Potent

Chapter 17

All around me the land is as black as night and it feels like I’m walking through a graveyard. I gag as I inhale the smell of rotting, dead flesh. Before I have even fully composed myself, a bolt of lightning strikes me, knocking me back and making me twitch uncontrollably. Once I’ve regained full control of my limbs, I send a large fire bolt in the direction of where the bolt had come from and I watch satisfied as the shot hits home and the man burns up in flames.

 Suddenly, I am being attacked from all directions and a dense fog leaves me hopelessly blind but I quickly pour my power into forming a fire ball the size of a beach ball. Releasing it, it explodes striking down all my attackers in an instant. Smiling triumphantly, I hear a slow applause coming from the dark, haunting, medieval castle. As the fog gradually clears, I can see that it is fronted by a high arch and a rotting, wooden entrance door, splintered and cracked; it creaks mournfully on its hinges to reveal a master of death.

 It’s hair is jet black and feral. It is wearing an ancient, tattered, veiled dress. Eyes, the colour of blood, stare daggers into mine. It’s deformed mouth opens, revealing a set of shark teeth, drooling with crimson blood. It’s wicked, evil cackle makes me shudder.

“You’re more powerful than I first anticipated. My brother’s servants have trained you well…” It speaks in a voice like nails on a chalkboard. Her brother’s? But that must mean…oohh I have an evil auntie that they failed to mention. Well, it’s not exactly something to be proud of.

“Where are they?” I demand impatiently, standing on guard.

“Come with me,” it turned it’s back and stalked back into the sinister castle. I follow.

 Inside there are: pale, white skeletons littering the floor, candles flickering on the walls and cobwebs in every shadow. A broken throne stands deserted in the centre of the room. It leads me down a dark passageway and then down into a narrow tunnel. I have to use my fire from my hand as a torch; else I wouldn’t have been able to see the path ahead.

 At the end of the tunnel, the path drops into a cramped, damp cave where in a cage in the corner Mum and Isabelle huddle, curled up on a floor of razor sharp thorns, quaking at the sight of the wicked witch. Across their pale, translucent skins are numerous bruises, slashes and pin pricks from the thorns; their wounds have yet to heal. They are filthy- caked in dirt and extremely malnourished.  Guilt washes over me as I realise that they have been through hell because of me. Both of them would do anything for me and this is how I reward them- with torture. Suffering. They deserve better.

 I tear my eyes away and gag at what is in the other corner. Grandad John’s wrinkly head is impaled on the end of a metal spike. No body. Just a head, with blood oozing out- smothering the cool metal. His face is contorted into something of a monster. The stench of rotting flesh nearly made the bile pour out of my mouth.

Mum’s eyes are wild with fear as she looks up at me. “You should never have come,” she whispers in her hoarse, frail voice.

“DON’T SPEAK UNLESS SPOKEN TO!”  It yells and then strikes out at Mum with a lightning bolt making Mum yelp and seizure.

“NO!” I scream. It turns and focuses it’s terrifying, red eyes on me. Lashing out, it’s long, yellow, sharp talons claw into my face and I feel the blood gush down from the throbbing wound. The beast brings it’s blood soaked fingers to it’s mouth and tastes the blood that drips from them. My mouth curls up in disgust and then it snatches my arm and hauls me far back up another tunnel until we come to another cave with a barbed wire cage in the corner. It’s repulsive talons biting into my flesh, it flung me into the barbed wire cage and locked it.

Coils of barbed wires slice jaggedly into my skin and it hurts more than being stung by 100 bees.

Grinning at me, it taunts in it’s mangled, disturbing voice. “You didn’t really think that you could come here and save the day did you? If you did, you’re more gullible and stupid than I first thought.” It then creeps back up the tunnel, leaving me alone in darkness.