A Month of Midnights

VIII

My mother never liked me thinking to deeply about things, even when my father was still alive. She believed thinking led to bad thoughts. Bad thoughts led to evil thoughts. Evil thoughts led to no Istoria. And no Istoria? That was unacceptable.

From when I was young, my mother could detect that I was having doubts and questioning our way of life. She strictly prohibited me from doing so, but by enforcing this, my urge only grew worse. Within a year of the Day of the Choosing, all I could think about was those unrelenting thoughts:

Why do we live in poverty? Why can’t Chorio be on the same level as Istoria? Does no one care what happens to to the rest of Chorio after the Day of the Choosing? Was the only way I could have meaning in my life though Istoria? Was there any free choice even left in my life?

Mother knew this would get me into trouble, and so she punished me in every which way possible to get it through my head that even just thinking, just feeling curiousity or doubt, was bad.

And so I numbed myself. To please the mother that I loved dearly, I stopped thinking and pondering. While the other children grew up and had fun and laughed with their friends and families, I’d just watch from my window and fiddle with my dress. I knew Mother wasn’t happy to watch me slowly lose my light, but she must’ve figured it was the only way. Between my mother’s new rules, and the death of my father, I became hollow, only feeling fulfilled when I was allowed to think freely. Sure, I still felt basic things like everyone else, but the emotions were muffled and unclear. It was a haze of a childhood I had. It was that same numb emotion I had felt back in Chorio that came to me as I hurtled towards the canyon floor, if there even was one. With death only a few seconds away, I had hoped I would at least feel something intense: regret, satisfaction, love, hope, or even just fear. For some reason, I couldn’t.

After years of slowly shutting down each emotion, I couldn’t even feel fear or panic when death was so close. As much as I loved my mother, in that moment, I began to hate her for doing to this to me. She forced me to stop wondering, stop questioning, and eventually stop feeling, all for the sake of a “happy ending” in Istoria. Oh, if she could see me now. Her efforts had been in vain. She thought she was preventing me from a terrible fate, but she only ensured it. I let my anger fester and swell. I did not hold back, and I let every malicious, evil thought in my mind loose. I could feel the malign component in my magic begin to boil my blood, and it felt invigorating. It wasn’t much longer than a second though before I began to experience every other emotion. I felt happy, I felt scared, I felt irritated, I felt sad, and in the blur of all these new feelings, I screamed at the top of my lungs. The force of falling lifted my hands to the dark skies above. As I prepared for the hit, I was grateful that I felt almost every emotion I had missed out on before I died.

But then I wasn’t falling anymore.

A vibrating, tingling sensation returned to my toes and fingers. I wasn’t falling now; I was flying. Not just flying, I was soaring. Hope, relief, joy, I felt it all now. Maleficent had been right about one thing: I had been bottling everything up. And, yes, setting it free had given me the push I needed. But it wasn’t evil and rage that was boosting me.

It was joy.

It was it was the feeling of elatedness and new faith that was self-levitating me back up the canyon. I saw the silhouettes of my friends still looking over the bridge. They were like me. They had strange pasts and probably even stranger destinies. They were flawed and quirky and different from the rest, and they were exactly what I needed. A new feeling of gratitude filled my heart as I flew closer to them.

“You’re-you’re-” Upright sputtered incoherently. I chuckled.

“Yeah, I know,” I laughed.

“I didn’t think your magic was that strong!” exclaimed Minnie. I shrugged.

“That makes two of us, I guess.” The clouds flashed purple as an angry lightning bolt jutted forth from the sky.

“Why don’t we get out of here before that pompous turkey comes back and knocks another one of us off the bridge,” Upright suggested grimly. I landed safely on Rudy’s back, and he carried us all back into the Forest of Temptations. Safely out of sight of Maleficent’s castle, Minnie ordered Rudy to stop.

“I have to cast the protection spell,” she explained. She flew in front of Rudy and turned to face us.

Raising her hands in front of her chest, Minnie said, “As we enter a forest full of dangers, protect us from these strangers. They deceive and tempt and lie to us, all of which the Good distrusts. Cast this spell and form a shield, from these tempters we be concealed.” Magic sprinkled down on all four of us and dissolved into our clothing and hair. Minnie flew back and sat upon Rudy’s head. “Now, people like the witch from Hansel and Gretel or the wolf from Little Red Riding Hood and that gosh darn Elf King can’t find us and play any tricks,” she promised us.

