DINA :
Whatever personal misgivings we may have had, she didn’t have to escape. Like it or not, I had to accept she wasn’t here anymore. I was worried; she didn’t know anything about the outside world. We were at the bottom of the sea, surrounded by many traps and protections. And until the place she was in was known, travelled to, and safely arrived at, she was fully at the mercy of the unusual world.
“This is all your fault!” Charles, an old man doing literally nothing all day, said to me, his voice shaking with anger. “Did you think we wouldn’t know what you were doing? Teaching her all that. Telling her about the outside world, if you hadn’t done it…”
“If I hadn’t taught her, she would be already dead,” I interrupted. “Furthermore, none of you cared. Stop showing those faces like you truly wanted the good for her, shall I remind you how we ended up here? It isn’t a funny story to remember.”
“She is right, Charles,” said Lilith, the best swordswoman in our group, kicking her spear towards the others. “Dina. Don’t take it wrongly. You were the only woman with a motherly sense of kinship and we cared about her; I taught her my swordsmanship. You know how I care about my techniques.”
“I agree,” said Allyssa. “Whatever situation we were in now, it’s better than if we’d disappeared back then. Although,” she added, checking her basket full of ingredients she wouldn’t ever use again probably. “It would be nice if we had an idea how to get to her or snatch a baby from outside, that if we can do it.”
“This is the question, isn’t it?” I said. “One of several I expect you have. And I have questions of my own, and then perhaps we should make room for civilized conversation and discuss the best course of action. She is practically my daughter. I raised her before you could learn about her connection with the heart while you just let her cry under this cursed barrier.”
I looked at the statue holding the gem, trapping us in this realm even after death and noticed the vines wrapping it and overgrowth dissipating. The statue was like a throne where a woman sat down holding a cube in a majestic demeanour; she was definitely a woman but her clothes were of a man, with a drawing on her forehead in the signs of a star similar to the one I saw in Dahlia while being a baby, years ago. No one had seen it besides me and the woman who brought her to us. It was my guess; Dahlia appeared next to a portal, the same one she took to escape, and I heard the chant of a lovely voice accompanying her.
“What are you doing, you idiot?” Allyssa exclaimed, incredulous. “What are you pushing your hands for inside my basket?”
“Sorry, I had to check,” replied Charles. “There was no time to argue with you but I think things are returning to normal. The illusions are shattering.”
The companions ran around the island while I steered out of trouble. Instead, I observed the young boy Dahlia brought, he stared at the statue like studying it. It wasn’t that strange the illusions would disappear; they were all created by the small Dahlia, what she believed in was a reality in this small space, her power manifested and she wasn’t even aware of it or more like we were the ones who made her that way. Everyone started teaching her things to get what they wanted, those hypocrites. Even Lilith, who missed her swords, taught her only to touch a weapon again.
The leaves on the trees didn’t stir and the clouds didn’t drift. Even the insects in the air were frozen in place as if trapped in a time freeze; we were the only ones that moved. With anxious glances, the others turned back.
“It seems we became ghosts again,” said Jack, a man who liked immersing in alcohol more than anything. “I won’t taste beer again, such a shame!” he sat down his hands on his head, lamenting.
“It is expected,” I said. “We shall embrace the boredom again,” I sighed. “I miss my little Dahlia but anything happens for a reason. Our meeting again was meant to be and we shall stay here ignorant of what the world became. Tell us, young boy! What brought you here?”
The young lad, dressed in common clothes with a hat hiding his brown hair, raised his head looking at me and I knew how much my premonition was true; the one standing in front of me was an old man with a rusty demeanour. He approached the statue, grinning.
“I was looking forward to it. This magnificent looking puzzle. It took me years of searching and here I am… in front of it. If you’ll excuse me, I shall embrace my prize.”
I sighed, looking at the horrified gazes following the young boy. My companions could be so clueless sometimes. It didn’t take you to touch it to have it and any way that thing was cursed by Victoria.
The boy climbed the statue and put his hands on the heart, with eyes full of joy and triumph. However, as we all expected, the boy turned to ashes leaving bones and clothes behind.
“As I thought, his fate was sealed,” commented Jack. “Only the little Dahlia could touch it without the curse consuming her. So, old comrades, what now?”
I sighed.
DAHLIA:
“Why do you think I do?” I said and again no one understood me.
Here were the basic facts. The person they called ‘madman’ or ‘mad scientist’ had one session with each of us; it took an eternity of waiting in a cell and my butt killed me. That man believed in some kind of inexistent disease; like we were sick and we needed a special pill to cure us. He asked us questions and didn’t care much for the details, also I lied.
