Chapter 12

Val and I have been walking for hours on end in this impossible maze. It isn't easy to find the passage we've been searching for. The only bright side to this is that no one has seen us yet. The only thing that bothers me is that they may be grouping together to strike both of us down; that would be an obstacle.

I looked up at the sky. It would be nightfall soon, and I don't think we'll reach the passage anytime soon. Being cautious wouldn't be enough tonight. I'm sure they'll find us soon enough and we'll be forced to fight.

"The moon's rising," Val pointed at the reddish moon in the pale blue sky. "The blood moon's the key to helping us win this thing, Anastassia. We should get rid of them tonight in order to ensure our victory."

Val was right; it's our opportunity to win. But then again we're not certain about the people who came here. It's idiotic of us to start a fight without knowing what their weaknesses are. We have to act smarter rather than faster.

"We can't do that," I said, "Not without knowing what we're up against. If we go to battle without knowing what we're up against, then all this is for nothing. There's gotta be something we could do."

"Fine," he says, "But if they attack, I'm going all out on them. I've been holding back for you."

"And I appreciate that," I said, holding him by his wrist.

"But if they try to lay a finger on you and that crown, you know that shit's bout to get real," he whispered huskily in my ear. For a minute, I felt something inside me stir. His voice was hypnotic as though it could drive anyone mad. He pulled back, meeting my gaze with his devilish eyes.

With a chuckle, he says, "You're blushing, partner." He tucked my hair behind my ear, making me blush even more.

I shied away, turning my back on him. This is stupid.

"Don't fool around, Valentino," I scolded, still hiding my face from his sight. I just realized something. My father said that this thing is similar to the "hunger games," one of my favorite movies. If that's so, then all this is like a form of entertainment for them. That said, putting on a show for them is a must. Val must've thought about that way before I did.

He pulled me back by my wrist, making me twirl back against him. It feels so cliche like those scenes I used to adore in the movies I watched and the books I've read. Now, it just feels disgusting.

"Have you caught on?" he whispered.

I nodded in response. We can't speak about "putting on a show" without the rest of the world hearing us. They're watching our every move and hearing every sound we utter. From this point on, everything we do has an effect on whether or not we win this thing. The greater our performance, the better the odds in our favor.

I pulled him close, whispering as quietly as I could, "Let the show begin."

He smirked at me, hugging me tight against his well-built physique. "We're going to win this thing, Anastassia; I promise you that!" he says loud enough for the recorders to hear. Without warning, he planted a soft kiss on my forehead. In truth, this is more shocking than a kiss on the lips. I had never felt so uncomfortable and comfortable at the same time. The feeling's hard to explain. It was a mixture of heaven and hell; sin and grace. He then held my hand, saying, "Shall we?"

I smiled, replying, "Let's go."

He walked lovingly by my side, playing the part of a lovesick teenager. Of course, he didn't appear to be that type of guy. Back when we were human, it would've been convincing because he had does eyes. These days, his eyes aren't very doe-like. It's more of a sinister-looking eye. He looks like the type of guy who'd play a villain or the type of guy who would put everything at risk just to save the girl he loves.

I held his hand tighter, making sure the act was believable. It was in every shape or form believable. The little things are what mattered and I made sure that we did the little things with good detail. To me, all these little things are what make a good relationship. That idea will be a good outline for convincing the world that we're "in love."

"Should we rest?" he asked, "You look tired. Maybe we can take a short pause here. You can whip open that spellbook and you can practice your spells."

"No," I replied, "Let's keep going."

We kept going for about a good hour. So far, no signs of danger came our way. But we both know that neither of us was safe. Anyone could pounce at us at any given moment in time. Looking up at the sky, it was no longer blue but grey. I give it half an hour before it all turns dark and we've got nothing but the moon and stars to guide our way.

"It's strange how they haven't found us yet," he states, breaking the silence between us. "I assumed they would've tracked us by now. Something big is coming."

