A Tale of Traitors

Willow: Under Attack

          It happened so fast. I didn't know how to stop him. I was walking behind Dalia, and he came out of nowhere. I didn't hear him--didn't even see him--until his knife was to my neck and his gun aimed at my friends. It was clear that if I didn't do exactly as he said, they would be killed like the others. I didn't know what to do, and I didn't have time to think about it. For the moment, it appeared the wisest solution was to let him lead me out the back door. He was mumbling spells the entire way. I expected this was what kept our movements quiet. He didn't let the cold metal touch my neck, but held it close enough that with one motion he could slice my skin. As we were about to exit the room, Dalia and Queen turned around and raised their swords, knowing there was nothing they could do but determined to help. The assassin stopped his spells. I realized that I was grabbing his arm, trying to bring down the knife. He was stronger than me, and kept shoving me away.
"If you hurt them," I whispered as menacingly as I could, "I swear I'll kill you."
"Shut up," he mumbled back. "Come quietly."
          The tension was a thick covering over the room, enveloping everyone in trembling nerves and shaky breathing. The enemy was in our safe house, and our allies had crumpled to the ground. There was no one left to help us; there was no one left to give the orders. I tried to breathe steadily. I scanned the room and sifted through what I knew. We stopped moving. The knife wasn't touching my skin. The gun wasn't going to move. Unless I could make it. One. Two. Three. I slammed against the weapon as hard as I could, and the girls darted to separate corners of the room so we could surround the intruder. Silent gunfire burst from the gun, darts fluttering passed our ears. Anytime we got close to throwing a punch or swinging our swords, the intruder beat us to it. He was powerful, quick, and brilliantly trained. Queen was the most reckless, coming at him with everything she had. She took a hard punch in the face, and I flung forward to help her. The assassin seemed startled by my attack but barely hesitated to push me down. My knee slid and cut on the wooden boards, and I leapt up again, swinging my sword. He caught it with his tiny knife and smacked it out of my hand. As I dove to retrieve it, I witnessed Dalia pouncing on him from behind, nearly tearing the gun from his grasp. But he was faster. The assassin pushed the hilt of the gun into her stomach, and then aimed it at her leg. It went off and the dart tore into her skin, instantly making her dizzy.
"Not fatal!" Queen yelled at me, seeing the emotion on my face. "Tear it out, Dalia!"
          She painfully clawed the dart out of her leg, but the effects were already kicking in. She stumbled over the professor's unconscious body and fell next to him, propped against a side table so she could at least see the rest of the battle. Queen and I jabbed, punched, and fought as hard as we could, but he was too strong for us. Although our spells were powerful, he always had one to counter ours. Queen seemed surprised by his spell choices--as if they were weak--and she began to taunt him in between strikes. His face showed an absolute lack of emotion, and he was completely unbothered by her words or our actions. Words popped into my head whose meaning I couldn't recall; words that I felt I couldn't say, but had the choice to declare. It was a spell. It was powerful. What was holding me back? I shrugged this thought off and prepared for a strong strike. The assassin spat out a spell and I flung across the room, not having a counter for it. I heard the gun release three times, and two of the darts ended up in Queen. Although she pulled them out instantly, he struck her to the ground and she fought to stay conscious. As he barrelled towards me, I screamed,
"Krad brkea plles!"
          A spiritual screech shattered the tension in the air and filled my soul with dread. The assassin flung to his knees, clutching his head, and I followed. The shadow catcher was breaking again--was the assassin wearing one too? He pulled the pieces from his hair and opened his mouth to yell. The anonymous screech pierced through again, and the sun was blocked by darkness. The wind picked up, and the windows splintered with the sudden force of what felt like a tornado. We were in the eye of the storm, the boards of the house roaring in pain. Our hair whipped about our faces, impairing my vision. I crept over to Queen so I could slap her back into consciousness. The assassin was just watching, looking out the windows in what appeared to be fear. I rose my weapon, but he pushed it aside and came close so I could hear what he was saying. I tried to smack him, but he pinned my arms down.
