herself and stood beaming from ear to ear. “You’re here.”
Isadora’s form was humanoid but indigo, no lips or eyes or nose yet. She was the silhouette of a woman. She went to speak and her ethereal form cracked, white lines appearing in jagged crisscrosses along her form until it shattered in a shower of dust and was sucked back into the crystal in the center of the calcified anemone. The staff teetered, but Tor saved it before it hit the ground.
Aria was more than tired from the ordeal. She didn’t think she could stand another moment. She glanced at the other Flames, determination in her to free them from their tiny prisons.
“I don’t understand. Aria, what was that?” Tor seemed perplexed as he placed the staff in its spot beside the other Flames and sat on the bench.
“You need to listen to them.”
“And you will help?”
“I will do what I can.”
Tor stood and nodded. “Good. I need to return to the village.” He stopped at the mouth of the cairn and shot her a cautionary glare. “Do not leave the cairn. Do not come to the village. The war is coming, and I cannot let anyone know about you. Not yet.”
Aria felt the guilt inside of her deepen as she swallowed hard and nodded. She couldn’t tell him that she’d already done so many bad things. He lingered for a moment then escaped into the night.
Aria woke on the floor in the cairn hours later. For a moment she thought she was blind but her hand pulsed and a faint shimmer emitted from her pale violet tinged body. She sat up slowly, the fire in the pit snuffed, the crispy smell of smoke lingering in the air. She wanted to obey Tor’s tenet but she couldn’t deny the Ferryman his payment. She got to her feet, the makeshift white dress scraping along the floor as she quickened out of the cairn and into the night. The haunted forest was alive, poisonous flowers lighting the way as she traipsed along the vein-like paths towards the east shore. The closer she came, the more she buzzed, her form threatening to erupt in fiery tentacles of flame. She slowed, her breathing heavy as she smelled salt, and broke through the last of the rotting trees, beholding the green sea.
The red streak on the horizon had become a deep burgundy, and the black roiling clouds had become peppered with lightning. Aria followed the jagged lines of light, and jumped at the bursts of light behind the clouds. She lost herself in the symphony of light until the land beneath her sizzled and the Ferryman cleared his throat. She dared a glance at him, her mouth open in awe, the familiar blade singing along her form at his penetrating gaze. For a long time she stood there staring at him while he stared at her, not brave enough to speak. Without a word he stretched his skeletal hand towards her palm up. His face was concealed by the large hood but Aria didn’t need to see his eyes to know the expectation in them.
She didn’t bring a coin.
She opened her mouth to speak but it was like a swarm of bees attacked her tongue and she gagged, desperately trying to clear the stinging from her mouth. The Ferryman said nothing until she gained control over herself and shot him a sheepish smile. She definitely wanted less weird things to happen to her when he was around, but she couldn’t help the curiosity. “You’ll need to come ashore to collect. I left all the coins at the cairn in the forest.” She purposefully glanced over her shoulder at the glowing orange and violet petals, marking their way through the woods.
The skeletal hand paused, pulling back involuntarily as if she had shocked him. He seemed to flinch despite his cool composure and she winced. She didn’t mean to scare him. “I cannot step foot on land.”
Aria narrowed her eyes to slits. “That’s a very sad thing.”
“My master wills it. I am to return with a coin, nothing more.”
Aria crossed her arms and pursed her lips. “And if I refuse you?”
The Ferryman seemed to smirk and chuckle under the
Isadora’s form was humanoid but indigo, no lips or eyes or nose yet. She was the silhouette of a woman. She went to speak and her ethereal form cracked, white lines appearing in jagged crisscrosses along her form until it shattered in a shower of dust and was sucked back into the crystal in the center of the calcified anemone. The staff teetered, but Tor saved it before it hit the ground.
Aria was more than tired from the ordeal. She didn’t think she could stand another moment. She glanced at the other Flames, determination in her to free them from their tiny prisons.
“I don’t understand. Aria, what was that?” Tor seemed perplexed as he placed the staff in its spot beside the other Flames and sat on the bench.
“You need to listen to them.”
“And you will help?”
“I will do what I can.”
Tor stood and nodded. “Good. I need to return to the village.” He stopped at the mouth of the cairn and shot her a cautionary glare. “Do not leave the cairn. Do not come to the village. The war is coming, and I cannot let anyone know about you. Not yet.”
Aria felt the guilt inside of her deepen as she swallowed hard and nodded. She couldn’t tell him that she’d already done so many bad things. He lingered for a moment then escaped into the night.
Aria woke on the floor in the cairn hours later. For a moment she thought she was blind but her hand pulsed and a faint shimmer emitted from her pale violet tinged body. She sat up slowly, the fire in the pit snuffed, the crispy smell of smoke lingering in the air. She wanted to obey Tor’s tenet but she couldn’t deny the Ferryman his payment. She got to her feet, the makeshift white dress scraping along the floor as she quickened out of the cairn and into the night. The haunted forest was alive, poisonous flowers lighting the way as she traipsed along the vein-like paths towards the east shore. The closer she came, the more she buzzed, her form threatening to erupt in fiery tentacles of flame. She slowed, her breathing heavy as she smelled salt, and broke through the last of the rotting trees, beholding the green sea.
The red streak on the horizon had become a deep burgundy, and the black roiling clouds had become peppered with lightning. Aria followed the jagged lines of light, and jumped at the bursts of light behind the clouds. She lost herself in the symphony of light until the land beneath her sizzled and the Ferryman cleared his throat. She dared a glance at him, her mouth open in awe, the familiar blade singing along her form at his penetrating gaze. For a long time she stood there staring at him while he stared at her, not brave enough to speak. Without a word he stretched his skeletal hand towards her palm up. His face was concealed by the large hood but Aria didn’t need to see his eyes to know the expectation in them.
She didn’t bring a coin.
She opened her mouth to speak but it was like a swarm of bees attacked her tongue and she gagged, desperately trying to clear the stinging from her mouth. The Ferryman said nothing until she gained control over herself and shot him a sheepish smile. She definitely wanted less weird things to happen to her when he was around, but she couldn’t help the curiosity. “You’ll need to come ashore to collect. I left all the coins at the cairn in the forest.” She purposefully glanced over her shoulder at the glowing orange and violet petals, marking their way through the woods.
The skeletal hand paused, pulling back involuntarily as if she had shocked him. He seemed to flinch despite his cool composure and she winced. She didn’t mean to scare him. “I cannot step foot on land.”
Aria narrowed her eyes to slits. “That’s a very sad thing.”
“My master wills it. I am to return with a coin, nothing more.”
Aria crossed her arms and pursed her lips. “And if I refuse you?”
The Ferryman seemed to smirk and chuckle under the
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