"I know," I replied, "Let's go up." I climbed over the maze, standing on top of the walls. Val did the same, following my example. "If they're to find us anyway then what's the point of hiding, right?"

"Right," he nodded, pointing at a group of wolves by the lake where we once were. They must've been trying to sniff us out.

"Wolves don't have the best eyesight," I said, continuing my walk. "They'll take longer to find us. It leaves us down to the witches, sirens, vampires, and whatever creature my father has sent out to get us."

"Witches can track us just the same with magic," he said, "They can, can't they?"

"Yes," I replied, "But they need our DNA for it. More specifically, they need either of our blood. Without it, they'd need the help of the canines. As for the sirens, I don't know anything about them. I never came across one."

"Really?" he asked.

"Well, I have when I was about eleven or twelve," I said, "It was in Baler, Philippines. It's the surfing capital and the waves are known to be quite great. I saw a siren there from afar. It tried to drown me and my cousins with her water magic, dragging us in. Six lifeguards and four members of our family tried to hold us back from the deadly current that was pulling us in. We weren't even deep in the water. The water was up to my waist; I was 4'10. We almost died. Miraculously, we didn't. The next day, news of a girl at the age of nine was reported dead. She drowned. The funny thing is that they said the girl was attacked by a shark. A shark doesn't aim for the heart, nor can it do so. They found her corpse without a heart and a slit throat."

"I suppose now I understand why you fear any body of water," he commented. "Remember that time we went to the beach?"

"Yes," I nodded. It was a school thing. I rarely went to the water.

"It all makes sense now," he said.

"It doesn't matter now," I said, "You and I can't die of drowning. We can only die by a stake at the heart, beheading, or someone ripping our hearts out." I felt a sudden gush of wind opposite from where it was flowing. Something's wrong. We're not alone. "Did you feel that?" I asked.

"I did," he nodded, unsheathing the sword he stole from earlier.

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. "Were you planning on using that on our enemies?" I asked, scratching my head. "We aren't in medieval times; you know that, right?"

"Yeah," he says awkwardly, "Did you want to use it? I called dibs on it. If you want, I can lend you the crossbow I stole."

How many items did he steal? "Did you rob the entire room?" I asked in disbelief.

He smiled sheepishly. "I wanted to be cool," he said, raising his sword.

"You won't be so cool once you lose your head, fool," said a stranger from behind him.

Val flipped, landing on my side, acting all cool with his "hero" hair.

The stranger had long blonde hair and porcelain skin. Her eyes were the color of white pearls and parts of her body had iridescent scales covering them. She wore an unusual headpiece on her hair.

"We meet at last," the stranger said, licking her lips. "I'm Melody of the Atlantic Ocean. You should know my name before you meet your demise."

I smirked at her. "Our demise?" I mocked, "Do you even know who I am?"

"You're the owner's daughter," she said, "Anastassia BloodStone, yes? Honestly, you're a disappointment. You're not as powerful as I thought you'd be. When the Lord boasted about his only child, I had high expectations. He said you're a miracle child who happens to have been able to wield magic while having an immortal life."

"I do possess magic," I said, snapping my finger. And with just one snap, the torches surrounding the maze lit up. "Aren't fish afraid of fire? I do love me some grilled salmon."

Melody looked at me in disgust. Behind her immerged what I assume is her group. "These are my sisters, by the way. This is Symphony," she pointed at the brunette, "And this is Carol," she pointed at the redhead. "The rest of the sirens will come soon. It's unfortunate that they wouldn't witness your death."

"You underestimate us," Val said, his eyes glowing.

"Ah, yes," the redhead says, "Let's not forget about your pet dog."

"You're who they call the reaper, I assume," said the brunette, "What a shame. You're so handsome. Tell you what. If you kindly turn to our side, we'll be happy to spare your life. That way you get the chance to have a date with yours truly."

Did she just ask him out on a date? That's got to be the worst line I've ever heard. I'm trying my best not to laugh at both her and Val's faces.

