James and the Changing Red

by J W Cotter

Chapter 14ourteen:

  Blood, Fog and Beef Strips

  The bones of the centuries old castle seemed to have survived the explosive attack laid down by Cerise although inside was a smoking ruin. A grand total of five explosions rattled the building and only three of them were from the grenades, others had been planted delicately by an incognito Cerise in the basement and the attic. It was utter devastation, just as she planned.

  Coughing and spitting James woke in the foyer covered in a mound of rubble, timber and pieces of shattered furniture. Before they exploded he had managed to kick two further away from the library while the other went off just as his foot was about to reach it. Jerking slightly he felt a stab of pain, pain was good it meant that he was still attached to his foot. As he continued to lie there beneath the evil he felt a sliver of shame as he wished to remain where he was, out of the way, out of people’s expectations and quite simply out of the life he had wished for. But slowly as the ringing in his ears eased he could hear the moans from the other survivors, the ones who looked to him to fight and so he swallowed the shame and the pain while his desire to disappear was replaced with a stronger craving, one of vengeance.

  A roar of defiance echoed through the castle as James burst up from his shallow grave and stood tall in the foyer, bleeding and hurt but not defeated. Looking around there were fires making there way up curtains and across furniture while windows had been blown out and replaced now with gaping holes that allowed the wind to help the flames spread. Wiping his face clean of blood and dust he turned to the library and to his surprise they were all still standing and their eyes were firmly fixed on him, the time for war was here and it was James’ battle to commence.

  “ARE YOU ALL OKAY?” he shouted extremely loudly, his ears were still ringing.

  “We’re okay, we’re okay” Pip replied moving out towards James. “This thing really is something” he said holding up the amulet.

  “She was a good woman to give you that, and I’m sorry” James again shouted something that really should have been whispered but he couldn’t help it, his ears continued to ring. Placing his arm around Pip he turned to the remaining group of survivors, Ida, Valonia, Ben, Bunica and Andrei, who was barely able to stand. “RIGHT ALL OF YOU HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE, THE FIRES ARE SPREADING AND WHO KNOWS IF THERE IS ANOther…. bomb” the ringing in his ears finally stopped.

  “Thank goodness for that, I mean the grenades didn’t make as much noise as him” Valonia said taking a seat on one of the few singe-free unbroken chairs.

  “Okay as I was saying you need to get out of here, this place could collapse on itself any moment” James said as he made his way to one of the walls and reaching up he pulled down a large sword and shield that was hanging upon it.

  “How did I only notice that now?” Valonia quipped as James slid his arm through the shield’s handle.

  “Notice what?” James replied as he looked at the shield, closer this time and although there was a massive “V” covering the entire thing, there were hundreds of smaller engravings, all names, beginning with the letter V.

  “That was the shield of your ancestor, King Vasileior, it was supposedly lost centuries ago” she explained getting up to examine it closer. She ran her fingers over the scribes, over all the names that had been etched into it. “This is over a thousand years old; it pre-dates the diversion of Pastorious” she gasped as the flame’s reflections glistened across the names. “How did you come of it?” she asked turning to Ida who was still standing in the same spot.

  “There is no time for questions, this is a time for action” James said as his hand clenched itself tightly around the handle of the sword. “Now all of you make your way to Valonia’s house, there you will be somewhat safer than here” he ordered before making his way to the arch looking every inch the warrior heading to war. Ida stepped in front of him. “Move aside, there is evil to be vanquished” he said in a tone none of them heard coming from his mouth before. Ida was about to speak when he gently, warrior gently, nudged her aside and she almost fell.

  “James what the hell man?” Pip said grabbing his shoulder but James simply shrugged him off and took another step towards the door, well the gaping hole where the door used to be. “Hey James I’m talking to you” Pip said reaching out to grab the warrior again but James turned and raising the sword pointed it to Pip and then the amulet’s force-field appeared again.

  “Pip come away from him, it’s the shield” Valonia said. Doing as he was told he slowly backed away from James and returned towards the others.

