Chapter Ten
Ivy and I landed swiftly an hours walk from the castle. How we were to get in the castle walls? We didn’t know yet. This part of the plan didn’t have directions. I really wanted to find Theeeb, reassure myself by hearing his directions again, so I didn’t do anything wrong. But of course we hadn’t the time to find him. We had passed extra time being lost, and who knew? The transformation could have already been complete by now!
It goes without saying I shiver at the thought.
Rose was still the evil glove. I held the real glove in my pocket, safely, my one and only hope left to have a happy life. This glove was my fate, my destiny, my life and Ryse’s all rolled into one. It was dreadful to think about, tasted like metal in my mouth, but it was true.
An idea then struck me.
We were nearly to the castle gates, which were no doubt guarded by Mersades’ minions, lurking about, ready to strike; so I grabbed Ivy’s wrist.
“Bloody hell, do I have an idea!” I snapped. He stopped. I wrenched him closer to me, smiling deviously, preparing to whisper, “Rose can be the decoy.” I hissed the last word, knowing he wouldn’t like it.
“Mersades isn’t stupid,” Ivy retorted, clutching the female glove closer to his breast, jerking free of me.
“No, and neither am I! We have to, Ivy!” And with that I snatched it from him, biting my lip ferociously, feeling maybe as if I were being driven mad? I held it above him tauntingly.
“Be careful, don’t hurt her!” he whined, making an attempt to grab it back. However, it was to no avail.
“Agreed?” I pursed my lips, raising one eyebrow high, awaiting his response. He was sure to give in; he was that sort of person. The sort you can walk all over if needed.
After a long, anything but droll moment of silence, “Whatever you say… your highness.” He sounded fairly exasperated. But I was confident.
“Lousy queen you’ll turn out…” he muttered something under his breath. I pretended to act terribly offended, then directed ourselves back on course.
The moon above us was full and haunting. My ears awaited the sound of wolves following us. I was so sure in my head something terribly stupid and dreadful would happen to stop me–and how was I to know something already hadn’t? Doubt and fear loomed allied in one cloud. How I wished I were a great wind, as to blow it into the next dimension. But as we neared the gate, I realized how much I had changed in the past few years. It was incredible to think about. Something such as this would have terrified me when I was a Devingrole–there was no way I would have gotten so far. But, now, here I was; ready to defeat that second person who dared to ruin my life. If I was successful my future was promising… a princess… a queen? A royal, as I had always thought. I had, hadn’t I? As if I knew.
If I was destined to be royal, then I had better not screw up.
With an invincible head full of newfound determination Ivy and I slapped our Peagasses on the rump, and they skittered off in a braying frenzy, sending the guards on a chase of confusion. As they were busy after them, trying to figure out where they came from, we slipped in the gate.
I snickered to myself. That was definitely too easy.
What was in front of us was imminent. The castle stood tall in the darkness, a backdrop of stars combed through a cloudless sky. It was intimidating to say the very least.
Where to go? My stomach began folding up in nervousness, things losing their promise of forever as we trekked further. I was virtually clueless. I didn’t know where she was, how to stay hidden…
“Ivy, I’m going to put the glove on.” I took a deep breath.
I felt his eyes crease at the corners, his mouth an indecisive glower. “Lottey, do you think…?”
I nodded, biting my lip. It was becoming numb. “That’s what it’s for.”
And with that I slipped it on.
My eyes were as compressed as empty grapes, my lower lip nearly bleeding. I waited. Ivy waited. There was no sound except for crickets singing in the night.
I opened my eyes, relieved that nothing happened similar to the Rose glove episode. “How do we know if it works?” Suddenly my heart flew to my throat, as if it were buoyant and someone had poured a bucket of water in through my mouth.
“Where did Theeeb say it was to be found?”
My body turned into duck sauce and I found it difficult to stand. I swallowed hard before answering. “In the… middle of a lake on a stand?” Something like that?
Ivy didn’t say a word, make a sound. After a moment of deafening silence he finally let me know he was still alive by clearing his throat. He set his hand gently on my arm. “Come on, let’s keep going.”
I followed beside him as if I were a walking dead. Might I be dead soon? I couldn’t make myself look down at the glove on my hand. It covered my fingers as would acid. This was terribly terrifying, as one might imagine; one second everything is going to turn out perfectly; the next is full of the feeling of stupidity all rolled into a panic. I was lead along blindly. Of course I couldn’t turn back, of course I had to chance the glove being the wrong one…
“If it isn’t the correct one, we can just put the Rose one on her!” I exclaimed in a sudden whisper. But I could tell even through the dark that it wasn’t a good idea, and didn’t settle well with Ivy.
