Insight

by Tina Engel

  Stephan laughed an evil laugh as he said, “I now have you right where I want you. Did you honestly think that you were sneaking up on us? We’ve watched you all along, and Kimberlite, you will be punished and then serve him for all of eternity, along with the rest of you.

  “Though we couldn’t see what was going on in that room you were in, we knew you were all there and we will get into it when we are done with you. That dragon is his, and will do his bidding, right alongside of you Emilee, his granddaughter.”

  Stephan looked towards Brett then, and continued, “And my wife. I will have you and you will bear my children, as I take you for mine.”

  I shuddered just thinking about his filthy hands on me, and the pure hatred on Brett’s face was frightening.

  “You will touch her over my dead body!” Brett gushed with venom in his voice.

  Stephan chuckled at this, and replied, “That is the plan.”

  Before I had a chance to react, Brett lunged at Stephan with only the stick that Albee had given him earlier. Without my shield to protect him I was useless to help.

  Stephan raised the sword out in front of him to block the strike from Brett, and the stick was sliced in half as if it was made of clay.

  Stephan laughed as he lunged at Brett swinging the sword at the height of Brett’s chest. Brett took an awkward jump backwards in time, the sword just grazed him, slicing his shirt slightly.

  Brett grabbed a small table that was in the corner, which held a carafe of a liquid of some kind. He held it up in front of him just as Stephan swung the sword at Brett again, this time aiming for his head. The table cracked but stayed in tacked long enough for Brett to dodge Stephan while smashing the table on his head.

  Stephan was dazed for just a few moments and then with a chuckle that sent shivers up my spine he started towards Brett again.

  At that, Kimberlite’s appearance diminished and there stood Liam, as he said in a comical, relaxed tone, “Now boys let’s not fight over the woman. We both know where her heart lies and we really don’t have time for this.”

  This surprised Stephan and disoriented him for just a moment, but it was long enough for Albee to weave between the bug-like creatures, and take hold of Stephan from behind. When he did this, I could see Albee’s face change. He turned back into the tree type fey that had been in my house, and Stephan struggled to free himself.

  Albee’s arms became branches. As Stephan struggled desperately to free himself, he started to turn into the same tree looking fey, as Albee. Within seconds they were both trees, grounded there in the middle of the room. Suddenly Albee turned back into his fey self and letting go of Stephan, fell to the ground. Stephan was a tree, unmoving.

  The purple wisp, Tilly and the dark grey wisp, the fey from Pineville, came rushing in with other grey spirits and circled the bug creatures, causing confusion and fear until they turned into grey wisps and scattered into the walls, leaving us alone with only Stephan, frozen in a tree.

  I could see Stephan’s eyes, peering out at us filled with hatred, as Brett sauntered up to him casually, with a triumphant grin and took the sword from his hand, or I should say, branch. Brett had to break the branch to get it, and did so with pleasure.

  Stephan howled with pain. Sap oozed from the end of the broken branch, and I knew that, if in fey form, it would have been blood.

  I went to Albee, fearing that he was dead but as I bent down to check on him, he opened his eyes and smiled meekly and said, “Well now, that wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. I wasn’t sure how much of me was still left in him but it seems he wasn’t done with me yet. He believed that one day he would use me again. What a fool he is.”

  I stood up and Brett came over to help Albee up, since he was a bit woozy. Suddenly, Tilly was standing there in her fey body, a bit transparent, but I could see her and standing beside her was the tree fey from Pineville.

  I went up to him and thanked him for his help and asked him his name. He responded with shame, “I am not that fey anymore and have no name to be called. I am honored to have been able to help you, but your task is not finished yet.”

  As this fey looked at Tilly then, she continued, “The Dark One, you call him Mephisto is waiting for you Princess Emilee. We will come with you. I have one last task to do before I go to Nirvana, and Ian, has one more task too.” She said as she pointed to the tree fey spirit.

