Summer Garden

Ashwen

Ashwen pointed her sword at the ghoul that seemed to coming apart in front of her eyes, ignoring the hellish sounds of bones breaking behind her. "The sentence for your crimes, is death."

She slashed towards the weak creature, as she had towards the Faeling. As she would to any who stood in her way. Any who corrupted the memory of the Arbiter.

The sword flew apart, floating fragments in the air. Ashwen went white in horror, remembering the moment her father had died. The creature in front of her stood slowly, and Ashwen swallowed as she saw one of Summer's eyes peeking out where the skull had begun to come apart. Brilliant red hair floated in the air behind her. The eye was unforgiving, but not without understanding. There was a terrifying intelligence there. Intelligence without mercy.

"Lady Ashwen." The creature growled angrily, "You have committed treason against your queen. You have lead the council to war on behalf of a traitor! Janus betrayed you, as much as he betrayed me. You were nothing to him! Nothing! If he had ever cared for you, then you would not have found his dead body. You would have died with him when Vastras attacked. Janus was sleeping with F'rir. He was a slave of the fates. He was a manipulative bastard who betrayed us all by turning Fae against Fae. By raising armies and assassins in secret. This is not the memory of someone who deserves your heart."

Ashwen tried to punch. She felt her knuckles give way as it struck a solid barrier in the air.

A single finger reached forward, tipping up her head, and Ashwen instantly felt powerless. All her magic was gone. Completely gone. As if she'd been cut off from the lifestream itself.

"Enough people have died today. Enough people have paid the price for Tyr and his vendetta." Summer shook her head, bristling with rage, "I banish you. All of you."

Ashwen didn't have time to scream as the universe poured through her head. She fell onto her knees, vomiting violently. She fell to her side, weak and exhausted, her head pounding violently. She struggled, trying to remain awake. Trying to understand what had just happened.

She was lying on yellowing grass.

She could see mountains, and stars in the sky.

Nothing she knew, though. Nothing she could recognise.

She didn't have the strength to sit up. All she could do was lie there in the grass. She could hear the others going through similar experiences, similar bewilderment. Summer had banished them. She'd grabbed the entire army and thrown it into another realm as if they never represented a significant threat to her. Maybe they hadn't. Maybe Ashwen had been fooling herself to think that she could kill Summer.

Her magic was still gone. Without it... Was she mortal now? Could she return to the lifestream if she died? Or was this one last lifetime to live?