Claimed by Callista

Chapter ✺ 24

72 hours later

"Please, stay with me, stop walking through the mud, Yehseeka!" Macie begs me not to wander as we walk through a creek of blood mixed with fresh rain from the storm that just rolled in.

I can still feel the ground shaking like the thunder rolling out of the earth, not the sky. The only reason I don't wander off too far, is Macie's hand in mine, my hold to the present realm. My only tether to reality right now was her outsider's hand grasping mine.

She was a hostage.

I was dissociated with my body, in a Shamanic state – floating outside myself, watching myself walk through the bloody creek.

I kept seeing my father's demise over and over.

Shamans returned.

The Castle of Bolstrom had fell from the sky when the magic was stolen and when that slab of rock hit the ground, the whole Kingdom collapsed one stone after another.

Orsunr's advice was in words alone, my help was in turning a Key into the prison of collected human magic.

My Shamans.

And everyone elses. The plan worked as Orsunr said it would.

I turned and walked away from the catacombs and I walked to the bridge at night, where Orsunr was waiting. He took my hand as we walked through the deserted streets. It's like no one was there, or we were protected by magic and spirits that thanked us for their release. The only soul that joined us was Macie, as she yelled my name, we found her and escorted her with us from the Kingdom soon to be a burial ground.

Together, hand in hand, we walked from the Kingdom of Thousands safely.

The sound in the air had been distracting me, the buzz all around. Orsunr tried to communicate with me in my mind, he couldn't get through and I couldn't hear him. Ghosts were filtering in and through me, adding to my Shadow Witch power. One by one.

I left my father's Kingdom that night a changed woman.

I was now the image of my first ever vision. But instead of being surrounded by Shamans, or being surrounded by the death of Sovrex, I was just becoming the Shadow of Death. Orsunr had tried to bring me back to this life by Incking my whole body with lines of the kills I caused through the release of the collected magics. Every mark helped relieve some heavy weight, but nothing would match the Castle Fall.

Every death was attributed back to me.

I wasn't sure if it was just me, or also the help given.

Help from the only Shamans who did not return that night.

Callista and Nyaor.

The Rising Sun of Death was Callista.

Nyaor was the Setting Sun.

I knew these things because I was living in the Shamanic Plane, walking it consistently for three nights and three days.

"It's raining again, Yehseeka, let us return," Macie begs.

I can't respond, I don't have the ability to. But it's good that I can finally hear outside voices again. Before they were all muted.

However, my body can't stop. I have to keep walking until this death is done with me.

Until I can channel it somehow, someway, or until I drop dead from exhaustion.

"I can't keep doing this, I'm sorry," Macie is exhausted. She's barely eaten, staying with me the entire time, as I walk myself to death.