"Coils of Darkness (originally FW chapter 1)" by Cheyenne Kai

Water seemed to drip though every crack and crevice in the freezing, damp dungeon. Torches holding burning flames of death cast eerie shadows everywhere you looked, but no heat rose from them, instead they let out a numbing freeze, chilling the place. A musty smell of mould and cold seemed to shiver all around, lingering in the air. Snakes littered the floor, tongues flicking, trying to find their next dinner, which they knew would never come until he said so. In the middle of the silent dungeon there was a table. On top of this was a woman, frightened and panic-stricken. She sensed something familiar about the place, a presence that she knew she recognized, but at the same time Lily-Anna was certain she had never been here before.

 Screams coming from seemingly nowhere suddenly shot through Lily-Anna’s head like piercing spears, digging into every corner of her mind, torturing her and her soul. She wanted to help, but couldn’t, snakes bound her, coiling like ropes around her wrists, ankles, and waist. If she tried to move, they’d hiss, angry at being disturbed, staring through piercingly deadly eyes with hatred and hunger. She watched her breath escape her, coming out in hurried gasps; she now dared not make any movement at all, whether fast, or slow, for fear they would infect her with deadly poison.

 With their mouths wide open she realised that they weren’t hissing, but it was them that were screaming, somehow it was them that needed her help most, but wouldn’t let her. With this new knowledge Lily-Anna looked at the snakes with deep curiosity, and they in turn loosened their grip, but their eyes still stared at her with the maddening craving to feast.

 She moved her hand, and the snake that was wrapped around her wrist uncoiled itself, it’s tongue flickering like the torches cold flames, smelling Lily-Anna with starvation creeping in quickly and silently. She went to touch the snake, to try and show it that she wanted to help, that she was no threat, but the snake screamed again, and lunged at her, the others coiling more tightly around, their determination cutting of her blood supply to her feet and hands, the serpents slithering on the floor lifted their heads up to watch the sickly show. Excitement rousing them, they began to crawl up the table legs, ready to taste their first bit of blood in days, while the snake round her waist watched as the other one spat poison into her eyes, then went for her throat.  

 A voice from a seemingly far away place cut through her pain. She recognised the sound of the words, that tone, although unclear and muffled, she somehow knew who it was, and it terrified her. Then suddenly it all came flooding back, all the suppressed memories, everything she had been through, all that she had fought for, it was all worthless, he had finally found her.

She couldn’t move, she was momentarily paralysed, having no idea what was coming next, but at the same time knowing that she was in no danger, that he still loved her, they both knew that. He had tried to cut it out from him, the scar still glowing vibrantly, knowing that his dark soul couldn’t handle it if he gave in. He was angry at her because he loved her, he loved her because she had let him, and now he had Lily-Anna tied down, and immovable, she had know idea what he would do, whether now was the time to act on his love, or, more likely, he had come for his son. A loud clang slashed through her thoughts. If she could Lily-Anna would have jumped, but with the situation as it stood, the only implication she had heard it was by the widening fear of her grey eyes.

 The man softly hissed and the snakes angrily backed away from Lily-Anna, knowing yet again they were to go without food.

 Lily-Anna tried to swallow, but frighteningly she realized that her windpipe had narrowed, causing great pain, and lack of oxygen. She moved her eyes, a man came into her sight, darkness and threat seemed to rise of him in the shivering air of the dungeon. He was dressed all in black: even his hair, hung down limply on his shoulders, shone a dangerous black. Pure black. His whole essence reeked of evil and madness. Lily-Anna coughed and averted her gaze from the horrific sight, hardly believing that he used to be so kind, so gentle to her, but it was all a cover from what he was, and it made her sick to think about how it had been, how he had lied to her, used her. It made Lily-Anna cry, too, when she thought about all those times when it was just her, and him. Alone.

 “Look at me.” The voice was soft, entrancing, almost as it had been six years ago, but now there was an edge to it, a sharp tongue had formed in his mouth that spat out evil with every word. Cutting, like a knife, out all of the goodness that had once been so vivid and extraordinary. The lies that he had weaved through her, hypnotised her with.

