Fight for Survival

Everyone in the room was tense to the point where it was almost suffocating. They all glared at me with questioning eyes. I started to sweat a little more but was afraid to breathe as it could be my last. The Ol' Hige ( Dionne) opened her mouth and raised her hand as if she was about to say something but stopped herself and she placed her hand back at her side.

A few more seconds stretched on and then the silence was broken.

"He has to be lying, there is no way that this could be true," Papa Bois (Nicholas) said in a disbelieving tone.

"But how else would he have gotten his magic sight" Ol' Hige ( Dionne) asked.

"Some other artifact, How are we so sure that this ring is our true treasure?".

"You are all missing the biggest problem here," The Soucouyant (Shanique) said.

"And what would that be " Papa Bois Demanded.

"You and Sister Elizabeth are the first supernatural beings sired by our father. How could a mere mortal break your enchantments much less meet Father".

"You make a very good point Shanique, Were the test the child spoke of the wards you placed to guard the ring, Nicholas". The Ol' Hige turned to ask.

"Of Course Not! Give me some more credit," he said snobbishly.

"Oh because I was there when you cast your enchantments and they were powerful" the Ol' Hige started to say...

"Those were the backup enchantments" Papa Bois whispered cutting her off.

"The What!" The six said in unison.

"Hear me out" He started to say "...Just in case we were all to not exist and the world was in peril. I had an enchantment to allow the righteous to obtain its power".

-Slap- right across the back of his head.

" You did what?" River Mama (Rachel) asked skeptically.

"The first one was to test the level of Maliciousness in one's heart and the second was to test the thinking capabilities under pressure. The statue of Dad was mainly to scare them off, A test of courage. "

"Nicholas, I can't believe you could be this stupid" Riva Mama said shaking her head.

"Based on his answers to the first question, he shouldn't have gotten through to the second, Someone must have tampered with my enchantments" He quickly defended.

" I was just planning for a future where we were not around to help our people. I am sure you have noticed the reports of children going missing from not only our realms here in our space but also in the human realm. Now I received a report that a Demi God went missing. We can't afford other deities getting involved. Something has to be done and if it is not us, someone has to possess the power to do something in our sted".

"Okay, Calm Down. I understand your train of thought but it was our duty to guard that ring together and you did this behind my back" Riva Mama said in a calm but annoyed tone.

"Because I knew you would say No".

She raised her hand and pointed at me " I wonder why?".

So Grandfather is still locked away?" The Lagahoye ( Demetri) asked.

"Yes, he is, until Nyame decides to release him" The Ol' Hige answered.

If he is sealed away...How were you four Sired?" he continued to ask.

"It's not a story I want to get into now or ever," River Mama said and her eyes flashed a bright yellow.

"It's about time they know". The Soucouyant said in a soft melodic voice.

"Auntie and Uncle dont like to talk about it" Ol' Hige added.

"And for good reason" Riva Mama chimed in.

Papa Bois moved closer to her and held River Mama closely. "Your Grandfather in his malicious form tried to sacrifice your auntie and uncle as a means of breaking the hold that Nyame has on him."

"Malicious Form, I thought Grandfather was the Keeper of Tales and A Freedom fighter?" The Rolling Calf said after being quiet for so long.

"Yes but being locked up for so long the first time did something to him. It's like a split personality disorder. When he's in his human form he's typically good but when you see the spider...beware" The Soucoyant continued.

"The artifact is a gift given to Anansi when he was The Keeper of Tales. It was split into three by a warlock who had aided your aunt and uncle and it's one reason why we keep them separated. It's the only thing that can release him before Nyame wills it.

That warlock was the first and only human to ever safeguard a piece of the artifact but after he died they had to retrieve his piece, luckily they found two sisters who could help.

River Mama chuckled.." As if ".

"Maybe not at first but eventually", and the four of them started to do an awkward sort of laugh.

" We can laugh about it now but your grandfather has put us all through a lot. He isn't also called "The God of Tricks" for nothing".