“It’s her magic. You think she’d be susceptible to it?” He just shook his head.
So… I swallowed my fears and tears. It was possible this could be the last night of my life. It made me dizzy. However, it could be the beginning of the rest of my life. No way to tell.
Except for to try.
“You hear that?” Ivy grabbed my wrist. “Don’t move,” he breathed.
I stood stock-still. And I heard it; the sound of drums. Eerie and sinister sounds, chanting maybe, all coming from behind a thick grove of trees and an old, degenerating wall. I also noticed smoke from a fire. “The ritual?” I asked Ivy, loudly as I dared.
I watched as he nodded his head uncertainly.
It took all we had inside ourselves to move closer. It was the most terrorizing, most appalling thing I’d ever heard–and it didn’t help that I knew what was happening. That my love was probably strapped to a stone table awaiting the life to be sucked from him. From this point on, I knew I would always resent witches, even the good ones.
“What’s our plan of action?” I grabbed Ivy’s hand; it was trembling the same as my own. We both supposed if we failed to defeat her, she’d rip our heads off.
“I don’t know. Maybe… maybe just rush at her, from behind, surprise her, something.” His words were as quiet as a single hair being plucked from one’s head. They hurt like it, too.
I just sort of stood there in a daze–a terrified daze–trying to help myself to understand I had to do something. It was all up to me, on my shoulders; I couldn’t Ivy to try and touch her, it wasn’t his love. Anyway, I already had the glove on. I just had to trust it, I suppose?
Peering through the trees, I could now see her. I was terribly surprised she hadn’t sensed us, or whatever it is that she does when she knows we’re near. Probably too wrapped up in her evil mantra. In a circle there were guards, some that I recognized, although they were not wearing tops or armor. About thirty of them spread around a fire in a protective circle. Mersades was standing actually in the fire, not a singe, hands raised high with an oaken staff in one hand. I looked for Ryse. My eyes longed to see him, to make sure he was alright; I stretched in every way, looking for him. But then I realized–standing right there–he was in front of me. Blindfolded, arms bound mercilessly, shirtless, as if he were some kind of criminal. And across from him was his ‘father’. Or shall we be kind and say, older-other-half?
Obviously it hadn’t taken place quite yet. For if it had then Ryse would not be blind folded. In fact, Ryse wouldn’t be Ryse at all!
“Should I come up from behind her, or run screaming like a madwoman?” I whispered to Ivy, never taking my eyes from the spectacle
in front of me.
“No.” His head shook slightly. “Then she’d have the time to zap you or something.” He put his hand on my back, nudging my slowly, “sneak up from behind.”
As a person would walk to a guillotine, I snuck my way around the procession, or whatever she’d have me call it. They beginning to get louder in their chants, loud enough to where there wasn’t much of a chance I’d be heard. I just needed to keep out of view.
So around I trekked, my head lighter than a soufflé, and I couldn’t even tell if my feet were on the ground. I wanted to scream out to Ryse, tell him not to let them take him, that I was on my way to his rescue! It would be alright! But of course, Mersades would hear me and have my head chopped off. Or maybe she’d take my body and inhabit it? I cringed. Thoughts such as these were certainly not helping.
I was now behind her, about ten steps from a guard who had his back turned to me; amazement enthralled me that I was yet to be heard or seen. There was such a possibility of coming out of this alive that I nearly snickered.
Now for my move of courage. I stepped closer. I had the plan to, on the count of three or something, lunge forward with all my might and leap for Mersades. After all, all I had to do was touch her. Theeeb was sure to take care of the rest.
Time slowed for me. I took a deep breath, my chest rising with pride and air. I drew back, and let go.
And the guard in front of me turned around.
I bounced back in shock, startled nearly past the point of breath, my stomach turning into a deep pit of nausea. Fortunately I hadn’t lost all sense; I quickly shoved my hand with the glove behind my back. The guard grabbed my other wrist. I stood there, in genuine fright, not quite sure that this could be happening, not when I was so close! But I was almost too shocked, afraid and sort of rebuked, to hardly think.
Mersades let out her cackle. “Little girl, I had wondered where you went! You wanted to surprise me, tonight? Ahh,” she cooed, as if she pitied me. “Bring her here.” Her voice become cold in an instant.