  Tilly continued, “You need something from Brett before we proceed. Shinar told me what it was. He, Mephisto shared it with her as he tried to turn her against you. I spent time with her earlier, before you rescued her. I comforted her for some time on and off, trying to keep her strong as she waited for you. You know what you need.”

  I looked towards Liam, and I knew that he was aware of my needs too, because I felt it within him, when we were joined.

  “You took from another too, didn’t you?” I asked. “Your sadness, it is because you took it all, didn’t you?”

  I saw in Liam’s eyes a deep loss and my heart ached. The room started to shake, like an earthquake, the ground moving underneath us. Then I heard a laugh, and I knew that only I could hear him. He was waiting for me.

  Brett came over to me, and taking my hands in his and looking at me with love and acceptance in his eyes, said, “Emilee, take what you need from me. I am not going anywhere, I will be with you to the end. If you need the sword take it, if you need my…” And he stopped in mid-sentence, for he knew what I needed.

  Brett bent down and placed a soft kiss on my lips. Feeling his lips pressed against mine, I felt the urge, so strong, the need so alive and I wanted nothing more than to taste his blood. Our lips pressed harder as he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me to him.

  When our lips parted but our faces still close, Brett whispered, “It’s okay, Emilee, I have known this was what you needed for some time. Take as much as you need.”

  Tears were streaking my cheeks and Brett slipped in one more sweet kiss before turning his head to the side slightly to show his neck, where a large vessel pumped his blood.

  I felt the strange sensation again, and looking down at my arms, they were white again, giving me the strength to do what I must. I could see through his skin, Brett’s blood rushing through the blood vessel, and placing my mouth over it, I bit down slowly and gently.

  The taste was intoxicating. It filled me with a desire I had never felt. I wanted more of Brett, not just his blood, and as far as I was concerned it was only he and I in the room. If I drained him, I would never have the rest of him, and I wanted him so desperately and I knew he wanted me.

  I had the willpower, thanks to the creature’s venom from the deep, somehow to stop myself. I removed my fangs from his neck as he slid down to the floor. I moved with him, holding him, so he didn't hurt himself, as my normal color returned. Liam came over to assist.

  “Emilee, you need it all, to fully become who you must be, to win. There is no other way.” Liam said.

  I looked at Liam as I placed my hand on Brett’s neck to stop the bleeding, and said, “No, I won’t drain him, I won’t kill him. I love him and we will be together one day. I will do what I must, but I won’t end Brett’s life.”

  A voice from the corner came then, Lily, “Kimberlite or Liam, or whoever you are, leave her alone. Emilee must chose her path, who she will save and who she will fight. Varda is very anxious to meet you, so Emilee, can we please get this over with, one way or the other.”

  Lily knelt down next to me, and moving my hand from Brett’s neck and placing hers in its place, kissed me on the cheek and said, “It’s time Princess. He waits for you.” As she pointed over at the wall to our left.

  I looked down at Brett. His eyes were closed, but he was breathing and I bit down on my wrist and started to place it on Brett’s lips, as Liam protested.

  “Emilee, you mustn’t do that. This isn’t the way.” Liam spouted.

  “Let her be!” Lily shouted.

  Lily laid Brett down, and opened h
is mouth just enough for me to place my wrist between his lips. It didn’t take long for me to feel Brett start to suck, not much, but enough to start the healing process, for his body to produce his own blood fast enough to heal him. I knew I hadn’t taken enough of his blood to kill him but, he was extremely weak and I needed him strong, when we were ready to leave this place.

  “Go now Princess, fight your demons, I will look after this irritating fey for you.” Lily said with a frown, but then winked at me and gave me a slight shove.

  I kissed her on the cheek and of course she winced and brushed off her cheek, as if I had put something unpleasant there.

  I stood and walked over to the wall where Tilly and Ian waited patiently. I looked to Liam and said with a bit of impatience in my voice, “Well, I think I need Kimberlite to pave my way through this rock, maybe?”

  Liam, looking quite upset still after I seemed to have broken some rule, by not draining Brett dry, turned into Kimberlite, which I preferred, and walked up to me. He put his hand on the wall and an opening appeared.

