Past Truths

by Em Pitts

  "Sacrificed like you are sacrificing everyone else?" Ollie spit out. "Do they know you stabbed one of the aspirans today? That the one who ‘blesses’ us was chained to the fires and tried to save him. You are the one killing people, not the gifts! Would they follow you so blindly if they knew the truth?"

  I couldn't see the ministers face to see how he reacted but the men surrounding us looked to him. Alexander and Judge stood inside the circle not surprised or questioning at all. Both probably knew the truth the whole time.

  "And what would I gain by doing such a thing?" The minister questioned calmly. "I do nothing more than the Lord's work."

  The men around him accepted that answer easily enough. They believed him fully. And why shouldn't' they, when it was all they have been taught, all they have known. Maybe, they would listen like my men did? Maybe, if we just took a chance on them…

  "Because you believed he was a sinner!" I desperately threw out, joining into the conversation. I tapped Isaake to let me go so I could face off with the minister. "I watched you stab him through the stomach. Vita knew when they would and wouldn't survive. She would nod her head when they would and shake it no when they wouldn't. You make her kill them anyway. She chose not to, and you made them both suffer for it." I looked towards the boy with the flame pleading for him to see the truth in my eyes. "I was there the whole time. I watched your trial too. The others don't have to die. They never did." His flames flickered smaller as he looked questioningly back and forth between the minister and me.

  "Why?" The boy questioned out. "There is no reason for him to kill the men." I grew frustrated.

  The truth was I didn't know. I didn't understand why he made her continue with the trials. He spoke as if the others deserved to die because they were sinners. He also spilled blood at the cave before any of this happened. Was he trying to gain power, or was he really demented enough that he believed this trial weeded out the damned?

  I couldn't give the boy the answer. I couldn't answer it myself. I couldn't make any of them see the truth. But I could fuck up the minister's plans before I died.

  I turned to face him head on and let him see all the rage that I held for him. He fucked up a lot of people's lives before now and he was about to end mine. I smiled smugly before I told him the truth of what happened tonight.

  "It doesn't matter anyway. She's free now. Your prisoner is gone, so whatever plans you were making are gone with her." That got a reaction. His face contorted and he looked like the demon I believed him to truly be.

  "Seize them!"

  The response was instantaneous, and twenty-seven males were surrounding and separating us. Isaake punched out when he was wrenched away from me. I saw the others fighting a losing battle that they refused to give up. Surprisingly, men were dropping around me as I was grabbed and hauled roughly against another man. Then fight in the others fueled me to do the same.

  I kicked out catching my captors legs, only to be grabbed up again by the next person. My heel dug into someone's shin and I pushed downwards, satisfied by the howl of pain I got in return. I elbowed another person receiving a loosened hold that I unsuccessfully tried to wiggle out of. Another body dropped and I had a surge of hope that we could make it out of this. Then the flames flared, and screams deafened the area.

  The men backed away from the flames leaving me with a clear sight of what was going on. The blue fire was wrapped around Nick's leg as another man held him upright. He jerked out of the man's grasp and flailed on the ground rolling around. I wasn't sure the fire was going to go out as it blazed up to his thigh. Suddenly the bright light winked out of existence leaving Nick rolling and howling with pain.

  My heart broke and I sagged against the hands holding me as I watched Nick suffer. His cries were so filled with anguish that the men around him swayed uncomfortably. Tears fell down my cheeks as we all watched Nick, no one else willing to touch him. Alexander was the one who grabbed him upright paying no attention to his wails. Then Alexander's fist was hitting Nick’s head so hard that he slumped over unconscious. I cried out at the sight and a billowed roar jerked the attention back our way.

  "Take the abomination to the fires. We will sacrifice them all for this betrayal." The minister's voice was pure fury as he strode towards me. I barely paid attention to him as I watched Nick's body, desperately making sure he was still breathing. His chest rose and fell slowly, but his body remained limp.