  “Take hold of the remaining sword and protect the survivors, I shall deal with the enemy” James said in a matter-of-fact tone and he left the castle. The clean night air helped his regenerating lungs recover from the massive intake of smoke they had just endured and as James strode down the steps he could feel his body rejuvenating, returning if not surpassing its original state. James had barely taken two steps onto the wet grass a familiar sound rattled in his ears and turning quickly he spied one of Cerise’s pets. The thing rose to its hind legs and almost with an intense personal hatred for James it opened its mouth to reveal the fangs that James had once found so nightmarishly horrifying. Not tonight, tonight James had no time for feelings and when the beast stretched its wings and let out a ear-piercing screech he stood his ground and tightened his grip on the hilt of the sword and just as the jaws were about to clench his head the shield bore the brunt of the attack while blade found the body and as James buried it deeper into the beast its war screech turned into a painful whimper as it slumped to the ground, dying. With still only the rescue of Anta on his mind James freed the sword and wiped the blood off on the grass before walking around the tail and heading toward the large stones just beyond the edge of the forest, he was sure Anta was there; unfortunately he was also sure she wasn’t alone.

  As he strode across the vast field with it’s waist high grass his pace never slowed and his thoughts never wandered, the rescue of Anta was at the foremost of his mind. Her rescue dominated so much of his mind it momentarily seemed to dim his senses and he was struck from behind, hard. The sword and shield fell from his grip and as he got to his feet he suddenly realised the darkness that surrounded him prevented anything from being seen and a little bit of fear awoke inside him. Black clouds had engulfed the sky and the fires that had been burning in the castle were put out, Pip and the others had obviously decided to stay put instead of going to safety. The rustling of grass close to him caused him to turn in almost every direction, he wasn’t sure if it was the wind or the assailant. Suddenly he felt like he was back in the dungeon, in utter darkness with only his body as a weapon. Kicking around at the ground beneath him he searched for the sword and the mind altering shield, the fear he was feeling now he could do without. Another rustle in the grass, this time he was certain it was a person and so he turned and he could just about make out the shape of someone a lot taller and wider than him.

  “YOU DIE NOW” the shape said and suddenly James’ face met with the shield and he found himself being flung half a furlong across the field. The throbbing the shield left on his face was eased somewhat by the moisture on the grass, it was cold and soothing, if only it had the same effect on life. Squashing sounds came closer and closer as Warren’s big feet fell to the mud and rose again bringing him ever nearer. With the shield Warren was even more deadly and so James found himself in the midst of a panic as he got up on all fours before discreetly crawling away from the approaching boots. “YOU DIE NOW?” it was different to the first time he said it, the tone was more of an inquiry than a statement yet which led James to wonder how intelligent Warren was, how could he possibly answer if he was dead? “NO BODY NO DIE” he said again as he kicked at various patches of large grass. Well he answered his own question. Then he stopped moving and so did James, he stopped inhaling and so did James, he just listened and so did James. The wind could be heard along with the odd car coming and
going on the distant road and if you really strained your ears the river could be heard. James couldn’t hear Warren and he hoped that the situation was mutual. It was not. Suddenly from behind Warren grabbed James by the ankles and hoisted him out of the grass single-handedly, like a snared rabbit. Upside down wasn’t the nicest feeling in the world as James’ head started to fill with blood as it brushed against the tips of the grass, he did manage to figure how Warren got the advantage, he had discarded the noisy boots. “YOU DIE NOW” in all honesty James was getting sick of those three words and nearly begged him to kill him just so that he didn’t have to hear them again.

  “Go on do it” he shouted up at Warren.

