(Alice's POV)
After our session in which I had claimed that I was Alice, Zhak the great cat warrior, and his long lost heir Distasio, he stormed out absolutely fuming. I smiled grimly to myself. In the corner of my mind the whispers began as they always did about this time. Will I get out? What happens after? I quickly silenced them knowing that brooding thoughts will do nothing but make my sacrifice harder. I had no intention of surviving this.
A guard entered shortly after with my one meal. It was comprised entirely of some brown substance that had no flavor and revolted whenever I tried to swallow it. The guard shoved a spoon into it, and force fed it past my useless jaw. I tried to make an appreciative sound but it came out as more of a guttural groan.
Once I was finished with my distasteful meal, the guard unhook my chains and moved me over to a bucket in the corner. He politely turned his back as I did my business, and he led me back to my slab. This was my life now, and I would have no escape.
A few hours later the door flew open again, and the Emperor emerged with a triumphant grin on his face. I knew that whatever was coming next would not be pleasant, as he did not wait for our usual time together.
With a snap of his fingers he repaired my jaw, and pulled something out of his cloak. From where I was sitting it looked just like an empty jar, but that couldn't be the case. Why would he be so happy about an empty jar. He knew that he was about to get what he so desperately craved.
"I'm going to let you in on a little secret." He declared, his gruesome grin still plastered over his too-pale face. "This room has a few properties that you may find different from other prisons. For starters I have placed a curse onto all objects in this room to negate all magical effects cast by any other than myself. The second is that I built my castle on an important magical site. Some say that this is where magic entered the world thousands of years ago, but it is far more likely to be just a site where many people practiced their magic. Anyway this land still remembers the magic once cast upon it, and so all spells are imbued with extra power when cast from anywhere in this castle. Before I unleash what is in this jar upon you, I, your most gracious Emperor, will grant you one final chance. What is your name?"
"Ronny Williams. I grew up in a small farm town, and I moved to the big city to seek my fortune." I said.
"A pity, for the creature in this jar is none other than a Cogitatio Vermis. A creature from the Eastern Kingdom." My face paled. I knew all about the power that the mind worm held. By itself it just caused headaches and occasional hallucinations of sounds and colors. Imbued with dark magic, it allowed free reign in the thoughts and memories of anyone the wizard chooses. Their use in Spera had been banned for centuries, but whispers were still heard.
"I see that you recognize it. Then you know the power it has normally, although within this castle its power is magnified. I can pierce every thought you've ever had, and you can do nothing to stop me. Final chance, what is your name?"
"Alice Springhaven!" I shouted with as much conviction as I could muster.
"Then I pity you." From within his cloak he drew an ornate dagger and began the ritual. First he drew the knife across his skin and fed his blood to the cogitatio vermis as an offering. The cogitatio vermis feasted until every drop of blood was gone from the jar. Then he slashed through my wrist, quite mercilessly at that, and dropped my blood into the jar as well. I knew the next part well and tried to shut it out as he chanted.
He spoke words long forgotten, and boiled the blood inside the creature. The worm screamed in absolute agony as it was boiled from the inside out. Finally the screaming stopped and I knew what was left. The creature had survived but every ounce of kindness and empathy was burned from it. It was a ruthless servant, and the Emperor was its master.
Satisfied the Emperor reached into the jar and placed the creature in the palm of his hand. The creature curled up in fear, but once it saw me it stood uncoiled itself. It leaned towards me as if a weapon of war, and awaited its masters approval to strike.
The emperor nodded and the creature lunged. It clung to me face and I shook and screamed , trying everything to get the vile creature off of me. Despite my fervent attempts the creature hung on. Inch by inch it climbed up my cheek towards my nose. I shouted and screamed but the emperor only smiled, he was enjoying this. I shifted and jerked harder and faster but it was no use. The creature finally reached my nose and with a slimy sting it leapt in. I felt the pressure travel up to my brain, and my life truly flashed before my eyes.
