Gripped with a coldness she felt deep down into her core, Erika shivered suddenly fearing she would never get warm again. Frightened and concerned she reached out from where she was stuck and tried to get her friend’s attention. A cool wind stirred her raven black hair around her like a storm as she called out,” Wren,” her voice quivering. Hearing her voice as it echoed in the forest, Erika suddenly felt incredibly young yet ancient all at once. She knew she was out of her depths in this place of ancient magic and weaving and looked around for a way to leave. The fog seemed to dissipate in spots, and it slowly gave way, creating a path leading to where the women set doing their work underneath the branches of the ancient tree.
The closer she got Erika was unable to peel her eyes from the Tapestry. In abject horror, she realized that the scene had become one of blood and darkness. More disturbing was the realization that it was Wren’s own blood with which she weaved it. White bone covered in blood was all that was left of the tips of her friend’s fingers and she spun the loom tirelessly and this blood feathered down the cloth into the weave.
In an unnatural and jolting motion, Wren jerked her head towards Erika in an abnormal angle causing Erika to gasp in surprise. Her eyes were covered with an omniscient white film like a horse that had been struck with moon blindness. Across her face a black band was painted from temple to temple that seemed to make the moonblind eyes stand out even more. Runes were tattooed across her brow, but Erika could not get close enough to read them. She tried to move closer, but Wren lifted her arm in a stiff jerking movement and pointed it at her. She was a terrifying sight to behold and for the first time, Erika was afraid of Wren. Gone was all semblance of her sweet-natured and shy friend and in her stead was a specter.
Wren opened her mouth to speak only it was not her voice that came forth. Instead of Wren’s voice came the voice of the three women speaking as one. Together their voices echoed ancient and archaic, “Come closer, Darkling Child.” Chills ran up Erika's spine when pale as bone as she did as she was bid.
Carefully, she picked her way through the mist and fog until she came to rest beside the well. There, knees shaking and trembling in fear, she knelt before the one known as Urda. Using Wren as their mouthpiece they spoke as one while the tapestry came to life. A great scene unfolded, showing the burning Ash tree and the ceremony ripping the Fylgjur from their souls, Jewel in her white dress opening the portal, her cutting the child out of Roxi’s womb, the inky black smoke churning forth and twisting down from the portal. “On the night of the Chilling Moon, under the black twisted bough of Fire and Ash, the White Queen sought to sacrifice the nine forgotten children of Yggdrasil to make way for the Doom of Man.”
Knowing the truth for what it was, Erika stifled a cry. The voice continued as the tapestry changed. “Darkling Child Don’t Despair. The circle was not complete. You did not fall. And even now a distant fire light burns bright. Don’t forget you have secret allies hidden in the Border Forests and across time.” In awe, Erika watched as despite the forest giants being outnumbered, they were able to defeat Jewel and dispatch the black entities. The scene shifted to reveal a hidden realm of the trees caught amidst the veil between the worlds. She saw herself laying on a pine needle bed being healed by the giant creatures. Then she was a raven and she was flying above a great army on horseback. Each regiment had a different colored flag - all shades of the rainbow. As she flew, she saw that seven women rode on white steeds, or maybe unicorns - she could not be sure. Each one clad in a color of the rainbow, Red, Orange, Yellow, Blue, Green, Indigo, and Violet. Behind them rode their consorts and generals. Then on the third row, she saw familiar faces wearing brown, black and grey, animal skins and furs. She knew her place was right there amongst them clad in white and black.
She was lost in thought for a moment wondering what that could mean when the haunting trio of voices pulled her back to them, “Daughter of Fire and Shadow, you must break the circle and usher in the tide. Only when the worlds collide can the armies of the nine rises to defeat the darkness.” The stone circle at the farm overlooking the river seemed to loom in the vision. At least that is the location Erika thought the tapestry showed. The area was familiar, but it looked wild and dangerous, almost Jurassic in feel.