  Pain bloomed across my face as my head was slung sideways. Liquid bubbled in my mouth and I spit it out automatically. Some of it landed on the minister's face who was so close to me. Red. It was blood from the force of the blow. There was a commotion off to the side where I knew the men were fighting again but I remained staring at the minister.

  "You will pay for what you've done." His voice was pure menace.

  "Burn in hell," I replied and received another punch to the side of my face. The world tilted from the blow, then I was weightless.

  As the world righted itself back into focus, I saw I was being carried in someone’s arms. My head was throbbing, but I could hear the shouting behind me. I let my head flop backwards before picking it up again as my world started spinning. It was enough to catch a glimpse of Ollie’s face behind me.

  Fear. He was afraid.

  I closed my eyes and tried to block everything else out.

  This was my fault. All my fault.

  They never deserved to be hurt too. The men carrying us to our death didn't deserve to be saved. I should have let the sheep be slaughtered as they followed each other into the wolf's den.

  I kept my eyes closed and tried to find the darkness. I didn't want any of the outside world anymore. No sound, no feelings, no watching the men I cared for get hurt or worse, die. I didn't want to deal with any of it. Just darkness. But it wasn't coming. I felt the pain as my head swayed, heard the men calling out to me and Nick, and felt the pain inside of what was to come.

  I opened my eyes and looked up at the boy holding me. The boy who held the flame in his hand’s moments ago. The boy who hurt Nick. He was just a boy.

  "Why?" I croaked out. He looked down at me before looking back up quickly. "Why do what you know is not right? Why fight for the wrong side?" I questioned again. I was feeling mostly numb at this point, so I didn't even try anymore when he ignored me.

  "What do you mean?" The minister's angry voice carried as we ground to a halt.

  "The fires are gone, sir. The cave is empty." Another voice replied. I smiled at the thought, relieved to not be dying as his sacrifice.

  33

  No one wanted our blood on their hands directly. Everyone wanted our blood though. We were the enemies who destroyed a tradition that all of the men surrounding us were to take part in. The consequences of that tradition didn't matter. The truth behind it didn't matter. It mattered that it was gone and none of them knew how to get it back. The minister’s panic clearly showed he didn't have a damn clue either. How Vita was found and enslaved the first time seemed to not be recorded or passed down through the generations.

  We were led back to the village that night, none of the men wanted to wait on the chance we escaped. I found out that there were perfectly working cells in the jail that we were thrown into. I was separated from the men and we occupied the only two barred spaces in the building. Right now, the sheriff was outside speaking to the others about what was going on. Alexander was standing at the desk watching us.

  "You're bound to lose focus soon." Raynor taunted him. "How long do you think you can hold onto keeping all four of our powers nullified."

  "Five," Alexander grunted out surprising me. He didn't speak much; he could have been mute. "The girl won't get over on me either."

  I looked down at my burnt arm. I am gifted. I forgot with everything else going on. Not that it helps us anyway with how things stand. Still, the rune burnt into my arm looked sort of familiar. A whistle came from Raynor.

  "Five people. Yeah, you'll burn out before too long." He pl
opped down beside the only mattress in their cell.

  Burn out? I thought about the men using their gifts. When they used them for long periods of time, they got weak for a time afterward. The more power used the weaker they were. Although Raynor had a very fast recovery time when he used his gift. Was it because he only had one? I'm pretty sure Alexander only as one as well.

  I glanced over the others to see how Nick was fairing. Nick was laid out on the mattress, while Ollie was hovering over him. His bunched eyebrows and clenched jaw told me he was trying to use his gift regardless of Alexander’s presence.

  “Let him Heal Nick.” I pleaded out. “Just for a moment, then you can take our powers away again. He needs to be healed.” Burns can get infected, right?

  "He's going to die anyway. You all are." Alexander replied flippantly. "Trial will be held in the morning. Don't get your hopes up." Alexander calmly sat down in the chair and propped his feet on the desk.

  "Tess," Ollie called me to the bars as he left Nick’s side. Isaake and Raynor stayed by their brother and I desperately wished I could be with them.

