Chapter 21: IN THE LAND OF THE SHASKA: Truth

"Have you missed me these long last three years, Beatrice?" Jacqueline asked, approaching us both. "How do you feel to be in my presence once again? Shocked? Pleased? Scared?" she laughed, long and hard, "Do you recognize me?" she asked, "Of course not… I'm sorry for having changed my appearance today," she shook back the wild mane of curly brown hair she had, and the plait of golden blonde hair I had so despised reappeared. Her eyes changed from green black to blue, and she shrunk in size a few inches, "Is that better?" she asked. I choked for breath. I had not been expecting this-- how had she returned? She laughed again, "I suppose you're just dying to know how I came to be here again-- alive and well-- but first things first. I see you have killed my dear friend, Zsheeka-- no matter though… Bravo. I bet you enjoyed it-- the killing, I mean… Like when you killed my boy… My Travis, as you knew him."

"He killed my mother-- and my best friend," I shrugged my shoulders, "I guess I decided then and there to repay the favor."

"Don't forget that he killed you as well-- I was ever so pleased with him when he told me that he had succeeded in the one thing I could never do-- that is, until now," she waved her hands three times over the corpse at her feet, and the form of Zsheeka disappeared, "You were of course resurrected before he could finish off your soul-- But, you are a mortal now. A complete mortal, and when I kill you tonight, not even your pitiful soul will remain to further plague me and my people."

"Then you are the leader of them."

She nodded, "I am the mother of shaskas. I am Queen of this world, for I was the first to be conceived thousands of years ago in the place where you discovered the truth of your child… I suppose it's good that you have survived up until now. When I kill you, I shall destroy the final hope that is now growing within your belly."

"Really?" I asked, "I don't think so."

"Don't be coy, my child," she hissed, "That can lead to a more painful death for you."

"Fuck you, bitch. I don't care what you think you're going to be able to do to me. You have delusions of grandeur-- that's your fault-- one of many."

She laughed again, sending chills up and down my spine seven times in succession, "I don't give a damn what you think about me-- your opinion never mattered much to me. I do not doubt that you are strong and a capable opponent, but tonight, as your body lay dying, I hope you realize the truth: You're nothing when compared to our kind. I have always thought so-- even that night two years ago in D'Nalge, when you stumbled into Elaine's old cottage-- I was there with you that night. I would have killed you then and there, but I decided to let you go free."

"Bully for you," I whispered.

"And then you met your precious Matthew, and conceived that sickening child in the process," I had forgotten that Matthew was there; I turned to find that he had slipped away into the unconsciousness or charmed sleep once again, "What have you done to him?" I demanded, angrily, turning to face her again, "A spell, you idiotic child and he will not awaken ever again-- yes, he is sleeping, but that does not matter. His eyes will never open again-- good riddance…"

"Fuck you," I hissed, and I stared deeply into her eyes, "Tonight I will succeed in killing you once and for all. I don't care what you think you'll do tonight, and--"

"Before our little battle can begin, I promised to inform you on how I came to be alive-- I will remain true to my word. That night, after I had killed your fiancé… my form instantly disappeared. You should have known right there and then that I was not truly dead. My first life had simply come to an end at your hands. My soul was thrown into a strange void, and I waited for many days before I was resurrected-- the process, as I know you have realized, is quite a difficult spell to perform, and I knew when I rose again, that this was my last chance. My last chance to see you dead, so I had my son begin courting your friend-- Carla, right? Then, on your twentieth birthday, I found where you were, and sent you that dream, so you returned home, and sought Carla, as I knew you would, and Travis killed you and her that night. But, I knew that as you are such an important mortal, your soul would continue living, so I sent Travis once again to finish the job. You, however, succeeded in taking away my only flesh and blood, and I was unable to resurrect him for his soul was deemed 'unworthy' of the spell."

"Pity," I hissed under my breath.

"And so, for the past couple of years, I waited. I waited for you to shack up with that man of yours, and conceive the doomsday child who would destroy everything I held dear. Then, I sent you the other dream, which caused you once again to return to your hometown. It was then that I had Matthew abducted, to ensure your return to the other worlds. I have long awaited this day, and at last it has come."

"I'm sorry to inform you of it, you ugly little cunt, but you won't see me die today. No. There will only be one more death tonight, and it will be yours."

"I must say that your words do not frighten me in the least, you ignorant excuse for a human being… I have grown stronger than ever with the help of more mortal souls… There have been thousands since my resurrection, Beatrice, and there will be thousands more after tonight-- starting with you."

She suddenly lunged at me, but already expecting such an attack, I darted out of her way, and she slammed into the cave-wall, and began to laugh madly, "You are an intelligent little thing, aren't you? You truly have grown since those days when I first met you."

"I have, you ugly little bitch, and I will continue to grow-- especially when your corpse lies rotting at my feet."

"Funny how sure of yourself you have become," she whispered, straightening herself, and brushing some dirt and grime from off of her frighteningly beautiful face as she turned to face me again, "You carry the child that will supposedly destroy my people for good-- but, this will never become a reality… Stop living in your fantasy world, and wake up."

"Fuck off, you dirt bag."

"I want you to learn to shut up-- in death, I'm sure you will, at last, and never again will my people be plagued by you, your husband, and if it were to be born, your unborn child."

"I doubt that," I hissed, "my daughter will come into the world eight months from this moment-- and she will be born into a world as if you never existed."

She laughed again, and I wanted to scream; her laughter was pain to my ears, "Recognize this?" she suddenly asked, producing a gnarled branch that Elaine had used as a walking stick while she had still been alive, "After I murdered the old fool, I went back into her cottage, and vanished her body as it was beginning to create quite a stench-- and then, I stole this."

"But how can you--"

"Hold it? It's oak, yes, but the magic that would repel me has long lied dormant, and no longer exists-- after Elaine's death, the magic stopped working."

"Your point…?"

"It's a metaphor, Beatrice," she hissed, tossing the branch aside, "A metaphor to describe you, in a way… All of this. All of this magic. It stops at a certain point, Beatrice… Just like the breath in your lungs-- the blood that seeps through your veins," I suddenly felt an intense pain throughout my entire body, and screamed, "Just a little preview of what lies in store," she whispered, as I fell to the ground, and the pain at last stopped, "Trust me-- I can make it worse… Much worse."

I stood again, "I am ready for whatever you have in store, bitch," I hissed, and suddenly, I grabbed the old walking stick from off of the ground, and held it tightly in my trembling hands.

"Old magic won't help you today, Beatrice… That moth-ridden old thing is as useless as the day I stole it from your dead fairy godmother's house."

"You never know," I replied, smoothly-- trying to sound casual and unconcerned.

"Whatever-- use it then. See if it does you any good," she charged at me again, and hoping it would work, I waved the walking stick in the air, and Jacqueline was thrown against the cave-wall once again. Her head made a loud smacking sound, and she was knocked unconscious. Wondering if it were all a dream, I envisioned the ax that Jessica had given to me days before-- it suddenly appeared in my free hand, and I approached the bitch to finish the job.

"It's over," I hissed, and I swung the ax until it came into contact with her throat. Blood squirted everywhere as her head was severed, and rolled around on the ground. I actually screamed; terrified by the grizzly sight. I couldn't believe that I had done something so vile-- I couldn't believe that my need had restored the magic to the walking stick-- I couldn't believe that I had actually been able to perform magic.

"Beatrice," a meek voice suddenly whispered from behind me, and I immediately dropped the bloodstained ax in surprise, and then remembered.

I then ran to the back of the cave to bring assistance to my husband.