The robbed men brought her in along with Kage. They tied them up like
the rest of them. It was only as they left that Maya notice Kisha.
Maya gasped. "Mother of God! What did they do to you?"
Kisha didn't answer her. In all truth she couldn't see how she'd be able to. Her whole body was beaten and deep bruises marked her body. The eyes were swollen. They barely opened into tiny slits. The once beautiful mouth now was cracked. The face was completely scarred.
Kage didn't fare well either. He was bloodied and marked but by no means as much as Kisha. He seemed on the verge of tears and Maya's heart went out to him. She couldn't bring herself to ask them anything anymore and let it go.
Eventually the calamity of their minds rested and they all went to sleep. Maya dreamt of dark hair little boys and enchanted woods. For a while her being rested but once her thoughts turned to robbed-men, she entered her nightmare again. She woke just before one of the little boys blasted orange energy at her.
"Stop." Kisha's pleading voice echoed in the dark room sending chills down Maya's back. "Please stop."
"She's dreaming." Dylan told her.
They were all awake now. They all stared at the sleeping Kisha, talking in her dream, all but Kage. His eyes were close, as if struggling with his soulmate's demons also.
"What happened?" Maya asked him.
"They tortured her, they tortured me." Kage quietly answered.
"Why?" She asked.
He didn't respond to her right away. "They want her for these stupid woods."
"Who are 'they'?" Victor inquired.
"The Guardians."
Kage began to laugh softly but it then became so manic that Maya wondered if he had lost it. "They are the wardens of this place. They are Night People and humans, they have been here for ages, and they now want Kisha."
"Not that please. Anything but that!" Again Kisha's voice filled the room and halted their's. "But why exactly?" Maya finally spoke.
"They think they made her."
"I don't understand." Dylan told him.
Kage opened his eyes and a disturbing light that they had never seen in him before shone bright. "You will."
They didn't ask him for more.
* * * * * * * * * * *
They came again. This time they unchained all of them and marched them one by one down a stone hall. On closer inspection, they realized that it was a cave and doors of some metal were somehow put on little grottos. They went through another door and found themselves on an open field with the woods beyond it.
Below the entrance of the cave stood hundreds of robbed people. Men, women, and children greedily stared at them. Maya, Dylan, and Victor watched in horror as the front line of robbed-people revealed themselves to be witches and with energy began to raise Kage up in the air.
They set him up on a high beam to the right of the crowd. They themselves were helpless to stop the witches from doing the same to them. They all struggled against chains of magic until they realized that Kisha wasn't with them. She stood half unconscious at the entrance, held by their prisoners.
Form behind her a man approached. He whispered something in her ear and then turned to the four tied up. "She does not believe me that I would kill you."
"Why?" Maya whispered.
To her surprise the man smiled at her. "Why? Because we created her just like we created every child that was a Keeper of these trees. Just like we created little Alexi."
From behind him, he little boy emerged. His eyes held no emotion and his body was tense.
"We don't understand." Dylan told the leader.
The man turned to Alex. "Explain."
And just like that they were connected to the little boy's mind.
Maya gasped. "Mother of God! What did they do to you?"
Kisha didn't answer her. In all truth she couldn't see how she'd be able to. Her whole body was beaten and deep bruises marked her body. The eyes were swollen. They barely opened into tiny slits. The once beautiful mouth now was cracked. The face was completely scarred.
Kage didn't fare well either. He was bloodied and marked but by no means as much as Kisha. He seemed on the verge of tears and Maya's heart went out to him. She couldn't bring herself to ask them anything anymore and let it go.
Eventually the calamity of their minds rested and they all went to sleep. Maya dreamt of dark hair little boys and enchanted woods. For a while her being rested but once her thoughts turned to robbed-men, she entered her nightmare again. She woke just before one of the little boys blasted orange energy at her.
"Stop." Kisha's pleading voice echoed in the dark room sending chills down Maya's back. "Please stop."
"She's dreaming." Dylan told her.
They were all awake now. They all stared at the sleeping Kisha, talking in her dream, all but Kage. His eyes were close, as if struggling with his soulmate's demons also.
"What happened?" Maya asked him.
"They tortured her, they tortured me." Kage quietly answered.
"Why?" She asked.
He didn't respond to her right away. "They want her for these stupid woods."
"Who are 'they'?" Victor inquired.
"The Guardians."
Kage began to laugh softly but it then became so manic that Maya wondered if he had lost it. "They are the wardens of this place. They are Night People and humans, they have been here for ages, and they now want Kisha."
"Not that please. Anything but that!" Again Kisha's voice filled the room and halted their's. "But why exactly?" Maya finally spoke.
"They think they made her."
"I don't understand." Dylan told him.
Kage opened his eyes and a disturbing light that they had never seen in him before shone bright. "You will."
They didn't ask him for more.
* * * * * * * * * * *
They came again. This time they unchained all of them and marched them one by one down a stone hall. On closer inspection, they realized that it was a cave and doors of some metal were somehow put on little grottos. They went through another door and found themselves on an open field with the woods beyond it.
Below the entrance of the cave stood hundreds of robbed people. Men, women, and children greedily stared at them. Maya, Dylan, and Victor watched in horror as the front line of robbed-people revealed themselves to be witches and with energy began to raise Kage up in the air.
They set him up on a high beam to the right of the crowd. They themselves were helpless to stop the witches from doing the same to them. They all struggled against chains of magic until they realized that Kisha wasn't with them. She stood half unconscious at the entrance, held by their prisoners.
Form behind her a man approached. He whispered something in her ear and then turned to the four tied up. "She does not believe me that I would kill you."
"Why?" Maya whispered.
To her surprise the man smiled at her. "Why? Because we created her just like we created every child that was a Keeper of these trees. Just like we created little Alexi."
From behind him, he little boy emerged. His eyes held no emotion and his body was tense.
"We don't understand." Dylan told the leader.
The man turned to Alex. "Explain."
And just like that they were connected to the little boy's mind.