Burial of hearts the black widow's malice (18 page)

There was an enormous explosion
in the prison, stonework flew in all directions, landing on a few unfortunate
souls as they ran. Flames were now erupting from every window I could see; the
guards were overpowered and the few remaining in that area were quickly slain.
The watchtowers were pulled down by the prisoners to the dismay of those stood
atop, yelling as they fell.

It was time to go. The prisoners
were streaming down into the streets past me. I made my way to Camerine’s
house, I was not sure what his wife would make of me coming at this late hour,
but at least she would know that, I had left with a promise that he would be
released.

I knocked on the door, louder
than I should have really, but soon the city would be full of noise anyway, so
I did not see any issue.

“Avis, what in God’s name are you
doing here at this time of the night, some of us have to sleep you know”.

“I have the book and Camerine is
going to be out of prison soon”. I said while I handed her over the book, her
eyes now giving a less formidable look.

She opened the door for me, the
elder I had spoken to before was awake, examining an artefact that he had found
recently.

“So you managed to get the book I
see and how did you go about that? I was somehow expecting an all but certain
failure from you”.

“I released the prisoners from…
”.

“Ok, I am not going to let you
finish that sentence, this is the last time I am going to talk to you because
of your sheer foolishness. I will be keeping this and you can
go
”.

“Excuse me? I think you will find
we had an agreement; the book for the vessel? Now I have given you the book, I
would
expect
you
to hold up your end of the agreement”.

“Well
actually
Avis, I
think you will find that I did not agree to the proposition, I merely said I
would consider it and now you have let chaos run throughout our streets; which
will no doubt cause us
more
trouble”.

I was led out of the house, back
onto the street; the slamming of the door was clear to hear. Very well, I
thought to myself, I will do this by myself, there must be another way to get
to this
blasted
amulet.

I walked back to the edge of the
centre of the city; now in disarray, people were smashing the windows of both homes
and shops, looting all that they could find. Wizards cast forth magick upon the
city, causing immense flames to roll upon the streets, like tumbleweed does the
fields, setting fire to all houses that they touched; whether rich or poor,
everywhere it moved was set ablaze.

Among the townsfolk running
around, women often passed by, clutching onto their babies as they made their
way out of the city.

Guards began to trickle down into
the centre of the city where most of the commotion was taking place. Even
individuals who had not been in the prison were involving themselves; tying up
the guards and beating them without any remorse.

Fredrom came running out of the
slaughterhouse his hands cupped between his legs, chasing after a very lively
hog, whom must have been scared by all the shouting. It ran rather fast for
such a small animal and Fredrom tried to keep up, but was met with a saucepan
upon his face, as a protective mother thought she was to be attacked.

The medicine man that had treated
Camerine’s mother walked down the street away from his shop, which by now was
most likely burning as well as the others. He looked to where a troop of ten
guards were marching down; barging past him without an apology, he felt it was
about time to give them an ample slice of reprisal. Opening up one of the jars
that he stored within his shop, he took a handful of an emerald green dust and
blew it over the guards; in an instant their bodies were transformed, shrinking
to a size even a dwarf would merrily look down upon. They squealed. Their
voices now more like that of a mouse, running as their swords and daggers fell
down around them.

“It was her, that
woman
freed them”. Bellowed the guard that had jumped out of the prison window, his
face now bruised from the fall. He was stood there pointing over at me, while
Hecate peered, yearning for my blood.

“You
thoughtless
woman,
look at what you have done”.

Her body moved towards me as
though time had lapsed, leaving trails as she came before me.

Around me, poisonous plants caressed
each other as they rose up from the gaps in the ground; flowers of beauty,
tainted by nature's sting blossomed forth, reaching out to touch my skin.

“I kindly took you into my home
and provided you with a suitable job for your skills and this is how you return
my
kind
gesture? By transforming the city into chaos. Well that
my
dear
, will be the last misfortune you will achieve”.

She reached out for me; I backed
away, her face showing irritation, she grasped out for me again, but I again
took a step back, leaping myself over the plants that surrounded me, brushing
the soles of my shoes upon them; the touching of which scorched at the tough
leather soles.

“Do not be foolish Avis”. Hecate
said as she slowly paced towards me.

I stepped back, then looking behind
me I ran. Her laugh rose up from the clamour of noise that surrounded us.

“Do not think you can escape me;
I am most powerful and all who seek refuge from suffering will do my bidding”.

She instructed the guards to
block the exit out of the city.

“See Avis, you have but no hope
left now”.

A gliding swirl of lightning
struck down upon the feet of Hecate, knocking her inelegantly across the
ground.

“I hear you say you are most
powerful, if that is so, perhaps you could be as kind to show me?
”.

The sorcerer whom was destined to
be encaged had now escaped, in part thanks to my actions. At his command, the
trees that lay outside the walls of the city were given true life, the gift of
consciousness. They smashed through the walls of the city, smiting every guard
that sought to stop them. Hecate stooped as they swung for her, igniting the
roots they used to walk, so they became raging fires that crashed and burned
into the homes and shops of the city folk.

Now enraged her teeth became as
fires passion, as she sought out the power of the evening's moon. Her hands
outreached, she drew a sign upon the air; as she did the movements that she
made cut an outline of a symbol deep upon the ground. All around us became
surrounded, as if the sky had been forced to bow down before us. Small spheres
of light rose up from the symbol into the air, joining as one in a medley of
abominations, snatched from the womb of death. A creature arose, the body of
which was lavished with the jewels of an ungodly hoard; holding onto a sword
curved almost as a scythe, it swept towards the sorcerer who stood defiantly
below, his gaze motionless at the sight of such horrendous wonders.

