Darkness The Diary of Samantha Owen

by Ariadna Marrero Saavedra

He got up and left the house decided.

  “I must prepare the things for the battle; I will not allow them to touch them.”

  “I know,” Harri responded in an understanding tone.

  “Goodbye my friend and thank you.”

  The messenger left the nuddle alone again. Harri knew that he had done him a great favor allowing him to deliver the daggers himself. He felt proud to be a friend of a man so faithful to himself and with such bravery and courage. But, as in some occasions, he was starting to fear for his life, because he knew that this time neither nothing, nor anyone was going to get between him and his objective.

  Leaving his thoughts aside, Harri finished tidying the garden of the woman who one day had saved his life and he hurried to arrive to the secret entrance of the sub terrain city. Soon, night would fall and the forest would no longer be a safe place. Furthermore they had told him that the weapons of the Kingdom of the Moon had disappeared, so the blacksmiths were fabricating swords and daggers, knives and spears, without resting.

  He was nearly at the entrance when he heard a strange noise. He stopped dry and hid as quickly as he could. Harri, scared, looked all around trying to decipher where the sound came from. Soon, with his heart accelerated, he saw how two wanderers came towards him. They walked slowly and in a paused manner, as though their bodies were heavy. They didn´t have faces and their bodies were grey and ugly. Harri closed his eyes seeing that they were getting closing, awaiting a certain death. However he started to hear part of an already started conversation.

  “But, if we don´t find that messenger, our master will kill us. I don´t want to die,” the creature lamented as he walked.

  “If we don´t find him we can tell him that he is dead,” responded the other one in an audacious tone.

  His companion looked at him in wonder for such an ingenious comment until he smacked him in the head and he realized the evident.

  “He will asked us for the body, idiot,” he assured him looking at him as they passed by.

  When Harri no longer heard them and was sure that they were far away he left his hiding place amongst the bushes, running towards the cave´s entrance. He stopped in front of a small mountain. With rapid sweaty hands he brushed the branches aside that covered the small carved stone door and pushed it with all his might. Once inside he pushed it again and sealed the entrance so that the city continued to be secure. He couldn´t let his friend know that they were searching for him, he was sure that they would kill him before he could find him, the only thing he could do was hope that he managed to take care of himself as he always had and continue to make weapons for the great battle.

  Some locks of hair stood out from the sky blue colored cape, full of difficult golden embroidery. She looked behind again to make sure that nobody followed her. She had been walking for half a day. Her plan was not turning out to be so bad, she had managed to cross the city unperceived and in a few moments she would be in the forest. She was following an old pathway, by its aspect it was used very little. She noticed that as the day passed her vitality became stronger, little by little. For the first time in a long time she was doing something for herself. She was more concentrated in not being detected than in thinking about her daughters and that also benefited her youth. She liked the idea that soon it would all be over more and more as every minute passed.

  The afternoon was starting to fall when she made out a house in the distance. She was alone in the middle of the forest. She didn´t know why it seemed so familiar to her. She walked a little slower to observe closely and stopped before the entrance. She heard voices inside. All of a sudden she remembered Kenneth and she had imagined all the possible occasions that she could to ask for his forgiveness. She couldn’t die without first telling him how much she loved him and how much she had missed him. She took one step towards the door of the porch when the door opened. Before her appeared a young girl, she hadn´t seen her. She was searching for something when she noticed her. Samantha didn´t know who she was but Venice could help smiling when she saw in her the eyes of her father.

  In that instant everything changed, her death had no meaning, however the life of her daughter did.

  “Do you need something?” Samantha asked in a friendly tone.

  Before Venice could answer, Kenneth came out and saw his old friend standing there. After a small smile reflected on her face, Venice fainted. Kenneth ran to her aid, picking her up and taking her inside. Samantha still didn´t know what had happened. She had barely seen the woman’s face.

  Francis helped Kenneth to put her carefully on the large armchair, as Gabriel went to the kitchen to get water. They were all very organized, meanwhile Samantha watched them there, standing still in the middle of the lounge. Seeing that nobody said anything she asked a question in a loud voice.

  “Can I know what is going on?”

  They all looked at her with uncertain expressions until Kenneth dared to speak after what seemed like some eternal seconds.

  “Sam, she is your mother.”

  Samantha opened her mouth in astonishment and sat down on the sofa to be able to cope with such an overwhelming sensation.

  “Phoenix, are you crazy? You cannot make that spell, I don´t agree with it. I am going to fight and you have helped us all you can.”

  “Listen well to me; I have been around many more years than you. Due to this, my experience in what is about to happen is greater, so you will not tell me what I have to do,” Phoenix answered and gave for finished the conversation.

  Eric, fed up of trying to convince him, let himself fall onto one of the chairs beside Phoenix´s desk. He had been arguing for hours about the spell that Phoenix had found in his old golden book.

  “I still believe that it won´t work,” Eric repeated.

  Phoenix moved closer and sat beside him to see his face properly.

  “It is my decision. You cannot save the whole world. It is much easier for you to save yourself and the others. I have lived too much and I hadn´t seen it until a little while ago.”

