The Halves of Us

by Sydney Paige Richardson

  “You don’t know how to call out to her, do you? Maybe we should do that here and not get too much closer,” Bokah whispered.

  “Bokah, it’s a tree. I’m sure we have to get to the base or something to talk to it. I mean, I would assume.”

  Aura walked forward, and Bokah grudgingly followed. She passed the branches that hung low, scraping the sand below them.

  Aura heard more whispers. She shook her head. “Do you hear that?”

  “Hear what?” Bokah asked, taking the axe from his side and holding it out.

  “There’s no need for that just yet.”

  “I’ll do as I please at this point,” he retorted.

  They continued forward, and Aura looked at the dark green leaves, surprisingly thriving in such a barren place.

  “Who has come to visit?” An airy, sensual voice surrounded them.

  Aura whipped around, noticing the branches had enveloped them, and she couldn’t see the likes of Vadim anymore. She moved closer to Bokah, and he grabbed her leg with one hand while still holding fast to the axe with the other.

  The voice laughed. “Silly dwarf. Your axe will do you no good here.” A branch wrapped around the base of his weapon and pulled it from his hand.

  “Hey!” Bokah shouted, attempting to swat at the branch.

  “You shouldn’t shout at me. You have come into my land. What brings you to Vadim?” The voice continued to surround them.

  Aura jogged around the base of the tree. It’s larger than the Holding Room! “Where are you?”

  “Does it matter? And I asked you a question first. What brings you to Vadim?”

  “I have come to speak to the Wicked Willow. I . . . I assume that’s you?”

  The voice chuckled. “Such an enduring term. I’ve really grown to like it over the years.”

  “What would you like me to call you?” Aura asked.

  “You can call me Wendelone.”

  Bokah glanced up at Aura, and she looked back at the tree.

  “Wendelone, my name is Aura.”

  “Yes, I know.” A long thin branch came from the side and lifted Aura’s chin as though examining her.

  “You do?” Aura asked, trying to keep still. The tree can’t hurt us . . . can it? “Then why did you ask?”

  “Opportunities for conversation are rare for me.”

  Bokah shuddered beside her.

  “What can I do for you?” A few branches swayed near them.

  Aura looked around, trying to avoid contact with the swinging branches. “You don’t know why I’m here?”

  “Humor me,” Wendelone said.

  Aura could hear the tree smiling. She gulped.

  Bokah stepped forward. “She would like the dark powers removed from her!”

  Wendelone chuckled. “That is not what she seeks. Poor naïve dwarf.” A branch came forward and swatted at Bokah’s cheek.

  His hand quickly came to his face, rubbing the area. “What is she talking about?”

  “I’m sorry, Bokah.” Aura looked back up at the tree. “What was Zakar’s plan?”

  A branch came quickly toward Aura, and she tried to duck, but it wrapped itself around her neck. Instinctively, she reached for it as her feet rose off the ground a few inches. She could barely breathe and tried to speak, but no words came. Her throat burned as she gasped. Red sparks burst at her fingertips as she tried to fight back.

  “Zakar . . . such a pity he died. Though he did do what I needed him to. But to answer your other question, no I cannot bring your dear Felipe back.” Wendelone loosened her grip on Aura, and the branch fell away from her neck.

  Aura fell to the ground, wheezing. Her neck and throat ached, and her lungs felt like fire. She took in big gulps of air between coughs, and Bokah tried to run toward her.

  “Not just yet, dwarf.” Wendelone swatted at him, and he stopped in his tracks a few feet in front of Aura.

  Aura raised her hand out toward Bokah, urging him to stay put. She regained her composure and stood, facing the tree again. “What do you know of Felipe?” she asked, still panting.

  Wendelone laughed. “Oh, you loved him. Zakar knew that by taking him, you would come and give him what he wanted.”

  “What is she talking about, Aura?” Bokah asked.

  “I see the dwarf knows nothing. Ah, dear, dear Aura! You should probably be more honest with your friends,” Wendelone said as more of her branches swatted at them.

  One got too close, and Aura winced as a cut appeared on her shoulder.

