Half Heart

Singing startled me. Odd singing that reminded me of fluffy clouds. I opened my eyes to find I had been sleeping in a room that reminded me of my tower I had inhabited for a while the previous year. But I could see out the window, and the view was definitely not the same. There was a boy, maybe man, I could determine his age; he was opening my curtains. The sunlight stung my eyes.

  “Yah, might want to cover those peepers,” the strange boy said, “You’ve been sleeping for two weeks now.”

  Two weeks? I dropped to my elbows. That was a long time.

  “Where am I?” I asked warily.

  “Guess.” The strange boy turned to me, and started walking my way. He had a funny walk, more like a waddle, as if he was fat, although he wasn’t.

  “I don’t want to guess. I’m not even sure I want to know.” Rubbing my eyes, I touched my hair, and it was a revolting mass of tangle. I drew my hand away quickly, wanting so badly for the strange boy to leave.

  “Then I shall tell you.” He leaped onto the foot of my bed. I scooted back uncomfortably. “You are in the country of Aduhlajh, but in the City of sorcerers.”

  “You’re evil,” I glared.

  He took a bow.

  “What’s your name?” I asked, pushing my covers away. Then I saw what I was wearing, and I pulled them back to my chin. I was undeniably filthy.

  “I have no name. Call me what you like, for you will never see me after this day. What do you think of me as?” The strange boy had a odd, nasally voice. And I found it strange.

  “Strange. Everything about you is strange,” I offered, none too politely.

  “All right then. To you, I am Strange. At your service.” He bowed again, and nearly lost his balance.

  “I want your service to get out of my room, and have someone draw me a bath,” I said, then added slowly, “if that’s allowed. Am I a prisoner?”

  “Yes, yes, a prisoner I should say,” Strange nodded. “What a shame.” Then he gave me smile that was bigger than his face, his neck stretching out from the rest of his body.

  I had named him well.

  “But nonetheless, a bath would do you no harm, begging your pardon.” He jumped off my bed, then stopped and froze curiously. “Why am I begging the pardon of a prisoner?” He asked himself aloud, and shrugged. “Oh well. You stink, to put it plainly. I’ll send you what you need.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “What exactly are you?”

  He shrugged once more. “Don’t know, neither does anyone else, never will, so don’t ask again. Adieu stinky one, hold tight.” And he was gone.

  Never had I encountered such a strange fellow.

  And never before had I been kidnapped! What was one who was kidnapped supposed to do? What was I supposed to do? I could, of course, sit around for someone to rescue me, but that could take so long that Aduhlajh would have me dead. I shivered at the thought of him. He scared me now, where he hadn’t before.

  And this place scared me, even though it was as gloomy as I had expected the country of Aduhlajh to be. But, Strange had said that this was the City of the Sorcerers. What was the name of the city? In the back of my mind it seemed as though I had read about it before, but I couldn’t remember what it was called. It must have been monotonous to me.

  I got out of the bed, avoiding the big mirror on the side table to my left. I walked over to the window, sort of dazed.

  I was kidnapped.

  It was unreal to me. It seemed like a big practical joke. Except for the joke wasn’t about to end, and it wouldn’t be very funny when Aduhlajh came up here and cut my head off. I wanted to feel nervous, but I couldn’t. It almost seemed alright with me, as if I weren’t worried, but I was. Wasn’t I? How could I not be worried? It was as if someone else was controlling my emotions, like a toy, endlessly.

  I wanted to stop it, but how? I had a hint who was controlling me. Well, more than a hint. I was just about positive it was Soea. It was as if his greatest pleasure was making me act as someone I wasn’t. it scared me in a way, and alarmed me. But what could I do? I didn’t even know where he was. He was probably here in the City of the Sorcerers, seeing that he was a sorcerer. But I didn’t know. In fact, for all I knew, he could walk in my door at any second, posing as a manservant! For all I knew, he could have been Strange.

  The bustling scene out my window consisted of cold stone towers all around, sorcerers and sorceresses in the air. Most of the men had a mischievous look about them except for the old ones with mustaches and slick hair. The women were most intriguing, with their lips colored with such as purple and blue, the most unnatural colors. Their hair either swirled up on their heads, or down in wavy locks.