  Eric, defeated, nodded as he covered his face with his hands. He felt tired.

  “You must be hungry, today we haven´t done anything but search and read. Let´s eat something.”

  Phoenix got up with his Golden book in his hands and left expecting the young man to follow him. When Eric caught up with him he continued his walk to the dining room.

  Eric reflecting started to ask the wizard the things he considered to be important.

  “When will you cast the spell?”

  “Well, it needs to be in a key moment. That is to say, when all of you are safe, that way you can run further away and fight with more strength or whatever you want to do.”

  “And if it doesn´t work, what?”

  “That, we will have to deal with in that moment.”

  They arrived to an ample dining room with high stone ceilings and a great table in which fifteen people could be seated.

  “Why do you have such a big castle just for you?” Eric asked suddenly, allowing his curiosity to be seen.

  “Previously, I taught witchcraft and many of the students came to live here with me as long as their learning lasted. There were also great magicians that during a time joined me to transmit out teachings. But I was corrupted. I wanted everything and I ended up with nothing,” he said moving his hands towards the table, “there is nobody anymore.”

  “What happened?”

  “I became unfriendly and mean. I found the way to be immortal, the formula that allowed me to live forever. From that moment I started to distance myself from the people in my life, until there was no one left. On the way I messed up lots of things. Once, a great wizard worked out how I harmed innocent people for my own benefit and told him that if he wanted to use it he should serve me. I have wasted my infinite life in things that are not worth anything. And now, after so many years, I realize that all of that evil serves for nothing. Now I feel alive, I feel like I am contributing to improve something and that m
akes me feel good. For that, my dear boy, I should die.”

  Eric didn´t know what to say to such words. He had heard many rumors concerning the great immortal wizard, but he had never believed them to be true.

  “So, do you believe that you have lived too long?” Eric asked as to confirm.

  “Much more than you can imagine. It seems strange that Elizabeth has not visited us today,” he said trying to change the subject.

  “Yes it is somewhat strange.”

  They started to eat in silence. Then Eric started to remember the passionate night he had spent with Samantha. He almost couldn´t believe it. He loved her so much that he couldn´t imagine that something bad would happen on the day of the battle. If he lost her, his head and his life would go with her.

  Phoenix, aware of the expressions that Eric made as he thought, opted to check what was happening to him.

  “Young man, may I know why you are pulling such strange faces?”

  Eric looked at him surprised that he would ask him such a thing; he thought that he had been dissimulating his inner dialogue better.

  “I miss her,” he replied looking at his almost empty plate.

  “Oh, I once loved like that. I know how hard it is to be separated from the person you love most. I suppose that it is mutual.”

  “It is,” Eric smiled happy that it was.

  “Take good care of her, a love like that happens only once.”

  Eric nodded. He knew it. He knew that she was his one and only true love.

  Gaia walked slowly observing the plants that surrounded her. She had to choose them well if she wanted the spell to work. The sun was about to set; a ray illuminated her hair making it visible to Ian again for his peace. Her short black hair now started to brush her shoulders.

  “Don´t go too far Gaia,” Ian whispered in her ear as she turned to collect another plant.

  She had an old wicker basket in her hands, she had collected some early mushrooms and some plants but soon, with the darkness of night she should abandon the search and finish the collection the next day.

  She put something inside the basket, when suddenly the bottom broke, letting all the leaves and plants that it contained fall.

  “How could that be possible? The most powerful fallen one that ever existed isn´t able to choose a basket that works,” she scorned him in a low voice as she collected the plants from the ground.

  “What are you mumbling about witch?”

  Gaia got up angrily and gave him the plants for him to take in his hands. She turned round indignant and continued collecting.

  “What do you think I am a transportation mule?”

  “You could have given me a recipient that wasn´t so burst, don´t you think? That way I wouldn´t annoy you and you wouldn´t have to help me,” she said in a mocking tone without turning around.

  Ian with his hands in mode basket looked at her smiling in an evil way.

  He moved discreetly towards her and grabbed her neck from behind cutting her breathing.

  “Remember little witch that you are the one who is helping me. I don´t want to remind you how much you will suffer if you dear messenger dies in the hands of one of my rotten and stupid wanderers,” he said in her ear. “You are lucky to still be alive. You were not my first choice for this job. However, they have told me that you do well whatever it is that you do, so don´t speak to me that way. Now, obey me.”

  He let go of her neck letting her fall to her knees on the ground. The witch put her hands round her already swollen neck as she began to breathe again. A tear of anger rolled done her face when she noticed how a hot liquid came from her nose. Ian had reminded her of how fragile she was in his hands and there was no way of changing that. The rules were dictated and she had to comply.

  She got up still with her head drooping, she took everything that Ian had in his hands and went towards her house. That night she had to start the spell if she wanted everything to turn out well.

  Elizabeth opened the door before Ian could touch her. Her face reflected her tiredness and her dirty clothes reminded Ian that she had just woken from her short coma. He didn´t cross a word with the girl he saw entering, he didn´t even look at her. She just looked at Ian and went to her room.

