Metanoia (14 page)

“
Leave
her be!” Noquef yelled. “
Loular ca num cai
menor oyer ben…”

No,
she thought.
I have to fight this. I
can’t let the spell take me. I can’t. I’ll die if I do!
She continued to run but slowed down
considerably.

“…
Anisaquo cuar raru seb
atorolok – bakoter u nek!,” he finished. Like a magnet, Gina hit
against the wall.

“
No….no…” she whispered
painfully. With every inch of strength she had, Gina struggled to
remain conscious, but the spell was too much. She fell onto the
cold rock floor and was out cold. Noquef walked over to her,
smiling. He turned to the guards.

“
Get her up. We need to get
ready. The time is upon us.” With that, the guards lifted Gina’s
limp body and carried her out, Noquef at their heels.

Chapter 8

“Torch-her Torture”

Noquef walked to the edge
of a cliff overlooking thousands of blood-thirsty
Übels. Gina was next to him, not showing any
signs of life. Her wrists were tied to a wooden rod above her. He
spoke to the crowd.

“
Today we become invincible
because today we gain our most powerful weapon yet. One who rules a
city of good, a city, which will fall once she is against it, once
she is with us. Finally that time of waiting has passed. The time
to act is now. We will devour anything in our paths to total
domination of this world and others. I will lead you with my new
queen. Behold the ex-queen of the Nythagiéns, your new queen!”
Cheers erupted and caused Gina to stir.

When Gina awoke, she
realized instantly that it was too late to save herself. The only
thing keeping her up was her wrists tied to the rod above her. She
still wore her black robe with the red ribbon still swirling all
the way up her body. Hearing chants and cheers, she looked down to
see a sea of murderous Übels. Seeing the
Übels caused her to begin to tremble with horror. She
fearfully looked over her shoulder and saw Noquef and his servants,
one holding a lit torch. Her eyes quickly turned back to the crowd,
and she searched it hoping to see some help. She couldn’t believe
that Leyance hadn’t come for her yet. Then someone caught her eye.
She blinked, unbelieving what she saw but when her eyelid reopened,
the person was gone. She couldn’t tell if she’d seen the person in
the crowd or not, but she certainly thought she’d seen a very
familiar face with terror and pity in her eyes: herself.

Noquef now took the torch, cracking and
sparkling, from his servant and walked over to Gina. He slowly and
deliberately leaned over and lit the red ribbon on her dress. Gina
screamed out in terror. Immediately, the ribbon began to be
devoured by the sparkling fire. The single red ribbon burned slowly
like a fuse, leaving the black of the dress untouched by the
erupting flames, as the main spark slowly wound its way up Gina’s
body.

“
The evil will burn through
you, Gina my dear. Once you are engulfed in flames, so too will you
be in wickedness. You will be complete evil – nothing can stop it,”
Noquef told her and handed the torch back to his servant. Gina
tried to yell out but her screams were muffled by the cheers
below…and screams. The fire was just above her knees, when suddenly
an arrow flew and hit Noquef’s servant. Falling dead, the servant
dropped the torch. It extinguished itself quickly in the dirt. As
it did, so did the flames on Gina’s dress. She slumped, hanging by
her wrists. She had been broken, and she knew it. She felt weak and
hurt, but a small glimmer of hope made her look down into the
crowds. That’s when she saw him. Leyance was fighting Übels in the
swarm below. Her heart lifted. He had come and he was not alone.
She turned and saw Noquef approaching her. Quickly, she grabbed
hold of the rod above her and held herself up as she swung and
kicked him square in the head.

“
I just hope that gave you
a concussion!” she yelled at him and then turned to the crowd and
screamed at the top of her lungs “Leyance!” Surprisingly, he looked
up and saw her. Smoothly, he shot an arrow at her. It swished
through the rope which still held her wrists to the rod, fraying
the rope severely. This was enough. Gina wiggled her hand free and
then used it to untie her other hand. Her second hand free, she
fell to the ground, fatigue and pain sinking in. The sparks left
her legs weak, and they had to be pushed hard to keep her upright.
Slowly, she got to her feet. Noquef too, was recovering from his
hit and saw Gina. She hurried to the dead Übel and grabbed his
sword. Noquef in return grabbed his and came after her. A sword
fight broke out between them, trapping Gina where she was, but she
didn’t care. He had hurt her, and he would pay. Fights had broken
out everywhere and there was not a dry sword in the
area.

