“You look beautiful in our dress,” Evadine said.
Another compliment that stung. Her parents always encouraged kindness and wisdom. It was not their way to compliment vanity, and Seal was unused to being treated like an object.
They walked together, all eyes were on them.
She wondered what country Evadine was from. The Paleskin retained only a slight accent when she spoke English. Like her three monstrous companions that betrayed her, it was clear these Sisters were not directly related. She thought Perdita might be from England and Evadine was from Greece or Spain, while Merrivale remained a mystery. But all three sisters had adopted a comparable manner of speaking.
“You’re not actual sisters, are you?” Curiosity getting the better of Seal.
“Oh, you can talk. I thought maybe you were dumb,” Evadine said, using the old-fashioned term for mute. “We are sisters by blood, sure enough. We have the same father. But you are correct, we come from separate places. My original family is from an island in the Mediterranean called Kefalonia. Have you heard of it?”
Seal shook her head. If Beth were here, she would have thought Evadine meant California. She felt more alone with the reminder of her younger sister.
“Where are you from?” Evadine asked.
Seal answered, “Outside a small city named Pierre.”
“We passed through Pierre more than a century ago to come find the Spiritseeker. Wasn’t much there back then. I imagine, based on you, there still isn’t.”
Seal had no comebacks.
“Funny what we came for trapped us, and now you will use it to set us free. How does it feel knowing you have less than an hour before you join your sister again?”
Seal did not answer directly. She knew her fate the moment she had let Behitha go and accepted the role she had to play.
“I know what I have to do.”
“Are you sure?” Evadine snapped back. “You should be more afraid than you are, if so.” Her calm exterior disappeared under a roiling rage. “You will call the Lady of Light that traps us. If you don’t of your own free will, we will force you, even if we have to drain you within a drop from death, until we leave you delirious and without sense.”
Evadine shut her teeth together, baring them, the hollows of the two points clacking off the bottom row.
“If you make this difficult, we will make sure your kin also suffer. If you go quietly, I can convince my sisters to let them live on to serve us. They might be the first we see when we leave, will they not?”
“I will call her as you request,” Seal promised. She did not fear for her parents. Her house was destroyed. Even if the Paleskins escaped, they were unlikely to find them. She missed her mom and dad. They must be terrified at her disappearance. If she made it back, how would she explain this to them?
“Come now, sister, stop being mean to the girl.”
They stopped at a dead tree. Perdita stood next to the cottonwood where they would force Seal to call the Lady of Light. Evadine took Seal’s hand and led her to the thick trunk. The Paleskins had cut it down and stripped the branches away before driving it deep into the ground. It loomed over her head. Like most of the vegetation here, if it had been alive, it had not been by much.
Merrivale emerged, carrying a pillow with the Spiritseeker on it, with a servant guiding the blind woman.
“Are you ready, sisters?” Merrivale asked.
“For decades,” Evadine responded.
Perdita took the pillow with the Spiritseeker on it and held the pillow above her head so all could see it.
The crowd stretched out as far as Seal could see. The wide white outline of her people gave way to the darkly dressed Paleskins that surrounded them. From here she could see the land sloped, providing mostly a clear view. The sisters had arranged it for an easy slaughter once they killed the Lady of Light.
“My brethren… soon you will be free. Long have we been trapped here. Our servants, you will be freed as well. Our time as prisoners together has come to an end. Too long have we had to suffer. My siblings of blood, too long have we had to endure this dirty world. We have missed the luxuries we deserve. Fate has brought us this girl. Fate will bring us the Lady of Light!”
Slight recognition of the name washed over the people nearest, then washed away just as quickly, like a gentle wave. It was the first time they had heard the name used since they were enslaved. A vague memory still itched its way into some of their memories. There was some importance to the Lady of Light, but they were unsure what it meant.
“Witness now, our resurrection. Let the ceremony begin.”
The two other Sisters backed up, leaving Perdita and Seal alone at the tree. Seal looked down at her feet. Perdita removed the Spiritseeker from the pillow. White stuffing poked from the holes it had made. She used her fingertips, avoiding the spikes. She held the sharp ball under Seal’s chin, then lowered it onto one of Seal’s outstretched palms. Seal felt the spiked ball bite sharply into her hand and felt the familiar buzz. It caused her to become lightheaded and her arm fell, catching her biceps on the thorns. The ball fell from her hand, blood slowly dripped down her fingertips. The ball fell away, past Perdita. It hit the ground with a thud.
“Perhaps she is not as strong as we were told,” Evadine said.
“It will work,” Merrivale said.
Perdita bent over to pick up the Spiritseeker. They would try again.