"Your grandfather is very manipulative when he wants to be".

"He did get us good". The Ol' Hige said with a distant look in her eyes.

"What happened?" The lagahoye pressed.

"The story is a long one and this isn't the time for digging up the past. We still have to deal with the child".

"The child has a name," I said and their steers were like daggers aimed towards me. I went silent immediately.

" In Summary, Instead of convincing Me and your aunt to join his side. New beings coming into the world who would give anything to know their father" Ol' Hige continued.

"He came to your uncle and me and convinced us that they were working with him and that we couldn't trust them. So when we saw them we attacked and that made us into the bad guys. He turned our biggest fear against us, and it took so long to realize that he had all of us running around his fingers that to this day we are left trying to stop his minions from trying to release him".

"And he did all of this while being concealed in another demensìon" The lagahoye questioned.

"Well, nothing is perfect, not the wizard's seal or even Nyame. Over time cracks formed and he was able to release his influence into this world with the help of his minions."

"Strong Being we're able to summon him for short periods at a cost which is how your mothers were brought into the world." Riva Mama said and there was this silence after.

They got so into their family drama it's almost as if they forgot I was even here. While they rambled among themselves the word Anansi ran through my mind. The possibility that I saw the real Anansi was low. Papa Bois did mention he was the one to set the test for the righteous. I did pass the test, granted with some help. Will that be enough for them not to kill me?

Something was strange about that statue though... It had too much personality to just be a spell. Anansi was depicted as a spider and sometimes a man. I remember reading a story where he was blessed with a gift after completing some trial set by a God but I can't remember the full details. It's something to look into if I get out of here.

It seems that the statue wasn't lying to me after all. But did he pass on some of his magic to me? How would I even use it? Do I say spells to activate it? Do I just raise my hand and think through the process of what I want it to do? Do I create spells? This is so exciting and confusing all in one. If I manage to live, will I go back to my life with the ability to cast spells? I squealed internally.

The Seven discussed their family drama some more.

"There are only two possibilities. This kid is lying to us, and he was the one who stole the artifact. He destroyed my two golem guards and set the place ablaze" She said her fist clenched tight. " Now he's trying to play innocent. We might be a race of magical creatures, but I do have footage of a figure his size running away from the scene.

"Cameras....Where?" Papa Bois asked.

"Guess you weren't the only one with secrets", Riva Mama replied with her nose high.

"That one seems to be the only possibility to me," The Rolling Calf said, his voice rough and deep.

There he goes again. Always the advocate for my death. Wish I could tell him to play a different tune.

"What is the other option?" The Lagahoye asked

"That someone else stole the ring and pawned it off to this child in hopes of removing suspicion from themself. Possibly hoping to retrieve it when things calmed down.

Seems that they were back to deciding my fate. Fear still ran through my bones but excitement was slowly winning the battle. Maybe if I show them that I can use this new gift, that I can be useful, they will let me go or the least make a grand escape. Being on the run in another dimension doesn't sound fun but I rather that option than death.

They continued back and forth, some believing that the first option seemed the more plausible while others seemed to favor the latter, not wanting to kill an innocent child for something he didn't do, at least that's what I thought.

But I could tell that they all had come to a decision already. Those who didn't want to kill me knew that this was the only choice as they couldn't afford the artifacts to be released out into the public where others could attain it. They needed it to be back in their custody and under their control.

"No, you can't, you can't do this to me. Ending my life so early, I've barely lived" I exclaimed.

"I'm sorry kid, but it has to be this way. You could not understand the level of danger you would be in. You would be in a constant battle for your life if the wrong persons knew you had this ring" The designated Leader spoke up in a soft but rough voice, The Ol' Hige said.

"Then take the ring, I dont need it. What I need to do is live"

"That's impossible, that ring is now tied to you and death is the only way to break the connection," she said a little sadness in her eyes. "If you called for it now, it would obey you".

The thought only crossed my mind and the ring flew from her hands and into mine. My face fell as this proved that they were not lying.

