by Rue Volley
I put my blades away. “I don't remember ever doing this before.” I turned my back to him and the sky rumbled, lightning cracked so loudly it shook the ground under our feet. I felt a vibration in my hands and I pulled my blades out again, they were glowing brightly, colors swirling violently and I turned quickly to see Josh flashing towards me, blades drawn. “Get down Rue!” he screamed. I dropped to the ground, thinking that this was yet another test of my abilities and he jumped over me. Right above me I saw a flash of light hit him and he flew backwards, hitting a tree rolling to the side and laid motionless.
I looked to Sam and she pulled her blades, flashing to the left, slashing at this blur of a figure. I screamed out Josh's name and I felt hands wrap around my waist, dragging me upward. I looked to see Johnathan's face, we took a step and I dropped to the ground, Johnathan had been thrown from me. I heard a female voice scream, “Bind!” and Kai, Sam, and Johnathan dropped to the ground, groaning.
I had to blink a couple of times. I was trying to get my bearings, if I could just understand what was happening, just for a moment. I felt a kick to my side, it forced the air out of my lungs and I slid across the ground, almost knocking into Josh’s body. The rain started to pour down and I pushed myself up on my knees. It ran down my face and I had to focus to see whom the attacker was. I pushed myself up to see a girl, with her blades drawn, she had a pretty face, dressed in white, just like me. I had my blades at my side and I called out to her.
“Who are you? And what the hell are you doing?”
She stood there with hate in her eyes. Finally she spoke.
“My name is Mikah. I have come to offer you life, instead of death, Rue Valon.”
I gripped my blades and continued. “My name is Rue Volley… I think you have the wrong girl.”
“You are not the daughter of Grace Valon?”
“Yes, my mother’s name is Grace... Grace Volley.”
“Whatever name you chose for yourself Rue, you must atone for the fallen.”
“What? What fallen?” I said to her.
“I have found you and…” she waved her blades at everyone on the ground. “These traitors you consider friends, now you will come with me to answer to the council.”
I looked to everyone I cared about, motionless on the ground. “I can't do that... Sorry, we kinda do everything together.”
She turned her head and started to grin. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea.
“You are no match for me Rue Volley, I can assure you of that.”
I pushed myself up and squared my shoulders. “Listen, today is not the day… I'm in a pissy mood here.”
The rain was starting to come down in big drops and I shook my head to get the hair out of my face.
She cocked her head to the side. “Once I kill you, I will kill everyone here… You can count on it.”
“I told you, I'm not in a good mood, as one girl to another, you should know what I mean.”
“Your ‘mood’ does not concern me. The fact that I lost fellow protectors, at your hand, does.” she replied.
“Ohh… you have to be kidding me! I didn't kill anyone you know, I've never killed anybody.”
She started to pace back and forth. “You did not assist Grace and William in their escape from Valon, in turn, causing the demise of some of my brethren?”
“Listen… I'll admit it! I hit a rabbit when I learned how to drive and I still have nightmares! It was on EASTER… how messed up is that? All those kids waking up to a dead bunny in the street. I couldn't even stop. It just rolled head over butt, in my rear view. I'm going to hell for that I'm sure but I have never killed anyone or anything else, I swear.”
“Shut up!” she yelled at me.
She crouched down and I whispered, “Oh crap.”
She came flashing at me and I brought my blades down, blocking her stabs. She cried out and kicked me in the back, knocking me into the muddy ground. I jumped up faster than I knew I could and turned, just in time to cross my blades. She was thrusting one blade at my chest and I pushed her off of me yelling out, “Listen... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have told you that. Obviously rabbits are a soft spot for you… I get it!”
She flashed to the right and spun, with her arms extended. I leaned backward and slammed my back against the ground. I pulled back up, just as quick and sliced my blade upward, cutting into her arm. She cried out and backed away quickly. She reached down and wiped her hand across the cut, looking at the blood on her hand. She placed her fingers in her mouth and closed her eyes.