***
Creighton, Karl, and William witnessed the ceremony to call forth this Lady of Light. They wanted to see the spectacle. The sisters had promised them all great rewards. A better body for Williams, one that would not make others fear him. Karl would be allowed to remain and rule over what remained of this world. The climate suited him. And finally, Creighton. Creighton wanted nothing more than to be free like them.
The three companions pushed through the crowd together. William’s wide body knocked all aside that did not get out of their way. In his ire at being impeded, he grabbed one and tossed them aside, knocking several others over. They cried out in shock and alarm.
The three stopped at the edge of the circle where it opened onto the ceremonial grounds. Nothing stood between them, the Sisters and their ceremony. They arrived in time to watch the blonde sister bend down to retrieve the ball from the ground. She hovered over the girl and whispered something in her ear. Creighton, for a moment, thought he had caught Seal’s eye. He smiled at her with a wide grin. She shocked him. He thought she returned his grin. But he must have been mistaken.
***
As Evadine lifted Seal’s arms above her head, the others bound her to the tree with rough, thorny vines. They tied her in three places, under her arms, at her waist, and at her thighs. Her feet were still free, but moving in any direction caused the thorns to dig through the dress she wore. With the binding complete, the Greek Paleskin released Seal’s arms. She had to hold them away from her body a few inches to keep her underarms from scraping against the top vine that wrapped around her.
Perdita whispered in Seal’s ear, “I have faith you are strong enough to do this. You are the living girl we have waited for. The Black Snake told us so. You must not give in to weakness. You were strong enough to free your sister by sacrificing her, are you strong enough to save your parents?”
Perdita’s head blocked Seal’s view of the other two Sisters but she spotted Creighton and her betrayers. She smiled at them in silent defiance.
Seal whispered back after a pause. “I will be.”
Perdita took a step back and appraised Seal, looking her straight in the eye.
“Hold this tightly this time.”
It surprised Perdita. The spiked ball had never fallen from a victim it fed upon before. In the past it had always bound itself to its prey. Was the girl too weak? The ceremony would not work if the hands were bound. The sacrifice must be strong enough to hold the Spiritseeker on their own. Usually, that did not require torture. But if it required physical punishment to get the girl to grip it tightly, she would gladly inflict it.
Perdita held up the Spiritseeker again. “My brethren, soon you will be free and given the power to withstand the sun! We will rule the world.”
She placed the ball back in Seal’s hand.
“Grasp it.”
Seal held the Spiritseeker out in her left hand.
“That’s it. Let it do its job.”
Seal held onto it and its spikes swallowed her blood. The ball glowed.
“Now call her, call forth the Lady of Light.”
Perdita held up her hands in triumph and turned to her sisters. Their faces were eager, hopeful triumph lurked just below the surface, then Evadine shook her head. Perdita turned to see Seal had lost consciousness. The ball fell to her left.
Even with her unconscious, the ball should have stayed latched. Perdita yelled out in frustration.
“Stupid girl!”
“Make her use both hands,” Merrivale advised.
Perdita nodded. She picked up the ball again. Seal’s body remained limp.
Perdita slapped her, and Seal jolted up. The thorns that bound her dug deeper, and she gave a pained expression. Seal looked at the crowd again, past the Sisters. She looked at her people in the white rags that marked them as slaves. They watched solemnly. A few swayed back and forth. Was this an illusion? Seal hoped not. She knew her people must dance.
“Cup your hands. Use both. Do you understand?”
Seal nodded weakly.
Perdita waited as Seal brought both her hands together.
“If you call her before it kills you, I will save you. I have that power. As long as you have a single breath left, I will let you feed on me and you will become strong. You can live forever. This does not have to be your last act. Now, take this in both hands and call her.”
Seal kept both hands together so tightly they could hold water. Her captor placed the ball inside of them. Her fingers involuntarily locked together around it. This time it would happen. Even if she fainted, the Spiritseeker would not lose its grip. Perdita’s black pupils bored into Seal, locking her concentration onto the girl.
“Call her,” she urged.
To their surprise, Seal raised her arms. She did not lose consciousness this time. She raised her face, a blushing red from the Paleskin’s blow. She looked directly at Perdita. She called out, “Lady of Light, my people seek you. Please bless us.”
“Be ready,” Perdita yelled out to her sisters. “We must kill her quickly before she recovers from the summons.”
As her sentence ended, Seal defiantly threw the spiked ball to her right without releasing her gaze at the red-eyed Paleskins. Then she reached with her hands and tapped the top of the blonde Sister’s head with a bloody hand. Perdita stood in bewilderment. The others watched the Spiritseeker, wondering if the Lady of Light would materialize.