  Ian guided Gaia to the basement stairs and sat her down on the bed, releasing her arm.

  “Have a good night,” he said turning around to leave.

  “Wait, and the cauldron and the things I need. If I don´t start to make the potion today….”

  “Today you won´t do anything,” the fallen one cut in, “tomorrow you will have time to cook up what you want.”

  He left the wall to move behind his back, Gaia got up running to try and stop it, but failed. She struck the stone without success and let herself fall, sitting on the cold floor of the room. She cried without comfort seeing that she had no choice.

  She was drying her tears when something under her bed called her attention. She dragged it and pulled the sheet to be able to see better what it was. With a smile on her face she took out and old black cauldron, old and not very clean. Inside it was a note.

  I hope that this helps you. It is all I could get a hold of. Soon I will get your out of here. I promise you.

  E. O.

  Gaia, happy for the first time since she had been in this room, hugged the note and stored it in a safe place. She got up and took the cauldron. She put it over the desk and in a blink of eyes it was floating on top of a blue fire. She started to mix some herbs, letting the smoke permeate the room. After a long time cooking at a low heat she took a small bottle from the desk and poured a green, thick liquid into it. She covered it and secured it, storing it where nobody could find it.

  She returned to her bed after erasing all trace that the magic could have left. She could not help but think about the messenger, as she looked distracted at the ceiling. Every second away from him seemed like torture.

  “Does nobody know where Francis is?” Argi asked in a desperate tone.

  Fairiel looked at him without knowing what to say. After interrogating Susan he had left and not returned.

  “This situation is a disaster,” Elias White shouted, on the border of hysteria. My daughter is putting pressure on me and with good reason. The ministers of each Kingdom need to know what to do and how to act. But if we are not all here, we cannot go to speak to the empress. This situation is getting out of control.”

  “We well understand this Elias,” Peter answered with his eyes fallen, “my son is also demanding explanations. And all that I can tell him is that he should be patient and wait. But we have our hands and feet tied. Nobody knows when they will attack.”

  “They will attack soon,” Argi replied looking through the window towards the sky which was turning grey. “In two nights there will be a full moon. They are waiting for something, it could be that.”

  “Argi, how did that not occur to us before? You can substitute Francis, or do you not remember any more?” Angelica asked with a sparkle in her eyes.

  “Something like that cannot be forgotten Angelica, but in such an important issue as this we should all be here. Nobody can be substituted. It is in the manuscripts.”

  “Fairiel, you are the Chief of Defense. Do you have any idea how we can proceed?” Peter asked hopefully.

  “I have never been in a situation like this one. The rules are clear, if everyone isn´t here, the empress will not concede a visit to be able to debate the matter with her.”

  “That is out of place,” Elias said angrily, getting up from his seat. “I propose that we take action. The empress had bluffed us for a long time and you know it,” he said looking at all of them. “She is not interested in the Kingdom and that is why her laws are so absurd. We need to do something for the good of this city and its inhabitants.”

  They all looked at each other knowing that he was right. They had to arrive to an agreement.

  Chapter 17

  I sat on the chair, stunned. Everyone moved around abou
t me whilst I appeared to be a statue. I tried to memorize every detail, the color of her hair, the form of her nose and her lips; her small but strong hands. I had my mother in front of me. It shocked me that Kenneth would tell me who she was; that I had looked at her without recognizing her. She didn´t look like the woman in the photo that he had showed me. She seemed older. It was like she was my grandmother. I didn´t understand, nobody did, except Kenneth.

  “Sam, Sam, are you there?”

  His words seemed to come from afar. When I knew they were directed to me, I made the effort to look up and pay attention. It was Francis who called me.

  “Sam, are you alright?”

  I nodded lightly with my head almost without looking at him.

  “I will bring you some water,” he said seeing that I made almost no effort to listen to him or to maintain a conversation.

  I couldn´t allow myself to take my eyes from her. I was afraid that if I did she would vanish before my eyes. I inspected her up and down. I paid attention to her hands. They were leaning on her stomach. With a great deal of care I bent over and took her left hand; I veered it upwards and all my hopes were dashed seeing she had no scar. I inspected her other hand without finding anything. Her skin was clean. She had no type of mark.

  “She doesn´t have a mark.”

  Gabriel and Kenneth looked at me in unison without understanding what I was saying. I looked at them fixedly with tears in my eyes.

  “She doesn´t have a mark,” I repeated in a loud voice.

  “Samantha, the marks are not hereditary,” Gabriel responded patiently and with a soft voice.

  “So, how do I know that she is my mother? She is not the woman in the photo, she is older. We don´t grow old. That is what I have been told,” I accused them. “She is not my mother. She had never been with me. I never knew my parents, I don´t even have a physical link to them. Not even a birthmark,” I said with a thread of a voice. “This woman could go and not return. It might be that she wasn´t my mother. Eric told me that they had me sleeping. I only remember my life with Anne, but I was much older. Did she grow old while I slept?”