"Chief, stop!" Serah tries to rush forward, but Nimm Or' holds her back, whispering something in her ears.
She fights against her husband, stamping a foot onto him while she elbows his gut. Nimm Or' doubles over, and she runs towards us. But as she gets closer, she trips, almost falling and potentially injuring her unborn baby. Nimm Or' catches her in time, again restraining her from coming to where the chieftain is squeezing me by the neck.
His expression is unreadable, both Nimm Or' and his father look unaffected as my airway is starting to get crushed. Their lips are flattened and their eyes hold a determined glare in them, as if nothing can stop them from doing their so-called duty.
Fresh waves of screams resound around me as his people watch the chieftain draining the life out of my body. I try to pull the chieftain's fingers off but I'm too weak. My fingers barely scrape against his strength as he continues to choke the life out of me. Tears leak from my eyes at the immense pain this monstrous man is causing, at the feeling of my airway being constricted.
The chieftain speaks as he finally drops me to the ground and I gasp for air, clutching my reddening throat.
"Prepare the ritual," he snaps his fingers and suddenly two of his soldiers drag me against the ground, holding my arms back so I can't summon my fire.
"What are you doing?" Serah looks at us, crying out loud as she beats her hands against her husband's chest.
Her children are running up to her, scared and confused as well.
"We are doing what is best for our tribe, for our family." Nimm Or' murmurs to his wife who is fighting him as he tries to pull her closer to face him. Toya and Tara hold onto their mother's legs and weep along with her.
Matya approaches the bonfire, dressed in a black cloak, her normal pink covering discarded and replaced by dark colors. Her feet make an inky path towards the unlit bonfire. It looks like a path of blood behind her. She says something in their language before flames burst onto the bonfire right in front of our eyes.
"What is the meaning of this?" Serah is saying everything I can't due to my injured throat, as hate for Nimm Or' and his father ravage my bones. How could they do this to me? And how did I not see this coming?
I was so trusting towards this tribe after I thought I shouldn't harm them. How wrong I was, and how much trouble I'm in now because of my trust given to the wrong people. But out of this madness, Serah is trying to help me. She yells, again trying to pull away from Nimm Or' and trying to tell her children to go back to their tent.
Another soldier runs and stops Serah from coming to help me as Nimm Or' steps away from her, looking down at where I am on the ground.
This entire time, they had fire. They lied to me. I feel my body heating up as white hot rage floods through my skin, as I am seething. The fire bubbles through my body as parts of me feel so hot that I am about to explode with fire.
"I am sorry Penelope. But we must do what saves and empowers our tribe." Nimm Or' approaches me, hands splayed out as if he is surrendering when in fact he just wants to see me burn.
He tries to bind my mouth with cloth but I make a snarling noise, sinking my teeth without remorse into his palm. He pulls his hand away, yelping. He shakes his hand and another soldier steps in to tie my hands behind my back. This new soldier hisses in pain as he tries to touch my hands with his bare fingers. My skin is indeed heating up so they have to touch me with barriers on.
More soldiers come while I thrash against all of them, wishing I was stronger than this. After they bind me tightly, they start dragging me across the ground again towards the fire. The dust and dirt bite against my exposed skin, causing some welts to burn. They don't drag me lightly either, so the pain doubles on top of my throat still pulsing with pain.
As they keep dragging me towards the bonfire, in a split second I now see what they intended to do all along.
"As a sacrifice to please the goddess Hestia, we present the unworthy fire wielder and beseech the goddess to bestow us with her powers." Matya calls to the sky as some of the soldiers bring out wooden drums from other tents and start beating against them.
Some of the other people in the tribe are running back to the safety of their tents, hiding from the commotion happening to me. These are the people I helped and learned with…I see Mimmy and Sofi and Sid going back to their tents, arms around themselves in self-defense.
"As you were, everyone." The chieftain flicks a hand to dismiss the gathering crowd. Some of them stay and some of them leave. The ones who leave look fearful, especially the ones with children. They wish to protect their children from something so gruesome. I wish to rip apart every one of these soldiers and the chieftain, and Nimm Or' too. But what stops me is the look in Serah's eyes. She has been betrayed too by her husband.
I glance to the front of the fire, where the chieftain stands on the side, his eyes reflective in the flames. The sensations begin to settle in me, the worry and fear clashing all around inside my stomach, causing me to feel like hurling the dinner we just had together as a happy little tribe.
Oh my god.
They are going to kill me for my powers.
And nothing is here to stop them, my blood will be on their hands. Do they really think by killing me they can inherit my powers? Who told them this would help? Who would convince them doing this evil deed will give them the powers they want?
Some people move a wide chopping block in front of the fire. Like the people are entranced, they watch everything unfolding. I hear the sound of warhogs snorting in the background, or perhaps it's a delirious delusion. The chieftain brandishes a very sharp and large knife, sharpening it against another knife, glinting in the darkening evening light against the flames of the fire.
"We know fire will not kill you. After all, you are one with the fire. But a knife might do the trick." The chieftain grins then, closing in on me.
They put my head on the block and hold my body down. I struggle violently against them but nothing works.
A few words from the chieftain stills me.
"If you keep moving, I will kill your husband too."
My body stills in shock, wondering if they really have Abe. I close my eyes, tears trickling down my cheeks as the chieftain raises his knife, muttering some random words along with Matya.
Matya looks every bit of evil, in that black cloak. Her whole demeanor has changed from sweet soothsayer to wicked witch. She could have been lying to me for all I know when she was supposedly telling me the past. She cackles and stands close to the chieftain.
The chieftain says something like "my love" and if I could I would puke right now.
So this is it, this is the end? I will be demolished by a crazy chieftain and his wicked witch wife along with his liar son. If only I could have remembered everything before my death. I feel resignation nipping my skin, even as heat still burns against my skin. Even as my last thought is that of my husband, wondering and praying he is still safe and well. That he will never have to die this way, that he will never have to suffer like this. That he will remember the things I can't remember. That someone new will love him too after I'm gone.
The chieftain's arm swings down but at the last second, the knife gets knocked away.
A voice calling my name in desperation makes me open my eyes.
Like a shadow in the night, my savior drops into the middle of the camp in a blurry shape of movement. A bunch of hooded men swarm the soldiers and begin to attack. The sound of shouts and screams echo all around me and for a few moments I can only see the dark sky. Then someone stops over me and touches my face, wiping the tears away.
I look above, my eyes rolling upwards. As if a stormy cloud clears into a clear sky, through the streaks of blurry tears, I see my rescuer's face come into view.
It's my husband.
It's my Abe.