The Dark Princess

Milo

I was still trying to process it. I had gone out there, suspecting all the while that something would go wrong. I had known going out there was possibly the only course of action, even though it was the worst. I had even warned Brooke and Mary not to follow me. Mary had warned the others. Then the wind picked up. My suspicions were confirmed. Brooke had definately known that following me was going to put her own life in danger, so why had she done it?

The second the wind had stopped, invisible hands had wrapped themselves around my neck. They tightened when everything fell. Brooke was instantly there. I could even see where the hands tried to choke her, too. The only reaction that I could make out was a tightening of the muscles and a hardening of her eyes. The marks had gone away, bowing before her strength. The hands had even stopped choking me. It was easy to see why Mary thought nothing happened to Brooke, because it was as if nothing had. It was amazing, and confusing, too.

Then she had stood up to Sarah, forceful at the same time she was being . . . kind? No, that's not really the right word. It was more like she was giving Sarah a chance before attacking. Is there a word for that? I was awestruck by the sudden strength and power that flowed through her. How had I missed this before that day?

Sarah's challenge to a duel had been a little predictable, but it scared me, nonetheless. Sarah loved showing off her powers, but not in a vain way, really. More like, she knew that her powers were more advanced than almost anyone else's, and she wanted to make sure you knew, too. kind of to keep you in line. But Brooke's reply had caught me off guard.

"However, first you must prove that you are worth my attention." Sarah had said.

"Is that a challenge?" asked Brooke.

"Most certainly."

Brooke had smirked. "Try me."

I had tried to warn her of Sarah's power, but she just grinned, like she was already feeling more alive than she had for a while now. Then, the next thing I knew, I was in the treetops, watching them circle.

Sarah had begun just playing with Brooke, but to my astonishment, Brooke was handling this with ease, like she was playing, too. They spoke to each other like friends. Then Brooke pointed out that they should probably get started, nodding toward the sun that was beginning to sink in the sky.

She smiled the whole time. She enjoyed this, I could tell. Sarah began unleashing her full power upon Brooke, but Brooke just kept going, like she was still playing. Then, before Sarah could finish her off, as I could tell she was striving to do, Brooke's knife was at her throat. Sarah saw the smile then. She realized something. Her eyes flickered up at me and back down to Brooke, who was now smirking. Her eyes seemed to fill with a realization, and she grinned. That was something she rarely did.

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We stood inside the little hut, watching Brooke being tormented by Sarah, since she needed Brooke for the potion. Just little pieces, though. A hair or two, a little blood, and other things. Then Brooke let out a single yell of pain and fell to her hands and knees. She began shaking all over and screaming as we crowded around her.

"Chains!" yelled Mary.

We sprang into action. Mary, Figi, Sarah, and Lily picked her up by her struggling limbs and brought her outside to a tree while I conjured chains and followed them, wrapping them around her and the tree absentmindedly with my magic. Soon after that there was a black demon in Brooke's place, and the tree was on fire. I put it out with a dismissive wave of my hand and continued to look at Brooke, but I wasn't looking at Brooke.