Mentally I compiled a list of facts that I did not want the emperor to know, and I forced them all from my mind. He tore through my memories violently.
I watched through my eyes once more as young Aliendra was just learning how to control her powers. This was before that terrible night. Aliendra had accidentally burned a few books in the library and was getting scolded by an elderly woman.
"Honestly...Alice… you can't go running around burning books like this, it's disrespectful. Pay more attention when… is teaching you how to control your powers. It may save your life if you ever decide to visit the empire." She added with a chuckle. I quickly modified the memories to use Alice instead of my real name, and cut out my mother's name. He wouldn't get anything that easily.
Next flashed my first kill after I had accidentally killed my parents. I was walking alone on the northern border of Spera, the chill frosting me to the bone. I was still in my nightgown and it did little to protect me from the bitter I would not survive long. I quickly collected a few logs fallen from a nearby evergreen tree. I didn't know who had felled it, but I was grateful.
I threw all of the logs small enough for me to carry into a pile, and stared at it. I snapped my fingers and pointed but nothing happened. Finally I gave up, and threw another stick at it in resigned frustration, when I noticed that it was alight!
"You there!" A male voice shouted from nearby. I turned to see a squad of soldiers walking towards me. They looked the same as the ones who had ransacked the royal house, and stole the kingdom from me. I looked up at them hate evident even on my childish face.
"Practicing magic in the Empire is strictly prohibited under the royal decree by his majesty Emperor Ternac." He recited.
"We are not it the Empire, we are in Spera." I responded defiance evident even in my voice back then.
"Spera has been officially annexed by the empire. You have been caught committing the crime of magic for which there is only one punishment. You may have a moment to pray to whichever gods you choose."
There was no point before then in my life that I had felt fear. I had felt apprehension before getting scolded by my parents, or nervousness whenever I was to perform a test.
I felt guilt when I misbehaved but never fear. I had never tasted true fear, until then.
My heart sped up and my senses sharpened. I could count every strand of fabric in the soldiers uniform as he looked at me expectantly. I obliged him.
I knew exactly what I wanted to say. If I was to die, I would do so smiling, not cowering like a rabbit. So I held my head up high and shouted to the heavens. "Gods! pray give me the strength to strike down these mortal fools as they attempt to defeat...Alice, the greatest witch in all of the land." It was that moment that my old self was dead, and Alice was born. I was Alice. I am Alice.
The guards took that as the signal to begin their execution. They stepped forward swords held high, but stopped. None of them could penetrate an invisible barrier separating them from me. For the first time I felt my magic. It was not a power inside of me, but an appendage similar to an arm or leg. I could move it and control it by will. The fear quickly dissipated, I was in control now.
"You may take my home. You may take everyone I love. You can not take me! So come on then! See if your army can defeat an 8 year old girl. Let's see how you were trained to slaughter children. What are you waiting for? Attack cowards!" I waved my arm and the field separating us dissipated. They charged forward a bit more apprehensive now, but like good soldiers they maintained the charge. The nearest swung his sword towards my shoulder attempting to decapitate me, but he met a solid shield of air only an inch above my neck.
"What, aren't you strong enough to cut through Air?" I taunted. He became furious and cut and slashed at every part he could reach. His two companions joined in and swung until they could lift their swords no further. all of them slumped as they fanned themselves, and were drenched in sweat despite the intense heat.
An idea appeared in my head, and I focused on it hoping that it would work. To begin I hardened the air around the soldiers so that they couldn't move. Next I imagined a dagger of ice forming in my hand. I felt the weight from, but not the cold. I could resist ice of my own generation, suddenly the world seemed much warmer. I looked at each of the now terrified faces wondering who to kill first. I felt that the central one, most likely the captain, had been the most forward with me. He should die last.
I stuck my dagger through the first shield, and murdered my innocence. The first soldier looked down to see the ice dagger embedded in his chest. He crumpled to the snowy ground, red spilling out to cover the ice. The shield around him vanished with his death.