  “QUIET” he shouted before delivering a stern punch to the chest. James could barely breathe, the ferocious wallop snapped the sternum and numerous ribs causing one to puncture the lung while another slid upwards and hit his heart. Blood started seeping out of his mouth and he could feel himself becoming quiet light-headed, his vision became blurry and seconds later he was unconscious. “WAKE UP” Warren shouted as he shook James violently, almost like a child (or adult) shaking a wrapped present. James was obedient and opened his eyes, they were out of focus at first but it didn’t matter, the darkness still prevented him from seeing anything. The only thing he could see was a hand around his ankles and he could still feel the grass against his hair. While he was unconscious his body repaired itself and he was back to normal. It was almost as if Warren purposely wanted to inflict pain but not death. James continued to hang from the hand of Warren not quite sure what to do, he tried grabbing at Warren’s legs but they only delivered a kick when neared. Boots or no boots it still hurt. Then a scream, a deathly scream, coming from the forest filled the countryside. It was Anta; it was her scream, her scream for help………her scream for James.

  He instantly began shaking and writhing in an attempt to break free but he couldn’t, the grip was almost iron-like. He tried lifting his body up to punch Warren but it was no good, every time he pulled his torso up Warren knocked him down. Then just as he was swaying from side to side after his fourth attempt at hitting Warren, there was a glimpse of something silver mere inches from him. Somehow the shield was there within reach and so taking a deep breath he wriggled a little bit and he had hold of it and he pulled himself up in one swift movement and struck Warren on the head, hard. He was free and instantly on his feet limping towards Anta. With the shield still firmly in his grasp his mind was solely focused on saving her, he didn’t even realise his ankles had been squeezed so hard by Warren that they had broken and as he limped they healed, but as he continued to limp they continued to break, it was quite the vicious circle, one that the shield shielded James from. Unfortunately for James the rescue wasn’t going to be easy as he hadn’t ensured that Warren had been knocked out for good and as the hilt of the sword hit him square in the back of the neck he collapsed once again face down in the mud, shield flying across the night air once again. Dazed and confused and waiting for his ankles to heal James continued to lie in the mud until of course he heard the huffing and puffing approaching from behind and just as he turned over onto his back Warren was there and instantly straddled him, making movement impossible under his bulk weight. James fervently struggled to break free but it was no good, his wrists were grasped tight and Warren was unmovable. Slowly as the two continued their battle, James trying to break free and Warren condescendingly laughing at every attempt, a partial sun began to rise in the distance. A fog accompanied it in an almost deliberate attempt to keep the visibility poor. Finally the two could see one another and for James it was not a pretty sight. He had seen Warren more times than he cared and he was a frightening spectacle then but now, now was he almost monstrous. His skin had become almost an entire brownish scab that looked like it was peeling and ready to fall off while his eyes looked vacant, almost dead-like, there was only a tiny glimmer of life there. Almost all of his teeth had abandoned their home and the few that remained were yellow and blackening. The hair, what was left of it, was thinning and greyish in colour, it was almost as if Warren had aged decades in days. His appearance may be wildly different but his strength hadn’t weakened, nor had his thrill to inflict pain.

  “NOW YOU…” James was waiting for the die, but it seemed Warren had something else to say. “SEE WHAT YOU GIRL DID TO ME, I DO SAM TO YOU” he said seething, his breath rancid and stale. For a moment James wondered what friend until the image of Lue shooting him with her poisoned arrow came flashing through his mind. A dark cupid was undoubtedly someone to be feared; their attack left a savaging reminder. Suddenly one scabbed hand found James’ neck and it squeezed tightly but not too tightly, he didn’t want to kill James, not yet exactly. Now with one wrist free James lashed out at Warren punching his face and unknowingly knocking some scabbing from his cheek. Letting go of the neck Warren once again held James down by the wrists and as he got closer James could see what was behind the scabs, perfect skin. However as the seconds moved along the skin appeared to age rapidly, blacken and ultimately scab over again. “EVERY TIME” he roared as saliva drizzled down onto James. “Every tim I pool of scub more comb back” he said softly this time with a limited grasp of English. Warren’s head suddenly turned and it was almost as if his ears moved upward like a dog. Then he whistled, not for anybody in particular, he just started whistling a tune that unnerved James and then as he whistled he smiled and winked at James as he covered his mouth with his large black scabbed hand. James’ hands frantically tried to pull free from the suffocating hold but Warren was too big, too strong, too determined. James began to feel light-headed as the lack of air started to take its toll and as it did his arms became too weak to fight and just as he was about to fall into an unwanted sleep Warren leant down and whispered in his ear. “SHE HERE” he whispered taking his hand away from James’ mouth. Utterly unable to process anything Warren said until the air had returned to his brain James remained still staring up at the sky as his attacker took the hilt of the sword by both hands and lifted it over James’ chest. Then there was a sound, quite a few of them as arrows shot through the fog aimed directly at Warren. He had been expecting them and managed to deflect them all bar one that hit his shoulder, it couldn’t have done much damage, and the effects of them had already almost completely overwhelmed his body. James suddenly realised that he was not what Warren wanted, he was merely a pawn to get Lue to come to the rescue, she was his target, and he wanted her to die now! James tried his best to move his arms or legs or even his lips but his body hadn’t completely healed from the oxygen depravation yet, he was useless. Warren wasn’t waiting for the next flurry of arrows and as he listened carefully he closed his eyes and fired the sword with such force it cut through the fog like a bullet. The only sound that James could hear was someone falling to the ground with a thump. “Got her” Warren sneered as he got to his feet with a wide grin and as he moved toward his catch he kicked James in the head in a bid to keep him where he was, unconscious and useless.

