Game of Survival

by T R Tells

  "Leave him. He does not have a trace of gold in his eyes. Besides, he wouldn’t survive no more than a day, the bastard already pissed himself," Mar Donias laughed.

  The other Kingsland Guards laughed in response, mocking Thea, her cheeks turned red from embarrassment. She watched as the two Kingsland Guards left, with a smile on their faces, except for Mar Donias who bent down on one knee to meet Thea's eyes. Thea squirmed under his penetrating gaze.

  She adjusted her grip on the blade to strike.

  "Disgusting. That look in your eyes, your presence, it reeks of failure. The only thing your kind has shown me is how easy you all roll over like dogs." He pushed her hard knocking her back. He leaned over her as a sinister grin appeared on his face.

  Thea shrunk away in fear.

  She tried her best to grip the blade's handle, but she found it was slippery in her sweaty palms. “What are you waiting for? Do it,” an urgent voice said in the back of her mind. As if she had no control, she gripped the blade's handle tighter.

  "You were born a rat, and you'll die—”

  Thea plunged the blade into the man's green eye. She twisted her wrist with a force she didn't even know she had. She screamed in pain as the silver made her hand sizzle and burn. Beads of blood spat out from the man's socket and soiled the front of Thea's shirt and face.

  The sound of his cry was guttural and animalistic.

  Thea quickly scrambled to her feet and rushed out the door, as she raced after the soldiers. She could see the brown-haired guard dragging Dominya up the hill and throwing her in a cage with several other women and children. The brown-haired guard and the black haired guard headed back down in Thea's direction, to check on their leader.

  They stopped, midway, when they saw Thea—her bloody face and contorted with rage. The guards looked shocked and confused, looking back at each other, and then back at her face and chest sprayed with blood. They didn’t hesitate to pull out their swords and approached her.

  “Come here you little bitch!”

  Thea grabbed a jagged rock on the ground for protection and picked it up, the rough edges of the stone poked her palm. She stretched her arm back and trained her eyes on the two Kingsland Guards.

  "L-Let my sister go!" Thea stumbled as tears slid down her cheeks. Bitterness welled up in Thea's chest and inflamed her gut.

  “Get back in the house!” Dominya protested with her sister.

  Thea, for a moment, froze, and she was about to drop her arm when she heard a voice say, “Do it.” It half-encouraged, half-ordered and Thea found her arm possessed against her will. However, Mar Donias stood behind her, casting a shadow over her.

  There was rage in his one eye, the other tightly shut, blood seeping from it. His gauntlet hand rose in the air and smacked Thea across the face. Thea fell into the ground, hard, but, General Mar Donias lifted her from the ground and grabbed Thea by the throat; squeezing it.

  Thea gasped and tried to peel off the man's large hands from her tiny throat. Black spots formed in Thea's eyes, and her ears rang. There was a brief moment, her life flashed before her eyes and she blacked out unconsciousness; her body went limp.

  Dominya cried out as she watched her sister being overpowered by the guard. Mar Donias saw that she was no longer moving, and as an animal finished with its prey he tossed her to the side.

  Dominya stretched out her hand, her grayish-blue eyes turned amber, and in that split moment, she summoned her magic as an invisible force-field caught her fall. Dominya released her magic, her eyes turned amber, but once her sister was safe on the ground her eyes turned back brown.

  Mar Donias returned to his horse.

  Thea’s eyes flickered slightly; her vision still blurry as she lied on the ground. She focused her attention on a worm that slithered past her eye as a colony of ants charged for it ready to take it down with full frontal force, Thea could make out the sound of a carriage going over the gravel as it drove away.

  They left me here to die.

  The sky formed into a blanket of ominous gray clouds and it started to rain.

  The cold, wet precipitation fell on her cheeks. The dirt, blood, and tears mixed into a gooey paste. Thea blinked in quick succession every time the droplets fell into her eyes. She tried to force her body to stand, but fell instantly, and slipped back into the muddy earth and her legs gave out. The last thing Thea saw before she blacked out was Dominya’s anguished expression as tears rolled down her cheeks. The carriage moved further and further away until it was nothing more than a black dot in the distance.

