Enchantress Sacrifice

by Denice Hughes Lewis

  “I am no longer a child.”

  Her love, pride and regret fill my heart.

  When we reach the gardens, I pull away from her. “Please leave me.”

  She turns and strides out.

  Spasms throb in my leg and I crumple under the canopy of plants, barely conscious.

  Six: The Exploring

  Flowers brush my nose. I do not remember curling up under the pure yellow bells. “Thank you for watching over me.”

  Sun streams through the thick plants. I crawl out, careful not to damage the delicate flowers. I rip off my head covering and inhale deeply. A dull ache thumps in my leg. My heart skips a beat. The young man is alive and whole.

  I stare at my leg, willing away the pain. Without success. My survival depends on learning how to stop feeling everyone. To know how I alone feel. I am not prepared for life outside, regardless of the knowledge I have gained from books.

  A screech echoes down the hall from Taroc’s private chambers. I limp to the door, unable to ignore the ache in my leg. Bryntar pushes out of his room. The door locks behind her. The tray she holds shakes in her claws.

  “What happened?”

  “Boy saw monster.”

  I blink. “You are not a monster.”

  Her eyes hold a small smile. “You know nothing else, my Elandra.”

  “I am sorry. He will change when he gets to know you.”

  “Will he? His world is different.” She thumps away.

  I knock on Taroc’s door.

  The mumbled conversation inside continues.

  I bang on the door. “Let me in, Taroc!”

  He unlocks the door and peeks out. “The patient is not allowed to have visitors. I have little time left.”

  “Why not? This day is like any other.”

  He stares into my eyes with great sadness and quickly veils his feelings.

  I want to scream at him, but whisper. “How long must I live with your secrets?”

  He inhales deeply. “You will have your answers soon. I cannot guarantee you will like them. Go away and do not return until I summon you. I need to learn everything I can about the outside world. In the meantime, learn to control your emotions.”

  Rage and rejection boil in me as he starts to close the door. I push inside. “I am no longer a child you can order around.”

  The sun beams into the room from high above. Glimpses of ancient volumes of books with strange markings catch my eye. My mind burns with curiosity.

  “Why have you kept these books from me?”

  Taroc grabs my arm and pulls me forward. “Elandra, meet Daniel.”

  “The angel.”

  Taroc releases me. “She is far from that.”

  Annoyed and distracted, I turn toward the young man on the bed. Warm chills flutter to my toes when his green eyes meet mine.

  A weak smile splits his pale face as he holds out his hand. I touch it lightly and step back, overwhelmed with his feelings.

  Never talking with anyone my age, I do not know what to say and stammer, “I-I-I am happy to see you. I-I mean. I am glad that you did not lose your leg.”

  “Or my life,” Daniel says. He winks at me. “Must be the power of violet eyes.”

  An unusual flush of heat rushes to my face.

  Taroc laughs at my discomfort.

  “Thank you for saving me.”

  “The monster saved you,” I say.

  Daniel’s face flushes with embarrassment. “You brought me back.”

  “Taroc is responsible for heal—

  Taroc interrupts me. “You have to forgive her modesty.”

  I flush with discomfort. “Have you explained—?”

  “This man needs rest, not explanation, Elandra.”

  “Doc here says I will regain full use of my leg, even if it still hurts. How did he save it? Where am I?”

  I look at Taroc, who shakes his head. “Please, go to Bryntar.” He grabs my elbow and steers me toward the door.

  “Come and visit later?” Daniel asks.

  I hurry through the door, face flaming.

  Taroc starts to close it.

  “Why does he still hurt?”

  “It is what he expects.” Taroc says. “His world does not believe in real magic.”

  “Are you going to tell him?”

  “He has enough to absorb right now.”

  “I want to know more about him.”

  “I imagine so.”

  “Then let me stay.”

  “It is more urgent that you explore the island. Go to the surface and learn as much as you can. Take Bryntar with you.” He shuts the door in my face.