"You need to get out of here, go wherever you were planning on. It's not going to be safe for Syrnafin either--go fast. Don't doubt that I'll catch up to you," he said extremely seriously, shoving a new shadow catcher into my head. I cringed at the pop sound.
"Why are you--" I began.
"Get out fast." He grumbled. As he turned to leave, he looked back at me. Whatever he was going to say, he decided not to. Instead, he bounded out of the window and mounted a glorious beast whose name was long lost in an abyss of my jumbled memories. Its wings traced the clouds and beat with majesty greater than rooms of riches. Its proud eagle's head lead the way through the expanse of grey and blue, winding its master safely through an obstacle course of evil beings. There were seven massive figures following after the assassin, threatening him with large scepters and beams of dark magic. Black, maroon, and dark purple light burst through the clouds, threatening to tear the fierce beast apart, but he expertly weaved through them into the freedom of sunlight. I sat watching wide eyed in wonder, but I had to break my focus soon enough. Two of those spirits were on the way to our very house. It was as if their lifeless eyes were capable of crushing every ounce of joy in the universe, and their hatred bounced off of the clouds, reflected on the world below. Best of all, it was me they were searching for--but what had summoned them here?
          "Willow," Dalia called over the wind, waving me over. I flung to her side, ready to carry her downstairs to hide in the safe room.
"Those things are coming," I said more bravely than I felt.
"Yep," she let me pull her to her feet, "unconsciousness is safety."
"The others are safe, then?" I asked as we stumbled down the stairs to the basement.
"Yes," she nodded as I unscrewed the latch to the hidden room. "Doors don't stop them," she protested.
"What does?" I responded, pushing her underground.
"A conscious life."
I froze. "So, you?"
"Leave now." She said smiling, finally focusing her lonely eyes on me.
"I'm not going to do that," I said determinedly, shutting the door to the small room and tearing up the stairs. I remembered the assassin had left his gun on the floor, and as long as there was a dart left, Dalia would be unconscious and therefore protected from the spirits. To my delight, there were three darts left inside, and I snatched it up. As I headed back, the walls trembled with new power. They were here. I froze.
          The winds stopped; the universe held its breath. I mumbled the spell I heard the assassin saying, and I crept along noiselessly. There was a terrible sound, like nails on a chalkboard, that echoed through the empty, dusty halls. It sounded like the breathing of a rabid beast waiting to be discovered by an unsuspecting victim. I could hear the sound of their ghostly masses striking the ground, sifting through the walls and searching for consciousness. Their horrid breathing made my heart pound ever faster as I stood in the hallway, nervous to turn the handle to the door. No, there wouldn't be sound, but would they see me? I stayed frozen, hearing the breathing getting louder. I couldn't see where the second spirit was, and I inched cautiously forward while muttering the silent spell. Just a little further. Just another step... I could hear the spirit hovering over my friends, checking for which ones were truly unconscious. I turned the handle and opened the door. The beating of my heart was overwhelming. I slid through the small opening and leapt down the stairs, hoping the simple silent spell would work even with the great falls. I gently opened the safe room and shot Dalia with the sleeping dart. She was incredibly confused but understood as she fell into sleep. I shut the door and let her be, and then I lay down on the training room floor and waited quietly for this nightmare to end.
          I must have fallen asleep, because my brain was swarmed with horribly disturbing images. I woke when a heavy foot smashed onto the steps, and the breathing grew into a growl. The first spirit was slithering down the steps, its robes flowing behind it and its scepter gleaming in its ghastly hand. The very dust stopped falling, and weapons hovered in midair where the spirit could see them all. The safe house door shook, and a second spirit teleported through it. Dalia was safe, and I almost sighed in relief. Instead, I shut my eyes and wished everything would go away. Their breathing. The clawing of their feet. The stillness of the air I breathed.

Death, darkness, hatred surrounded me.

I wouldn't give up today.