I reached beneath my white robe and grabbed my dagger from my thigh. I remembered what Marcellious told me about how to kill my darkness. I was to take my blade, point it toward the heavens, and repeat the sacred words. In so doing, I would be able to control the darkness.
The darkness watched me as I pointed the dagger at the moon and began saying the ancient scripture.
“Ya hamiat alqamar fi allayl, ‘adeuk litutliq aleinan lilnuwr waturshiduni khilal alzalami. Dae alshams aleazimat tarqus min hawlik bialhubi walmawadati. Mean, aftahuu bawaabatikum wamnahwani alsafar eabr alzaman walmakan mithl zilal allay.”
My darkness struck like lightning, grabbing Laughing Maid in her arms.
Laughing Maid shrieked and cried, writhing in the arms of the demon holding her.
“Olivia, help me!” she cried in her native tongue.
I lunged for her, but the darkness snapped Laughing Maid’s neck before I could reach her.
Then, it dropped Laughing Maid’s limp body to the ground.
“No!” I cried out, falling to my knees.
Dahlia and her black clouds disappeared, leaving me kneeling before the dead Native American maiden with shrieks and cries.
The chief rose with a young man’s speed and said thunderously, “Everyone, get inside your teepee and stay there!”
“Those people,” Leaping Deer yelled, pointing at me, Roman, and Marcellious. “You let them into our tribe under our protection. You allowed danger to enter!”
She rushed toward me and shoved me out of the way, reaching for Laughing Maid’s limp body. “If these time travelers are here, we are in danger.”
The chief bellowed. “How dare you say that? Would you also turn Dancing Fire away?”
I stumbled to my feet as sharp stabs of grief split open my heart. Why did I cause so much sorrow to those I loved? Everywhere I went, I brought pain.
I dropped my head in my hands and began to sob. My body shook with emotion.
Strong hands wrapped around my arms and lifted me.
I turned, pressing myself into Roman’s warmth.
“Come on, my darling,” he said, tucking me against him.
“How can we destroy the darkness?” I blubbered.
“Shh,” Roman soothed. “No matter what, we will be together. We will find a way to defeat Balthazar.”
“But how? Every time I stand up to the darkness, it destroys someone I care about.” I felt consumed by despair so powerful it threatened to swallow me.
“Sweetheart,” Roman said, turning to face me. He placed his hands on my tear-stained cheeks. “Everyone has a weakness, even Balthazar. We will find his weakness. We will find it and exploit it. Then and only then will we be free.”
His words sounded comforting. But the reality of ever escaping Balthazar was too daunting to give me peace.
Olivia
The sun lingered behind the horizon when Emily and I awoke the next day. My heart seemed weighted as if stuffed with stones and sorrow.
We hustled around the teepee in the darkness, gathering our belongings to prepare for our departure.
“It’s so awful…what happened to Laughing Maid. The tribe must hate us right now if they think you’re responsible for her death,” Emily said, her voice tight with fear.
“They have every right to be angry. Iamresponsible. Everywhere I go, I bring the promise of pain and death, Emily,” I said, my voice cracking with grief. I felt along the hide-strewn floor for my moccasins and set to donning them.
“Oh, don’t say that, Olivia! Surely, you’re not the one who called this so-called darkness to come and kill Laughing Maid,” Emily said.