“How long will it last?” I asked watching the last bit of magic seep into my cloak.

“Only a couple of days,” Minnie answered. “But by then, I’ll have enough energy to cast another spell of that size again.”

“So where are we going now? Something tells me not straight to the Writer,” Upright grumbled. My shoulders fell.

“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything before,” I apologized, “but, yes, since I’m destined to become a villain, I have to find two things first and bring them to the Writer. The Sword of Truth was the first object: the weapon that kills me. Now I just have to find the person who kills me.”

“Another person? Three people and horse are already too much for me to handle!” Upright whined.

“Do you know who’s been chosen to be the next Prince Philip?” Minnie asked. I nodded.

“He’s actually a friend of mine. Sort of,” I chuckled. Rudy suddenly snorted and stamped his hoof. I continued, “His name’s Dane, but he’s still in Chorio, which I guess is where we’re headed next.”

“Well, which way is Chorio?” Upright asked. Minnie shot up from her little perch and darted through the tree branches. Half a minute later she descended back down. She flew to Rudy and pointed south. Rudy nodded and trotted southwards. As Minnie sat back down on the horse’s head, she explained that in several days time, we would reach the border if we headed that direction. It had now been, if my estimates were right, roughly twelve days since the beginning of the Month of Midnights. By the time we would reach my home village in Chorio, we’d have a little less than two weeks to hike back into Istoria. If we continued at the same pace and had no more bumps in the road, there was hope we could make it.

Two days later, we were still in the Forest of Temptations. Minnie was sure we’d be out of it by tomorrow. That night as we camped, no disturbance came from the campfire or the forest. We all slept peacefully until early morning.

The sun was barely making its way over the mountain tops. A morning fog had set upon us as we slept and had not left when I heard the soft whispers. They sounded almost like miniature chimes, tinkling gently. I assumed it was Minnie, but she was fast asleep under a toadstool. Upright slept against a tree trunk, but when I looked for Rudy, I could not find him. I stood up cautiously, hoping not to awake the others. Unfortunately, Upright must’ve been born with the ears of a hawk, for he instantly shot up and demanded to know what I was doing. His noisiness quickly had Minnie awake as well.

I asked both of them, “Do you know where Rudy went?” Minnie and Upright looked at each other and then at me and shook their heads. I heard the tinkling whispers again. “Do you hear that?” They listened.

“Yeah, sounds like you,” said Upright in address to Minnie. The faery frowned.

“Faery voices aren’t that,” she said befuddled. We listened a bit longer.

“Sounds..” I began.

“Beautiful,” Upright finished. A lovestruck grin spread over his face. He began walking away in a trance, the Sword of Spoken Truth still in his hand. Minnie and I quickly got up to follow him. He led us to a large, silvery lake completely hidden by dense forestry. It looked too serene and tranquil to belong in the Forest of Temptations. The fog rolled over the water and created little waves that lapped gently at the shores. I quickly found Rudy along the shore line, looking intently at his reflection. Upright stumbled towards the lake and fell to his knees.

“Minnie, what are they looking at?” I asked.

“It’s Sirens’ Lake,” she murmured. “They show you your secret desire and lure you in. Blyss, I haven’t renewed the protection spell, and I think-” I looked over and realized she was flying towards the water with a vacant stare. I began to run to her when something inside me had me stop. I waited to hear it again.

“Blyss,” it called out in a sweet melody. “Come here, come to the water.” I did as I was told. I knelt down and ignored the slimy sensation my knees felt as they squished into the mud. I leaned in and saw my reflection in the water. My image shifted and showed my face but with strawberry blonde hair, rosy lips, and a crown resting gracefully on my head. I smiled and touched the water. It rippled but the image did not change. For a reason I couldn’t put together, I stuck my hand fully in the lake, thinking I could grab my wish. A slick, clammy hand clasped around my wrist and yanked my arm farther into the water. My image as Sleeping Beauty vanished and was replaced with an amphibious face. It gnashed its sharp teeth as I resisted its pull at me. I could see a fishtail form its lower body and figured the siren was some sort of evil mermaid. I used my free hand to snatch one of the large stones scattered on the shore. I smashed the stone against the siren’s arm and head. It hissed and slithered back into the bowels of the lake. I looked for Minnie who was off to my left hovering in close to the water. I sprinted to her and cupped her in my hands. I felt her pound against my fingers furiously as I brought her away from the water. A safe distance away, I freed Minnie who sprung forth from my hands at the speed of light.

