Bless Me

15

"It's raining," She murmured, gathering her clothing close to her chest.

Dorian stirred and turned over, squinting out the window. "No it isn't. You're having a bad dream. Go back to sleep—"

"It's raining and I'm afraid," she said again, a tremble in her voice, her fingers reaching for the cool glass. "You'll protect the girls won't you?"

Groggily, Dorian sat up. "Of course. I promised. Go back to sleep, Isolde. Come here," he opened his arms, gathering her into his chest.

Isolde pushed away. "The girls, I must attend to the girls. The rain will frighten them."

Dorian groaned tiredly, throwing his arm over his eyes. "Not possible being that it's not—"

A sudden strike of lightning flashed across the sky, the boom of thunder and the downpour began.

"Raining," he intoned, frowning as she rushed out of the door. He gritted his teeth. "What an amazing coincidence this is, do you see what I'm saying," he ground out, chasing after her.

The heavens had opened up, pouring rain without letup, dousing Dorian as soon as he left his building, heaving a sigh.

"You'll catch cold dressed like that! Come back in Isolde!" He shouted at the far off shadow of her. "Isolde!"

Trembles wracked her frame even from afar, entering the sisters temple. He followed, watching her frantically wake each girl up, until she got to Julienne, the youngest, and littlest one of the girls.

Isolde shook her once. Then once more. And then she pulled back the covers, dried blood soaked into the bedding under her. A guttural cry ripped from Isolde's throat, her fingers shaking as she pulled the young girl to her chest.

"Oh goddess," she sobbed, the blood from Julienne's back smearing on her drenched night dress, her body wracked with pain. "This poor child. Why this poor child!"

Dorian's eyes widened at the sight, but he was frozen, the raindrops seeming to big him down, as the children rose, noting the youngest of them had suddenly died. The temple filled with the uproar of the girls cries to the heavens, but all that happened was the rain came down harder.

And eventually, after an indiscriminate amount of time praying to the goddess, Isolde looked up at Dorian.

"Kill them. Find who did this and kill them. Please." It was barely a whisper. Her voice was sapped from strength.

Dorian blinked for a moment before nodding, running his hand through his thick mane.

"Yes. Of course I will, little Priestess. I'll bring him to his knees in front of you for this great injustice."

Isolde's eyes fluttered shut, before she opened them, smiling down at Julienne. "I loved my mother. She had the longest black curls. The kindest, darkest eyes. For a long time, I thought my mother was the goddess and...she was just keeping it a secret from me."

She smiled ruefully. "And then they took her. Thieves I'm the night broke in and stole her. And I knew then...I knew she had been taken because she would've never left me," her voice broke and she swallowed. "I was honored...to be your mother, Julienne. Even for a day. My poor Julienne."

The girls huddled around her trying to provide her with a sense of comfort, but all she could feel was the burden of their hearts. How much she would sacrifice to keep them alive. And the true, cold, dead proof in her arms tbh at she would not always succeed.

"It's okay to curse me," she whispered. "I brought you all here. I took her wings. I killed her."

Dorian stared from the edge of the room. "Don't say that," he whispered.

But his whisper was lost with lingering don't say that's of the girls, begging Isolde to stop looking so utterly broken.

"How will I go on, Great Goddess? How will go on? Take me from this pain, I beg."

Dorian's heart wretched in his chest, lurching so suddenly, he touched it in surprise. He had the sudden feeling that this all knowing woman, this deity he'd been following behind—was not as unshakable as she seemed.

The Isolde he had marched behind seemed very stripped down and bare right now, in a way he didn't want to look at; and yet could not tear his eyes away from.

"My children. How can I possibly..." her voice trembled before fading out, her body softly rocking the girl, the burden of the other children on her shoulders, with more to come, her eyes emptily stared at the sky, and for the first time in her life she began to wonder if anyone was even listening.

Dorian followed her gaze, to that empty night sky, that they could only be assured held rain clouds. His heart pounded. The blood seeped from julienne's back, spreading out like wings on her white night dress. It did not seem she had been killed.

Dorian's stomach churned. He would have no villain to deliver. No thief to punish. But then again, he could create one. For her satisfaction. For her broken heart to mend.

Because that was his purpose. Just as it would be hers to plunge the shards of her broken heart into his and kill and him one day.