10 years later...
The child was born from a demon’s seed... the child will be a portal until the world ends...
Ravenna widened her eyes and looked around, but realised she was safe and her shoulders relaxed. Leaning on the rusty railing of the footbridge, she looked down at the rushing river. Although it was wide, it had receded sharply, turning into a serene, smooth canal right in the middle. Bushes and trees grew in bunches along the banks on both sides, encroaching into the winding river.
“It’s so quiet here,” the girl said. “Only the silence is almost soundless.”
Agnese climbed down from the footbridge and kicked a few pebbles into the river. They simply disappeared into the water without making a sound. Ravenna waited patiently for her sister to say something—she was in no mood to talk herself.
“All rivers are the same,” Agnese declared, using a stick to draw a line on the ground. “They start straight and fast, then curl up like snakes, carry silt and slow down at the bends.”
Ravenna watched with surprise on her face as she pressed the stick harder and drew a straight line on the curves, showing what the river was like at the beginning.
“Is it really like that?” the girl asked lazily.
Agnese threw the stick into the river. It fell very slowly and touched the water silently. They watched until the stick went under the bridge and out of sight.
The heat oppressed. Ravenna stood quietly, but Agnese wasn’t surprised because she was used to it. The sun had lightened her dark hair, face wasn’t tanned a bit, blue eyes were soft and thoughtful. Ravenna seemed to be in two different worlds—no matter where she went, she was constantly thinking about something else. Agnese wanted so badly to take her sister’s hand and look into the depths of her eyes, to find the real Ravenna and discover what was upsetting her, but she knew it wouldn’t help.
The strangest thing was that everything around Agnese seemed so real: the old footbridge railing; the river banks, thickly covered with grass, climbing up the steep slopes; the birds rising in small, ragged groups from the bushes by the shore; the wind blowing in gusts, brushing her hair out of her face and cooling her heated skin. The pleasant, lightly quivering warmth of spring was so palpable, only Ravenna alone seemed like a dream.
“Wanna go for a walk?” Agnese suggested.
Ravenna agreed. At first, they walked down the slope in silence. When the plain at the bottom got closer, Agnese jumped down. She landed well on both feet, but her solid body hit the ground hard with a loud thump. Ravenna, too, landed with a skid, barely holding on.
They headed to the water. Lots of bugs crawled all around the place, and Ravenna moved carefully, her white linen dress slipping easily through the tall grass.
“It’s so beautiful here,” she noted shyly and looked up at the spot where they had been standing before, trying to picture herself and Agnese on top, but to no avail.
Agnese went along the shore, so Ravenna followed. A path meandered by the water where the fishermen walked, and as they strolled beside, away from the footbridge, the silence fell over the whole land. But their footsteps seemed to break and disturb that silence.
“Agnese, have you ever felt like you’re being watched?”
The girl paused in surprise and turned around to face her. “No. Why are you asking me that?”
“I don’t know,” Ravenna cowered and looked around. “It may sound strange, but I have a feeling we’re not alone here.”
“Of course, we’re not,” Agnese shrugged. “This place is full of people and wild animals. What do you expect?”
YOU ARE READING
Demon Daughter (Book I)
Fantasy❗Editting ❗ On the night of the Blood Moon, a girl was born, destined for a dark future. She is the daughter of a demon, created from a false love, but she knows nothing about her origins because during the war she was sent to live on Earth with Lyn...