  ***

  Dominya stared at the small cottage as they drove away, leaving Thea’s unconscious body behind. Tears welled in her eyes as she sat in the cage. She wrapped her arms around her legs. Other people sat in the cage with her, mainly women, as they clung to their small children to console them. She wouldn't be able to hold Thea when she was sick or scared ever again. She would never be able to sing to her or watch her get married.

  I won’t be there for any of that.

  “Let’s keep moving,” Mar Donias grunted. “We can make it back before dark.” The rest of the Guards nodded.

  Dominya closed her eyes and silently prayed for her protection: Please, Kii, Ansem, protect my sister and keep her under your watch.

  Mar Donias slammed his hand on the cage. Dominya snapped her eyes open and looked directly at Mar Donias.

  “What the hell god you praying to? Your life is already over.” Blood again poured from his wound, following the length of his scar like a trench, before dripping down the stretch of his face. He had ripped the edge of his tunic uniform and wrapped it around his head, to cover his eye. It would hold until they reached the castle.

  “At least I have a god to pray to, you follow and worship a man who thinks he’s a god.”

  Mar Donias hissed, “Watch your tongue and don’t get any funny ideas, you Magi bitch, or I’ll gut you where you sit.”

  “And that’s your biggest problem. You act high and mighty, like nothing in this world can phase you, and all you know is to kill and judge. But you’re simply nothing without your armor, weapons, horses, and men,” Dominya snarled.

  A guard who sat in the front of the carriage, turned around in his seat as he overheard the exchange between the two.

  “General Bishop, perhaps we should gag her?”

  “Do not listen to her; she is only trying to get a rise out of you,” Mar Donias barked out. “She cannot do anything but make taunts. Keep your eyes on the road!”

  The soldier hesitantly nodded but obediently turned around.

  Mar Donias pulled his horse closer to the carriage and leaned his head toward Dominya, who craned her neck up. Mar Donias, even the slightest, credited this woman’s bravery.

  “Look around, you are the only one powerless one here and will be made cannon fodder,” Mar Donias said.

  The carriage rode through the rest of Twinleaf village, where the villagers stood outside their homes. Men, little boys, and very few girls clung to each other, weeping. When the people in the cages realized where they were, they cried out to the villagers on the outside.

  No one moved a muscle; they knew that opposing the king meant a life sentence.

  Dominya reached for the bar with her hands but jerked backward. She gritted her teeth and looked down at the red welts on her palm.

  Mar Donias smirked and chuckled at Dominya's pain. “Don’t think about it, the bars are made of silver; you have no power here.” He leaned away from the carriage as he heard Dominya speak; he raised his brow curiously.

  “What did you say?” he demanded.

  “I said,” Dominya enunciated with a hiss. She looked at him and her hair fell into her face, her eyes turned amber. Mar Donias narrowed his eyes and watched her magic spurn from her.

  “We fear because we have no choice, forcing us to keep kissing the king’s ass who bleeds like any other man. You all are the monsters, not Magi. You are just the money-grubbing nobles whose only religio
n is to glorify themselves. I have no doubt that you would all gladly sell your souls to fight for pointless wars. One day you will realize your mistake, and you'll wish you would have thought first before selling your soul to the highest bidder. This kingdom shall burn with everyone in it."

  The more Dominya talked, the more her eyes brightened.

  Mar Donias stared into the Roma woman's glowing eyes, as a suffocating weight collapsed on him. He couldn’t breathe and he gasped.

  He did not see that a force field was being squeezed around him.

  Some of the Kingsland Guards who had still been watching the spectacle stared in horror and they tried to attend to their General as one of the Guards who rode beside him, furiously began patting his back.

  However, because of the silver surrounding her, Dominya could not hold onto her magic. The glow in Dominya's eyes disappeared and she slumped over to one side, leaning against the cage's wall. Her chest slightly rose and fell, as she closed her eyes to sleep.