  Tilly and Ian entered the opening and I turned to look at Albee, Lily, Brett and Kimberlite. I said before I entered the opening, “I prefer this look, Kimberlite, please just stay this way until we are done with this.”

  I turned and walked through the opening and when I did, the ground began to shake and the walls started to crumble as the opening disintegrated, separating us from the rest.

  I found myself standing in a lavish entry, with a stairway going up to a balcony, both of which looked like they were made of gold. The entry was a large circular room, lined with cells, and behind the bars of the cells were fey and humans and other creatures. They were reaching out to me, moaning, crying, weeping and the agony and hopelessness on their faces caused such sadness inside of me. They may have done horrible things, but was it right to make them spend an eternity suffering so?

  Tilly and Ian seemed to glide up the stairway and I followed, wanting to get away from the unbearable sight that surrounded me.

  I reached the top of the stairway, and followed Tilly and Ian to the left, as it circled halfway around the room below. There was yet another door, snow white, and as I approached it, I realized that it was made of bones that looked as though bleached by the sun, but I assumed they were bleached white by the heat of Hades itself. It was opened slightly.

  I heard a voice say from behind the door, “Come in, stop wasting my time. It seems like an eternity that I have been waiting.” And someone chuckled.

  I pushed the door open, and standing as tall as I could and opening my wings out as far as they would spread, I walked into the room as Tilly and Ian followed.

  There, standing by a cell was the same creature I had seen in my dream. He was hideous in looks and larger than I remembered. Behind the bars of the cell was Shinar. I gasped at the sight, horror and fear took hold of me, but I knew that if I didn’t get myself together, all would be lost. I didn’t see Rose and wondered where she was.

  “My beautiful granddaughter.” Mephisto said, “I have been looking forward to this day for so long, it seems.”

  I heard a piercing scream from the other side of the room, and looking over, there was a female fey, chained to the wall and one of the creatures was stabbing its claws into her skin.

  She looked up at me in horror and I saw that it was Queen Anahita. Then I remembered that she had a twin and supposedly had taken care of her, as she had said to Poseidon. I knew this was not Queen Anahita, but her twin sister. Queen Anahita had ended her life, sending her to this place.

  When the creature pulled out its claw, the green ooze ran out of the wound, thick like molasses, and it stabbed her again. Suddenly, she let out another long horrendous shriek and turned into one of those bug-like creatures. The chains released her and the shrieking was only the sound that the bug-like creatures made.

  I looked back at Mephisto, and there standing where he had been was a fey, tall and muscular, with no hair on his head. Completely bald but extremely handsome. What I found odd though, was that he looked human, no pointed ears or slanted eyes. He was human. I was shocked and knew that I had to pull myself together or I would fail, we would all be doomed.

  “You look surprised, Emilee. Did my dear sweet Varda not tell you what I really was?” Mephisto asked with glee in his voice.

  I just stood there, not knowing what to say, but as Shinar turned her body sideways, I got a glimpse of Rose, there on her side and then she vanished.

  “How?” Was all that I managed to get out of my mouth, when suddenly Shinar opened her mouth and spewed fire in my direction. I felt heat, and then my shield was back, I had it and put it up around myself.

  Mephisto let out a chuckle, and holding a staff in his hand, pointed it at Shinar, who let out a painful cry and shrank back away from the bars.

  “Stop!” I yelled and I felt my body tremble as it heated. I turned a flaming red and my shield pushed out from around me, pushing Mephisto away from the bars as my shield encircled Shinar in the prison cell.

  Mephisto looked at me with some shock and amusement as he walked towards me, entering my shield. I let out a gasp as he laughed, walking towards me.

  My mind was racing, I had no idea what to do. I felt my body change from lava red to silvery white, and my wings suddenly came around in front of me, whipping so hard that Mephisto was knocked to the ground and his staff went flying.

