9. Trial by Fire #3
Odessa threw her head back and let out a demonic screech echo through the Realm, as she was fully engrossed in feeding at the moment, and was losing control of herself from the amount of despair coursing through her veins.
She bounded through the field like a lion chasing prey, and instead of falling to the torment around her, she began to do something worse: she devoured it.
She snatched souls in her grasp and inhaled the pain radiating from them.
Dark, oppressive, black liquid funneled from their beings and into her horrendous mouth, coating her razor-sharp teeth and spilling down her throat.
I cringed at the scene, my eyes shifting back to Isadora. She still stayed perfectly concrete, ghosting in and out of battling souls. She had made it about halfway across the field at this point, and though her fingertips trembled around her neck, her face was stoic and concentrated.
“Are we counting what Odessa is doing as interacting with souls?” Dad asked in disgust.
“She’s not directly impacting them, just indulging in them. It’s up to you, really.”
“Hmm, good point. I suppose we’ll let it slide,” Dad grumbled, displeased by her behavior.
Odessa finished the obstacle first. She raced through the gates and began cheering wildly, throwing her arms up and dancing in place.
Her hair whipped from the rushing winds, and her victory screams could be heard well across the Realm.
Isadora finished as well, around five minutes after her sister, and exhaled loudly as her pent-up anxiety released in one foul swoop.
The two were exhausted in their own ways, distinctly different ones at that, and were glad to be done with the trial.
Mom ended the simulation as soon as I signaled to her. Deveraux fell slack in his wife’s arms, where she crooned sweet nothings in his ear and coaxed him back to reality. I could tell Dad wanted desperately to console his friend, so I tried to make this next part quick.
Odessa changed back to her Human form before turning to jab her sister in the chest. “You totally suck! How could you walk through all that chaos and not go crazy?”
“Because I have self-restraint,” Isadora barked back, her red eyes deep and brooding. “It’s something you should consider practicing once in a while.”
“As if!” Odessa laughed maniacally as Dad and I landed on the ground beside them.
I flattened my cloak out before shaking each of their hands. “Interesting techniques, certainly, but good work to you both.”
“So, we have a tie. Does that mean we get to fight to the death for a victor?” Odessa snarled, cracking her long fingers and neck. Isadora glared at her from the corner of her eye for this but chose not to comment.
“I think we’ll need to confer further about what we saw today. I have a clear winner in mind, but this is my father’s Realm, and his opinion trumps mine completely.”
I nodded to Dad, who grinned sheepishly. “Yes, that sounds like a good plan.”
I winked to him before turning back to the girls. “We’ll meet again at six tonight. Enjoy your afternoon, regroup, and be at the Inn by that time.”
“Yes, your godliness...” Odessa wagged her fingers before dissipating, leaving Isadora behind. She let her hands, which were still clutching her neck, fall to her sides before she flicked her gaze up to me. She didn’t say anything, just stared through me emptily.
I set a hand on her shoulder, which seemed to frighten her, but she bounced back. “Everything ok, Isadora?” I asked soothingly.
She nodded once, rigidly, at that. It took her a minute to find her voice, but she managed to finally speak. “I think... it may be best for me to step out of the race.”
“Why is that?” Dad questioned in surprise.
Her shoulder slacked underneath my hand. “Odessa... she’s so much more confident than me. She knows how to handle the souls better. She should have the position.”
“I think you’re being a bit hard on yourself…?” he attempted.
She sunk into herself. “I know when I’m beat. She is perfect for the job, so don’t waste your breath on me.”
Dad and I gave one another a look that meant, ‘you thinking what I’m thinking’ before I took her hand and squeezed it. “How about you and I go get some lunch? We'll leave the others to clear this up. I’d like to get to know you a little better before we make any rash decisions.”
Isadora lit up a little at my request. “I’d like that.”
“We’ll go anywhere you want, my treat.”
“I’d like to see the ocean, please,” she requested modestly.
I laughed lightly. “Of course.”
“I’ll see you tonight,” Dad said as I passed, but he did lay a hand on the small of my back, a warning to be careful, but get the information I needed.
I assured him with a steady nod that I would do as he pleased before conjuring a portal for us to walk through.
Isadora entered it nervously, her head down as she walked.
I knew I had to crack her timid shell for this to continue and swore to myself that I would give her a fair chance as I closed the portal behind us.