“Minnie!” I cried. She snapped out of her trance and looked at me disoriented. “We need to help the others.” Minnie blinked and seemed to understand, for she followed me as I ran to Upright. I dragged him away from the lake despite his protests. He swung the Sword of Spoken Truth several times whose blade I narrowly dodged. “Just a little farther,” I told Minnie as I yanked Upright towards the trees. My foot landed on something hard and oddly shaped. A large net enclosed around Upright, Minnie, and me, and it pulled us up into the trees.

“Blyss!” Minnie whimpered. With one of her wings crumpled and twisted, she fell weakly into my hands.

“Wha-where am I?” Upright demanded to know as he snapped out of his trance. He struggled to untangle himself from the net.

“It’s a siren trap,” said Minnie pointing back to the lake. The human-fish creatures began to crawl out of the lake and onto the shore. Though they had no legs, their finned arms pulled them forward with great strength.

“Upright, the sword!” I exclaimed. He instantly understood my idea and began cutting the ropes with the weapon. Though he worked tirelessy, the sword did no damage.

“Blasted thing’s a fake!” Upright huffed.

“Wait,” I said, “it’s the Sword of Spoken Truth. Say a piece of truth!”

“Uh,” panicked Upright, “my beard makes me look like a shorter, fatter version of Father Time?” The sword began to glow the same radiant blue as its sapphires, but the glow quickly died.

“It must not have been strong enough,” Minnie explained.

“Try again,” I insisted.

“Snow White has no self esteem?” The sword flickered and died.

“Dopey is mentally challenged and misunderstood?” Again only flickering.

“Oh! I got it! Doc’s name has nothing to do with his personality because he secretly needed an excuse to be the head dwarf over the other six. That power hungry son of a-”

“Rudy!” I screamed as I watched the horse dip his hoof in the water. What does he see? What are they showing him? the terrifying thoughts raged in my head. Rudy’s body began to quiver and stretch until he changed entirely back into a human, dressed in the same clothes he must have worn on the Day of the Choosing. His saddle slid down his back and into the mud.

“Minnie, what’s happening?” I asked lifting her up to see.

“It’s another tactic sirens employ to secure their success. They make their victim’s desire a reality, but it doesn’t last.”

“No! Rudy! Stop!” I screamed. Human Rudy began to wade into the water.

“Upright, try again,” Minnie ordered. I turned and faced the dwarf desperately. The sirens below us began to lick their lips. Upright closed his eyes.

“I insist to people I’m taller than a dwarf partly because I’m afraid to become one,” he spoke quickly. The sword finally shined a steady blue. Upright bared his teeth and slashed at the net. The ropes fell apart instantly under the magic blade, and we dropped to the ground. Upright shot up to his feet and began stabbing and swinging at the sirens. As they began to retreat, I placed Minnie in Upright’s hands before he could argue and dashed to the water. I hoisted up the skirt of my dress and waded into the lake.

“Blyss, what are you doing?” Upright shouted. Logically, I had no idea. It made no sense to dive into a lake full of creatures who wanted to kill me, but Rudy was my friend, and I was going to rescue him.

“I’m saving Rudy!” I answered as I dove in.

Matching the beauty on the surface, the lakewater was crystal clear. I swam down to the bottom and and immediately noticed the pile of skeletons building up in the mud. I doubted there were even any fish left alive in this lake.

I swam further on looking for any evidence of the sirens. As the water deepened, a pressing urge for air forced me to return to the surface. As I gulped more precious oxygen, a slippery hand snatched my ankle and tugged me down to the lake floor. As the siren pulled me down farther, I saw its friends waiting hungrily for me. Two sirens had Rudy pinned to the lake floor. When he saw me, his brown eyes widened. He suddenly fought harder to escape the water creatures’ grip. We were hopelessly outnumbered; there must’ve been at least half a dozen sirens flashing their teeth as I was pulled down.

