by Em Pitts
Movement caught my attention as she raised her arm and held out her hand tentatively. The boy's right hand was already laid palm up as if waiting on her to accept it. She laid her hand palm to palm with his gently, confusing me as to what was going on.
Then he screamed.
The sound was awful, and I covered my ears talking myself out of going forward. He chose this. You can't do anything right now about it, Tessa. A choked gargle broke off the scream and like a masochist, I opened my eyes to see what was happening.
The boy was on his knees with his hand still being gripped by hers. She looked towards the minister and nodded before she reached her other arm up and ran it across his left forearm. He screamed out again, his voice much hoarser.
Cringing and trying to ignore the pained cries, I looked at the minister to see why she looked his way. He watched dispassionately as the scene folded out. When he stepped towards the boy I stepped back.
The lava woman was lowering back down to the level of the liquid below the jutting rock. The boy was panting and holding his arms to his chest, but he was alive. Was his trial over?
The minister helped pick him up murmuring encouragements as they were going to leave. I quickly pulled back and ran down the wall to hide further in the darkness afraid of being caught now that I wasn’t invisible.
A pull on my mind jolted me for a moment, but I continued going forward believing it was Nick trying to get ahold of me again. A weird feeling was taking place in my head like a tugging that had me drop to my knees with a gasp. I huddled against the wall hoping I was far enough into the darkness to not be seen. If Nick got me killed right now, I was going to haunt his ass in this life and the next.
The boy was slowly shuffled forward and the minister held most of his weight as they continued on a long journey to exit the cave. I stood slowly and tiptoed backward once the two of them passed me. If I could make it in the trial room while they were away, then I could see more before the minister brought his next target in. They were going slow enough to buy me some time. When I felt it was safe, I ran.
Bursting into the open room, I cursed not thinking about the lava woman. Her head tilted towards my entrance as she glided over the red and black stone. I stood firmly away from her, hoping that she couldn't exit the lava that seemed to be a part of her. She didn't leave the heat, she stayed right at the edge of hardened rock and melting inferno.
As I watched, the moving liquid glided down her legs farther, showing some of her calves. This close, I could figure out what was different about her. Along the sides of her body were markings that shined red like the liquid surrounding her. They looked oddly familiar.
She was beautiful with smooth skin that had a golden sheen to it and darker areas mixed with lighter ones. Her eyes stood out colored a fiery red that seemed impossible. The symbols looked burnt into her body in the way the men’s were. And yet, she stood in lava and didn't burn.
"Are you gifted?" My voice cracked as I tried to speak.
Stupid question, Tessa. She was the one gifting people. That didn't mean it wasn't her gift though. She continued staring at me and not speaking.
"Can you talk? Or speak my language?" She tilted her head curiously like a cat. She must not have been able to understand what I was saying.
I backed away a few steps and she followed me with her eyes but made no move towards me. That's got to be a good sign, right? I stepped towards the lifted rock platform with the same results. I sighed in relief when she made no move to follow and ran to the edge to find…nothing.
I didn't know what I expected to find, but whatever the minister did with the first body I couldn't find an answer too. I looked around the whole room with the vantage point I had and still found nothing. He must be keeping them somewhere else. I turned towards the back of the room one last time not quite ready to give up. The woman was standing in front of me and startled me enough to almost scream.
"What the hell?" I whisper hissed.
The minister would be coming back any moment, I needed to leave before that happened. She just...stared at me. That wasn't creepy at all. Heavy on the sarcasm.
"I" I pointed at myself, "need to leave." I pointed out the room. "So, bye I guess." I waved awkwardly and turned to do just that. Shit, what if she tells them I was here? I reversed directions back towards her. "You didn't see me." I tried to mime by pointing at her eyes than myself then shaking my head no.
My hand was flickering in and out again for some reason. I wonder if Isaake's powers are trying to work again. Her lips quirked and she held out her left hand. Was she thinking I wanted to be gifted?
"No, no, no, no. I'm not trying to do the dying thing." I needed to go now. I backed away slowly and she dropped her hand seeming to get the message. She looked even more curious now. Great, I intrigue the lava woman.
I turned around after my slow retreat so that I could move faster then stopped cold. Another boy entered the room with the minister beside him. Shit. Shit. Shit. I held my hands up and opened my mouth ready to plead for my life. But my hands weren't visible. They were flickering a moment ago, but I haven't looked to see if I was visible or not since I noticed my hand outside. Taking advantage of the situation, I immediately started walking towards the entrance. No one noticed me.
"Step forward and offer your right hand for judgment. Then you will be blessed." The minister indicated the walkway with the women still standing in front of it. She was paying attention to the young man now.
I made my way to the entrance and resumed my original position to watch. I needed to know what was happening. I didn't want to be right, but something felt off about everything.
I watched the boy step forward and lift his right hand. He held his up like he was ready for a high five instead of like the last man. The woman met his hand with her own and the screams started again. This time the woman looked to the minister and shook her head no. What did that mean, what was different? I looked at the minister and he made a go-ahead motion and look back passively.