  I adjusted my shield, pushing Mephisto out as he tried to stand, but keeping his staff in my shield. When I picked it up, I felt such power. I felt it combine with my powers, strengthen them, and I felt invincible. I had the feeling of greatness, I could do anything and no one could stop me. I could rule it all.

  When I realized what was going on in my mind, I shuddered at the thoughts that I was having.

  Mephisto brushed himself off, and said with a chuckle and tone of pride, “Yes, Emilee, it will belong to you one day, when I feel you are ready. Give it back now though, you are not strong enough to handle it, although I am a bit surprised at your strength. Varda has done well with the gifts that she has made sure you received. All in vain though, for her and the rest of this pitiful planet.”

  Mephisto turned and looked at Shinar then, walked over towards the cell but stopped abruptly, and I knew he ran into the shield. He took something out of his robe and held it out in front of him and an orb appeared, large enough for him to walk into. A flash of light blinded me for a moment, and when I could see again, Mephisto was standing inside the cell next to Shinar.

  “You see dear Granddaughter, I have my ways too, thanks to Varda.” Mephisto said.

  “But you’re human?” I questioned.

  “I am what fey call human, but where do you think humans came from? What do the fey legends, or stories tell you, that humans appeared one day, maybe out of the sky during a light rain or from deep beneath the ocean bottom?” Mephisto laughed as if this was silly.

  “Humans came from the sky, Emilee, from a galaxy far away, my galaxy, the sixth heaven. Varda was here, watching over her galaxy when humans were sent here to populate a dimension that would help this ball of dirt survive. I came here to assist her with the job of getting the young humans settled, I guess you could say. Humans where I come from are far more advanced, though.

  “We put the newborn humans here, to learn and grow on their own. This was, I guess you could say an experiment. A new dimension was created and the hope was that someday, the fey from Terrafirma and the Atlantians from the water world, along with the humans from my realm, would be able to combine and live in harmony. Then, open more doorways to other dimensions and places in Terrafirma and other galaxies, other worlds.

  “Emilee, you are special, a mixture of an advanced race of humans and of course Varda, who comes from the stars. You have every type of fey blood in you.

  The task that they created for you so long ago, is such a menial existence but I realized just what we could do together, rule all of it, every galaxy, every heaven and a
ll life. We would be gods, like him. Oh, yes, I didn’t want to share this power, and I tried to end your life before it ever started, but now I know, she was right, you are important to me.”

  “Stop! I spouted, “Stop talking! You can’t convince me that what you want to do is good for anyone or anything. You are evil. Greed and need for power fills your veins. I am not like you and never will be.”

  Mephisto went to Shinar, and placing his hand on her head, she let out a cry of agony and then her eyes suddenly turned red. Shinar spewed fire in my direction but it only increased my energy, for the lava blood that was within me, accepted the heat.

  I saw Rose for a moment, beside Shinar and then Shinar’s eyes cleared again, they were her glorious sky blue eyes once more. She turned her head towards Mephisto and pelted him with fire as she reached out and scratched his face and the top of his head with her front claws causing deep gashes to appear.

  I focused on the bars of the cell then, while Mephisto was temporarily distracted by the pain that Shinar inflicted, and with just a thought, the bars flew open and Shinar came to me as I slammed the bars shut again.

  Mephisto laughed an eerie laugh, as if what I had done was petty and small, but when he reached to retrieve the object that had opened the doorway, which had allowed him to enter the cell in the first place, it was gone.

  Rose stepped out from behind Shinar, holding an object, the one Mephisto needed to transport himself to wherever he wanted, I was guessing. This was the gift that Varda had given him years back. The one that he let Stephan use to get Shinar’s egg and kidnap Brett. It was a stone, oval in shape, smooth as ice and blood red in color.

  Calmly, Mephisto said, “Very good my dear, you are going to make an excellent ruler when I am done training you. Give me back my stone and staff, now. Let’s stop playing. You feel the power and you want more. I see it in your eyes.”

  With a bit of irritation in Mephisto’s voice he continued, “Come now, give it back and drop this blasted shield.”