  I smolder and do not understand his interest in this stranger. I am the one in danger of losing my life. I stomp away. Indecision floods my thoughts. It is time to decide the course of my life, to accept responsibility. For what? A destiny I do not choose? I search for Bryntar, my life a nagging question. I only know I do not want to be different.

  I pass the gardens, lush with berries. My mouth waters, thinking about their tangy sweetness. Sobbing interrupts the sensation. I rush through an orchard and find Bryntar lying prostrate on the ground. My heart throbs when I feel her overwhelming grief. She may look like a monster, but inside I have no doubt she is a woman.

  I cannot stop my tears as I watch hers fall. I throw my arms over her wide neck. “Please stop, dear Bryntar. I cannot bear to see you unhappy. You know you are not a monster.”

  She sits up and wipes the silver tears from her scaly face. “You know me no other way. How I wish . . .”

  Her voice trails away as her mind relives an inner vision. I feel a deep sorrow and loss for something wonderful that is long gone.

  I hope that a change of subject can stop her sadness. “Taroc wants me to see more of the island.”

  Bryntar nods. “Not much time. Your power comes soon.”

  I stand up. Daniel’s pain once again pounds in my leg. I limp up the spiral stairs after her. My anger flares to endure Daniel’s pain, to think of him spending time with Taroc. Until I wonder why I did not notice the discomfort sooner. My mind focused on Bryntar, instead.

  She pushes on the stone door and we are once again free of the caverns.

  I am prepared for life above ground this time. The peace of the forest encloses me— ground damp with heavy, dark soil and fragrant with spicy, sharp pine. I long to remain, to savor the love surrounding me, but sense Bryntar’s urgency.

  I look toward the Ice Mountains. “Someday I will find my father.”

  Smoke rises from her nose. “Ice Lords kill on sight. Their greed makes island of slaves.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Her eyes flare. “Ice Lords rule. Trade meat, fur, jewels Kepyrs use for ceremony. Not allowed to mate with Kepyr. Penalty is death.”

  “What about my mother and father?”

  “I do not know.” Bryntar’s voice grows to a hoarse whisper. Knowing how painful it is for her to speak, I ask no more questions.

  We slip silently through evergreen trees, heading south. Much later, the forest gives way to wide stretches of grassy meadows that dip and roll far into the distance. My neck tingles and I spot a red tail swishing under thick bushes. Furry, six-legged creatures skitter into holes.

  Grasses rise to my waist and tickle my legs with blades as soft as feathers. The wind waves through vibrant shades of green and patches of brilliant flowers.

  Bryntar keeps to the large trees, ever alert.

  I look back at the Ice Mountains, hovering like huge birds of prey over the island. I shiver. Death awaits me in their depths.

  “How large is the island?”

  “From center can traverse to each ocean in day. Except through Ice Mountains.”

  Eventually the meadows slant toward a rise that hides a quiet cove. Below, a calm ocean of aquamarine water licks golden sand. The sea is clear. Brightly colored fish frolic among jade plants that sway on the ocean floor.

  I sigh in contentment. “It is beauti
ful. Is it safe to swim?”

  She surveys the area, sniffs the air and nods.

  Ignoring my dress, I race down the hill. Again, I notice the pain in my leg has vanished. With no more time to think, I plunge into the sea. Hot skin meets delicious cool water. The currents calm my soul; a memory to cherish, like the melody that lays hidden in my heart.

  I want this perfect time to last forever. So much so that I do not wish to mar it by the questions Bryntar needs to answer for me. We laugh and swim, free from worry. When we rest, we pick fresh berries and devour their juicy plumpness. Lying in the warm sun, I almost believe there is a chance to escape my fate.

  Bryntar sits up, alert. “Get in water. Hurry.”

  I jump in the sea while she covers our tracks.

  She leaps in and drags me far underwater. We stay in the cover of sea plants, the tide sweeping against us.

  Will Bryntar’s white fur and my silver hair be visible from the surface? Since she breathes air, how long she can hold her breath? What is on the beach that causes her fright?

  We cling to thick leaves and fibrous stems, pulling ourselves farther and farther away from the bay. While we inch along, fish dart in swarms of frenzy.