  “It’s quite amazing what I’ve accomplished with the little power I have left.” Wendelone sighed. “When the Sights steal the life from anyone, such as your precious Felipe, it returns to me here. Though, they are not the same.”

  Wendelone’s branches swayed in the wind, and Aura heard the leaves whisper loudly again, warning her to run.

  Aura’s heart grew weary. “What do you mean?”

  Bokah tried to step toward her and say something, but a long branch wrapped itself around his mouth, and he fell to the ground, struggling to break free. Aura headed toward him, but swinging branches forced her to stop.

  “He will be fine, dear. Let’s talk, just you and me.” A branch came back up to Aura’s chin and lifted it to the side and back. “You’re quite beautiful.”

  Aura’s chest rose heavily, and she tried to keep still, hoping Wendelone wouldn’t choke her again. “What do you mean about what you said before?” she asked, barely moving her lips.

  Wendelone retreated her branches from Aura and sighed. “I retain their souls, and they’re under my command. I bring them back as Sights. That’s the only way I can bring him back.”

  “That’s what you’re offering me, to bring him back as a Sight?” Aura asked unsteadily. The temptation of having Felipe back overwhelmed her. Her mind spun, and her heart ached for the happiness she felt when he was by her side. It wouldn’t be the same. But she has his soul. I can’t let her keep it!

  “For a price.”

  Aura shivered, hoping Wendelone didn’t sense the fear coursing through her.

  Bokah rolled around behind her, trying to shout through the vines that had almost completely covered his body.

  Aura shook her head, trying to focus. “What did you need him to do?”

  “Zakar?” Wendelone asked. Her voice eerily comforting.

  Aura nodded. “Yes. Zakar. What did you need him for?”

  “He was supposed to bring me the Rokis.”

  “Why do you need the Rokis?” Aura asked, not sure if Wendelone was telling the truth.

  The ground shook, and roots popped from the ground, towering over Aura. She jumped over quickly, falling near Bokah. The roots tried to climb outward, attempting to uproot the tree. The ground continued shaking.

  “Why? To free me from this tree!” Her voice boomed as the tree roots stopped rising from the sand and slowly retreated back into the ground.

  “That was Zakar’s plan? Just to bring the Rokis to you?”

  “I promised him more power and that he could have Thindoral. I have no desire for this planet anymore. I honestly would like to destroy it, but I fear that would bring my brothers and sisters back.” Wendelone quieted, and the branches drooped and waved around them.

  “That was Zakar’s plan . . . to have all of Thindoral? Have complete power?” Aura asked.

  “Yes.” Wendelone’s voice slithered. “He wanted to be the downfall of his sister’s ruling and destroy his family’s lives. But he wasn’t that smart of a man. His desperation for power, his greed was ultimately his downfall. Before I became cursed to this tree, I hid my powers. When Zakar came to me looking for help, I offered a portion of them to assist him. With those powers, he created a curse. In return, once he got his hands on the Rokis, he would use the pendant to free me from this wretched tree. I promised him when I left the tree, he would have more power than he could imagine.”

  “Curse?” Bokah asked, looking up at Aura. The branches slowly retreated from
around him, and he stood, dusting himself off.

  A shriek in the distance caught Aura’s attention. She couldn’t tell if it came from within the encasement Wendelone had created with her branches or from farther into Vadim. Dark shadows appeared from the other side of the trunk. She froze as the Sights came from behind the tree and faced them. Their red eyes glowed, peering at Aura and Bokah.

  “Yes, the curse,” Wendelone replied. “There will not be one, but two—”

  “There’s no need to speak of the curse,” Aura interrupted, watching carefully as the Sights drew closer. She took one sword from her side and handed it to Bokah. It was quite larger than him, but he held the weight confidently. She reached for her other weapon as Wendelone laughed.

  “Ahh, you are the cursed one. Of course you wouldn’t want to talk about it.”

  Wendelone stopped laughing, and a Sight moved slowly toward them. Aura held out her sword, ready to swing at the tall figure, when the black exterior of the creature melted off its frame. She dropped her sword.