  Ollie looked pained as he held his hand up to my face. He lightly traced over my cheek and lip where I'm sure I was sporting lovely bruises. I grabbed his hand from my face and held it with mine.

  "It's okay. It doesn't really hurt anyway." I reassured him.

  "Tessa, I...I'm sorry about everything...I just..." He dropped his head against the bars when he couldn't find the words he was trying to say. It's okay, I got what he meant. I squeezed his hands to reassure him.

  "Nothing to be sorry for. I'm the one who should—"

  "No." Isaake cut me off. "No apologies. We knew what we were doing." Raynor grunted his agreement.

  "Not all of you—" I tried again and was cut off again.

  "Yes, all of us. We knew what we were doing." Isaake spoke firmly so I had no choice but to believe him.

  "We wouldn't change our choices either." Raynor looked at me sternly. "Because of us, more people will be saved from the same fate."

  "At the cost of our lives," I whispered out.

  Ollie's hands tightened and the faces of the men were grim as I voiced out what was to come. We were going to die, and we were helpless to change that. All the power in the world was crushed in an instant by one man who sat outside our jail cell. I looked over at him confused at why he would willingly help the minister.

  "What's in it for you?" I questioned the enemy. "You knew what was going on, why help?" He remained silent at my prodding.

  "Do you get your kicks out of dead bodies? Or does it make you feel powerful having everyone else feel helpless beneath you?" Raynor started attacking him too. "Maybe you secretly jump to do everything the judge says because he is offering you his cock while you're on your knees for him." Alexander's jaw twitched in anger. I wasn't the only one who saw it. Isaake's eyes gleamed.

  "No, he wants to watch the rest of the world burn down because it makes him feel less alone." Isaake joined in. "Why should anyone else find their happiness when he can't have his?"

  "Shut your mouths!" Alexander snapped out having reached his limit. "You have no idea what you've just ruined. This is bigger than any of you."

  "I'm sure anything is bigger than the pathetic excuse of a cock between your legs." Nick’s raspy voice joined in causing the others to rush to his side. Alexander didn’t care about our happy reunion now that Nick was awake.

  "Sard you!" Alexander strode towards the bars standing in front of them. "You think you know power? You know nothing. We hold all the power. Every person who is lost gifts us with more. Every death powers us further. Soon, we will have no enemies to stand in the way. No Indians, no British, no one powerful enough to stand up to us. You are nothing more than a battery to fuel us." Alexander sneered down at him.

  "Power?" I questioned incredulously. He stiffened up further at my accusation. "All of this is for power? You watched people die, you killed them, to obtain power?" I shook my head at the ridiculous thought.

  Nick tried sitting up and the others helped him. He hissed as his legs were lowered to the floor, before groaning out when his back was propped up on the wall.

  “Nick?” I whispered out. I needed to know he was okay. It was killing me being separated by the bars between us and not being able to help. Just like I couldn’t help in the fight.

  “I’m okay, dear heart.” He winked at me before grimacing in pain again. “Maybe you could kiss my injury’s later.” He forced the joke through clenched teeth. My heart ached at his pain.

  "The sinful die. The ones willing to fight for our cause, survive." Alexander practically quoted the minister, breaking into our moment.

  I liked him better when he didn’t speak. He gave me a target to take my frustrations out on though. I held up my own marked arm.

  "I'm not willing to fight for your cause. Why did I survive?"

  "You’re an abomination." He sneered.

  "Yeah, what about me?" Nick questioned out.

  "I'm damn sure not fighting for the death of innocents." Ollie ground out.

  "Your sins will be corrected. All of you will be." Alexander looked like he was going to go on, but the judge walked in with the sheriff at that moment. The sheriff sneered at us.

  "Trial will be held in the morning. I wouldn't worry too much about resting if I were you. You'll get plenty of sleep soon enough." The sheriff intoned out having already decided on the fate that we were to suffer. Alexander's smug grin was as dark as his soul. He strode to lean against the wall staying in here to suppress our powers.

