Born of Death (Editing)

37. Bright and Mysterious Light

Please vote.

Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don't give up.

-Anne Lamott

Crouching in a defensively, she positioned herself in front of her mother. Rosalinda gawked at the strange change overtaking Ari'el while golden tears trailed his face. The subtle glow coming from him seemed to dim. He stretched his hand toward her and she felt compelled to go.

"Don't go near him, sweetie. It could be a trick," her mother said, gripping her arm.

"But he needs me. I want to nurture him." Strange. It was the same compelling feeling she got when she came across Midir. Turning toward her mother she stared calmly into her worried blue eyes. "It's okay, mom," she said pressing her lips against her head before letting go. Leaving her against the wall, she shuffled forward toward Ari'el. When her eyes landed on him, she froze.

His inner glow burned, encompassing his entire body in bright light. Terror shot through her when a hand composed entirely of light particles burst from Ari'el's chest. She couldn't even scream, breathe or move. Only her heart moving as fast a butterfly's wings raged within her. But it was the chilling words coming from his lips that sent horror reeling through her.

"Run!" he mouthed.

Returning to her mother's side, her eyes raced as she tried to figure out an escape plan. There was no way she could reach the floating islands in the sky.

"Mom! We have to go!" she squealed, grabbing ahold of her weak mother "Maybe we can swim in the river of light."

"Baby, this is the boundary between life and death. This is sort of a neutral zone. If we climb into the river, there is no telling where we'll end up."

"What?"

"We could land in Summerland Avenue within the welkin, one of the layers of Hel or even the Abyss," she said ominously.

"Who cares! Any place is better than here! We're sitting ducks!" she screamed, placing her back against her mother's and hooking their arms together. She began to pull her mother toward the river when she felt something grabbed her ankle. Fear clawed up her throat and out of her mouth when the grip on her ankle tightened and yanked her. Losing her grip on her mother, Rosalinda fell forward her face smacking against the stark white sandy ground. She coughed, hacking the grains out of her mouth.

"Mom!" she cried, reaching for her. She couldn't leave her mother here. She was too weak. "Protect her," she whispered reaching toward her mother, and then she screamed.

***

Death ached to have his precious Dumu-mi in his arms. He stood gazing out of the massive window in the colorless room, a place where his daughter spent so much of her time. Even with the colossal size funnel pouring millions of souls in, he remained unhappy. The chaos distributed through the realms by the horsemen had yet to rile the Welkin. If he kept the souls in the Shadeland, would they appear? He needed his Dumu-mi!

Closing his eyes, he sent out a summons to all the souls bounded to his daughter. Once that was done, he reached deep within himself where the connection to his daughter existed and frowned. There was an extra link. Who did she bind to her?

"Master, Master! Look what Gin has found in Mistress room!"

Thanatos eyes slid to the imp slightly widening at Rosalyn surrounded by a damaged barrier.