The 12th Circle
Chapter 3
Luke and Leia walked along the shore, silently, with the little girl. Luke and Leia hadn’t talked about what happened in the dark forest and the little girl hadn’t spoken at all. They’d asked her for a name, but she’d given no answer. She simply silently followed them wherever they went.
They felt different, because there hearts were no longer filled with the joy of childhood adventure. It was like it all had been sucked out of them. Their child-like body felt like shells again and their minds were alive with the worry of of there true self, their adult self, and all the people worried sick about them. And they resented themselves for allowing their hearts delight in childhood whims.
Leia still only felt like half herself, pulled to someone beyond herself. Vanassi. She didn’t bother to tell Luke, every time she closed her eyes she heard the evil witch calling her. She didn’t want to tell him, to reveal that she was weak.
“Do you hear something?” Luke asked, seconds before Leia was about to say it.
A faint sound, like singing, had reached the children’s ears and disturbed their thoughts. The small girl looked from one face to the other for instruction. They decided to move cautiously toward the sound and the smaller child took the cue from them. As they got closer, the sound of drunken singing got louder. They moved back into some shrubbery to disguise themselves from what could easily be a potential enemy. From there hiding spot they saw a group of men in tattered, dirty clothes who behaved as drunk as sounded. But all these drunk sailors had various items of gold. One was wearing a crown, another a solid gold walking stick. One had a sword with a gold hilt. And there was a man wearing gold necklaces that seemed to trace the beard on his face. There were at least 3 chest fulls of gold coins and other treasure open in there campsite. They looked like a pleasant lot, but that may have been because of what they were drinking.
“Do we sail tomorrow cap?” one man asked.
“Yes, but tonight we party,” the captain said patting the man back. He was one of the few who didn’t seem to be drunk.
Luke tapped Leia on the shoulder and pointed to the large ship that was docked near the campsite of the sailors.
“Harmless Treasure Hunters or dangerous criminals?” Leia asked in a whisper.
“I don’t know, but I think it’s better to take a chance with them than hope for a better option… but when their sober and their minds are clear,” Luke replied.
The twins and the smaller child slipped into a sitting position and listened to the partying continue. As the night wore on and the men continued to sing, the children slipped off to sleep.
In sleep, Luke found himself back in one of the most beautiful places he had ever been, the Greenmoore. He was back in the main room, the place where he had first felt the life in it. He ran through the halls looking for it’s inhabitants and possibly Majus, but found no one, until he returned to the place where he had begun.
In that once empty room was now someone, someone who’s beauty seemed too amazing to be real, she seemed to be an angel. But as he got closer to her, he got an all new feeling and her beauty seemed more mortal. And he was suddenly struck by an overwhelming feeling of love. He had only felt this once before, and absent of that experience he wouldn’t know who he was seeing now. For that first time it had been Leia and for a few years he had believed it was romantic love. But it wasn’t, it was deeper than that and so was this.
“Mother,” he said.
He wanted to cry. This was the thing he had wanted since he’d come to this strange world, to see his mother. He ran to her and tried to hug her, but found his arms went right through her.
“The time for hugs is not now my son. Joy will come, but only when the Shadow Sith is gone.”
Luke had waited so long just to see his mother, he hadn’t thought how strong the desire to touch her, to be held, would be. How could his dream deny him that illusion.
“But it’s my dream, why can’t I touch you?”
“It is a dream and much more than a dream. I feel you getting close to me and somehow we connected.”
“Are you with Leia too.”
“No, that’s what bothers me, I can feel you, but I can’t feel her. Darkness has gotten to her and here, the Shadow Sith is darkness. If we lose her to the shadow, we all lose.”
“But I saved her from Vanassi. She took her, but I saved her.”
“You got away from Vanassi, but maybe Leia has not. Your sister is proud, she is probably fighting a battle alone inside that you know nothing about. Look out for her, you need her, I need her, this world needs both of you, united, to win this battle against evil.”
“But how can I save her?”
