27. Light

Brooke faces the real murderer of Princes Catalina. That night he won the battle, today she will finish the war.

“It appears to be a slave camp, well a decimated slave camp,” said Athena matter-of-factly; breaking the silence and snapping Brooke back to consciousness. She shook her head and fixed herself up, wiping her mouth clean.

Brooke’s stomach was queasy and disturbed. Bodies lay scattered on the ground torn apart from headless necks to open abdomens. Arms and limbs hung from the trees. The blood displayed a messy scene, splattered across abandoned, deflated tents. It spread across the burnt out campfire and lead a red and green trail. Brooke’s eyes widened when she noticed a familiar face. The servant woman’s closed, tear-stained head lay before Brooke, and she wanted to cry. Who did this? Brooke crouched to the woman’s head and felt an inner sorrow for her. She gave birth to a precious baby boy and she will never have the chance to hold him again. She looked around and observed the fashion in which the elves were slain. Maybe Brooke was not seeing right or reading too much into it, but they reminded her of Princess Catalina.

Brooke jumped to her feet when a terrible screech echoed through the forest and it sounded like nails chafing against a blackboard. She searched frantically for the source, covering her ears. Athena grabbed Brooke by the collar of her jumpsuit and moved her out of the way. Something flashed beside them. Brooke’s heart raced and her blood went restless. What was that? A creature of the Wilderness? She prepared her sword for it. The screeching continued and Brooke’s ears started to hurt. It stopped and the thing flashed past her again. She backed against Athena like a frightened child.

Brooke swallowed and her eyes scanned the camp. She looked past Athena and saw the creature. It appeared human, messy and covered in red and green blood. Crouching over one of the dead elves, it dipped its fingers into his abdomen and licked the blood as if licking crumbs from its nails. It opened its mouth showing sharp, stained teeth and dipped its lips into the elf’s abdomen. It made a disgusting slurping sound and it grunted as it fed. It tore a part of the flesh and Brooke heaved. She covered her mouth and her body shook in horror. The thing looked up and met eyes with Brooke. She lifted her sword, but it only smiled at her, its lips stretching all across his familiar young face. She didn’t want to believe it, wishing to throw the thought, the memory in the back of her skull. Was it really Dorian? How? How was that possible? Last, they saw of him, he destroyed the circus and he looked nothing like this.

 Whatever or whoever that thing was dipped two fingers into the elf’s blood and pointed it at her. It dawned on Brooke that the gesture said a statement. He, Dorian, the man that stopped by the sword shack with the cute anymalis, killed the youngest princess of Alagracia! Rage filtered through Brooke’s body. The real murderer, the real killer of the kingdom’s beloved princess and she had taken his punishment. She felt the desire to kill, to slaughter, to destroy him like he destroyed half of her life.

Dorian flashed past Brooke before she had a chance to strike him and escaped into the trees hopping from branch to branch. Meredith! She wasn’t safe out there. Once again, she scolded herself. Why did she care so much about her? Then, Brooke felt it and she hated the feeling. She owed Meredith this much. She failed to protect her sister and she didn’t want to fail to protect this one. Alagracia needed Meredith. And Yoko, he deserved life. Brooke hopped on Athena. “Guide me to Meredith!” she exclaimed.

Athena galloped through the forest and Brooke hoped she could reach Meredith in time. Her fear of the Wilderness had not waned, but courage fueled her to continue on to find Meredith and Yoko. Darkness crashed on them and Brooke had to rely on the luminosity of Athena’s brilliant white coat. She stopped and Brooke climbed down. She peered through a wall of bushes and saw Meredith in the middle of a clearing. Winds that were passive now flew in resolute streams as they graced through Meredith’s hair. She had her eyes closed and her hands clasped together set in front of her chest. What was she doing? Where was Yoko? 

Four orcs appeared, set at four different directions. They snickered and simpered as they crept towards the vulnerable princess. What did she think she was doing? Brooke readied herself to draw her sword, until she saw Meredith move.

The orcs charged at her and Meredith quickly took a stance, fists up with one leg back and one leg eager to charge. One orc reached to grab her with both arms. Meredith ducked, punched him in the jaw, and kicked him in the stomach. She elbowed the orc behind her in the nose, rotated on her rooted leg, kicked him in the knee, and then the face. Another orc attempted to slap her, but she grabbed his wrist, twisted it, and then his arm. She struck him below the left breast and kicked him out of the way. The final one took a stance himself, flexing his muscles around, attempting to prop fear into her. Meredith’s eyes remained fierce and concentrated. The final orc charged at her, lifting his leg to kick. She blocked it, grabbed his foot, and twirled him around. She kicked him in the side as he groaned in pain and she smirked in victory. Suddenly, an orc grabbed her. Brooke rose, but Athena stopped her. Brooke gave her a questioning look. She tipped her nose in an action that hinted for her to keep watching.

The orc squeezed her and she yelped. The three orcs ganged up on her. Meredith knocked her head back against the orc holding her. He loosened his grip. She elbowed him in the stomach, lifted her leg to kick him in the head, but he caught it and spun her backwards. She skidded against the ground and she rolled onto her knees. The four orcs cornered her, but she did not shiver, nor accept defeat. She stood and stepped back into her first stance, only she had her fists open. Two orcs went forward. She blocked both their hits, but they kicked her down. She quickly jumped back onto her feet. Bending down without folding her left knee, she prepared for them. One orc attempted to sweep kick her. She leaped out of the way, rolling to the opposite part of the clearing. She flipped and brought her heel down on one orc. She then punched and kicked the next one to the right. She ran to the opposite part of the clearing. The orcs charged for her and she managed to hit them all in one kick, knocking them down like dominos. The orcs exchanged glances. A bright light covered Meredith’s body and her violet irises disappeared to white. The winds became violent. The orcs began yelping and begging for mercy. They scrambled and fled. Brooke smirked. So, a princess that knows how to kick a*s, she mused.

