by Dylan Peters
The mynah screeched, and then I realized I had made a perilous mistake.
I gasped.
The mynah released me from its clutches and I plummeted past the open roof of the dome.
I blinked.
The ground rushed toward me.
I tensed.
I met the ground and was engulfed in white-hot agony.
“Arthur!” I heard Jim yell and then felt his large footfalls as they came closer and closer to me. Each step he took reverberated through my suffering body like a wave of pain. He knelt down next to me and said, “Holy shit, man. Creepy, say something, man, please, say something…”
I opened my eyes, but everything was pain. I opened my mouth and nothing came out but the croaking, rasping sounds of my suffering. I was sure my leg was broken. I was sure my arm was broken. I was sure there were more things broken inside of me as well. The look on Jim’s face as he knelt over me was one of utter helplessness. There were tears in his eyes, and his dirty hands shook with fear and uncertainty.
Suddenly, a blast of green light hit Jim in the chest, and I heard him roll on the ground several feet away from me. I looked toward where the blast had come from and saw Kesia, flanked by the mynahs, with my mother on the ground behind them. Kesia walked toward me as I lay on the floor of the dome in a pile of pain and defeat. I closed my eyes and tried to breathe in a way that didn’t feel like a million needles of fire.
“My, my, Arthur,” Kesia said. “There’s something about you and this dome that seems to beg for death.”
I opened my eyes again and that damned smile was beaming down at me. I hated it so much, and I wanted her to feel what I felt so it would disappear forever. I wanted her to feel my pain more than I wanted life.
“You’ve gone and broken yourself before I even got the chance,” Kesia said. “That’s not very chivalrous of you, Arthur, spoiling a lady’s fun. Well, I’ll have my fun, nonetheless. You continue to make this as easy for me as possible. The dome is the secret to the puzzle I’ve been trying to solve. I should have realized that was why I found you and Ah’Rhea here. This is where everything comes together, so why shouldn’t it be the place where everything comes apart? You and she may have hidden your secrets from my mist for a time, but no longer.”
Kesia’s smile transformed into a malicious frown, and a wave of green energy flowed through the hand she extended. I couldn’t stop myself from screaming as her magic assaulted my body. I closed my eyes and begged for the pain to go away.
“This is where everything comes together!” Kesia shouted madly above the crackle and din of her attack. “The dome is where I was born, it is where you were given the flame, and now… the flame will be mine.”
My body wriggled involuntarily against the dirty ground. Waves of color infiltrated my consciousness even though my eyes were shut tight. Everything was spinning and shaking, and through my eyelids the world was flashing in pink, yellow, green and blue. It was similar to the vision I had of the dome when it first revealed its elemental connection, but now there was so much pain I could barely think.
“I will tear you apart!” Kesia cackled, “and the Everflame will be mine!”
I opened my eyes as Kesia extended her other hand toward me and more blazing energy poured forth. She lifted me into the air with her power, and I screamed in agony as her magic and the earth’s gravity pushed and pulled at my broken body. I wondered how much more I could take before my world went black forever.
Then a new sensation bloomed deep within me. I felt the shadow bear roar, but it was not a roar of power or defiance, it was a roar of fear. The bear, my friend, was afraid. All at once, I realized that Kesia’s words were not hyperbole. She truly meant to tear me apart in order to take the Everflame. She intended to pull me away from the shadow bear and sever our mystical bond.
A fresh wave of pain racked my body and I threw my head back. Yet, even as I did, the fear of losing the shadow bear was my focus. One of Kesia’s hands continued to hold me aloft with mystical energy, while the other pulled the shadow bear out from me, as if she were literally pulling my soul out of my body. As the bear was pulled away, I saw that he writhed in pain just as I did. Kesia was intent on separating us forever. She meant to destroy us both.
As the witch slowly moved her hands apart, the Everflame emerged in the air between us. Kesia cackled as the flame swirled and flared between the bear and me.
