Soul Song ~ Book One

Chapter Nineteen

As the last pure blooded Elder, Damien was a rarity. Having been born before the plague, he and his parents lived in relative peace in the village. At a tender age, Damien witnessed, first hand, the death and destruction of the plague. His mother worked tirelessly with the sick and his father met with the Elders regularly to see if there was anything they could do.

His young mind couldn't comprehend all that happened around him, other than his mother crying as his father spoke to her of plans. Damien tried to listen closer, but being so young, he couldn't cage his mind around things he didn't understand. The day his mother went to administer to the sick and didn't return, he wished he had paid closer attention.

Looking up at his father on that day, he barely recognized him as the man he lived with. This man was different. His face was hard, pale and always angry. The mesmerizing red crystal that hung around his neck often intrigued Damien, but the one time he ventured to touch it, his father grabbed his wrist and threw him to the floor.

More and more, Damien's father spent time with the Elders, until eventually, they moved into the House with them. As he grew older, his father pushed him harder. He explained to Damien about how if the Healers had consented to blending their Magiks, they never would have had to take them by force, and ultimately, the Elders made the right decision. Damien couldn't help but wonder if his father was trying to convince him, or himself.

The longer he spent in the House with other Elders, the more Damien understood he was different. Most of all, he couldn't reconcile his father's hatred for women like his mother. But, there was also a physical difference. While he had blue Elder eyes, they glinted, as though mirrors were placed inside them to show anyone looking into them a glimpse of themselves. This unnerved the other Elders, and they frequently kept their distance.

This distance allowed Damien to become a more righteous man in secret. It also afforded him time alone in which he would walk the woods to contemplate. It was on one of these walks that he had the misfortune of stepping wrong into a root and twisted his leg until a sickening snap, coupled with intense pain let him know it was broken.

There he lay, at the end of his rope of frustration, cursing the sky, the trees, roots, shaking his fist uselessly above him, until he ran out of things to curse and decided he would give up and lay there until dead. He couldn't walk, and didn't dare move his leg, in case it decided it needed more breaking. So, accepting of his fate, he spread his arms out and closed his eyes to the world, expecting to leave it at any time.

In these same woods, the youngest Healer, Mirabella was hunting herbs to restock her dwindling supply. Upon hearing indecent cursing and wailing, her curiosity was piqued, and she headed toward the cacophony. A peek through the branches of a nearby bush revealed a miserable creature, thrashing around with the leg caught. She watched as it continued its litany of curses until it relaxed and fell silent. Fearing the worst, Mirabella crept forward and saw the creature was actually a man. Although she'd not been around men, she was well aware of what they looked like. Although, she hadn't expected them to be so...attractive.

He was a pleasant looking man, with dark hair and healthy looking skin. The slight coloring of his skin said he didn't spend as much time indoors as so many others did these days. He looked to be a few years older than she, and much taller. Brown eyelashes brushed along filled out cheek bones, with a strong nose plummeting down to full...lips...Heat burned Mirabella's face, charging down her neck as she took far too much time studying his lips.

At the very moment Mirabella was blushing over thoughts of his lips, Damien chose to open his eyes. He had been patiently waiting with closed eyes for the end to come until he realized he was no longer alone. Ah, he thought, this is it, I will die now. He waited. And waited. And when nothing happened, he risked a peek at his would-be assassin.