Darkness The Diary of Samantha Owen

by Ariadna Marrero Saavedra

  “Eric James.”

  His last name is James? I said in my head in a curious tone. I had never asked him.

  “You will come with me.”

  “Who are you?” Erick asked without getting an answer.

  “You will not know who I am, nor will you ask. You will just come with me.”

  “I will not.”

  “Oh yes you will,” he said mockingly.

  “What makes you so sure?”

  “You will come with me if you don´t want Samantha to suffer any harm.”

  “You will not touch her,” he said in a threatening tone, leaning forward.

  “Not if you come with me, that´s the deal.”

  We stood their looking for a second. He was crazy to go with that man without knowing who he was, I couldn´t allow it.

  “Don´t go, let him take me.”

  “I don´t want you, insolent girl,” he claimed impatiently. “I want him, now,” he ordered.

  I looked at Eric helplessly, who was now moving away from me with a somber face. I remembered his soft words <>, he had said before entering into the city. He couldn´t do it, he couldn´t leave me there. The man moved forward and stood by my side. He was much taller than me, preventing me from seeing Eric for a moment.

  I was unable to do anything and they started walking. I stayed immobile, looking almost petrified at them. They had moved towards the middle of the street when Eric took out his sword agilely and brandished against the man to his left. In a second the sword wasn´t there, it had disappeared. I started to walk seeing how Eric threw the sword´s handle to the ground, it had melted. Quickly he grabbed a dagger and tried to nail it into the man´s chest, but he missed falling into the wall of the house. I was arriving when two people materialized beside the man. They had large weapons and their heads were covered by black hoods the same at the one the man wore, it seemed that they were willing to help. In a second Eric unsheathed his last dagger causing the Hood of the man to fall and his fine, white hair could be seen.

  I had a dagger in my hand and was ready to fight even though I had only trained one day.

  “Grab her,” the white haired man yelled as he wrestled with Eric.

  I threw the only dagger I had into the leg of one of his helpers, hitting him well and leaving him on his knees on the ground while the other came close to where I was standing.

  I didn´t have any more weapons, but I threw a punch at him with the hope that he would go back but he didn´t. My fist impacted against his chest, without the least sound of pain. However I doubled over in pain while the other boy quickly got behind me and covered my mouth before I started to scream, holding both of my hands so that I could not move. I tried to wriggle loose of him, when I saw how Eric fell to the ground. I screamed, even with my moth covered, in the hope that someone would hear. The tall man put his hood back on and came towards me, leaving Eric thrown on the ground. I just wanted Eric to run and leave but he didn´t move. A great fear started to overcome me. I couldn´t even think of it.

  “If you hadn´t been so stupid, this wouldn´t have happened.”

  He struck me strongly on the head. Then, I plunged into darkness.

  Chapter 10

  Gabriel watched the brief fight from the destroyed door of the house. He had woken with all the noise. His heart turned as he saw Samantha fall unconscious to the ground. He ran and lifted her agilely, he held her in his arms with her eyes closed. He would give anything for her to open them and recognize him, even knowing that it wasn´t going to happen. He took her inside the house and laid her on her bed. He closed the girl’s bedroom and ordered his servants to clean her and put her in pajamas or whatever. He was furious. His conversation with the wizard was worse than what he had hoped for. He had not found out anything of which he had hoped to, nor had he recovered Elizabeth, nor had he killed the hateful Eric. At least he could separate him from his beloved´s side.

  He went to the lounge, threw himself on one of the sofas and served himself a drink. He was tired of searching and finding no answers. He started to doubt, he wasn´t sure if what Elizabeth had said that night was true. However, he could not get her out of his mind. He was confused, he couldn´t understand why he loved her so much; he had only spent one night with her. One simple night, he remembered every day as though he were reliving it. He didn´t understand and even so, he didn´t want to stop loving her. He loved her more than anything in the world. He would do anything for her, even knowing that she was deceiving him.

  Phoenix watched peacefully as Eric’s chest moved up and down. He breathed slowly, almost unperceivable, but he was still alive. If he had not been as stupid as to attack him, he could have told him his plan. However, he couldn´t risk it, his strict rule not to trust anyone remained intact. After all, his plan hadn´t turned out so bad. He remembered Gabriel´s face when he saw him sitting on the easy chair in front of the bed where he had consumed his short-lived love. He almost exploded in fury seeing him there. That is, until he understood who he was.

  “What are you doing sitting there?” he growled in a low voice.

  “You were looking for me and here I am. I wanted to meet you and know what you wanted from me. “

  The boy reconsidered until he remembered the name of the tall man he had before him.

  “Phoenix? Are you Phoenix?”

  He saw how the furious expression of the boy converted in to a face of amazement as he nodded with his head.

  “Why did you want a witch to cast a positioning spell?”