Just it had been when I fell off the bridge, I summoned every feeling I could in my body. Panic and terror came quickly, but instead of letting it grow out of control, I tried to harness it. I visualized putting every feeling into my magic and pushing it forward. I lifted my hands and let the magic burst forward. The sirens’ screeches echoed through the waters. The magic stung them and ripped their scales apart, exposing raw flesh. The sirens holding Rudy hostage abandoned him and swam away in terror. I reached out my hand, and he wisely grabbed it. Gathering my last strength, I pulled us both up to the surface.

After having a chance to breathe, Rudy said, “Blyss!”

“That’s my name,” I answered, coughing up water, “glad to see you haven’t forgotten it.” Rudy chuckled.

“I’m human!” he said with an absolutely heart-throbbing smile.

“Yeah, you are,” I said hiding my blush. I looked at his curly black hair, his light freckles, his warm eyes, and wondered how such a lovely looking human being could be trapped beneath a horse exterior.

It’s a tactic sirens employ to secure their success. They make their victim’s desire a reality, but it doesn’t last.

I had almost forgotten what Minnie said.

“Rudy, you’re going to change back. We have to get you to shore!” I sputtered frantically. Before he got a chance to speak, I grabbed his wrist and started swimming back to shore.

“Slow down, Blyss!” Rudy begged. I gripped his wrist harder and swam even faster. I traipsed onto the shore and dragged Rudy through the mud. He wailed in pain, and I instantly let go of his wrist, fearing that I was pulling too hard. When I spun around, I saw Rudy clutching his side, not his wrist. He began to writhe in pain, gritting his teeth and driving his fingers into the gooey dirt.

“Rudy,” I whimpered helplessly. He spared a glance in my direction.

“Turn away, Blyss. I don’t want you to look at me,” he moaned. I backed away from him and slowly turned around. I heard Rudy’s shrieking intensify until it stopped abruptly, and only silence remained. I heard rustling, heavy breathing, and felt something nuzzle against my arm. The horse walked around and looked at me face to face. I smiled weakly.

“Next time, it’ll be real,” I promised him. Rudy looked at me with melancholy eyes and walked on towards Upright and Minnie. Nothing was said as I retrieved the saddle, reins, and bridle. Rudy solemnly brought us back into the forest towards Chorio. Minnie made sure to cast another protection spell on us. After it was done, no one felt like talking. It was late afternoon of the next day before even a word was spoken.

“Upright?” Minnie whispered. The sun’s sleepy heat shined down on us as we waited for Upright to answer. It was clear he knew what was to be asked.

Upright cleared his throat and responded, “Yes, Minnie?”

“If you don’t mind me asking-”

“Actually, I do,” he snapped. Minnie hung her head.

“Upright,” I spoke softly, “you don’t have to be scared.” Minnie looked at me appreciatively. Upright grunted.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he mumbled. Minnie fluttered up, her wing now healed, and hugged Upright’s cheek.

“It’s okay, Upright,” said Minnie with the cutest faery smile in Istoria. Upright’s face blushed a brilliant red.

“Thank you, Minnie,” he said raspily. His eyes were brimming with tears that began to drip down into his bushy beard. “I just..I don’t think I’ll be good enough, and the other dwarves won’t take me seriously. I don’t want to have to be so pessimistic all the time, you know?” he confessed.

“We all have doubts about ourselves, Upright,” Minnie insisted. “I of all magical creatures can attest to that. It’s what we do in the face of them that lets us move forward.” Though it was this that sentiment ended the conversation, Upright’s general disposition seemed more pleasurable since that little moment he and Minnie and shared. Of course, they still bickered on and off for the next four days. We finally left the Forest of Temptations and traveled through the friendly woodlands where joyfulness seemed to abound. We crossed paths with others who were traveling back and forth between Istorian towns in celebration of the Month of Midnights. As Queen Golde had said, the citizens of Istoria were full of gladness and merriment. Some were dressed in their best clothing and were dancing as they walked.

