Chapter Eight: Sacrifice

Shane watched intently as Anna studied the magic stone. He saw that the sky above them had turned quite dark. And he briefly, only very briefly, wondered how everyone was doing in the Night World. And whether they had managed to defend against the humans without his leadership and commands. He trust his council would make the best decision.

"Shane, come here." Anna suddenly whispered. Shane hurried to her side.

"What is it?"

"I will not perform the last enchantment to break this stone. After I'd done that, you must quickly grabbed my hand. Together, I will speak the magic words to awake them. I need you to grab my hand because this will not be an easy task and I will need you to hold me if anything should happen."

Shane eyed Anna quickly. "Is this going to be dangerous?"

Anna nodded. "Breaking the stone apart is easy. But to awake them, it will be a difficult task. But we must do it and do it quick. The elders, though old as they are, may be very well climbing this mountain as we speak."

Shane nodded hastily. "Let's do it." Then he paused. "You will be fine, won't you?"

She smiled a little. "Yes I will."

"That's a promise."

She looked rather surprised. But smiled anyway. Then she closed her eyes and begin chanting some ancient witch tongue Shane did not care to know. The light surrounding Anna grew brighter and Shane had to break away from her.

It took only a few moment for the stone to break. It was a sudden movement and Shane's instinct was to grab Anna's hands and leaped back. They both fall in a heap on the grass.

Shane quickly help her up again. "You alright? That came as a surprise."

Anna wasn't listening to him. Instead, her eyes had a strange sort of excitement as she stared intently at the broken stone. Shane followed her gaze and saw what it is that had fascinated her so.

It took his breath away.

The stone that had broken into neat little pieces had fallen onto the grass. What was left was a giant white crystal that was so bright and shiny that Shane had to squint his eyes. And he could just see, as clearly as he could see the trees and the hills, that just inside those crystals, are Raul and Rindy.

Their eyes were closed. Raul was wearing the same garb that he had worn two years ago. The same black velvet cape that was crimson red on the inside. Rindy was also wearing that same angelic piece of white dress that simply make her looked extraordinarily beautiful. And just looking at her make Shane breathless.

But it was not their clothes or appearances that break Shane's heart so. It was the way that they were so crumbled and squeezed up inside the crystal, with Rindy holding on to Raul that broke Shane's heart. He suddenly felt so sorry. And he knew his brother may never forgive him for sealing him up two years ago. And Shane would not expect his brother to forgive him either. Just looking at them, like two dead but stunningly beautiful corpses, make his heart wrench. He hated himself then.

"Shane…" Anna muttered. She was looking at him, seeing his pain.

"I…I do not know what to say…"

"Then do not say anything." Anna said softly. "It wasn't your fault. You are a good person. A good king."

Shane could not tear his eyes away from them. He could not help but notice that Rindy had her two small hands around Raul's waist. And she was a head shorter than him. His brother, on the other hand, was like a baby, being embraced so lovingly by Rindy. And that make him jealous and he was angry at himself for being jealous.

"I will finish the rest of the chant now. Will you hold my hand?" Anna asked.

Shane nodded. He felt weak. Suddenly, so weak. The dreams that had appeared to him over the past two days had been so real and strong. His brother had seem so powerful when he broke his back at the forest clearing. And Rindy had looked so alive when she had healed Iker's leg. Right now, he was looking at two very helpless and vulnerable beings. He can never imagine his brother ever looking vulnerable but this was the moment. It was at this exact instant that Shane knew his brother was not as evil as he had been make out to be. It was at this moment that Shane knew that his brother was not cold and hard and unfeeling.

"Yes. I want to awake them. Now." He hold Anna's hands tightly, feeling his own fear in his heart.

For the next two and a half minute, Shane did not know what exactly happen. His mind was elsewhere. It would probably be more accurate to say that his mind was a blank. He did not know what he was thinking. He was simply not there, mentally. He only remembered holding Anna's hands. The rest was history. Maybe he was too indulged in his own sorrow upon seeing Raul and Rindy. Maybe he was thinking about the Night World and what to do with the humans. Maybe he was so tired, he just wasn't thinking. No matter, the end result proved disastrous. Shane did not hear the elders behind them, had not think they would make it to the peak. He'd underestimated them and if anything else, the elders should never ever be underestimated. For their malice run deep and their powers incomprehensible. Anna was, of course, busy with her enchantment to even know what was going on around her. Hence, when Shane and Anna was suddenly blew apart by a powerful gust of wind, Shane hit his head on a stone and started to bleed.