The light vanished and Meredith laughed. She turned to a part of the forest and said, “It’s safe now.” Brooke suppressed a gasp when she saw the familiar anymalis holding Yoko. “What did you say your name was?”

“My name is Ellis.” This was unbelievable. Meredith took Yoko and the anymalis blushed. “You sure are a strong elf,” she complemented.

“Thank you.” Meredith cradled Yoko. “So where you headed to?”

“Somewhere out of this Wilderness; there’s a cannibal being roaming in these trees.” Ellis shuddered and she glanced around nervously. “I heard that a slave camp was destroyed and the inhabitants eaten inside out.” Meredith grimaced, turning to the anymalis.

 “Perhaps it was the same person who killed your younger sister.” Meredith frowned as she clenched her fingers into fists. “I heard the monstrosity of the crime, how she cut her open from her heart-”

“If you don’t mind I don’t want to recall it.” Meredith looked down at Yoko and smiled. “I am happy to get you away from her.”

Brooke had enough. She stood and revealed herself. Ellis and Meredith cowered before her, but of course, Meredith didn’t show it. She gave Yoko to Ellis and she looked ready to attack. Brooke raised her hands. “Listen, Princess, she’s lying to you to set me up.”

Ellis cocked her head to the side, her whiskers twittering across her face. “I have not told any lie.”

“But you’re influencing her, stop it!” demanded Brooke as she stepped forward. Ellis cowered and hid behind Meredith, clinging onto the cloth of her dress. Brooke knew the game she was playing, and hoped Meredith wouldn’t buy it. Judging by how things seemed, she probably will. Brooke shook her head. “I have no blood on me.”

Ellis tip toed to Meredith’s ear and whispered, “Can you really trust her?” Brooke saw the change in the anymalis’s eyes. A shift from innocent to devious. Her voice darkened as well. “After all, she killed your precious sister.”

“Stop this madness at once!” exclaimed Athena, growling at the anymalis’s trickery.

“Silence!” Meredith appeared angry and the bright light returned, circulating her body. “I will avenge my sister!”

Suddenly, Meredith’s body broke out into wild spasms and she crouched to the ground, releasing that terrible scream of agony. This was Brooke’s chance! She ran over to the princess and knocked her out using the edge of her sheath. Yoko cried and Brooke returned her attention to the anymalis. She tried to back away and escape with Yoko. Brooke unsheathed her sword, but before she made her way to the anymalis, Athena attacked her. The anymalis hissed and the cats tussled until Ellis dropped Yoko. Brooke reacted quickly and grabbed him before he hit the ground. “Athena!” Brooke called. Then, she heard the terrible screeching and she feared Dorian would attack them. Brooke shifted the weight of Meredith onto her. She carried both Meredith and Yoko, doubting that she would get far. She’d have to use her sword soon and she knew it, but for now, she would continue like this. She hoped Athena would catch up with them.

After what seemed like thirty minutes of traveling this way, Brooke dropped the princess and kneeled. She was tired and she didn’t know where she was going. Dorian jumped from the branches and landed in front of her. His face portrayed a bloody smile and Brooke reached for her sword, drawing it as she sat on the ground. Dorian chuckled. “Last I saw you like that, you were choking.”

Brooke narrowed her eyes at him. Everything about that dreaded night flashed through her mind and she filtered with rage. Hate for him because he caused her suffering. She wanted to charge at him, but she couldn’t leave the princess alone. She didn’t know what to do, so she waited. Yoko began to cry and Brooke had no time to hush him, carefully watching Dorian as he made his way towards them. “You remember me well, don’t you, Keeper?”

Brooke said nothing, her hands shaking. No, why was she shaking? She can’t let him know she was afraid. Dorian appeared sane and unlike the creature that ate from the elf, despite the obvious evidence of blood. What was he? He wasn’t an elf for sure, nor a giant nor mixed with some kind of animal. He wasn’t ugly like the orcs, the blue-skinned creatures, or the elfin thieves. “You remember me on the night that I thrust my sword into the heart of the princess as it beat peacefully, undisturbed and the princess awake with terror in her eyes, pain, shock, the muffled gasp as before I sent her into eternal slumber.” He pronounced each word and each word re-told the story. It replayed in her mind and she closed her eyes, hoping all of this would go away. “Then, I tore apart her flesh, opening her stomach and oh, how I wanted to feast, but I had no time to.” Dorian took large, slow strides. “But now, I have all the time in the world and that, slave camp didn’t satisfy me much.”

Brooke sat in his shadow. He crouched to her level and she flinched. What was she doing? Attack! She swung her sword, but he stopped the blade. He chuckled and bit the wrist that wielded it. Brooke screamed and watched his eyes disappear. His teeth deepened within it.

Meredith’s body glowed and she shoved a glimmering blast of light at him. He groaned and cowered before it. He flew back into darkness, screeching and dropping the sword. Meredith breathed heavily as she positioned herself to sit on her knees. Brooke stared absently at her bleeding wrist. Meredith stood despite her trembling. Brooke grabbed the sword and felt the intensity of her injured wrist. She didn’t care. That night he won the battle; today Brooke will finish the war. 

 

Author's Note

Dear Reader,

I hope you felt intensity of the mood and hope you enjoyed Meredith's ability to fight using her fists. I thought it would add twist to her.

Thanks for reading!

Sincerely JazzSoulKeke,

God bless