Duel of the Rozez-Parting of the Ways-Book One

Her Beginning

        I heard breathing in my ear. You ever smelt a dead animal that's already housing several thousand maggots? Ya, the breath smelt that bad with the breathing in my ear.I  was so very much hoping I would not have this nightmare again. this dream has been haunting me since i was about two and a half years old. i breathed in the sickeningly sweet smell of rotting meat and sinew. god how i hated the smell.I gasped and open my eyes hearing something scream in my ear. it sounded like the death knell from a village bell at someones wake. i knew what it was, the sound of the void, the darkness, the sound of the Corvax. I turned my head from side to side and all around to see where the sound came from, i found nothing to make the sound, for once. I only saw a cavern lit up by blue flames in braziers the size of drums next to me. I Looked around more and found myself sitting on a small throne of stone that seemed to be part of the cavern its self.  i was sitting backwards slightly as the seat itself seemed to slope backwards. I Looked closer and could see carvings of ancient beast and demons and gods upon it. I sighed, this was the fifth time this in the last three days that I've had this.... it's no nightmare,i think, it's more of actually being here. I can feel the craggy rocks and sharp stones under my bare feet. each tiny piece waiting to stab my little feet and bleed me out. Every morning I wake up with scabbed feet. my mother would tell me its from walking to much. I slowly got up and flinched hearing heavy chains rattle loudly across the cavern. I looked around and found  cold, iron chains around my wrist and ankles keeping me tied to the awful throne of Hell. i feel like this foreshadows something. How could I have not felt them? This never happened before... I heard the faintest whisper come from behind me. I turned on my heels hearing , "Take the fire, child.." I looked around confused seeing nothing but the fires. I went over to them and looked into the bottom without burning my face off. Nothing but opaque sapphire flames was to be seen, except for the shapes in the flames themselves. i feel like it was trying to send smoke signals to me. I felt compelled to grab the fire. But you can't grab fire right? Well I hope it won't leave a bad burn. I cupped my hand and stuck it  right into the fire. It felt warm but it didn't hurt, I lifted my hand and was surprised to find flames in my hand not hurting me. I heard a clink and the chains fell off me, I looked at them confused as the other flames went out leaving me with only the one in my hand. I whimpered not knowing what was in here, but I knew there was only one way out of here... I walked out of the cavern into a small tunnel and followed it watching the walls. My feet were aching from the shards of stone and.. ice? I looked closer to the ground. No it was just glass.

I sighed and kept walking until I came across a deep black pit in the floor preventing me from moving onward. It didn't matter tho as I heard the same thing behind me. It was the thing that woke me up with a scream. I know who she is, I hear her walk right up behind me. I didn't turn around. I knew what was going to happen. My eye widened hearing her voice, the sound of guttural sounds like someone who never learned how to speck and paper being ripped and crumpled." You keep coming back here every night to die. You must love the thrill of death!" I felt a sharp slash across my back making me fall forward into the pit. I screamed and watched as my blood flew past me. I glanced back up before the darkness engulfed me and regretted it instantly. It was the fabled Angel of Light, the one who kills gods.

I screamed waking up in my bed, I shook in terror looking at the curtains surrounding my bed and screamed again seeing something move. It just turned out to be my mother who came in to see what was wrong. She sighed and hugged me gently, " Poor child. You always have such bad dreams. But fret not for today since it is your birthday." She said this with a worn smile. I nodded smiling a little but feeling guilty. We were a poor farmer family and i told them just in passing that it would be nice to have a bow and arrows. I had tried many times to make one my self but it never worked. She kissed my forhead and helped me to get dressed," I just hope that you live longer than your sisters had.." I frowned at her but said nothing. I looked at my self in the mirror I had. I looked so different from my parents, multi coloured hair with large steaks of platinum blond, raven black, chestnut brown, and a deep blood red streak right in my bangs.my hair was also very wavy but not the tight ringlets like my mother or the strait hair like my father. Also my eyes..they were ringed gold on the inside and black on the outside. I was also fairly thin and short. But the weirdest thing about me was my ears, they were pointed and elongated. I went downstairs hearing my father calling us down. I sat down to the food mother made and ate it happily. Father sat down with something hidden behind his back, " Do you know what your present could be?" he asked.

I shook my head, tho I knew what it was. He gave me a beautifully carved bow that was a short bow and a whole quiver full of sharp arrows. " the bow is made of rare cherry wood and spiders silk. The arrows heads are made from obsidian and pre sharpened. I'll take you out after breckfest to show you the proper way of taking care of them" he said sliding them over to me. I marvelled over them after eating and went out with father to the little pond in the woods near us. He showed me how to string the bow and how to place the arrows properly and shoot a few times. He pointed to a fox across the way, " Take aim! It could catch us a fine fortune for good hide!" He said getting out of the way. I took aim and the second before I let the arrow go I heard a voice, " Please do not kill me young girl! If you let me live I shall enchant your bow to never miss and give your arrows the power like your sister, who was an excellent archer" I looked around to see who it was and I swore it came from the fox. I lowered my bow and it ran away into the underbrush. I heard father mumble something and looked at me," why did you not shoot, Victrix?" He asked a bit angrily. I had to think quickly to avoid punishment. " I thought it wasn't worth the arrow. I see a stag off in the distance. I think it would be more worth the arrow." He nodded in agreement and walked closer with me. I aimed at its lower leg and shot. The arrow ended up going through a tendon making it unable to walk and leaving the arrow in tact. My father ran over and held it still as it bled out. I frowned feeling bad for it but I knew no part would go to waste. Father dragged it back and saw me frowning. " Do not worry dear, we did not kill it for sport but for food. It would only be disrespectful if we didn't use every part of it. And the parts we just can't use we burn them and bury the ashes and say a prayer" he said taking it home for me. I left him and mom to clean it as I took a bucket, soap, and a towel with me to the river on the other side of our land. I washed my hair and body happily as yesterday I helped father with the ploughing of our small garden, so I was covered in sweat. After I rinsed and dried off I got dressed but stoped hearing something behind me growl. I froze in terror not daring to turn around. The thing got closer and soon came to a stop in front of me. It was a wolf the size of a horse, it had thick white fur and wine coloured eyes. It sat in front of me and cocked its head to the side looking at me. I slowly stood up keep gn my eyes always on it.

" Who are you?" I asked it, I knew this was no normal wolf. It seemed to smile and I realised with horror that it had sharp, but definitely human, teeth. I screamed and tried to run but ended up falling into the water. I fell on sharp rocks and felt them scratch my eye deeply. I only saw blood and breathed water as I blacked out. I heard talking of a man and woman as I opened my eyes, all I saw was a woman and the same wolf. Where did the man go? The woman was very old tho, with long white hair braided down her back, deep purple eyes that seemed to shine, and tanned skin hidden by slightly torn robes of blue fur. But it was her many scars and beauty that caught my attention. For being an old lady she did have a youthful glow of her. I shivered suddenly realising it was very cold. The woman looked at me and gently laid a blanket of rabbit fur on me." Sorry dear I didn't think about you being cold. You look so much like your father. But you have your grandfathers eyes and your mother's hair."she said looking at my closely. The wolf laid next to me giving me its warmth and looked at the woman with ears perked." Yes she will be fine Aeon. She can still see. Tho she will have a scar. You should not have scared her" the woman said to the wolf. It's ears flipped down in a Sorry look and licked my hand. I patted its head and the woman looked at me. "Who are you?" I asked. "I am your grandmother" she said with a sincere smile.