Random Fits of Fancy

Book 3 Excerpt

I was inspired to write this...and yes I am in pain, but it's also comforting in a way. From book 3, whenever that gets written.

She was left alone in the darkness for a long time. There was no concept of time, days or weeks, it could have been years since she had first been brought here for all she knew. Her cell grew warm, then unbearably hot when the sun was up, and dropped to freezing as it disappeared. There was nothing but silence most of the time, and when there was noise, it was a scurrying rat, or a distant scream. The howling wind, or a grating drip. Drip. Drip. All of it was awful.

After a while she stopped feeling her legs, crumpled as they were beneath her. She had not stood for some time, and likely never would again. The arena felt like a lifetime ago. She tried not to move her arms around, the scraping chains aggravatingly loud to her sensitive ears, and after a while she lost feeling in those too. Eventually she just closed her eyes for a moment...and didn't open them again. She just didn't have the strength.

Everything was fading, going wherever the last dredges of her hope went. She had thought she could get in, survive, and get out, but now...well, it didn't matter. No one knew where she was. She had left behind no clues for anyone to follow. There would be no fiends coming to her rescue this time...and if she had played her cards right, Xol was still fuming at her rejection to see the chess game at play.

It had been a long game of cat and mouse...but it was nearly over. Nearly.

Her spell was complete, and the damage it was causing was irreversible for everyone involved. She had almost done it. She was so close to succeeding. Just a little longer then...well. There really was only one option.

She didn't like to spend what little time remained thinking about that, though.

It's funny, really, how being this close to...that made walls fall. Steel enclosures rust and wither, and she just didn't have it in her to keep them up. What was the harm in admitting now, finally? Her mind was as empty as it had ever had been, no little voices to give their opinions or eyes to spy on her innermost thoughts.

She wished there was. She missed the fiends, the Void...Xol. Funny how the beings she hated the most over time had become her security blanket, an unwitting support system that none of them had realized would be as beneficial as it had been...and she had willingly thrown it away.

It didn't matter, though. None of it did, her feelings, the lies, the truth and who knew it...none of it.

In whatever time she had left, there was no hurt in admitting the truth to herself. She could think of home and draw whatever comfort she found therein to make it through this final time, however long it would be.

Home. It had changed for her, after all this time. It used to be the Light Realms, with her father and mother, her sister and grandfather...but now it was with them. Him.

The pack.

The sprawling village nestled amongst towering pine trees, cozy log houses hidden behind big, vegetative bushes. Animals and people coming and going, the buzz of nature magic constantly zipping in the air. Being in Aggie's comforting presence as she banged pots and pans together, always making something wonderful with a twinkle in her eyes and a warm grin. Valerie had never been able to try her homemade biscuits and gravy recipe, but she had always wanted to, ever since the first time they had met.

It was Aggie that had let her remember her name again, and had let her be Valerie. It was such a simple concept for most, but for Valerie, it was an unspeakable gift. Aggie had never wanted anything from her other than for Valerie to be herself. Valerie had never been able to thank her for that, or the other innumerable kindnesses the southern woman had bestowed upon her. Even now, Aggie was doing her a kindness with the few memories she had.