A Grave Exchange by Jane White Pillatzke Page B

heads at once. I didn’t know where to look . I froze, felt I’d be sick. I ’d known he would have to harm them all , but to see three heads fall from the shoulders of men who had been very much alive and reactive , thanks to my amorous actions , made me go quite numb . F ountains of blood rose from the necks up into the air, and then rained down upon me. S creaming , I tried to crawl away from the bloodfest, but the k ing had other ideas . A pparently , he had become very turned on with all that was going on around him . H e pulled my legs with one hand and then held me in place ; with his other arm , he swung his sword high to keep Lucius away .
    “ H ad I known what a beauty you were, I would have had you earlier . H owever , I shall make up for lost time now . T his will hurt , Ivy, have no illusions . I love hurting human women .”
    Screaming every obscenity I ever heard , I tried to push him away, but he dug his nails into my legs and crawled on top of me . C rying out , I tried to squirm from his grasp. I could feel his excitement pressing on my belly and in my desperat ion, I tried to claw out his eyes . I n return , I received a swift fist to my face . T asting my blood , I vowed vengeance . He gripped my hair and yanked my head to the side, and I fought to disengage his hold . The world seemed to stand still at that moment . I remember hearing Lucius scream and saw him dive toward us . T he k ing bit into my neck . An insidious poison attacked e very fiber of my being , s preading rapidly through my bloodstream. I felt my heart weaken ; I felt myself being drained of my life ’s blood . I tried so hard to push the k ing off me . Lucius appeared in my line of vision, and he too tried in vain to pull the k ing from on top of me, but in a shocking move, the k ing picked me up , and we simply disappeared .
    A moment later, we reappear ed at the cemetery . Fear coursed through my veins . S hivering violently , I tried to pull my weakened body away from the k ing . He stood there , towering over me , laughing violently .
    “Little Ivy, I’ve brought you to a very special place , don’t you think, to co nsummate our intimate union ? I believe I will keep you, use you as my blood donor , at least until I get bored, which shouldn’t be too long from now .”
    Not truly understanding him but not wanting to find out the meaning of his hateful words, I started to drag myself around the very tombstone before which I ’d met Lucius . H ow cruel fate could be. Feeling overwhelmed and finding it hard to move , I started to cry, to roar, to scream at all the Gods in the heavens to hear me and to come to my aide . Lightning lit up the blackened sky, freezing rain pelted down on my bare , tender skin, tree branches whipped around us , and still I kept screaming . S omething inside me started to change, but still I ranted . T he k ing stood there , obviously bemused , an evil smile splashed across his cold face.
    I somehow found the strength to stand, and leaning against Lucius’ tombstone , I turned to face the k ing . N othing would stop me now; if I died , I would die knowing I tried to kill this monster before me . G laring at him , I started to shout . W ords flew from my mouth in a tongue I did not recognize , and yet , they all sounded strangely familiar . T he k ing ’ s smiled disappeared , quickly replaced by a frown .
    “Ivy , what are you saying? W ho taught you this language ? S top it this instant .”
    He l ung ed for me , but I quickly stepped back, and he fell to his knees . T he thunder above us roared, and the wind whipp ed the fallen leaves in a macabre dance around us . Still , I continued my rant, roaring words I did not understand but fe eling the meaning of everything I shouted . The k ing screamed at me to stop . Looking down at him , I noticed signs of aging on his once youthful face . S uddenly , I felt a n ethereal presence and turned toward it . A glowing light shone between two chestnut