  “FIX IT”, “FIX IT”, “FIX IT”, they were the words James found himself hearing over and over again as his eyes slowly opened to the cold foggy morning. Rolling over on to his stomach he let out a small whimper of pain as a rib snapped back into place. The grass was too high to see anything so carefully and as discreetly as possible he got up on all fours and like a fawn, poked his head through the grass and there they were. Warren had Lue in a vice-like grip James was all too familiar with but at least she was the right way around, but she still didn’t look the best. Even from a distance through lightening fog he could see she was a painful white and as he strained his eyes he saw the harrowing sight that Warren inflicted. The sword was hurled at such alacrity that it went clean through Lue, like a bullet, with catastrophic results. Again Warren shouted the same two words over and over and over again yet it looked like Lue had passed out from the amount of blood she was losing over the hilt-shaped holes in her torso. Annoyed and under pressure to get the cure Wa
rren began violently shaking the dying cupid with such ease it was almost like she was a doll. Her eyes opened partially but closed almost instantly and a small moan of pain barely reached the height of the grass. Deep down James knew that Lue was mere moments from death; he doubted that even he could survive an injury like that, and wanting her to spend what was left of her life knowing someone tried to save her he rose calmly from the grass breathing heavily and he shouted.

  “LEAVE HER ALONE, YOU DIE NOW” he said rushing Warren who promptly dropped Lue on to the pool of blood he had relieved her of. James jumped and the two of them fell to the ground locked together in rage. Punches were traded in the kidneys, the chest, the neck, Warren even disgustingly bit James’ shoulder which caused a roar of agony. James returned with an excellently timed head-butt and Warren rolled momentarily dazed. Laying there the two of them looked to the clouded sky as their chests rose up and down and the wounds slowly started to heal. Suddenly James could feel something hard in the grass; it was hard and wet, cold yet warm. The sword with Lue’s blood on it was next to him. All in the matter of seconds his breathing became erratic, sweat drizzled down his back, his heart began beating faster than he ever felt before and then he knew what he had to do. In a flash it was all over, Warren had not surprisingly pounced back up once he was strong enough and without even flinching James drove the sword deep into his chest so far that the hilt was just inches from Warren’s heart. His eyes widened in shock, his body quickly failed and he collapsed on top of James, dead. Warren’s lifeless body may have been lifeless but it wasn’t weightless, it took James three attempts to roll the monstrous beast of a man off him and back onto the grass, the sword still firmly wedged in his chest. Forgetting everything up to that point for a second James reflected on what he had done. He had killed the rogue warrior, the one that had plagued him, the one that caused so much agony, the one that killed his mother, the one that was his cousin. He had expected a wave of relief to hit but sadly it was knotted with guilt as he thought of his grandmother. He was her grandson too and although James was sure Warren would eventually kill him, he wasn’t certain.

