Background
Cadence and Leo are confronted by the evil goddess, Eris, who is trying to bargain for Cadence's soul, who she feels is instrumental in reaching her arch nemesis, C-Daddy.
|
End of last post:
Cadence followed his gaze. There standing in the middle of the spraying water, was a woman of surpassing beauty. Long amber curls surrounded pale skin, and bright glassy blue eyes shown from an ageless face. She wore a shimmering blue gown that flowed with the water, but seemed untouched by it. Red lips parted to show perfectly white teeth. Her hand was held out before her as though bidding someone to take it, and that someone she was gazing at was Leo.
*****
New Post:
Every man and woman in the Food Court were spellbound by the presence of the beautiful woman. The men longed for her to hold her dainty hand towards them, and the women envied her beauty. No sound could be heard from the collective group except for an occasional gasp or sigh.
Cadence allowed herself be taken in for just a moment, and then slowly and deliberately struggled to control her thoughts. Having just gone through a similar situation with the twins, she knew what was going on and how to battle it. She stood up and addressed the woman in the fountain with a commanding voice.
"Leave us! You are not welcome here," she said.
The woman's attention shifted dramatically her way. Strong piercing eyes bored into Cadence's own, forcing her to turn her head away---but not to give up.
"You are in no position to order me to do anything," the woman said. "Not only can I come and go as I please in this place, but I am stronger than any mere mortal can hope to resist. I am Eris, Goddess of the Underworld, and you have no power or authority over me."
"I have heard of you," Cadence said, "and I'm not particularly impressed."
"Then you are a fool, and you are ill prepared to challenge me."
Eris began to laugh, and the sound flowed with the water that bathed her, sending a series of chills up and down Cadence's spine.
"Maybe I'm not your match, but I have friends who are," Cadence said.
She cupped her hands around her mouth and cried out for help. She had to trust C-Daddy to hear and come to her aide. She waited a moment for a response. Everyone around seemed to be waiting too, although they didn't know what they waited for.
"He isn't coming," Eris said.
She laughed, again, but the sound was harsher than before, and caused a few of the people in the crowd to stir and waken from her spell.
"We have captured your companion as easily as we did Sarah," she continued.
"I don't believe it. C-Daddy would never fall for your spells."
"No, you're right, he wouldn't. He's much too wary for illusion, but he does have a weakness. His kind heart was his downfall."
"What do you mean?" Cadence asked. "What have you done to C-Daddy?"
"I offered him a business deal, and he took it. We met up right after you two parted. He expressed a desire to have the child returned, much as you just did, though for the life of me I can't understand why. She's a bit of a nuisance, really, but there's no accounting for taste, as you mortals say."
"Where is she?"
"With my brothers," Eris said. "C-Daddy should have known better than to trust us, but apparently his association with you has made him careless. No matter, we have him captive now and have waited quite a long time to do so."
"If C-Daddy is all you wanted, then why still bother with us? There can't be anything we have that you need."
Disregarding Cadence's question, she began to look around the crowd again. Calmly, and with an irresistible power, she regained her composure and her control over the people. With the hint of a smile aimed at Cadence, she held her delicate hand towards Leo.
"Come," she bid, her pouty lips hardly seeming to move as she spoke.
Leo rose from the table, unknowingly knocking his food to the floor in the process. Cadence cried out and grabbed him firmly by the arm.
"Don't do it," she warned. "She's one of them."
"It's okay," Leo said. "I can hear her voice whispering in my ear. She is so beautiful, and she's offering to make me rich."
"We're not worried about money right now. We need to get Sarah."
"She says she will take me to her."
"I don't doubt that she will, but you can't listen to her," Cadence said. "She's lying, just like her brothers did to me and Sarah earlier. You're under a spell, Leo, fight back."
Leo looked at Cadence, his eyes glazed over with anger and deception. He jerked his arm free with superhuman strength, and lifted a fist up as though to strike, but, instead, he spat in her face and began to speak in a voice that was clearly not his own.
"You will never get what you seek," the voice said. "You see how easily I conquered this young mind? It is so simple when people have no hope. Bad lives make easy victims."
"Fight back," Cadence repeated to Leo. "I know you are still inside there. You aren't like the others. You have hope. I've given you that much through Student Council."
"What good do you possibly think your group can do for someone like me?" Leo asked. "That stuff you spout at school about how we can all be whatever we want no matter how we grew up means nothing, because at the end of the day we go home where we don't have anything. You give us false hope, but his woman offers so much more."
"You know that's not true. You've let her get in your head. Listen, Leo, I know you can hear me. Use that rebellious spirit you have to fight against her control."
"Give up," Eris said. "His will is gone, just like that. He will do whatever I want, and if you want him and that silly little girl back, then simply give us what we want."
"And I have no idea what that is."
"Maybe not," Eris said, "but you have the heart of someone who does."
"Who you now have in your custody."
"And who won't give us what we want without us using you to get it."
"I'm deeply flattered that you think I could make any difference with C-Daddy, but I'm afraid you have our relationship completely wrong. First of all, I just met the guy, and secondly, he's way too old for me."
"He is both younger and older than he seems, and love has no age limit. Even I understand that."
