The Pariah Child & the Ever-Giving Stone Read online

  “Get down!” Alexander’s voice knocked Sarah from her fantasy. She looked around to see several shadowy figures racing toward them. The vampire bared his fangs and hissed. He twisted his body midair and grabbed Serwa in one hand. With the other he blocked the oncoming attack. Blood stained the night sky, but Alexander didn’t scream. He swung with his free arm and punched the attacker in the face. He doubled it with a swift kick to the head and the man went falling to the ground, but Alexander didn’t have a minute to pause. He turned around to come face to face with another enemy. The man lunged forward with a sword, and Alexander dodged. Sarah stared at him.

  Are we floating?

  She looked below her and for the first time realized they were actually falling.

  Both Alex and the swordsman came crashing to the ground, but they stayed steady on their feet and before anyone could blink they had shot back into the air. The man swung his sword at a blinding speed. Alexander quickly threw Serwa into the sky. The witch didn’t even scream. He caught her with the other arm and tossed in a hit before throwing her into his free arm. It was like some sort of juggling trick except lives were on the line.

  Suddenly, the man held another sword. Sarah could see the shock on Alexander’s face and the smile on the man’s. With double the blades the opponent struck. Alex tossed the witch again and managed to dodge the attack and still catch her. The man struck again. All Alex could do now was run.

  “I got you.” Sarah drew an arrow and tried to steady the bow. She pulled back the string, squinted her eyes and aimed. They were moving so fast it was hard to get a clear shot.

  “Gan, help me,” Sarah whispered and released the arrow. It missed. She drew another arrow and aimed.

  “This time,” she said pulling back the string again.

  The man struck once more, except he aimed past Alexander to Sarah. She bubbled over with fear and lunged her body to the right beyond his swords’ reach. Alexander’s body lunged with her. Another sword strike immediately followed. Alexander moved to the left and just like that Sarah was flying, only this little bird was sure to crash.

  “Sarah!” Alexander yelled looking down at her. She didn’t reply. Instead she drew another arrow and pulled the bow’s string back so hard her finger began to bleed.

  “I got your back, Alex,” she said and released the arrow. It hit the swordsman in the stomach. She fired again, and the arrow landed in his chest. He came crashing down with her.

  Alexander continued to call her, but the sound of his voice faded and soon it was silent. The moon was large and luminous as it sat above in the sky watching the nightmarish scenes below. The stars twinkled brightly. Sarah stared mesmerized by them as she fell toward the earth, wondering if they had ever looked so bright before. No, she was sure she had never seen brighter stars. And never a more beautiful night sky.

  Sarah was scared.

  “Don’t let your fear control you,” the voice said to her.

  She balled her fists. She had always tried to be a good person and do the right thing. Maybe, this was all in God’s plan. Or maybe it would be like in the books and Alex would save her at the last minute. She looked around but couldn’t see him.

  “I’m not scared, though,” she lied. “I’m not scared.”

  Her body hit the jagged rocks that rested on the side of the mountains. Her flesh tore in various directions, and her blood painted the rocks an unsettling dark red. Her body was mangled with limbs spread in this and that direction. Jarring pain flashed through her, before a heavy numbness settled in. Sarah couldn’t move, but she felt her head become wet and warm. Soon she couldn’t distinguish her hair from her blood any longer. She tried to speak but her voice was a hoarse blood cough.

  Everything was getting murky and blurred. Everything was going black. She allowed her head to fall to the side, her dark blue eyes now dulled with the oncoming death. She still couldn’t hide the bit of surprise she felt when she saw a small patch of grass. Limply she reached an arm out, just to feel the touch of grass on her skin one more time before she died. She wanted her last memory to be a good one. Her hand fell onto the small patch of green and she smiled. She was satisfied and at the same time her life began to slip away. All was now black.

