A Fierce Soul
Before you can wonder more, you sense a presence behind you.
This is part of a Choose Your Own Adventure story, Through the Black Door. Go back to the first chapter. You can also return to the previous chapter: “The Beckoning Light in the Distance.” Check out the chapter guide.
You stare at the strange foal tapping the window glass of the church, where he seems to be locked up. A blue light still shines behind him.
He looks so sweet and adorable, that you might have loved him if he weren’t in this eerie church. But is he dangerous?
Before you can wonder more, you sense a presence behind you. You whirl around, readying yourself for a fight.
It is a man, muscular and stern. He demands, “Who are you and what do you want?”
You almost laugh, because that’s exactly what you want to ask him. Instead of answering him, you ask, “Who are you? And who — what is this foal doing in this church?”
The man angles his head to frown at the foal inside. He says, “My name is Lionel. I’m one of the appointed guardians of this foal. He is the son of a particularly treacherous faerie.”
It astonishes you to hear that the young horse is a faerie, but you know that the fair folk can shift forms.
Nevertheless, Lionel looks evasive. You clench onto your intuition and say, “You seem reluctant.”
The man blinks up at you, confused and maybe a little angry.
Undeterred, you plough on, “I’m not sure what the foal has done, but he’s only a child, isn’t he?”
The man regards you with distrust. “What are you trying to say?”
You force a smile onto your face. “What I’m saying is, I wonder whether you truly feel comfortable guarding this foal in such a prison. He’s still a child. Even I would feel uneasy holding a child captive!”
Something in Lionel’s face seems to soften. He nods. “I see what you mean, um — ”
“Isabelle,” you supply him with your name.
“Isabelle. Yet, the foal is not innocent himself. Thanks to his own schemes and manipulations, he has led humans to death, heartbreak, and other troubles, too.”
You give him what you hope is a look of understanding. “Yes, but I sense that you don’t feel a strong conviction about this. What he did was terrible, but the fact remains that he’s still so young, and could be taught to do better, right?”
Lionel appears to relax, his body no longer that stiff or defensive in its posture. He lets out a heavy sigh. “I concur with everything you’ve said, Isabelle. But I’m not sure. I do have colleagues who are more determined to hold onto this foal for his wrongs — and to punish his mother. We’ve kept him here for a week now. His mother is agitated but can’t do anything with the iron reinforcements around him.”
You peer through the glass at the foal again. His wistful expression tugs at your heartstrings. Then you say, “If I help you, would you be able to free the foal?” You are surprised by your own bravery, but it doesn’t seem right to hold a kid captive, for whatever reason, even if he’s a faerie.
Lionel appears stunned, but doesn’t object.
Since Lionel has the key, you don’t need to show off your lock-picking skills, after all. The church looks even more ominous from the inside, with its dim lighting and mysterious shadows. You feel awful for the foal who is held against his will here.
The two of you muffle your footsteps, and before long, you reach the door to the foal’s room. But just when your companion puts his hand on the doorknob, you hear a voice exclaim, “Lionel, what are you doing?”
An old woman wrapped in a purple shawl drifts towards you both, looking like a ghost. You would be more afraid if Lionel wasn’t present.
The man looks sheepish but also determined. “Asha — I mean, Miss Bluebell, I’m sorry, but I simply can’t do this anymore. For all his faults, Qi Xiong is still just a foal. Surely we can’t punish a youngling for their parent’s crimes!”
“No, but the youngling himself has committed plenty of crimes,” the woman called Asha says, her lips pressed into a stubborn line.
Asha Bluebell…the name sounds horribly familiar. Then, the old woman meets your eyes and she smiles. It is not a kind smile. “Why, Isabelle. I can’t believe we finally get to meet. Do you even remember me?” She lifts the amulet she is wearing for you to see, and suddenly, memories start crowding into your brain…
