Leviathans Bane
Page 7
Aunt Mirriam!
"Get away from me," she moaned, pushing away with all the strength of a newborn baby.
Her traitorous aunt set her back on the floor but smoothed the blood and sweat-stained hair from her face. "I can't believe it," the woman said in wonder. "I'm so proud of you, my darling."
"Proud of me? You tried to kill me! You lied to me!" Rachel's bodily strength was slow to return, but her words were strong enough to make up for it.
"Rachel, I--"
"Blood sacrifice, Aunt Mirriam!"
"No, my dear," Sierra's voice came from the side. Rachel looked over as the priestess approached, hating her even more than she could ever hate her aunt.
"Then what do you call what just happened? You ran out on me! I heard what you said at the meeting. I saw the shroud."
Rachel groaned as she pushed herself up to a seated position and looked around the room. The shades of her ancestors were long gone and the rest of the place in shambles. It would take months to rebuild the place, perhaps longer. Perhaps the whole place would need to be torn down altogether.
If it were up to me, it would stay torn down.
To her relief, Rachel saw Grey alive and awake sitting in the corner, a bloody towel pressed against his head. He had a scowl on his face that he was freely giving any of the witches looking in his direction which assured her that he would be just fine.
"Rachel, please."
She looked back at her aunt and the priestess. "What?"
"We never wanted anything bad to happen to you, you have to believe us," Mirriam said. It was almost convincing too. "But we didn't know what else to do. This had been happening for so long... for centuries! But when you--"
"--you were so clever, my darling!" Sierra gushed, sitting beside them. "So unconventional. We never thought to summon past Spirits, but you did. It was brilliant and it wounded the Leviathan so greatly that it went scurrying back through the portal. That's why you were chosen, you know. That's why you are the heir to Ashwood and no other."
"I don't want it."
That stopped them both and the excuses died on their lips.
"What?" Mirriam asked.
"I don't want it," Rachel said again. "Keep Ashwood coven and your blood traditions."
Sore and tired, she nevertheless pushed herself all the way to her feet and stumbled forward. She nearly fell, but her pride would not allow it. Not now, in front of the very coven who sought her death only hours before.
Her eyes met Grey's, and she used that as her new focus. He kept her grounded, stable, more so than any magic in this world or any. He, who stood by her when no one else did.
"Rachel, where are you going?" her aunt called after her.
She kept walking.
"Rachel?"
Grey offered her his free hand.
"Rachel!"
She took it.
"Rachel, come back!"
And together, hand in hand, they walked out.
Follow the Author!
Website: https://ramblingscholar.wixsite.com/mlgarza
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMLGarza/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RamblingScholar
Also By M.L. Garza:
Novellas:
Mirrorsight
She of the Many Skins
Leviathan’s Bane
Poetry Collections:
The Night Bazaar
Appearing in Anthology Collections:
42 and Beyond: A Space Opera Anthology
A Contract of Words
Dreams are Stranger than Fiction
Realities Perceived
Sweet Candy Delights: Flash Fiction Stories
Time Stoppers
Worlds Apart
Demons of Solomon
For the Love of the Gods
Cold Cases: Tales of Unsolved Mysteries
Eclipse: A Post-Apocalyptic World
Accidentally Paranormal
Poets of Hydra: Volume One
Sick and Twisted: Dark Fairy Tale Retellings
Time Out: A Time Stopping Anthology
The Society of Misfit Stories: Volume 3
Dealing with the Devil: A Collection of Dark Stories
Fireside: A Collection of Apocalyptic Tales
Feathers and Fiends
Time Slip
Short Stories:
“Sweet Dreams” featured by Eyedrum Periodically
Film Projects:
Produced and filmed by Ventureway Entertainment:
Jackie Claxton and the Battles from Beyond
Jackie Claxton Teen Teleporter: The Influence
Jackie Claxton Teen Teleporter: The Prevention
Emily v Nathan: A Jackie Claxton Universe Story
Jalynn v Darlena: A Jackie Claxton Universe Story
Power Girlfriends Series
About the Author
M.L. Garza comes from a proud family of authors and artists and has been making up adventures since she was old enough to talk. Growing up in the backwoods of Massachusetts, she devoured every book she could find, from Tolkien to Kipling to Asimov. She plays with computers for a living and loses herself in other worlds during her time off. When not huddled in her writing cave, she can be found on the beautiful shores of the beach, a cup of tea always in hand. She lives on the island of Oahu with her husband, daughter, and three four-legged children.