Chapter Text
A chill wind snaked its way through the fir forest, whispering of rain and eyes watching in the darkness of near night. Kaylin's hands paused against the moist soil between an amethyst nightshade flower and the stems of azure forget-me-nots.
“You are not supposed to be here!” whispered a windy voice in her head.
A shiver ran down her spine. She lost her way hours ago, on her journey to the North and now she didn’t know which direction was the right one, but she knew that she will be dead if the sun will be setting with her stuck in this place. Her body was naked and covered in violet and yellow bruises settled among her marks. Something was strange tough… When she set on this journey Kaylin was perfectly sure that she was fully clothed and that she used the right mountain paths, yet she was bruised and naked and…taller.Her usually shoulder length brown hair was now a long drape of smooth raven black, barrani black, that covered her back. This was not right…
“You are not supposed to be here!” hissed that ethereal voice again. “Run daughter of water and sun! Run Chosen!”
In that very moment the sun had set and a primordial cold engulfed the forest, freezing the air and coating the firs and flowers in laced ice. She wasn’t trembling. Her body wasn’t bothered by the cold in any way, but an irrational fear, a gut feeling of wrongness settled in. Between the secular trees something was watching her. Something ancient. Something hungry that hated light. That hated her. Kaylin was frozen on the spot, like a deer in the face of the wolf, her heart threatening to break her rib cage. It was here. It was here. He was here! And in that moment she knew he will eat her alive while she was still screaming and thrashing in pain and terror. Not even this strange body will protect her in the face of this thing, this monster. Two moon white eyes watched her.
She couldn’t see any shape behind those eyes, just utter darkness. And then she felt it. His voice.
“I found you. I finally found you little one. I searched for you my dear, for eons, but now I will starve no more!”
His words slithered trough her brain making her eyes burn. Kaylin felt him searching, probing, she realized with horror, for her name. The enormity of it, the primal fear, made her snap out of her stupor and scream in denial. What she said was the heart rejection, the ancient tongue.
She woke up covered in sweat, heart pounding in her chest.
“A dream. It was just a damn dream” she thought. She covered her eyes with her damp palms. On the inside of her head she was desperately uttering her name, again and again, making sure it was still hers.
“Ellariayn. Elleriayn. Elleriayn. Elleriayn.” Her being pulsed with each utter. But for some reason she still hid under the covers and waited for her heart to quieten before she reached toward one of her name-bound.
“Callarnene”
“Kaylin…You are agitated.” She sensed his worry.
“I had a nightmare. My mind enjoys scaring the life out of me.”
“I see. What do you want to ask me?” he inquired softly.
“Tell me about one of your travelings.” Anything to distract her from her thoughts was good enough. Nightshade remained silent for a moment, taken aback by her sudden need for his presence.
“Please.” She whispered.
In the softest of tones he began to tell her of times long forgotten . She closed her eyes and let his voice carry her in another century, another world, burying the remnants of her dream and fright.