Unknown
Midnight
People were hovering around, chanting and making incantations. There was a full moon that night and the necessary thing had to be done. They knew the repercussions of not doing the e necessity. If no human was sacrificed that day, doom would befall them.
Fortunately, there was a human to be sacrificed. They needed to do what they had to disown and return to war.
'The gods will be happy to have a traitor sacrificed' the Duke of Nior said and laughed then, he spat in a way that it made a sound. 'Let it begin, set ablaze'
Perriguin's eyes opened gradually and then sharply when she realized the situation she was in. For a second, she could not remember a thing. Then, she remembered what happened. She was fighting but was captured.
None of them knew she was up yet. She noticed that they were the people of Nior, she was tied, there was a full moon too. Connecting the dots, she knew what was about to happen. She was to be sacrificed. Trying to be smart, she felt a dagger still hanging from around her waist. She was going to cut herself free that moment but she was tightly bundled. No part of her body could move. She was bundled like those Egyptian mummies; from head to toe. She shut her eyes. Never in her life had she thought he was going to die this way; a sacrifice. She was only trying to be a hero. A part of her was still certain that no matter what, she was not going to die that moment. Maybe something was going to happen and then, she'd be freed. Since Lamidat saw her, he'd be worried and come get her.
'What's the time wastage for!' The Duke of Nior yelled.
'The wind is not letting the fire' a soldier yelled back.
Perriguin smiled with her lips. There was terror before her but she could not even feel like she was about to die. She was positive.
'Must she be burnt?' A soldier inquired.
'You fool! Don't you know what the gods delight in' the duke yelled with frustration in his tone. 'I wonder why it's so hard to end this slave's life!' He cursed.
While they kept speaking, she played dead, forcing one hand out cunningly. There was a knife left just below her finger tip. With all carefulness she could put together, she tried getting hold of the knife, it was possible. Suddenly, the rope holding her five fingers became loose. Not trying to figure out how, she used her left hand to grab the knife though she was right handed. How she was going to let the whole side loose was a mystery. It was more complex as she was also trying to appear dead. She did all she did with eyes closed, stiff.
'Just find a way before the sun rises!' The duke yelled, almost strangling the nearest soldier.
The wind was blowing even harder. Perriguin wondered what it would be like at the main side. Was Nior being overthrown? Or was it Jumbadiway?
She shoved the thought away and kept struggling. Trying to use a knife on a hand one was using to hold the knife was almost impossible. She figured out that if she could just cut the nearest rope, the rest would be loosed. While she tried, she was cutting her hand helplessly but she ignored the pain and moved on.
'We just got this!' A soldier yelled enthusiastically, raising a burning torch.
Perriguin cut the rope. Hearing that meant that she was about to be set ablaze immediately. She inhaled.
'Get up! We are dying!' She heard a voice in her head saying.
She shut her eyes and forced her chest upwards. The ropes fell to the ground immediately. And then, she raised herself up and stood firm after a jump on the planks on which she was placed. How? Perriguin herself could not tell how whatever had happened happened. She could not even control herself. It was as if she was being operated throughout. She could not feel her body.
'Let the first person ready to be roasted by that same fire come!' She yelled, feeling her voice abnormally loud and bold.
'I guess we have to kill that spirit in her' the Duke muttered to the hearing of his guards that were already scared.
'Her eyes are shining red' a soldier muttered with a shaky voice.
The duke gave them a wicked glare and they moved on, offering fake boldness.
'Today, I offer you all as dinner to Lord Zuzu!' She yelled and looked at them.
Immediately, they all went ablaze. She did not touch the duke. She stood on the platform, smiling with hands placed akimbo while the soldiers got roasted. A laugh left her mouth.
'Soldiers indeed' she laughed.
'I'll drive that stupid spirit out of you today! You're a witch!' The duke yelled, iof hnterrupting her loud laughter and setting himself for war.
She paused and looked at him. She laughed again.
'You know…I left you for a reason' she said, jumping down to the ground, walking elegantly.
'Perhaps i have a spirit, I will not use that spirit to kill you…' she said and took a sword from the ground. 'Let's do it this way' she said and grinned.
The duke was scared of her eyes but he did not relent. He had to defeat the spirit inside her. It was better for them to die together than gor him to surrender.
The sword fight began. Perriguin's unexplainable energy fought, pushing him till he fell on the platform on which was lay to be burnt.
'Your gods deserve a sacrifice…that land which we'll inherit can't be under some curse' she said, pinned him with her fist and dropped the torch on him.
While he struggled, she laughed loudly like a witch that he had called her. He yelled like a child in trouble while she shock her head with a smile.
When he was roasted enough till his tongue fel to the side like a dead goat, she stepped back.
'We are dying' that voice echoed again.
That moment, the real Perriguin came back. Her eyes and every other thing that changed came back to normal. She looked around. What had happened?
Shoving the thought away, she ran anywhere her thoughts directed her. She had to find them. The place was full of trees and it made things more complicated. Soon, she sighted a horse that looked like that of the royal family. She ran towards it like am Olympic athlete.
As she got closer, she realized it was the duke. He was alone, on his knees. What had happened? Was she too late?
He looked up.
'Perriguin?' He said, confused.
Perriguin was more confused, seeing a dead body on the floor that looked like Lamidat's.
'What is this?' Perriguin said as a tear dropped immediately from her eyes.
She knelt down and touched his face. It was Lamidat. Maybe it wasn't. She sat on the floor and cupped the face of the dead person. She touched his braided hair. Lamidat was the only man that braided his hair in the whole of the kingdom. Hair braiding for men wasn't allowed but Lamidat flaunted that rule no matter the quarrel from his mother or his brother.
Perriguin looked at the duke who had his head bent as tears fell. How was Roria even going to take it? She had no idea about the war.
'I caused this…I should have just married that witch!' He said, counting his words.
Sheru came with his horse.
'Our soldiers are back to the kingdom…all soldiers of Noir are dead. The kingdom is at peace' he said calmly.
The duke said nothing. Sheru knelt down beside the duke, dropped his helmet and bent his head. The three of them stayed around Lamidat's lifeless body, unable to say a word.