Dance of the Damned

Yes or No?

A few minutes ago.

Micah opened his eyes as Elise injected a liquid into his body while inserting a needle into his hand and connecting it to a bag she hung from the edge of the bed with a rope.

He left around the bed but Briar was nowhere to be found.

"Nanny Elise." He called, getting her attention immediately. "Where is Bradie?"

"He went out for a walk." She said quickly, the daffodil yellow line from her quivered slightly but it did not mean he was in any sort of danger. That he knew.

"I see," Micah said, smiling. "It feels so nice to be here, Nanny. The smells are so familiar."

"I am glad for that, young master." She said, patting his hand as the yellow twirled around her, emphasising her words.

Micah watched the colour twirl and smiled brightly.

"Oh, what time is it, Nanny Elise?" He asked, feeling the warmth of the sun on his skin, making him want to recoil in pain.

"It is a quarter past one now, young master," Elise said, walking to the curtains as she pulled them over the window, finally blocking the sunlight from hitting Micah.

"Really?" he asked, patting his stomach and paused.

"Is something wrong?" Elise asked, immediately noticing his reaction.

"I just ... I feel like having apple soup. The one you always made me when I was sick." He said, sheepishly. "Do you think I can have one?"

"You wish to eat something?" Elise gasped, rushing to the door "Give me five minutes."

"Ok!" Micah called out and then sat there in silence for two seconds before turning to the blade inches from his face with a smile, "Hello. What are you doing in here?"

The person gasped, a teal colour escaping their lips as Micah was able to make out their movement just from the line that followed them because of the gasp.

"You are not as stealthy as you think you are, you know that right?" Micah asked nonchalantly as they began throwing blades at them.

Now, this is a bad idea because sounds are entirely in his favour and, as soon as the blades are thrown in the air to him, he could make out their position immediately, catching them with his hands.

"Are you giving a blade to me?" He asked, tilting his head to the side. "Thank you!"

"What the hell are you?" The person finally spoke, it was a man, about thirty years of age and he sounds absolutely desperate. The lines of his voice surrounding trembling at every aspect.

"I am just a kid," Micah said, twirling the knife in his hands. "I have heard your voice before. Who are you again? Oh right, the old Baron of Whistfield. Mister Henry Brook."

"H-how did you-?"

"Your voice colour." The boy said, pointing the blade at him. "It is distinct."

"I will have to kill you now-"

"If you kill me," Micah began, still playing with the blade, "evidence is going to be planted on you which will lead to your past of illegal smuggling of children. What will your family think if that happens?"

"How did you know about that?" The man asked, trembling even more. "That was my past! I am trying to make amends-"

"But your unaware family is being held hostage by a noble family, right?" He asked, still playing with the blade. "You do know that killing me will only make it worse for you.

"You did what they want you to and you will become disposable immediately."

"What do I do then?!" The man asked shouting now as he rushed at the boy with his last blade in hand.

Micah grabbed his hand with his own and flipped the two so he was sitting on top of him with the blade pressed against Henry's neck. The bag breaking, spilling the quid everywhere while the needle remained in Micah’s hand.

"What choice do I have? There is nothing I can do." The man shouted. "Just kill me here. End my suffering."

"There is still something you could do," Micah said, shaking his head at the man, offering him a smile while holding the blade pressed to his neck still.

"What do you mean?"

"If you follow what I tell you to, Mister Brook. I will be able to save you and your family." Micah offered. "So, tell me, will you listen to what I tell you to do or not? Quickly. You have five seconds.

"Either you save your family or you kill them. Four. Three. Two. On-"

"I'll listen to you!" The man shouted as Micah beamed brightly.

"Great!" He picked the man up by his collar and flipped the two over as they fell off the bed and not the ground, making sure he is on top of him. "Just let things be. I will tell you more in a bit. "

He shoved the blade into his shoulder blades, the blood spilling onto the man’s face and the white sheets just as the doors opened and Elise walked in, dropping the bowl of soup on the floor as a scream escaped her lips.

"Get off him!" She screamed, running to them.

Micah whispered to the man's ears, "Remember to get caught?"

"What?"

Micah only had time to nod as Elise reached them, hitting the man over and over again, trying to pull him off Micah.

“Get off the boy!” She screamed just as Briar appeared in the doorway while the man was still looking a Micah, confusion all over his face.

Without saying a word, Briar turned to the man and pulled him off the boy as Elise ran to Micah, sobbing her eyes out when she saw the blade on his shoulder and the blood-soaked all over his clothes.

“Why? WHY!?” Briar asked, punching the man over and over again. “Why can’t you people leave him be?!?”

Elise trembled as she held Micah tight, screaming at the servants gathered to call a doctor.

“Are you ok, young master? Are you in pain?” She asked, holding him tightly to her bosom as he heard her heart hitting itself against her chest.

“I am fine, but …” Micah sighed, feeling around for someone he knew wasn't there. “Bradie? Bradie, where are you? N-nanny Elise, where is he? Nanny, where is he, he?”

She clenched her teeth and called to the boy still trying to get an answer out of the man who has this dazed look on his face before fainting. “Briar!”

Micah could see the lines around the boy turn in their direction as he began to look for him more frantically.

Briar clicked his tongue, and released the man, making sure he really is unconscious before he rushed to Micah, and took his hand in his.

“I am here, Micah. I am here.” He said as the boy calmed down immediately.

“Are you hurt?”

“Stupid, you are the one that is hurt.” Briar scolded, looking at the knife sticking out of the boy’s shoulder. “How did this even happen?”

“I heard a noise and then someone appeared in front of me.” He said, leaning back onto Elise who is still shaking. “I don’t know anything else.”

“You should have called out for help.” Briar scolded yet, again while Micah could feel his gaze on the knife casually sticking out of his shoulder.

“Didn’t he come to play?” he asked, tilting his head to the side.

“With what, a knife??” Briar asked, fuming as the servant brought a cloth to wrap around the wound to try and calm the bleeding down.

“It is not a sharp stick?” Micah asked back as Elise pressed the cloth against the wound, making him flinch in pain.

_______________

Elise attempted to remove the knife but Micah crying out in pain stopped her.

“Don’t touch it, Elise,” Briar said, looking at the wound. “Just leave it there for now. Until the doctor comes.”

“Doctor, you say?” A woman’s voice came from the doorway as she removed her bonnet and handed it to a servant, her strawberry blond hair spilling out.

“You are the one from that night,” Briar said, getting to his feet. “What are you doing here?”

“I heard from … someone, that the boy has been discharged.” She looked at Briar, annoyance written all over her face. “Why did he leave so early? He should have been there at least a week.”

“Micah could not sleep properly in the hospital," Briar said. "The instant we arrived here, he fell asleep without any problems."

"Right, and he was also stabbed." She said, raising an eyebrow as she made her way to the boy who smiled innocently at her, placing the bag she carried with her on the ground.

"How are you feeling? Lightheaded?"

"Not really," Micah said, still leaning against Elise as his blood spilt into her clothes.

"He's not in danger of-" Elise began asking but couldn't bring herself to complete the sentence.

"He is not." The woman reassured her as she pulled the knife out of his shoulder and began inspecting the wound. "This is a very mild wound, especially after what happened the day before yesterday."

She turned to the servants gathered around the room, "Get a wet cloth with warm water in a basin and clean up this room. Now."

Everyone scurried to action while Briar stared at Micah, annoyance filling him as the seconds passed.