"I think you are so desperate to get what you want out of C-Daddy that you are grasping at straws. He isn't in love with me, or I with him. We met casually and accidentally a few days ago as we sought to meet with the same man. There is nothing more between us than that. If you used Sarah to manipulate him, then it's because he's a normal person concerned for the safety of a kidnapped child."
"Believe what you want about your meeting with C-Daddy, but the truth is that your destiny is entwined with his, whether by choice or design."
Cadence looked around at the crowd. The whole place was completely silent as all eyes were trained on the drama unfolding in front of them. Some were still lured by Eris's spell, some were just fascinated, but all seemed to have no interest in helping her and Leo. She wanted to scream again for help, but didn't even know who to call.
Had the Serpents really captured C-Daddy, or was that just another part of their trickery? She couldn't imagine him allowing himself to get caught so quickly unless he did so as a ploy to get close to Sarah.
That had to be it! All Cadence had to do was keep the goddess lady busy and give C-Daddy time to work his own magic. She turned back to Eris, and found the woman's body now shimmering in a blue flame that the waters of the fountain did not quench.
"I'll make you a deal," Eris said. "You give yourself to me, and I will let your students go."
Eris reached her treacherous hand towards Cadence, a smile playing about her lips. She had a look of victory in her eyes, as though her offer was a foregone conclusion.
"You gave the same choice to C-Daddy and didn't keep your end of the bargain," Cadence said. "I may be ever so slightly gullible, but I'm not stupid."
"Okay, I'll grant you that," Eris said. "How about this then. I will let your Leo go, and we can stand here and watch him leave together."
"But what about Sarah?" Cadence asked as she continued stalling. "I'm not agreeing to anything with you until I see both students safe."
"I'll give her to you, too. I'll have my brothers bring here here and she can leave with Leo, but if I do, how will I know that you will keep your end of the bargain?"
"If you are as powerful as you claim to be, then you can handle one simple little teacher with no problem. Just remember, though, you can capture the body, but the heart has a will of its own, or do you know anything of the heart?"
"I have known love, Missy," Eris snapped back. Cadence could tell that she had hit a raw nerve.
"Oh, my gosh, you love him, don't you? That's what this is all about. C-Daddy told me that all four of you used to be friends, but you and he were more than that weren't you? You were lovers, but you changed and he didn't and you lost him. Wow, this is some sort of sick love triangle."
"That's absurd!" Eris said. "He is my enemy, and has caused great harm to my organization in so many ways. I don't love him, I hate him."
"So says the pathetic woman in the fountain."
Cadence stepped away from Leo and walked closer to Eris in an attempt to distract her.
"It hurts, doesn't it, to watch the man you love, a man who could be powerful and strong like you, living in a homeless shelter and consorting with commoners like me?"
For just a moment, Eris stood silent, her outstretched arm falling gently to her side. She seemed almost human, maybe even vulnerable.
A few uncertain seconds ticked by with no one saying a word, and then Eris's face changed back to an evil mask of hatred---the very picture of the woman scorned. Whatever had passed between her and C-Daddy in the distant past was left behind in the places that pain often hides.
"You will come with me now, willing or not," Eris cried, baring sharp teeth, her eyes red as hot coals.
She grabbed for Cadence's arm, but Cadence flung out her other hand and struck her in the face.
"That's about enough of that," a voice said.
They both looked around as a small unkempt man reached over and unplugged the fountain. Immediately, the lights went out, the water stopped, and the figure of the woman disappeared.
Cadence turned and looked at Leo to see that he was safe, and then collapsed into a chair. She had never been so glad for a conversation to end in her life.
Author Notes
Special thanks for the artwork, "Weird waters" by GaliaG
This is a fantasy novella about a high school chemistry teacher who is also the sponsor of the Student Council at Benjamin Franklin High School in inner city Baltimore. She and her officers receive an offer of a huge sum of money that will help her group fulfill the Christmas dreams of many of the kids in the area. Through a series of adventures, they finally have a show down with a group of gods who are trying to take over the world by sowing hate and despair.
Baltimore .....Setting of most of the story
Ellicott City ..... A quaint shopping district outside Baltimore where part of the story takes place
Benjamin Franklin High School .....School Cadence where Cadence teaches
Destiny's Angel ..... Store in Ellicott City owned by Nick Collins
Time and Time Again ..... Charles' store next door to Destiny's Angel
American Rescue Workers .....Shelter where C-Daddy lives
Serpents ..... Bad Guys made up of gods and humans
Henry/Hypnos .....Twin of Thantos: one of the bad gods - god of hypnosis and sleep
Bram/Thantos ..... Twin of Hypnos: one of the bad gods - god of death
Ares: Evil sister goddess
C-Daddy ..... Homeless man who ends up at the center of the adventure
Nick Collins ..... Mysterious Angel Donor. Owns store, "Destiny's Angel"
Charles ..... Nick's son
Alvin ..... Young man who works at the mall
Barkley: Cab driver
Cadence Uriel ..... 30 year old Chemistry teacher
Shanice ..... Student Council president
Leonardo (Leo) ..... Student Council Vice President
Mia ..... Student Council Secretary
Sarah ..... Student Council Treasurer
|
|