“I didn't mean to cut you, I swear,” I said, hoping she would believe me. She opened them and I could see that her pupils had changed to bright red.
“You are trained very well, I see you planned to distract me with your foolish talk,” she said.
I footed myself better, knowing she would come again. I tried to reason with her. “No… I just talk a lot… sorry. Listen just calm down.”
She rushed towards me and slashed her blades sideways. She was chanting in Latin. I felt the blade cut through my skin, on the top of my right leg. I dropped to one knee and grabbed at it. It felt like fire had just burned my flesh. I raised my head and she was grinning.
“What are you smiling about?” I yelled at her.
“You are not what I expected,” she replied.
“What did you expect, you crazy bitch?”
She started to circle me. “I don't take pleasure in killing my own kind but you are not really a protector are you?”
“I am… just found out. So could you give me a break here?”
She laughed out loud, “You are an abomination, a cruel joke. I don't know why Sophia thinks any differently.”
I pushed myself up, the pain in my leg starting to fade.
“You don't play very nice do you Mikah. Someone bully you as a child?”
She stopped circling me. “I don't know what you mean, Rue Volley.”
“You know, treat you like crap, steal your toys? Or maybe you’re just grumpy all the time.”
“I'm tired of you, it's time to end this,” she said.
“Ohhhh, okay awesome. Listen I don't even know you,” I yelled at her.
She lowered her blades to her side and came at me so fast, if I blinked I would have missed it. I gripped my blades and brought them up at an angle, slicing across her chest. She screamed and fell to the side of me. Josh started to move, he raised his head and I looked at him, while I knelt over her.
Turning my head I looked into her eyes. “I am not a joke and you are not going to kill me or my family.”
I went to stab my blade into her chest and she rolled to the side in a flash, knocking me on my back in the process. She flashed on top of me, pinning my arms to the ground with her knees and raised her blade above her head. I closed my eyes, this is it… awesome. I knew that damn rabbit would come back to haunt me. I heard her scream and felt her pulled off of me.
I opened my eyes, only to see her on her knees in front of him. Josh thrust his blade into her chest and twisted it. She screamed out. He stood up and a bright flash came from his palms, hitting her in the chest. She slumped to the ground. I tried to push myself up and slipped in the mud, “Josh! You killed her!” I screamed. He turned to me, his pupils glowing red. “That I did Rue,” he said, with no expression on his face.
Theodore flashed up in a panic. He moved in a blur, to each one of us, but Josh had released everyone from Mikah’s binding. I sat on the ground, with my blades gripped in my hands. The rain was washing over me and I could see a stream of blood coming from the wound she had given me on my leg. I watched it swirl into the mud and wiped the back of my hand across my face pushing my hair out of my eyes.
Johnathan had scrambled to me, almost falling in the mud. He kept asking me over and over if I was okay, but I had just watched someone die, right in front of me and I wasn't really bothered by it. My thoughts went to why she was there, how she was there and why I was the one she wanted dead… no good. Me not res
ponding to him, must have put him in panic mode, because he picked me up, cradling me against his chest. I leaned my head against him, realizing that the burning in my leg had returned and was slowly getting worse by the second.
Theodore flashed to us. “Put her down, Johnathan,” he said.
Johnathan protested with a sigh, but did what he said.
Theodore leaned over me, inspecting my leg. I winced when he touched it. “Oh dear,” he muttered.
I pulled myself up on my elbows. “What?” I asked him.
“You seem to have been injured quite nicely. You have been poisoned by the blade.”
“Poisoned? Awesome,” I grunted and fell back onto the mud.
“Josh, pick her up and get her to the house. I have to get this fixed right away, before she passes out.”
I looked up at Theodore and Josh… “I am not going to passss…” and I was gone.
***
I woke up on the kitchen table. I blinked a few times and turned my head towards the sound of bubbling on the stove. “What is happening?” I muttered. I felt a squeeze on my hand and looked to see Johnathan holding it.
“Johnathan… what is going on?” I asked.