  Mar Donias continued to stare at Dominya's form. He'd never admit that a shiver had run up his spine for he had never met anyone who made him feel an ounce of nervousness.

  “General, are you alright?” one of the Kingsland Guard, who had been patting his back, asked him.

  Mar Donias, however, shoved his hand away from him. He glared at the Guard.

  “Get back in line,” he enunciated through gritted teeth. The Guard, face paled, stuttered, “Y-yes, s-sir,” and pulled his horse back into his prior position.

  “What the hell are you looking at, pay attention to the road!” He continued to yell at the soldiers who had been gawking in his direction. Seeing General Mar Doniasl afraid would give their enemies a fighting chance, and Mar Donias would cut out his other eye before he would ever do that.

  Magi are still weak after all, he seethed in rage.

  Chapter Two

  Will you survive for me, baby? The words repeatedly echoed in the back of Thea's mind.

  The pelting rain had slowed to a stop. When Thea slowly opened her eyes, there was a sudden ache in her lower back that made her flinch and she gritted her teeth. She wasn’t sure if the pain came from when Mar Donias tossed her or from being stiff too long. A cold chill swept through her core; it made her stomach churn.

  Thea’s fingers dug into the squishy and sodden earth, she tried to gain balance to lift herself up. There was a burning sensation in her shaky arms as she strained to sit up but found herself unable to move even an inch off the wet ground. She laid in the cold damp dirt letting the earthy taste linger on her tongue.

  Dominya, please. . . I need you. Thea’s entire body had become immobile and frozen. I’m going to die. . . I don’t want to die.

  If you were supposed to, you would have already been dead. You’re better off counting your blessings, an unfamiliar voice said in Thea’s mind.

  Thea wrinkled her brows; she did not know if the voice was male or female. She tried to look up but couldn’t see any further than her sinking cheek in the dirt would allow.

  You are going to have to sit up sometime unless you want to die. I won't stop you either way . . . So, don’t disappoint me for your failure. That is not in the plans and you won't be wasting any of my time, the voice said.

  Plan? What’ plan? What’s going on? Thea was too weak to speak let alone open her mouth. Who are you?

  We only needed one of you. And that searing rage you had inside of you drew me to you. the voice explained. Unquenchable, raw hatred, unexpected for someone so young. It could have been anyone, but I found you; be grateful you were spared from the Mundanes wrath.

  Thea still didn’t understand what she was talking about. She didn’t know who we were or why they needed her. She just wanted all the pain to stop.

  Please, I don’t… I can’t get up. The Kingsland Guards, t-they took my sister. They took Dominya, Thea pleaded with the voice.

  For the first time, the voice chuckled in mockery. She’s long gone now. She would have been a hindrance. Now, if you don’t want to die from pneumonia, get your ass up now.

  But I—

  Now! the voice commanded.

  The voice’s demand forced Thea’s strength out of her. She winced and gritted her teeth but managed to push herself up. Her clothes were soaked and caked with mud from head to toe. Thea shivered and wrapped her arms around her body. Her teeth chattered loudly, and she bit on her tongue several times, where she could taste blood in her mouth.

  The taste and the stinging pain were welcoming. It gave her something else to focus on other than the penetrating cold that had seeped into her bones.

  An icy touch surprised her as the hair on her neck stood on end. Thea slowly turned and saw long, bony white hands resting on her shoulder. Her heart stopped in terror and what little color remained in her cheeks, drained away. She became as pale as the spectral hand on her shoulder. She craned her neck up, her eyes bugged out, in a frozen state of horror.

  Above Thea stood a seven-foot-tall woman with curly black hair cascading down her back. Her skin was a grayish-white. She had a grim and fierce expression on her face, half of which resembled a corpse. Thea could see the muscles on the tall woman’s face and her eyes sitting in hollow sockets; half of her lips peeled back to display rotting gums and decomposing teeth; her hair on one side was in tufts, which looked like the woman had been in the grave for years. The other half of her face and upper body was that of a living woman.

  The hand and arm touching Thea's shoulder, along with her legs from the hips down were molted and rotting, matching the decomposition of the dead woman’s face.

