Weaver of Darkness

Chapter 68

Chapter 68

Liss made her way across the courtyard. The castle stood proud and regal in front of her. It showed no sign of the tragedy that had plagued its walls because of her and her twin. It was a thing of beauty. It called to her like a parent welcoming a child home.

Tears welled up in her eyes. She remembered this place so well. The time she'd spent in this castle was some of her fondest memories. How she wished she could turn back the hands of time and be among the people who made this place so special. The people she had loved so much.

Quietly, she moved forward, taking in everything around her. She had no idea why she was here, but she was determined to experience it thoroughly one last time. Her fingers sliding over stone, she made her way inside the castle, her footsteps echoing in the silence around her. She stopped, wishing for the sounds of life to fill her home once again.

If she closed her eyes, she could almost hear it; the sounds of a banquet being held in the great hall, sounds of hooves as her father and his men rode out on some important errand, her mother's gentle voice as she sang to soothe her children's dreams, and the soft laughter filled with joy as she snuck out of the castle with her Knight to play in the moonlight.

Liss' heart shuddered at that thought. Maybe being here wasn't such a good idea. This place only served to remind her of the vacant hole in her chest. It was a monument to everything she had lost, everything she would never have. She suddenly hated this place.

Turning back around, she made her way out into the courtyard. She wanted to leave this place. Some things were meant to stay in the past. These memories had no place in her life now. Everyone she ever loved in this castle was gone.

Stepping down a few stone steps, trying to find her way out of the past, she suddenly stopped. Eyes moving over the people in front of her, she whimpered softly.

"Hey, Princess," Cedric said, offering her a weak smile.

As her eyes locked with Raven's, she felt the shame and despair welling up in her once again. Tearing her eyes away, she sat down hard on the stone steps behind her.

She didn't want to see what might be backing those eyes. She'd torn the heart out of Raven's family. It was something she'd never forgive herself for, but she couldn't handle seeing the scars that had been left because of her.

Liss lowered her head even more as the tears began to come. She felt so selfish. They were the ones who had lost everything, yet she was the one making a spectacle of herself.

"Baby girl," Raven breathed as she crossed the distance between them, sitting down on the step next to her. "Sweetie," she murmured, taking Liss into her arms.

She let Raven hold her as she felt her sobs join her own. They sat there together, mourning the gentle soul who had kept them both afloat for so long.

"I'm sorry," Liss whispered after a while. "God, Raven. I'm so sorry."

"No," she said, looking at her. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

"Nothing to be sorry for?" she gasped through her tears. "Your brother is dead because of me, Raven. I think that's a lot to be sorry for."

"I, too, am sorry for the loss we all must face now, but I'm not sorry for the reasoning behind it and I definitely don't blame you."

"Why not? I blame myself."

"Melissa, my brother made his choice. You were more important to him than anything else in this whole world. It is not your fault other than the fact you gave him something to believe in. The rest of the world should be so lucky as to be touched by something as sure as the love he felt for you."

Liss looked away. "Obviously, there's a price to my love. I'm beginning to see that now."

"Princess, listen to me. We all knew he would die for you in an instant. That's the risk we took every time he was with you." Raven stopped, giving her a weak smile. "Protecting you was his purpose in life."

Cedric knelt down next to Liss. "I know this hurts, little red. It's cut us all too deep. But Hunter did what he had to do. Now it's up to you to do the same."

Liss shook her head. "I don't know if I can," she said, looking up at him. "All I seem good at anymore is letting everybody down and getting people killed."

"Don't say that, luv. You know it's not true." He put a hand on her arm. "I know this seems like rock bottom right now and maybe it is, but that means it can only get better from here on out, right?"

"I've been captured. Do you guys know that?"

Raven sighed. "Yeah, sweetie. We know."

"Then you know it's over. We've lost everything." She looked down. "The world is screwed...because of me."

"Princess, I know it seems bad, but you can't give up. You just can't," Cedric pleaded. "You're a fighter. You have to go on fighting."

"I can't. What's the point?"

"The point is, Princess," Raven began, "nothing is really lost yet, but if you lose the world, you do lose everything and I mean everything. Can you really live with that?"

"No, you know I can't," Liss muttered weakly. "But I don't have the strength to fight anymore."

"I have never seen you back down from anything, Princess. Don't start now," she pleaded. "I beg you; don't let my brother's death be for nothing. Please."

Liss felt more tears in her eyes. It wasn't fair to use him against her. Not that she didn't deserve it. It was something she'd be reliving over and over for the rest of her life. But she would do a good enough job of blaming herself without anyone else's help. "You know there's nothing I wouldn't do for Hunter," she whispered.

"Okay, then fight. Live," Raven told her, determination in her eyes. "It's what he wanted for you."

She nodded, swallowing thickly. "But how?"

Cedric looked at her thoughtfully. "How about this?" He handed her a wooden box.

Liss took it. It was the wooden box. The one housing Hunter's demise. She started to cry again. She didn't want anything to do with this dagger. Not when it had severed so much from her life. "I can't take this. I can't use it," she told them miserably.

"You're going to have to, luv," Cedric told her. "It's the only way."

She chewed her lip. "It doesn't matter," she said, looking at them. "This is just a dream. That dagger's not real."

"Technically, that's true," Raven spoke softly. "But what we're offering you is more than that. It is our word. We promise when you need it the most, this dagger will find its way back into your hands."

Liss looked at her, eyes wide. "How do you plan on doing that?"

Cedric grinned. "We're five-hundred-year-old Druids, little red. Don't you think we have a few tricks up our sleeves?"

She looked at him, a grin ghosting across her own mouth. "I'd hope so."

Raven reached over, brushing the bangs from Liss' eyes. "Have faith, baby girl. It'll be okay. Just know we love you and are with you until the end."

"I love you guys, too," she told them as they both leaned in and hugged her. "You are the best family I ever had."

Raven looked at her when they pulled back. "It will always be that way, sweet girl. I promise." Leaning her forehead against hers, Raven whispered, "Death is not the end, Princess, remember that. It is only the beginning. We will see him again."

"I know. There is no doubt about that."

Cedric looked at her. "Little red, what you told your brother was right. You will defeat him this time. I can feel it. Everything has cultivated into this chance. This is your time, luv." He touched her cheek lightly. "I believe in you."

Liss closed her eyes. It seemed most of the world believed in her. She just wished she could believe in herself. It would help with what was coming. She sighed, feeling herself slipping from the dream. It was time to see what she was made of.