“Seek the aid of the One with no Shadow, stuck in a world no longer meant for him. Only he will have the answers you seek and offer you what no other can. Remind him of the soul's oath he has sworn, and of the hope he has lost.” There was a shadow figure, seemingly made of smoke and mists, red eyes glowed demonically from the blackness with such burning intensity that Erika shuddered. “Now go forth Erika Darkfire, Darkling Child of Flame and Shadow, beloved by the Norns. You are the beacon for the new dawn rising.”
Chapter 23
Disoriented and with her mouth incredibly dry, Erika woke up startled. There was a throbbing pressure in her head, and she wondered for a moment if she had blacked out again. Her mind was blank except for the strange dream and something about a black wolf. "I have to stop waking up like this," she told herself, feeling light-headed and slightly giddy.
A familiar voice came from the doorway, "Erika, my love, I am so relieved to see you awake finally. How are you feeling."
Erika immediately recognized Preacher's voice and felt a sort of relief. "Preach," she smiled, "Where am I?" Erika felt like something was amiss, but she could not put her finger on it. It was like her emotions were in massive disarray; still, she felt compelled to smile and hold her hand up to him. What happened?" she asked, weakly.
Preach stood there, staring down at her, lying in bed. His eyes were aflame with a hunger shining deep as though he wanted to devour her. He crossed the room and sat on the bed next to her, touching her hair in a soft caress, "Erika, my love." He pulled her into his arms, his sharp, black eyes searched hers, looking for something expectantly. "Do you remember anything?"
She swallowed hard and shook her head, "No, just that I had some weird dreams, but everything else is foggy. Could I get some water?"
"The lady needs water," he bellowed to someone down the hall. Still touching her hair, he told her gently, "Erika, you were in an accident." He pulled her into his arms then, holding her like she was his lover.
"Oh?" Erika uttered, her surprise evident on her pale face, "I was?" She realized that this made much more sense than the crazy thoughts that had been running through her head. It felt awkward to be in Preach's embrace, but her limbs felt too heavy to move away, so she just gave in to the feeling. She guessed she was reluctantly compliant. Again odd, and not at all usual for her, but so much had happened in the last few days she assumed she was in a state of shock.
For the first time, she realized that she was not wearing her clothes. She was in a beautiful shell pink silk and antique lace nightgown. Plucking at the silk, she mused, "These… these aren't my clothes." As soon as she said the words, a heavy pressure sat upon her chest, and Preach's eyes snapped on hers. For some reason, she found saying the words difficult for her. It was almost like trying to talk when inebriated. The words coming from her mouth, but not sounding right to her ears and no matter how she worked to correct herself, it would not work.
Erika saw a flash of something dark just a second before it was gone, and Preach’s eyes softened. Casually he brushed a strand of her dark hair away from her porcelain brow as he consoled, "Dear heart, these are your clothes. This is your bedroom."
She could not explain why internally she wanted to scream. His touch on her skin, repulsive. She felt an internal struggle, but then there it was like a calm breeze settled the heaviness. Relaxing, she understood this was just how things were supposed to be. She still could not shake that something felt off. Disjointed images of her and Preacher filled her mind like she was looking at polaroid pictures. "Are these real memories, or am I having another nightmare," she pondered aloud.
His cold as fish lips kissed her brow as he whispered, "The doctor warned me you might have some… trouble remembering things for a
while." She tried to pull away as he gently caressed her back, but he held her firm. "That dreams might seem like reality."
"I don't understand - what are you not telling me," she asked, panicking. "What… What has happened to me?"
Preach looked at her with genuine concern as he caressed her face, "My love, you have been in a coma, dearest," he said, taking her hand.
"No!" She gasped, sounding more like a wounded animal than herself.
