by Bethan Johns
She smiled sadly and nodded. “I have been transformed by power and the places in between. I must now have my slate cleaned, then, later my slate must be restored. Blood letting must accomplish this. Blood of death; however, it must be the same blood spilt twice. You are the only creature I can ensure will not actually die if I kill you. Other’s can be brought back, but you will not actually die.”
I shook my head. “You want to kill me? Is this why you never would before? How did you know? You said you do not have the gift of prophecy.”
She smiled “I do not have the gift of prophecy, I merely hand them out.”
I stared at her. “You were not alive when I received this prophecy.”
Watching as her power drifted along behind her eyes, I shivered.
She said “I have always been alive. I will be killing you now, but you will be seeing me again.” Suddenly she stood in front of me with an ash dagger to my heart.
I gasped grabbing at her hands as she thrust it in and navy-blue blood sprayed everywhere.
Oblivion. I was left to oblivion. Darkness.
And then. Suns, three of them. Hands on my body.
I sat up gasping for air and found myself looking into Elliot’s sapphire eyes as he, panicking, scoured my body for the wound my blood came from.
I grabbed him by the shoulders, croaking “She killed me. She killed me and brought me back.”
His brows furrowed, and he rifted me to his study where he wrapped me in furs and I told him everything. I heard Sylek enter the room yelling about his bond with her being broken and I didn’t care. I told him everything as well.
A few weeks passed, and nothing happened. Sylek returned to his cabin and our world returned to normalcy.
I was out patrolling, flying along the rolling fields when I saw a figure emerge from the woods. I flew down quickly and when I entered its mind, I found nothing, no, there was knowledge, a lifetime of knowledge, but nothing else, no names or faces.
I flew above the creature studying the chestnut hair from above and then she turned her face to absorb the sun and I recognized her.
I landed silently in front of her, watching her, studying her.
It was not Sierade. Not any longer. This creature had the memory of only being alive for mere hours. After a quick assessment I knew it was her, her scars, some were scars I myself had given her on the battlefield.
But her slate was cleaned, just as the prophecy had said. She opened her silver eyes and they met with mine and suddenly we were both blasted all over with dirt.
I smirked to myself before wiping my face clean of all but a frown.
Pronunciation Guide
Aubliette: Ob-lee-ett
Baewyrns: Bay-wurns
Bryln: Breh-iln
Fae/Faery: Fay/Fairy
Faust: Fay-oost
Gaelen: Gay-len
Howelltie: How-ell-tee
Olephia: Oh-lef-ee-ah
Reves: Reeves
Rustlavayne: Rust-lah-vain
Sidhe: Shee
Sierade Gwaynten: See-air-ah-day Gwain-ten
Sylek Darque: Sigh-leck Dark