  Chapter 15

  Lyrica’s heartbeat, its pulse, vibrated through the ground. The world wept. The grass felt the smooth skin of Sarah’s cold hand pulling it. It swooned with emotion, and slowly it reached out to her. Strands of grass grew at rapid speeds, approaching the rocks that had torn the poor child apart. As if afraid and ashamed, the jagged rocks flattened into the ground, no longer penetrating Sarah’s body. The blades of grass entered into her wounds. They moved intricately through her, repairing all damage, closing all gashes. The blades moved up and down through her skin sewing up the open cuts.

  A sword came flying toward her from the still ongoing battle above. The ground sunk in beneath her body, and the rocks she lay on swooped over her like a sheet of metal protecting her from the blow. The sword became nothing more than a light clink. It landed on the ground a few yards away. The rocks pulled back, and the grass finished closing all her wounds. Soon the strands extracted themselves from her body. They settled back into that one patch. A light wind blew Sarah’s hair.

  The moon was so big Sarah thought it would fill the sky up and block out all the stars, leaving nothing but itself to give light to Lyrica. She could hear the clanging of metal against metal, in the distance. It was a dull weightless sound.

  What happened? Who’s fighting?

  Sarah tried to stand. Her legs wouldn’t allow her to do so. She took a deep breath; a disgusting gurgling sound welcomed her ears.

  What is that? Why can’t I breathe? And why is it so cold?

  A blurry flash of two shadowy figures danced above her. Sarah closed her eyes.

  I must be dreaming. I must be dreaming. I’m dreaming or I’m...

  DEAD! The word rang through her like an echo as memories came flooding back.

  “You’re not dead,” said a familiar voice. She looked around frantically for the one who had spoken. The ground around her shook slightly, and the edge of her body became tingly and warm. The panicking feeling in her began to ease. Mist wrapped around Sarah and swam above her. It twisted and turned in every direction, forming a strange incomplete figure that stared down at her with blinding yellow eyes.

  “Do not try to move. Your body has not finished healing yet. Lyrica is helping you,” said the misty creature as it floated above the scared girl.

  “I thought...I fell and...”

  “Your sacrifice was brave and generous, but not necessary. Lyrica’s instability has worked in your favor this time. I could intervene.”

  The child squinted her eyes. “If I hadn’t let myself fall, Alex and Serwa would have died. He couldn’t dodge with me weighing him down.”

  “That is what you believe,” said the mist.

  She shook her head. “What are you? I think I’ve met you before.”

  The mist chuckled lightly. “Such an interesting question. What am I? Hm, I would say I am everything. Everything that is and isn’t. I am both the plural and the singular. I am Lyrica and the very breath that it breathes.”

  The warm tingly sensation continued to spread through her body. “You’re its heartbeat.” The statement was resolute.

  The misty creature laughed again. “That is one way of putting it.”

  “But I remember,” Sarah said. “I remember dying, I remember blacking out and feeling the blood...” She let her words trail off after that, not able to even fathom the idea of her blood running from her body. It made it all too real.

  The wind blew and the mist began to fade. The creature spoke once more. “Just know, I am here to guide you, child. You are not meant to die. The imbalance of Lyrica has allowed me to intervene. I will not be able to do so again, not without disturbing the unsteady equilibrium we now live in. Let the witch teach you; let her show you the ways of magic. Now, sleep.”


  With one final gust, the mist faded into nothing, as if it had never been there and Sarah found herself suddenly tired, the moon acting as her night-light.

  Sarah opened her eyes. The land moved beneath her. The sound of crumbling rocks made the girl realize she was being carried. She looked to the right, expecting pain to pierce through her as she moved but none came. She turned her face upwards to see that Alexander was the one carrying her. His arms were wrapped tightly around her, and he held her close to his chest.

  The vampire’s face was hard and steady, emotionless, looking straight ahead. Blood and dirt stained him head to toe. There were a few harmless bruises and scratches here and there. The only serious wound was a slightly gaping and bleeding gash on his side. Sarah placed her hand over the cut in a failed attempt to stop the bleeding.

