The Death Song of Evanore Frock

Chapter One- Empty

It's been 23 years since they buried me alive, hoping that would be enough to kill me. They were right, I was dead. Not in the way that a priest was going to say a few words as my body was lowered into the ground, or that my heart and brain had stopped functioning. It was the kinder, more forgiving side of me that had been killed. When the ground around me began to shake and rumble, I knew what had to be done.

Whatever shook the ground around me was causing the wards keeping me inside the coffin to shift out of place. Just a few more quakes... I felt my prison flicker for just a moment, but that was all I needed. My power surged, the wooden coffin I had been sealed away in shattered into a million pieces, destroying the wards that kept me in place.

The sunlight was a curse as it touched my skin. Too bright for a world full of traitors and liars. There were screams erupting around me. I checked the crowd, all strangers. Useless to me then.

There were only six people in this world that would ever matter to me again. Six traitors to deal with. Then I could finally rest. I stepped out of the ground, taking a deep breath, tasting the fresh air, I had to admit, it was much better than the dead air I was accustomed to. The first thing I did as a free woman was to take off my boots. I swore years ago I would remove those damned restricting agents. The earth felt free, light even beneath me. It might have made me smile a little bit had I not forgotten how after spending decades trapped beneath the earth.

"Hey!" Shouted a man in a bright orange vest "Who the hell are you?" He sounded angry, as if it was my idea to be buried alive. Like it was my fault my sisters had turned on me. It wasn't my fault. He didn't have the right to be angry. But then again... I could give him a reason.

I shot out one hand from beneath my filthy cloak, a blast of black and red ice shot from my palm.

So that's what that power did. That'll be useful.

The annoying man flew backward into a mound of dirt, others raced to his side as if they could have done anything.

I looked around me. Strange, when I was buried here it was just forest.

Now it was a developing housing complex. Much like those ugly, identical houses from the 1950s. Judging from the tools and equipment, it was easy to guess the men were building a playground when they came across me. I wonder how they're going to sell that one to the parents. 'Witch discovered buried alive during the construction of children's playground'. Whatever, not my problem.

Ignoring the men, I went into what was left of the woods. Far enough away, I summoned a portal, black and red. So it looked like this was my new color pallet. Good thing I wouldn't be alive long enough to get used to it. I was always a pastel colors girl. Until they took that away too.

I wasn't sure where the portal was taking me, only to who. An oak study. How predictable. Leonarde practically jumped out of his chair as I entered the room.

"Leonarde we need to talk." Was that my voice? I could hardly remember it. The last time I used it was to scream, and that was decades ago.

I waited patiently for him to get over his shock as he slowly recognized me beneath the dirty cloak and starved body. "Evanore? Is that you? It can't be... it can't be."

"Of course it's me. Now I need-"

I was cut off as he launched himself at me. Embracing me. I stiffened, holding my breath. Two decades of only the cold earth to keep me company, I had forgotten how nice the touch of another person, an old friend, could be.