It was only then did Shane know that they had been too late. That the elders had come upon them. Still, Shane's ego would not let him admit defeat to a bunch of old and wiry witches. He was, after all, the heir to the throne of the Night World and hence, he had strong blood running through his veins. He would not be easily defeated.

He quickly jumped onto his feet. One quick look at the crystal told Shane that his brother and Rindy were still locked in that eternal rest.

He turned to the elders. "How dare you attack me, your king! Your treachery is beyond all hope. You will be judged upon returning to the council!"

The elders looked unswayed. No longer will they pretend to cry and plead for mercy. They knew Shane had known it all. They knew Anna had betrayed them and as Anna had predicted, they were out to destroy them both. On top of this cliff.

"My lord, you have done a treacherous thing yourself, freeing that monster. You, yourself will be judged not only by the council, but by the whole of the Night World. The Night people will be very unhappy at your unwise decision. You are no longer fit to be king!"

Shane would have smack her mouth if she had but stood a little closer to him. But right now, they were several feets apart, which give them an advantage, but Shane a slight handicap.

Only a slight handicap though, for Shane could move as fast as lightning.

It was then that Anna spoke, and her voice broke and she was suddenly crying. "Elders, please forgive me! His lordship forces me to perform the spell or he would kill me. He already killed his granny as you all witnessed her body."

"Do not lie to us, Anna! We know you have collaborated with his lordship!" The elders bellowed angrily.

But Anna only shook her head and fall onto her knees."No, I am not lying. His lordship is not himself!"

The elders glared with rage at Anna. All this while, Shane was confused. What the hell is happening? Has Anna betrayed him?

He was about to scold that little witch when Anna cried out again.

"I perform the spell, my elders. He make me do it! The fallen lord will be awaken soon!"

At this, the elders all moved back considerably, eyeing their surrounding suspiciously. And Shane detect fear in their eyes.

He looked at the crystal again. Raul and Rindy was still locked up in that same position, unmoving and eyes closed.

What was Anna babbling about?

Then Anna continued, babbling and crying like a crazy wretch. "Oh my lord, forgive me!" Then she knelt down infront of Shane and begin to bow her head over and over again, as if Shane was her worshipped god. Shane could only gaped at her.

The elders was angry and frightened at the behavior their apprentice was showing. Either Anna was losing her mind, or she was acting. The elders would take no chances.

"What are you doing, you rat! "

Anna looked at the elders, eyes full of tears. "Do you not see him, my elders? This here is the Dark Lord, Lord Raven himself. He had possessed the present lord's body. Do you not see the darkness in his eyes, my elders?" Then she continued to bow her head and say prayers infront of Shane.

Shane was stunned. So he knew what Anna was playing at. The only game that could give them the upperhand in this match. She was trying to fool the elders into thinking that his brother had been released and that he was inside Shane's body now, a very angry and powerful dark lord, ready to wipe out the whole world.

Shane saw the elders looking at him, as if searching for evidence that what Anna said was true.

He needed to play his part now, And play it well.

He tried to master all the evilness, the rage and darkness in him towards the elders. It was not difficult for he hated them and would love to toy and tortured them into a slow and painful death.

"Are you not going to welcome me back?" He asked, sarcastically.

Anna cast a quick look at Shane. Good, he was catching on her que.

The elders stared blankly back at him.

He continued. "I had a nice long sleep back there. Thanks to you." Now he eyed the elders dangerously, with evil intent in his eyes.

The elders, after a few moment of hesitation, fall unto their knees.

"My lord, oh my lord, you have returned to us! And what great timing too! Surely you know the humans have invaded our homeland. We need your help."

So the witches were trying to steer the topic. To distract the dark lord. Shane was appalled at their sudden change of attitude. At their hypocrisy

"If my memory did not fail me, you send me to sleep two years ago?" Shane tried to recall the tone of voice Raul often uses when he was trying to mock his subjects. He recalled how angry his brother had often make him feel when he uses one of his sarcastic and belittling tone. Now he was imitating his brother, trying to make the witches convinced that he was, indeed, Raul.

The elders bowed their heads hastily. "My lord, we have ever serve you so loyally. Please do not send us out of your sight."

Shane felt like kicking those miserable midgets.

Anna suddenly wailed in fear again. "My lord, please forgive the elders. They have done nothing but serve you with all their heart and soul. Two years ago, they were coerced and forced by Shane's granny and Shane himself into binding you. Please, do not let them suffer the same fate as Virginie!"

The elders immediately turned to the pile of ashes lying near the edge of the cliff and they almost throw up.

"Yes." Shane said quickly. "I will destroy those that ally with my brother. Virginie betrayed me and did the same. She suffer that ill-fate. Would you have me do the same to you?!"

