Life and Death (Book 1 of the Mergence Series)

Chapter 4 - The River of Fate

Let It All Go - Birdy & Rhodes

Chapter 4 - The River of Fate

Coldness.

She felt it before her mind even registered where she was, and then she let out a gasp of breath as her head broke the water. She barely had time to suck in another breath before she was yanked back down, her arms flailing as she fought against the current pulling her backwards and the skirt of her white dress wrapped around her legs, dragging her further down into the darkness. Her lungs screamed for air, but she resisted.

I did not escape him only to die anyway

She broke the surface again, her eyes searching as she let out a gasp, just catching sight of someone near the shore before she was pulled back down.

Had he followed her?

Her body collided with something as she went back beneath the surface, knocking what breath she had from her lungs, and she began to panic as water entered her mouth, choking the life from her. As the darkness began to take her vision, she took in the light reflecting off the surface above her and a tired smile crossed her face.

There is light, even in this dark place. Incredible.

She was so sleepy but didn't want to look away from it. She didn't even feel the cold anymore.

Then with another gasp she was pulled back into the light, coughing and sputtering as the water was forced from her lungs. " Can you hear me? Miss?" A blurred figure asked as they hovered above her, and she squinted up at them before the exhaustion pulled her slowly back into darkness. " We should take her to the castle." A second voice said, farther away now, and there was a mumbled response before Mira knew nothing else.

********

Mira's eyes fluttered open as she awoken, frowning at well-lit but dark room around her. She started to sit up before a hand suddenly pushed her back down, and accented voice spoke from beside her in the shadows. " You shouldn't move. Here, drink this."

Something was shoved beneath her nose, and before she could decline the women was already forcing it down her throat. It wasn't nearly as bad tasting as it was smelling, it tasted like honey and some sort of fruit she couldn't think of.

" Can you tell me your name?" The woman asked.

" Mira. My name is Mira." She answered and the women nodded with a smile as she moved further into the candlelight. Mira was immediately stunned by her beauty. Her skin was a light shade of umber while her hair and eyes were nearly the same shade of black. She was also dressed in a gown dark almost black, crimson with gold lining around the collar and sleeves, and gold adornments sat at the middle of her forehead, in one her ears, and studded on the side of her nose.

" Well met, Mira. My name is Wicca." The women said politely with a dip of head. Wicca helped her to sit up and Mira looked around the room curiously as Wicca turned to refill the cup she had made her drink of. Nearly every surface was covered in brightly lit candles, and thinly made drapes hung from the ceiling in serval places, then she took notice of something else about the room and look back at Wicca with a frown as she offered her the cup wth a kind smile.

" Are we underground?"

" A cave at the base of the mountain." Wicca explained. " Theo and Conner were going to take you to the castle, but I prefer to do my work here."

" Mountain? Are we really that far down from the Sky Castle?"

" Sky Castle? Where do you think you are, Mira?" Wicca asked with a frown, and Mira stared at her before quickly scrambling toward the opening of the cave." Mira, wait." She called, but Mira had already reached her goal, her eyes widening at the sight of the world outside. It was raining, even though the rain Mira couldn't make out anything that existed five feet from the mouth of the cave, because beyond that was nothing but shadow.

" Where am I?" Mira whispered backing away from the darkness, and Wicca moved to catch her before she fell to her knees in shock, her face buried her hands." Wicca, where am I?" She repeated.

" To outsiders it is a dark place, filled with nothing but death and shadow, but to us who have lived here, to live amongst the dead as we do, and in an endless night, it is a way of life." Mira knew before she said it, and as if to block out the truth pressed her hands to ears, but nothing could block out the next words that Wicca then spoke." This is Mortith, the Kingdom of the Dead."

Author's Note: Welp, looks like Mira got away but seems to have fallen in even more trouble. Oh dear.

Wicca appearance wise resembles someone of South Asian to Indian descent. Her name however is derived from the word wiccan. That should give you the best clue to who she is in actual Greek mythology.

As for Theo and Connor, hmmm, guess we'll see won't we.

- ElizabethUnderwood7

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