The woman looked at me. She stared straight into my eyes even though I was invisible. I saw pain, her eyes held her shattered pieces and she kept them on me as she brought her hand up and drifted it lightly against the boy's forearm just as she had done to the previous boy.
The screams never stopped as the boy jerked against the floor writhing and thrashing. The woman backed away but watched the whole time. I saw one single trail of glowing red lava drip down her face before I realized what was happening. She was crying. The boy's mouth foamed; his skin started tearing as if bursting from the inside. I gasped and covered my mouth as I dropped to the floor.
This was so much worse than anyone explained. He was dying and it was excruciating to watch. The minister looked impassive the whole time the boy cried out. No one tried to offer him comfort, no one tried to end his pain. They just watched the destruction they helped make.
Finally, the jerking stopped and the boy's body went stiff. Blood coated his skin and seeped through his clothes onto the black rock below. White foam trickled along the sides of his face from his mouth. The cuts along his body tore deep enough to see the bone in some places and the muscle was folding over the skin in others. That wasn't death. That was annihilation.
"Come now, Vita. Must we do this every time?" The minister sounded out in a patronizing voice.
The lava woman stepped onto the rock, proving my theory wrong about her not being able to leave the heat, and the lava receded slowly from her feet. That's when I saw the cuff and chain clamped on her ankle. A wide black cuff that was marked. Her skin was blackened and blistered beneath the cuff and the harsh burns traveled above and below it.
She knelt over the boy and gently closed his eyes. A steaming hiss rose from his chest as one of her tears landed there. She picked up the body gently and walked back to the lava. It rose and greeted her like a friend.
The minister clearly having seen enough, stepped out of the room and went to find his next target. I scrambled
up and ran to the edge of the platform needing to finish seeing the horror to the end. She was waiting for me.
She looked right at me again, seeing through the Illusion. The boy was held in her arms as if he weighed nothing. While she stared at me the lava rose and engulfed his body slowly. There was no burning smell, no hissing or popping as he melted. The lava acted like a blanket that coated him completely and hid what happened underneath. When it receded, there was no boy left, not a single trace.
My tears fell into the lava as I searched for where he went. He wasn't there anymore though. I looked at her and saw the pain reflected back at me.
"You knew." I croaked out. "You knew he wasn't going to make it. You told the minister, didn't you?" A head nod confirmed it.
She was telling him the boy would not survive when she shook her head. He told her to go ahead anyway. My anger rose up and I lashed out.
"Why?" I demanded. "If you knew, then why do this? Why did you kill him?"
He was just a boy. It could have been prevented. She tests them first and she could have stopped. She didn't answer me. Whether she couldn't or she wouldn't, I wouldn't know. She rose up to my level and the lava receded showing me the ankle bracelet again. I connected the dots.
"You're being forced?" I got another head nod. She's a slave.
A noise behind me announced the next sacrifice. It was a sacrifice. They all were. There's no way this could be thought of as some trial to be won. It was a tragedy that could easily be prevented. I stood slowly and stepped to the side of the small ledge. I didn't care if the illusion held anymore. Let the bastards see me. Let them know that their secret is out, the monster that lays beneath their skin has been seen, and I'll find a way for everyone else to see the truth too. Or die trying.
I stayed for the last two sacrifices that day. I was on the back wall or the ledge the whole time and the illusion held. Both were boys and only one made it alive. That made two out of five people who survived the first day. As angry as I was, I didn't blame the woman, Vita as the minister called her. I couldn't after watching the last boy die.
When she shook her head no on the last boy the minister again told her to carry on. She stared at me and chose not to for a moment. I think she wanted me to see what would happen. To see why she still hurt them when she could prevent it. I saw alright.
The lava around her dropped from her body completely. She screamed in pain and clutched at the leg that was chained as she fell. I immediately stepped forward trying to figure out what was wrong and how to help. All I could do was hold her as I watched the burns travel farther away from the chain before leaving her a panting mess on the rock.
I was so focused on the woman that I didn't notice the minister had come forward until I heard the boy crying out. I looked behind me to see the boy had a knife stabbed through his stomach that was attached to the minister's arm. He pulled the knife out before pushing the boy forward and into the lava. He screamed as the lava boiled him alive.
This time the room filled with a stench of burning flesh and I could hear the popping sound from above of him boiling and thrashing. I retched and tried to stifle the smell from reaching me. Vita was desperately trying to climb back into the lava and making little progress. I pushed her to help further her along not knowing what else to do. She splashed into the lava and the screams soon stopped. Crawling forward, I made it to the ledge and saw her resting over the boy with her hair creating a cocoon around them. The lava worked over him until he was no more.
Shock had me staring uselessly at Vita. The minister killed that boy. With his bare hands. I turned back around to face the monster. He looked annoyed as he cleaned the blood off his hand.
