Secrets

A Little Game

I tried to smile back at her, but she was too busy looking around her.

"My friends, my enemies, my saviors, my kin, rise up. You shall once more take place of a human being," she recited.

More than one hundred ghosts rose up out of the ground. They chattered about, floating here and there. Asylum raised her hand, and all was silent.

I turned to her and gritted my teeth. "You don't expect me to fight all of these guys, right?"

Asylum smiled. "No, you're too weak. And besides, I want to torture you."

She turned to a ghost and whispered something in his ear. He nodded. She turned back to me.

"And the number one rule of torture: bring someone they care about into the picture."

I shook my head frantically, but Asylum had already turned around. The man looked at me, and smiled.

I watched, horrified, as the man slowly began to transform into Ebony. Now Ebony stood before me, looking as helpless as I was lost.

"So, what are you going to do?" I asked.

"Make him fight you."

"No, no, please, I'll do anything. No, please," I begged. I didn't want to kill Ebony. He's not real, I reminded myself.

Asylum shoved a sword into my hand, and conjured a sword for Ebony. At once, we lunged at each other, both trying to go on the offensive. I was too quick, I swung again, and again, with Ebony desperately blocking my every move. He was quickly becoming tired. I got one blow into his arm, but other than that, it was a tie. None of us were giving in.

In the end, Ebony's moves were becoming sloppier. I dreaded the killing blow, but it had to come, and besides, this isn't really Ebony. At last, I had a clear view of his chest.

The ghosts behind me were screaming, "Kill! Kill! Kill!" over and over again. Asylum stood right next to me, urging me on.

I took a deep breath, and stabbed Ebony's heart. The ghosts behind me shouted and hollered. Ebony fell to the ground, limp.

Asylum mouthed, "Well done," to me. I nodded.

I shouted above the screaming crowd, "Can you take me to Ebony now?" She nodded, and stretched out her hand. I grabbed onto it, and we were flying over the mansions, past the trimmed lawns, past the bronze doors, and into the Forbidden Forest.

We landed, and Asylum vanished as I looked around for Ebony. I heard a weakened cough, and turned towards a shrub. Behind the shrub lay Ebony, bleeding out from a spot near his heart. He raised his head when I approached.

I sat down on the ground, and took his head in my lap, gently stroking it.

My voice, barely audible, whispered, "How?"

His eyes were dazed as he answered hoarsely, "I don't know. It felt like a sword stabbed me in my heart, I guess, a few minutes ago."

I raised my hands to my mouth in horror. "Then I know who killed you."

Ebony raised his head a little. "Who?"

"Me."