“Why are you so happy?” Upright grunted. “Someone else is taking it over your old life, and you’re stuck as a villager in this realm forever.” The man and his wife we had run into laughed with delight.

“Exactly!” exclaimed the man. “We’re free to live off the Story. No more following a script anymore. We can do anything we want!” His wife giggled, and they bounded off whistling folk songs.

“You think we’ll be that nuts when our Stories are done?” Upright asked sarcastically. I shrugged and tried to put away the new feeling of uneasiness.

It was the evening of the nineteenth out of the thirty day month when we came to the border between the two realms. As it had been when I first crossed it, the night sky lingered over us, watching with quiet anticipation to see if we were successful in our less than moral endeavor. We had rehearsed it many times, smoothing every flaw and imperfection so that we could be in and out of Chorio fluidly, unnoticed, and with a future prince. We were counting on one factor and one factor alone: Dane’s cowardice. As long as I had known him, it was apparent he had an unwholesome amount of bravado that, with the right tactics, could be broken through and exposed. Dane was still a nice enough young man, but tonight all that mattered was his less than admirable traits, for they were our chief advantage.

We plodded down the bluff and came to the same foot-wide stream that formed the border. Rudy stopped before the trickling water. “Minnie, will you be able to breathe?” I asked, remembering she was a born creature of magic.

“Oh, yes,” she answered. “Istorians aren’t allowed to cross, but whether we’re born with magic or if it’s bestowed upon us, it’s not embedded in us, therefore we aren’t dependent on it. Our magic is just like one of those organs you could technically function without. We could still breathe air without magic...I think.”

“You think?” Upright asked.

“Well, our magical abilities will be debilitated. I know regular Chorio villagers can’t survive in Istoria, but I’m not aware of any Istorian who couldn’t theoretically survive in Chorio,” she said.

“I guess we’ll find out,” Upright muttered. Rudy stepped forward and sloshed through the water. Entering into Chorio made me understand how much I had already adjusted to Istoria. Chorio’s air felt thinner, like I was standing on top of a mountain peak poking through the last layer of the world’s atmosphere. The air smelled and tasted dirty, nothing compared to the exhilarating fragrance of Istoria. Each breath drew in smaller amounts of air, making me dizzy and faint. With Chorio’s air, I doubted any magical creature could have enough strength to cast a spell. Upright and I quickly persevered through the initial hit, but Minnie, to no surprise, passed out. She rolled off the top of Rudy’s head and into my lap.

“Upright, can you hold her for me?” I asked as I handed the faery to him. He grumbled and accepted Minnie into his hands.

“Do you think she’ll be able to fly when she wakes up?” Upright asked. I shook my head.

“I doubt it.”

Rudy trotted slowly into the Chorio forest, following my commands obediently. If he had been a real horse and hadn’t understood human language, guiding him through a dark forest would have been painfully complicated.

The stars’ light was fully shining when we saw the first sign of my village. Smoke from chimneys puffed up lazily, and their fires’ glow illuminated the houses. All the village was silent; the animals kept quiet, and the humans only spoke hushedly.

“Looks like my village,” Upright commented.

“Everything in Chorio looks the same, doesn’t it?” I agreed sadly. I heard Minnie’s soft groans from behind me. “Is she awake yet?” I asked.

“Not entirely. What do I do with her when we get to Dane’s house?” Upright asked.

“We’ll leave her with Rudy. When we come back, I’ll put her in my pocket.” Rudy paused at the edge of the forest and let us dismount. Minnie was then promptly placed on her little perch between the horse’s ears. Rudy remained very still as he watched Upright and me creep into the village.

“Do we have everything?” I whispered to Upright.

“Yup. It was a good thing Minnie created all this rope for us before we crossed,” Upright answered. Though I could not see it in the dark, I knew he was holding a long, slender rope, a piece of fabric I had torn from my soiled dress, and the Sword of Spoken Truth. Despite his small stature, Upright managed to hold the equipment carefully as we trampled through the weeds towards Dane Robinson’s house.

Memories that seemed so long ago were what led me to find his home which thankfully was on the outer edge of the village. Upright gave me a final nod and hid behind the nearby trees. I threw the hood of my cloak over my new hair and approached the door. I knocked twice and waited nervously. Dane’s mother answered the door.