  The vampire looked down, his dark burgundy eyes lit up at the sight of Sarah’s own dark blue eyes staring back at him. A smile spread across his face.

  “Sarah!” he cried with excitement and stopped his tread.

  She smiled, glad to hear his voice. “Alex!” She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself to him, rejoicing in his strong arms that had become so familiar. However, Sarah’s joy was cut short when she saw who was walking beside Alexander. The child stared at Serwa, whose wrists and ankles were wrapped in chains. The witch wore a scowl on her face and her eyes blazed with an indistinguishable anger.

  On either side of the trio stood a line of men, weapons in their blood stained hands. Four men at the back of the line held the ends of the chains that imprisoned Serwa. Sarah gasped and opened her mouth to offer words of comfort and question, but Serwa shook her head in mute communication.

  “Keep walking, traitor!” commanded a vampire at the front. Everyone picked up their tread again, not paying any attention to the awakened Sarah. The child held onto Alexander even tighter.

  She whispered to him, “Who are they?”

  Alexander brought his mouth down beside her ear. “The Vampires.” Those were the only words he said. Fear gripped the girl’s heart. They had been captured. The very thing she had been trying to prevent.

  Sarah watched as the group continued to walk toward a tall monstrous piece of mountain. From where she was, she couldn’t be quite sure, but near the very tip top of that rock there appeared to be a cave. Without even having to ask, Sarah knew that was to be their destination, their prison.

  She looked past the men to her left. What she saw nearly made her want to pass out again. They were walking on the edge of the mountain. Below them were thousands of feet of nothingness. Just one false step and gone! As if they had never even existed. Sarah took a deep breath and turned away from the bottomless abyss. Her eyes scanned the men surrounding them. Four to the back, two on each side, and one in the front. That made a total of nine enemies.

  Daddy always said jumping was the wussy’s way to fight, Sarah thought, despite knowing her father’s rules did not apply in Lyrica.

  The group continued their march until the cave came into clear view. Immediately Sarah had a sinking feeling in her gut. The cave was dark and moist with water dripping from the ceiling accompanied by a foul smell that Sarah couldn’t point out. It was a strong odor that went beyond the simple stink of trash. She knew her nostrils would not forget it any time soon.

  As they entered the cave, Sarah felt Alexander’s muscles tense; she patted his shoulder, attempting to reassure him even though she couldn’t reassure herself.

  After several minutes of darkness, there was light from an opening ahead. As they approached the light, Sarah could feel Alexander’s heart begin to race. The closer they came to the light, the faster his heartbeat. Soon strings of laughter could be heard. It sounded like a party. Curiosity nagging at her, Sarah looked up and stretched her neck out in an attempt to see around the corner. With just the right amount of force so not to hurt her, Alex pressed her head back against his chest.

  “Shhhh,” he said hoarsely.

  Finally, they stepped into a large lighted room decorated with tattered banners and full of people. People, Sarah knew, who were not people in the same way she was a person. As the group entered into the room, the laughter died. The vampire leading them bowed while his followers crossed their left fist over their chest. Then he stepped aside, revealing Alexander to the crowd. A hush fell over them.

  Staring ominously down at her and her friends from a pair of thrones were two vampires: one female, one male. They rested smugly atop their stone thrones with smirks on their faces. The woman was tall and so thin that her cheekbones protruded through her skin like the jagged rocks on the side of the mountains. She was very pale with big dark eyes that seemed to hold little to no white in them. She had thin pulled lips and long skinny skeleton fingers, and she wore a floor-length black robe with red trim. Her hair was pulled back into some intricate type of bun, held in place by long pins. Oddly beautiful and very intimidating.

  Beside her was who Sarah thought to be her husband. He was as tall as the woman but had more muscle and long, brown hair pulled back into an elegant ponytail. The man was pale as well, but his eyes were a lighter brown. He was clean-shaven with a strong angular face, wide shoulders and a curious smile. He wore the same colors as his wife, but with pants and a shirt underneath his robe.

