The Shattereds

Chapter 8

They worked on spells the next day too. The night before the duel, Emily ate a lot of dinner. She then went to her room. She grabbed her notebook. She sat on her bed and started to review them. Servant Vine sighed. She put a hand on Emily's notebook. Emily looked up at her. "Emily, if you lose, don't agree to be her servant, okay?" said Servant Vine. Emily put down her notebook.

"I could be with you," said Emily. Servant Vine shook her head. Emily sighed. "Ok," she said. Servant Vine smiled.

"I think you can win. You can still live out the rest of your life," said Servant Vine.

"If Witch Broom is immortal, how can I win?" asked Emily.

"She will surrender if you are beating her," said Servant Vine. "She can still feel pain." Emily nodded. She picked up her notebook. "You need to rest. Tomorrow is the big day," said Servant Vine. Emily handed her the notebook. Servant Vine put it on the desk. Emily laid down. Servant Vine pulled the covers over her. She then closed the curtains. She had opened them earlier to give Emily some natural light to read by.

Servant Vine looked at Emily. "Are we going to take a picture together?" asked Emily.

"Yes. Tomorrow before the duel," said Servant Vine. Emily took Servant Vine's hands.

"Thank you," said Emily. Servant Vine smiled.

"My pleasure, sweet girl," said Servant Vine. She let go of Emily's hands. She pushed some hair out of Emily's face.

"I love you," said Emily. Servant Vine sighed.

"I love you too," said Servant Vine. They both smiled. "Get some sleep," said Servant Vine. Emily nodded. She closed her eyes. Servant Vine backed up, then turned to leave. She stopped in her tracks. She turned around. Emily was already starting to doze off. She walked over to her again. She did not want to see this poor girl die, or worse, become a servant. "Be strong, my child," she whispered. Her heart ached with those words. Her own mother had said those words to her several times.

Servant Vine felt tears forming in her eyes. She blinked them away. She looked at Emily. Very gently, she leaned down and kissed her forehead. "She can't kill you. She just can't," said Servant Vine. She closed her eyes, a single tear rolling down her cheek. A small dim pink light flashed around Emily. Servant Vine took a few steps back. She started crying. Emily opened her eyes. She sat up.

"Servant Vine?" asked Emily. Servant Vine opened her eyes.

"I'm sorry. Go back to sleep," said Servant Vine. Emily stood up. She walked over to her. Servant Vine put her hands on Emily's cheeks. "Please don't die. I can't bare to watch you die," said Servant Vine.

"I won't. I promise," said Emily. Servant Vine hugged her tightly. Emily hugged back. They stayed there for a few minutes. Servant Vine's tears slowed. She let go of Emily. Emily crawled back into bed.

"Goodnight, Emily," said Servant Vine. Emily smiled.

"Goodnight," she answered. Servant Vine left, and guarded the door like she always did. Emily got up. She went over to the door, making sure not to make any noise. She listened, making sure Servant Vine had stopped crying. She then walked back and went to bed. She was soon in dreamland. All she could think about was the duel. She kept dreaming of Witch Broom hitting her. She kept imagining Servant Vine crying.

Emily woke up the next morning sweating. Servant Vine walked in. Emily went to the bathroom. She got ready, then splashed her face with water. She was shaking from nervousness. Another servant came in, holding the camera. Servant Vine wrapped her arms around Emily. Emily wrapped her arms around Servant Vine. They both looked at the camera and smiled. Emily heard the click. A picture printed from the camera. Servant Vine took it. "It has to develop," she said. The other servant handed Servant Vine the camera and left.

"Let's go to my room, then to breakfast," said Servant Vine. They walked to her room. Servant Vine put her things on the dresser, then wrapped an arm around Emily. "Let's go," she said. They walked down the hallways together. They then arrived at the dining room. Emily ate very little. She stood up. "Hold your head high. Be brave," said Servant Vine.

Servant Vine brought Emily to a room she had never been before. It was as large as a basketball court. There were two white circles inside a large white rectangle on the ground. The rectangle marked where the onlookers could go. Torches lit up the room, along with a chandelier on the ceiling. Witch Broom was waiting. She walked to one of the circles. The servants all started to come in. Servant Vine turned to Emily. She hugged her. "One last hug," said Servant Vine. "I love you. Remember what we worked on. Don't give up."

"I won't. I love you too," said Emily. She didn't let go. She was shaking in fear. Servant Vine slowly let go of her.

"Stay strong," said Servant Vine. She waved her hand. Emily's hair was pulled into a ponytail. Emily turned away. She started to walk towards the circle. She looked back at Servant Vine. She motioned for Emily to stand up straight. Emily did. She held her head high. She walked to the circle and turned towards Witch Broom.

"Any conditions? What would you like if you win?" asked Witch Broom.

"If I win, you have to release all of these servants from your spell," said Emily.

"That's a very high reward. That means I can choose a high reward also," said Witch Broom. Emily saw Servant Vine's face was very pale. "If I win, you will serve me for eternity," she said. "Is it a deal?" Emily took a deep breath. Servant Vine was shaking her head. Emily looked away.

"Ok. It's a deal," she told Witch Broom.

"Then let's duel!" she cackled.