“My name is Natalie. I am twenty. I have a younger sister who is more beautiful than me and more intelligent, she is thirteen. My parents are still married to each other but my father cheats on my mother. I have a point on my neck which I got from a vampire and a bite in my butt that I got from a werewolf. I soared the sky riding a dragon and saw the sunset under the wing of a wica…” Pretty much, he didn’t understand what I said.
I basically sat down for hours saying anything with dull eyes. HE tapped his pencil against the pad of paper he was holding and just stared at me. His stare made me feel helpless but I didn’t forget to avoid showing I understood them. I saw the hint of a smile then he told me to go. Apparently, the weird language I spoke with didn’t interest him that much. The second day was weirder. I suppressed the urge to cry while he checked me. His hands trailed over my body exploring everything. Everything was weird, even the places he checked us in. The third day was the last day of the examination. Well, I thought it was but it wasn’t. He transported us to a forest and put us in a cage next to hyenas. I felt horrible next to them, they had wide teeth and sharpened claws. I looked back and forth from the madman to the hyenas then stopped on a tall man with visibly changed eyes.
We exchanged a look, he seemed so handsome. Truly, I had never seen handsome guys; I thought Jack was one with his short blond hair and pale blue eyes; I even had a crush on him. I even lied about learning languages to speak to him, but I learnt nothing and tasted beer instead. My heart pounded fast and my cheeks heated every time I saw the stranger.
That man had a playful aura around him. He had black hair with a long tail at the end that reached his knees. Long hair is beautiful like Sister Dina; she is such an elegant Lady. He had a fake smile. Well, everyone possessed one and there were other handsome men too. My eyes seemed to relax on him. The other girls had weird stares; keeping away from the hyenas as much as possible. Although we had iron bars separating us, they still stood leaving a distance. I didn’t talk to any girl or befriend them; it wasn’t like they understood me. Furthermore, any attempt to befriend them would be useless; I was a burnt steak of meat after all.
The man looked bigger than the others, with his muscles and mysterious aura. As square-jawed and handsome as ever, but with a steely glint in his eyes that I’ve never seen before. If I were outside, I would definitely gather my courage and talk to him. I would obviously lie to find a topic to share with him. Lies protect from betrayers. Suddenly, I got an idea; I would lie and see if he turned, if he did I would try my best to approach him… If not…
I put my hands around my mouth and shouted. “I know where the heart of gems is.”
Their reactions were priceless; they looked at me like I was some kind of psychopath and laughed. However, the one my eyes didn’t leave opened his eyes widely. I could almost swear his pupils dilated. I smiled like an idiot when he looked at me.
NELDRISDYD: «I know where the heart of gems is…” Cold dread coiled in my stomach. I peeked at the unfortunately ruined face once again before pretending to laugh. She grinned when the other nobles laughed calling her a crazy slave. My eyes automatically glared at her. Nonetheless, my silent rage quickly dissipated and I was taken back by curiosity; no one had ever spoken such ancient language. It was the first time I ever heard another tongue articulating it. What was more fascinating about it was the ability to understand all languages spoken in this world. It was a language I spoke as well but no one knew that. When I was young, Lady Markbill warned me to never speak with it; its words were an enchantment on themselves and no one would like it when the commandment made you do things you didn’t like. Unlike me, she seemed not aware of it. I observed her from the corner of my eye, her gaze moved from the floor to the hyenas and sh
DAHLIA: I hate having to dress up like a man. Once again, my clothes were torn and the servants who saved me gave me new ones. The cotton shirt was too loose, the pants too big and the boots too uncomfortable. “Full-blown tempest, howling winds, crashing waves, lightning and thunder, this was the tale of the unbreakable gemstone that disappeared centuries ago,” I whispered to myself looking around me. I was back to being a slave again. The most surprising thing that happened to me was the recovery I faced; all my burnt skin healed and I felt good again. I thought about it since I opened my eyes, feeling alive. Was it because of him? The arrow he shot at me was the only thing that could have saved me. What was he playing at? That man was crazy. I made sure to not swallow the mad man’s pills previously because I didn’t need fake happiness. I saw how the slaves who died experienced stages of happiness. It was until the day of the hunt that
