Damaged

Defy

Armi and I pulled ourselves together and walked further into the cave. We didn’t have to go far, and Armi and I were both surprised at what we found.

       There were two lit torches hanging on the back wall of the cave. In the middle of them was a door. It was a light brown, wooden door, simple but with some basic design.

       “Do you think there is another obstacle?” I said. I didn’t think I could take another one.

       “I don’t know,” she said. She put a hand on the door, as if trying to sense if there was anything beyond it. “Only one way to find out.”

       She drew her swords and I took out mine. I squared up and sent my shoulder into the door as hard as I could. I stumbled forward as it opened.

       It was a large room. To my left was what looked like a kitchen. There was a table with chairs near the kitchen as well. To my right was a large, wood-burning fireplace and shelves covered in books. In the middle of the room was a rug under a couch and table. There was a large clear ball on the table.

       On the couch was a young woman.

       She was sitting cross-legged on the couch. She had a book in her lap and her feet were bare. She had hair that was practically white; it hung around her face in bushy, long, tight spirals. She was wearing an eccentric mixed of colored rags.

       When I burst through the door she didn’t move. She just looked at us in surprise. Her eyes were wide. She had dark orange irises. They were like glowing coals, amber and bright.

       I stood there dumbfounded looking at her. What the hell was a girl doing in this cave? And where was our object?

       The girl swallowed before opening her mouth. “Hello,” she said. Her voice was bell-like, ringing and echoing about the space. She had a strange accent and formal way of speaking that I didn't recognize.

       “Hello,” I replied tentatively. Armi looked just as stupefied as I did. She had probably prepared for anything to be in this cave other than what was sitting right in front of us.

       I cleared my throat. “Um, I apologize for, uh, barging in like this. Do you live here?”

       “Yes,” replied the girl. Her eyes were unnerving me. “I’ve lived here my whole life.”

       “Why?”

       “Because I can’t leave.”

       The girl seemed to be unwilling to offer of much information.

       Armi got impatient. “What do you mean you can’t leave? We came a long ways to get here and you were not what we were expecting to find.”

       The girl just looked at Armi, unphased by her anger. I was impressed. Armi looked murderous and any normal person would’ve been terrified.

       “I’m sorry,” the girl said. She put a bookmark in her book and set it aside. “I’m impressed you got in here. You must have beaten the curse.”

       “Curse?” Armi and I both said.

       “Yes. What did you face in order to get to me?”

       Armi and I looked at each other. Neither of us really wanted to talk about.

       “It was..unpleasant,” I said.

       The girl nodded. “The curse put on this cave to protect me makes whoever sets foot in the cave face their worst fears.”

       Of course. Armi had to face Grayson, the one person she was afraid of, mixed with everything she feared to be true about herself and her future. The curse had made Armi its own weapon. And I had seen the bodies of everyone I loved. My greatest fear was not being able to protect them.