Thank you again everyone for the patience and supportive messages last chapter. I really do appreciate it and it helped tremendously during what was a very difficult week.
This was the riskiest venture I’d done since returning from Ashwood.Not only was I now leaving the protection of my father’s reach, but I was willingly jumping down a rabbit hole that could potentially bring more problems in its wake. Opening myself up to secrets I might eventually regret uncovering.But I couldn’t go on like this anymore.To continue as I was would only lead to destroying myself or others, possibly bringing more harm than I knew how to fix. *If* it was even fixable. I could only hope that Zac would recover and stop treating me like… whatever that was.However, it was clear that there were things at work behind the scenes that weren’t immediately obvious. Things that might come back to bite me whether I liked it or not.And so I had to start with what information I did have.…Information that led me to staring at an old iron woven gate, a chilling familiarity about it.Because it was this very gate that belonged to the place I’d called home for some time.The orphana
The possibility of having family still alive felt a little too good to be true, though it was hard to disregard what the lady was saying. A lot of time had passed since I was a child, yet there was potentially someone out there claiming to be related to me, to be from the same pack I apparently once belonged to.‘Claiming’ being the keyword.It would be naïve to completely believe it so easily. I’d already been burnt by Ashwood for trusting too much and I didn’t wish to repeat this.But if she *was* my family… could that maybe mean…?“Be careful, Rheyna,” the lady added in my silence. “I can see you’re eager to find whoever this is but… I wouldn’t get your hopes up. Even putting aside her inability to provide documents, she was also vague on *how* she was related to you, something that seemed a little strange. I know you might wish her to be your mother, but there wasn’t much resemblance between the two of you.”She pointed out the same concerns I’d already thought of, killing the sma
‘Beware the Silver Saintess, her hair as silken thread. With her consort mate of power, the people wept and bled.’‘And beware the Siren’s call, his eyes as gold as ore. With whispers of manipulation, they’ll hold you in their thrall.’‘And if you breathe despite this, a devil still awaits.’‘Because forever lives another….’‘…The deathless angel mate.’The words of Allison’s recited passage repeated through my head, echoing like a bad dream. An impossible dream.How could she be…?But there was no mistaking it. With the confirmation of who she was, I realised why she looked so familiar. I’d seen a painting of her inside Ashwood’s Moon Goddess temple. They’d depicted her with sapphire-like eyes and shadowy wings.So… did that mean she really was…?“…I… I’m sorry, I’m not sure I’m following…,” I stuttered out, struggling to wrap my head around the new information. “Did you say… great-great-grandmother? …How are you alive?”Myra just laughed though and moved a hand to cup her cheek. But
“You know me?” I asked, surprised.She’d somehow known my name and implied we’d met already once before. Had we been childhood friends maybe? But that would have been back when I was five years old, her maybe even younger than me. That would be such a long time ago to recall.Despite this though… I had a nagging in my head as if I’d heard her name recently. Somewhere I couldn’t quite place… At Ashwood perhaps? No… that didn’t seem right.Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to think on it for long though.At my question, Clarissa instantly looked even less enthused, her eyes narrowing slightly.“…What kind of dumb question is that?” she replied curtly.“Clarissa!” Myra snapped. “Where are your manners? Apologise. Right now.”“But, Myra…,” she whined. “It’s not—.”However, Clarissa wasn’t able to finish her sentence, another coughing fit wracking through her chest. “…Stupid girl,” Myra sighed, walking over to her bedside.She wrapped the tiny girl back in her blanket and forced her to lie do
“Breathe,” Myra said, gesturing with her hands for me to inhale. “Breathe and hold it.”We’d been at this for a few hours now, Myra doing her best to teach me what she could. She seemed to know a lot about how the ability worked despite not possessing it herself. Though, as she had already previously pointed out, she’d raised a few generations of Knight children.Truthfully, I didn’t expect to feel as comfortable around her as I did. We’d only just met but there seemed to be a deeper connection, something that was drawing me to her. A feeling of safety and reassurance in her presence, perhaps.“…I am,” I muttered.“Then ask me for this pen,” she said, holding it up in front of me. “Remember to dig deep inside, connect with that spark, and pull it forward.”I did as she instructed, doing my best to reach for it. But it was difficult, increasingly so. The more we did this, the worse a headache was pulsing in my mind, slowly becoming worse.I reached… and reached… and reached… and when I
“Is that…?” I tried to ask.But I didn’t get the question out as I heard Clarissa begin cursing next to me, doing so whilst struggling to get out of bed.“What are you doing?” I gasped, seeing her shaking with the sheer effort required.“What does it look like I’m doing?” she snapped. “Fucking help me up already.”“Hey! Stop being so rude to—.”“No!” she yelled, cutting me off. “From here on out you shut up and listen to my instructions. Now pick me up.”“What?”“Pick. Me. Up. Onto your back. You’ll need to carry me for this.”Stunned, I started to help her out of bed, but couldn’t stop myself from asking another question anyway.“What’s happening, Clarissa? Are those howls…?”“What’s happening is that we’re going to run and get Myra,” she said, speaking as if I were a child. “Hopefully before it’s too late.”“Too late for what?”And she paused then for a moment, just long enough to look up and allow me to feel the full gravity of her words.“…They’re here,” she said. “The hunt begins
I was a devil.Never before in my life had I felt those words to be truer than in this moment. This very second as I stood above the bodies of several enemies as they bled out around me. Nothing but rage and pain consumed me inside, feeling absolutely no remorse as I had ripped them to shreds.From one person to the next, I had methodically ended each of them, an incredible speed in my movement as if I were maneuvering purely by muscle memory alone. Not that I had really needed to act so quickly. Because the entire time I had attacked, they had just stood there completely still, awaiting their turn. Like lambs to the slaughter, unable to move even an inch… just as I had told them to. Only a flash of fear in their eyes betrayed them as I stole their last moments.Now, I breathed heavily, still shaking from the ordeal… still completely in human form, yet feeling as if I’d had no control over myself…. Nor had I wanted it.No… I might have moved without being fully aware of my actions… bu
I wasn’t sure how long had passed, but I did eventually awaken to the sound of violent coughing near me.…A noise that instantly reminded me of my current situation.“Wakey, wakey,” Clarissa said nearby.And I groaned, rolling onto my side as the pain returned.My entire body was aching, completely stiff along every joint and bone. I would have given anything for even the tiniest bit of pain relief medication.“Come on, Rheyna,” she nagged. “You can’t stay in bed forever.”…However, the more I did slowly wake up, the more I took in.I could vaguely hear her shuffling around nearby, coughing every few steps she took. Clearly feeling a bit better despite her limp earlier. And not just that either. I could also smell… something. Food, of some sort.…Was she cooking?At that, I mustered all my energy to pull myself upright, hissing from the pain that shot through me. And, sure enough, there she was.Like a little cave goblin waddling around a fire. It seemed she actually was making someth