Gina and Noquef’s battle was raging full
course. Only the knowledge that Leyance was near-by gave Gina
strength enough to fight. She was bleeding badly, especially from a
cut on her left arm. As Gina’s knees once again buckled in their
feeble attempt to keep her upright, Noquef drove his sword at her
stomach. Gina screamed in pain as the sword sliced through her
skin. It was not a deep cut, but blood gushed from it immediately
and the searing pain blinded her. She dropped to her knees and
crawled behind a small hill of stone. This area revealed another
cliff on the opposite side of where the fighting was. One side of
the cliff face dropped a ways to a forest floor which wound around
to the area where the battle now raged full throttle. On the other
side was a far drop to the winding river below. Gina stared at this
in horror as Noquef stormed up towards her. She hurried to block
his blow and struggled to get to her feet. The fighting continued
and Gina’s increasing blood lost was making her weaker and weaker
with every breath. Noquef was able to push her closer and closer to
the edge with every blow of his bloody sword. With one last blow,
Gina fell to her knees. Her sword fell into the abyss as she began
sliding backwards. Terrified, she grabbed for anything near her.
The ground escaped her, and she fell. She struggled to hold
something as she plummeted further and further. Finally, her
grasping hands found a root sticking out of the cliff face which
was just right for her to catch. Now she hung at gravity’s mercy.
Gina looked below her slowly. If she were to continue her fall, her
life would end. Noquef came to the edge and glared down at her. He
began to laugh insanely.

“
You know, it’s odd,” he
cackled. “I worked so hard to turn you evil, but I like this idea
better. Watching the one who refused to give in finally learn her
lesson. Watching her fall to her gory death on the rocks and water
below. Besides, meeting such an end opens the possibility to life.
Look at it Gina. It’s a long drop – plenty of time in the air
knowing what is about to become of you. And Leyance, poor Leyance,
he’ll find that he was too late, as usual. That he couldn’t save
his precious love. Don’t you see? Love doesn’t conquer all. Love
doesn’t have a weapon to fight with, it can be broken easily – and
now, it has been. Your friends too will die, though unlike you they
will probably have arrows or swords sticking out of them. Lovely to
think about, isn’t it? And you can’t save them. Can’t save your
friends, can’t save your love, can’t save yourself, -can’t save
your city.” He’d gone too far this time.

If I go down, he goes with
me!
she thought. She looked around her and
saw a sharp stone resting on a little ledge close to her. She
looked up to Noquef. He was standing dangerously close to the
edge.

“
Oh yes I can!” she
screamed. Swiftly, she let go of one hand, grabbed the stone and
threw it, hitting him right between the eyes. He screamed,
stumbled, and fell over the side right past Gina. She buried her
head in the side of the cliff, trying not to hear his deathly
screams or the sound of the fatal splash. So she remained: hanging
and hiding her face until finally she was brave enough to look
around her, hoping for a way to climb to safety. She dare not look
down in fear of what she might see. Slowly and carefully she began
to climb sideways so she might get above the forest floor. First
reach, first planting of the foot, next reach, next planting of the
foot. She climbed one step at a time until at last she was just
above the forest floor. Gina looked below her and saw it was not a
far jump. So, she finally let go. She had no strength left. The
fall was painful, especially on her stomach which still bled. The
sting throbbed throughout her entire body. Slowly, she opened her
eyes and looked to see where she had just climbed. The sight
petrified her. A trail of her blood on the stones traced the path
she had climbed. She lay still, eyes closed not wanting to see the
blood surrounding her, not wanting to be in this injured land, but
the screams from the battle interrupted her.