  “James” a weak voice cried and he was back, the guilt-tripping of what just happened to wait. He rushed to Lue who was still lying in the pool of blood that Warren left her in.

  “I’m here” he said taking hold of her hand, it was cold, very cold. She didn’t reply but slowly curled her bluing lips upward. “You’re going to be okay” he lied taking her in his arms and holding her close.

  “I’m not….but thanks for….lying” she exhaled with a little giggle followed by a horrid rattling cough. James rubbed her hair; her blood soaked hair, and kissed her forehead tenderly as he rocked slightly in the fog.

  “What about….Warren?” she asked with still a tone of terror in her voice.

  “Don’t worry about him, he won’t be harming anyone ever again” James replied.

  “Well, your timing isn’t great….but at least you get the job…done” she joked like only Lue could. “Could you….stay…for a while…..I’m afraid……to be seen like this…..I’m not supposed to die….a dark….one”

  “I’m here, I’ll always be here” James said holding her tightly as her body shivered. “HELP!” he roared into the fog, “HELP!” he echoed it but there was no sign of anyone.

  “There is no…help…for me” she said wrapping one hand around James’ torso and pulling herself closer to him. “Just…don’t…leave me”.

  “I’m not going anywhere” he replied entwining his body with hers in a bid to warm her. Then for a few moments all that James could hear was the shallow breathing of the cupid until sadly it rudely ceased. “Lue” he said, “Lue wake up” he begged as he lifted her chin upwards to gaze upon her face. She was dead. James roared in anger and hugged the lifeless cupid tightly and began to cry. Lue was the only one in his new world he trusted completely, the only one that he felt comfortable with, the one that had his back, the one that made him laugh, the one that made the others seem bearable. As he held her tightly to his chest, whispering in her ear that she was loved, a tingling sensation rippled through her body and a glowing light simmered on the deathly white skin. Wiping away the tears James watched in utter hope as the black of the dark cupid was replaced with Lue’s original more risqué outfit, her hair returned to its natural colour and taking a deep breath James hoped against hope that she too would return. Then as the light began to fade James waited in anticipation but it wasn’t what he hoped for. Lue’s body disintegrated into hundreds of red and pink rose petals that quickly found a breeze and swirled into the country air leaving James to watch in both delight and despair. And then they were gone and so was the last of Lue. Sitting in the grass smeared in blood he sat silent, staring through the parting fog into the deep forest. He knew Anta was there within its grasps but her scream was so long ago now, she was surely dead and right now he couldn’t face the prospect of someone he met so little ago but loved so much dead in front of him. So he continued to sit in the cold, wet grass and stare blankly out wiping the odd tear away as they crawled slowly down his cheeks. The people of Hamlet would be soon getting up and going about their business, yet he was surprised no-one noticed the fires or even the bombs that went off. James was certain that as soon as a trickle of smoke hit the sky Mrs. Farrington would scurry along to the castle to ease the twitch of her nose, dragging the poor dog along dropping little beef strips for it to keep its strength up as they went. But alas there was no sign of anyone from the village, and now that the fires had quenched and the smoke all but hidden by the fog there was little doubt that anyone would venture up now. James liked that thought, no-one would be coming up here and he hoped the few remaining survivors in the castle wouldn’t be coming out anytime soon. He wanted to be alone; he needed to be alone as he had so many emotions to come to terms with that even the most well-intentioned interference could result in physical harm.

  The only thing about being engulfed in grief James thought was that it allowed the ignorance of guilt as he looked upon Warren’s body lying on the ground, the sword still firmly embedded within the torso. James actually left out a little laugh as the great beast of a man lay vanquished mere feet from him. James thought back to the first encounter at the bank and how easily Warren killed the poor woman in the vault and how close he came to killing him, squeezing every last ounce of air from his lungs.

