Riding the horse at broad daylight was better than riding in complete darkness. For once, you actually see where the horse is taking you to. And moreover, the chances of getting hit by branches and falling down were comparatively less.
Nevertheless, Elizabeth and I kept riding. It was a long ride, seemed like it'd never end. After what all happened, Eliza didn't speak to me. Not even tried once. Sure, it made me feel guilty but then, why should I? After all, I didn't call the men to our hiding place, did I? So, I didn't try back either, though I was dying to ask her questions. Questions about this Annabeth girl one of the men had called me.
Who was she? Maybe she looked like me. Maybe in the dark, they thought I was her. Maybe. . . Million - no, hundreds - of thoughts were going around my brain as the horse moved, me jumping up and down on his back. But, as much as I'd have loved a smooth ride without any disturbances, I guess Iwould never have it. A smooth ride, I mean.
After riding for maybe some three hours, I noticed Elizabeth was far front from me. Even if I was just seating on a horse's back, I felt tired. My horse was slowing down, probably because he was tired too. But the case was something else, he was not tired, he was scared.
Darkness, in that daylight, was haloing us. It was, I realised, shadows swivelling round and round around us. My horse neighed loudly, getting up on its hind legs, almost throwing me off. My heart rate, as before, started increasing rapidly. It was hammering so hard against my chest that I almost thought it was going to come out. We came to an abrupt halt after I calmed the horse. But the shadows and darkness didn't go away.
Give me yourself.
I heard a voice, a male voice calling out to me. Sweat pickled down my forehead.
Come to me.
The voice seemed as if it was just behind me. I turned around to plain darkness. No Eliza. No forest. No trees. No nothing. Everything that was present there some moments ago were gone.
Give. Me. Yourself.
The voice hissed and I felt drowsy. It was paralyzing me. Something stuck in my throat that refrained me from shouting. I gagged. A wind blew. The horse reared up on its hind legs. He galloped away. And I fell down.
My head was heavy, like someone had attacked it with something heavy.
"Eliza," I cried out a feeble help.
Help. I want help.
Something was wrong. I realised, as I sat on the ground, air didn't reach my lungs. Oh no. Breathing for me got harder and harder. My chest heaved up and down frantically, thinking in that way, it could grab oxygen. But all efforts were in vain.
I reached up to my neck, caressing in. My eyes got heavy. At that moment, when I almost lost all thoughts of living, I understood the true meaning of fear. It was in my veins, in my blood and in myself.
Die. The voice commanded, sending chills across my body. I fell down on the ground, still unable to breathe. My lips were parted. No. Still no air seeped in.
"Eliza. . ." I tried to call out but no, not a single word came out of my mouth. But then, I heard another voice. A sweet female voice. Giving me courage. To get up.
Fight back. It ordered. I say, fight.
But how could I? Tears blinded my eyes as flashbacks jolted in my brain. I could see my life replay in front of my eyes. Brain, I'd say. I saw myself playing in the woods. I saw Eliza running after me to make me eat. I saw myself getting older, prettier and more beautiful. I saw Eliza teaching me magic. I saw myself performing wonders. I saw me and Eliza fighting a dozen, dangerous men. I saw. . . I heard. . .
"Sarah!" A frightened voice called out my name. I saw a figure running towards me. The surroundings resounded with a loud boom! and the shadows vanished. Though, their piercing voices were still booming in my ears. I still couldn't breath.
At that moment, when I almost thought I was going to die, hundreds of memories flashed back like images to my brain. I saw the day was happy. I saw the day I learnt magic for the very first day. I saw myself with Eliza and fluffy and Christopher. Christopher. I saw. . . A lady and a man waving at me. Smiling. Crying.
I tried one last time to breath. But I couldn't. And then, my eyes slowly closed and there was darkness everywhere.
***
Someone shook me.
I was shaking. Or well, someone made me to.
Come, follow me. A sweet voice called out to me. Come. It was that same sweet voice of the female. I giggled as I implicitly obeyed the voice. She was running forward. Wearing a cream-ish dress and with hair the same colour as mine, I could feel some resemblance of her to me. Like we were connected. Come, fast. She called out again, cheerfully. Her cheerfulness was infectious. I ran behind her. But suddenly, I fell down a steep slope. And I ended up sitting on top of a heap of human skulls.