“You’ll have to find these answers on your own. Just try to remember, Love is the reason this world exist, not hate, and love is the reason you are here.”
Then she was gone. No flash, no evaporating, she was just gone like she was never there at all.
“Mother, Mother,” he called.
“Luke, Luke,” a little unfamiliar young voice called. He found himself back in the waking world and staring into the face of the until now, silent, little girl.
“You can talk?” Luke asked.
“Your sister, she went after him.”
“After who?” Luke asked getting up as the little girl pointed to the campsite they had been watching the day before.
The sun had hardly risen but there was light enough for Luke to see the horror scene before him. All, except two of the party, had been killed. The murderer had obviously slit the drunk men’s throats in there sleep. Now the murder, one of the two still alive, was approaching the sleeping captain. It was then Luke saw Leia emerging behind the man. He was too mad with the greed to hear anything that might have alerted him to the girl’s presence. You could see it in the man’s eyes.
He was still coming down from the euphoria of the dream while taking in the scene. Luke wanted to do something to help, without putting his sister or the only survivor in harm’s way. Leia had stolen a knife from one of the dead men, he noticed, just before she leapt on the murderer. He was shocked and it worked to Leia’s advantage. She managed to tighten her grip around his neck, until he fell. The captain woke up just as Leia had jumper on the man. He was obviously confused by the scene in front of him. And then she lunged at his throat with the knife. It was only then Luke noticed the murderous gleam in her eye.
“Leia don’t!” screamed Luke running toward her and revealing himself.
Leia looked away and in that moment the murderer pushed free and ran for his life.
“You were going to kill him!” Luke said shocked.
“Look at all the people he killed.”
“So you become evil to fight evil?”
The captain seemed perplexed. They clearly were children (to his eyes) but something about them, and there argument, was nothing like children at all.
“Children, what happened?”
Leia explained what the man who fled had done.
“You saved me?” he asked. Leia said nothing. “What is your name?”
“Leia,” she replied.
Luke wondered if they should try and mention the whole children of the ‘angel queen’ thing, but decided to drop it for the moment.
“They’re all dead,” the captain said, grief obviously flooding him. He knelt down to what seemed to be the youngest of them all. “This was his first voyage,” he said speaking to the air more than the children. “I promised his mother he would leave a boy and return a man. I thought I would return him a rich man.” He looked at them. “He’s my nephew.” He picked up the sack of gold beside the boy. “It almost doesn’t matter anymore.”
He offered the bag to Leia.
“No thank you. What we really need is a ride across the sea. We’re trying to get to the castle of the angel queen, The tenth circle is mostly water and we need to get to the ninth.”
“Whatever you wish.”
“We’ll help you properly burry the dead first, if you wish,” Luke added.
“He’s your friend,” the captain questioned.
“Brother,” Leia answered. “Twin brother.”
He looked the boy over.
“Really?” said the captain. “And the little one?”
“I don’t know. I saved her from this… from a bad woman, but she doesn’t speak.”
“You’re a regular little hero,” he said with a smile.”
“I don’t know about all that.”
He took another look at the dead bodies. “We shall burry them. I will take you where you want, then I shall go to each man’s family and give them his share of the treasure. It’s only fair.”
***
Before they knew it they were at sea. Luke noticed, the little girl, who hadn’t spoken another word, stuck close to him. For some reason he hadn’t bothered to tell Leia that the girl had spoken to him. The captain was very taken with his sister and spent a lot of time with her. It was through her he learned there story and discovered they were the children of the Angel Queen. He had taken to calling them prince, princess, your highness and all kinds of royal terms. As they traveled, Luke felt the distance developing between himself and Leia. And he began to see something different in her eyes, as if they were becoming unfamiliar.
One day as he sat on the ship alone with the little girl, he chanced talking to her again.
“Do you have a name?” he asked.
For a long time the girl didn’t answer. It seemed she would continue not to speak. But just as Luke was about to try another question.
“Mia…” she said.