  And just like that, we were marked for death. We may have gotten some answers, but there was no way out of here for it to even matter. I sank to the ground in utter defeat. Isaake joined me leaving Nick’s care to the others now that he was awake.

  "It's going to be alright, dear heart," Nick spoke up from the cot. "We will have you out of here and making burnt food in no time." Through his strained voice I sensed his disbelief. We all knew better.

  The night was spent resting against the uncomfortable bars. My only solace was the men who took turns holding my hand or placing a hand on my head or shoulder. At one point, I woke up and Ollie's hand was on my leg as he lay down on the cold ground. I could have laid in the bed but there was no point in physical comfort now. It felt better to be near them, and I didn't fight the feeling. Not when we were this close to death.

  The sun’s rays had long since woken everyone up before the judge made his way through the doors. Nick couldn’t sit next to me, but he was still trying to tell me jokes as his brother stayed by my side. I laughed at them even though I didn't feel like it. I needed to be close to all of them just like he needed to help somehow.

  The judge wasn't the happy sort that morning. I figured he would be gloating at having beaten us. Maybe he was being a sore loser for not winning his prize. He sat with Alexander and the sleeping sheriff, waiting on whatever was next. This was becoming one of the longest waits of my life.

  A squeeze on my hand had me looking at Raynor as he offered me a smile. It was the best he could do, and words of encouragement would have been wasted anyway. Ollie was leaned against the wall staring at the door. Isaake was sitting near the head of the cot as Nick laid down on it.

  Hector entered the jail surprising me. His face looked grim and he avoided my gaze. Instead, he turned towards Judge and handed over sets of thick cuffs.

  "It's time." His voice carried strong but holding a weight that we all felt.

  We were cuffed with the heavy silver cuffs that had a chain trailing between them. I could move my arms a foot apart and no more. The cuffs seemed normal until I spotted symbols on the side. More runes that looked familiar.

  Alexander breathed a sigh of relief as his shoulders relaxed when all the cuffs were on. That confirmed it. These cuffs were similar to the one that held Vita. Except Vita could still use whatever powers she had; she was trapped to a certain area instead. Judging by the grim faces of my men, we
still had no magic. And now Alexander wasn't needed to maintain that status.

  We were led to the meetinghouse with the judge in front of us. Hector and Alexander brought up the rear. The building was so full that people were streaming outside of the doors.

  The moment we were spotted there was yelling. Everyone was bloodthirsty. We walked right through the crowd and I believed the words shouted would be the worst. Then the spit landed on my cheek. I reeled back in shock at the woman who dared spit on me. It was Eliza's mother. The woman who was so detached and broken looking at the chandler's shop, now wore an expression of venom that twisted her pretty face into a nightmare.

  Then pain bloomed from my scalp. A gangly boy to my right had just pulled my hair. I snarled back before the treatment continued. A body pressed behind me, but before I elbowed backward I felt the chain similar to my own. Nick was with me. Despite his injury, he was yelling back at the man and the woman defending me.

  More people were closing in closer, ready for their turn of pain. We were pushed from behind and jostled on our sides. Yelling out didn't help. We could only move forward and hope the people stopped eventually.

  I barely noticed the sunlight dimming as we entered the building. I refused to pay attention to the people around me who were so focused on hurting us. Did they even know why we were here? What could make them so enraged to attack us as we are chained?

  I cried out when a little girl stomped on my foot. I looked down at the unfamiliar face and saw someone behind her that I recognized. Hope stood clutched to Ellyne watching everything. Ellyne was crying and reaching out for her brother behind Nick, but Hope? Hope was terrified and tears fell as she bit her lip. She was trying to be strong. Her eyes met mine. Fear swarmed around her and still, she bit back her cries. I smiled at her to soften what was happening.

  "It's okay." I kept saying. Even if she couldn't hear me, she needed to know it would be okay. Hands pushed me forward again and I went willingly. This time I threw my shoulders back and held my head high. If the little four-year-old could be strong, then so could I.