03/14/2021 Veil of Tears

We arrived at the Veil of Tears a week after the brutal battle. Climbing the mountains had been deadly; only pure desperation could make a person risk the journey. And we were out of options. I would never forget the sight of the arrow piercing my husband’s chest with enough force to throw him off his horse. We had barely escaped the battle alive. Our kingdom lay in shambles, awaiting the death of their beloved King and the approaching slaughter from the Eastern Men. 

The Veil lay at the top of the Ancient Mountains. A frozen pool, covered in a thick layer of dark ice. A stone staircase started at the edge and descended into the black depths. The air around the pool was charged, its otherworldly feel pulsing against my skin. 

“We’re here.”

I looked up at Torsten, the King’s Guardian and my beloved friend. His face was haggard from our journey up the mountains.  His eyes, normally blue as the sky and full of light, were dull with grief and fear. The death of the King was near. We might already be too late to save him. As the King’s right hand, Torsten was taking it hard. But as the King’s wife, I was taking it harder. 

“This isn’t worth it, the risk to both of your lives.” His voice was gruff with worry. “Let me try ---”

I lifted a hand, cutting him off. “Only the royal family can enter, and I’m the last. I will go, and I will return.” I dug deep in myself, pulling out the face I saved only for battle. I let that anger and determination show as I held Torsten’s stare. “We need the King. Only he can rally our people in this war.” 

“This will be your tomb.” A note of desperation filled his voice. My heart panged at the sound. 

Gently, I reached up and placed my palm on his cheek, brushing a gloved thumb across the roughness of his beard. He placed his hand over mine, bowing his head. There was nothing he could say that would change my mind. He knew that, but he wouldn’t be Torsten if he didn’t try.  

“You are good. Always remember that, friend.” My voice dipped down. A softness I rarely showed. 

With that, I stepped onto the first step. The ice shifted as my foot brushed against it, rolling away to reveal the rest of the dark staircase. Beneath its surface was...nothing. A shiver ran down my spine at the unnaturalness of it. I had known the Veil was enchanted, yet the lack of water was still unnerving. But I had faced magic before. I would swallow my fear for the sake of my people. I spared one more glance to my friend. He stood at the water’s edge, gripping the hilt of his sword. 

“I’ll see you soon,” I whispered, then turned and strode down the staircase. The ice shifted back into place over my head, locking me in. 

The sun’s light reflected through the ice, casting a glow throughout a stone chamber. The magic was suffocating, thrumming like the beat of a drum. The steps continued down to a stone dais, surrounded by three massive pillars. An altar sat in the center holding a massive silver bowl. 

I drew my sword and made my way down the steps, eyeing each shadow for signs of trouble. There wasn’t a single breath of life in this tomb. I paused at the base of the dais and marveled at the three pillars. Each was intricately carved, ancient and beautiful. The first depicted a winged woman flying over the mountains. A beautiful crown adorned her head. She looked peaceful and free. The second showed a terrible battle between human armies and a host of winged creatures led by the beautiful queen. An anger and violence that was too familiar. The third depicted the aftermath. The queen knelt among the broken bodies of her people, weeping. One of her wings was gone, the other hanging limp and broken. She gazed at the sky, her hands poised, praying and bargaining. 

A slight shudder passed through my body, and I worked to swallow around the thick thrum of magic. This was a sacred place. The Veil of Tears, the forgotten home of ancient magic, said to heal any ailment or injury. My last hope for saving my husband and kingdom. 

I placed a foot on the first step up to the altar, and the magic in the air cracked. It threw me down against the steps as a strong wind swept through the chamber. My hair snapped loose of its braid, whipping around my face. I clutched my sword in hand and squinted against the wind, scanning for whatever danger I’d awoken. 

Just as soon as it had started, the wind stopped. A figure stood on the dais, positioned in front of the altar. She was beautiful, glowing like moonlight. She wore an elegant gown draped over her narrow frame, a silver tiara on her brow. Her eyes glowed blue as she stared down at me. I had heard stories of the Veil Guardian, a woman who had been so brutalized and broken, she had faded into a Wisp. 

“Who comes to the Veil of Tears?” Her voice was ethereal. Ancient and cold.

I rose slowly to my knees and held my hands out, palms to the icy dome above. “Erica Gylanthius, Queen of Lyria. I seek the healing powers of the Veil.” 