No! Just as I panicked, I jerked up and snapped my eyes open. In front of me stood a rather concerned Eliza and a horse. I sat up on my butt, sweating badly. It was just a bad dream. I touched my throat and tried to breath. Fortunately, I could. For once, I thought I was in heaven. But thank goodness, I was alive, and safe.
"Sarah, are you alright?" Eliza asked with a concerned look clear on her face.
I gulped, "Yes, I think so."
She helped me up. "Now, tell me all that had happened." It was more of an order than an plea. I actually didn't want to tell her anything. But eventually, I did.
"I was just riding when suddenly, darkness surrounded me and the horse. We both were panicking when I heard voices. Male voices," I looked down, "it was telling me to surrender myself to whoever it was. Commanding me to die!" Tears pooled at the corner of my eyes while Eliza looked pale; dry.
She licked her dry lip, "Oh. Rather scary, wasn't it? Well, continue."
I did not have a single idea of what to make out from her sarcastic reply. Did she not believe in me? Or was she herself scared? I just couldn't lay myself to a conclusion. Nevertheless, I continued, wiping away a tear that had escaped.
"My horse galloped away, leaving me on the ground. Suddenly, I couldn't breath. I tried so hard, but no air went in. And when I thought I was going to die, I heard your voice. And then, I almost reached heaven." My words were fired out like water coming out from a broken pipe. My lips were quivering, I noticed, as I recalled my horrific encounter with death.
"And then. . ." I took in a deep breath, "I saw this woman. A woman, her back rather, calling out to me. Telling me to catch her. She was laughing. I was. We were happy. But as I run further behind her, I fall down. I go down and down until I hit an uneven surface. I ended up in a stack of skulls. Human skulls." Tears formed their way out. I sobbed silently into Eliza's shoulder as she embraced me into a warm, comforting hug. She rubbed her hands through my hair.
"Its alright," she said, "its going to be alright."
But was it? I did not know. Pulling back, she wiped away my tears and gave me an assuring smile. Somehow, I smiled back. Just for Eliza. Maybe that lady in my dreams was Eliza!
"So," she patted my shoulder, "all ready to go on board again?"
I gave her a big smile after chuckling, "By all means, captain!" Then, she pulled me up onto her horse again and once again, we galloped away. This time, we both were together. And mostly, I was safe.
***
It was a long ride. Through narrow roads, and passing animals, reaching the place we wanted to seemed like a distant place. However, we reached it. All through our ride, I tightly wrapped my arms around Elizabeth, scared of another type of encounter.
Eliza pulled the reins and the horse came to a halt. "Here, we finally reached!"
I looked around in confusion but there was no sort of house or cottage or shelter I could spot. "Where? Here?" I asked as she got down.
"Yes, you'll see," she smirked before helping me get down too. I mouthed an 'oh' as I followed her lead. She leaded me to a stranded place, lonely and scary, with only one big tree sprouting from the ground. The tree itself was something corny. It was extremely thick, and extended longer than normal trees. The branches were thick as usual and were twisted in a different way; a way I couldn't explain in words.
"This is the Spine tree," Eliza stated.
"Really?" I asked, bewildered.
"Yes, and this tree has been here since this kingdom was formed. It has been here for more than a million years."
I was astounded- a tree surviving for more than million years? It was unbelievable.
"That is fascinating! Million years!" I exclaimed.
"Yes, fascinating it is, indeed." She replied, looking up at the tree. Slowly, she motioned me to stand back. "Now, see."
She moved her hand up and down, As if entangling the tree's coiled branches. Amazingly, they did. The branches were un-coiling themselves. It further opened into a secret passage. My mouth, I realised, was hung open.
"Oh my, Eliza! This is amazing!" I exclaimed.
She smiled, "Thank you."
"You know, you never cease to amaze me!"
"I do."
We laughed at her response. The spiny leaves of the tree rustled as they started to fall down, one by one. I shook my head in appreciation. The branches finally backed away and revealed a way inside.
"There's a way inside!" I exclaimed again.
Eliza merely smiled, "Of course there is." Taking my hand, she pulled me insidethe dark way. The inside was a magical place. There was a small room like space inside, with a lamp. She then took me up stairs that lead to another room like area, bigger than the other. It was a sweet brown colour. Extending further was a balcony with rails. Only, the branches hid everything inside. To be brief, there was an entire house inside that Spine tree. No wonder it has been attached to Earth.