Her words resounded, and as I was being drug across the grass as would a sleepwalker, I realized… she didn’t know I had the glove. Obviously, or she would have had it taken. I was being taken towards her. As we drew nearer, every second an hour, precious Ryse to my right and my life and death in front of me, my focus began to grow tunneled. Sheer panic that someone would notice the glove and know what it could do kept me on my toes.
It was hardly like me; but when we were within a few steps distance, I wrenched from the guard and lunged forward.
“Don’t beg for mercy…” Mersades began.
But then I reach out and touched her.
“I won’t, but you should.”
A screech to top all screeches ever known to mankind–or any kind–was emitted through her green mouth when she looked down at my hand, her smile slowly fading, her eyes become identical to the fire she was standing in. I was blown back unrepentantly, but what force is still don’t know; but her screech turned into a howl and the flames began engulfing her. The fire was roaring now, feeding on her decomposing green flesh, and I saw how terribly old she was. She pointed a rigid and bumpy finger at me with a look of revulsion, and it was a bit frightening, and I might have run for my life if she hadn’t been in the middle of leaping flames.
Then she finally dropped down dead.
Was it a trick? Was the terribly green queen actually dead? The world seemed to swallow me, and I could do nothing but lie there on the grass with a heaving chest, sagging mouth, and racing heart.
“Ryse!” I heard myself scream suddenly. I let my body collapse numbly into the ground. I shut my eyes. What was to happen now? There was no sound. Just the crackling fire. Perhaps her spirit would come back. I froze in terror; or maybe all of her guards that were surround me would leap at me at any second and rip my flesh apart. Were nemeses always so easily defeated?
But no sooner had I thought this, a once shocked crowd let out shouts of… glee?
I propped myself up on my elbow, the slightest move I dared, to see everyone jumping up and down for joy at the death of their queen. It was a magnificent sight–but as if I cared about them? I hadn’t done this for them! My eyes shot to Ryse.
He was standing there same as before. Was there something wrong?
My heart leapt in terror. In an instant Ivy was at my side helping me up. We didn’t exchange so much as a glance as we rushed to him.
“What’s wrong with him?” I screamed at Theeeb without bothering to look at him, who was standing somewhat beside us, a mess of surprise. He didn’t answer.
I gently untied his blindfold. His eyes looked empty and ghastly. A sob choked me. Ivy unbound his hands and feet.
“Ryse?” I whispered to his face, running my fingers along his skin. “I killed your stepmother for you, aren’t you proud?” I wanted to shriek, why isn’t he moving?! But I was afraid it would only make me feel worse. To admit out loud something was so terribly wrong.
A massive waterfall of tears erupted. They streamed angrily as I clung to my lifeless Ryse… I clenched my fist around his collar, pulling him closer. It was difficult to even make him budge. It was so stupid–that I had gone so far as to risk my own life, and then take others for his sake, and he wasn’t even alive for me! Terror shook my body. Fear seized it. And I crumpled in a helpless ball to the ground.
I laid there shivering, uncontrollably, at his feet. I waited for someone to come, someone to put their hand on my shoulder and explain to me what was wrong. Why didn’t anybody help?
Finally I threw my head up, tossing my hair backward, a stone cold stare for Theeeb. He just stood there, as if he had no idea what was going on. He stared back, emptily, blinking.
“Lotts?”
My body jolted in terror, my heart plunging into darkness. “What did you say?” I brought myself to say, standing up slowly.
I studied him for a minute, and then another, and then the whole world seemed to cease life. It spun. It was making me sick.
This couldn’t be happening. But what was happening?
Theeeb looked down at his feet, followed them up his legs, past his waist and chest, and then brought his eyes back to me. He looked disgusted. “What the hell is wrong with me?” He took a few quick steps towards me, hands ready to grab my shoulders. “Where have you been? What is happening?” His words were slow and cool. Unlike Theeeb.
More like Ryse.
With a scream I threw myself to the ground. Beating it with my fist, I cursed Mersades with all my might. I was so scared I hadn’t a thought running through my mind–not to say it wasn’t uncommon. Feelings were a constant rush.
And then, suddenly and gently, there were two hands on my shoulders. I could have sworn it was Ryse, I expected to look up and see his beautiful shining face. And when I looked up, even though I loathed my movements, I saw him shining–through a different set of eyes.