"Perruit, get the ring and restrain his arms. We shall take him to the public execution"

The Man-child saluted and moved over towards me. His face was very serious as he held his hand out for the ring. The seven started to walk towards the huge door at the end of the room.

"Hand it over" The man-child demanded.

"I dont want to die, this is not how this is to go. I am only seventeen. This isn't fair" I mumbled as I spun the ring in my hand.

"Hand it over!"

"Who are you to decide if I live or die". A rage that was just a small flame suddenly ignited in me. " This whole thing has been a farce from the beginning. You didn't care about me at all. You knew that if I had the ring there was no way that I could live. So the moment you discovered I had the sight, I signed my own death certificate.

I was way passed angry, my body temperature started to rise. I was frustrated, I was filled with so much regret. I blamed everyone here but I also blamed myself. Nothing in life is free or that easy to obtain. I knew the catch was way more than I alone could bear but that fact only sent my rage skyrocketing.

The man-child grabbed me and I shrugged his arms from my shoulders and attempted to push him away but without any warning, words appeared in my mind and flames erupted from the palms of my hands.

The man-child was propelled across the room, crashing into a pillar and falling onto the ground.

"Marcus," the lagahoye said after turning and seeing the man-child passed out.

The Rolling Calf busted into his true form and charged at me. This Massive Minotaur-looking Creature. Half bull and Half Goat but his horns had flame dancing on the ends. His upper body was that of a bodybuilder with an eight-pack abs. He hung his head low and came at me with the intent to kill. He was a lot faster than you would expect for his size. I couldn't dodge and I gripped his flamed horns.

Pain surged as my hand began to burn but I held on tightly only to not be impaled by them. I couldn't afford to release my grip so I held on but he kept pushing me back. He lifted his head and flung me back. I couldn't tell you how long I was airborne but it felt like minutes before I came crashing down onto the floor. The wind was knocked out of me and I struggled to my feet. My hands were burnt but it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. My vision was dazed but I knew that I could not give up as the alternative was not good.

I called for the flames from earlier, I pictured the words that flashed into my mind and dashed towards him and let my flames roar. Rage and Power flooded my body and I felt powerful. The flames roared and engulfed him, blazing bright and hot. I could feel the heat all around me.

The others seemed less concerned about their son, their nephew but more concerned about how I appeared.

From what I gathered when flames erupt from my hands my eyes become fully white and white marks appear on my skin in a tribal fashion but that was the least of my concerns right now.

The distraction was minor but it was long enough that the Rolling Calf was now standing before me, his hand around my neck. He lifted me to his eye level, his grip around my neck getting tighter and tighter.

"Marcus... No!" Papa Bois Yelled.

The Jacked up Minotaur growled, his eyes flared a bright red and before I knew it, I was flung towards the others and caught in Riva Mama water magic.

He walked over to the man-child and pulled him from the rubble, "Peruitt wake up!" He said loud and gruff.

The man-child slowly came to and before he could even process what happened, he got the biggest shock of his life.

" I want you gone before the end of the execution. You have disgraced and embarrassed me for the last time. You are not worth my protection".

"What, No, don't do this...I will do better" the man-child pleaded.

"Your better doesn't come close to what I need from you. Pack your stuff and get lost". He said nothing more and walked away, turning back into his human form. When he got close to the others the lagahoye spoke.

"Marcus, aren't you being a little too tough on the boy?"

But the Rolling Calf just glared at him and snarled, then looked at me.

"Thank you for showing me that I was only wasting my time".

I could barely keep my eyes open but the last thing I saw was the man-child, left on his knees with a confused look on his face.

- I Blacked out.

I didn't know how much time had passed before I started to come to. My vision was foggy but I could tell my body was still being suspended in water. I heard voices around me but I could barely make out what they were saying. My body was now cold and with each moment that I came to I saw and heard more. 

"I'll store the ring in my office for now and when we are back we will discuss the method of sealing it away. I will be the one to select the enchantments.

" Okay, I have no problems with that sister".

I blacked out again.