Nothing happened.
Perdita recovered and pounced on Seal, realizing the girl had been fooling them. A closed fist struck Seal’s eye. It swelled and closed shut. She raised her fist to strike again and then again, striking the girl’s face over and over.
***
Javin and the Elders pushed closer. They wanted to act at the proper time to save their people, though with all three Sisters present and surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of their enemy, it would be suicide.
Javin continued to work on how to save Seal. No ideas immediately popped into his head. He’d have to go on instinct. The Elders made it clear they would kill Seal if they had to.
They spoke quietly in their language.
“Speak English,” Javin insisted.
They ignored him and pushed him in-between them to keep him out of sight. Javin figured Shoots Paleskins would have to do the deed from a distance with his skill at the bow. Javin had seen him shoot arrows through small rings thrown into the air, one of the dozen games they played together. He would not miss.
Javin tried to argue with them.
Papa slapped his ears. “Hush, boy.”
Outnumbered five to one, Javin would have to do what he did best. Be sneaky. He knew their plan was wrong and if they wouldn’t listen to him, he’d do what he had to rescue Seal from everyone. He had no weapons, but he knew where he could get one as he squeezed next to the well-armed Echo.
The first time Seal held the ball, Shoots Paleskin started to raise his bow, but Seal had quickly dropped the Spiritseeker. “Perhaps we are in luck. The girl is too weak.”
They watched on and the same thing happened the second time, not giving Shoots Paleskin enough time to take the single shot he required.
“Why do we hesitate,” Papa No Clouds said angrily. “Let’s get this over with.”
Javin noticed the people surrounding them were swaying, body against body. Some swayed into the Elders. George Crow and Rising Bison moved behind Shoots Paleskin to form a shield against the tightly packed, and increasingly restless, crowd. Echo protected from one side and Papa No Clouds from the other. Javin remained near Echo.
“Whatever is going on, this commotion will make it easier for us,” Rising Bison said.
The constant bumping of the people surrounding them made it easier for Javin. With everyone distracted, he slipped between Echo and the onlookers. They pushed him against Echo and he went to work untying one of the weapons hidden under a long hide. He kept his eyes on Echo to make sure he did not notice. Javin slipped a weapon away, handle in hand.
“Rotten luck.” He held a small axe. The weapon he sucked at the worst. He hid it under his clothing and looked up to see if Echo had noticed the change in weight on his hip. He did not react.
They watched the blonde Sister put the ball into both of the girl’s hands this time. The girl lifted her arms skyward. Shoots Paleskin had his bowstring pulled and ready to release. Javin surged towards the bow, nearly too late. He knocked into it. The arrow sailed high over Seal’s head in a wide arc and landed harmlessly behind the cottonwood tree. No one noticed. They watched the girl as she willingly threw the object in her hand away, and then she bravely touched the Paleskin in defiance.
“She did that on purpose. She counted coup. Maybe she isn’t as weak as we thought.” Shoots Paleskins felt more hesitant to take the girl’s life. Seal’s unlikely actions fueled the crowd around them and the swaying turned into a shuffle that soon turned into a dance.
Javin felt like dancing too, but Echo grabbed him from behind and held him in place. “Don’t do that again,” he growled, and he did not let go as he squeezed the air out of Javin.
***
Zintkala, the younger attendee from the washing tent, had rushed out as Seal instructed. The older servant passed by her, carrying more water. Zintkala ignored her as they passed one another. The young woman focused on finding those she knew the best. They would be the most likely to hear her story. Most of her people fell into a stupor once they had been fed upon. But in their day-to-day routines some came to know each other as something more than strangers. After Seal named her, the fog lifted, and she realized these were the people she truly cared about.
Zintkala slinked through the crowd, seeking those familiar faces. She found someone she knew and called out to a giant-looking man, “Johnathan!” She shook him until he looked her in the eyes. “Listen to me, the Lady of Light will come if we dance. We must dance. Do you understand?” He looked at her vacantly, though the name unlocked some memory deep inside.
“The Lady,” he repeated. “We dance for her.”
“Yes. You must dance for her. Understand?”
He nodded.
“Good. Tell others.” Zintkala ran off to spread the message. She hoped Johnathan understood. She looked back, and he still stood there, motionless. Fighting to keep her courage, she started talking to others in groups, telling them the story Seal told her and telling them to dance. Some took to it quickly. Others remained oblivious.
