The Silent Thief

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               “Hello, my dear. How has your day been going?”

“You…you were working with him all along,” I said keeping eye contact. The gem was about thirty feet away. I moved my hand slightly, which caused ten men to step in my direction.

“Yes, I’m happy you’ve found that out. Now, to the other matter; I cannot have you touching that gem.” Katina rested her hand on an entranced man’s shoulder.

“Why? What do you need with this gem and its power?”

“There are higher powers in this world, my dear Grace. You are no longer a concern of theirs,” she answered smiling crookedly.

“What are you talking about?” I growled with my anger growing.

“How ignorant you are. It’s no wonder your mother chose to abandon you. She always said you were different. No I know why; you’re brain simply cannot comprehend-”

“ENOUGH! Shut up, you old witch. My mother will always be ten times the woman you are. Release these men from the Mist and I’ll spare you.” I shouted across the cave at Katina, yet I felt confused and afraid.

Katina paused as if contemplating my offer. When she started laughing evilly, I took a step back.

“Who said I was even a woman?” Her question shocked me as her laughing grew into…snarling. Katina began to change physically; her matted hair grew longer and clung to the rest of her body, wrapping her in its thick black clutches. Her head fell forward as she threw her hands to the ground. I watched in horror as the woman I once thought was simply crazy changed into a giant beast that resembled a carriage sized dog with multiple diseases. Her head snapped back up and I saw her eyes clearly for the first time. They had dark brown slits in the center of, her now fist sized, eyes.

It seemed she…no, it was speaking to me but all that came out was more snarls and drool.

“Captain James, how many weapons do you have?”

“My sword, one pistol, and a knife,” he answered moving his hands toward them. “The pistol will fire well but it takes a few seconds to reload. Here take this knife.”

I grabbed the six inch knife and held it tight in my hand. “Distract the men but don’t harm them. I have to obtain the gem’s power. Perhaps then I can defeat this wickedness once and for all.”

Captain James stepped in front of me and nodded. “Be safe.” I nodded back with a tear in my eye.

“As to you.”

What happened next was just a blur. Captain James stepped closer to me and took my cheek in his hand. He pulled me to him before I could even blink and kissed me. It seemed time had slowed and it was just us in the cavern. He let go and looked into my eyes. “In case I don’t see you a-”

“No, we will see each other,” I stuttered out while turning away. Gripping the knife even harder, I ran toward the gem.

Everyman bolted forward but miraculously, Captain James held them back. From behind the men, the beast leaped across them all and dived toward me. I took a sharp turn to avoid being flattened by the monster that now lay between me and my destination. The green stone glowed in the background waiting for anyone or anything to touch it.

The beast faced me with its teeth barred. Finding my courage, I charged it. When it tried to snap at me I stabbed forward with my knife and managed to make a slash across its snout. Katina…I mean, the monster briefly whimpered in pain. I took that as an opportunity to leap onto the monster’s back. Somehow, I had managed to do it while avoiding the monster’s teeth and claws. The beast reared back onto its hind legs and back down roughly trying to shake me off. My hands were wrapped tightly in its fur. It bucked for the longest time. When I felt I was going to puke, the beast stood still panting and staggering. Before I knew what was happening, I was falling sideways. The monster had collapsed onto its side leaving my legs pinned down under it.