She had won. Kesia would have the Everflame.
“It’s mine!” Kesia exclaimed. “The Everflame is mine, the power is mine, and every sniveling creature of the earth will kneel before me or be caged in ruin!”
“Get your hands off my son, you bitch!”
The energy holding me in place abruptly stopped and I fell to the ground with a thud. My mother stood on one leg, lording over Kesia with vengeance in her steely blue eyes. Kesia was on her hands and knees, and there was a dagger in her back. It was the black-handled dagger that Ah’Rhea had used to try to take my life. My mother must have found it lying on the ground, and I could see that she had killed both mynahs while Kesia was attacking me, as their lifeless bodies now lay heaped on the ground. My mother had saved me and the shadow bear. I looked toward the bear who was crawling toward me, and I could feel the flame within me again. My mother pulled the dagger from Kesia’s back and raised it over her head, preparing for another strike.
“You will die for this,” the witch said to my mother in a rasping voice.
Kesia reached her arm back and cast a fresh wave of green energy that hit my mother hard and sent her careening into the branches of the dome.
“No!” I screamed as my mother’s limp body fell to the ground.
The shadow bear roared with rage, but it was useless. Kesia had only been wounded, not undone. She got to her feet, and I waited helplessly for her next attack. I couldn’t hold on any longer. I felt my life ebbing away. Kesia would kill me, and there was nothing I could do to stop her.
Yet, as dark as my world had become… I was still not alone.
Though weak, Reego jumped from his cradle in Kay’s arms and stepped between me and the evil witch. The fur upon his back stood and he growled fiercely. He meant to use what life he had left to protect me and the Everflame.
“Pathetic mutt,” Kesia snarled. “I will burn you to ash as I did to Ah’Rhea.”
Kay walked up and knelt by the dog’s side. She placed her hand on his back, and he swelled with vibrant pink light.
“You are done here,” Kay said to Kesia. She briefly turned to look at me and I could see her eyes blazed with the same fire as Reego’s. Then she faced Kesia. “This is our world now.”
A jet of fire wreathed in pink light shot from both Reego and Kay, and it took Kesia before she could unleash a fresh attack. Then I heard a call above the noise of the mystical fire.
“Wisket!” Anna yelled. “It’s time!”
I looked behind me and saw Anna leaning against Wisket’s side. Her eyes blazed with yellow light and so did Wisket’s. They were ready to join the fight. A great gust of wind came out from them in a flourish of yellow, and it swept forward, sending Kesia to her knees.
“What is this?” Kesia yelled, unable to fight against the force of the fire and the wind.
“It’s called an ass kicking, lady,” Jim said as he stood behind me. “You looked like you could use one.”
The little blue squirrel jumped onto Jim’s arm and scurried up to sit on his shoulder. Its eyes blazed with blue light, and now so did Jim's. A jet of water shot out from them and rushed forward on a beam of blinding blue light. It careened into Kesia, combining with the other mystical energies, and pinned the witch in place. Kesia could neither move nor cry out.
On my back, I looked at the dome around us. It was alive with color in a way I had never seen before, so vibrant that each branch looked as if it might explode. Pink branches, yellow and blue swelled with life. Yet, the green branches…
The dome asked for a fourth.
I lifted my head just slightly and saw the shadow bear had crawled forward to lay beside me. He stared at me with concern.
I can feel your suffering, the shadow bear said. I am worried.
“We have to fight with them,” I mumbled.
But if I lose you…
“If we don’t help them, we will lose everything.”
Then let the witch feel our rage.
A burst of energy flooded my body, and I saw my own eyes glow green in the reflection of the shadow bear’s just before they came alive with the same light. He rose up and stood near me so I could grasp his leg with my hand.
And then we roared.
The bear opened his mouth and the gnarled black roots of the Nullwood poured from his jaws in multitudes. They raced across the ground and spun around Kesia, binding her tightly in a net of roots and green light.
