Marked

40

Luka

It was the hardest goodbye, I had left and I couldn’t even do it. Myra sat at the water's edge where I had left her.

“Did you do it?” She asked.

I shook my head. “I couldn’t”

The leaves rustled and her hand rested on my shoulder. “Maybe it's better this way.”

I shrugged her hand off and started to walk further into the woods. To the clearing that she had found me the night of Luna’s death. It was dark by the time I reached the spot we were to meet. If it had not been for the full moon shining on her red cloak I would have kept walking

The clearing had changed from the last time I was here. The trees bent and twisted to form a large throne. White tiles marked the path leading to Hel’s bare feet. Her blue eyes meet mine. It had only been a few hours since she had stopped me in the woods after leaving Myra but she had aged in that time.

She examined her nails. “Do you know what you have to do?”

I sat down in front of her. “I am to join with Drake. To become who I once was and finish the spell.”

“You understand that it is the only way to see her again.”

I nodded.

She stood. “He will be here at sunrise.” She patted me on the head and disappeared.

I had known from the moment that we met Drake he would be my end. Even if I had doubted it, I should have guessed when time started to go missing. It should have been obvious; Grandmothers memories hadn’t led me to the relics. It was my memories as Drake.  I knew things about a spell I had never seen and the Dusk never touched me.

Myra called out to me. I ignored her. Laid back onto the bed of flowers and closed my eyes.

Nyght slumped on the ground below me. I pulled him to his feet “you will watch her die… again.” I turn Nyght around. The largest Dusk a member of my personal guard charged towards Myra battle ax in hand. The ax was only inches from Myra when I woke with a scream.

My breath came in deep gulps. In my panic, I reached out for Myra. She was running and Nyght was with her. I wanted to speak to her to ask her what had happened. But I stayed silent listening to her thoughts. It was an invasion of her privacy and had not done it since we were small children. Only using our connection to speak to each other, but I need to know she was alive.  She would hate me for much more when this was all over.

Drake’s toneless voice rang through the trees. “I thought you would have left.”

Hel had told me that we were once a part of the same soul. Until this moment I hadn’t been sure. For the first time I meet his eyes. Green shone through a lens of cracked and chipped eyes.

“It is the only way to end this,” I said.

He walked towards me hand outstretched to mine. All we had to do was touch and then I could see Luna again. As soon as his hand touched my skin I felt the fire burn deep in my chest and I knew Hel had tricked me. This was not the end of me, but the start of something new and there was nothing I could do to stop it.