 “You know you have no choice,” he passed his hands over her throat, and suddenly she could breathe properly again, drawing in as much air as she could in one go, not caring that it tasted contaminated and vile, the stench of what he had become. Lily-Anna moved her eyes once again at the man she once knew, right into his piercingly dark eyes, and screamed silently to herself, still unable to move, or talk. For once she wasn’t trapped in his spell, and she saw him for the first time, saw him for what he really was.

 His eyes were deep pools of blackness, forever digging out his life essence, staring wildly, no more emotional or shining with love. He put his finger softly and delicately onto her blue lips, and whispered:

 “Shh, it’s O.K. I’m free.” He laughed, sounding crazed and delusional, backing away from her, she thought how could anyone with such a dark soul be free? The paralysis was now slowly wearing off, her lips began to tingle, and she managed to express one word:

 ‘Why?’ She breathed, confused, and upset. He went towards her again, so close this time she could smell his putrid breath spilling out of him.

 “I loved you. I love you, that’s why.”

 The madness seemed to have left him for a while, he was serious, and it scared her more than when he was crazed. Then he whispered something that made her heart stop, her throat felt like it was closing up again, choking on the unbearable fear of those words.

 “And. I want my son. I’m going to get him, no matter what. I will own him, he will become a Keahi.”

 Lily-Anna felt the tears drop, one by one, welling up in her eyes, then falling, merging into on another and dripping down her cheeks. She felt them soften her lips as they came to her mouth, she tasted the salty sadness of her grief, knowing that with the paralysis she could do nothing about it, she wanted to scream to shout, to cry out loud, but she couldn’t, only a whisper could pass her lips, she wanted to jump up and hit him, to suffocate him, so that her son could be free, but she couldn’t. Lily-Anna moved her eyes, the only thing she still had control over, and though her vision was blurry from the uncontrollable tears, she focused on Aka, focused all her hate and anger into him, and for a second they made eye contact, then it was gone, lost, but it was enough for him to realise that he would never, ever get her back. It was enough for her to see his secret grief, to see that he had lost someone he loved too. He spoke again, more softly, less confidant.

 “You can’t keep his inheritance a secret forever, he has to know at sometime who he is, or his whole life will be a lie, he will never be able to realise what he can do, what extraordinary powers he possesses. I know you don’t agree with this, that is why I am taking him, and teaching him, so you won’t have to carry the burden.”

 She felt her unusually cold tears coming back again, how could he call their son a burden? Why was he doing this, what was his plan? She knew she would have to act quickly if she could save her child from evil, she knew what to do, and it killed her, but she had to do it, or she would have a son with a slowly dying soul if he got changed into a Keahi before he became what he was destined from birth to become, then he would cease to exist, he would have no purpose in life, he wouldn’t be able to handle his powers and eventually his own life would destroy him. Lily-Anna softly whispered the spell that would allow her son to see her. Before she could finish, however, Aka saw her lips move, he rushed over, quickly putting his hand over her mouth, knowing what she was doing, and if she managed to finish the spell, it would become twice as hard for him to make his son a Keahi. Lily-Anna bit him, determined to complete what she had started, Aka hissed, feeling the cold pain crystallizing his hand, he clutched it, to try and make his suffering more bearable. Turning around to see her he realised with a shock of terror that the snakes had misheard him, the snakes that littered the floor were stealthily slithering up the table, and onto Lily-Anna’s body. All at once they began to feed, but even with more venom passing through her, and the pain of sharp, deadly fangs piercing her skin, and seeping into her bloodstream she somehow managed to complete the spell. She saw the magic spilling out from her in great purple lights as the snakes raised there heads with droplets of venom descended from the blood drenched fangs onto her, staining Lily-Anna’s pure white skin, she saw the connection between her and her child reach out with hands towards the ceiling, it crept through the numerous unseen cracks, as more snakes began to feed on her, she saw the lights floating towards his safe home, and she felt him, her son, in her soul, she could feel his emotions, could hear his thoughts. Soon he would see her, soon he would become what she had hoped he would never have been conscious of. Then she was gone, and she became the light as the slower snakes began to satisfy their hunger on the dead food.

 Aka cried, his scar still showing vibrantly where he tried to cut out his love for her, but he couldn’t, he just couldn’t.