  Don’t stare, girl. Now, eat this if you want to survive.

  Every fiber of her being told her to run, to flee, but fear prohibited her from moving and her throat tightened, halting the scream that wanted to escape from her lips.

  The woman’s skeletal hand held a loaf of bread. Eat, or I'll make you.

  Feeling the soft tip of the bread touch Thea's lips, she finally tore her eyes away from the woman's face. She looked at the small loaf of bread that was at her mouth and her eyes followed the dough all the way to the woman's bony fingers holding it.

  "I-I'm not h-hungry," Thea stuttered. She wasn't sure if she should run or cry out for help, but she had the feeling the woman would do something far worse than the Kingsland Guards if she did.

  Of course, you are. I won't be in the body of someone who can't take care of herself. The woman leaned down to meet Thea’s eyes, making her gasp as the woman’s black eyes met hers. Thea froze under her gaze, feeling as if those eyes were looking into the depths of her soul. Fortunately, the grumbling in Thea’s stomach quickly averted the woman’s gaze away to her stomach.

  You are hungry. Now, take and eat.

  Thea hesitantly took the loaf in her hands. Despite the nearly overwhelming fear, her hunger pains distracted her enough to look away from the woman and reach for the soft bread. Thea sunk her teeth into the tender dough and began ravaging the loaf like a starving dog.

  Good girl. I have my work cut out for me before it is time . . . Now, formal introductions aside, I am Hel. As I said, you called me, and I came.

  Thea waited to respond until she’d finished devouring the bread, inhaling every morsel, even licking her fingers clean when the loaf was gone. She brushed her hands together and took a tentative look at Hel’s grimace.

  “I don’t understand . . . What is it time for? A-are you a demon?” Thea stuttered.

  You will know when it is time, now no more talking. You ask too many questions.

  Thea licked her lips and idly looked down at her filthy smock. It was drenched and covered with dirt, blood, and now crumbs. She couldn’t help but remember from earlier and how she couldn’t save her sister.

  There’s no point in dwelling in the past. Hel’s voice brought Thea out of her thoughts and looked back up at the demon. She’s gone. You move on with your life and worry about yourself. The one thing she told you to do was what?

&n
bsp; Thea licked her lips. Her scratchy throat was on fire but still managed to say, “Survive.”

  And you will. Now go wash, you reek of death.

  The corpse-like part of her face that exposed her rotted dead skin, sunken eye, and a skeletal grin made Thea shiver again. Thea couldn’t determine what the feeling was, but she knew that it had dug itself deep inside of her, and despite her fear of it and of Hel, she craved this new feeling. She wanted more; she didn’t want to fear.

  ***

  Hearing Dominya's exchange with Mar Donias and seeing the raging bloodied child, had shaken some of the Kingsland Guards. They had barely slept in the two days since they captured some of the Magi. Their dreams were dominated by the amber-eyed women stalking them and killing them as they believed not silver would not be able to hold them off as they originally thought.

  These five men were terrified, but they wouldn't let their fear consume them. To them, there was only one way to silence their concerns: to burn them all.

  They slipped into Twinleaf Village under the cover of night and began breaking down doors, waking the families sleeping peacefully in their bed. The guards dragged the people outside by their hair, arms, legs, whatever they could hold. Once the houses were cleared, the Kingsland Guards set them on fire. Anyone hiding inside would be consumed by the burning flames.

  ***

  Thea awoke to the acrid odor of smoke assaulting her nostrils. Groggily, she shuffled to the window of her house and peeked her head out to see what was going on. She gripped onto the edge of the pane. The sight outside made her blood run cold. Terror gripped her heart as she saw smoke rose in the sky and buildings were set ablaze; people screamed in fear as their voices picked up across the valley.

  Thea looked away from the window and ducked, sinking into the ground. Her heart pounded wildly, and she wrapped her arms around her tiny body. As much as Thea wanted to hide and hoped the flames wouldn’t travel, she thought about her neighbors; people she’d known her whole life.