The Years Before
Chapter 11 : The Second Test
Come away, O human child!
To waters and the wild.
With a fairy, hand in hand.
For the world's more full of weeping,
then you can understand. - by William Butler Yeats
Harry sighed as he flopped to the ground. He had been walking for hours. And to be frank, he was tired. And that was annoying beyond belief. He had stuck the dagger into his belt a while back so he didn't have to worry about dropping it.
Of course, he had cleaned the blade off before doing so. But now, he was tired, and bored. He hadn't seen anyone or anything but trees -dead ones at that- and fog.
"Of course this would happen. What else would happen after a birthday party, the best day of my life turned into this." Said Harry distastefully. Before he pushed himself up into a sitting position. Before he sneezed.
"If I get a cold I am so killing that curly haired fop of a demon.." Said Harry as he stood. And started walking in the way opposite of his foot prints. After a while, the trees started to thin out.
It was a flat land, a waste land. No trees, no grass. And it went on for miles and miles.
"Wonderful.." Harry muttered.
Eclipse jumped off his chair when the door's room was slammed open. And Chris opened the door. It was around 6 a.m. In the morning. Here Chris wasto wake up Harry. Who, was asleep.
Chris jumped onto the bed and tugged the covers off of the sleeping form. "Oi! Wake up!" He shouted. Before he prodded the still sleeping Harry. "Harrryyyy?" Said Chris, blinking. Before pulling the sleeping kid up by the front of his shirt, and then slapping him.
And Eclipse promptly bit his hand. "AUGH!" Shouted Chris, waving his hand around trying to get off the demon turned cat.
The old man, Hejem walked into the room as he said "what's with this racket?" He said. Chris finally shook of the cat. "Demon cat!" He shouted. Before he ran from the room.
And he came back with his staff. "YOU SHALL PERISH!" He shouted.
Hejem stuck his foot into Chris' walking path, and the kid tripped. And fell, face first onto the cold marble floor. "Why did you do that? I must destroy the evil demon c-!" Chris was cut off in his ranting when Hejem said "get down to breakfast, fool!"
"But-" Chris started, before Hejem hit him on the back of the head. "NOW!" He shouted. And Chris nodded hurriedly while scrambling from the room.
Hejem shook his head and sighed. And Eclipse said "how do you put up with that.." Eclipse trailed off. Not sure would word would define Chris.
"One day at a time.." Said Hejem, as he moved over to the side of the bed and grabbed Harry's shoulder and started to shake it. "Harry, wake up, breakfast.."
And Harry did not stir.
Harry blinked, looking off to the side of the large wasteland. He had long ago lost the sight of the trees. He frowned. He could have sworn he had heard Hejem. Before he shrugged and trudged on.
After a while, the wasteland faded off into a road. And on the side of the road, were a large, mirror like objects. All of them as tall as an average person, and as wide as the side of a dresser. These mirrors were like those full length mirrors one sees in a rich family house orin picture books of castles. Thousands of them, going down the road. Harry rolled his eyes and started to follow the road. In each mirror, it neither reflected Harry's image or the mirror across the way.
But a world inside it. Sometimes it was an ocean, or forest, or desert. Sometimes even images of nothing but fire. Or a city, a view of a person walking down the street. None of them alike. And at the end of the road was a single mirror. And when Harry looked into the mirror, it reflected an image that wasn't him.
It was Chris looking right back at him. But his gaze was blank. Harry blinked, and reached to touch the mirror. Before the mirror Chris' hand snapped out of the mirror, wrapping his hand around Harry's wrist as he climbed the rest of the way out.
Chris was dressed in his regular cloths, his staff at his side. Harry smiled and said "Chris! Thank goodness you're here! I was worried I'd never see any of you again….." Harry's smile faded, as Chris hadn't let go of Harry's wrist. But had only tightened his grip.
"Chris..?" Harry asked as Chris raised his staff above his head, and brought it down on Harry'sleft shoulder, and it made a sickening crack. Harry screamed as he clawed his wrist out of Chris' grasp and fell onto his butt on the ground. Holding his shoulder with wide eyes.
"You shall be punished, for being such a creature to go against the will of Raised!" Said Chris, his voice becoming louder near the end of his sentence as he held his free hand, the one without the staff, up into the air.
"Holy bolt!" Shouted Chris bringing his palm down to align with Harry's head.
"DIE DEMON LORD!"
Hejem blinked as he stopped shaking Harry's shoulder when the child's face twisted in pain. His body stiffening. "Eclipse?" Said Hejem, looking over to the Cat on the floor. Eclipse looked up to Hejem just as the old Priest backed away from Harry.
"Something is very wrong.." Hejem said.
The door opened some more and Chris said, sticking his head into the room. "What is taking so long for Harry to get ready for breakfast?"
"Go to the kitchen and stay there, Chris." Said Hejem.
"Why?" Said Chris.
"Do it now!" Hejem snarled and Chris shut the door.
Eclipse had jumped up and onto the bed as Harry's left hand started to twitch..
It was like being fried by fire yet nothing was burning. Worse than starving. It was so horrible. The searing pain was burning, both on the outside and the inside.
And then it was over. The Holy Bolt was off aimed. And Harry's right arm and side were both burned. It hurt to move his right side.
Harry slammed into one of the mirror's frames. The Holy Bolt almost missed because Harry had jumped up and to the left. The bolt only grazing. Harry fell back onto the floor, staring up at Chris in shock and horror.
And still Chris' eyes were blank. As he slowly raised his palm into the air. "T.. this is a dream, right..?.. I hope.." Said Harry as he took a shaky breath. His right hand going to the left side of his belt. As he came up with a plan, if only to take his mind away from the pain with moveing his right arm.
"HOLY BOLT!" Shouted Chris, aiming his hands to Harry's nowstanding form. Harry threw himself foreword, the holy bolt going overhead, unsheathing his dagger from his belt as he slammed into Chris. And they both landed on the floor.
Harry rolled off of Chris, laying on the cobble stone road, staring up at the ash grey sky. As the mirror Chris drew it's last breath, blood spilling out of his mouth as his hands reached up to grasp the dagger sitting in the middle of his chest.
And his eyes closed and his chest stilled as he breathed his last. Harry shuddered as he sat up. Eyes tearing up a bit as he bit back a sob, bringing his knees up to his chin and hiding his face against his knees, shoulders shaking.
He had just killed his second friend.
Eclipse was pacing the distance between his chair and the doors. Back and forth before pausing and looking up at the bed every so often. Hejem was sitting in a chair off to the side. Hejem sighed as he stood and he said "I'll see to Chris, watch over Harry." Hejem stood, and left by the door, closing it behind himself.
Eclipse jumped up onto the bed, landing on his four paws as he walked over to Harry's form and sat down next to his right shoulder.
"Wake up soon.." Mumbled Eclipse.
Harry looked up again, moving so he was sitting on his knees as he reached over and pulled the dagger from the mirror Chris' chest. Harry didn't bother to clean off the blade as he stuffed it into his belt again.
Harry stood and looked around. The mirror at the end of the road was gone, showing the way to the castle he had first come to see when he entered this world.
"Lets finish it.." He murmured, moving down the hill into the valley below.
Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter. Whoo!.. Sorry it took so long. Personal issues and well, writers block. And no ideas to work on. And this one popped up from who knows where. Anyway, ENJOY!.. don't forget to read and review? Please?
-Akua-