“Hecate, is this all but your
power allows?
”.

The focus now placed sternly upon
him, her body seemed to motion the creature in every action it took, grasping
upon the sorcerer, it thundered thirsts bitter in envy, that he was permitted
to bypass the demise she sought for him.

Around us men and women ran
amongst each other; their possessions loosely held, falling without regret. The
screams in the darkness held true to a distorted nightmare, where even the
righteous hid, cowering.

As they sought to prove the other
wrong, I slid from amongst the vicious chaos and began to run; In seeing me
Hecate cast out the most dreadful creature; one which had notable similarities
with that of a dog, but the body of which was twisted, the flesh turned in
ways, as if the skin had become unfurled.

As fast as my legs could run, is
the pace I chose. Up past all classes of homes, often becoming a victim of a
snarling bite upon my legs, then striking the creature with whatever formidable
object(s) that lay in waiting.

I leapt up the wall of Hecate’s
home and tried to pull myself over; the creature, mastered by Hecate, reached
for me, ripping out flesh from upon my leg. Howling in agony, I reached for the
dagger that I had bought; slicing at the fangs that threatened me, I managed to
fight it off, enough so that it gave me a chance to pull myself over, dropping
down, falling upon the leg that had been carved by ruthlessness.

Catching my breath, I looked up
to the creature, now trying to rip away at the metal gates that held it back
from me.

Through all the roaring, I began
to hear a new noise, that of rustling robed by hissing. Turning, my eyes were
met by the sight of a snake coming from out of the darkness. Extended up, it
grimly revealed fangs, enormous in size, dripping spitefully with venom.

We were frozen in time, waiting
for the other to take movement as their choice, our eyes passing unfelt blows,
locked in a battle of supremacy. With a proud hiss, swept in fevers, it
slithered to me, striking in an untoward manner; I clutched atop of the
creature, my eyes showing no mercy, I cut at the tough outer skin, watching
with spearheaded anger as I it took the creature’s life.

“That was easy”. I said to
myself.

Without any sense of a warning,
as if a storm approaching without a cloud to carry it, Hecate cast forth magick
so powerful, that I could see in my final moment, the front of her home
collapsing affront of me; and then there was all but darkness around me.

I lay silent, in the midst of
nowhere, just as I had when I began; looking for somewhere I could not see and
anywhere I did not know. The sounds that haunted me before, were no longer
playing their sinful tune, nothing but emptiness.

Where am I? Am I alive? I did not
know what to think. Then I heard the murmuring of my name.

“Avis”. Someone or something
said, repeatedly.

I gazed around, but in a
featureless place, was I looking up or down, forward or back; the stars, cold
as they may be in the night sky, they did not even reveal themselves unto me.

“Avis, Avis, Avis, Avis”.

“Who is there?
”.
I cried out.

I felt a warm touch upon my
shoulder. It was somehow familiar; a man’s hand, strong but caring.

I turned, my face in disbelief, a
finger touched my lips gently; in a whispered voice he spoke.

“My darling, do not speak, for
they may hear you”.

He held his arms around me from
aback. I relished his touch.

“I
love
you Alexander”. Were
the words that I wished to say to him; somehow I knew that he felt them, as he
wiped away my tears.

Through him, I could see around
me, the light glorious upon his tender face. Those lips as a compass, guiding
me into his soul and his eyes, torn from heaven asunder. I felt the burst of
joy within me; his arms so muscular, they protected me and now they are
comforting me.

“I will guide you”. He said as he
placed his hand within mine, gently stroking my palm with one finger, as he
always used to.

I felt his power grow within me,
embracing my being; the world around me rose from the darkness, now absent from
the darkened veil, revealing what was before.

It was as if I was within myself,
but also gazing down upon myself.

I stood from wherein I fell. My body
plagued with pain, unspeakable by the tongue of man. I shouted over to Hecate
as she was walking away:

“You will
not
silence me”.

Hecate turning, her face changed
from shock to anger. My eyes frosted, I felt the bitter stench of hatred curled
up in the fist of Hecate. We ran towards each other, our paths not faltering; I
leapt upon her, my hands burning slowly upon her flesh, causing them to weep
blood, rich in terror.

 “Avis, you know, you will
not defeat me”.

“I may not be able to”. I said
with a slight pause and the turn of the head.

“But we
will
”. I shouted
as I turned back towards her.

Arising, I drew my arms apart and
a sea of darkness, swept from behind her home; creatures risen from their
restless sleep, flew amongst each other, their reach without end. I drew down
my arms and they poured down upon her like wine, ripping at her flesh, as
rebels against her cause.

She stood, casting off the
creatures with her luckless intensity. I smiled as I stood before her,
withholding her with magick. Her face now turned to fear, a sight I had never
perceived.

She inhaled deeply, her eyes lost
within grim temptations, her desire tore free from the bonds which held it; her
body now reaping the colours of death.

Lifting her head up towards the
sky, the ground around us tumbled; I slipped, holding onto the edge as she
lurched over me.

“I pity you Avis, for you must
now truly suffer a second
death
”. Her voice had changed, now rough as a
lion’s call.

I clambered away from her, her
eyes now blackened, she let out a sickening cry and turned her attention to
where her throne was situated.