Cursed by Diamonds (A Dance with Destiny Book 1)

by JK Ensley

  “No, not truly.” She shrugged her shoulders. “And if it’s all in fun, then I guess I’ll just have to be a good sport about it.”

  “Aye, the real fun is when ye join in the game. As I know ye’ll most certainly be doing after this mission. It’ll change ye. But it’s a glorious change. We need a place tae laugh from time tae time, an’ it certainly is nae here.”

  When they neared the atrocious black cloud, Jenevier realized it was prompting the men walking in the sands below.

  “Is it… leading them?”

  “Aye, it is. But they cannae see it. It whispers lies an’ deceit. The men think they act of their own volition. They’re merely blind puppets doing their master’s bidding.”

  “What is it?”

  “Ye mean, who is it? Look closely, wee lamb. The cloud’s just the dusting off. There within rages hundreds of demons.”

  She gasped. “Demons? Hundreds?”

  “Fear nae, Lass. I could handle that many alone. Ye must be here for some other reason. But it’s nice tae have yer company. I favor ye.”

  She was still blushing as they flew nearer. She sort of favored him too. She liked his voice, it made her smile.

  “Ye want the honors, Princess?”

  She glanced at the many writhing entities within, then back to her angelic partner.

  “What should I do?”

  “Aye, just fly right in there an’ start ripping heads off. Swinging those vicious wings around could only help as well.”

  Her eyes widened. “You mean… just start killing them?”

  He softly touched her cheek. “Listen, Vashti.”

  That was the first time since the Pyrolysis anyone had called her by her new name. Her heart swelled at the sound of it.

  “Those creatures before ye are hell bent on destroying those innocents, like the ones ye saw back there an’ thousands more. These vile vermin eat the flesh of children an’ drink their sweet blood. They torture pregnant women just tae feed off their screams until the wee babe falls helpless from the womb an’ they devour it. I’ve seen those creatures do things tae wee crying children that I’ll nae recount now for fear I’ll lose control. As long as they live, innocents will suffer an’ die.”

  Jenevier couldn’t bear another word. Her eyes were as flaming rubies. She instantly disappeared from Vittorio’s side. He frantically searched the skies for her. A hideous demon flew past him spewing acid and bile from a shoulder where an arm had once been. Vittorio ripped its screaming head off and turned to find Vashti in the midst of a thousand screaming demons. Her moves were so frenzied he had trouble keeping up with her. The air about her hissed and steamed with the constant evaporation of hell’s henchmen. Vittorio flew into battle beside the vicious little executioner and they made short work of the entire disgusting gaggle.

  Vashti’s chest heaved as she looked all about her.

  Vittorio laughed. “Aye, Warrior. I think ye got ‘em all.”

  She looked down to see the men were still marching to battle.

  “There, Vittorio,” she yelled, pointing.

  The massive warrior followed her line of sight and realized there were many soldiers engulfed by the same familiar black mists.

  “The demons are within them. Guess we know why ye were summonsed here, Lass. These men have sealed their own fates. It’s time tae do what ye were made for, Vashti. I fight demons an’ unholy creatures. I dunnae kill humans. Well, unless they try tae harm ye, that is. I’ll take them oot withoot thinking, if that be the case.”

  Vashti disappeared. Before Vittorio could look back down, he heard one soldiers’ final scream. She swiftly and methodically sliced and tore through each man and the demon who wore him. The remaining soldiers fled into the desert, scattering as the sands they ran upon.

  “I bow before yer deadly might an’ lethal precision. Ye truly are a creature unlike any other—a dangerous sword… dressed up like a wee lamb.” He snatched her up and spun around, dancing. “They’ll sing songs aboot this day, Lass.”

  “I pray you make sure that does not happen, Vittorio. If they wish to sing, let them sing of the children who can now dance and play, minus fear. For God has truly blessed us this day.”

