Split the Deck

Chapter 11

     I had expected Hellfire to greet me when I opened my eyes instead of darkness. I could see myself clearly, as if i was bioluminescent on a dark ocean floor. My hair was surprisingly dry, my lungs filling with air instead of heavy water. The blood that had dripped off of my fingertips was gone, replaced by illuminating light. My eyes widened as I raised my right hand out in front of me as if to touch an invisible wall and spread my fingers. Light pulsed beneath my feet, the scene switching from overwhelming darkness to a bright forest in the evening, the leaves that littered the forest floor beneath my feet illuminated in a blast of orange, green and yellows. I took a step back, my back hitting the hard wall of a tree trunk. I gasped, jumping away from the calloused and coarse bark and about faced quickly, spongy green moss held small strands of my hair in its as I turned to see the view the large oak tree. My breath caught in my throat, my mouth dry. Where the Hell was I?

     "I had asked myself that very same question, little one." A soft, feminine chuckle sounded behind me. Again I gasped, turning on the balls of my feet and tripping too quickly to catch myself. In front of me stood a woman with hair the color of dark chocolate and skin as pale as the snow. Her eyes were an icy grey, her body slim and toned and covered in dried wolf pelts. A black crow was painted over her eyes, feathers tied into her hair by some type of hemp rope. Her feet were covered by heavy leather boots, grey and black tinted fur covered the rim in a thick layer. A small smile graced her plump lips, her head cocking to the side as her eyes narrowed in amusement. Her accent was thick, almost Nordic in a sense.
    
     "Who are you?" I asked, slowly sliding myself away from the wild looking woman. The cool earth gave way beneath my hands, making it hard to be subtle.

     "You can't feel my energy? Focus, child, feel the vibrations of my energy and remember." She ordered softly, her figure teleporting in a jittery motion before my eyes, stopping in a crouch over my body, her hand now gripping the back of my head and pushing her forehead to mine. Pain hot and fresh spidered from the back of my head making me cry out in agony. A flash of white blinded me, my eyes closed and my senses opened to reveal strong, fiery red lightning bolts zapping the air around us. The familiar electric energy so eccentric that it made the hairs on my arms and the back of my neck stand erect. It felt warm but cool at the same time, sending mixed signals to my brain. A flash of a triad moon, the galaxy ridden sky in the background. My cards.
     My eyes shot open, meeting the woman's mischievous grey gaze with breathless wonder.

     "You? How?"

     "You crossed into the spirit world, dear. This is the Nether, no one but the dead pass through here." She informed me, standing up with arms wide open as if to show off the whole world. I glanced around, my eyes scanning over textured trees and leaves lit up and shadowed by the bright sun that smiled down from above. The spirit in front of me beaming smile, eyes twinkling with pride. It was almost too much to take in until I realized a major piece to this whole puzzle. I was dead. Everything came rushing back to me; the bite of the cold water and the pain as a slippery wet rock cracked the back of my skull with a sickening crack. I bit my lip, cringing at the memory, hands flying to the back of my head at the dull, throbbing ache.

     "I'm dead." It was more of realization than anything else. The spirit shrugged, the left side of her lip curling upward in a pondering way, like she was mulling over the statement.

     "In a way, yes." She agreed.

     "You told me to die....why?" I asked her, though if I really thought about it, it was more of a reward for the horrible sin that I had committed. If I had had any honor I would have lived and served my long sentence. I would have never lied to Dennis, I would have stayed with him. As if sensing my guilt the spirit lifted my chin, making my eyes meet her calm, sad gaze.

     "You've done no wrong. You aren't completely dead, there is still time to right the fragmented song. You still have time, but you needed to die in order to grow, in order to be reborn,"

     "Wait—what the hell are you talking about? What song? What do you mean reborn? Who the flying fuck are you even?" I pushed myself off the ground, growling with exasperated disbelief. She stood with me, slowly and cautiously. Her eyes never left me as she studied my movements.

     "There was a seal on your gifts, you are capable of so much more than you realize. But to embrace it you need a clean, purer view. Your third eye needed to be reawakened. Hence I directed you to your rebirth. It's the only way to mend your fragmented life song, otherwise you would stand where I do. Trapped and enslaved." She explained sadly. I paused, my fury subsiding into understanding. Waves of sadness seeped away from her, her grey eyes losing their mischievous twinkle. She had looked away from me at this point, eyes cast downward and gazing with longing at the roots of the oak tree as if they were chains. "My name is Yggdrasil, I am your guide."

     "Yggdrasil? You mean like the tree of life in Viking mythology?"

     "In a way, my parents gave me the name because I was conceived during a ceremony honoring the great tree. My mother was barren, unable to have children until that day."

     "So how am I supposed to be reborn?"

     "That's an easy one," she grinned widely, looking at me again. I raised an eye brow at her, wanting to run as she teleported in front of me again. She pressed her middle finger to the middle of my forehead and I froze. "You just wake up."
     She pushed me and my limbs went numb, buckling out from under me as a shock of electricity shot through my spine. I fell back with a force and the world fell into darkness with me.