The elders immediately plead and cried for mercy. Shane was having a great time fooling them and making them sweat. But he knew he should not play it too far. The elders were not stupid, Sooner or later, they would realized it was all a hoax. And they would be very angry and humiliated that they would swore to kill every last of him and Anna.

"You have wasted my time here. Go back to the Night World. Inform everyone of my coming. I do expect a royal welcome. And if I am not satisfied, I will hurt you."

The elders nodded and were about to walk off when one of them turned around suddenly.

"My lord, you say…go back where?"

"I said, go back to the Night World and stop asking stupid questions, lest you fancy yourself soulless!"

It was a wrong move and Anna saw it all too quickly. For the all the elders turned back and eyed Shane slowly. "You are not the dark lord."

"Yes I am." Shane said, almost indignantly.

"The dark lord speak of the Night World as the world. He never uses the full term. He said he was too lazy to speak an extra syllable."

"Oh." Shane muttered, lost.

The elders were grinning as they advanced towards them. "Nice try there, Shane."

"You will address me as your lordship, unless you want your insides on the outsides!"

They did not flinched. Anna looked at Shane worriedly. But Shane would not let himself be fearful of a couple of old hags.

"Now, Shane. We feel so stupid having been riled in by you and Anna's little scheme. But no more! You have attempted to free the dark lord, and have failed miserably, but an attempt is an attempt. We will not overlook that. Your punishment for such a heinous crime is, death."

At that, the began to form a circle and before Shane could even react, they were chanting something so strong and so heavy, that it only makes Shane's head hurts.

On instinct and impulse, he leaped towards the ring of the elders and attempted to break their necks. But whatever chants they had chanted, it had resulted in a magical barrier surrounding them and it was as if Shane hit steel, for he rebound back with great impact.

As Shane laid, sprawled on the ground, slightly hurt but his ego brutally bruised, Anna thought of a different plan. She grabbed the dagger on the floor. And it was then Shane noticed the dagger was there. It had the imprint of a horrible looking snake. And he recognized it immediately. It was a rare gift from his brother. Virginie's dagger.

She must have dropped it when she had fallen to Fayth's fires.

By then, the elders were chanting yet another spell. One so overbearing that it lifted Shane right off the ground. And he was powerless to fight it. He was unlike his brother, who was well-versed in the arts of magic. His gift was only in healing and in speed and agility. Something that is mortally useless against the band of elders. He felt every bones in his body breaking. As if the unseen forces was an invisible hand that is grabbing him and squeezing every flesh out of him. He yelled out in pain.

Without really noticing, he realized Anna had ran to the side of the crystal where Raul and Rindy laid asleep and possibly unaware that Shane was dying.

Anna cried out amidst the loud roaring of the winds surrounding them. "Put him down or I will cut myself!"

The elders did not listen or maybe they chose not to. They were intent with their chanting. Evil sounds that makes Shane's head ready to burst.

"Put him down or I will cut my throat!" Anna screamed again, louder this time against the wailing of the winds. "And the dark lord should drink witch's blood and his eternal sleep unmade!"

The elders heard her this time. They eyed her slowly. But they still had Shane in the air, though he felt the invisible force grew lighter for he could breathe a little more easily now.

"Anna, you do not know what you are doing. Put that dagger away."

"I know exactly what I am doing, my elders. I have ever been your most faithful student when it comes to learning. I learnt a lot from you. And I intend to put all my knowledge to good use!"

"Anna! Drop that dagger now! If you spilled your blood on him, he will consumed your soul! Have you not heard of how the feeling of your soul being consumed is like? It is like he is eating from your inside! Put down that dagger, for god's sake!"

Anna held the dagger closer to her throat. "Not only will my soul be consumed, he will also awaken. For he is the soul eater. And he who consumes the soul of a witch will break himself away from the spell made by the witch!" She let out a laugh. And Shane thought she had really lose her mind. "Put down Shane now."

The elders eyed each other. They were obviously unhappy at this turn of event. They were also quite prepared to kill Shane now, for they had him so close to death.

"Throw the dagger over the cliff and Shane goes free." The elders commanded.

Anna smirked. "I am not entirely a dimwit. You are not the one calling the cards here. Put him down now or enjoy the wrath of the dark lord later." She shrugged easily. "You know I am not afraid of death. You know very well I was prepared to die when I set out to restore his lordship's former glory."

The elders saw the insanity in Anna's eyes. Or maybe they saw the seriousness. For Shane felt himself being lowered, and finally, he dropped to the floor, feeling a thousand bones in his body all broken. But his body is already starting to mend. He needed all but 15 minutes. If Anna could keep them distracted with her for 15 minutes. He could strike them down before they even blink.