  “Aye, agreed.” He whispered in her ear, “But ye were incredible, my wee darlin’. I could barely keep sight of ye—a blur of blood an’ venom, ye were. But for those glittery wings, I’d nae have seen ye at all.”

  Her teary gaze scanned the carnage surrounding her feet.

  “I am proud of nothing that happened on this cursed day.”

  “But Vashti…” His words trailed sorrowfully off.

  She was finding it hard to breathe. She pressed her palms to her chest.

  “Just take me home… please.”

  He saw then just how fragile she truly was. He wanted only to protect her, always.

  “That I cannae do, Lass. Nae yet. We’ve another stop tae make. But dunnae fear, wee rabbit. I’m with ye. I’ll nae leave yer side.”

  *****

  Jenevier found herself perched atop a giant stone house with hundreds of twinkling windows on all four sides.

  She gasped. “What is this?”

  “Aye, they call this an apartment building.”

  “Are we still on the same layer?”

  Vittorio chuckled. “Yer catching on. Aye, an’ this place is known by the people here as Detroit. Yer sure taking all this in stride, for a mortal.”

  “Yeah, well, the last ten years of my life have been a constant stream of one unfathomable thing after the next. Let’s just say… I’ve learned to deal.”

  “Aye, Lass. I like when ye do that.”

  “Do what?”

  “Scrunch up yer nose like a wee rabbit.” He placed his large hand upon her shoulder. “Now, are ye ready?”

  She furrowed her brow. “Ready for what?”

  “That window, there.”

  He pointed to the building across from where they now stood.

  “Who is it? What’s going on?”

  “They dinnae tell me that part, Milady. This one is all ye. I only know innocence is being destroyed through that window, there, as we speak. Fear nae. I promised nae tae leave ye, remember?”

  “Yes, Vittorio… I remember. Well then…” An unwavering look was fixed upon her face as she stared at the darkened window. “Give me a lift?”

  He chuckled. “Aye, anything for my wee hero.”

  “Stop teasing me, Brother. Or I may just be forced to rip out your offending tongue. You don’t want me to have to get rough, do you? I can be mean, if the need arises.”

  “Aye now, I dunnae doubt that. Nae for a moment.” A smile twisted up one corner of his mouth. “But, it sounds kind of kinky. I might like it.” He winked at her.

  She raised one eyebrow. “What does that mean?”

  “Fret nae, innocent maid. It’s just a word I picked up whilst traveling through layers.”

  He laughed as he flew her silently to the locked window.

  “Just call oot tae me when yer done. I’ll fly in an’ sweep ye off yer tiny feet.”

  Jenevier had no trouble using her emotional bending skills to open the window and quietly slip inside.

  There were children in nearly every room—curled up in corners, huddled together behind furniture, hiding in the dim shadows. All of their tiny terrified eyes were on her. There must have been eleven or twelve of them scampering about, but she was heading toward the heart-breaking screams deeper within.

  She opened the door just in time to catch the horrified, broken look on a young girl’s face—lying on the floor, bleeding, trembling. The putrid man towering over her turned towards Jenevier whilst still zipping his pants.

  He snorted. “Who the hell are you?”

  “What have you done?” she whispered, dazed.

  Her burning eyes fast filled with the bitterest tears she had ever produced. She remained focused on the shattered little girl trying to crawl into the nearby corner.

  “H
ow the hell did you get in here?” he yelled.

  “Wha-what did you do to her?” she whispered again.

  Jenevier’s heart was crumbling within her. Then, she heard the many other tiny feet scurrying around in search of a hiding place.

  “Bitch, I’m gonna ask you one more time…”

  She finally turned her mortified gaze to the filthy, vile man in the middle of the room.

  “How could you do such a thing? She is but a child. I see no demon wearing you. How could you possibly do that to such a sweet, innocent little girl?”

  “I don’t know where you came from, but you’re dead, bitch.”

  “Yes, and God would like a word with you as well.”

  She simply raised her finger and sent the tiny concentrated beam of light produced by her profound sadness and tears, through his chest and into his decrepit black heart, bursting it within him. He fell dead as a stone on the grimy floor.