  “Bet you never thought you’d end up like that, did you?” James said coldly to the corpse of his cousin. “The bigger they are the harder they fall”….. “Isn’t that right you big lump?” he added pushing out a leg to give a little kick. Warren barely moved, he seemed heavier now that he was dead. “See who died now? Not me, you” he laughed before lying down on the grass laughing deliriously. He didn’t know what he was laughing at and he knew it was entirely inappropriate but he just couldn’t stop, the giggles kept coming one after the other until his very sides ached. Even the early birds it seemed joined in on the laughter as their songs sounded more like the chuckles of a child than tunes. And then there was the scream. The laughter stopped, the birds stopped and James sat straight up. He wasn’t sure did he really hear a scream or was it his imagination, his grief teasing him with a sound of hope. Holding his breath and closing his eyes he concentrated hard, emptying his mind of everything but the sound of Anta. And then there was another scream, louder than the last and full of terror. Without even a moment’s thought he was up from the grass and running at a ferocious speed, his feet were barely touching the ground as he pounded through the grassy field toward the woods. Sadly for him with great speed comes great chances for accidents and as the fog had still not wholly disappeared James found himself hurling over a pile of stone crumbled in a heap in the grass. It was one of the stone soldiers from the basement of the castle, it had been blown to pieces, albeit large pieces. Shaking off the tumble he continued his sprint onwards and mere yards from the forest he spied a shard of purple light engulf the trees a
nd he stopped still. The veil was open.

  James took a deep breathe and rushed off again towards the source, the large stones that acted as the gateway to Nuvarin. A few hundred yards in he came to another stop, he was there and taking cover behind a cluster of tall bushes he peeked through. A shimmering purple light was getting stronger and stronger bouncing between the two large rocks; it was almost like it was sparking off them to get a larger explosion. Then there was Cerise standing close to the rocks watching them carefully, waiting impatiently for her chance to go through. Near her was a girl James hadn’t seen before, younger than Cerise but she looked similar to her. Forgetting about the two for a moment he scanned the floor for Anta but there was no sign. He couldn’t understand it, he was positive her scream came from here but she was nowhere to be seen.

  “Where is she?” James shouted as he emerged from the bushes.

  “Goodness you took your time, I’m afraid all the fun is over” Cerise replied with a snigger as the younger girl, moved closer to the rocks, putting Cerise between herself and James.

  “You do really have a talent for showing up just minutes after you’re heroics are needed. How’s Lue?” Cerise said aiming to spark the ignition of James’ anger. His face reddened and he took a few steps closer to the two, clenching his fists. Cerise smiled the other girl took her hand tightly.

  “Don’t worry; no harm is going to come of us at his hand. I won’t allow it” she said arrogantly, raising an eyebrow at the approaching warrior. Suddenly James eyes wandered from Cerise and his feet ceased to move. Tied with numerous ropes to one of the large stones was Anta, the purple light had been the main draw from afar. He rushed toward the stone, forgetting about the other two, and he slipped immediately on a massive pool of blood at the base. He knew that didn’t bode well and with his bare hands he ripped the ropes from her waist, shoulders and feet and she slumped free into his arms, leaving a trail of blood as she fell. Anta wasn’t breathing, she was cold to the touch and her face was just like Lue’s moments earlier. He held her tightly and kissed her forehead as tears began to gather in his eyes, he apologised over and over again whispering in her ear.

  “How did she scream?” he asked out of the blue. It was apparent that she had been dead for a while, longer than the scream moments earlier. Cerise started to laugh loudly and then the laugh turned into a scream, Anta’s scream. Then she stopped and stared at James and smiled.

  “It’s not only the body I copy…..what a waste it would have been, all this work and me not getting to see your priceless reaction” she replied, clearly revelling in the pain she caused. Infuriated James got to his feet, still with Anta in his arms, and he took a step towards the two. The meeker girl became evidently frightened and clenched Cerise’s hand tighter.

  “You will pay for this” he warned yet unable to do anything as he was slow to put down Anta.