Something had obviously gone very wrong.
“You’re an–an–old man!” I wailed, falling into his arms.
He held me, but it seemed almost constrained, as if he didn’t understand. I can’t say that I did either. But I knew more than he did.
“You were a clone of Theeeb, Ryse,” I threw at him, my head buried in his tunic. “Mersades was going to have his spirit enter your body and make it look as if Theeeb had died and you took over. But that wouldn’t be quite true since it’d be him in you and not you at all, just your outer form, your body… I tried to stop it, I thought I had! Oh, Ryse! Do you remember anything? And if you’re in Theeeb’s body, where is he?”
I wanted him to explain everything to me as he always had before. It wasn’t fair. We were supposed to win. Us! Not the villain! In all actuality, nobody had won really… but it still wasn’t fair.
Ryse didn’t say anything. He sat there on his knees, my face, moist with tears against his shoulder. I could feel him staring into space. Meeting his eyes slowly, cautiously, I leaned back. Wiped my nose on my sleeve.
“How are we supposed to reverse this horrid… thing?” I asked helplessly.
But I knew he didn’t know. No more than I did. Ivy didn’t know. The guards didn’t know. The situation was the most positively pitiful scene ever thrown upon a living human.
So, the moon shone. And that was about the only good thing that night.
Until Ivy screamed.
The both of us shot up, looking around for him. He was screaming like a little girl. He was jumping around on his toes, and I couldn’t tell what in the world his problem was. And how it could be worse than mine.
But then I saw it; it was Rose, the glove. It was flopping around on the ground like a fish out of water. Ivy fell back on the grass, breathing heavily, as if he were scarred for life. The glove was in his pocket when it started moving, that’s all. After Visel, something coming to life in his pocket scared him that badly?
We all stared at the glove, I could hear the guards coming up behind us out of curiosity. Since Mersades was defeated, perhaps she would turn back into her real form. I was sorely interested, but even that couldn’t distract from the aged arm I was clinging to.
“What’s wrong with her?” Ivy cried. He really loved that glove, didn’t he? Bent down on his knees, he crawled a little closer, as if trying to calm her or something. Suddenly she stopped bouncing.
The ground started rumbling.
Ivy jumped up, away from the glove, which was now shining like an orb of lightning. We all backed up. My heart began to beat in my ears when it began to grow.
“Rose?” Ivy cried desperately.
But there was no need to be desperate.
In an instant she was standing before us, the rumbling ceased, and moon shone like the sun on a cloudless day. I felt a sort of resentment mixed with awe when I saw how beautiful she was. Ivy, dumbstruck, fell to his knees, as if she were royalty of gods.
Ryse and I watched in amazement as she smiled down at him. I thought she was going to say something to him, or to somebody, maybe me for defeating Mersades? But instead she began walking towards Ryse and me.
Her hair was a dark auburn that I’d never seen before. It flowed behind her in tresses that shined less only than water. Her skin was a shimmering white, her eyes two tiny blue specks that were mesmerizing, and a gown that made anything I had ever worn before times ten look like that of a kitchen wench. And she was walking towards us.
I wasn’t trembling, but I had fear. It wasn’t a startling sort of fear, because she looked to gentle to do anything rotten. But I did become numb when she reached her hand out towards Ryse’s–or, Theeeb’s–mouth, seemed to grab a web of air from his face and pull it towards her. I gasped… it was his spirit. Theeeb’s arm I was holding went limp, and I dropped it instantly.
The spirit glided through the air as if it were born there. It made a strange, although comforting sound that was a bit hard on the ears, but I was entranced with fear. But it quickly changed to hope when I saw what she was doing.
Ryse’s beautiful spirit floated with effortless grace into his real mouth. The one that I kiss. He seemed to suck it in, as if taking a breath for the first time. His eyes flickered to life.
I instantaneously fell the ground with insanely happy laughter mixed with choking sobs. Then his real hands, the ones that save me, were around me… for the first time in forever…
He raised me to my feet, never once leaving my eyes until I fell onto his shoulder. He put his arms around me and slung me around.
“What a strange day,” I said, as if in a trance.
Then we looked over our shoulders to see Rose lifting the head of a very confused, very mesmerized, very petrified Ivy. We both watched in amazement as she drew him up; her lips parted in words of thanks, and then they were on his. It was somewhat of a funny sight, actually.
Well, at least we lived happily ever after this time. For now, at least.
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