Leyance,
she thought. Slowly and painfully, she got up and
hurried as fast as she could to find him. She threw off her robe as
she went, exposing the black outfit underneath. Her search was not
a long one. Just as the trees cleared, she found him battling an
Übel. Looking around she found a dead enemy and took his weaponry;
luckily he still had arrows. She fired one of these at Leyance’s
opponent. The Übel sank to the floor, dead. She hurried over to him
and hugged him.

“
Gina, thank goodness
you’re alright,” he said. When they broke though, his smile turned
to a frown. Her blood was all over him, and he saw her stomach’s
gash. “You’re loosing way too much blood; we need to get you healed
immediately!” Yet, Gina realized that not all the blood was
hers.

“
My injuries are not nearly
as bad as yours. Those cuts are deeper than mine!”

“
Come on. A camp was set up
to heal the injured. We need to get you there now.” They both
hobbled over a ways until they saw a camp. Some Nythagiéns spotted
them and rushed over. They were just in time to see Leyance fall.
Gina huddled over him and helped them lift him. She let them take
him. He needed healing, and that she could not give him.

“
He will be alright, Your
Highness,” a Nythagién told her.

“
I know,” she replied. She
turned and started to head back out, all the pains of battle, both
physical and mental, weighing her down.

“
You need to stay here,”
the man said. “You are loosing blood as well and are badly injured.
Not to mention the obvious side affects your torturing must have
had.” He said it shakily but stern. Gina slowly looked over her
shoulder at him.

“
I must go,” stated she. “I
must help my people. I’ll be alright.” With that she turned and
left, leaving the man dumbfounded.

Gina hurried off as fast as her cut and
bleeding legs would allow her. The sword dangled in her loose grip
at her side. She saw the battle raging in front of her, but a glint
of a sword caught her attention. Turning, she saw Calypso fighting
an Übel by herself back in a wooded area. Yet the more terrifying
scene lay behind Calypso. An Übel was approaching her back, an
arrow already strung.

Gina did not hesitate. She ran quickly,
screaming as she went. She dived at the Übel and knocked him down.
Just as quickly, she grabbed her sword and drove it through him.
Next, she grabbed her bow and an arrow and sent it flying into
Calypso’s opponent who was nearly on top of her. He fell backwards,
clearing her. Gina sighed in relief. She rolled off the Übel and
landed on something hard. Getting up, Gina realized she had fallen
on his bow. His empty bow. Fear inundated her as she turned to look
at Calypso. She had never heard her scream. Gina ran over to
Calypso, tears already streaming down her face. She knelt and
gently lifted her friend’s head, cradling it in her hands. Little
gasps of air escaped Calypso’s lips as she looked up at her friend
while fighting the excruciating pain coming from her chest. Gina
could barely see. Tears blurred her vision.

“
I was too late,” she
cried, holding Calypso tight. “I’m so sorry. Cassie - Calypso,
please, you have to hold on. Please, don’t leave me. Come on
Cassie, you can hold on, you’re strong, please…” She was crying
uncontrollably.

“
Gina…” Calypso gasped.
“…we…saved…you…” With that, she fell limp in Gina’s
arms.

“
No!” Gina held Calypso
tightly. As she did, her hand touched the arrow and ripped it out.
She held her hand tightly on the wound, trying to stop the blood.
Blinded by the tears of pain, Gina could no longer see what was in
front of her. Yet, she thought she saw a small blaze of golden
light near the wound for an instant. She tried to clear her eyes to
get a better look, but she was interrupted as she heard people
running up behind her.

“
Queen Regina! Thank God we
found you…” a woman said and then stopped seeing Calypso. She
turned to the others. “Get her to camp now! She has been badly
injured!”

“
It’s too late. She’s
dead,” Gina tried to tell them, but they did not hear. Two men
lifted Calypso and disappeared through the trees with her. The
woman and another man helped Gina to her feet and walked her to
camp.

There was great commotion occurring at the
camp. Many injured Nythagiéns were being healed and then having to
rush off to help others in need. Gina started to follow Calypso but
was turned away after she was carried into a tent.

“
I’m sorry, Your Highness,
but I cannot allow you in here. There is not enough room” is what
she was told. Feeling lost, Gina walked up to a nurse who stood
healing a particularly severe injury.