  Alexander’s heart was really going now. Sarah’s hold on him hardened. They both needed the physical contact.

  Around the room, which Sarah could now clearly see was built like a tower, were vampires resting in small balconies which traveled all the way to the very top. Everyone was silent.

  Finally, the woman on the throne stood, her smile bright as the sun and sinister as a snake. She swooped gracefully down the set of stone steps leading from her throne to the ground. She steadily walked toward Alexander, her smile never fading.

  The same foul smell that filled the room poured off the woman in waves. She reached a hand out and stroked Alexander’s face. When he didn’t respond, she consumed him in her arms, crushing Sarah between them.

  “Oh, Alexander, my son, it has been too long.” Her voice was light and smooth.

  “Mother,” Alexander replied.

  Sarah gaped. She looked between Alexander and his parents, searching for some resemblance, for an answer. Alexander only responded by holding Sarah closer to him and positioning his arm to create a barrier between her and his mother.

  The woman grinned. “Always the wise warrior. Never trust your enemy. We taught you well.”

  Alexander was silent. The King crossed his legs on his throne.

  “You are in a strange situation, aren’t you, my son?” His mother held his chin in hand, before circling him. Her eyes scanned him from head to toe. “A traitor to your people, you swore to never return here, yet look where you are. Now, Alexander, you know as well as anybody that right now you should be decapitated and fed to the dogs.” She stopped in front of him and clasped her hands together. “But you still stand here, breathing and alive. Aren’t you curious as to why that is?”

  He said nothing. She shrugged. “Well, I’ll tell you why, Alexander. It is because through much persuasion we have won you another chance. You have been excused of your crimes.”

  Still no response, not even a mumble. His mother continued with a smile and grabbed his face in her hands again. “Are you not happy, my son? We’re not going to kill you.”

  “I don’t care,” he said coldly. “Dead or alive, neither matters to me.”

  The smile faded. The Queen’s face twisted into a grimace, and she swung her left hand out in a command. Four guards pulled Serwa forward. The witch growled in pain as the translucent dark metal chains dug into her flesh. Alexander glanced toward her, and Sarah could feel his muscles flex.

  Serwa glared at the woman and the man on the throne. The Queen smirked and walked over to the witch. “What about her? Does it matter if she lives or dies?”

  “Leave her alone,” he said his face stoic.

  �
��I know how much you love witch’s blood, Alex. So sweet and full of magic.” The Queen took one long ghastly fingernail and pushed it ever so slightly into Serwa’s throat. A drop of blood pooled on the Queen’s nail. She licked it away with a snake-like flick of her tongue. Then, she grabbed the witch by her hair and shoved her to the ground.

  “Serwa!” Sarah pushed from Alexander’s hold and ran over to the witch.

  “Sarah,” he hissed as she left his arms.

  “Are you okay?” Sarah asked.

  The witch turned and looked at her. There was a bruise on her forehead with trickles of blood dripping from it.

  “Stupid girl. You should have stayed with Alexander.”

  “But I –” The words struggled to come out of her mouth as she realized she had placed herself at the Queen’s feet.

  The woman stared down at Sarah. “Oh, I almost forgot about you,” she said, turning her sights toward the redhead.

  Sarah’s heart stopped.

  She turned and watched Alex’s mother, whose smile was now gone. The woman gestured for Sarah to stand. She looked at Alexander. He nodded slowly, his face full of strain. Sarah stood and faced the woman who turned to the guards. They immediately pulled Serwa and Alexander to the sides of the room so Sarah stood alone. Alexander thrust himself toward Sarah, but the men held him down as he struggled.

  His mother walked around the child with a curious eye.

  “Tell me, child, who are you?”

  “My name is Sarafina,” Sarah said and out of habit added on, “ma’am.”