  Bokah gasped.

  Aura stepped forward. “Felipe?” She watched as the figure transformed into her love. She smiled, and her eyes glistened with tears.

  More than anything, she wanted to run to him, to feel his embrace. She looked into those dark eyes she loved so much. His hand reached out to her, and she froze. Tears fell down her cheek as she felt a light touch. She closed her eyes, welcoming the feeling of Felipe’s hand.

  As she opened them, red eyes beamed back at her. She took a step back and fell to the ground as the image of Felipe mysteriously vanished and only a Sight remained. The creature shrieked. She screamed and threw her hands forward, casting red sparks that danced through the air like a flame, toward the Sight. It vanished into thin air before the sparks neared. Bokah ran over to Aura as she cried.

  Wendelone laughed again. “Thought I would show you what I could do for you. Consider that as a tease.” Her laughter settled. “You’re more powerful than you know, my child. Once you can control those powers, once you know your strength, you will be unstoppable! You’ll do what you were destined for.”

  “Can the curse be undone?” Aura asked through tears, trying to forget about Felipe. That wasn’t him. That couldn’t have been him!

  Bokah tried to help her stand. She used him to steady herself as she faced the tree again. Wendelone cackled. Her branches swayed behind her. The laughter echoed from each branch.

  “Guess that’s a no,” Bokah whispered to Aura.

  “Of course. There’s always a way to get rid of a curse.” Wendelone’s laughter stopped, and the sound of her limbs swaying in the wind felt deafening.

  “How?” Aura asked, quickly picking up her sword and putting it back at her side.

  Bokah still gripped her other weapon, his knuckles turning white.

  “Well, you have to listen to the whole curse, dear.” Wendelone’s voice slithered into their ears and made Aura shudder. “There will not be one, but two. The eldest will bring destruction upon her first breath. For by the sixteenth year she grew, the only salvation for Thindoral is death. Or something like that. You know, it was a long time ago.” She chuckled again.

  A chill ripped across her skin as she remembered Zakar mumbling a few of those words to her when they first met. No! She refused to let his words defeat her. If I save the others from the Sights, I won’t bring destruction. I won’t be the curse.

  “That sounds more like a riddle,” Bokah said.

  “Aren’t all curses just riddles?” Wendelone asked.

  “Can I make a deal with you?” Aura asked.

  “No!” Bokah shouted.

  “Ah, a deal! What do you offer?” Wendelone asked, her voice electric and giddy.

  “The Sights, they will retreat to Vadim, never to leave the walls surrounding its borders again.” Surprised by the strength in her own voice, she stood tall. “And you free the innocent souls the Sights have taken.”

  “Ooh, and what do I get in return?”

  “What do you want?”

  Wendelone sighed. “You.”

  Bokah laughed. He looked at Aura, then back at Wendelone. “Wait . . . she’s serious?”

  “Me?” Aura asked.

  “Your permanent residence will be here in Vadim, in the tower. You may bring others to reside with you. The Sights will not attack. You’re allowed to leave, but only with prior approval from me.”

  “That’s all you want, me to reside in Vadim?”

  “And you will keep your powers,” Wendelone said. The smile returned to her voice.

  “No!” Bokah shouted.

  Aura looked down at him. “This will protect Thindoral and bring peace. This is my responsibility. I can handle these powers.”

  “Aura, you don’t know how strong they are! They will take control—”

  “Do we have a deal?” Wendelone interrupted.

  “We have a deal.”

  “Blood.”

  “What?” Aura asked.

  “I require blood to seal the deal.”

  Bokah shook his head as she took the knife from her boot. She brought it slowly to her hand, looking at its shiny blade. She heard the drums of her heart beat loudly in her ears as she hesitated.

  “So do we have a deal?” Wendelone repeated.

  Aura looked as a gust of wind picked up around her. She thought of Felipe and his touch on her cheek. Raising the knife to her palm, she cringed as the point slid along the inside and crimson blood oozed from the wound. She walked toward the tree and pressed her palm against it. Aura felt the blood drain from her, into the tree and quickly pulled her hand away.