I looked around the dome and saw all of the green branches bulge with life and color. The dome was a spectacle of light, motion, and vitality. Together, my friends, myself, and our mysticals held our tormentor in place and bent her to her knees. This would be her end. I knew it as I knew the sun would rise on another day.
And now I understood. The Everflame responded to the indomitable part of me; of all of us. It was the part of us that would always provide light through the darkest times. It was Kay finding that family could be thicker than blood, it was Jim finding he could care for more than himself, it was Anna finding she could fight back, and it was me finding how to come out of the dark. It was the part of us that could never be taken away, and it had shown us we were not alone.
The Everflame swelled within me and my pain ebbed away. I only felt light. It started in my heart and worked its way out, fixing everything along its path. It was the dome, the Nullwood, the universe. It was life. The Everflame filled every part of me and I was happy again, happy the way I was on the beach. I gripped the bear by the leg and raised myself up. My leg was no longer broken. I grabbed the shadow bear with my other hand and pulled myself to my full height. My arm was no longer broken. I took the deepest breath I had ever taken, letting air fill my lungs until I wanted to laugh like a madman.
I was whole again.
I turned to Kesia. She was trying to break free from her prison but fought fruitlessly. We had bound her completely, and she would no longer wield power in our world. Her eyes blazed with evil green light, but behind that light, I could see the fear of the animal Kesia had once been. I felt sad for her, and the fear in her heart. It had made her a prisoner long before I and my friends had. It was time to release her.
I reached my hand out and the Everflame was in my palm. As I brought it closer to Kesia’s face, she fought more and more to break free, yet in the final moment before it touched her I swear I saw her smile.
As I touched Kesia’s face a loud clap rent the air like the boom of thunder. A blinding white light grew quickly all around us and sent a wave of energy out in all directions. It blew away all the elemental energy we had used. The branches of the dome dimmed.
The woman creature Kesia had once been crouched underneath a small billow of green mist. The wild woman looked at us, startled, then scurried away. The dome opened for her, and she ran into the depths of the Nullwood with the speed of a gazelle.
We looked at the green mist that remained, flashing and pulsing as if a small storm raged inside of it. It was mesmerizing in a way that made me feel very odd. I felt drawn toward the mist, I felt enchanted by it. It hovered for a moment and then it spoke.
You need me, it said.
Immediately, I moved away from the mist until I felt the shadow bear against me. I couldn’t explain why, but the mist’s allure was shattered as soon as it spoke. The mist was evil, and I could feel it in my bones. It rose in the air and grew larger, more ominous.
I can give you so much power, the mist said. I can take you away from the pain and anguish of this world. I can deliver you into paradise.
Jim backed away with the blue squirrel, and Kay picked up Reego in her arms, retreating as well. They sensed what I sensed. This mist was the root of all trouble in the Nullwood. It had made Kesia, it had used her, and now it was looking for another host. The mist made small circles as if it was surveying us, looking for a weak spot. Too late, I realized Anna was on the ground, unable to move away from the mist.
As if it had read my mind, the mist flew over to Anna and hovered close to her.
Do you wish to walk again? The mist asked Anna. Its voice was masculine and warm. It sounded how I imagined a loving father might sound, like the voice of a protector. It sounded like the voice of promise.
I can give you legs to carry you anywhere you could ever wish to go, sweet girl. I have seen how the others look at you. I have seen the pity in their eyes. I can see in your heart the hurt they cause you, the pain.
Anna looked up at the mist and tears ran down her face. She put a hand under her glasses and rubbed them away.
And I can give you so much more than legs. I can give you power untold. I can give you everything. They will never hurt you again. They will never touch you. They will never curse you. They will never gaze upon you with those hurtful glances again. Together, you and me. We will make them pay for what they have done to you.
“Anna, no,” I called to her. “Don’t listen to it.”
Please, sweet girl, the mist continued. I only wish to help you. I have seen what is in your heart, and I have seen what is in their hearts, as well.