  She walked over and held her hand out to the broken little soul now huddled within the shadows. With great hesitation, the girl finally reached out a trembling little hand. Jenevier pulled her into her arms, holding her tightly. She imparted as much of the warming love to the girl as she could invoke.

  Innocent little eyes peeped out from all the dark places. They ran to her, wrapped their fragile little arms around her. Each tiny broken soul greedily fed from her loving force, fed from her as starving kittens suckling their mother.

  “Jenevier, some good people are on the way here. I summoned them an’ they’ll arrive shortly. We cannae stay, Lass.”

  Vittorio had silently entered the room. All the children turned to him as he spoke. He wiggled his iridescent fingers at them.

  She gaped at the smiling Guardian. “They can hear you?”

  “Aye, they can see me, too. Kids can do that, for a while.”

  He winked at the curious little babes, then motioned for her to go with him.

  “Are you an Angel?” a tiny voice asked.

  “Yes, yes he is. And he’s bringing help.” She smiled at the little boy. “Someone is coming now who will take good care of you all.”

  “Will they let me go see my mommy?”

  “Will they bring us something to eat?”

  “Yeah, and something to wear, cause Billy stinks real bad.”

  “Will they let me call my daddy like they promised?”

  “Will I get to sleep in my own room with all my own toys?”

  “Yes, yes. They will do all those things,” she promised, nodding her head. “You are safe now. That horrible man can never hurt you again. I vow to you, little ones. He will pay for his deeds.”

  “Did God send you?” a tiny voice asked.

  She turned to the boy. “What?”

  “Did God send you? I prayed real hard every night for God to send an Angel to make the bad man go away.”

  Jenevier melted as she gazed into the innocent eyes of the little blond-haired boy who could be no more than five or six years old.

  “Why yes. God did send me. He told me you needed me, needed me really badly. I came as fast as I could. You are an extremely smart little man. Make sure you always keep praying and telling God what’s going on. Okay?”

  “P-please don’t leave m-me.”

  The shaky, fragile little voice came from the abused girl she had pulled from the shadows and still held tightly.

  “Oh, baby, don’t you worry. I will stay right here until someone comes to help you. I won’t leave you alone. I promise.”

  “But, Jenevier,” Vittorio pleaded. “We have tae leave now. Ye cannae let them see ye.”

  She heard the eerie noise of what were sirens down below.

  “Then you had better be ready to wing me out of here, Brother. I will not let this child go until someone good and pure bursts through that door.”

  She kissed the girl’s head, humming while she rocked her.

  Jenevier heard the faint sound of rapidly approaching footsteps.

  The young policeman busted through the door, and then froze. He watched, horrified and awestruck, as the vibrant ruby eyes and beautiful golden curls simply disappeared from the very center of all those huddled, terrified children.

  *****

  “Can we go home now?”

  She was clinging tightly to the Guardian’s strong neck as the wind froze her tears on her cheeks. She shivered, then buried her nose against his chest.

  “Aye, Lass, we will. I have one thing more tae do upon this layer. Close yer eyes an’ rest, my wee darlin’. Naethin’ can harm ye.”

  He felt her slowly go limp in his arms—heartbreaking exhaustion wholly claiming her. He lightly kissed the top of her head.

  “Naethin’ will ever harm ye again,” he whispered. “Nae while I yet draw breath.”

  The sun on her cheeks brought a warming smile to her sleeping face. She slowly opened her eyes and saw exactly whose warmth it was she was stealing. Vittorio was leaned back against a tree. She was draped over his chest—fists curled up under her chin, legs dangling down from his sides. They were high up, astraddle a top limb. He was sound asleep. His innocent, unguarded look made her smile.

  Jenevier lightly kissed his cheek and whispered in his ear, “Gratitude, for being my strong place to land, Vittorio. You were there to catch me when I fell. You held me while I crumbled. I will never forget that… never.”