My first kill. My first true, intended murder. I never thought that I could take another human life, but killing the people who took, I remembered that that the Emperor was observing every thought I had, everything from me. I want to say that it changed me, that from that moment on the world made a little less sense, but it didn't. My world truly fell apart when my parents died. There was nothing left to lose. There was no childhood innocence to vanquish, I already had blood on my hands when I broke the barrier and stabbed that man. I didn't know his name. I didn't care. He was my enemy.
I stabbed the second man in the same manner as the first, and turned to the captain. I wanted him free for this. I waved my hand, and the barrier shattered. He fell to the ground and groveled, to an eight year old girl.
"Spare me please, I won't tell anyone." He swore. Then another thought occurred to me.
"No, you may go free only if you tell everyone. Alice the witch is coming. Tell them to fear me, and to run from the very mention of my name. If they can give me peace, I won't kill them."
"I will, I swear it." He then turned and sprinted away, leaving his sword discarded near his bloody comrades. I wanted to kill him badly, but I knew that if people were afraid of me. Then I wouldn't have to kill anymore. I couldn't have been more wrong.
The image shifted and I knew where I was. I was sitting on an ornate chair in my jeweled dress, on that fateful day. No! He couldn't have found this! I focused on a goblet, the light anything but what was going on. The rest of the vision dimmed, and a goblet came into focus. I heard a deep voiced shout of outrage from somewhere beyond this reality, and the rest of the vision focused. He had just enough time to see a handsome boy with black hair sit opposite of me, before- ENOUGH!
I tore myself from the vision, and black dust fell out of my nose. The worm had been destroyed. I sneezed once, twice, three times until every ounce of that vile powder was on the floor. The Emperor bore a strange expression before forming his face into a disappointed glare.
"Alright Alice. I shall return in a few days with another worm, I expect you not to destroy this one, or I shall make it quite unpleasant for you." The Emperor turned to a guard and whispered into his ear for a few moments. The guard looked perplexed and then resigned before answering "Yes Sir."
Without breaking my jaw, the Emperor tore out of the room, a deadly gleam in his eye.
"The Emperor has ordered that until you confess, your food rations will be halved. I shall be retiring to my chambers shortly, and a new guard will take my place although you've been here long enough that I shouldn't have to explain that to you. I offer you a break to use your chamberpot, and I encourage you to take it. My replacement won't be down here for a while."
"Okay." I said softly, all bravado gone. When the Emperor was gone I shrank back into myself. There was nobody worth pretending for. The guard unchained me from the bench, and turned around. Rubbing my wrists I noticed a gleam in the corner of my eye. The guards dagger was sticking out from the back of his pants, within reaching distance.
Quickly I swiped the dagger, and before he could respond I buried it in his back, directly where his heart was. He was dead before he hit the ground. I stole his key off of his corpse and opened the door. The hallway was completely deserted. At the end of the hallway was a staircase leading up, I limped towards it as my legs weren't used to walking after so much time sitting down.
I made my way up the stairs. and viewed the open chamber of the castle entryway. To my left stood the ornate doors to enter the throne room. On the opposite side stood a hallway that supposedly went to living quarters. On the floor lay a grand rug coated in the blood-red and golden seal of the empire. On my right, stood the entryway to the building, and in the right circumstances an exit.
My legs groaned and screamed as I pushed them to run. I ran over to the doors and threw them open. Golden sunlight burned my eyes and I could not see. White overwhelmed everything, and I felt the urge to duck back inside simply to avoid the burning light.
I jumped to the right, and tried to make myself as small as possible until my eyes adjusted. After a few painful minutes, I looked up at the sun high in the center of the sky. I tore my gaze down, and looked at the gate, it was...open. A severe oversight, but a lucky break for me. I sprinted through the gate, and into the city.
I was free, but I couldn't shake the feeling that it had been too easy.
Author's note- As an author I am enjoying writing this story immensely. Creating these characters has been a welcome challenge, and one that I find myself thinking about even when doing other things throughout the day. Thank you for continuing to read my stories, I greatly appreciate it.