Malice Maze

Chapter 12
A Broken Melody

Melody fell to her knees at the sight of a steady stream running through the rocks of the corridors, dripping down into a pool that looked as clear as water on the first day of earth. With a thankfulness she would never begin to describe she fell upon the water and began drinking like a common slave.

She had no idea how long she had traveled or how many steps she had taken, all she knew was that she was in more pain than she had ever been in before. Her feet were bloodied, her body aching, and she was longing for the exit to this horrid maze. She cursed this maze, cursed her father, cursed the Enchanter for not slipping her some sort of map so she could find her way out even easier. Why was she here? Why did she have to go through this… torture!

Melody drank as much water as she could handle before slipping her feet into the water and cooling the callused bloodied feet. Melody leaned her head back and just enjoyed the cool stream that was constantly running over her feet. She was falling into a sleep, enjoying the intense relief of the pain that ached through her bones when she heard it.

At first her very first instinct was to panic and begin running, instead she kept calm and removed her feet from the water, searching for the direction of the wailing sound. It only took a second more for her to know it was one of the girl’s sobbing. With a quick realization Melody knew she had to move fast or else the girl would find her and try to join her. Melody was just gathering her wits when Nanaia, sobbing and tear streaked, turned the corner and found Melody standing there, just ready to go down the left corridor.

“Oh Melody!” she screamed, awfully familiar with the princess who could easily squash the girl like a bug. “Melody,” she cried again and threw herself into the arms of the princess, who wanted nothing to do with this crying figure. Melody found a sort of smug comfort in knowing that Nanaia was not beautiful when sobbing.

“Nanaia, you know what happens when two people are together,” Melody explained, trying to push the crying girl away from her.

“I know,” Nanaia sobbed, “but I could not stand being alone anymore. I am so relieved to see you. Please, just stay with me for a … for a bit.”

Melody looked over the girl and allowed pity to be a passing emotion. The girl looked well worn, the way a woman should look after a fantastic sex romp, Melody had seen many women with that same look. Nanaia did not seem to be enjoying the sex romp that had put that look upon her body and Melody took note of the bruises and scratches across the young girl’s body. No, her sex romp had not been a gentle one.

“Nanaia, you should sit,” Melody said calmly to the older girl. “Sit by the stream, drink some water,” never mind that Melody’s feet had been in it just moments before. “Calm yourself. While you do that I’m going to scout ahead. Maybe if I see something I can come back and tell you, and if we don’t go at the same time we can still go the same way, and you still have a human comfort.”

“You would… do that for me?” Nanaia asked, kneeling by the stream and looking grateful herself for the cool water.

“Yes, of course I would,” Melody laughed. Liar! She planned on ditching this girl as soon as she turned the corner, but for now she needed Nanaia calm and as far away from her as humanly possible.

“Nanaia, stay here, promise me,” Melody spoke. “I will be right back for you.”

“Oh, thank you Princess Melody.” Nanaia seemed to have found her manners in her gratitude and Melody smiled her very princess-like smile before turning the corner to the left. It took one turn, just that one corner, and Melody’s heart fell into her stomach. Slam! She turned back, she went too fast, and slammed into the wall that had appeared before her.

“No!” she screamed to no one, just the never ending black rocks. “No, no, no!” Her scream was horrific, her voice shrill. Her body tensed and she turned to the only way out of her imprisonment in a wall of black rock. The door. She stared at the door and loathed it for everything it was, and more so, she loathed Nanaia for having been the cause for this door. Melody screamed at that door, beat on it with her fists, and begged no one at all and every name she could think of to make it all go away, to make this door disappear.

After her hysterics were over she stood up and leaned against the wall that faced the door, watching it like a live dragon come to eat her. “What am I freaking out for?” she asked herself. “How do I even know what is on the other side? It could be better than this endless Maze.” She sniffed her nose up into the air, her haughty expression returning. She would not be afraid of some door. She reached out and gripped the knob and pulled it open, flinging herself into the darkness without a second thought.

She landed within a room she was very familiar with, a room she went to when in need of chemistry, of medicinal herbs, of visions. She was in the alchemy room of the Enchanter. The Enchanter stood before her, King of the Sluagh, his real name forgotten in all of the years he had worked for mortals. He looked to Melody with a triumphant smile on his handsome face.

“Welcome Melody, I just knew you would come.”