Read Online Tales of Arilland by Alethea Kontis - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Alethea Kontis
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door.
“Rose?” the tiny voice called hesitantly.
She knocked two times again.
“Daddy’s sick and he had to go away.” Skirts rustled against the floorboards. “I’m lonely. Are you lonely?”
Two knocks.
“Do you want to play with my dolly?”
She spread her fingers against the door. “Yeth,” she croaked.
The warmth faded, and there were sounds of a heavy chair being dragged across the floor. One, two, three, for, five, six, seven keys were all slowly turned in their locks. The chair was pushed aside, and the door opened.
Molly flew into her arms, the momentum pushing her back onto the bed in her weakened state. She cradled the frightened child in her arms, felt the porcelain head of her dolly poking into her side. She soaked up the child’s energy, willing it into her empty body. She bent her head and smelled the sweetness of her. She nuzzled her nose in the softness of her, like burrowing into the petals of a newly-opened flower.
She shouldn’t. She knew she shouldn’t, but he had caused her so much pain, and she had nothing left to lose.
Molly screamed and fought, but every bit of her gave the Siren the strength to hold her down, to fill the abyss inside her with this soul of pure innocence. It was so beautiful. The sensations did not wait until she was finished. They exploded into her mind every second. There was fear, yes, sweet fear, but then came sadness and betrayal. There was happiness and laugher, anger and tears, but most importantly, she finally realized the whys . She knew why a person felt joy and why they felt pain. She learned the elation of seeing something for the very first time, and the despair in losing it.
Loss. She knew now what she had been dealing out all this time. There was no way she could have ever known the impact of death without knowing what it was like to live a life. The weight of all the souls she had consumed pressed heavily upon her. She learned consequences. She realized that the things she did affected people other than the person she was killing. She understood that all the pain she had felt before was nothing to the pain these people would feel for the rest of their lives. She felt regret, and love.
Love.
It spread through her. Unconditional love tickled her down to the red tips of her fingers and toes. Love was trust. Love was faith. Love was believing in the impossible. The rainbow of Molly’s soul filled her with love until the last drop. She held Molly’s limp body in her arms…and she laughed.
She laughed and laughed, her voice echoing through the dark, vacant house. She laughed until she cried, tears flowing unchecked down her cheeks. She cried for Molly, for all of them. She cried for all the things she had done. She cried for herself, for everything she had lost, for nothing.
Or was it nothing?
She had to hurry. She had to leave this place and never come back. She gently laid Molly’s body out on the bed and curled her arm around her dolly. She smoothed back the dark curls and kissed her forehead. She covered herself in the black cloak and fled into the night.
She was glad again to be in the air and running over the earth, despite what little support they gave her. She followed her heart and the dim memories of the snitch up to the castle gates.
She strode up to the guards there and threw her hood back. Those that knew of her let her pass. Those that didn’t know of her learned.
The myriad halls and stairs and rooms made the castle a giant labyrinth, but she knew where she was going. Up and up and up…to the balcony suites of the Prince’s bedchamber. She did not stop until she was at the foot of his bed, staring down at his sleeping body. She wanted to shake him awake, wanted to explain everything to him, wanted to scream her love for him to the rafters.
But she couldn’t.
If he awoke now, he would know what she had become. He would see the evil inside of her, the mark of it in her hair and on her skin. She had saved his life, true,
“Rose?” the tiny voice called hesitantly.
She knocked two times again.
“Daddy’s sick and he had to go away.” Skirts rustled against the floorboards. “I’m lonely. Are you lonely?”
Two knocks.
“Do you want to play with my dolly?”
She spread her fingers against the door. “Yeth,” she croaked.
The warmth faded, and there were sounds of a heavy chair being dragged across the floor. One, two, three, for, five, six, seven keys were all slowly turned in their locks. The chair was pushed aside, and the door opened.
Molly flew into her arms, the momentum pushing her back onto the bed in her weakened state. She cradled the frightened child in her arms, felt the porcelain head of her dolly poking into her side. She soaked up the child’s energy, willing it into her empty body. She bent her head and smelled the sweetness of her. She nuzzled her nose in the softness of her, like burrowing into the petals of a newly-opened flower.
She shouldn’t. She knew she shouldn’t, but he had caused her so much pain, and she had nothing left to lose.
Molly screamed and fought, but every bit of her gave the Siren the strength to hold her down, to fill the abyss inside her with this soul of pure innocence. It was so beautiful. The sensations did not wait until she was finished. They exploded into her mind every second. There was fear, yes, sweet fear, but then came sadness and betrayal. There was happiness and laugher, anger and tears, but most importantly, she finally realized the whys . She knew why a person felt joy and why they felt pain. She learned the elation of seeing something for the very first time, and the despair in losing it.
Loss. She knew now what she had been dealing out all this time. There was no way she could have ever known the impact of death without knowing what it was like to live a life. The weight of all the souls she had consumed pressed heavily upon her. She learned consequences. She realized that the things she did affected people other than the person she was killing. She understood that all the pain she had felt before was nothing to the pain these people would feel for the rest of their lives. She felt regret, and love.
Love.
It spread through her. Unconditional love tickled her down to the red tips of her fingers and toes. Love was trust. Love was faith. Love was believing in the impossible. The rainbow of Molly’s soul filled her with love until the last drop. She held Molly’s limp body in her arms…and she laughed.
She laughed and laughed, her voice echoing through the dark, vacant house. She laughed until she cried, tears flowing unchecked down her cheeks. She cried for Molly, for all of them. She cried for all the things she had done. She cried for herself, for everything she had lost, for nothing.
Or was it nothing?
She had to hurry. She had to leave this place and never come back. She gently laid Molly’s body out on the bed and curled her arm around her dolly. She smoothed back the dark curls and kissed her forehead. She covered herself in the black cloak and fled into the night.
She was glad again to be in the air and running over the earth, despite what little support they gave her. She followed her heart and the dim memories of the snitch up to the castle gates.
She strode up to the guards there and threw her hood back. Those that knew of her let her pass. Those that didn’t know of her learned.
The myriad halls and stairs and rooms made the castle a giant labyrinth, but she knew where she was going. Up and up and up…to the balcony suites of the Prince’s bedchamber. She did not stop until she was at the foot of his bed, staring down at his sleeping body. She wanted to shake him awake, wanted to explain everything to him, wanted to scream her love for him to the rafters.
But she couldn’t.
If he awoke now, he would know what she had become. He would see the evil inside of her, the mark of it in her hair and on her skin. She had saved his life, true,
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