"Eliza!" I called out to her as I stood behind the railings of the balcony, looking at the setting sun, "come here!"
Eliza came running, in a hurry and worried expression. "What, Sarah?! Are you alright?"
I turned around to a panting and huffing Eliza, "Of course, silly willy! I am." I chuckled, "come here," I called her to my side, "see this."
She took a glance of the beautiful scenery that way spread in front of our eyes. It was like magic; water rippling and proudly reflecting the colours of the setting sun, the sun slowly setting into horizon and every bird melodiously singing. Both of our eyes, I noticed, Eliza's and mine, were glinting with sheer joy.
"Its magical, isn't it?" Eliza broke the silence.
"Like heaven on Earth," I replied. Surely, it was an ethereal sight, breathtaking. After a quiet moment of silently watching the sunset, Eliza finally broke the silence.
"Well, I have prepared something for us to eat," she informed. As soon as she did, my stomach grumbled, signalling my hunger. Though I didn't know how and when she had prepared food, I still trusted her.
"Yes, otherwise, this stomach of mine will soon die," I joked. She laughed.
"But keep some for later too, you'll need it after the practice."
Oh no. The fun lifted off the air. "What practice Eliza?"
"Oh," she smiled, "we will be learning sparring next."
No. "What? Sparring?"
"Yes."
"But why? I'm such a naive lady!"
Elizabeth giggled, "You'll soon find out."
I never understood what she meant to say. After all, I never did. Her sentences were always like critical riddles. But even though, I refrained from asking any more questions and we both headed for some tasty food. And then drowned in some sleep.
***
From the next day, our training resumed its speed again. Every morning, we again got back to our previous time table. Surely, it was tiring at first for Ihad no idea how to lift or hold a sword, but slowly, my tricks got better. Thanks to eElizabeth. She, amazingly, had two swords in her bag. One was a silver plated and another was a simple red. She let me use the silver one because it was lighter and not deadly. Day by day, I could tell I was ready to fight, what with all the sparring we did.
"Come, attack!" Eliza commanded, holding her sword in front of her, up. I advanced towards her and inflicted my blow. As my blade hit here's, it made a clinging sound. I turned around and hit back, as she had instructed me to. Like that, our practice continued.
"You're doing good," Eliza wiped away her sweat as I drank some water.
"Thank you," Isaid.
"My pleasure," she sat down beside me, drinking some water too. Then, she touched my hand. I was taken aback by her gestures but I didn't show it. "Sarah, you know who you are, don't you?" She asked.
I wondered where she was taking this conversation to. "Yes, I think I do," I replied. She slowly handed me her sword. "This, this was your father's."
My father! "How do you know my father?" I asked wide-eyed.
"I just do. Or else, how could I have met you ever?"
I had not a single idea why she was telling me things so late. But maybe, that was just her. Eliza.
"I see," I ran a hand through the sword, "why, are you giving this to me?"
"Yes." She said, "Listen to me Sarah, your life is dangerous. Everything and everywhere you go is. But this is what you were born for. And you have to accept what the Lord has given you. Tell me, will you?"
I hesitated before answering, "Yes."
"My Sarah, you are my angel," she reached up and rubbed my hair, "you know that, don't you?"
All I could do was nod, "Uh, yes."
"Then, Sarah, you have to promise me one thing."
"Ye-yes."
"Promise me you'll let no harm come to this kingdom and yourself. Not even if I die. Not even if you are alone. Ok?"
I had no idea whatsover with so important talk that Eliza was doing. But i agreed to anyways. Time would tell, won't it? "Yes, by all means Eliza," i replied smiling.
"Good, I'll be back in a minute then," saying this, she got up and left me sitting there idle. Little did I know at that time that it was our last talk.
Eliza didn't return after a minute, as she said. It worried me, more than it should, what with all that we've been through. So, gathering courage, I went in our tree house. Everything was at its place and silent. I got as bad feeling instantly.
"Eliza!" I shouted as i searched the kitchen. No, she was not there but water was spilled on the floor. I ran upstairs.
"Eliza! Are you there?" I shouted again before I spotted Eliza on the floor, lying on her stomach. I held my breathe.
"Eliza! Wha-" I couldn't finish my sentence as a sharp, thick object hit me on the head. A sharp pang of paun shot through me instantly. As I slumped on the floor, the last thing I saw was a smiling face. And then, the world around me darkned.