and happiness was crushed by his next words.
    "The ground, buttercup"
    My shoulders slumped in disappointment as I sat down next to a dark oak tree, only then realizing how tired I was. Looked like traveling through a crazy magical portal was a tiring activity.
"I'm gonna go get us water, there's a stream up this hill. I'll be right back." He started to turn away and then stopped. "Buttercup?"
"I'd truly prefer if you stopped calling me that, Caleb."
"I don't know you're name, so what else is there to call you?"
"I don't know, anything but buttercup."
"Fine. I'll think of else something, pumpkin."
I couldn't hold back my laugh. "Pumpkin is even worse!"
He smiled, and clicked his tongue. "Picky, picky."
As he turned his back to me and started up the hill. "Caleb?"
He turned back around. "Yes?"
"My names Eden."
If I didn't know any better, I'd say he tried to hold back his smile, and failed. "Ok then. I'll be right back, Eden."
u :nI smiled back. "I'm sure you will, Caleb."
He had been gone for only a couple minutes before I heard someone approaching. "Wow, I wasn't expecting you back so soo-" I abruptly broke off as the person emerged from behind a tree. It wasn't Caleb.
The woman that did emerge looked like she was probably in her early 30's. She had wavy, long, shining black hair that fell down to her thighs. It was well controlled, nearly perfect, which was odd since i'd guessed she'd lived in the woods. She had deep red lips, and such dark brown eyes they looked black. She was wearing the most beautiful dress i'd ever seen in my life. It would've been exactly like a wedding dress if it wasn't bright, blood red. It had a jeweled neckline that went up to her shoulder and and became the dresses thick strap. The dress had a gorgeous, long, billowing skirt that begun above the waist, where there was a band that was a darker shade of red going around her waist. It was jeweled, just as the neckline.
She looked evil. Really evil.
"Well well well, what do we have here?" She tipped her head to the side in curiosity. "I must say, we did not expect to find anyone in these woods ever again, Did we Lexa?" She spoke again, moments later, but when she did, it was not her voice "No, we definitely did not. But I would like to point out that after the council banished us here, we have not had a single visitor, and we have grown quite....." She searched for the right word to use. "Power-Hungry."
My heart dropped down to my feet. This crazy split personality chick was gonna try and kill me for my power that I hadn't even learned how to use yet. The only words i managed to get out were "What council?"
She giggled. "You are seriously new at this, aren't you?" Before I could respond, her other half joined in. "Well obviously, her magic hasn't even surfaced yet." She licked her lips "Doesn't mean her power will be any less rejuvenating."
And I'd thought Caleb was crazy. This psycho was literally a magic-cannibal. I was so dead.
"Time to collect." The despicable look on her face truly reminded me of poison. And suddenly, I felt a pull. Not just any pull, like a hair tug, but a painful tug that felt as if it was coming from the depths of my soul. That was when I realized. She was absorbing the magic. My magic. I let out a scream of pain as felt her hold on me tighten, the pull grow stronger until it was almost unbearable. I had started to accept that this was my end. This psychotic split personality power-starving maniac was going to absorb not just my magic, but my life. I could feel it. I grew weaker and weaker, as I fell to the ground. Alone. I would die alone.
As the darkness had begun to take me, and the world to slip away, I heard a scream. A terrible, earsplitting scream. I opened my eyes, to see the very tip of a dagger emerging from the center of her chest. She stared at me, eyes wide with complete and utter shock. The dagger drew back, and she fell to the ground.
I stood there, as I stared at the stabber in shock. "Caleb." I whispered.
Caleb stood there, eyes wide with disbelief over what he had just done. The dagger douced in the woman's blood slipped from his grasp, and hit the ground. "Eden." Was all he managed to say before he slid to the ground, just as I had, and sat beside me. We sat side by side like that for several minutes, in complete silence, attempting to process everything that had just occurred, though I didn't think either of  us would be able to for a long, long time.