Mia
For fucks sake, Madness. I thought to myself. She jumped out before I even had a chance to catch her.
I held my breath as the smoky haze clouded my vision and suffocated me. I need to figure out a way to dodge the witch's next attacks before the smoke becomes too much to handle.
Moving through the smoke, I kept my hand on the rough stone wall, trailing around the edge of the area.
Holding the silver knife in the other hand, I felt the outline of a familiar symbol. The triangle. I took a quick glance to the wall in realization as something clicked to me.
It seems each attack leaves behind those markings. The same ones we found near Kristen. And the same ones they found in the garden during the witch's last attempt on me.
A growl tore out of my chest as Madness rippled with fury at the memory. She intended to kill this witch, here and now. But there was a significant problem with that.
I'll admit, Madness is a great fighter. But Madness the more Madness takes over, the likelier we are to shift.
And in order to kill the witch, we're going to need the silver knives.
Madness shakes in rages and I struggle to tell whether she's in agreement or not.
Let's face it. I tell her. You're amazing in wolf form, but you're too clumsy in human form. Trust me, we'll take her down. But I need to stay in charge.
I feel Madness, tense with rage, settle at the surface. At the same time, we spot the witch near a table lied with books and other strange objects. Picking one up, she chants a few words before tearing out a page.
The paper erupts in flames as we advance behind her, ready to attack. The witch turns abruptly and a colossal wave of fire grows out the palm of her hand, taking a snake like form.
Shit.
I stumble back at the sight of the enormous creature as it twists and grows, illuminating the room in another purple glow as it spirals outward.
Madness shakes inside, and I take the signal as my sign to move. I move back as the witch calls out for the snake to attack.
And it does.
Right in my damn direction.
The creature flows sharply, slamming into the thick rock as I narrowly avoid the collision.
Purple flames lick across my skin as the snake bursts and then reforms just as quickly. The heat causes me to break out in sweat as I brace myself.
The snake moves faster than I can dodge it and I scream at the shearing pain when the snake manages to land a blow on my left side.
Merida's growl booms from across the space, but I can no longer tell where she is.
The snake comes again and this time, I act on instinct. I pull myself together, drawing on Madness's strength, and I decide to play bait.
Making a full sprint, to another wall. I wait for the snake to come, readying myself to attack.
"Just one hit." I tell myself quietly. Moving from one foot to another in anticipation.
"Come on, bitch." I yell. The snake roars as its flaming mouth opens, rushing to attack me again.
I meet it halfway, dodging as I roll underneath the beast to my real target.
Just one hit.
Just one.
I sprint towards the witch using the smoke as my protection. She gasps as she pulls the snake back in a futile attempt to shield herself. But she's already too late.
Just. One. Hit.
Closing the distance, I bring the knife slanted downward with two hands. Using all the force I could, I rammed the blade into her side and sliced into her flesh, twisting the blade before releasing.
The flaming snake died out immediately.
The witch screamed in agony as the blade broke into ribcage. "You....you.." She shouted.
Before I could take a step back, Madness took control and ripped another knife out of the holster.
As the witch drew a hand up to block it, the knife went clean into her palm as she screamed an enchantment. Before either of us could do anything else, we flew back hard against the cave wall.
I heard a loud crack as we collided with the jagged stone. A bright white light burst into my vision as I felt my body give out.
"Impossible." I heard the witch's voice laced with pain. "Darkness.... but I...how could I have been wrong-"
Sounds mixed into each other I as felt myself slip into unconsciousness. Merida's deadly growls. The witch's pleas, and then her distraught screams.
And...in the midst of it all, a man's youthful humorous laugh.
As the screams morphed into gut turning chokes, I start to feel the weightless lull as my body slips into an unfamiliar yet calming state.
Is this death? I ask myself, expecting to finally see the gates of heaven.
But all I see is darkness. And the distant beating of a drum.
Child, someone calls, reach within yourself. We will guide you through your healing.
Who are you? I think.
But there is a price. They continue, as I begin to recognize the voices.
What price?
If there's a price, then I will pay it. As I have done once before. A familiar deep voice breaks into the void.
Mutters flow around the room as the voices begin to contemplate before reaching an agreement.
Very well, shaman. One voice said. We will leave the manner of your price to Ṣàngó.
Wait. I wanted to call. But no sound came out. It didn't matter who this person was. I didn't want a stranger paying a price for my own healing.
Ha, prices for power. How pathetic can you be, shaman. That youthful laugh from before shakes something inside the darkness, causing the other voices to curse. If you would like, I can help her. She did play a part in saving my sister after all.
Get away from her, Darkness. The deep voice said.
I was only going to help. My sister will be quite upset if dies. The voice of the young man mocked.
I'm more than capable of healing my own daughter, Darkness. Now leave! The voice gets louder and I begin to slowly piece together the tone.
Dad?
Wake up, child. That same voice, one that I haven't heard in nearly eight years, beckons. My body shakes with grief as I begin to clearly hear the voice of my father.
"Mia." He calls again. Open your eyes. There's still much to be done.
"Mia." A man calls out to me, as a pair of strong arms come around me.
"Dad." I whisper, dazed.
"Mia... I'm here." He stumbles but his voice sounds slightly different. "We're here."
You have to wake up.
I crane my eyes open slowly as multiple faded figures linger over me, but I slam my eyes shut in pain immediately after.
Even through the smoke and haze, I can sense one of them as Melody.
"I smell a witch." Ma growls in frustration. "But I don't see her."
Melody huffs as I sense her move closer to me.
"She's gone," a man says from a distance. "Must have escaped."
"There's too much blood. She won't get far." Ma says as Melody growls in agreement.
My eyes creeped open again as she crept closer, her stark white wolf form clarified the strong smell of blood. Although, as her body comes into view, something inside me churns.
Horror. Is the only word to describe the feeling in my chest at the sight of Melody's red stained coat. From her snout to her claws to the drips of liquid slowly falling off the tips of her fur.
She was drenched in the blood of the witch.
As Melody relinquished control back to Merida, and the shift took hold, the creeping realization of the reality of the witch's near death brought shocking relief into me.
Merida managed to break out of the cage. I thought with unfathomable gratitude.
As the voices, both inside and out, began to fade, I fell with a heavy weight against the arms that carried me.
ns 15.158.61.48da2