The Wisp’s eye flared, her face contorting in distaste. “You kings and queens, always in pursuit of what doesn’t belong to you.” I stifled my fear as she drifted closer, moving like a ghost. “The Veil asks a heavy price. What is worth yielding up your humanity?” 

I bowed my head in reverence, the picture of respect. “I will pay any price. The King has been gravely injured in the war with the East. Without him, my kingdom will fall, my people will be slaughtered.” 

The Wisp stood over me, eyes narrowed. A deep pain flitted across her face. But then it vanished, replaced by a cruel sneer. “My own people were massacred many years ago. By a King who envied our powers. Who felt entitled to them. Kingdoms rise, and kingdoms fall. It is the way of the world, and your meddling will only awaken horrors you can not comprehend.” 

“Are you saying you won’t help my people?” Anger coursed through me. I swallowed my temper. Who knew what terrible powers this creature possessed. 

 “I’m saying you won’t weather the asking price of the Veil. You will poison your Kingdom with this request.” 

I stared at the Wisp. My people were a week’s journey away, starving and broken. Our war had stretched on for years, spreading our armies thin. So many men and women had been slain. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen someone wearing colors. We all bore the color of mourning. We all shouldered the massacre of our people. The death of our King would be the final breaking point. 

I rose to my feet. “There’s no price too steep for the sake of my people.”

The Wisp looked me over, an eyebrow arched. Her lips curved into a coy smile, and she turned towards the altar. “Then by all means, approach the Altar.”

I took the last step onto the dais and walked to the Altar. The people carved into the pillars seemed to watch, their faces split in agony. A headache built with each step, throbbing in warning at the magic in the air. But I kept walking until I stood before the giant silver bowl. Crystal clear water reached the brim, the bottom luminescent with blues and greens. Moonstone, precious to our people. An elaborately carved dagger sat on the edge, glinting softly in the light. 

The Wisp glided to the side of the altar. “The asking price. You will sacrifice the most essential part of your life. You will turn over your happiest memories, that which keeps you going on the darkest nights. You will take that knife and bleed them from your heart.” She gestured, sweeping her hand over the bowl and placing her fingertips to her chest. 

Anger flashed through me. “That isn’t fair. My kingdom is the most important thing to me, along with the King. I would have to sacrifice the thing I’m trying to save.” 

The Wisp looked at me, contemplative. Something glimmered in her eye as she smiled. “There is something more. There is someone in your heart, someone essential to your soul. A truth you haven’t had the courage to face.” 

I stared at her. A man’s face rose in my mind, eyes the color of the sky. I shoved the thought away. Any moment my King would die and my kingdom would fall. I didn’t have time to think about this, to put myself before my people’s survival. 

I\\grabbed the dagger and leaned over the bowl. I spared a glance for the Wisp, who watched me carefully, a conflicted look on her face. And then I pressed the knife into my chest. 

The cold metal bit into my skin, and the air zapped with magic. My soul lifted from my body, pulling towards the ice domed ceiling. I didn’t belong to my body anymore, didn’t have any control. I watched the knife press into my flesh. I felt the burning pain as blood flowed from my body, dripping into the water. Turning it a brutal red. My soul writhed as magic cracked through the air, plunging into my open chest. I felt the rip as something essential tore from my soul, leaving a gaping wound behind. 

Then I was thrown back into my body. The knife clattered to the stones and my knees buckled. I flung my hands out, gripping the edge of the bowl to stay upright. The Wisp swept for me and grabbed my shoulders, throwing me forward against the bowl. Her hand gripped my chest, closing over my weeping wound. Light flared, and I couldn’t stop the scream that ripped from my lungs. The light flared brighter, searing my skin. I fought against her grip, but her strength was unrelenting. 

Suddenly we were airborne. She gripped my arms as we flew through the cavern, up the stone steps. We shattered through the icy ceiling, and I gasped at the open sky. 

Then I was free falling. I caught a glimpse of a figure standing on the shore before I hit the ground, cracking against the hard snow. 

“Erica!” 

A figure appeared over me and scooped me into his arms. He gripped me against his chest. 

“What happened?” 

I stared up at the man holding me. He was clothed in furs, his face bearded and unremarkable. His eyes were a striking blue, and they stared at me with such concern...and something else. Something tender. 

I pulled away from the man and lurched to my feet, gripping at my chest. The wound that had been so crudely carved was closed. A lumpy scar remained. My fingers hooked on a chain around my neck. It hadn’t been there before. I yanked it over my head and held it up. A small vial dangled. Filled to the brim with water. A single stream of red swirled through it, dancing and waving mockingly. My blood. 