  “I needed to speak to you and couldn´t think of any other way of contacting you.”

  The boy let himself fall on his bed, resting his head in his hands. It was clear that he was physically and emotionally tired.

  “Speak,” he said in a dry tone. He was a man of few words.

  “I imagine that you will know who Samantha, the princess, is.”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, she is really called Elizabeth and she looks slightly different. She is locked up in another body by a curse. And I need your help, to be able to break the spell and free her. I don´t care how much it costs. I just want you to help her.”

  His words sounded desperate and for a moment the wizard felt sorry for him.

  “Gabriel, Elizabeth is not inside of Samantha, they are different people. Elizabeth tricked you so that you would find her.”

  Some words of disbelief came from the boys lips.

  “That can´t be true. She wouldn´t trick me. I…” he paused “I love her. She can´t have deceived me like this.”

  “Believe me; I know many more things than you do. She did it, I don´t know her motives. That, you can ask her yourself.”

  “Do you know where she is?”

  “Calm down, you will soon see her. You won´t need to search for her.”

  Gabriel got up restlessly and went towards the window, he couldn´t believe what the wizard was saying. He looked out to the deserted street. His mind was a boiling pot of confused and contradictory ideas. But the greatest wizard of all time could not be lying to him. Or could he?

  How do I know that what you say is true? He exclaimed, frustrated as he turned round to see his face.

  “I cannot lead you to her; my advice is that you wait. If you have been able to wait for so many years, you can wait one more week. I don´t expect you to believe me, I only want to make a deal with you.”

  “What deal is that?”

  “I want your companion to come with me.”

  “He is no concern of mine. Speak directly to him.”

  “He won´t return for a while. He left with Samantha believing that nobody saw them, but I see many things. As I also see that you hate him.”

  “What do you want?”

  “That you help me. He will go with me and you should train Samantha as hard and strong as you can. She needs to learn quickly. There is not much time left.”

  “Not much time for what?”

  “You w
ill see, for now that is all I need of you. A message will get to you if I need something else.”

  “And what do I get out of this?”

  “I will give Elizabeth to you when all is over and you can ask her what you want.”

  After a few seconds of pondering he accepted and fell again on the bed. He was exhausted and he fell asleep shortly afterwards.

  Phoenix waited for Eric to arrive. He tried new spells to open the door until the third one worked, leaving it to one side. It wasn´t long before he appeared before the dark door. He would have taken him with no more ado if Samantha had not been there. The link between them was stronger than he thought the same as that of Gabriel and Elizabeth. But his plan was in action, after the setbacks. Now he just had to speak with Elizabeth.

  Ian paced his study from corner to corner, as he tended to every day. He thought about how to carry out his plans as cleanly and quickly as possible. John knocked on the door bringing him out of his daydreaming. He waited patiently until his master asked.

  “Is there a problem John?”

  “Sir,” he had a knot in his throat, “Miss Elizabeth isn´t here.”

  “And you call me for that?” he turned around fluttering a little his silver wings. The day that John entered the house to work, he had thought that he was a majestic being. Now he seemed like a monster. Beneath his beautiful aspect lay a beast. “Find her John, I don´t believe she can be far away.”

  The servant disappeared as Ian calmed himself again thinking in the destruction.

  Elizabeth had woken early that morning. Just as she was leaving her room she saw a note on the floor. She picked it up and slowly read it.

  “<>

  Phoenix.”

  Elizabeth disappeared in the act, appearing in the Stone castle of Phoenix the wizard. She had been their many times, in front of the door, but she had never dared to enter. She wanted to change and wanted the wizards help. She wanted to leave Ian, before he consumed all the good that was in her. Previously she had been paralyzed by fear. Now she was curious. Nobody knew where she was, so she went into the castle, surrounded by the forest to see Phoenix. She did not know him, but he knew who she was.

  She went up a wide staircase until reaching a great hall. The decoration was scarce, only some curtains and two armchairs with a matching wooden table in the corner. She directed herself towards one of the armchairs when she heard the calm voice.

  “Go up to the other room, you will be more comfortable there.”

  She turned around but there was no one there. The voice came from upstairs. She went up until she found a long passageway full of doors.

  “First on your right,” she heard, feeling the voice closer.

  She turned the lock and entered. She saw a tall, thin man looking towards the lateral window of the castle, right in front of her. His back was not very broad, but his presence commanded respect.

  “Phoenix?” she asked uncertainly.

  The wizard turned around; his marine blue outfit reflected the morning light in his face until he moved to the table and sat down in a comfortable armchair.

  “Sit down my dear. Sorry for so much mystery, but if not, I fear you may not have come.”

  “What help do we mutually require?”

  “You want something that I can get and I want something that you have.”

  “Continue.”