“Blyss Bannon, is that you?” she asked looking over my shaggy appearance reproachfully. “Does your mother know you’re back?”

“Yes,” I lied. “May I speak to Dane please?” His mother shuddered, probably realizing what my new fate meant to her son.

“He’s asleep, sorry,” she said eyeing me warily.

“Could you please wake him up? This is important,” I insisted.

“Why don’t you come inside,” she said opening the door a few inches wider. I stepped half a pace back.

“No, no, this won’t be long. Just please get Dane for me,” I reiterated, adding more urgency in my voice. She paused for a moment, surveyed me suspiciously, and shut the door. A minute later, it reopened. Dane looked at me oddly before a wide smile spread over his face.

“Well, if it isn’t my new favorite villain!” he joked, pulling me into an awkward hug. He stepped away and peeked behind his shoulder. “Can you give me a minute? I wanna take a walk with you so my mother can’t eavesdrop.” Not allowing me to answer, he shut the door and returned dressed in day clothes and a suitable coat for the night chill. It wasn’t until he stepped out next to me that I noticed how his own magic had affected him. Even though being in Chorio was slowing down the transformation process, Dane already looked different. His magic made him taller, more muscular, and his usual floppy, sandy hair was now full and handsome to look at. We strolled away from the house and began to parallel the forest. Only I knew that Upright was following us.

“Did you hear?” Dane asked almost immediately. “I’m the new Prince Philip! Isn’t that great? I get to go around dancing with princesses, singing in forests, slaying dragons-oh, um, sorry.” Ignoring Dane’s insensitive comments, I decided I should be the one leading the conversation.

“Who’s the new Sleeping Beauty?” I asked casually. Dane laughed.

“Emalee Hillguard, can you believe it?” I cringed. He continued, “I’ve actually been getting to know her these past couple of weeks, and she’s actually an amazing girl. I’m beginning to think she was only a jerk because of you.” I grinded my teeth.

“Well, that’s good to hear,” I grimaced.

“Yeah, it’s been so crazy since you ran away, which brings up another point. Why did you?” Dane asked curiously.

“Well, I, um, I’m looking for this person who can help me. They can prevent this from happening,” I said uneasily.

“From becoming evil?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I muttered, “that.”

“Well, frankly, I think you’d be a great Maleficent. I mean lately, you were always just sitting there oddly and saying these awful things about Istoria. If that isn’t the beginning of evil, what is?” Dane laughed. I clenched my fists and felt my knuckles want to burst. My fiery emotions sizzled my magic. If I wasn’t in Chorio, I’m sure my magic would have accidentally burst forth and cremated Dane.

“Anyways, Dane, because you’re the next Prince Philip, and as of now I’m the next Maleficent, I need you to help me find this person,” I said.

“What can I do?” Dane asked not understanding.

“It’s hard to explain because I’m not entirely sure myself. All I know is that I need you, but that means you’ll have to come to Istoria with me...tonight.”

“Tonight?” Dane stopped walking. “Blyss, that’s a bit short notice.”

“Everything this past month has been a bit short notice for me!” I snapped. Dane stared at me strangely. I sighed and changed my tone. “Would you please just come? I’m asking you from the bottom of my heart as your lifelong friend.” Dane thought for a moment and shook his head.

“Sorry, Blyss, but no. I’m a prince now. I’m not supposed to associate myself with villains like you,” he said turning back to his house. Well, at least I gave him the chance, I told myself. I jogged ahead of him and stood in his path. “What are you doing?” he asked.

“I didn’t want to do this,” I assured him though he had no understanding of what I meant. Dane suddenly lurched forward, his knees being kicked in by a sprightly little dwarf. I let Dane fall to the ground as I grabbed the rope and fabric from Upright. Now only holding the sword, Upright flashed its tip at Dane’s neck. He lay paralyzed against the ground.

“You shoulda just agreed with princess over here,” Upright remarked, moving the sword closer to Dane’s skin. He squealed and shut his eyes.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, just please don’t kill me!” he begged.

“Now, Dane, why would I do that?” Upright taunted. “I only kill cowards. Are you a coward?”

“Upright,” I warned.

“No! I swear I’m not a coward!” Dane whimpered pathetically, curling up into a tight ball of fear.