Zintkala worked recklessly across the massive gathering, standing out among the dead around her. She no longer walked like they did. She ran without being told. Her head movements were alert. She approached close to where the army of Paleskins waited for the ceremony to conclude. One noticed her. He fixed his half-scalped hair, moving the long part of it over his bald head. He followed her. She stopped again to tell others to dance, and he scooped her over his shoulder before she could finish.
Zintkala watched the white-clothed crowd shrink away as the strong Paleskins carried her into the wave of the black of his kind. She felt unafraid and only hoped she told enough people as The Storyteller had told her. He threw her down like a heavy sack. Suddenly she regretted being able to feel again as the half-scalped Paleskins descended on her.
***
Evadine pulled her sister from the girl. “We can’t kill her yet. Look around you.” She motioned towards the crowd. “Something is wrong. They dance. This is growing beyond our control.”
She pointed at Seal, whose face ran red with blood. “This time, hold her hands, you fool. Be done with this or let me do it.”
Perdita refused to let her Sister take the lead. She took the Spiritseeker from the ground once more and held it tightly in the girl’s hand. The Paleskin’s strength, easily the superior, forced Seal’s hands together, clasping over them.
Seal struggled. The spikes dug deeper than they had the previous three times. She tried to pull away from the Paleskin but she had no leverage, the biting vines keeping her from bracing her feet. She knew she had to break free and throw the ball. Just once more. She watched her blood drip down her wrists and fall to the ground. She gritted her teeth in pain. Her body ached the same way it had when she first fell into this land. But she said one last prayer to The Lady of Light.
“Please, Lady, do not come to the call. I have failed. It is a trap. I am sorry.” The Spiritseeker started to glow. The bright white light crept through the two pairs of hands. It did not burn. It felt peaceful. She knew her life would end as its powers activated. The other Sisters came closer. They would be ready to pounce.
Shoots Paleskin raised his bow and aimed towards Seal’s head. Javin yelled at him, “Shoot the Sister!”
“It’s too late,” Papa No Cloud said. “Your arrow won’t hurt one as strong as them. You must shoot the girl.”
Echo squeezed harder as Javin struggled against him. He had no choice. He had to act. Javin rammed the butt end of the stolen axe against Echo’s knee. The big warrior buckled and released Javin. He rushed forward into the open space, past the Elders and other Lakota. Rising Bison could have stopped him but made no move towards the boy. Javin ran straight for Seal and the blonde Paleskin. Then he saw the dark-haired Sister turn towards him. She moved to intercept him, blocking his path. He kept running.
“Shoot the girl, he can do nothing,” Papa No Clouds yelled.
The surrounding crowd now danced in a frenzy. Shoots Paleskin released his arrow. It sailed straight through the air. Javin felt it rush past his ear. The Paleskins that rushed towards him ran straight into it. She staggered but did not fall. She reached out for the approaching boy. He glowed brightly. Alive! She wanted to taste his flesh.
“Foolish,” Papa No Clouds said.
“I have faith,” Shoots Paleskin said, and he joined in the dance around them.
Javin saw the hand reach for him. He fell forward. Like he had practiced and let himself spring ahead in a dive. Many times, before he had landed on his stomach, to be funny. “The class clown,” his teachers called him. But he was not a clown. He was a trickster. Javin flew through the woman’s legs and instead of flopping on his belly, he rolled and landed kneeling on his feet. He stood up and loudly yelled, “Yes! I did it!” He ran from the Sister towards Seal. He could have used the axe, but he didn’t trust himself. Instead, he allowed himself to crash low into the knees of the blonde Sister that tortured Seal.
Perdita felt Evadine leave to intercept someone running towards them. But she held her concentration on the girl. It would be just seconds more. Then something crashed into her legs. She fell briefly to her knees and saw the glowing presence. She mistook it at first for the Lady of Light and she was ready to kill their enemy once and for all. Then she recognized it was the boy that struck her. The living boy that Butcher should have killed. She turned her attention back to Seal and reached for Seal’s outstretched bloody hands, which were now freed. The Spiritseeker glowed blindingly.
Seal didn’t see Javin until he lay on the ground and Perdita had been briefly pulled away from her. A wave of adrenaline hit as she realized her friend still lived. He saved her. A hand pointed with sharp black nails came into her vision. They swiped towards her outstretched hands. She pulled them away in a single motion. The hard fingers grasped at Seal’s wrists, made slippery by her blood. Those razor-sharp nails cut her arms, but they could not find a firm grasp.
Seal threw her arms backwards over her right shoulder, bent at her elbows, like she prepared to chop wood. She opened her fingers wide at the end of the motion. The ball went sailing through the air behind her and out of sight. The entire world around her turned white.