The Goddess's Chosen

Chapter Eleven

Ivory

The sun was barely peeking over the horizon when Ayla came to wake me for my journey to meet the goddess. I guess Carter wasn't joking when he said first light. I dragged my feet through the snow, following Ayla to the stables. The morning was chilly, but it didn't faze me in the slightest. I felt it was because I was an elf and this was my natural habitat.

Still, I wrapped my arms around myself and wrapped the wolly shall Ayla gave me tightly around me. The forest that was always around us swayed in the wind. Birds welcomed the sunrise as they woke up, singing their songs. There was a peaceful ambiance in the place. It felt like home. I could almost taste the hot cocoa my mother brewed every morning and the smell of my father's cologne as he got ready for work. The sound of the crackling fire with the large pot filled with whatever magical goodness my mother always seemed to whip up.

The smell of manure and hay burst the little bubble I had created as we reached the wooden building. Its large barn doors were ajar and a warm light was emanating from it. Fear pierced my heart as I was back in front of my home, the door ajar and the eerie stillness in the air. My breath lodged in my throat and I took a step back. No, not again.

I could feel my heart pounding in my head as I reached for the door handle, but I couldn't grasp it. My mind wouldn't let me. The menacing growls of the white and black wolves that killed them echoed in my mind. The flash of snarling, sharp teeth, the clicks of their claws on the wooden floor and the painful howl that tore through my heart haunted me. This couldn't be happening! Not again. Please! My mother's scream pierced through the air and I felt like I was about to faint.

I tried desperately to pull myself back into the warmth of the memory I was having just before, but I was rooted in place. Stuck in my waking nightmare.

"Ivory?" Ayla's voice cut through my nightmare. Her hands gripped my shaking shoulders and her face showed worry. "Are you okay hun?"

My eyes burned as everything came back into focus. I felt the cold brass of the long handle in my hand and the wind carried the scent of the stables. Was it over? My ramming heart calmed as I registered I was not, in fact, back in the human world, about to see my parents' bodies again. I had a feeling that nightmare would haunt me for a long time.

My head pounded from the massive headache that I had. I shouldn't have drank so much last night. The last thing I remembered was crying into Xavier's nice suit and then I woke up in my bed at Ayla's. My heart skipped a beat at the thought of Xavier. He showed such genuine kindness towards me last night. I wondered what was going through his head. I hoped I did nothing embarrassing. The last thing I needed was more awkwardness between us.

We entered the barn and my eyes widened at the magnificent beasts that were lined up for us to ride. These were the Engi Xavier mentioned last night. Huge elk-like beasts with long antlers and white marbled fur. They were beautiful.