  We swim underwater to another edge of the cove. Bryntar sticks her head out of the water, gasping air in huge gulps. We emerge, creep ashore and keep in the shadows

  cast by the rocks.

  The sun rests on the horizon, layering rainbows of reds, oranges and purples over the land. Bryntar crawls up a steep hill in silence. I scramble after her. We reach the top and peer down.

  Below is a woman, bent and twisted with age. She kneels on the sand. When she turns to empty the leather pouch by her side, her bitter face strikes my memory. It is the old woman who helped with my birth. Laruna.

  Heartbeats thump hard in my throat. Drums beat in my head. I try to close off the feelings of reliving my mother’s death.

  Bryntar touches me. It breaks the flood of memory.

  I dare to look at Laruna. Slip into her feelings and reel in shock. Hate and vengeance course through our bodies. Control. Do not let her in. Think of something else. Staring intently at her headpiece of feathers and bits of jeweled bone, I break free of her feelings.

  Laruna kneels in front of a makeshift shrine covered in colorful cloth. From the leather pouch, she pulls out a skull. Lovingly she speaks to it, stroking it as if it were alive.

  “Before I die, I avenge your death, my son.”

  Bryntar’s claws clench the sand.

  The old woman lays a sheath of arrows next to the skull. I hold my breath as she snatches something from her pouch. The sunset hits carved symbols. I recognize the knife she holds in the air. It belonged to the warrior who murdered my mother.

  Bryntar’s claws cover my mouth to stop me from crying out.

  The woman chants and slaps the sand with the knife. Harder, louder. “Mighty Aru.

  Forgive my sin of birthing Enchantress.”

  My ribs feel like they will break with the throbbing of my heart.

  She pulls something shining from the pouch and raises it up to the darkening sky. Screeches. “Hear me, the Kepyr Priestess. Enchantress lives. I see in a sacred dream.”

  My head swirls. I cannot tear my eyes from the strands of hair she waves in the air. They are the tufts Taroc severed from my head the day I was born.

  The old woman swings the hair in a circle over her head. “I live until she dies.”

  A tremor shakes the ground. Sand and water undulate under the land like a buried snake.

  The old woman cackles. “Hah. Aru knows the truth now. Revenge is mine.” She screams the words over and over.

  Darkness sucks at my soul. Sudden waves of dread crawl up and down my spine when the sinister beast moves underground. It has grown larger. Heavy heartbeats hammer from deep inside the center of the island and pound inside my head. Aru knows I am alive.

  My mind screeches. Hide! Hide! Find safety! I stagger up. My traitorous body seems detached and shakes uncontrollably.

  Bryntar yanks me down.

  Tremors rock the island again. We careen down the hill.

  Then I hear it. A hideous bellow deep below the ground.

  Without thought or control over my body, I leap up. My hair flashes, standing straight out in a halo of sparks. Energy shimmers through me, overpowering everything. Lightning cracks overhead and strikes into me with burning white-hot fire. Uncontrolled power races through my veins with such force I feel ready to shatter.

  Bryntar snatches me, throws me to the ground, smothers me in sand.

  The burning stops. Horror slams through my mind as the heat smolders. What happened? Am I a monster? If being an Enchantress means this, how can I ever control the burning?

  The old woman screams. “I will be avenged!” Her hate creeps into me.

  Hunger and longing flare from the dark thing deep underground.

  It is Bryntar’s terror that sends me over the edge. My thoughts slide into darkness.

  Seven: The Knowing

  A cool breeze caresses my face. I open my eyes to the wonder of a night sky overrun with sparkles of light—so close, my fingers can almost reach up and touch them.

  I remember the stars that sailed across the hole at the top of my garden cave, but they were too far above for my appreciation.

  Now captured by this beauty, I recognize constellations from the books in the library. Then, memories of the old woman sneak into my head and I cringe.

  “The sleeping child awakes,” Bryntar says.

  I shiver. “Are we safe?”

  Bryntar hisses. “The witch is gone.”

  I relax slightly. “What happened? I almost exploded.”