“You got it.”

I turned to the man. His eyes darted from the vial to my face, then fell on the scar over my heart. “What did you do?” 

I gripped the vial in a fist. “I did what needed to be done. Now take me home, Guardian.” 

Something flashed across his eyes. Hurt and fear. “Erica. Do you know me?”

I watched him, irritation flashing through me. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

I strode to my horse and mounted, “Come, we need to deliver the healing to the King before it’s too late.” And with that, I turned my horse down the trail.

03/01/2021 Selkie

 We surged over the sand. I wrestled against the beast’s hold, but could not get free. The smell of the ocean was overwhelming, and panic shot through me as the water neared. The Selkie tossed her head, whipping my face with her mane. Her eye was the color of the deep sea, and it was wild with delight and bloodlust. 

This couldn’t be the end. I refused to let this be the end. In seconds, I would be dragged beneath the waves to be devoured by this monster. The woman had been so beautiful, her hair the perfect shade of gold, her skin creamy and lucious. I was taking my morning walk when she stumbled to me crying out in pain from her mangled and broken leg. She pleaded for help to the castle, the perfect damsel in distress. But the second I touched her, she had shifted into a Kelpie, one of the faerie horses of the sea. I realized my mistake too late, and before I knew it we were rushing towards the ocean.  

I was under her spell, unable to break away. But she hadn’t allowed my mind to slip underl. She left enough soundness of mind for me to see my death’s approach, as if she savored every second of my blinding terror.

“Please,” My scream was that of a terrified child, but I didn’t think to be embarrassed. “Spare me, I’ll give you anything you ask!” 

Anything? The words sounded in my mind in a phantom voice that was beautiful in pitch and hideous to its core. Even your throne, young princeling?

Don’t make deals with faeries. Everyone knew that. But the water was splashing my feet now. I screamed, fighting with all my strength against her hold. I didn’t have time to think, to consider anything but a horrible death. The dark abyss of the ocean couldn’t be my resting place. 

“Yes.”

A soft laugh went through my mind, and I knew I had played into the beast’s plans perfectly. But all I felt was relief as the Kelpie turned from the ocean and slowed to a walk. 

You have yourself a deal, Princeling. 

She pulled me deeper into her spell, and the world went dark. 

01/15/21 Milky

 I’ll always remember my first encounter with the Divine. 

We met in the Meadows, the highest point of our lands. A place where the forest was wild and the air felt alive. It was the favored place of the Divine, where the Seers traveled from across the land to communicate with their deities. 

The Festival of Harvests was always a big gathering. Farmers, miners, tinkers, and every other average soul came together, looking for a taste of the wildness and freedom the Seers had to offer. Everyone came to eat and dance, eager to throw off the back breaking work and heartache of everyday life. 

My chest thumped with the beat of the drums. The heat of the towering fire brushed my skin, battling with the crisp night air. People pressed together in a wild dance, their bodies bare and powerful

against the flickering orange of the flames. This dance had lasted hours already, and most bodies were slicked with sweat. 

The drums stopped. The dancers stilled. A woman began making her way through the crowd. She was beautiful, with dark hair hanging to her hips, thick and untamed. She wore a slip of a dress down to her ankles, made of a sheer fabric that left nothing of her soft curves to the imagination. A silver circlet lay over her brow, a deep amber jewel pressed to the center. The mark of a Seer, the zealots who spent their days in communion with the Divine. She was who we had been waiting for. 

The Seer stopped in front of the fire and settled on her knees. She raised her arms to the sky and slowly, sensually, began swaying back and forth. The drums began to beat again, matching her rhythm. A low hum rippled through the air and settled under my skin. Slowly, everyone joined in. An eerie song, an invitation to the Divine to bestow their presence on us. 

Suddenly, the woman’s body went rigid. A shudder shook through her, and she threw herself down, pressing her forehead to the earth. The humming grew to a fevered cry. A ripple went through the crowd, and the air turned thick. 

The song ended. The drums stopped. 

The seer rose slowly to her feet and turned to face the crowd. Her eyes had turned a milky shade of white, emitting a soft glow that pierced me with awe and terror. 

A Divine had accepted our invitation to play. 

1/13/2021 A Kiss

 Leifan’s fingers brushed mine, just for a second, and then I was ripped away. I screamed, struggling to get back to him, where he lay broken at the altar. A dark laugh rumbled against my back, and my vision flashed red. I threw every ounce of strength back, throwing my arm down to smash into my captor’s groin. He cursed violently and stepped back, releasing me for just a second. I spun on him and launched forward, smashing a kick into his sternum hard enough to send him sprawling back. Behind him, the dark figures turned to the sound of our struggle. 