  Some flyers looked as though they were sitting on the air, and others look just as if the air was soft, green grass beneath their feet. They were mostly casual. A sorceress took notice of me in my window. I saw her hesitant look, so I met her eyes with as much friendliness as I could find within me at the moment. Her face relaxed, and she flew up to my window. Her blonde wavy hair flowed behind her, creating quite an illusion.

  “Good day, princess,” she said in a husky voice.

  “Hello,” I said slowly, quieter than my usual self. Why did all the sorcerers call me princess? It didn’t make sense to me! I wish they’d tell me, explain to me their reasoning, or something.

  “I heard So had taken you captive. I’m Mem, and it’s a pleasure to meet you.” She brought forth her hand, which I shook. It was uncommonly soft, and warm. It almost felt as if it weren’t there, as if it were a fine, magic velvet.

  I assumed ‘So’ to be the equivalent of Soea. “Do you know him?”

  Mem nodded. “Aye, I know the scoundrel. Don’t think much of him.”

  I sigh and folded my arms. “He’s a wicked soul. He toyed with my emotions to death, and I’m not even sure if he’s done. I still don’t feel myself.”

  Mem gazed at me, pityingly. “Poor girl. He did boast of toying with you at his will. Said you hadn’t even a fight in you, and that your legendary braveness had to be a myth.”

  Her words startled me, making my insides jump, then burn. How could he say such a cowardly thing? He knew I was brave! Would a coward enter The Forest? Certainly not. The thought of anyone hearing that lowly statement made my face hot with rage, and my body shake with resentment. I hated Soea.

  I hated him.

  I hated him for saying that, I hated him for teaming up with Aduhlajh to kidnap me, and most of all, I hated him for living.

  “I’m sorry, princess, I didn’t mean to upset you. I just thought you might want to know what he’s up to.” Mem reached out with her soft hand, touching my trembling arm. I stopped immediately.

  Suddenly I jerked back. How did I know she wasn’t in on the whole kidnapping scheme, that she wasn’t also using me as a toy? Her touch to calming to be sincere, I thought.

  Mem flinched, drawing her hand back. “It’s not what you think. I would never have anything to do with Soea, or his evil conspiracy to use you to get Viloria.”

  “Viloria?” I asked.

  “Viloria is Aduhlajh’s young wife, the one he just took after he, uh… disposed of his late one. He adores her, and Aduhlajh will most likely give her up if he gets what he wants.”

  “What is that?”

  “To use you, to get to…”

  “To what?” I asked, getting anxious.

  “I’m not sure. Soea didn’t say.” Mem pursed her lips, looking down thoughtfully. “But it seems you’re quite stuck in the middle, and I really do feel for you. That’s why I wanted to meet you. Is there anything I can do?”

  Wait, I thought. How canshe just all of the sudden want to risk her life to help someone she didn’t even know, without there being an incentive in it for her? There was always a catch. I knew it. “I don’t know if there is anything you can do, and if there was, I wouldn’t tell you unless you told me why you wanted to help.” Oh, how I wanted to trust her without question. But I didn’t know if that was truly myself, or if was her, being
just as devious as Soea.

  “I told you,” Mem bit her lip. “Your sorrow pains me.”

  But I knew that wasn’t it, or at least not all of it. There was something else, and I wouldn’t accept her help until I knew. “I have been through much, sorceress Mem, and there is more than I need than a few assuring words before I accept help from anyone, especially a being of magic,” I paused. “No offense.”

  She only sighed. “I know, and I understand. I wish trust was just that easy, but I know it’s not.” She wet her lips and gazed to the side. “I’ll tell you this much: Soea has wronged me, and in a way far more painful than yours. At the moment I can’t even stand the thought of him, and will do anything to pierce his soul the way he has mine. Forgive me if it sounds rash, but it’s the truth, and the only trust I can offer.”

