An Angel of Death and Ruin

ch.2

Rosamund was an aasimar.

She, of course, knew of them through her family's stories and histories. They were her family's namesake, the reason they were any famous and powerful at all. Statues of her famous aasimar ancestors were built throughout their kingdom, their heroic deeds etched into history forever. It was a shame that the recent generations became a disgrace to their legacy. Even so, two wings and a dagger remained their family's crest, however undeserving.

For many generations, the Hevensfires have not reared another aasimar child. They were believed to be wiped from the bloodline forever as punishment. That was until the prophecy.

Her parents told her they did not believe in the prophecy, but she knew they still remained skeptical. After all, if it were to come to fruition all the Hevensfires would cease to exist. And if she truly were the last aasimar of the Hevensfires, she was a direct threat to the royal family.

Prince Varas would tell them immediately of what he saw. Caring more about keeping their power and kingdom, the king and queen would not hesitate to kill their only daughter. They had four sons after all to give their inheritance and name. It would be like squashing a nuisance insect to them, nothing more.

Was she really destined to destroy her family?

She needed to leave, but first, she needed answers. The prophecy was given by a prophet of the goddess Istus, an old patron of the Hevensfires. Old and rundown, the Temple of Istus still remained in the kingdom of Rivera. Along with most of the kingdom, Rosamund did not subscribe to the religion of her ancestors. However, she still did know the location of the temple, and if she needed help or answers that was the best place for her to go.

It was strange traveling in the sky. She could see everything from her height. Behind her, the castle grew smaller and smaller looking almost insignificant by the time it slipped behind the hills. Even the grand homes of the rich aristocrats looked small and pathetic. The trees seemed as if they were reduced to grass or shrubbery as she soared above them. She watched as the roads went from stone-paved to small lines of dirt.

The temple was just on the outskirts of the kingdom; many people probably thought it did not exist anymore. The royal family had ceased all contributions to the temple generations ago. They probably hoped it would simply run itself into the ground after a while.

It was the very late hours of the night, the sun would wake from the west in a short while. She hoped there was someone awake to help her there. She knew this was the only time she could ask them her questions. Her parents would likely know exactly where she would go first to ask about the prophecy. Even with her lead ahead of them, she did not have much time.

Her wings flickered away as Rosamund landed on the dusty, crumbled steps of the temple. A ghost of their feeling remained on her back even though they had physically disappeared. She wondered if she would ever summon the wings again, not that she even knew how she did it in the first place.

Surveying the building before her, she could tell at some point this temple must've been a place of grandeur with its tall columns and high ceilings. But after years of neglect and lack of donations, it was falling apart as if abandoned for some time. Still, faint candlelight could be seen from its windows. Relief washed over Rosamund as she opened and walked through the old stone doors.

The temple was dark when she walked in. She could see nothing but a faint light of candles. Believing that the candles would lead her to someone who might help, she followed the light's path, her steps echoing throughout the high walls and ceilings.

After a short while she came up to a large statue of a tall woman, her breasts exposed and hands stretched out at her sides. A long stone skirt draped along her hips and legs. Wavy hair was carved all the way down to her navel and a sword seemed strapped to her back. This must be the goddess Istus, Rosamund thought. She looked beautiful and fierce.