"How long have you been with us, Vita? There are rules for a reason. You give the righteous men a purpose and destroy the wicked. You're helping us, Vita. So why do you choose to act out like this?" His tone gentled and became fatherly as he looked over at her. "I know you don't like their pain, but if they are in pain then they deserve it. The sins are what destroy them and that's on them. We can't let the world be run by sinners. God doesn't want that." He straightened out his sleeves and frowned at the blood before turning away and calling over his shoulder. "I forgive you, Vita. I know you are just trying to find the right way. Choose the honorable path we've shown you and you won't need to worry again. Your sin will spread every time you choose wrong." His footsteps followed him before disappearing as he did.
"Vita," I whispered out. She ignored me and continued looking towards her hands which once held the boy. "Vita, it's okay. He is gone." I tried to get her attention again. Her eyes shot to me and she gave me a sneer before diving into the lava to get away.
I didn't blame her. She tried to show me the truth and she suffered for it. They both did. I shuffled up and ran to get out of the cave. There was nothing but death and pain inside of it and I needed to breathe.
I burst out into the light and looked around for my men. The surviving men were congratulating each other with smiles even as they looked weak upon the ground. Other groups of men had people laughing in them as well. Didn't any of them know the men that had just been brutally inside that cave? Only a few looked disturbed and it was more of an accepting look. None of these men realized their leader was a monster who would kill them with no remorse if only to keep this trial of his going.
My men were away from the others where I left them. Raynor and Ollie were silently watching the cave entrance while Nick and Isaake had their eyes closed. I stepped closer to them and saw Nick jump off the ground saying something to the others. Isaake's eyes flew open and landed right on me.
Relief.
All of the men were standing by the time I reached them. I almost walked right into Isaake's arms before Ollie barked something out.
"Dome. Now." Isaake grabbed at my hand and none of the others reprimanded him for it this time. Instead, they closed in around me tighter to where I couldn't run away. We walked towards the temporary hut ignoring the rest of the people. Nothing else mattered at that moment.
I was practically pushed inside as soon as we got to the entrance. The illusion dropped and Isaake pulled me into his arms immediately. He was shaking, he was so worked up. Another set of arms went around me from behind and had to have wrapped around Isaake as well.
"Stop hogging her." Nick rasped next to my ear. "You fucked up; I get her." He went to pull me away from Isaake, but another hand grabbed my arm and yanked me sideways away from both men. I landed into a very muscular torso.
"What were you thinking?" Raynor's arms encircled me and a hand rested at the back of my head. He rocked me slightly as he chastised me. "You could have fucking died. You can't just run away and try to rescue people on your own, dove." Is it weird that I noticed they were using my swear words now?
"I needed to—" I tried to answer but Nick pulled me back to him and banded his arms around my front keeping my back pressed to him.
"She's not a fucking dove, she's a lion who charged in to save the day when none of you cared to listen." Nick was furious. I saw when Raynor cringed from that accusation and I felt bad for a moment. But only a moment, because Nick was right.
If they would have listened a little more then maybe I wouldn't have run in without them. Having one of them with me could have saved the second boy’s life today. Maybe even both boys’ lives. But I also shouldn't have run in so impulsively. I couldn't bring myself to apologize for my actions after what I saw in the cave. It was my impulsiveness and anger that let me see the truth this time.
"She was almost a dead lion." Ollie broke in. He had his hands clenched beside him and every muscle in his body looked like he was straining to hold himself still. "Why did you run away?" He spoke through clenched teeth and took a step forward before stopping himself.
"Because I needed to know." I threw my hand out encircling the group who were huddled so close to me. "I told you something was wrong, but you weren't believing me. Someone had to do something." I was angry at them too. I
went through that hell alone just now when they could have been beside me in there. "You don't think I wanted you to go with me? You don't think I want you guys to listen to me when I say something and instead of ignoring me actually join me?"
The men were shifting uncomfortable and it took a moment to realize the tears were falling from my eyes again. I'm surprised I had any left after how much I cried in the cave. I stared Ollie down and saw the anger gone, his face pale.
"You think I wanted to see that alone?" My voice cracked and Nick grabbed onto me harder.
I was turned around and pressed into his body as he held me up the next minute. He shushed me and rocked me as his brother had done. Another body pressed against my side, then another behind me, and finally the last one filled in the circle. Hands touched my head, my back, my shoulders, and my sides. I couldn't tell who was who for a moment, and it was the safest feeling I've ever had. My tears slowed as the men comforted me. Nick took that as a sign to ask about the cave.
"What happened, dear heart?" My breath hitched when I tried to tell him. It angered me that I was being a weeping mess right now when there were bigger problems outside of this hut.
"Can I show you? Through the connection? I don't think I can get it out right now." Nick nodded against my head. I barely felt the pressure as he included everyone.
"Just think about what you want to show us. Try to think about it as clearly as possible."
That wouldn't be hard. It was seared into my memory. Still, I hesitated. What if they still didn't believe me? What if they couldn't trust me because they didn't know me that well? I must have been thinking those thoughts loudly because arms tightened around me.
"Then I'll kick their asses and you and I can go save the world together," Nick stated boldly. A threat and a reassurance.
"We believe you," Isaake spoke up. "It was a surprise at first, but we trust you, Tessa."