The Raven's Source

Chapter 44 - Danger in the Woods

Sheja groaned, her head spinning as her father's Voidstep took her off guard. She gasped as she heard something fall behind her and turned around to see Leena on the ground, having passed out from the disorientation in her already weakened state. "Shit! Baby?" she whimpered, kneeling next to her. She had tried to push her away for her own safety but was apparently still touching Leena as her father used his Voidstep to transport the two of them to another location.

"Oh, I can take care of both of you. How nice," Jhonnis said.

Taking note that Leena was unconscious but otherwise unharmed, she turned back to her father who stood across the wooded area. Looking around, she knew they had to still be in Saorsa since the gates were still magically locked down. And with how thick the trees were, they were probably not too far from the hilltop since Voidstep couldn't relocate people too incredibly far like a true Teleport or Relocate source could. She was thankful though that the trees were thick above them, knowing if she was going to have to fight, it was best that the snow hadn't reached the ground here.

"So, this funeral was all a set up to try catch me? Clever. How are you even alive?"

"How are you alive? I killed you first."

Jhon laughed. "Nan Edna brought me back soon after Cerno left Ralnsah. She hoped I would be able to bring him back home since he refused to stay."

"Nan could resurrect? And you cherished her even though she was a Taboo?"

"Of course, child. I had to have some sort of back up plan if something had happened to me. Of course, I dispatched her for waiting so long to revive me. It seemed her original intention was not to."

"For good reason," Sheja growled.

"That's no way to talk to your dad," Jhonnis said, his voice a little more gruff.

"Dad's don't break or try murder their children. You've put me through hell!"

"If you would have only died when I first poisoned your source, you could have died on a high and I wouldn't have had to follow you to Sundres. I admit, making the boy attack you did stir the pot though, didn't it," he laughed. "And again, you could have died having fun if you had just sat back and allowed him to break you. But no, you still fought back." He tilted his head to the side in thought as his grin widened, "But I guess I have to say thank you, otherwise I wouldn't have felt the satisfaction of killing you myself at the Gala."

Sheja's heart thudded heavily. She closed her eyes and held out her hands. A sword quickly formed and she took it by the grip, holding it out in front of herself and leaning back into a defensive stance. She wouldn't let her father take her down without a fight, and she sure as hell refused to let him hurt Leena or their children.

"Oh ho, you'd rather fight? And here I was actually going to ask you to join me."

"Why would you do that?" she growled. "You hate me. You have always hated me. And even though it seemed impossible, you hated me worse when I accidentally killed both of you. You basically said so yourself at the Gala. You even just repeated yourself now."

"Because with you standing here in front of me, I see now how powerful you are. You've grown to be a respectable person, regardless of your gender. You've proven that you're my rightful heir, not your brother. We could take that and rule Ralnsah again," he said, his own sword forming in his hand.

"Cerno already created the perfect place to govern over," she said, not taking her eyes off of him. "Ralnsah and all of it's Taboo-hating patrons can burn in hell."

Jhon's face instantly turned into a glare at her. "How dare you say that about your home."

"This is my home!" Sheja yelled, lunging towards him. Their swords clanged and echoed through the trees as the metal swung and struck one another.