Chapter thirty-three

Maisy

Things don't make sense when you are face to face with the dead. Two of them. Of all the secrets revealed today, The realization that I was one of them hit harder than any pain I could ever feel. I was a monster. It didn't look real and I definitely didn't want it to feel real but here it was, I could see ghosts.

"What do they want in return Maisy?" Eric's trembling voice echoed.

I turned in his direction then back at the spirits before me. The words lingered in my throat a little longer than they should have but I managed to say them.

"What do you want?"

The older looking plump one had Kohl black hair that plunged down her shoulders. Each tendril moving like they were submerged in water spoke.

"If you promise to stay, I'll help him."

What! I wasn't expecting this from a spirit still trapped in the mortal realm. This was my first but frankly, I expected impossible favors even if in truth, This was an impossible favor. This spirit wanted to stay in Nodith. I felt like she could read my mind. I didn't want to stay here. It was so messed up here, so unsettling and nowhere comparable to home. It prompted me to ask why she would want such a simple yet impossible wish.

"What do you stand to gain if I do that?"

"A lot actually." She answered, "you see, I promised Tatia this and If this doesn't happen. I might never ascend. I want to meet my family... please."

Tatia did this? To make me stay?

"What did they say? " Eric quizzed his attention on Conrad who was bleeding out.

It was selfish of me to do this when someone's life was at risk but I was willing to take the second offer.

"What's your offer?" I asked the next spirit. The Amazonian figure set her Eden green eyes on me as if studying me and I did the same. She was beautiful. With seraph's ears and a pixie's nose, anyone would kill for. I wondered what killed her. Probably this godforsaken kingdom. She blinked and her lips parted into a smile and not the sweet kind, I could feel something sinister coming.

"I once lived a simple life. It was all I wanted but someone took that away from me. I never even got to confess my love for the boy I loved. He stripped me from my family and killed me, I was raped to death. All I want is for him to share my fate."

She, on the other hand, wanted something that could actually be done. A bad person who deserved death, That I could leave with.

"She wants someone dead," I said to Eric.

"Why? We can't just kill someone."

"Whoever he is, He raped her. He was the cause of her death! I think he deserves it. Now, do you want Conrad dead because you're unwilling to kill someone."

"It just doesn't seem right..."

"You turn into a monster when you please. How can you tell what's right?" I cut in.

It was an honest slip. It was all the fear within talking but some things couldn't be taken back.

"I am not a monster." He retorted, His irises flashing steel blue.

"That's...not what I meant," I said, avoiding his gaze.

Conrad yelped, shaking violently as life continued to slip past him. We were losing him.

"Do it!" Eric expressed, moral virtues now thrown out of the window.

"Ok."

I faced the spirit asking for her Killer's death,

"Who is he?"

"The monster goes by the name Anthony. Anthony Clarke."

My spinning world crashed for a second. Clarke? Anthony Clarke.

The spirit wanted vengeance against Eric's brother.

"Who does she want dead?" Eric's shaking voice queried. His attention entirely on his stepbrother who was losing to death.

I couldn't do it. I just couldn't bring myself to believe that man was a murderer. He didn't look like one and worse, Telling Eric those heartbreaking words were torture on their own.

I was torn. If I wasn't so attached to my humanity, I would pick the deal in a goal. It was for a greater good after all and If Anthony was truly a murderer, Maybe death was destined for him. But, Something In Eric's eyes drew me back. The pain was there and I didn't want to be the one to add to them. I had more than enough family problems in my life anyway.

"You don't want to hurt him Maisy. Even if you've been caused nothing but pain by him, You care and he cares for you. I'm not making the choice for you here but I'm sure you wouldn't want to wreck his already messed up life. Look at him Maisy, It'll destroy him. I'm begging you, Choose mine, Stay." The other spirit lectured.

Droplets of teats escaped my eyes as I made the choice. Who was I to be, A destroyer or a self destroyer?

"I'll stay," I muttered, hot droplets of tears skittering down my face.

It was a hard choice, A sacrifice for the greater good.

"Good choice." The spirit acknowledged.

I closed my eyes and nodded in agreement. The wind howled sending a surging feeling down my spine. The world seemed to stop and for a moment, I was sure a drop of water to the ground would be louder than death. I wondered if it worked. My eyes flickered open and I looked down at Conrad.

"It's gone," Eric noted, staring at Conrad's healed torso in disbelief.

"Good." I mused, my head feeling lighter than usual.

"Who does she want dead?"

I tried to answer but the light head feeling got worse and before I could say the right words, my sight turned black.

***

Eric

I caught Maisy before she could fall. She was pale, Obviously drained from using spirit magic.

"I'm alive," Conrad announced getting to his feet and examining his torso.

"This is unbelievable." He continued, obviously in wonder.

I ignored him and headed back to the party. Now that he was fine, We could forget this day ever happened and go back to hating ourselves.

Suddenly, He said something that made me burn.

"Could Tatia do that too?"

It took every part of my being not to drop Maisy and punch his guts.

Ten seconds of escaping death and he was back yo his old ways... Somethings never change.

"You're not answering brother." He probed.

He was really bent on making me snap.

"Go home, Conrad."

"I just want to know. If she could do that, How did she die?"

That was the last straw!

I turned back to face him, my nostrils flaring.

"Don't ever bring that up again or I promise you I'll kill you with my own bare hands."

"You could but just seconds ago, You were concerned about me dying. Why bother?"

He just wouldn't just up!

"Because we've had a lot of deaths in our family. No one in our line has ever died old and happy and I want that to change. We can't be that cursed."

"That's a terrible lie brother. You care. You're just afraid to show it."

"Believe what you want to believe Conrad but I'll never recognize you as family."

"Taken. Bye, brother."

"Bye Conrad."

Conrad took a different route so It was obvious he wasn't returning to the party. Without his annoying voice to taunt me, I had some alone time.

I looked at Maisy, My Belle. I could already sense she would leave Nodith as soon as she regained consciousness. Sadly, I got my wish. Maisy roused, babbling rubbish to herself.

An aftereffect of spirit magic.

On the bright side, Her state would leave her totally honest and I for one couldn't wait to take advantage of it.

"Maisy, Do you hate me?" I asked, Praying she would surprise me.

"I don't think I can. I wish I could."

That had to be the best thing I've heard all day. This was something I was sure Maisy would deny any day.

"Do you see me as a monster?"

"I... don't know."

"Will you leave?"

"I can't. In return for Conrad's healing, I have to stay." She responded.

That was weird. I remembered her saying the spirit wanted revenge.

"But you said, She wanted death on her killer."

"I couldn't choose that. I couldn't hurt you."

"What do you mean?" I quizzed, dead in my tracks.

"Anthony..." She drawled.

"Anthony?"

"Anthony's the killer."