SAVASCUS: “Thanks for sharing the cell with me. To think all the other slaves are actually avoiding me. I’ll remember this; I won’t be helping them as an act of vengeance against them.” “Remind me of your name, please! I tend to forget it.” Amelia’s hands meandered softly, following the path from my neck, then she grabbed my shirt, tried to remove it but I slapped her hand away, softly. She moved to my breasts, touching them delicately. “I know you like it. It isn’t good to deny pleasures, Savascus.” She pulled me and released her glamorous charms. Knowing a succubus was troublesome; her body was on top of me and I felt hot, enjoyment rising in my heart and down my belly. I didn’t hate it and all the struggling thoughts faded as soon as her tongue darted all around me, especially my private part and chest. As the guards opened the door, I lounged on the wall quickly, my necklace resting at an insouciant angle, my
DAHLIA: I definitely didn’t want to think about how hard I had to bite my own lip to keep quiet. Or how obvious it was that I wanted to kill him, but I never killed anyone with my own hands. As I heard the door unlock and the man turned his head checking the sound, I swiftly grabbed his head from his chin throwing him on the ground. When he tried to grab his weapon that I kicked away, the knife I got from a guard was on his throat, faster than his words. “Surprised?” I asked sweetly. “A move and your head might be away.” I placed my foot on his chest, pressing down a little to remind him that he was at my mercy. “I am done with being polite. Now, move there,” I pointed at the office with my chin, his face pale. “C’mon. I can’t move with your leg over me. Am I really to believe you’d harm me?” “You once told me I could only lower my head… I am doing it right now, to look at your disgusting face. Remember karma always play
DAHLIA: I always dreamt of a charming prince who would fight for me. When I was in the village, it didn’t have a name; I thought I would be like a princess waiting for a prince to save her. However, the reality was much more than it seemed. In the end, I was caught again and I heard all the escapees got caught too, except for Aurelia and Savascus. A certain robust guy I never saw before ruined my plans. My plan had two flaws; the existence of the strong guy and the consciousness of the slave dealer. I expected him to be sleeping in his quarters after inhaling the powder. In my solitude, I pondered about a lot of things like the reason that kept Aurelia or more like Aureoles and Savascus here. I concluded; despite being strong, the collars had us in check. Lately, mine was reinforced; I felt like my energy drained quickly. I slept all the time and the only way to know how much time had passed was the regularity of the piece of bread and glass of
NELDRISDYD: “I am afraid my Lady that I wouldn’t be able to grace your banquet with my presence. While I appreciate your sincere invitation, I must ask you to accept my regrets. I have a matter of utmost importance to attend to,” I said. My response elicited the slyest smile from Lady Markbill. She examined the last batch of goods that were supplied for the banquet. A servant that she found suspicious darted next to her. The Lady stopped him and grabbed the box from his hands. Her eyes checked him suspiciously then inspected the box of candles. It was completely normal, yet it wasn’t enough to let her believe nothing would ruin her banquet. She decided to revise everything from the beginning again. “Do you know how many would love to have an invitation from me? No, you do not. Since you are declining my truthful sincerity. I see that you are all grown up now, talking to your caretaker this way. You have grown by age but your wisdom stay
DAHLIA: After selling the children, they sold the women. At the end of the auction, I was displayed with other beauties with a mask on our faces, seductively. When my cage was pushed to the stage, the lights blinded me; they were brighter than my future and past combined. After my vision adjusted to the light, I saw the advanced threads of magic used to brighten the walls. Everything was set to make us dazzling and attractive. I couldn’t help but feel so low. I never wish for anyone to experience what I lived at the moment; an inferiority complex engulfed me and my mind put many questions in front of my eyes. The many eyes gazing at us made me feel sick. I wanted to cry like when my sister Dina tapped gently on my back, but my tears were useless. They were proof of weakness and any one of them might be used against me. I tried to be tough and strong, to endure everything like I endured the training I experienced, and show I didn’t care for anything but
NELDRISDYD: It was time to return to the banquet and meet the people I was supposed to; we were in the carriage. Furthermore, I had to care for my new interesting acquired slave I didn’t intend to buy. I was in awe of her survival; I shot the arrow to release her from her suffering. My eyes witnessed a real wonder: the act of a sacrifice. Did she know my poison slipped faster to the heart once the blood ran faster in the veins? The most important matter now was Erasmus words; she was unruly, untamed, defiance ran inside her veins. She was someone who didn’t care about rules and threw her life everywhere. The kind of person I wanted. Erasmus insisted she was human and my slave contract on her chest worked perfectly. Weren’t humans supposed to be less hurt by any tentative made by other races in Dotoria? It was already so suspicious. “Tell me. Aren’t you a human?” Her shoulder was leaning against the door her gaze lost in the thick canvas