  “If you help me to destroy Ian I will take you to Gabriel and you will live happily ever after.”

  Without more, that was the plan. Elizabeth´s eyes lit up upon hearing her beloved´s name, but her serious expression did not change.

  “What makes you think that I want to destroy my master?”

  “It isn´t the first time that I see you close to the castle. Nobody comes here if they don´t need great help.”

  The girl thought about it for an instant until she recognized her mistake.

  “What do I have to do?”

  “I need you to take a thing on you the day of the battle,” he got up and moved towards the shelves that were behind Elizabeth. He took a perfume bottle and gave it to her. “You only have to give me this when I ask you for it.”

  “With that you guarantee to me that you will protect Gabriel in the battle?”

  “I promise.”

  “I agree.”

  “I forgot one last detail; the night before the battle I need you to heat it in your hands until the liquid boils.”

  The girl looked curiously at the scarlet liquid that allowed her to see her fingers at the other end of the bottle.

  “The bottle could melt.”

  “It won´t,” he concluded. He opened the door for Elizabeth to leave and bowed to her when she passed.

  “It has been a pleasure doing business with you, princess,” he smiled with his white teeth and closed the door in Elizabeth´s face.

  A peculiar wizard, she thought. She disappeared and reappeared in her room in a second. She heard how they called her through the door. She hid the bottle and lay down on her bed. Robert, the diligent warrior of Ian´s troops opened the door as she looked at him in a threatening way.

  “Miss,” he said in an apologetic manner with his thick voice, “I came in before and didn´t see you, I thought something bad had happened to you.”

  “You have no right to come into my room Robert. You know that,” she stood in front of him, her eyes as ice. He was much taller than her, but he felt intimidated by the powers of the young girl.

  “Do not come in again,” she said as she put her hand round his wrist, freezing it. She went downstairs hearing Robert´s screams of pain behind her. This produced in her a sense of great satisfaction.

  Morgan was sitting beside the empress. Venice´s dark skin was covered by a delicate beige outfit which highlighted her blue eyes. He had received two letters five minutes ago and looked with disdain as he rested on the small table in front of him. One had Morgan´s name and the other Samantha´s. He knew who the letters were from even without reading them. He opened his, with the hope that they contained good news. The empress left and he could start to read.

  “My dear Morgan, I need your help once more. I know that you cannot enter or leave the palace, but I imagine that you will have heard of the arrival of a new girl to the Kingdom. Her name is Samantha. My request, dear friend, is that you keep an eye on her. I want to know what she does and with whom, her strengths and her weaknesses. Above all, I want you to stop her from leaving the Kingdom, should this be her intention. I am not going to remind you of the advantages of helping me and remaining faithful in my services. I am an angel and the divine protection will always be with you.

  With all my love, Ian”.

  Since when had Ian become caring and friendly? He didn´t think that there was anything good about being by his side, but he couldn´t resolve the errors of the past. Ian had saved his life and he would serve him for life. He still could not leave the palace, so he thought about who he could trust the job to. He called a servant and asked her to take it to where his helper was. He had been a counsellor, who had foretold the future, but he hadn´t seen him for a long time. His powers were blocked and he didn´t know why. His helper Susan helped him on occasions such as these. The servant stopped before the library door and left. Morgan entered decidedly and closed the door behind him. He returned and looked for the girl. The library was very big, however, he knew his friends hiding place.

  He took a few paces to the left and went up a small stair. He continued to walk forwards until he stopped in front of a bookshelf at the end of the library. He touched a well-disguised lever in the frame of the shelf and this moved. An inviting room appeared before him. It had a small chimney and a window from which the marvelous forest that surrounded the pala
ce could be seen. There, in a small armchair, Susan was to be found, a strong but sweet girl. Her hair, which was as red as fire, surrounded a smooth face that was in the pages of a book.

  “What brings you here?” Susan asked without lifting her eyes from the book. “It must be very important if you come to look for me,” she lifted her eyes and stared at Morgan.

  “I need a favor and I won´t accept no for an answer,” after a silent pause he continued, “I want you to leave the city and spy on Samantha.”

  “Who is she?”

  “I don´t know,” he answered indecisively. He didn´t even know her last name or where she was staying. “Search for her, find her and spy on her. But make sure she doesn´t know you are there.”

  “When do I start?”

  “Now,” his neutral voice resounded in the room. He turned around and left leaving her alone.

  Morgan would do this every now and again, but she had never seen him so nervous under his outer layer of serenity. She had the ability to see the emotional status of people. It must be a very important matter for him to lie even when he knew her ability.

  Susan got up. She had a black outfit, the same as the training one, but slightly modified so that it was more flexible. She put her book down on the table and moved towards the window. She opened it and jumped to the green grass. She breathed in the clean morning air and walked towards the city in search of the girl.