Wysteria

Chapter 7

(Not edited)

I woke up in the middle of a clearing, my hair covered in twigs. I smooth it down and pull the twigs out. I go to smooth down my skirt, only to touch skin. I look down and sigh. The clothes I put on this morning are gone, replaced by the silky bands of pure silver strung around my body. The strands of silver that I wore every day after my coronation on the Moon. The familiar straps settle onto my skin tightly, wrapping around my breasts, going down my back and looping around my legs, hiding my most private parts and leaving most of my skin bare. On Earth, it would be considered appalling, but on the Moon, more often than not, the moonlings are naked. I look around, but nothing seems different about this clearing. It is the same one that I meet with my team in, which worries me a little. Someone has summoned me here. They want me to know they are watching.

I stand up and dust myself off, but there isn't much dirt on my skin. I begin walking out of the clearing, heading towards the edge of the woods. If I am on earth, which I doubt, then I don't want anyone to see me like this.

When I get to the edge of the woods, I peek around a tree. Only, the pack house isn't there. There is a small cottage sitting in it's place. The cottage is old, with vines covering most of the walls. On the tiny porch were three figures, each sitting in rocking chairs. I step out and walk closer to them, eyeing the giant sewing needles and silk thread in their fingers. They were old ladies, three of them, with thin, gray hair. Their eyes were closed, but that didn't stop them from continuing to weave the thread, measure the thread and cut the thread. One of the old ladies used these long, very sharp scissors. They moved in sync, cutting and weaving and measuring so swiftly, I worried about them losing a finger or two.

"Hello?" I called, near where the mailbox should be at the end of the sidewalk. "Where are we?"

They paused in their movements, and I felt a chill go down my spine as each one smiled at me, revealing rotten, unkept teeth.

They began whispering, mouths moving at unnatural speeds, and they spoke in Latin.

"Child-"

"Foolish-"

"Child-"

"Excuse me," I call, walking further up the path. I felt something on the ground and tripped over it before I could stop myself. It was the root of a nearby tree. Before my eyes, the roots grew and started to wrap around me. I gasp and call on my magic, stopping the roots and sending them back to the ground.

I hear the women stop whispering. Looking up, I place a hand on the ground and haul myself back onto my feet.

They began to whisper again, and I scramble forward to hear. Their eyes remain closed, but I know they are watching me.

"A life, a life,
A life of one
Two paths cross,
A life is done.
No choice, no chance,
No time to waste.
A warning ignored,
A correction with haste.
A Goddess made creation
With human qualities,
Forsaken child,
human you shall be."

I felt a searing pain in my chest as the one in the middle points at me. She begins speaking as her sisters chant.

"Your Goddess did not heed our warning. You are cursed child! You will meet your fate! You will die, you will die, and so will your mate. Heed my warning now, do not fight. This is not your war! This is not your war!"

I fall back onto the ground, screaming, my vision slowly turning black. The voice of the women chanting is the last thing I hear.
———
I woke up in the middle of a clearing, my hair covered in twigs. I was panting hard, my throat raw. I smooth my hair down and pull the twigs out. I go to smooth down my skirt, and feel it covered in twigs too. I try to calm down, flushed with feelings I've never felt before, like hurt and worry. I shake them off and stand up. I have to get to Rhylan. I have to be sure that she's still here.