DEMENTED | Romance | Fantasy | Slight Thriller

Chapter One: An Impossible Task

Chapter One: An Impossible Task

Ebony startled awake, having dreamt yet another nightmare. She reached for her robe, only to discover it wasn't there, and she was still on the Western side of the Chasm.

it had been nearly a week since she'd been exiled, and yet she still wasn't used to it. She'd call for servants that were never there, or wait for food that would never come.

Absinthians could last for months, even years without food, but her hunger was still taking its toll. An empty stomach and dehydrated throat did not cope well with the intense heat and vastness of the harsh black sand surrounding her.

She'd even begun to miss the courtiers. Much as she despised them, they were still good to talk to and made decent enough company. Yet they were on the other side of the chasm, enjoying themselves while Ebony slowly rotted into nothing but dust.

She kicked at the sand, letting her soiled black skirts billow around her. She'd had no wardrobe with her, and as much as it pained her to wear the same garments several days straight, she would rather die than walk the vast desert unclothed.

Ebony glanced once again at the Kingdom in the east--her Kingdom, wishing to be back there again, surrounded by attendants and everything she'd ever needed.

And yet now she had nothing but herself and the clothes, however soiled, on her back.

She sat in the sand, defeated, and accepted her fate.

But things were not as she left them for long. The sand, once calm and settled,began to swirl around her like a tornado, blinding her sight and whipping her hair around.

Ebony jumped up, alarmed, and tried to step back, to free herself of the chaos, but found it wouldn't let her. The land around her began to disappear, and suddenly she found herself in a place that chilled her to the bone.

The sand and swirling wind all around her immediately came to a halt, sand raining down all around her on the ground as she took in her surroundings.

She was in a castle of ice. It made up the columns, the ceilings, the floors, and even the huge, looming doors she stood in front of seemed to weigh tons.

And as she began to shiver for the first time in her life, she realized where she was: Janaria.

She'd heard tales of the realm of the dead, but even those couldn't compare to this. She couldn't help but look around in awe as she shivered harder.

But why was she here? She checked her pulse. Had she already died?

She could feel her heart beating, eliminating that option. So why else was she here?

As if her questioning had been heard, the impressive doors in front of her began to slowly open on their own, without even a creak or sound of any sort.

And without a word, she walked through them, unsure what to expect. As she entered the room, she heard lovely, haunted singing, saying these words over and over again:

"Tick, tock,

Goes the clock,

How much longer

'Till it stops?"

And she found herself in a throne room unlike any she'd ever seen. It was also made entirely of ice, with jagged spikes stabbing through the floor and ceiling. In the center of it all was an obsidian throne, nearly 10 feet tall and elevated high above her. It was huge, but only after she'd taken in her surroundings did she notice the figure atop it. The Goddess herself, singing what she'd heard as she came in.