Heavens Whisper | K.TH

White Blessing

AVA MIREA

The sounds of shrieking women and children crying is everywhere around me, and I force myself to breathe as I curl up tighter inside the small space where my mother had shoved me as soon as first blood.

Another attack, in just one week.

The soldiers' heavy steps echo past my hiding spot as they finish destroying everything the village owns, and I clamp down on my bottom lip when I hear the clink of money.

This wasn't a checkup, it was plunder.

When I hear the sounds of the militia grow more distant, I kick my feet towards the door and climb out of the stuffed space. My eyes sting at what'a been done, but I swallow and rush towards a sobbing boy.

Just a child, and they'd slashed his side.

"Shh— Shh." I quiet him, looking around quickly to make sure no one was watching. "You'll be fine, don't worry."

He widens his eyes, biting his lip so hard it starts bleeding. But with red slowly pooling by his side, it doesn't look like he trusts me a lot.

"You can't tell anyone about this."

Then I watch his small body freeze in shock as my hands begin to glow a soft hue of silver.

"I know it hurts." I soothe carefully, trying my best to keep him from yelling in surprise as I press my hand over his torn skin.

The wound begins to mend.

And then dizziness and fatigue hits so hard it nearly knocks me off my feet. Taking in a shaky breath, I heal the wound until there's nothing left.

"There." I say quietly, too exhausted to say anything else as I heave myself off the ground. "Now go back to your mother and tell her you're alive."

"H-How did you do that?"

I force a tired smile. "Magic. Now if you tell anyone, the wound will come back."

That was usually enough to scare them not to spill secrets, even though nobody would believe in the first place. Who'd believe that there was a Blessed out in the poor countryside of Illeum?

Then the boy's eyes suddenly flash up to something above me, and I have time to blink once before rough hands wrap around my shoulders.

"Blessed." An amused voice murmurs, and I freeze. I'm too afraid to turn around to look as the soldier forces me up to my feet. "Out here? Now that's not something you see every day."

Damn.

It.

"You're coming with me." He drawls, and I shiver in regret. I should have been more careful looking around—

"Move."

But my legs give out the moment I'm left standing, and I curse the exhaustion dragging my body down. Now I couldn't even run.

"If you really want to." He shrugs, before something blunt cracks against the side of my head. There's a dull echo, and then everything blurs into blackness.

________________________

I wake when ground touches my feet.

Except this ground isn't all dust and dirt like the countryside— it's pure gold.

What the heck?

"You sleep like a bear." A soldier laughs scornfully, and I whip my head towards him as he shakes his head. "You're in the Heart of Illeum."