Nikasios's Island

IX

Previously:

"That's the thing about evil," Cressida said, "It has no rights."

We're nearly at the end of the book, just a couple chapters left

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"Paris what have you done?!" Nick shouted from the top of the stairs as Paris lay on the ground watching the dark forest from where Cressida exited, her golden gown gone, and the dark clouds circling above the island, darker than the early morning.

     "I'm sorry, Nick," she said in a quavering tone. "I unleashed it. I unleashed the darkness."

     "You mean the glow? You touched it?" She nodded and Nick's eyes widened. "Paris, we have to get out of here!"

     "No use," Paris said, sighing, "Wherever we go the darkness of her will follow."

     He lifted an eyebrow. "What do you mean her?"

     "When I touched it, it morphed into some human form," Paris explained, flushed from exhaustion and fear. "She says her name is Cressida."

     He climbed down the stairs and sat on the bottom sighing next to her. Dark circles covered the bottom of his shining eyes, his hair ruffled from just waking up, waved and matted in crazy patterns. He pushed back his hair trying to flatten it.

     "I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you—to tell you to stop."

     "It's my fault," Paris said, "I let desire and curiosity take over."

     "Don't think that way." He put a hand on her shoulder. "We both have a reason to be blamed and if we keep it up then we get nowhere," he said, "Now c'mon I think I know something that might help."

The flooring creaked as Paris and Nick entered the tiny house, followed by kind greetings from Aggie, whose hair was wet and let off a fruity smell. Aggie shut the door behind them and grabbed a mug before sitting on a pillow-covered chair. She gestured to the other seats. Paris and Nick politely sat down and smiled, Paris noticing a wet and dark forest through the glass. Petrichor crept inside passed the open window giving the room a fresh smell. The storm was still going on―lightning bursting upon the ground and thunder rumbling in the background―but wasn't as barbaric. She twitched as each bolt struck, vibrating against her ear, and Nick pressed his hand on her shoulder to ensure she was okay. Though no wounds plastered her face and she wasn't physically hurt, she was breaking on the inside like a ceramic vase. Her heart beat like one's head during a major headache. She could feel the pit of anxiety in her stomach. It was dreadful―fearful, to be in the middle of a crisis of the sorts

      The thought of letting everyone down, young and old, to a psycho made her stare blankly at the wall while her heart cracked piece by piece. What would the world be like when she won? Paris shifted uncomfortably in her chair barely listening to what Aggie and Nick were saying. She imagined dark clouds circling above a gloomy world poor and broken down because of Cressida. She knew this would be reality if she lost. Hope barely thrived in her veins and ran throughout her body. If she only had hope―

     "Paris, focus." Aggie waved a hand in front of her and Paris blinked. "Now is not the time to be daydreaming. Nick told me that the golden glow morphed into a woman which means the curse broke and she's free to leave the island soon enough.

     Aggie stood up and paced back and forth with a finger on her chin. "Perhaps we can find a way to trap her forever like she was trapped on this island; only bound to be everlasting."

     She walked to the corner of the room and pressed her fingers across the spines of books on a shelf, stopping at a red book with gold writing. The title read, Presents for the Evil.

     "'Presents for the Evil?'" Paris asked.

     "Presents as in curses," Aggie said, "Curses for the Evil."

     The red leather cover protected the old pages and barely readable letters. Aggie opened the book and dust emanated from each page. She ran her fingers along the golden ink of a book that was most likely from a millennium ago and flipped passed each page franticly searching for the correct one. Her finger stopped at about the halfway mark of the book.

     "This story seems similar to our situation; an evil being trapped in a forever frozen ice curse. I think I could create a curse that'd work on our little being just as good."

     Nick's eyes gleamed for a millisecond. "Paris and I will come back later on but you know where I'll be if you need me or figure anything out."

     Aggie smiled and continued to read her unusual book as her guests exited into the stormy dawn.

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