Indigo Shadow - Hemlock

Prologue

April 1888

She remembered the fragrant warmth of a June evening; speckles of candlelight glittered through the open windows from the front porch table, still disheveled from afternoon tea. She played in the garden under the lilac bush where her mother gave birth to her. 'La meva filla, this is where you're from... my lila Loo,' she would say over and over, kissing Loretta's forehead every time her dimpled fingers found a lost blossom, happily grabbing one to show her mother. Other childhood images fluttered behind her eyes; dusty sunlight through stained glass windows, the constant smell of soda bread baking in the kitchen, her father's scratchy goodnight kisses from his mustache on her cheek, the sound of her mother singing songs echoing through the house every Sunday. Soon it would be Loretta's 22nd birthday. She had been blessed. How ungrateful she had been. But that didn't matter now.

"You will be mine... forever," the man growled as he clutched an ax in his hand; his breath was rank with whiskey and his knuckles black from dirt, his arm was bandaged from a wound but it was dark with infection. Below him, on the floor, she knelt defensively; her dark brown hair matted, she had just awoken from a restless sleep. "Fucking bitch... this will ruin your family, I will make sure of that." He took her in with his vision; every second his eyes glittered, savoring the moment. No remorse, no second guesses. They both knew what was going to happen.

" 'I must go in, for the fog is rising...' " She whispered, and despite it all, her eyes were calm and serene. She clutched the necklace that swung from her throat.

The man didn't even blink as the ax came down on her watery eyes of turquoise. Again. And again. And again. Blood splattered the walls and dripped from the jagged edge of the hatchet. He let the ax fall from his grip, maybe because he was tired from swinging it... or maybe because he thought he had won. But there was no penance, not even a hesitant breath. Grabbing her legs, he heaved her inside of the old wooden wardrobe, the one with roses etched into the doors. As he started to close the door, a large and shadowy black wisp swirled from the wardrobe, and seeped into the wooden floors like oil, then disappeared.

"No!" he screamed, clawing at the wood, his breath coming in heaves. The man turned and ran down the flight of stairs in a daze. He exited the mountainous Lodge, dimmed from the absence of lanterns. In the distance, the swirling shadow faded, leaving behind streaks that marked the snow like ash.

Suddenly, he was running, at top speed, into the thick snowy woods behind the Lodge. Thorns covered in icicles cut his skin as he fled, but where to? He had acted out of malice, out of pride. And it filled him with glee. He had wanted the foresight, whatever it was, that had been inside of her. For months he had seen it in her eyes; and he knew from the legends of his forefathers that she was indeed an Indigo. But now, the spirit was lost... and he felt anguished that it hadn't seen him as a worthy host. However, the woman in the wardrobe would be his forever, the image of her mangled body, a prize that would be kept in his vault. He smiled to himself, a chuckle escaping his bloody lips. He tasted her on his tongue; metallic, sweet, and fearful. Gigantic pines and aspens filled the dense woods around him, trying to suffocate any remaining light that the setting sun was trying to shed. Before he knew it, the man was miles away from the Lodge, trudging and leaping past snow drifts that were as high as he was, leaving a trail of crimson and mud.

Looking out below him, the small canyon was sprawled out in the distance. The town was nothing but a glimmer of light as the miners who lived there were getting ready for sleep before a day of laboring in the chasm of the earth. The Lodge was tucked upon a ridge inside the canyon, darkened and hollow. Her legacy would be there endlessly, wandering its lonely halls, forgotten and desperate for the end. He let a triumphant scream erupt from his lips, letting it echo down into the canyon. Without a second glance, he walked back into the forest, letting its shadows engulf him into its maze. He would escape, and she never would.