The Secrets of The Soul Wanderer (In

Chapter 23

The images that flashed before my eyes was my mother, but not injured. I saw my mother raise Marnie in a delapitated, old house for twenty years. To my disappointment I didn't see any father, my mother looked young but tired throughout Marnies childhood. Everything seemed normal, until Marnie at the age of twenty-one was cornered by five thugs. I couldn't hear any audio but from basic lip-reading they were trying to assault Marnie.
Even though this was a memory. I felt the powerful force of Marnies hidden magecraft then it happened, with a scream all the thugs got attacked by a large murder of crows.
The memory stopped and I woke up catching my breath, this form of memory delving was worse than my experience. It was almost like Marnies' memory was trying to drown me in information.
One thing I knew is that we were sisters, both feeling awkward, we sat in silence for what seemed like forever.

Three crows flew in from a nearby window, and nestled up to Marnie's lap with their beaks under their wings. I wished I could huddle up with Marnie but not now, as I just met her.
Curiousity got me asking with caution, "so what have you been doing since you left mum?" Marnie sat there and looked outside the window, I saw a few tears trickle down her cheek, this was an understandably sensitive topic. Her posture went from relaxed to rigid and stiff, I could read the uneasiness in her face, she licked her lips and sighed.

I forgot about all formalities and comforted her by holding her hands. "Take your time, I understand how it feels." Marnie's breathing calmed and told me how she found me, "after I left my mum I have been able to stay here in this cottage. No one knows it exists, because it's only visible to mages and Knights. I was lonely for so many years until I found an injured crow. That crow was Corvus, the one I sent to you. So I nursed him back to health and tried to release him but he stayed with me. It was him that allowed me to see the world through their eyes."

My face went solemn, I knew Corvus from my past life in the clone, he was at one point a carrier for my soul. I told Marnie what happened to him, "Corvus was a good bird he was once a vessel for my soul. We got along well, until the Holy One came and killed him. I'm sorry for you to hear this Marnie."
That face of pure anger spread on Marnie's face, her fists clenched and I could tell she was going to blow a gasket. The crows flew out of the cottage making panicky squawks, Marnie then stormed outside. I lost track of time, but it looked like dawn was approaching.
I tried to calm Marnie down until out of nowhere, she punched me square in the face. It didn't hurt that much, but for a feeble looking woman she could really pack a punch.

Next thing I know is that she's shouting to the sky, taunting the Holy One, "hey Holy One and bitch of a mother! Try and get us, send your Sentinels if you have to, fucking pussies!" Silence hung in the air, that was until I heard a loud lions roar a mile away from us.
I looked up and saw a big swarm of Sentinels, they all looked very intimidating in such large numbers. In the horizon I saw the lion sprinting cart towards us, I whispered to Marnie, "what the fuck do we do?" To which she just replied, "you'll see soon." Now was not the time for riddles, we could be killed and I had no weapon or fighting skills. Did I trust Marnie with my life? Maybe, but I think a few crows hitting a Sentinel would merely just tickle it. 
I tried to fly away but I felt a weighted net encase me, I crashed onto the ground, landing on my left wing. I struggled against the metal chains, trying to lift the net off me with all my strength. It was hopeless, I saw Marnie about to do something until I felt a powerful punch knock me unconscious. A Sentinels punch, is what it took to knock me out cold.

The clinking sound of metal woke me up, I tried opening my eyes only to wince in pain. My wings were both fractured, my hands and ankles were bound by metal chains. Overwhelming fear and panic engulfed me, I tried to open my eyes again only to see, nothing. Was I blind? I thought in terror and anxiety, I tried standing up which almost made me choke. My neck had a large collar that was  chained to a cage, was I in the cage? It was hard to tell because it had a soft floor under my feet.

All I could do was cry and scream, my right bicep felt a prick, then sleep welcomed me in its comforting arms. Time seemed irrelevant to me, I couldn't tell what was happening, I was a prisoner in this cage.
Maybe Marnie was ok and defeated them, I thought with wishy washy optimism. Alertness was returning to me. I decided to try some Soul Wandering with a calm mind and few quiet deep breaths, I released from my body, somehow I could see the environment around me.

My body was inside a large dog cage with a padded floor. What I 'saw' almost made me faint, I had no wings, and I was missing my left foot. How could I not be aware of the amputations? The Holy One and my mother did this, I knew it. Hovering closer to the footless leg, it looked healed the same for my shoulder blades. What also looked unsettling was how emaciated and thin I was, ribs and vertebrae visible through my skin.
I returned to my body, as I woke up I felt the waves of phantom pain in my left leg and shoulder blades. Suddenly I heard the clatter of keys and a quiet caw, my heart raced in anticipation. Marnie was going to save me, until I heard another caw above me then a metallic thub hit the cage floor. The message was clear, I had to free myself. Only killer was I couldn't see, I tried to feel for my eyes but they weren't there just empty sockets, I must've missed this important detail when I Soul Wandered.

My other senses had heightened, my hands felt the keys with ease, I felt around the cage trying to find the lock for the key. After what felt like hours, I found the lock and inserted the key, wiggling it until the door opened.
I slowly climbed out of the cage, my right foot felt... soft woolen carpet? I tried to stand up but I lost my balance, I had to move on all fours only problem is I couldn't see jack shit, I had heard stories of people using echo-location but I, like everyone relied on sight for everything.
With caution, I moved around the room with one hand outstretched, it was obvious I was in a sort of lounge, there were two leather couches and an armchair with a crocheted blanket. It wasn't long before I found the door, I found the hinges and then the handle. With a deep breath I opened the door.