ABSOLUTION

Chapter 6

Chapter Six

ELASTIC HEART

This war will be fought without any weapons. I've come to learn that the most powerful defence is to do away with trust and replace it with caution―to do away with human afflictions that drag me down. Betrayal is a dagger in my side, and this I mean literally, after everything I sacrificed of myself to give him what he wanted most in order to survive the prophecy. He took a blade and buried it deep inside my flesh. Now he leaves it there as a reminder of his disgust for me, for what I am, for what it has made me.

I write these entries as a way of defending myself. To never forget that trust is a myth. I am in twine, in two opposite halves―in divergent minds, and forever in the shadow of his heart. Well, today I will cut out this graceless heart of mine and make it elastic. Bend, twist, and stretch it, until you pull too hard.

Pages from my diary ~ Eva

Eva

The sky rumbles deep, dark, and dominant over the crowd of warriors celebrating my capture outside. There's a second of silence and I watch the reflection of dancing flames burn against the interior walls. The warriors continue their celebratory dance; their shadows mock me in a distant flame. And then the floodgates open, another screaming rumble tears the sky apart and spits out this roar that tunnels into the soil of the earth, and shakes at the very foundations of the cottage. A hail of pottery falls from the shelves and crash to the ground. More wall hangings come loose and meet their fate on the cold, stone floor with a clatter. Even the bottles and bowls from the dining table slide off and hit the floor in sharp continuing cracks. I wish I could cover my ears―I can't stand the noise!

At this very thought, it all turns dead silent. A second passes before something catches my eye; a figure with long, dark hair swishes past the doorway. It's so obscure out there I hardly see him, and his dark outline melts into the shadows. Then two warriors run past, like ghosts, swift and erringly silent. I wiggle my chair from side to side, trying to shake it off balance. But it's no use, the chair is huge, my feet hardly touch the ground, and it seems my body is becoming weaker by the minute. The chair hardly moves. A thought grips me with cold terror. I am going to die! I stare into the black corridor and gasp as a group of three warriors dash past unexpectedly, the blessed metal of their spears glint from the room's light.

"What is going on?"

Silence. Outside... silence. The eye of the storm; restful, but deadly deceptive.

"You can't leave me here! Like this!" I shout into the darkness.

Silence. Urgh, I hate the silence!

"Hey!" I yell again.

I am met with more silence. Un-freaking-believable! I fight my entire short existence to have companions, only to die abandoned. I guess I should realize my fate―I was never intended for life.

There is a short aftershock that shakes the ground, fleeting but violent as the room becomes a blur before my eyes. Red, hot coals streak across my vision from the cindered fireplace. Walls moan in protest, and I see a crack shoot down its distorted surface. Dust and bits of stone fly through the air toward me. My vision goes dark for a second and I think the entire planet has eclipsed, but a second later the light is back. I close my eyes for a moment and think about how I'm going to get myself out of this.

In the distance, I hear men's screams. They become louder and more forceful. Something is coming. When I open my eyes my sight flashes red, and then I not only taste it but smell it―the potent sting of blood. I look down and realize I was unknowingly struck by a huge chunk of wall, and I curse my lifeless body. Had I been able to feel things, I would have known to find a way to take cover and protect my pretty face. The smell of ash and fire fill my nostrils with a bitter anger that cuts at my insides.

A flash of a scene lashes through my mind. It's violent and fleeting. War cries turn to screams of horror, and then it goes quiet. The ground begins to shake once more, but it's not the same, it does not cry from the tempest above. It is not a storm at all... it's a stampede, and it's heading this way. I cry out as I hear the first explosion erupt through the village. Getting closer. It is not long before the blood-curdling shrills of a woman tear through the darkness. A huge, blue flash illuminates the room, and in its wake the shadows of the flickering flames dance across the damaged wall before me. The air becomes laced with the stench of fear and the empty promise of death. It's here. In the silence of the cottage, I am left thinking whose fear will paint the ground in blood tonight. I know what they want; this is déjà vu all over again.

The panic pulsated in my chest, but before I could get a hold on my thoughts another loud explosion tore through the air, crackling like a beast, our screams became lost in the echoes of terror. Loud crashes came from every direction, enclosing us within its catastrophic claws. Flames so high and wide, we were about to be devoured within the jaws of the fiery creature. I didn't give myself the time to hesitate for a second longer. I grabbed my two best friends and hurled them down the stairs. The door came crashing in as we hit the bottom floor; Robert and David came tumbling through it, smoke sweltering up behind them. There were no alarms to warn us....

Pinching my eyes shut, I dispel the memory of my defining point that keeps repeating in my head. I try to swallow the desperate fear clawing beneath my skin. It was my fault that so many were slaughtered that night. And it is my fault they are now raiding the Minoans! Stupid, stupid chief, tying me up and leaving me here. Stupid, stupid Troy, for allowing that―he knew, he knows this sweet peril. This is what he planned all along. To lure the incomplete army here, to me, so he can finish them off before they get a chance to fully turn the entire army. I feel like kicking myself. That is why he let the siren magic take him, because he knew it was the only way to get inside my mind. He has taken all my knowledge of the Shadow kind and how our disease works. He is using our time together against me!