𖣔The Skull Of Water𖣔

𖣔𝕻𝖗𝖔𝖑𝖔𝖌𝖚𝖊𖣔

𖧷𖧷𖧷

Two years ago

Fire burned in the centre of the house.
The flames reached out; hot like lava.

Mara Woodruffe stood at the base of a staircase, eyes wide. "What started the fire?" She silently asked herself as fear overwhelmed her; blocking her intuitive senses.
She squeezed her eyes shut as a wave of ashes hit her. She collapsed to the ground. Why am I here?
The flames were grabbing hold of her like strong, sharp talons. They scraped her arm; she could feel her boiling blood trickling down her skin.

Her eyes flew open and she sat up from her bed; a pool of sweat surrounded her.
"It can't be true."
She didn't bother changing out of her sleepwear, this was too much an emergency.
She couldn't get down the stairs fast enough. Time had already been lost, and she knew it. Please be a nightmare please be a nightmare.
Her heart was racing and the panic had her searching around frantically for the closest footwear. She ran out the door the second she had her shoes on halfway.
She did her best to hurry through the forest. I need to get there before the fire happens, before- She already knew that Salem had been the cause. She had been waiting her whole marriage for him to make the mistake of using the skull.
He had the vision too; It's our daughter who's in danger. He's going to try and save her by controlling the fire.
She tripped in the deep snow, tears running down her face. "Terrie!" She cried out into the forest. "Terrie get out! Get out of the house!"
Mara picked herself up and continued running, though she knew she wouldn't get to her daughter in time.

𖧷𖧷𖧷

Salem Sorrel woke up calmly.
He had had the vision, and he assumed that Mara had too.
Terrie. He thought before slowly getting up out of bed, letting out a sad sigh of defeat.
The skull knew of his intentions for it was already glowing brightly on his side table. It's the only way.
He gave the skull a gentle pat and felt the magical surge of energy flow through him. He felt as if he were burning on the inside. Even through the new and intense pain, it didn't cloud his thoughts; he was going to use the skull no matter what.

Everything was as it always had been. The pictures up on the mantel were illuminated by the bright full moon, and his lonely goldfish continued to swim around its aquarium.
He could see everything now; the power from the skull gave off a warm, orange light.

Snow fell outside his small home, signifying that they were well into the winter season, and it gave off a satisfying crunch from underneath his boots as he walked down the little dirt road, towards his daughters cottage.

He wasn't close with Terrie, but they got along just fine. When she was around twelve years old they had started bonding over weather control. Salem could still remember her beautiful smile as she created a small rain cloud. Since then, they had practiced once every month; they eventually quit practicing after she hit the age of sixteen.
Now they only ever talked on birthdays or at the very few family gatherings held each year.

Salem could see a thin trail of smoke in the sky, beckoning him closer. The fire had started, and it was bound to get worse if he didn't do anything to stop it.

𖧷𖧷𖧷

Mara continued running.
She knew she wasn't getting any closer to saving her daughter; she was only nearing the part in her vision where she was at the base of the staircase, dying.
I'm on my way. I am on my way to bring you home with me. Home, where you will be safe. She wanted to scream, but her throat stung from all of her previous cries.
"I'm almost there." She promised in a hoarse voice, though she knew that there was no way her daughter would survive. The fire had looked too severe, and by now Salem would have arrived and made things worse.
She fell to her knees, weeping. "I'll be with you soon. I'll bring you home with me soon."

𖧷𖧷𖧷