Gently he pulled her hand to his lips. "The doctor said you might not remember things," he told her. "Might not remember us," his voice trailed off, his eyes searching hers looking for something that she could not feel. He lifted her head to look him in the eyes. Cold and steady, his dark eyes stared into her grey-green ones. She felt there was something oddly hypnotic in his gaze as he began to explain, "The night of the ritual, Roxi went into labor. You insisted on riding with Papa Doc to take her to the hospital. It was raining by then. And the roads slicked. I do not know how to tell you this, my love. But," his voice cracked, and with dramatic flair, he turned to look out the window seemingly into nothingness before continuing, "a log truck lost control on the two way, and the car you were riding in was hit." Preach's dark eyes filled with tears, and deep down inside, something ancient and dark in Erika felt like clapping.
Preach brought his knuckle to his mouth, as though to bite back his emotions. Triumph flashed in his eyes as he added, "I don't know how to tell you this, my love, but Roxi and Papa Doc didn't make it."
Once again Erika's brain was flooded with disjointed images - the blinding light of a truck coming too fast around a curve, the car behind the hit, and rolling over as though caught in slow motion. The sight of Roxi impaled by a log in the back seat, and the Professor's body wet with blood and rain as it lay skewered on the windshield.
"It can't be," she said incredulously. Surely if Roxi and the Professor were gone, and she had been in a coma, she would feel different.
"Water for the lady," a smooth bored voice interrupted. Felix, Erika realized, seeing him leaning casually against the doorframe dressed in camouflage BDU pants, a white t-shirt, a cap, and combat boots. He held a bottle of water in one hand and look pleased to see the angry look on Preach's face at the timing of his interruption.
"You," Erika hissed, giving the man a glowering look, she pulled the sheets and comforter up to cover her modesty.
"Miss Lily," he drawled, the fathomless blue of his eyes watching her with genuine curiosity.
"You two know one another?" Preacher interrupted, his voice barely hiding the anger in it. He gave Felix a menacing look before turning his full attention to Erika.
Erika stopped for a moment to think, but there was nothing but a void in her mind's eye. She saw nothing but a black wolf with amber eyes staring at her. Puzzled, she suddenly felt a vice-like pressure in her head. Shaking her head like she had water in her ear, she frowned and admitted, "I don't… I don't know," she finally breathed.
Preach stood up to get the water for her from the man. She intuited there was an exchange she could not see anything. When Preacher turned his back to return, Felix caught her eyes, and for a moment, she could have sworn the color of his eyes when he looked back at her the same amber as the wolf.
Looking at Felix, Erika took the offered water and drank it down, "Thank-you."
"Of course, Miss Lily," he replied smugly. Turning his attention back on Preach, "Brother Timothy, your flock, is expecting you to join them for your virtual sermon at the top of the hour, and you have a meeting with the Lady in Black after that. I would suggest you not get too distracted with your play pretties until then."
Erika drained the last of the water. Feeling energized, she found Felix looking at her intensely while Preach wept crocodile tears at her side.
Sitting up, her head suddenly felt much clearer. "Where am I again," she asked. Restless, she stood up and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. What she saw shocked her. Not only had Preach changed her, but he or someone had done her make-up and hair. She looked like a pin-up girl. Shuddering, she suddenly felt dirty, and rage started burning within her. Walking to the closet, she found nothing but women's designer clothes - all in her size.
The two men were watching her now, Preach in disbelief, and Felix in rapt amusement. Her headache was back, and she reached up to touch her temples when details began flooding back to her. She closed her eyes in pain as she recalled being with Millie and Hermit. Her mother suspended in a blood eagle, Tanna, the dogs, their camp in the woods, the hairy booger pursuing them in the woods, and Ransom. As the floodgates opened, a rage opened within her. Pent up anger and frustration. Erika's eyes were glowing the white-blue color of lightning across the sky during a night storm. Electricity crackled around the room, coming off her in tendrils of lightning.
"Preach, you know you almost had me. But you made three mistakes," she growled with the fierceness of a tigress. Her voice went low, controlled, and in her words were steel, "One, I would never decorate a bedroom in white and purple. It reminds me of my grandmother, and not the one I liked. Two, if we were living together, there is nothing of yours in the room - not the closet, not a photo of us together, nothing. And three, even if for some reason, you were able to worm your way into my life, you could NEVER replace Ransom. Not in my mind and, more importantly, not in my heart and soul."
