A Crown of Thorns

Chapter Six - A yearnful Escape

My hand hesitated as it hovered over the frail creature’s small form. My mind swayed with contemplation as I glanced back at the ancient runes, a foreign knowledge swept through me as I pressed my palms into the infant’s chest and inhaled deeply before closing my eyes and concentrating on the being before me. The binds that anchored the child to the mortal plain were cracked, as the god of the underworld called his descendant down to the haven he had made and yet I, as her mother, refused his call. A gentle light emanated from my palms as I pressed them into her chest. The light was dull with a cooling effect that reminded me of the night sky I once saw as a small child.

My memories of the outside world were bleak, a blank canvas as Rezel wiped the very memories from my mind and yet there were some stark similarities that I kept hidden from him, things that I tucked away deep within the recesses of my mind where not even Rezel, the god of time could access them. I bit down on my lower lip until I drew blood. The warmth filled my mouth as I accessed my core and willed a part of my soul into the creature below me. I owed her my life, and thus I would give it to her, the source of my soul and all that came with it, she would carry the strength I was destined to have.

My life for yours, I thought with a bitter smile as the dull light absorbed into her body, igniting her pale shin with the blood flowing into her face.

Her lower lips trembled as she took in a deep breath, her lungs held strong as I tore her soul from the underworld and placed it back into her tiny body.

“I'm sorry,” I whispered, wishing I could sense the boy’s energy, to wish him a safe passage through the afterlife and plead for the gods to allow him another reincarnation.

I wish I knew which god he belonged to, I thought, bitterly.

Rezel once revealed that those descended from my bloodline were perceived and once worshipped as revived gods, those of the mundane nature, soiled by the curse of the beast were captivated by our enhanced beauty. Some, like Rezel, could control the minds of those around him, to manipulate their thoughts and merge their opinions with that of his desires. He took pleasure in mental torture as he could make others see or feel whatever he wished. He murdered my mother by convincing her to fall from a cliff, her eyes seeing not what was before her but instead a made-up fantasy that he implanted in her mind.

I sighed as I gathered the child within my arms, she was the only one who remained untouched by the man who called himself my uncle. I leaned into her, my long silver hair falling over my shoulders with the curled ends embracing her face, warming her frame with the residual warmth from my body. My heart fluttered fondly as she squirmed before me, full of life as if her mother hadn’t just snipped the life from her very lungs.

He will never know of your existence, I thought as I held her to me with one arm, now figuring out how to properly support her delicate head as I grew paranoid about hurting her again.

The walls shimmered with an intense vibrancy as I approached. I recited the words etched, I stared at the intricate lines as I held my palm out, touching the cool surface and allowing the energy to swell through my body. I sighed, expelling the breath from my lungs as I concentrated on the space before me. The power that I reached for was foreign, it differed from when I revived the babe within my arms, it was more pure ad welcoming. I allowed it to envelop me with silver sparks flying from my palms as I pressed further into the aged wood. I wanted to burn the prison that held me to the ground, to incinerate all that I had known throughout my short life. I wanted Rezel to know the monster he imprisoned was now free and would soon seek vengeance for the crimes he’d committed.

“Burn,” I shouted, my silver eyes grew aflame as I took the ability of fire and scorched the earth from around me.

I could sense the presence of a beast as I wadded through the engulphed flame, he was massive in size with silver eyes I found myself drowning in. His fur was illuminated with a deep charcoal colour, he was massive and powerful as he commanded the ground he walked upon, and he was the one I was destined to become one with, the source of the flame.

Finally, I thought as I held his gaze, my thoughts stretched out the plane before me and connected with his mind.

The beast bowed in recognition, his size was massive as it towered over me with ease, his mane was thick with the burning flames from around us brushing against the dense fur. The heat of the fire didn’t phase him as he approached me cautiously, his massive paws digging into the damp soil from under him.

“You have travelled a long way,” I thought knowingly as my words entered his mind.

I stepped forward and pressed my body into his stiff mane, the fur was soft and unlike anything I had experienced before, he seemed like a wild animal, beckoning to my call once I connected with his mind. I was weary of humans and those who took on a beast form and yet the wolf before me made me feel at ease.

“May you not be ravenous like the vile men who roam this earth,” I recited under my breath as the beast looked at me questioningly before nodding and lowering his weight and motioned for me to climb upon his back.

“I suppose you wish to take me away from this tainted place,” I mumbled regretfully.

The beast nodded, his soft ears flopping forward at the motion.

I smiled to myself as his quick-witted nature charmed me.

“Alright,” I mumbled as I removed the soiled wool blanket away from my child's body and threw it to the ground. I leaned into the wolf, allowing his body heat to envelop us as I climbed onto his back and straddled the thick fur. His muscles flexed from under me as I stole a final glance back at the discarded wool blanket and the prison that held me since my childhood.

The tiny room was buried within a grove with dense vegetation surrounding it, the structure looked frail and unkempt from the outside with an overgrown path leading to the burned oak door. It was a place I cursed to hell, where I would continue to live through my nightmares as its small and cramped corners forever burned into my mind.

This escape feels like an illusion, I thought bitterly as I lowered my body weight down onto the wolf's back and used my chest to shield my child from the elements.

Goodbye.