  A soft smile turned up the corners of his mouth. Still, he didn’t open his eyes.

  “I will always be there for ye, Princess. Dunnae worry aboot that, Lass. I’ll always catch ye, always hold ye. I favor ye, remember?”

  She giggled and nuzzled closer.

  “Where are we?” She yawned. “To which layer did you wing me, Brother?”

  He half opened one eye, still resting his head back against the tree.

  “We’re yet on layer eight. I have tae pick something up before we head back to Vanahirdem.” He wrapped his arm across her back. “Aye, Lass. Just lay yer head upon me a moment longer. We’ve a wee bit of time yet.”

  She did as he asked. Jenevier happily nuzzled against his warm chest and tried to match her breathing with his. The scene they had just left back in Detroit, it would haunt her forever. Yet, the bond she had formed with this accented warrior would remain with her always. Yes, blessed strength could be found in that. She released a haggard breath and slowly closed her eyes.

  “Aye, it wulnae be much longer now. I hear them stirring down below. An’ since they cannae see me, I’ll be needing yer help, Milady.”

  “Just say the word, Brother. I am here for you, always.” She yawned again. “But, I wanna stay like this for a while,” she mumbled, lazily looking down from their treetop perch at the brightly clad people now filling the dusty street. “You feel so good, so warm. I just wanna stay like this.”

  He sighed. “Aye, Lass. I wanna stay like this, too. I favor ye.”

  He felt her lips part into a smile against his skin. He shivered, causing her soft giggles.

  “I favor you as well, Brother. More than you know. Don’t tell Vareilious, though. Okay?”

  “Aye, Lass. He’ll be the first one I’ll tell. An’ that’s a promise.”

  They shared a warm laugh before gliding down, lightly landing just inside the forest’s edge.

  “It’s that shop, there. We’ll go inside an’ I’ll tell ye what tae say. Trust me, Lass?”

  She smiled up at him. “Always, Brother.”

  They walked into the tiny store. It was bursting at the seams with vibrant colored clothing, jewelry, and tons of long scarves covered in sparkly beads. The shopkeeper turned and focused his kind eyes on her, smiling. Vittorio gently squeezed her hand and began whispering his instructions.

  “Say this: Mairh ēka bahuta hī durlabha pōśāka kharīda cāhatē haiṁ.”

  The shopkeeper smiled and answered her. “Yaha āpa kē liʹēkiyā jāʹegā?”

  “Hāṁ.” She repeated the strange word exactly as Vittorio had whispered it.

&nb
sp; The pleasant man bowed toward her. “Sundara mahilā kyā raṅga kē líē cāhēgā?”

  “Aye, tell him: Lāla.”

  The shopkeeper beamed and clapped his hands together. “Maiṁsahī bāta hai.” He walked into the back while still speaking the words she couldn’t understand. “Ēka durlabha sundaratā kē líē ēka durlabha khajānā phiţa.”

  “Aye, Lass. Yer doing well, ye are. Now, tell him: Aura, mānika kē sātha bāla sajāvaţa ki.”

  The older man was returning but stopped at her words and went back through the colored veils as he spoke over his shoulder. “Āha, maiṁ bhī kucha bēhatara hai.”

  He came back to the front of the store carrying a red silk embroidered box. She handed him the little pouch Vittorio had given her before they entered. The man bowed to her and placed his hands together.

  “Namastē.”

  She returned the gesture. “Dhańyavāda.”

  Her invisible Guardian then placed his hand on her lower back and gently nudged her toward the door.

  When they made it to the trees again, he snatched her up and took to the skies.

  “So…” She yawned and stretched her arms. “Are you going to tell me what that was all about?”

  He smiled. “Aye, Princess. A wee bit more patience an’ I will.”

  Jenevier had almost dozed off again when she felt the Guardian’s slow decent. She half opened her eyes just as Vittorio gently sat her down by a little stream.

  “Wake up, my wee darlin’. I’ve something for ye.”