The Queen Of Darkness

19.Soul Searching

My eyes snapped open, taking in the dark blue sky above me, a canopy of trees blocking the clouds. I twisted my head, feeling the hard ground beneath me. Weeks of training kicked in, my hearing searching for sounds, my eyes swirling as I tried to find a different scent.

I sat up urgently, my head whipping around. I took in the trees, the leaves on the ground, the weird quality of everything. It looked distorted, like I was underwater. I raised my arm, watching as I pushed through the air.

It was like the gravitational pull had tripled. I struggled to my feet, weighed down and sluggish. I paused, straining as I heard a voice, a feminine hum.

I followed the lyrical sound, transfixed by the beauty of it. I pushed through trees, swatting away branches as I tried to navigate the woods quietly.

The lull grew louder as I neared, stumbling out of the tree line. I took in the wooden hut. It had a thatched roof, the building held together by what looked like sticks and mud. A small fenced off area held a cow and a few chickens, the back of the house had a little crop patch.

The voice came from inside, humming an almost sad tune, slow and methodical. I pushed aside the sheet that hung in place of the door, stepping onto the compacted dirt floor.

It was just one room, a table to my left. A wooden bowl and knife the only things on it. The blade was thick and blunt, wrapped at one end with fabric as a handle. A little fire surrounded by rocks was placed in the centre of the room. Against each wall surrounding the flames lay thick piles of straw, covered by a thin piece of material, a little bundle at one end of each bed.

A woman stood over the fire, facing me as she continued to hum. Her hand moved over the flames, the light dancing with the movement. She was controlling the element.

She raised her head, her features orange against the flames. She was beautiful. Her hair was a light blond, tight ringlets that reached just below her shoulders. Her eyes were a dark brown, auburn in the light, her skin lightly tanned. She had rounded, subtle features, making her appear quite young, maybe my age or younger. She was petite, her frame slight. A simple cream dress hung from her body.

She smiled, her cheeks puffing as she watched me. With a flick of her hand, the flame simmered until the corners of the room were dark.

"It is nice to finally meet you Regina. I am Reena." My eyes widened in surprise. I blinked, licking my lips.

"Oh, um. How are we doing this? Where are we?" I stuttered slightly, my hands clenching nervously.

"We are in Slovakia. This is my home, in the village where I grew up. It is long gone in your current world, but here, my soul resides. As it does in you. As to how we are doing this, you have broken through the protection and released my magic. It was too much for your body to handle, so I brought you here. There is still so much you do not know, and time is running out." She spoke with an accent I couldn't identify, her a's curling with r's, her o's not quite complete. Her mouth moved awkwardly around certain letters and words, in the way that English was obviously not long ago learnt. She sat, motioning me to do the same. Cross legged with my hands in my lap, my right thumb picked at the wick on my left pointer nervously.

"What don't I know?" I asked, my voice loud in the small room.

"To defeat Orion, you must discover why I am involved in the prophecy. You must see what happened to Estrianna and I, to understand what my sister did to me. You must know everything." Her tone would sharpen when she spoke of her sister, her eyes glossing slightly. She stared at me expectantly, causing me to nod.

"Estrianna was born four years before me, in thirteen forty one. My parents were simple peasants, my father worked for an esteemed aristocrat, a Lord that owned a castle. My mother was a witch, a very well hidden one. Not even papa knew of her magic. She used to teach Estrianna spells, but I was always too young, and that mama would show me once I reached Estrianna's age. I never got the chance. My mother died of the Black Plague, as did much of our village. I was only five, my sister nine. We were all broken, devastated. But it took its toll on Estrianna." Reena spoke slowly, her eyes on the fire as she remembered her past.