BANE: avenge

chapter 25

I look around the room despairingly, my IEMP suddenly exceedingly clear, frozen again as I feel the gears start to function normally again.

I look inside the room, my eyes adjusting to the dark of the room. There were two people, begging me, the terror plainly expressed in their bodily postures, their facial expressions. I recognised them, my mother & Hamish looming before me. They flinched away from me, seeing the dagger in my hand. The cold set in my frozen heart made me to move forward, pushing me towards them, never forsaking me.

My mother begged me, Hamish pleaded for me to stop, to pull away. They did not understand. They did not know. I was not able to stop. The woman from before was controlling me. I could not stop. I could not speak. I would kill them. I would kill them both, & I would have absolutely no control over it.

I stepped towards my mother & Hamish. I was right in front of them now. My hand raised.

“Ara! Gadaranine Olesya Eberneus! I will call the Erinyes down on you. I will call them to you."

My hand disobeyed my command to stop.

My hand descended upon them, piercing them both in the heart leaving no change of their survival.

Then, I was released.

I wept as my mother gasped for air, surprise freshly renewed in her eyes, & Hamish closed his eyes, not even attempting to hold on to the small bit of his life.

I looked down at my hands, seeing the blood staining them thoroughly, the splatters covering my black dress. How appropriate for the occasion.

My mother turned to me.

“Foolish girl. I will call them to come to you."

“I am sorry, mama, dear mama, forgive me."

“You fool! I will call them to you."

She coughed out blood, the blood spilling out of her mouth.

“Gadaranine Olesya Eberneus, you have been one of the most foolish children I have ever seen. To have children for this. For this! I should have never done so. I regret it forever. Such an ugly child, at that. Metal shoulder & metal all over. Different coloured eyes. Born that way. It is truly - "

Here, she paused & coughed more blood out.

“I am going now, I can feel my thread being cut."

I cried on her shoulder, not caring if I got stained by more blood. She took a breath, choking on it.

“As my last wish, my death wish, I call the Erinyes upon my third eldest daughter & murderer, for the cause of - "

She coughed.

“- murdering her own mother."

Then, she smiled with her blood-stained teeth & sighed out the rest of the breath that was left.

I cried as I held the dead shell that once held my mother's soul.

Then, I heard a voice.

“Gadaranine Olesya Eberneus, we have come for you."

Not one voice, but three voices. Three voices in unison. Three screeching voices in unison. I dropped my mother's body, my tears dried by the shocking screeches. I turned slowly, & saw three women. That was the best description I could give, anyhow.

Their hair flowed even though there was no wind, their fangs protruding & eyes burning into me. I screamed as they shrieked into my SRDs & started asking for someone to help me. Their voices whispered & screeched into my SRDs at the same time.

I got up & ran out of the room, tears falling from my eyes at the pain of the screeches they released.

The maid ran towards me, saw me covered in blood & crying & ran away from me, yelling something about me having gone mad. Gone mad? I had certainly not gone mad!

I fell to the ground, covering my SRDs, trying to stop the voices, anything to make it stop, but it was all in vain.

Pippin bursted out from the parlour & looked at me incredulously, but then ran towards me, kneeling down beside me.

“What's wrong, Ara?"

I hickuped, the three women echoing the sound, blowing my eardrums apart.

“The women! The three women..."

He looked around me, straight at them, & back to me.

“I do not see any women, Ara."

I cried as they whispered vile things in my SRDs, cursing me for having killed my own mother.

“I didn't do it! I did not want to! I tried to stop!” I cried out.

“Ara, calm down. Come hence..."

He moved towards me, holding his arms out.

“Don't."

He backed away a bit, uncertain.

“Why?"

“You'll get all bloodied up."

He picked me up anyways, rocking me back & forth, back & forth, the blood staining his white shirt.

“Don't cry, darling. Tell me what's wrong, Ara."

He said it softly - almost melodically - & the pain from the screeching & taunting lessened slightly.

“There are the three women."

I covered my SRDs as they screeched.

“They say they are the Erinyes."

“Erinyes? Go on."

“My mother... She sent them."

“Your mother sent the three women, the Erinyes?"

“Her dying wish. It echoes in my head. They keep repeating it, over & over."

“What was your mother's dying wish?"

“As my last wish, my death wish, I call the Erinyes upon my third eldest daughter & murderer, for the cause of - murdering her own mother."

“She said that, did she?"

I nodded, hickuping, my tears running onto Pippin's shirt, mingling with the blood stains.

“Yes, she said it. She called them to torture me. My mother, she wouldn't listen. The other woman was controlling me. I couldn't stop myself."

“Alright, I've got you now. We are going to fix this, Ara. Trust me. We're going to see the Oracle, ask why she didn't warn you about this."

I nodded.

“We're going to fix it."

The gentle rocking had calmed me down, & the screeches felt slightly more far away than before. I closed my eyes, sniffling.

“Ara?"

“Yes, Pippin?"

“I..."

I reached up & touched his face.

“I am sorry, Pippin. I truly am. I'm sorry for ruining your life, I'm sorry. Thank you for staying with me. Thank you. Please don't leave me, a poor, wearied soul. You've stayed with me for two life-times, my dear Pylades. My best friend. I'm glad they reincarnated you as well."

I let my hand drop again, feeling Pippin's tears on them, & closed my eyes in weariness.

Out of the darkness that is slumber, I almost thought I heard him whisper something that pierced through the voices of the Erinyes.

“I love you, Ara. I would never leave you."

& so, I fell into the troubled land of the dreams.