Hearts of Clay

Chapter 8

No!"

Senya sat up abruptly and hit her head. She yelped and tried to stand up, but a blanket twisted around her and she fell. But she had to get up! She had to leave! They were fighting the Stone Giant and she had to help. She had to find the egg and see what happened, and find the egg, and see if the village was destroyed, and find the egg, find the egg, find.....

"Hush Senya, you're fine, you're all right. Spirits, you gave us a scare."

Senya quickly ripped her eyes open to see Tinca smiling at her. "Spirits, you gave us quite a scare," Tinca said happily. "Quite a scare indeed. Now here. You're going to have to drink this, and..."

"No!" Senya shouted, leaping off the bed. "Why should I trust you? Why should I trust any of you?

Tinca paused, looking concerned. "What-what do you mean? You know me. You can trust me."

"No!" Senya shouted, pulling the blanket off the bed and throwing it to the ground. "I don't know you! How could I ever know you if you're-

"A freak?" Tinca asked quietly, looking at the floor, downcast. "Something that shouldn't exist?"

"What?" Senya asked, horrified. "Tinca, what-"

"No." Tinca interrupted. "Just-" she sighed closing her eyes. "Just tell me what you want to hear."

Senya sighed impatiently. "I saw you with the Council. How are you with them? Why did you join them? Why do you wear hoods? Do I know anyone else there? And-"

"Stop, stop, stop." Tinca interrupted. She held up her hands in surrender. "I get it, it's confusing. But let's make one thing clear. I. Didn't. Join. The. Council.l was a founding member. I helped create it."

"Wha-what?" Senya gasped, swaying. "H-how-how..."

Tinca rushed over to Senya, knocking down several things near the bed and grabbed her hands. "Listen to me Senya. You can't even begin to imagine what's happened. We sometimes can't believe it either. But it's all true. All of it."

"Tinca?" Senya asked, trembling. "What are you trying to say? What are you trying to do?"

Tinca stood up and turned away. "I shouldn't tell her," she muttered. "But she asked me, she deserves to know, but it might cause another flashback, and we can't have her go through one of those again, oh spirits..."

She abruptly turned to a wooden symbol on the wall. Now that Senya noticed, different symbols were scattered everywhere in the workplace.

"Well? Should I tell her?" Tinca demanded of the carving. "You pride yourself on things like this!" She paused and then slowly nodded. "True. True. Stories are good. And all stories" she said snapping her head towards Senya, "should start at the beginning."

Senya couldn't move. Tinca's eyes had started to glow green, and she was frozen, trapped in place. Everything else seemed to drain away except for those glowing green eyes.

"All stories begin the same " Tinca whispered, making the world spin. "We all start from the same place. We all are Once In Time....