  “You learn control or be lost.”

  I drag myself up and brush sand from my hair.

  “Tell me what happened? I almost died. No more vague warnings. I need to know the truth.”

  Bryntar stands up and smiles. “Enchantress, light is your power.” She bows before me.

  “Stop.” I pull her up. “Never do that again.” Why did I ever leave the caves?

  Overwhelming responsibility drags at me. Taroc flashes into my mind, and his mention of this burden.

  Bryntar’s eyes gleam. “Now there is hope. No other Enchantress had this power.”

  My insides lurch. “How do you know?”

  “We go.” She turns away from me.

  I catch her arm. “No. There can be no more secrets between us.”

  “Some are not mine to tell,” Bryntar says. She turns away to avoid looking at me.

  I persist. “How do you know about other Enchantresses?”

  Steam furls out of her nostrils. “Taroc has ancient book of all who have gone before.”

  “There were others?” I do not want to control my anger and scream, “Why has he kept this information from me?”

  Bryntar clasps her clawed fingers over my mouth.

  “Quiet. Danger from wild creatures.”

  My teeth clench. “I welcome my death. Better to die from something I can see than facing the unknown. Does Taroc expect me to save his life and everyone on the island by keeping things from me? Nothing has prepared me for this.”

  Bryntar says, “What you learn has value.”

  I stomp away. “Always more mystery.”

  One stride and she catches up with me. “You have strength of light.”

  Terror creeps into my mind. “I do not want it.”

  Shadows cross her face. “Cannot deny who you are.”

  “Control my feelings and control light? Simple. What happens if I cannot?”

  “You learn.”

  “How?”

  She shrugs. “Why did it happen?”

  I shudder and let the memory slide into being. “It was automatic when I felt . . . ”

  Bryntar finishes my thought. “. . . the beast?”

  I gasp. “You know about the beast?”

  Her blue eyes bore into mine. “Legends tell of
Aru.”

  “My survival depends on knowing everything.”

  “I know. Kepyrs sacrifice lives. Feed Aru with darkness. Ice Lords feed darkness with

  power and greed. Aru absorbs evil.”

  “Has anyone seen this beast?”

  “Not for a thousand years.”

  Cold and hot chills collide and slither down my spine. “Tell me the fate of those who faced Aru.”

  Bryntar does not flinch. “Some hide until found. One disappeared. Most killed at birth. Some try to fight and . . .”

  “Die? It is awake because of me?”

  “Because you live.”

  “You should have let me die.”

  Bryntar grabs my arms. “No. You defeat Aru.”

  I yell in frustration. “A beast that has killed before? I do not know how.” My hair rises in the air and flashes light. Stunned with the heat, I fall to the sand.

  A claw rests on my shoulder. Bryntar kneels beside me. “You can destroy it.”

  I sense her hesitation. “The beast can cause the ground to move. It would be easy to take my life. Why did it leave?”

  “I do not know.”

  “What else have you neglected to tell me?”

  Her eyes fill with love, but a terrible sadness sweeps through her soul. She sighs. “Taroc spoke truth. Too much darkness now. If you fail, island and all people destroyed.”

  “Along with Aru?”

  “Yes.”

  “Maybe it is better for everything to sink into the sea.”

  She hisses. “No.”

  An ache so deep and a love so pure wraps around my heart. I do not need words to know what would happen to Bryntar if I die.

  “I did not ask to be born.” I tremble as a deep heaviness slides like a shroud over my mind. My destiny lies before me. There is no choice. Only the acceptance of responsibility, of trying to save those who want me dead. I laugh at the irony. And laugh. And laugh. Until tears start to fall.

  Bryntar encloses me in her arms and holds me until I have no tears left.

  Eight: The Continuing

  My eyes open, swollen with grief. The stars still shimmer. The wind still kisses my cheek. The sand still squishes under me. I have changed. “Please, show me the rest of the island.”

  Bryntar blows on the sand, erasing our presence. We wade along the shore. The sea washes away our footprints as easily as the choices of my life wash away. I have no hope for a normal life.