The elders started to move back, away from Anna and Shane.

Keep them talking, Anna. I need just 10 more minutes. Keep them talking, he spoke to her in her head. Or maybe his eyes were doing the talking for Anna understood.

She picked up the dagger and sliced her throat open.

Shane gasped. The elders were shocked.

He could not rush to her side. He was not mended yet. But he saw her fall and her blood, her crimson red blood, the color of Raul's cape, flow over the crystal, covering the Raul and Rindy until Shane could no longer see them. He wanted to rush to her side. To heal her. To scold her for being so stupid, so crazy. But he couldn't. His body was broken. He could not move.

Give me another five minutes, please.

But no amount of time could save Anna. For when that five minutes was up, she had bled herself dry. And the grass was painted red that night.

The ground shook. Maybe it was another earthquake. Shane did not care. He did not even want to run away. He felt so lost. Anna was gone. Virginie was gone. All his good friends were gone.

The elders were gone as well. They had fled the moment Anna's blood had flown freely from her body. They knew of that consequence and they must have intended to fled somewhere far so that Raul may never catch up with them.

Does this mean his brother and Rindy were free?

Shane did not care. Rindy, as much as he'd loved her, was never his to begin with. And would never be his. But Anna, the one girl that he had felt reminded him of Rindy, the one girl he had felt was able to replace the hole in his heart, to replace Rindy, was gone. Dead.

And now Rindy was back.

And she would never be his.

It was a cruel joke on him.

The ground shook even greater. And Shane had to grab on to the grass to prevent him from rolling about. Maybe the whole cliff was tumbling. Maybe he would fall to his death.

The next thing he knew, he did fell. Fell into a long and everlasting deep hole. A hole so black he had to shut his eyes.

And he fall forever.

When Shane came to, his head throbs. His body aches. He looked around him and saw that he was still at the top of the cliff. At that exact same spot. The grass around him was still red. Red with Anna's blood.

He picked himself up and walked towards the spot where Raul and Rindy were held up in the crystal. It was covered in red blood. Shane started to wipe it with his hand. He did not know how long he had slept just now but the sky was dark. It should be in the middle of the night now. He had lost all sense of time.

It took him a few minutes to wipe clear a spot. He peered inside the crystal.

There was nothing there.

Shane stepped back, suddenly afraid. Raul and Rindy were gone.

Yet he did not feel their presence. He felt very alone up here. Anna's body was still there. Virginie's body was still there. But no signs of Raul and Rindy.

But obviously they had awaken.

But where were they?

Shane looked around. No. Just deep silence.

He suddenly did not know where to go or what to do. His granny, of whom he had often looked for advice, was dead by his hands. Virginie, as obnoxious as she may be, was his partner in crime when they search for ways to release Raul and Rindy. She was dead too now.

And his newest ally, and the girl whom he thought he had come to be rather fond of, was dead as well.

"Are you lost?" He said. He did not know why he said that.

"Yes." He said again, hearing his own tired voice in the silence of the night.

He laid himself warily on the grass again. And gazed unto the dark sky. No glimmer of stars. No rays of moonlight, Just complete darkness.

"Will you save me?" He mumbled. No one answered him. Of course no one did.

"Will you take me away?" He asked again. Something wet trickled down his cheeks. He must had been bleeding. But he did not smell blood though. And usually his sense of smelling was so acute, he must be getting old, he thought wryly.

Then he closed his eyes again and slept.

Someone shook him. Or it could have been an animal. Shane woke up quickly. And he thought he was dead. He must have been dead. For he had been brought up into the heavens. And here it was, a beautiful angel waking him. He thought the angel looked strangely familiar. But perhaps all angels looked the same.

"Shane…?"

He nodded. "Yes. That is my name."

The angel nodded grimly. How odd, Shane always thought angels smile all the time. This angel looks not much fun. In fact, she looked so sad.

"What is wrong?" he asked.

"How do you feel?"

Shane nodded. He felt okay. He was dead and he knew it. He was in heaven. Was this angel grieving for his death? He wanted to tell her that it was okay. That heaven is really a good place and he did not mind dying.

"I feel fine."

"Do you remember…me?"

The angel had such long and beautiful hair. He wanted to touch it. But he dare not. After all, she was an angel. An untouchable, so to speak. And as far as he could recall it, he had not met any angels before in his life. Maybe except one.

"No."

"Really?"

Shane nodded. "Yes. I do not think we've met. Though you remind me of Rindy."

The angel nodded. "That is enough. That is all I needed to know." And she took Shane by surprise when she bury her head into his arms and started to weep.