  Her words bit at my heart. Mem’s eyes were so sincere, nearly glazed I thought. It was all I could do no to shout out, “Yes! Yes! Of course, the wronged ones combine to make a stronger force than such imagined!” But I bit my tongue. If I were so quick as that, what was it happen to me? But, if I were so quick as to turn her away, and her words be true, I would be marred inside, and there was no telling what would happen to my outward self.

  Could I half trust her? Was such a thing possible? She knew my situation, or at least I assumed so, and if she did then she would know how hard it is to trust! “I…” my tongue froze, being torn between two words. “I don’t know.”

  Mem shook her head. “I don’t know either. No one does. Who can be trusted? How do I know I can trust you? Both of us are a spot, I suppose,” she giggled through her sorrow.

  I saw a glimpse of something in her laugh. A bit of extreme braveness, undiscovered traits, and a bit of all my companions I had trusted along my long and lonely journeys. “I will try.” I gave her my compliance, though I wasn’t sure if it was half-hearted. I would see along the way, and if I saw anything that didn’t seem right, then… I didn’t know what I’d do. For what could I do? Besides throw myself from the window, and give up? There was nothing. Trust was my only option.

  We stood in silence for a moment, or rather I stood and she floated, but either way nothing was said; there was something, a connection maybe, that told me we had gone through somewhat of the same thing. The fact comforted me, even though I knew it could all vanish in one second and the my foolishness would fall through. But I had to take the risk. I knew I had to. But did Mem know that, too?

  Footsteps outside my room startled me, erupting my thoughts. “Mem! My bath is here. You should go, so no one knows you’re here.”

  She saluted. “I’ll get to work. Good luck.” And she flew away.

  The door open and I spun around, leaning on the window sill.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, I should have knocked. Shall I try again?” Soea gave a menacing laugh, making my insides knot up. He was the last person, save Aduhlajh, that I wished to see.

  “Go ahead, kill me now,” I offered.

  “I’m afraid I’ll have to turn you down. You see,” he started walking towards me. “I’m not the one who would kill, if you were going to be killed, which you're not. And, besides, you aren’t very appealing at the moment. That’s why I’m here.”

  “Okay, Dr. Perbal. Cure me.” I turned around, eyes fixed out the window. I didn’t want to show my fear; I wanted to retain my control over it.

  “Hah!” He bellowed. “Nothing could cure your smell right now.”

  I huffed up defensively. “It’s not my fault I was asleep for two weeks. In fact, last time I checked, it was yours!”

  He just laughed. “Ah, poor girl, you know nothing.”

  I had to try my hardest not to spit in his face.

  “It’s a pity,” Soea continued, “that you’ll never have the time.”

  My breathing became rigid. I didn’t want to believe anything he said. I had no reason to.

  “Does one really have to smell good for a beheading?” I taunted, with as much confidence as I could muster.

  “Beheading. That’s good. If you’re not too careful, you’ll fall out of that window before we have a chance.” He folded his arms casually, as if he hadn’t a care in the world.

  I acted as if I had ignored his comment, but I acknowledged inside that I was leaning further and further out the window each passing second. I supposed that it was me, self-consciously, trying to get away from him.

  “Ah, alright, enough verbal torture. Time to make you pretty, if at all possible.” Soea clapped his hands.

  I felt a jolt, and a sudden change. I didn’t smell my own stench, and my clothes didn’t stick to my skin. In fact, it was quite the opposite. A white silk dress hung over my body, just tying at the neck, and my hair was in spiral curls. I despised them. I didn’t thank him. I just puckered sickly. Maybe I was acting as if I were a wicked child, but he was treating me like one.

  “Aren’t you hungry?” He asked maliciously.

  I felt my stomach. It was a shrunken mass, the skin was taut and my ribs nearly overlapped it. “No.” Then it growled.

  “Pity. So much food, and I got you dressed. Shall I place you on a pedestal in the center of the dining room instead?”

  “I’ll eat,” I said grumpily, brushing past him.

  “Splendid. I am to be your escort, requested by Aduhlajh. Now doesn’t that just make your appetite grow?”

  Chapter 10