"A date with you?" Val's face scrunched up. "No thanks. I don't date smelly fish."

"Enough!" Melody growled, "Give us the crown and we'll give you a merciful death."

"Why don't you ask me nicely and maybe I'll consider it," I said, pulling the crossbow out from Val's bag.

Melody opened her mouth to speak, but I shut her up immediately with my arrow. It went straight to her mouth, piercing her tongue and skill. Blood immediately started pouring out of her mouth and head.

"Much better, don't you think?" I said enthusiastically, "Your blabbing was making my ears bleed so I did the world a favor by taking your ability to talk."

"Sister," the other two gasped, catching their sister's fall.

"That was cruel," Val smiled in amusement. He then turned to them, raising his sword, and says, "Which one of you wants to go next, huh?"

I flipped, landing behind the trio. I held them by their hair, keeping them in place. "Val, do you know how much I like pearls?"

"Yes," he replied with the same enthusiasm. "Should I pluck Melody's eyes out for you? They'd make a fancy pair of earrings."

Melody attempted to scream only to fail yet again. Val had her at her throat, holding her firmly in place.

"No!" the two brats screamed, trying to escape my grasp. "No! Don't touch Melody!"

Val took out his dagger, carving out a wider smile on Melody's face. Melody cried violently, thrashing out again and again. But her defiance was no match for my partner's strength. Slowly, he used the dagger to carve out her right eyeball out, resulting in her crying tears of blood.

The girl who I assumed is Symphony started throwing up at the sight of her sister.

"How does one kill a siren?" I said aloud. "We have to be certain she won't come back alive, right?"

"Certainly," Val replied, pulling out her other eye with his bare fingers. Before another second had passed, he pulled out her heart. He also took his sword, cutting off the Siren's head. He came forth, the heart of the girl still in his hands. "Eat it," he tells the girls.

"You heard the man," I said, "Eat it."

Still, they refused.

Val then forced the heart down on Symphony's mouth, making a bloody mess on her face. "Good girl," he says once she had swallowed it. "Now, I'm not a cruel man."

I snickered, making them shiver in fear.

"Well, fine. I lied," Val admitted, "But I'm not trying to be a cruel one right now. Okay, that was also a lie. Hey, didn't you want to go out with me earlier? Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. You probably didn't listen to your mother's instructions when you were younger. You should never date strangers, you know. But anyway, since you wanted to go out, I'll give it to you. I'll grant you mercy, letting you keep your life, if and only if you kill the little mermaid here. Oh, and yes, we can have that date you so want."

Symphony shook her head in refusal and terror. "Are you fucking crazy? I'm not going out with you!"

That mouth of hers earned her a violent slap from Val. "I like you better quiet," he says, choking her with one hand.

"If I were you, I'd take his offer," I said, "You'd live. Well, that's unless you cross our way once again. So come on, Symphony. What's it gonna be? If you don't give us an answer we might give this offer to Ariel here."

"It's Carol!" the little mermaid corrected.

I let go of Symphony, letting Val take over her. I still had the redhead in my grasp. We faced them against each other.

"Either one of you dies or both of you do," Val says, caressing Symphony's face with a blade. "So who's it gonna be?"

Before Carol could answer, I plunged my hand through her back, gripping her heart. She coughed out blood.

"Too late, Ariel," I said before pulling out her heart. Without effort, I tore her head from her neck, making sure she was dead. I through her head far into the distance. Turning to Symphony, I said, "I made the choice for you since you were slow to answer."

"But now that Ariel's gone, the deal is off, right, Anastassia?" Val says, gripping harder on her throat.

"Her name is Carol," the girl fought hard to release herself.

I gave a nod of approval to Val and he tore her head from her body. He also carved out her heart, throwing it far away. "They're dead," he said.

"This is just the beginning," I told him. We then carried on as though nothing happened. I suppose we ought to get used to it by now. This is the price we pay for eternal life.