A Tale of Shadows

Fire and Ice

Some say the word will end in fire,
Some say in ice,
But from what I've tasted of desire,
I hold with those who favor fire,
But if I had to perish twice,
I think I know of enough hate,
To say that the destruction of ice Is also great,
And would suffice.
         - Robert Frost Fire and Ice

    The night air was cold for the small Texas town at this time of year, and Azriel pulled her bag closer for warmth wishing that she had grabbed a jacket as an afterthought. The night it's self was pleasant, summer fading to fall, the moon brightly lighting the path to the dinner. Azriel walked on not minding the silence or the walk for she had made this walk before just as familiar to her as the path she walked to school. She loved breathing the air of the outdoors and the smell of the mesquite trees along the road separated from the trees only by a small wired fence with old wooded posts here and there.
   As she walked Azriel hear a car coming and moved a little farther from the road, the car slowed slightly and Azriel turned and saw a few boys from the football team hanging out the window hackling. She rolled her eyes dumb boys, and suddenly as the car pulled closer a sharp pain radiated out of her neck and the world started to blur.
   "I anand na- nev."
A soft spoken voice brought Azriel back to reality, 'the time is near' what was that supposed to mean? She had no idea. Although it quickly dawned on Azriel that her hands where cuffed together the cold metal roughly cutting into her skin, and it was dark. A trunk she was in a trunk. She was terrified her heart hammering in her chest she pulled at the metal cuffs to no avail, the only thing accomplished was the metal cutting into her skin. The broken skin burned as blood rose to the surface, so struggling was no use. Azriel quickly stopped once her skin started to bleed, instead attempting to tame the terror inside by listening quietly to her surroundings so that she could gain some bearings of what is going on to plan an escape.
   There where voices, Azriel strained to here the hushed tones.
"Is the wood ready?," an older voice asked.
" Almost," a boy replied.
"Good," said a voice that was familiar to Azriel. "I have waited too long to be rid of the brat," the voice continued.
The ice that hung over Azriel clung to her heart, it was the voice of her mother. What did she have to do with this? Was she responsible? Azriel had no answer and doubted she would get one however her mother continued.
"I regretted getting her as soon as I realized her name was the angelic name for the fallen angel of death. She is a demon spawn witch and I will be glad to was my hands of her. I never should have signed those adoption papers," her mother spat with malice.
  Azriel's heart sank lower in her chest. Her own mother that had raised her had not only lied but was betraying her. Azriel needed to escape, she felt that her life would be forfeit if she failed. She would make her move as the trunk was lifted, her captors would expect her to still be unconscious other wise they would have checked on her by now. Azriel needed to forget the betrayal and tensed ready to attack at a moments notice.
The voice grew distant as foot steps sounded louder and a twig could be heard snapping under a boot, Azriel quickly remembered the pocket knife she had tucked away moving her bloody hands up the checked between her corset and bra it was still there silently sliding the knife out she gently opened the blade careful of her fingers in the dark.
Now armed and ready to spring Azriel waited for her opening. Twigs crunched once more and suddenly a clock was heard, the trunk lid slowly rose. Azriel sprang out of the car slashing at the surprised man who opened the car, running and pushing back the bile that rose with harming another being she did not hesitate or look back knowing that if she did she would be caught.
Yelling she heard voices yelling calling after her, burn the witch. She was no witch and yet they sought her blood, her death. On wards Azriel pushed running further and faster as the voices faded in the background. Shaking with adrenaline and heart pumping having moved faster than she ever had in her life Azriel paid little to her surroundings knowing only that she was fleeing the evil hatred of humanity.
  All of a sudden Azriel ran onto a path and heard shouting from her left fleeing once more not paying and heed to the forest that she now ran through she continued to run. Thinking that Azriel was still being chased by the townsfolk and pumped full of adrenaline panicked as she heard the voices grow closer, powering ahead Azriel screamed. Out of a tree dropped a man and all of a sudden Azriel knew, she was not in Texas anymore. Trees surrounded her strong beautiful trees wider around than she was tall, and a delicate green glow fell through the canopy of leaves above, never had she seen a more breathtaking sight. It was a sight she would have puzzled at for days, had it not been for the fact the man that had dropped down from above had an arrow pointed straight for her heart.