Soulless

A Horrible Predicament

“We are in a horrible predicament.” My sweaty palms slide off the wood and I plunge into the blackness. It is indeed an excellent disguise; thankfully the gap is not deep enough to do extremely harmful damage. I cradle the book tightly in my arms, pressing it against my chest. I will not let this newly acquired possession out of my grasp. It is too important.

We must have been close to the ground when I had grabbed the ledge, because we hit the ground quickly. Unexpectedly, I landed on my stomach, the book flying out of my hands and skidding to a halt on the ground. My face is uncomfortably pressed into the ground, a burning sensation forming in my cheekbones upon impact.

I reluctantly ease myself up, sputtering and spitting dirt out of my mouth, rubbing my bruised face, incredibly relieved that I am wearing armor. No bones are broken, since the fall was not high enough, but I am still scraped. Small droplets of my blood land on the ground. I suddenly remember the man and frantically scan the room for him.

The room is dimly lit by a single candle, which I find oddly bizarre. The room is nothing but a round cave with no apparent entrance or exit. The walls are brown stone and the ground has a layer of soft dirt, which must have cushioned our impact with the floor. I find the man sitting in the dirt, unmoving. His cloak is flattened against his back, the hood down. He has dark hair that is rather lengthy, coming slightly above shoulder length. He looks injured, as he sits in a very awkward position. Alarmed, I move over to him, half dragging myself because my legs still burn with pain.

He lifts his head, spitting dirt onto the floor. Black eyes come up to meet mine in an agitated expression. He rubs his injured arm while is eyes stare at my face, examining me.

“Are you alright?” I say, attempting to be kind even though he is my enemy. He glares at me, not speaking a word. I open my mouth again.

“Well, alright then.”

“What did you summon back there?” he inquires, most likely referring to when I was surrounded by his demonic companions. I am slightly taken aback at his quick change of subject.

I am not prepared to reveal Kali to him; who knows what he would think of that. If I tell him about the beast, that means I will have to speak of her, which is something I refuse to do. Only I can know that she is linked to me. We are chained together, our bond. It is a physical link as well as a mental link. It remains invisible most of the time, but the chains do become visible when I summon her physical self into this world.

We use the chains to our advantage. For example, we can wrap them around an enemy and keep them tied to us, which for some bizarre reason, Kali is doing right now. Normally I would have her wrap the chains around an enemy so I can dispose of it. I do not question her ways though; her anger is something no one should want to experience. Instead speaking of her I come up with a foolish excuse.

“I really do not know to be honest.” That is all I have, for I am not the best liar. I stand up to go retrieve the book I have taken from the castle. The cover is intact, the pages still in place but bent and torn. At least it is still legible. I can feel him staring at me still. He does not seem to take his eyes off me. I spin around to face him. His eyes watch me, their expression confused, as if he is puzzled by something.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

He shakes his head, coming to his own feet. “No reason. We have not met before, correct?”

Now that he mentions it, he does seem to have the appearance of someone I have crossed paths with before my endeavors in this castle. I cannot place it though so I nod.

“Yes, strangers.”

He averts his gaze to the opposite corner of the room, where his sword lies in the ground, surrounded by a pile of broken wood. He retrieves it and sheathes it without a word.