The Raven and the Wraith Book 2 (Completed!)

The Raven and the Wraith 2 Chapter 41

The Raven and the Wraith 2 Chapter 41

The snaking lines of deep crimson pulled at my eyes, dragging at me like a wolf dragging its prey to its doom. I felt like that prey, caught and helpless, and I hated it desperately. But before I could even try to break free, I looked directly into its depths.

I looked into the open jaws of Hunger.

It was familiar, in a sickening way. A familiarity that I could neither deny, nor hide from. This Hunger was part of me. It was the same Hunger that had nearly driven me insane back in the caravan. It was the same Hunger that had always howled out of the eyes of seven black cats that had followed me ever since I had denied my Power.

It was limitless, it was unthinking and uncaring, it was Vampyre.

I shuddered. I thought Genevieve's Power had cast that out of me. Just thinking of her Power moving through me made me suddenly realize how identical the glowing, red lines of Power here were to her own power.

I controlled the entirety of the Shadowfall, the full spectrum of Power from my realm, and Genevieve controlled the entire power of this place.

The ring on my hand burned with a dark heat. Tads ring, that filthy, wrong ward he had used as both armor and a weapon. I had promised to return it to the Council here, to restore that last part of the Balance. I had forgotten about it.

I looked at it, seeing it through the eyes of the Vampyre. It held a single, blood-red ruby, sparking with tiny blades of frigid light. I stared at it, stared into it, as I had the rings in Talia's library. And once again I felt myself being drawn down into the ring.

This time I allowed it. I helped it along, hurling my entire consciousness into it. I had no clue what I was doing, instead just letting my instincts take over. I knew with perfect, terrible certainty that I would either come through this alive and whole, or I would lose the battle against the Hunger, and I would become nothing but the Destroyer, the Ender, the Vampyre.

It was strangely both terrifying, and comforting. Now, finally, I knew what I faced. Now, finally, my path was clear.

I had to destroy this ring, this tear in the Veil between the two worlds. And I had to restore control of the Power of each Realm to its rightful place. The Shadowfall needed to be under Genevieve and her new Council, not inside of me. 

And I had to blend with this red river of infinite Hunger.

That made me stop. I stared. I felt my heartbeat stuttering in my chest, an aching twist behind every beat, and I felt a nearly irresistible urge to scream until my throat was raw. This was beyond impossible, there was no way Genevieve could even touch the Shadowfall, much less blend with it. And if I dared allow this red river of Hunger into me, I would become nothing more than an infinitely hollow monster.

A single thought, blazing like a bolt of lightning, flickered through the chaos in my mind. Who, or what, had created this ring? Destroying it would certainly bring that being to me. And I did not feel at all ready to face such a thing. I was torn.

Long, shivering minutes passed, where I hung in the horrid balance between action and indecision. It was alien to me, to be so unsure how to proceed. I had always just trusted my instincts and simply chose action. Now, though, the consequences were far greater than anything I had ever faced, or even imagined I would have to face.

A shimmer in the air nearby distracted me, and I threw my focus at it, desperate to escape the turmoil of my own thoughts. The waves in the air were well defined, a clear shape, moving around me in a familiar, slinking pattern. The great black cat.

"You stand at a Crossroads, now, kitten. You are now a Lower Werecat, but you lack the wisdom and experience to see your Paths. What will you do?"

It's voice, bursting through the hallways of my very thoughts, was as timeless and incomprehensibly powerful as ever. But this time, I felt a connection. On some unknown level I understood the cats ways, and that made its voice much less overpowering.

"I don't know what to do! I can't let this rift between my world and this one stay in place, but if I try to fix it, Genevieve and I will be...erased."

"Erased? Interesting. Werecats, even Lower Werecats, are not erased by the choices they make. We are those who walk the threads that tie all reality together. We are the Weavers, we are the Erasers, we are immortal."

I felt a bubble of hysteria blossom in my mind. Immortal? Me?! I shoved that down with a snarl. I had no time for the luxury of pondering such things right now.

"Ok, fine, I'm immortal. But that doesn't help me choose. What should I do?"

The air stopped shimmering as the black panther slowly took shape, still prowling about restlessly. It was huge, almost the size of a full grown horse, and I felt my hands twitch as I fought the urge to reach for my blades. They would be less than useless against such a being, and I didn't get the impression it was here to attack me.

I also realized that my instincts weren't totally wrong, either. It was unquestioningly dangerous, even to me, right now. I saw it's eyes glitter as it read my body language.

"Careful how you choose."

I glared at it. "Was that a threat? I'm not looking for trouble, I'm looking for help here!"

"I cannot help you. This Choice has been set before you, you are the Weaver of these strands."

"Then why are you here?! To watch me fail?!"

The cat stopped pacing, its depthless eyes locked on me.

"No. I'm here to Erase you if you fail."