Eris Vanserra Fanfiction-A Land Of Lavender And Thistle-Book One

CHAPTER XVII

Ruth

I was having that dream again, where I lie in the leaves and open my eyes to the canopy of citrine and crimson. Only, unlike before, instead of the magical melody of the flute, I heard the shuffling of leaves beneath me.

Brushing off the dust from my dress, I stood up and inspected the space around me, sensing ash in the mild wind. There were no birds here, no music; nothing but the whispering trees. I began to walk on bare feet, the loose skirt of my maroon-colored dress hanging just below my knees. I placed a palm against the rough bark of the tree beside me, when I heard the crackle of flames from abaft, as though a roaring hearth lay behind me.

However, when I threw a look over my shoulder, I only saw the autumn forest stretching into the distance. Movement caught my attention and I glanced to my right.

Then, I began running.

I sprinted over the leaves, sending them flying into the cinder-tainted air as the rolling wave of golden flames moved toward me. The trees and the plants that the fire grasped vanished in black dust as heat reached for me, like phantom hands eager to grab me and hold me in their embrace until I was nothing but ash carried in the wind.

I ran, ran, ran through the woods, sweat slithering down my spine. I had the vague idea the fire was catching the tips of my hair. Sucking a breath through my teeth, I dared a look at the heap of brewing flames. Where they licked the ground black tongues could be seen, rising into lashing whips of boiling gold.

My foot landed into soft ground, and before I knew it, I was sliding down a tunnel of cold mud, slippery and tiny roots rubbing against my skin. The descent was brief, but the fall was butt-hurting as I crashed onto supple ground.

Chest heaving, I squinted into the darkness before I became aware of the dull quiet.

My breath hitched. I wanted to crawl into my skin, fold myself into a cocoon; run away from this silence. I could almost touch it, feel it as if it crawled over my arms, my neck, my face. I jolted, remembering those wicked nights, where only shadows were my company and no sound greeted me at all–

Suddenly, a yelp of an animal pierced the unbearable quiet, making me gasp. It sounded again, before a magical sound appeared, like that of a bell. It was a single sound, without a pattern and dim, but it came again, again and again. Synchronized to the echoing sound, crystals of irregular shapes bloomed to light where they lay in the dark stone of the spacious tunnel. More and more until the cavern was bathed in buttery light.

Although, my attention did not occupy the crystals, but the red fox standing several yards overhead. Her face was sketched with glowing swirls and tendrils, similar marks covering her chest, paws, back and bushy tail. Her eyes were like the gleaming sun as they settled on me. Then, a feminine voice reverberated in my head.

Wake up. Wake up, Ruth. Wake up.

It repeated, over and over again, louder each time, until I felt myself getting pulled into a whirlwind.

I jerked, my eyes shooting open with the silken sheets hugging my torso and legs where the nightgown had wrinkled off my thigh.

Wake up! I grunted, grumbling into my den of pillows as Jamila said, At last, the sleeping beauty has awoken.

I huffed into the pillows, clasping the bundled sheets in my arms, as though I was embracing someone. I felt the stirring air of her wings on my shoulder before Jamila yanked at my hair.