“This is the guy who’s supposed to fight Maleficent? The Writer sure knows how to pick ‘em,” Upright snorted. I knelt down and tied the dress fabric around Dane’s mouth.

“I’m so sorry, Dane,” I said in response to my friend’s horrified eyes. I pushed him up on his feet and tied his hands in front of him with one end of the rope. Using the other end to pull him forward, Upright and I forced Dane back to where Rudy and Minnie awaited us. Upright kept the sword near Dane’s side the entire time, reminding him of the consequences should he try to run. Most people with at least an ounce of bravery could have yanked the rope from my hands and escaped before Upright could actually take a fatal swing with the sword. However, just as I had hoped, Dane’s bravado had hidden all his cowardice until it really mattered, and he let us take him prisoner.

With great difficulty, we pushed Dane up onto Rudy’s saddle. Next, I lifted Upright behind Dane, and I sat in the very front. Putting Minnie in my cloak pocket, I summoned Rudy forward. He galloped back towards the border, but the new weight slowed him down. I sneaked anxious glances behind us, but no one was chasing us yet. Eventually, someone would realize Dane hadn’t returned, and a search party would be made. If we could make it to the realm of magic in time, we’d be temporarily safe. A few hours later, Rudy leaped over the stream and into Istoria. I held Dane’s rope and Rudy’s reins tighter as we climbed over the bluff and into the new forest. Safely hidden within the trees, Rudy stopped and let us dismount. I saw in Rudy’s eyes the exhaustion and misery he felt carrying us three. I gave him a warm smile and thanked him. We re-tied Dane’s hands behind his back and tied the other end of the rope around the trunk of a tree. Upright slept on top of the rope with the Sword of Spoken Truth in his hands. Dane, in fear of the dwarf, fell asleep trembling.

I stayed up longer and watched the fire burn lazily. I held the slumbering Minnie in my hands; her breaths were steadier and more full, an indication that her lungs were already readjusting to the Istorian air. As the shadows around me crept closer, a pounding headache began drumming in my head. It began at the front of my forehead and traveled backwards into the center of my skull. A familiar heat seared under my skin, and I knew all too well it was yet another midnight. The headache continued to hammer mercilessly inside my head. The beacon of it spread bolts of pain to all parts of my head: in my brow, in the back of my head, and even down to my ears. I restrained myself from moving lest I should awake the precious creature in my hands. I noticed Upright and Dane were flinching in their sleep too, but it wasn’t powerful enough to stir them awake. Dane was lucky. He had spent half of the Month of Midnights in Chorio. His midnights had never been as bad as mine, and his first midnight in the realm of magic would never hurt as much as mine did. My vision blurred and spun as the headache worsened. Tears dripped down my cheeks as I endured it silently.

I wasn’t sure if I had fallen asleep or passed out, but somehow I made it through the night alive. My headache was gone, but its aura hung over me like a storm cloud that crackled resentfully everytime I moved.

Upright was already awake, and Minnie fluttered around our prisoner with great interest. Upright had taken the rope and wrapped it around Dane several times so that he was forced to lay on the ground immobile and helpless. Minnie landed on his chest and waved.

“You must be Mr. Robinson!” she greeted chiperly. “It’s very nice to meet you! It’s always fun having another travel companion. Blyss was telling us all about you!” Dane curled his lip in disgust.

“Get this insect off of me!” he whimpered. Minnie pouted and flew over to me.

“Is he always this mean?” she asked.

“No, but I have a feeling this is more of the real Dane,” I said with a sigh. Perhaps the best way to truly know someone is to kidnap them, I thought amusedly. Minnie’s eyes wandered up just above my eyes.

“Blyss, have those always been there?” she asked oddly. Upright paused what he was doing and walked closer. His face had the same expression as Minnie’s. Carefully, I lifted my hands and felt along the sides of my head. My fingers searched through my hair until they hit something solid. My other hand found a second solid shape. After patting down my head a few moments longer, I knew exactly what had happened last night.

“I have Maleficent’s horns, don’t I?” I asked. Minnie and Upright nodded.

“They’re very small though. You can barely see them,” Minnie consoled. I put my face in my hands.

This nightmare was never going to end.