“Why won’t you speak when Leia’s around.”
“Vanassi’s in her blood. She is still hers.”
***********
‘Why had he been a child in her dream?’ The Angel Queen asked herself.
“They can’t still be children,” she whispered. They were getting closer, she could feel Luke so strongly, but couldn’t establish the same connection with her daughter. Her energy was very alive but elusive. “You’re not dead. And we can’t lose you to darkness Leia, we can’t.”
She decided the dream was part illusion, that they must be all grown up now. She noticed the dark one, the shadow sith, was always on the move these days, he seemed worried and he wouldn’t be worried about a pair of children…would he?
***********
Night fell on a figure in a flamed cloak at the edge of the Dark Wood. Vanassi stood there looking at the fresh graves and holding onto the abandonned sailor that had murdered them all. He had revealed himself when he saw the beautiful woman. He was enchanted by her beauty and came to her of his own free will. Too late he discovered she wasn’t as harmless as she seemed.
“Where are they going?” Vanassi asked.
“Forward, across the sea, to the 9th,” the murderer managed to get out.
“What you did was foolish,” Vanassi said. “Your impatience has left you poor and abandonned. But I’m in need of a man who knows the seas. To guide my ship.”
“Your what?”
Vanassi raised a hand and a ship came slidding into view. It was twice the size of the ship that had sailed away without him.
“Vanassi,” a voice suddenly said from the darkness.
The sailor had already been spooked by the sudden appearence of the ship. He nearly wet himself when he heard the voice from the shadows. It was a wonder he didn’t die of fright when the shadow sith came into view.
“Get on the ship,” Vanassi said.
The man ran onto Vanassi’s ship.
“You lost them,” the shadow sith said stepping into view.
“I have not, Leia is still mine, she is fighting me, but she will lose,” Vanassi said.
“And what about Luke,” the Shadow said.
“Once they are divided, they are not a threat to you.”
“You better be right,” the shadow replied, then he wrapped his cape around himself and disappeared.
***********
On the Captain’s ship Luke stood alone watching them approach the shore. Leia came and stood by his side.
“Leia, is there something you’re not telling me?” Luke asked.
“Why would you ask that?”
“I had a dream about mother, but I think it was more than a dream, it was a connection. She’s worried, about you.” Luke paused. “And so is Mia.”
“Mia?” Leia questioned.
Luke pointed to the little girl who was now with the captain learning about the parts of his ship.
“She has a name?” Leia questioned.
“Yes, and she says you’re still connected to Vanassi.”
“How would she know?”
“You were both inside the belly of the beast, why wouldn’t she know?”
“So she speaks to you about it? Sounds like divide and conquer to me. Maybe she’s the one still connected to Vanassi. She was a child in there order, wasn’t she?”
“You know that’s not true Leia, that’s why we took her away. She didn’t want her anyway, she wanted you. Mia was disposable.”
“Want do you want me to say? I can still hear her okay. You can’t go in my head, only I can fight her there. And I’m still looking for mother, so I’m okay. I just need some time to get my head clear. I’m fine.”
Leia turned to walk away.
“Leia,” Luke called and Leia turned back toward him. “I love you, okay. No matter what.”
“I know, I love you too Luke.”
They shared a half smile and then Leia walked away. LUke walked up to the captain.
“We’ll be there in a day,” he said.
“I think this has been the most peaceful part of our trip,” Luke said. “Sir, would you mine keeping the little girl, Mia, after we leave for the 9th.”
“Why?”
“We took her away from something bad, I don’t want to chance taking her into something worse. If you can’t keep her yourself, maybe your sister, maybe it will help fill the hole in her heart left by the death of your nephew.”
“Maybe she will help. I will look after her, no matter what.”
“Thank you sir.”
Both heard a rumble all of a sudden and looked up and saw an increasing blackness.
“A storm?” the captain questioned looking up.
“This isn’t natural,” Luke said as a shiver went down his spine.
(May/June 2003)