At this, Anna became more attentive. I worried the mist had piqued her curiosity.
He will never love you as you are now. You are frail, meek, broken. None of them can love you as you are. None of them ever will.
You are alone. I feel the depths of your loneliness. Let me in and I will take all of that away. You will have love, you will have power. You will have whatever you need. I will wash away all of your weakness. Just let me in.
Anna wiped her eyes again and looked at Wisket by her side. The fox looked back at Anna with sadness in its eyes, and then lowered its head. Wisket knew Anna’s heart, and it looked as if it was breaking.
“Anna,” I said again in desperation, searching my mind for what I could say to stop the mist, to stop Anna from being seduced by its evil promise of power. She looked at me, and I could see the hurt inside of her. I knew what I would’ve done even one month ago if I were in her situation. Yet things were so different now.
“Anna,” I said again, “I’m here.”
“I’m here, too,” Kay said.
“Me too,” Jim said.
“We’re not going anywhere, Anna,” I added. “Please.”
Anna shook her head, and lowered her gaze so we couldn’t see her eyes anymore. Wisket lowered his, as well, and pressed his head into her side.
They can never be here for you in the way I can be here for you, the mist said. I can give you everything. You don’t have to be the weak one anymore.
“I have a secret though,” Anna said sadly, her head still down. “I’m not sure if you’ll like it.”
I know your secrets, sweet girl, and you could never be anything I do not love. I know what happened to you when you sacrificed your life for your mystical. I know what happened to you in your cocoon. I know about your wings.
Suddenly, I looked at Anna’s back and noticed her shirt torn in two places. Her head stayed down, but her body tensed.
Don’t be afraid to bring them forth, the mist said. I will help them see you as you are, and soon they will see us together in all our power.
I couldn’t believe my eyes, but I suddenly understood why Anna had been so distant in the dungeon. She had been changed while in the cocoon, and she didn’t want me to find out. Anna kept me at a distance because she was afraid of what I would think of her wings. They emerged from the tears in her shirt, and slowly unfolded around her small frame. They were large and feathery and looked just like Wisket’s, white with accents of pink, blue, and yellow. Her wings were absolutely beautiful. This must ha
ve been how my friends came to the dome so quickly. Anna and Wisket flew.
I know all of your secrets, the mist said. Now let me in. I can give you everything you will ever need. With me, you will never be the weak one again.
“My wings were not the secret I was talking about,” Anna said, and all of a sudden her voice was defiant. She flapped her wings and slowly rose up from the ground to her full height, just as if she were standing under her own power. Wisket leaped into the air and circled her, as Anna lifted her head and looked directly at the mist. Her eyes were blazing with yellow light.
“I have everything I will ever need,” Anna said resolutely, “and I stopped being the weak one a long time ago.”
Anna raised her hands and they glowed with an aura of energy so bright I almost looked away.
“Wisket,” Anna said through clenched teeth. “Let’s make it howl.”
A fierce wind came from Anna and Wisket that blew so hard I was forced to take two steps back. I raised an arm to protect my face, but I didn’t close my eyes. Anna floated just inches off of the ground, her beautiful wings keeping her aloft, and her arms were extended in front of her. She was channeling mystical energy directly into the mist.
A high-pitched squeal rent the air, loud enough to be heard over the roar of the wind, and I could see the mist shrinking and darkening. Then a flash of yellow light momentarily blinded me, and when it was gone the mist was nowhere to be found.
It was over. We were alone.
We all looked at one another in silence as the shock wore away. Then a groan came from the edge of the dome.
“Mom,” I cried.
We ran to where she lay on the ground, Anna and Wisket gliding over. Once I reached my mother, I fell to my knees by her side.
“Mom? Mom, are you okay?”
My mother lifted her head up slowly, and I could see that she was injured but alive. She was alive and she was smiling at me. Before she could say a word, I wrapped my arms around her tightly.
