The Dark Princess

Mary

Needless to say, we all decided to go with Milo and Brooke. The hike to the little hut in the cliff face was really boring and full of cursing, awkward silence, and clanking armor from our little army. It was windy out, but really really hot . . . hence the cursing. Not much happened, but I noticed that I wasn't the only one who had changed dramatically. Where I had become less serious and down to earth, Brooke had become more so. As for Milo . . . well, I guess I wasn't quite sure what to think about him yet. Brooke seemed to trust him. Possibly more than just trust him, but I didn't have time to figure things out very well before we arrived.

I was in the front of the group, so I saw everything that went down. Milo walked purposefully toward the door in the cliff. The wind picked up to a howl.

In the wind, almost as if it was the cause of it, I could hear a voice, wailing the words "GGOOO AAWWAAAAAYYYY!". Milo was nearly knocked over by the force of it. He managed to take another step and the wind became so strong he was forced to his knee. It seemed to come from everywhere at once, and I could hardly see through all the dust. I think Milo was trying to shout something, but the words were instantly torn from his lips, so I could hear no sound.

"HOW DAARRREEEE YOU TRESPASS ON MY MOTHER'S PROPERTY!!"

Milo gave up on trying to walk towards the house and began to crawl under the worst of the wind. He'd only gotten a few feet when it all stopped. The wind had stopped, but so had everything else. Every leaf, every particle of dust, and every strand of hair suddenly stopped moving. Then, all at once, it all fell to the ground, like it had only just realized that it shouldn't be able to float.

Suddenly Milo was clutching his throat, gagging and unsuccessfully trying to breathe. Brooke had been standing beside me up until now, but at this point she couldn't help running to his aid. Surprisingly, nothing happened to her, but Milo could breathe again. The same ratty, black haired witch with the bad voice that had tried to frame me for Lily's death appeared out if no where and stalked toward the pair. Brooke drew a knife, hovering defensively over Milo, who was sucking air into his lungs on the ground. Suddenly, the witch stopped short, looking from Milo to Brooke and back to Milo. A smile spread slowly accross her face.

"I heard that you had been imprisoned. I had wondered how long it would last. Which of you killed The Dark Princess?"

Brooke and Milo exchanged glances and seemed to come to an agreement. Brooke cleared her throat.

"Niether of us did. Sasha still lives."

The smile melted off the witch's face. "And you dared to come to my dwelling, when you knew full well that she would kill all associated with your escape?"

Milo spoke this time. "Please, Sarah" he croaked. "We need your help."

"With what?"

Brooke explained the demon, and how it came around every night. I remembered how she had screamed last night, how the tree she had been tied to had burst into flames, and how glad I was that she'd insisted we use chains after I saw the demon. I was still lost in my thoughts when Sarah replied, and didn't see it coming in time to try to dodge. Not that it would have made much difference.

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Brooke and Sarah circled below us, weapons drawn and eyes fierce. Lily had told me after the golden cages had lifted us into the treetops. Sarah had offered a bargain. Brooke could have the potion that would keep the demon away in return for her voice, which was much better than Sarah's at the moment. But first, she would have to prove her worth. They were currently in battle. Sarah had managed to work us into the bargain as well. The army had been sent back to the Elf Palace, and the rest of us would die if Brooke failed. Ironically, it would be Brooke that would kill us, in demon form.

So, Brooke was fighting for her friends' lives and probably hers, while Sarah was fighting for her entertainment and glory in Sasha's eyes if she turned Brooke in. I had very high hopes that Brooke would win, but then the battle started.

Brooke was armed with her knife and whatever magic she could use. Sarah, however, had a long sword, and whatever magic she could use. There was a flash, and suddenly the two were in combat. While they fought, Sarah kept tearing chunks from the ground and flinging them at Brooke, magically. Brooke, however, was dodging them very well. For some reason, every time a rock came too close it flew in the opposite direction.

There was also an age difference. Brooke was turning fifteen in seven moons, while Sarah looked about twenty. As soon as I realized this, my hope diminished even further.

It seemed to go on forever. In the beginning they were talking, like they weren't fighting. I only caught snatches, but they were close enough together for me to piece together the story.

Sarah had had the most beautiful voice in the land. One day, in the night, a jealous maiden had attempted to steal it. She had gotten it into a glass vial before being caught. In the fight, the vial had broken, and only a part of her beautiful voice had made it back in. Her voice hadn't been the same since.

Flashes of steel, flying earth. Wind picked up and died down. Shields appeared and broke. All the while, the sun sank lower in the sky. They were getting more and more desperate as night approached. The wounds got more numerous, the clashes more frequent and violent, and the combatents more dangerous. Finally, in what seemed like slow motion, Brooke's knife hit the hilt of Sarah's sword, and she twisted. The sword clattered away, and the tip of Brooke's knife was at Sarah's throat.

Sarah grinned. "Congratulations, you've proven your worth. Now let's get this over with before sunset."

I hope this makes up for the lack of updates, even though its not very long. I apologize for the wait, and I suggest you at least reread the last two paragraphs of the last chapter if you've forgotten what happened last.

This chapter is dedicated to Syren_Cliff, who pulled off an amazingly horrible cliff hanger in his book, Syren, and regularly comments on my books. Next dedication goes to a commenter!