Preacher stared at her in fascinated bewilderment, a cold look overcame his warm expression, and a steely timbre came to his voice, "No love, you are wrong. Ransom left you, Erika. He and Wren ran off together."
For a moment, she looked like he had slapped her - insecure, hurt, and torn. "No, they wouldn't -," she began.
"They can, and they did. I picked up the pieces. I loved you when no one else loved you, and we fell in love."
"Liar," she hissed. She could hear the glamour in his voice now. She felt it sliding off her electrified shields. She threw up a hand in his direction, and his feet were knocked out from underneath him. Scrambling backward, he was stopped by the wall.
Erika felt a trembling sensation as the air shimmered and warped with a sudden thickness. Her head ached again, and with a sudden whoosh, she was thrown on to the bed. She felt his energy then like a thousand spiders crawling over her. A chill went up and down her spine as Preach came to stand over her. Looking up at him, she spat at him through gritted teeth, "Ransom would never."
Preach backhanded her, then screaming, "Why can't you ever go along with the script in my head!" He slapped her again and again until she started to lose focus. The sound of footsteps approaching and then Felix was there, his hand stopping Preach's from hitting her again.
The two men were arguing now, and she heard Felix say in a raised voice, "I told you that you could not bend her to your will, Brother Timothy. This one is different. Let me have her. I can peel back the layers until she believes anything you tell her. More importantly - she will do anything you ask."
"No, Felix. I told you, I won't have you break her like you did the seer," Preacher muttered as the two men restrained her wrists and legs. "She is mine to do with as I please. Mother promised."
Preacher gave her a sedative while Felix growled, "The White Witch is dead, and my service comes at a price." From behind closed eyes, Erika could hear a shift in the tone of his voice. It was deeper now, more guttural, "And right now, that price is Erika Lily." The man ran his fingers down her side, leaving a fire of sensation, causing the electricity within her to crackle. "Don't worry, Brother Timothy, I have learned my lesson. I can't play with my toys when I break them."
Hearing that, Erika’s world faded to black.
Chapter 24
The air was full of a mist-like rain when Erika flowed into consciousness in the in-between. There she found herself standing alone on a hilltop overlooking a great battle. In the distance, there was a thick fog pouring down from a high mountain peak. It curled and twisted as it moved towards the battlefield below her. "The breath of the dragon," she whispered as she p
eered deep into the mists as though scanning it for the great scaled beast. Erika had read about this sort of battle sorcery when she was in school. It had been a great tactic of the Wizard Merlin made famous the night he bewitched the Lady Igraine to lay with Uther Pendragon and altered history's fate.
All around her, she heard the weavings of the battle fast at work and for one moment, though she heard, Darkling Child, carried on the wind. The same wind made her cloak billow around her like black fire. Tonight, she was wearing a cloak fabricated out of the darkness itself with black ravens’ feathers woven through with iridescent thread and magic. In the moonlight of the in-between, the fabric glowed with the whispered hues of liquid flame, and underneath she wore a black mirrored scale armor tunic. Erika looked at her hand and found she was wearing black leather gloves, and on her hip hung a dagger she had never seen before. Her black hair was braided with raven feathers matching the cloak.
In the in-between, her perspective waived from looking down at herself and being herself. For the first time, the scene shifted, and she now stood amid the great battle. To her left, men were howling and foaming at the mouth. Running past, her, it was as though she was a phantom, present, but not there. Half of the men wore wolf pelts while others wore the skins of great bears. Others were naked completely and still fought with sword and shield. She saw huge animals in spirit form, wading through the carnage, seemingly cutting a path for their human counterparts. The coppery scent of blood hung in the air. Erika watched as crimson muscle and white bone was exposed while the warriors fought what could only be described as faceless entities so malevolent, she could smell the toxic evil flowing from them in great waves.
Tapestry of Worlds : Part One - The White Raven Awakens Page 15
