Not What It Seems

A harsh hand gripped my arm, and my wrists were bound together with a rope that rubbed my skin raw. I was gagged and dragged through the last part of the forest. Suddenly, I felt a change in temperature as things got significantly hotter and the magical feeling of the forest was replaced with dark corrupted magic. We were in Diab.

My feet stumbled as Vudu continued to treat me harshly and pulled me further into the realm of the Devil. Cries of anguish mixed with cheerful chants of success as more demons surrounded us. They reached for me and grabbed at me. Their fingers felt like they burned my skin.

Soon, I was tossed to the ground, and I let out a painful yelp. The crowd went silent, and a booming voice filled the room.

“Rejoice, my friends. For Vudu has brought me a Pure Soul!” Xegon, I could only guess, was rallying his forces.

A cry went out from the millions of demons in Diab as they celebrated them soon to be free leader. In the entire celebration, I tried to find Vudu. I moved over to the side he was on and felt with my bound hands. Soon, my hands met his boots and I tilted my head to face him. With one shake of his leg, he threw me off again.

“Take this girl to the dungeons.” Xegon demanded. “We must hold her for the New Moon. Once the world is completely darkened from Romos’s light, we will be free, and we will take over!”

New hands grabbed my arms and began to drag me away. I kicked and screamed, but I couldn’t get loose. I was trapped and was being taken away from the only person I considered friend. As I was taken to the cells, my mind filled with questions. My chest filled with betrayal. Was this whole thing just part of Vudu’s plan to bring back a pure soul? Did I really mean nothing to him? Was I nothing more than just a too?

No, I thought, though my heart ached. He asked me to trust him. And I am going to do just that. I just have to wait.

Soon enough, I was thrown into a new area and a loud crash of metal sounded behind me. The sound continued as a key turned and locked the door, and I was left alone in the darkness. Though the area was physically warmer than expected, the floor felt cold and cruel. I never had felt more alone in my life. Curling up, I waited for Vudu to return. I hoped and waited.

I don’t know how long it had been. I couldn’t tell if it had been days, hours, or minutes. I just knew that I had been there in silence for a while. Lying on the ground, I tried to rest. I tried to keep my mind occupied. I tried to stay optimistic. It was hard.

Voices began to filter into the area. I pushed myself up to a sitting position and listened closely. Hope filled my chest. Was it Vudu? Did he keep his promise? I had to wait until I could hear more closely.

“I want to be left alone with her.” One commanded. “She won’t cooperate if she is surrounded by demons. I’ll give her the antidote, so she is ready for the new moon.”

Crawling over towards the sound, my hands met the cold metal of the bars holding me in. It was awkward to move at this time. My hands were still bound together, and I wasn’t able to pull off the gag yet. The knot was tied tightly, and the rope burned against my skin. But my hope lifted to new heights as I recognized Vudu’s voice giving the demands.

“She will be able to sense anyone close by, and she won’t cooperate,” he continued. “Give us some space, and at least an hour. I need to make sure the antidote works.”

Footsteps sounded in front of me and came to a stop. I leaned against the metal bars and remained unmoving. Vudu did something, because several more footsteps sounded and became distant after a while. Once they were out of hearing range, the metal door squeaked open and clanked shut with a harsh sound. I remained unmoving as the demon stepping towards me got closer. Soon, they were right next to me. Was it Vudu? I wasn’t completely certain.

I felt something brush my arm, and I flinched. The touch was gone in an instant. I had never been more afraid in my life. So much uncertainty filled my being during this whole thing. I didn’t know if Vudu was there for me, or if it was someone else acting like him. Fear of death filled my chest, and though I prayed to Romos for sanctuary from this whole ordeal, I doubted.

Gentle warmth. I knew that touch. A kind hand rested on my cheek, and I knew. It was Vudu. I followed his touch away from the bars and leaned closer to him and into him. Using his hand to have my face tilt in the way that was most beneficial to him, I felt cooling wetness hit my eyes. The liquid caused me to blink but it soothed a lingering pain from the poison.

After applying the antidote, Vudu’s hand moved away from my cheek and I felt them go to my hands. Soon, the harsh bindings around my wrists fell and his fingers began to rub the areas that were most irritated. The next thing he removed was my gag, and his fingers tried to sooth the red parts of my mouth. Though the pain still lingered, just having him there eased any discomfort I was having at the time.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered.

Knowing he was trying his best to hide his plan. I kept my voice hushed too. “It’s okay, Vudu. I understand.”

His hand rested on my cheek, and his thumb pulled down my eyelid to be able to observe the effects of the antidote. “I still hated doing that. Ripper would have had an army against me if I didn’t act like that. It was the only plan I could think of that would have gotten us even close to getting this antidote. I don’t think I will be able to forgive myself for the pain and bruises I caused you.”

My hand met his. “But you should know that I forgive you. I trust you. And I held on because I knew that you would follow through.”

He pulled me closer and wrapped his arms around me. “I can’t get you out just yet. We need to first make sure the antidote takes. Your vision should return soon.”

“I’m surprised that Ripper and Xegon let you give me the antidote.” I replied as I leaned into him.

“They had no choice.” Vudu said as he shifted me around, so my back rested against his chest. “Xegon cannot devour a pure soul with the poison in them. It’s equivalent to him eating a corrupted soul. So, it would be for naught.”

“Lucky me.” I responded.

His chin rested against my head. “We have until the new moon, which is a few days. I’ll find a way out and get you to freedom before then.”

“Why can’t he eat my soul before the new moon?” I asked as I notice that my vision allowed for shapes and shadows to take place instead of darkness.

“Xegon needs the world to be absent of Romos’s light. The Sun and Moon are Romos’s light. Some people would argue that the stars are as well. But they don’t give as much light to the world as the other two.” He explained. “Having a world in darkness makes it so that Xegon has more power. Sure, he can devour a pure soul before the new moon, but he won’t be able to break through Diab with Romos’s light. And the power a pure soul give to him doesn’t last that long. It only allows him to be able to escape, then his war on heaven begins.”

I was silent. The thought of Xegon escaping scared me. I was worried for more than my own life. I was worried about my friends. I was worried about the Kingdom. I was worried for all the people of the world. Would this war, if it were to start, cause chaos on the world as Xegon fought for control and Romos defended his creations? Worry filled my chest and I closed my eyes to try to banish the thought.

Vudu’s hand grabbed mine and gave it a small squeeze. “I won’t let that happen. With you gone, his plans are shot. But you will probably need to disappear after you are free. Maybe Lady Zaria would be able to give you a potion that could change your appearance. Now that demons know you are out there, they will keep looking for you. I’m not certain you will be able to return to Laencaster.”

When I opened my eyes once more, I could see the world clearly. The black and red rocks that made the cell. The dark metal bars that kept me a prisoner. Vudu’s hand, his thumb circling around the back of mine. An immense amount of joy filled my heart and I turned so I could see his face. How I had missed seeing his inversed white eyes. I missed the skull design on his face. I everything about him.

When he saw that I was making eye contact with him, he knew. A smile came to his face and he pressed his forehead against mine. I thought about what he had said. Being able to return home? I wanted that, but right then, we had a bigger worry than just what would happen after we got out. We first had to figure out how we could get out.

“We’ll figure it out.” I responded. “Once we get out of here, we will figure out what to do next.”