We are not wounded so deeply when betrayed by the things we hope for
as when betrayed by things we try our best to despise.
In such betrayal comes the dagger in the back.
- Yokio Mishima, Thirst for Love
"You're far less timid than the last time I saw you," Cassandra said, rolling her neck and wincing in the process.
Leah had allowed Cassandra to take a seat on the bed and was perched opposite on a wooden chair, watching her cautiously.
"Sorry," Leah said, somewhat unconvincingly.
She'd decided to believe Cassandra for the moment, and was letting her recover from her attack, a process which involved a lot of neck rolling and back arching. Leah found herself caught between guilt and caution, and she eyed Cassandra uncertainly.
With a final groan, Cassandra stopped stretching, and fixed Leah with a look that only elevated her discomfort.
"So, I'm meant to remember you?" Leah asked.
"Not well, but yes, we met several times when I was alive."
Leah nodded and looked away. "And why should I believe you? You have Zarah's tracker, but that proves nothing."
Cassandra shrugged. "You have no reason to, I understand that, but I have information that might help you. Considering you're travelling with Jared Caldwell, I doubt you have any idea what's actually going on. It's up to you."
Leah sat still, trying to force a flicker of recognition, a memory from a dream. It didn't come.
"Why did Zarah trust you?" she asked suspiciously. "She wouldn't have given the tracker to just anyone."
A small smile graced Cassandra's face.
"No, she wouldn't have," Cassandra allowed. "But we're related, cousins actually. We were quite close in the live world."
Leah's eyes narrowed.
"You're a lot older than Zarah."
Cassandra laughed. "Yes, I am. Age doesn't work as simply in death as it does in life. This world allows repeats. If someone dies here, they can be reborn and start again at whatever age they chose. It's a world of redemption really, not death. Only when a soul achieves complete peace, do they move on."
Leah blinked. "Fine. How did you find out about me then?"
Cassandra sat back, wincing when her shoulder hit the bedpost.
"I saw Brenton Caldwell in a news report claiming to be your guardian and I realised who you were, so I travelled to your town and found Zarah. She confirmed what I already suspected."
"Which was?" Leah asked, distantly realising she was no longer sitting, but pacing the room.
"That you're still alive," Cassandra said. "I told you how I died, Brenton Caldwell killed me. He caught me on a recon mission and I spent months locked in a cell while Brenton tried to get information from me."
Leah's pacing slowed as Cassandra spoke, as the colour fled her face and her fingers dug into palms.
"Tried to get information?" Leah asked apprehensively.
The look Cassandra gave her said all she needed to know, and Leah felt her world tilting.
"I thought I'd be strong enough," Cassandra said softly. "But I wasn't. The things he did..."
YOU ARE READING
Black Stars - The Mors Mortis Trilogy Book 1
Fantasy*WATTPAD FEATURED FEB 2018* *2018 FICTION AWARD WINNER IN SCI FI CATEGORY* Leah Azemar's soul has been sent to the world of the dead. She just doesn't know it. ... Leah Azemar has spent her life trapped in a town that moves slower than she does, hi...