Johnathan got pushed out of the way and Josh leaned over me.
“Listen, you have poison in your blood, from the cut on your leg and now we have to draw it out.”
“What? Well... just wave your hand over it Josh.”
He grinned and gripped my hand. “I'm sorry… it's not that easy.”
He leaned in to my ear, “I need for you to be brave.”
“That sounds like a prelude to a really bad thing, Josh!” I said nervously.
Theodore turned around, with a blade glowing white in his hand. It was dripping with what looked like mercury from a thermometer.
“Okay… listen, I am not cool with whatever it is you guys think you have to do here. Just get some rubbing alcohol and a band aide okay?” I said, as I stared at the blade in Theodore's hand.
I tried to push myself up, but Josh gripped my hand tighter and held me down. I looked at him, thinking maybe I'd get a laugh or something, but the look on his face told me I was screwed. My eyes grew wider…
“Josh… what are you doing?”
He leaned his weight against me and Kai and Sam were at my feet. They each took a foot.
“Ummm… guys I'm gonna freak the hell out here!” I said with obvious distress in my voice.
Johnathan came to my side and took my other hand and looked to Theodore.
“This will work right?” he asked.
“Well… yes, but we have to do it quickly. It's moving.”
I leaned up against Josh and peeked down at my leg. Black strands were weaving their way from the cut on my leg, winding around it and moving like seaweed in the water…
I screamed out. “What the hell is that?”
Josh pushed me down and got in my face. “Rue, listen to me, a protector’s blade is laced with poison from the energy they draw into it. This cut is infected. Micah had every intention of killing you and she made every effort to succeed, by placing a death spell on her blade, with the worst poison she could.”
“I… what? She put a spell on it?” my voice was cracking in resistance.
“It is feeding on you, draining you of your energy Rue. We have to kill it.”
Just then, the black mass started to grow and Kai lost his grip of my leg as it reached at him.
“Holy Shit!” He ducked and I kicked my leg, almost knocking Sam from my other foot.
“Kai…! Hold her down!” Sam yelled at him.
He grabbed my leg and struggled with it in his hand.
“Theodore… you need to do this now. NOW!” Sam screamed.
Josh leaned down to me… “Just breathe Rue… slowly. Just focus please… just listen to my voice. I'm right here… I'm not leaving you.”
“All of you hold onto her and pull back,” Theodore said too calmly.
Johnathan and Josh held my hands up above my head and I lifted my head as much as I could, to see what was going on. It was hideous. Looked like black worms coming out of my upper thigh where I had been cut by Mikah’s blade. It moved as a rolling mass, wrapping around my leg. The mass tightened its grip on me and I arched my back screaming out, from the sharp pains it caused. “Oh God… please do whatever you have to do Theodore, please!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.
I felt both of my hands being held onto so tightly, I was sure my fingers were white from the lack of blood getting to them. Theodore started to chant and his blade glowed brighter than the sun. I closed my eyes and could still see the light coming off of it. Then I felt the blade come down, with such force, I swear I could hear it cutting through the air. I gasped for air. He had stabbed the blade through my leg and it lodged into the wood table under me. Kai leaned down and could see the point sticking through the bottom of the table, with my blood dripping from it.
“That's freakin bad ass,” he muttered.
The mass rolled and screeched out, high-pitched, dog-ear annoying. The blade glowed bright and it started to be absorbed into the metal, twisting in protest. I was still gasping for air, the pain was unbearable. My eyes fluttered and I muttered something that resembled, “I hate you all...”, then I passed out.
***
I woke up and the moon came into focus. It was so big in the night sky I reached my hand out and I swear I could feel its surface under my fingertips. I sat up and remembered the black mass that had been eating at my leg. I reached towards it and noticed that I had the blue dress on that Sam had let me borrow for the bonfire. I pulled it up over my thigh and rubbed my fingers over where I knew I had been cut, but nothing. My leg looked completely normal, like it had never been mangled by Mikah’s blade.