I spun and ran for Leifan, flinging myself to the ground beside him. I just needed one more touch before they took me. Just one more touch before my captor’s hands pulled me away for good. 

Leifan’s breath was ragged, but his hands felt warm and strong as he grasped my face. His lips pressed against mine, wild and desperate. I clung to him, drinking in the warmth of him. He tasted of blood and sweat, but the violence and desperation melted away, replaced by a tenderness that shattered through me. I realized then just what this man had become to me. More than my friend. More than my companion. My beloved. My soul. But it was too late for us now. 

 I pulled away to stare at him one last time. There was a fierceness and terror in his eyes I had never seen. Heat blossomed in my core and pulsed through my veins, angry and defiant. This fight was lost, we both knew it. But this would not be the end. No matter how much of that wretched darkness rained down on us, we would find our way back together again.  

Claws dug into my shoulders and wrenched me away. I writhed against my captor, but he wouldn’t be foiled again. His hand gripped the back of my neck in a vice and a shadow swung over me. Pain shattered through my skull and the world blackened. The last thing I heard was Leifan’s battlecry, a vicious and unearthly sound. But he was broken, and he couldn’t stop them from taking me.

12/31/2020 In My Defense, I Was Left Unsupervised

 “In my defense, I was left unsupervised.”

I stride past him, looking down the hallway. It is an absolute mess. Paintings and tapestries are torn from the walls. The cell door hangs at a weird angle, the top hinges completely torn away. All four guards lay strewn in pools of their own blood, limbs and heads at unnatural angles. No, he was not left unsupervised. 

Thorne drapes himself against the study’s doorway. His posture is infuriating, as if he didn’t just go into a bloody rampage across my tower. 

“I don’t know who you think you are!” I stride towards him and jab a finger into his chest. His hand darts up and snatches my wrist, yanking my hand back so fast I gasp. Violet eyes meet mine, paralyzing me. I gape as he leans forward, his face just inches from mine. There’s something about him I didn’t notice when we arrested him. Something that isn’t human.  

“Clearly you don’t,” His voice is a soft purr that sends shivers down my spine. “Or else you wouldn’t have tried to confine me to that wretched little cell. You would have stationed more than poorly trained palace guards to keep me. Your master must have no more use for you if he sent you after someone like me.” 

Suddenly, I’m being dragged inside the study. He grasps my hair in an iron grip, pulling me across the room. My heart pounds violently in my chest and I drag my nails down his arm, but he doesn’t even react. I almost scream for the guards, but they’re all dead. It’s just me. Alone with this demon.

The breath rushes from my lungs when he throws me against the desk, papers scattering to the floor as I catch myself barely against the edge. His strength is terrifying, unnatural. I don’t understand why I would be tasked with capturing this monster, and with only a few soldiers. It’s out of my skill set. I must have done something to disappoint the King. Something bad enough that he would send me to my death.

Thorne seats himself casually on the other side of the desk. He looks elegant and lethal, draped in all black, eyes deadly and hypnotizing. Not a single hair is out of place. You wouldn’t ever think he just brutally murdered four people. 

He leans back, watching me. “You will write a letter to your King. Make him think I’m dead and dealt with.”

I lower myself into the desk’s chair, trying to control my shaking. “I can’t do that. It would be treason to lie to the King. He always learns the truth. And then he’ll come after me.”

Thorne smirks. “Again with underestimating me. Let your guards be a testament to what I can and will do to you.” 

My breath hitches in my chest, imagining the awful things he’s capable of. But it can’t be worse than the King. If I commit treason, he will drag me home. He’ll torture my family publicly before executing me. If I’m killed performing one of his duties, my family will be rewarded the rest of the wages I would have earned. The decision is simple. 

I shake my head, and Thorne’s eyes widen in disbelief. “If you knew him, you would just kill me and be done with it.” 

Thorne watches me, his eyes calculating. His voice is soft when he says, “It is a shame to waste something so pretty.”

I fly back, head cracking hard against the ground as he flies over the desk. My vision darkens as he crouches over me. His hands feel gentle, cradling my head in his palms like a lover. The last thing I see are his eyes, violent and beautiful. Fiery with an anger that calls to me. Full of a pain that reaches into my soul.