  “We have a deal,” Wendelone said.

  Aura looked around as numerous leaves fell from the limbs and dissipated.

  “Those souls taken by the Sights have been released. They are where they belong. They have returned to the stars above.”

  “Goodbye, Felipe,” Aura whispered as she watched hundreds of the dark leaves crumble and disappear in the wind.

  Bokah took a few steps backward, away from Wendelone. “I know I can’t see your face, but I feel like you are smiling. And not a good smile. I just want to say that, for the record, I don’t believe we got the good end of this deal.”

  “I like this dwarf.”

  “I do not like you,” Bokah responded.

  Aura stepped back as the branches parted, revealing a dark sky.

  “You can use your powers to guide you back to the gate. You will not encounter any trouble on your way back. I shall look forward to your return.”

  Aura looked at her palm. Across it, a black scar had formed.

  “What about the curse?” Bokah asked Aura.

  “We’ll figure out a way to destroy it. We know the curse now. There has to be a way.” Aura looked out into Vadim. If anything, I’ve helped prove it wrong by doing this deal and keeping the Sights in Vadim. She glanced at Bokah. “This is going to hurt.”

  Bokah tried to shout, but he was too late. The dark cloud had already encompassed them, and Aura could hear Wendelone laughing as they left. A pressure grabbed at her skin but quickly vanished. As she opened her eyes, she could hear Bokah cursing her. She stood as the clouds receded, and he lay nearby, on his side again.

  “Bokah, I’m coming.”

  “You can’t keep doing that to me,” he said as she healed him. He got up and walked off. “You said you were going to ask her how to rid yourself of those dark powers!”

  “I was, but I wanted to know more about Zakar and his plan so that I can warn Adie. She gave me this job for a reason. And I just made a deal that could bring peace to all of Thindoral and end this fear of Vadim and the Sights.”

  “You made a deal with the darkest evil we know. She knows your weakness! Did you not think for once that this was her plan all along? She may even have a way out of her side of the deal! Did you not think!?! I cannot keep this secret for you,” Bokah said, running toward the gate and to the path that would lead them through
the forest.

  “Bokah! Bokah, wait! You swore to me!”

  “Yes, I swore to you,” he said, turning and charging at her. “I swore to you that the moment I felt your life was in danger, I would have to find my own way. You’re a danger to yourself, and you don’t even know it!”

  “Bokah, please!” Aura fought back tears. He can’t tell Adie. “I can’t explain to my family yet what I did with the Rokis and how I killed Zakar. Bokah!” She held out her hand, and the smoky cloud came forth, entrancing Bokah.

  His eyes grew dark. He floated toward her slowly, his feet a few inches from the ground.

  Aura let the tears fall but stood strong. “I’m sorry. But I can’t let you do this.” Her bottom lip trembled as the dark clouds swirled around him. “Bokah, repeat after me. We both came to Vadim.”

  “We both came to Vadim.” He repeated eerily, his eyes completely black.

  “But you stayed at the gate.”

  “But I stayed at the gate.”

  “I came back to find you sitting here and told you of a deal I had made with the Wicked Willow.”

  He repeated after her. She tried to keep her voice from faltering. He was her only friend that knew what she had done. And now she had no other choice but to take away his memory.

  “You have no memory of me having dark powers, the curse, or killing Zakar.”

  “You do not have dark powers. You did not kill Zakar.” He nodded.

  “I made a deal to reside in Vadim, and the Wicked Willow made a deal of no more Sight attacks.”

  He repeated after her in a monotone voice, and she dropped her hands, exhaustion crippling her. That took more energy than I expected.

  “Aura! Are you okay!?!” Bokah ran up to her.

  “Yes,” she replied, picking herself up off the ground. “Just thinking about living here and the last time I was near this wall. I was with Felipe.” She fought the tears that stung her eyes. Things were so much different. Her lips tingled, remembering the sensation of his meeting hers.

  “Though I’m not entirely in agreement with the deal you made, I feel you’re saving lives. Felipe would’ve been proud of you.” A sad smile formed on his face.