The wind blew my hair. It felt so gentle on my skin. I closed my eyes and took a big breath of it in, it smelled like grass. What am I doing outside? I stood up and looked out. Long black strands shimmered from the light of the moon. I realized where I was, only I had never been here at night before, only day.
I looked above me and saw branches, thick and strong. I don't know what possessed me, but I started to climb. I moved so easily, you would have thought I did this every day of my life, but truth was I had never really been an outdoors kinda girl. I preferred the sanctuary of my room or the library. Me being in a tree was the last place you would ever find me.
I climbed for what seemed like forever. I finally came to a spot where I thought I could rest and I noticed a door. What the hell is a door doing in a tree this high up? I stood up and realized that the branches to each side of me seemed like railings. I made sure I had my footing and gripped them, walking towards the door.
As I approached it, I realized it was blue with white symbols etched into it. I touched the doorknob and all the symbols started to glow. I had second thoughts about just opening it without knocking, but I tossed my apprehension aside and opened it, stepping through. The room was lit with candles. The walls shimmered of silver and gold. I pressed my hand against it and it felt warm, living. I lifted my hand and saw my hand print left behind, glowing blue. I heard a whispering, not a voice so much as a humming,
I leaned forward and could hear it better. It sounded like song. I put both of my hands on the wall slowly rubbed them across the surface. Blue traced behind my fingers, as I moved them slowly across the uneven surface. I could hear strings like a violin. I was causing the music. It sounded beautiful to me. I pressed my whole body against the wall and a symphony welled up, it almost brought tears to my eyes. It was a song, just for me… the perfect song to my ears. Notes mixed all around me and with each chord change. I drew in my breath, feeling like it was playing me, my heart and soul.
I stayed fixed in that position, until the music started to fade. I opened my eyes and all the colors that had been in my blade were mixing in front of me on the wall and then they started to sink into its surface. I reached out to touch it again, but the surface was cold
and the music would not return to me. I sighed, wanting to hear it again. I could have listened to it forever.
I turned when I heard a voice, “It likes you very much. It doesn't play songs for just anyone, Rue.”
“Elin?” I said.
There she was, dressed in a long white silk dress. It reminded me of the dresses you would see in a 1940's movie. It had a deep v cut in the front, with a beautiful small silver broach at the tip of the v. It hugged her waist and hips and flowed out at her feet. She had no shoes on. I looked down and realized I was barefooted too. I shifted my feet and could see that blue, in the shape of my feet, was left on the floor’s surface.
“I'm inside the tree?” I said.
She had turned away from me.
“Yes… it is most pleasant, don't you think?” she replied.
I took a couple steps towards her… “It sang to me.”
She turned around, with a blade in her hand. My eyes immediately went to her blade.
“You sang, not the tree of life. That was your song, we all have one… as independent to each one of us as fingerprints.”
I could not take my eyes off of the blade in her hand, she noticed and responded to my look of fear.
“Oh, Rue… no, I will not harm you. I would never,” she said with a comforting smile.
“Why do you have a blade, Elin?”
“Rue, life is a give and take. We must return what be borrow.”
She lifted the blade to her hand and sliced the sharp edge across her palm. She laid the blade down on the table and knelt down, letting the blood drip onto the floor. It rippled like water and I took a step back, as the ripples almost reached my feet. She looked up at me and put her palm face up to me. My mouth felt dry, I could smell the blood on her skin. I knelt forward and she grinned at me. “Drink Rue, it’s okay… I promise.”
I reached out and took her hand looking into her eyes, one more time to make sure she was genuinely offering this to me. I lifted her hand to my mouth and her blood tasted like honey. I closed my eyes and let it flow over my tongue and down my throat. I felt her move close to me and her breath was warm on my hand. I lowered her hand from my mouth and she smiled at me. She leaned forward and gently pressed her lips to mine. It wasn't a kiss of passion, but rather a comforting feeling, like she wanted to thank me for drinking her blood. I opened my eyes and she backed away from me, I felt her place the blade in my hand.