  “Well seeing as you’re the after-Malyn, I’m sure you’ll be around moments after my demise” she retorted without an ounce of fear. Hatred coupled with a severe thirst for vengeance found James carefully placing Anta on the ground and moving towards the two girls, his intentions perfectly clear. Just mere metres from the pair an explosion of purple light blinded him momentarily and when it subsided they were gone, unmistakably through the veil. He looked at the bright light and he every fibre of his being was telling him to follow, not only for vengeance but for home. A rustling in the bushes behind him drew him away from the veil and he turned to see his grandmother, Valonia, basking in the glow of purple light, her hands a sickly red as was her dress.

  “You’re hurt?” James said with a voice vacant of any emotion.

  “No, it’s not mine” she replied taking a few steps closer. “Your blood?” she added as James too was covered in the substance. He didn’t answer but just looked in the direction of Anta and again took comfort on the floor, burying his head in his hands. He was defeated, there was no more fight in him, there was nothing more to fight for. “Oh my poor lad” Valonia said taking a seat next to him on the ground, though it took her longer for get there. Wrapping her arms around him she glanced over at the lifeless Doppelganger and a lump appeared in her throat. She knew Cerise had accomplished what she had set out to do; now the future for Pastorious and Nuvarin was going to be anything but peaceful. So through her love as a grandmother she continued to hold her grandson, rubbing his blonde hair unearthing the single white streak in the process, yet her role as the former Queen Consort she had an intense love for her city, her people, her world. While James remained still and almost death like in her arms her mind started to plot and scheme for the safety of Nuvarin. Gently rocking James back and forth as the emotions started to surface and the tears and wails followed she mouthed silently a list of enemies that would have to be quashed, allies that needed to be tested and acquaintances that would need to become friends. But there was nothing she could do sitting in a forest in England a couple of miles from Hamlet, she needed to go home and not alone, she needed a warrior to fight this battle. “James, James can I ask you something?” she said lifting his head up and wiping away a few tears. “Was Cerise alone?” James shook his head, he doubt he could ever forget the sight of the two. “Was there a young girl with her?” James nodded. “And did she look like Cerise, almost like a sister?”

  “Ya, they could have been sisters. Why?”

  “Oh my dear boy all is not lost, we must go to Nuvarin, right now” she said smiling before releasing James from her embrace and awkwardly trying to get up from the ground.

  “I’m not going there” he snapped standing up and looking at the diminishing purple light.

  “You have to” Valonia replied, still on all fours trying to get the right balance to get back on to two feet.

  “I don’t want to do anything anymore, even breathe” he retorted, clearly the words of someone in utter despair at the world.

  “Being so dramatic doesn’t become someone like you James” she said from the floor, there was nothing sturdy to help her up.

  “Someone like me?”

  “A warrior!! Now are you going to help me up or am I going to have crawl through the veil?” she said sharply and James promptly aided her to her feet. “About bloody time, now grab Anta and let’s go” Valonia said as she dusted off her clothes and began the small ascent.

  “I’m not going” he shouted….”wait why do you want Anta?” he added, quieter.

  “According to the legend, three Red sisters will be born and each will be bestowed with a gift so mighty they shall be revered as Gods. The oldest will have the ability to mimic anyone, the middle sister will be able to see the future clearer than any Oracle and the last would possess the greatest gift of them all, life. She is a ressurectionist” Valonia explained. The only word James heard was ressurectionist; someone could bring people back to life. His heart skipped a beat as his mind momentarily allowed a glimpse of Anta standing, smiling, and living.

  From only a couple of days old he had called Hamlet his home, it was where his life was, where some of his best memories were carved but also some of the worst too. It was where Jack and Miriam were to marry soon and where the bullies were, but it also had his mom’s resting place. “Well James?” she said standing close to the veil. The one thing now that Hamlet didn’t have was hope, James could see no hope for anything, especially for him. He had no clue what was beyond the veil but he knew it couldn’t be worse than what was waiting for him if he simply turned back and returned to the castle with a dead Anta. He owed her the chance to live again and so with his mind quickly made and afraid he would change it just as quick he carefully lifted Anta from the ground and joined his grandmother at the edge of the veil. “You’re doing the right thing James, she can live again and so can you” Valonia whispered as she placed her hand on his back and slowly the three passed through the veil.

 

  THE END

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