Page 21 of Daughter of the Serpent

“I need to get out of here.” Sylvie croaked, the heat of the fire suddenly overwhelming.

The furs seemed to ungulate, her perception swimming withmoving shapes and scenes. The shadows danced from the flickering flames of the ceremonial fire, the elixir still playing with her dulled senses. Squeezing her eyes shut she tried to stop the whirling motion, still feeling tethered to the visions that had appeared behind her eyes. She furrowed her brow as she shifted her weight forward, raising herself up.

“Steady now.” The seer urged, grasping her arm. “Don’t need you falling over your feet.”

“I need fresh air.” Sylvie groaned, desperate to escape the overwhelming heat and the shifting shadows. “I need to get out.”

Opening the flap of the tent the seer guided her outside. The cool night breeze felt refreshing against her skin, her lungs gulping down the fresh air gratefully, snapping her further into wakefulness.

“Thank the gods.” Sylvie gasped, breathing in deeply.

Blinking roughly, her vision began to clear. Looking around herself she tried to grasp her bearings. The outdoor fire had been smothered, and darkness had settled in among the clearing, the only thing alight the thick of evergreens bathed in moonlight and glinting with fresh snow. Snowflakes drifted down in a delicate and steady stream, and the people who had awaited outdoors had dispersed, leaving only Sylvie and the seer in the darkness.

“How do you feel?” The seer asked, her hands finding her shoulder.

“I feel different.” Sylvie said aloud, her mind digesting the shift of energy that had occurred. Her eyes came to her body, her hands. “I feel…powerful.”

“Your energy has shifted.” She said, nodding.

“I don’t understand.” Sylvie gasped, still clutching her hands to her chest as she tried to recall the wisps of her vision. “What happened?”

“Something not of this earth lives within you Sylvie.” The seer reached out to her, tucking a strand of her golden hair behind her ear, lingering around the slope of her mutated eye. “It has been awakened. It is ready to break free.”

Sylvie’s eyes went wide, searching her face, her unseeing eyes.

“The magic is within - ” She paused. “It’s forged with your soul.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I can feel it in you, stronger than before.”

“But why?” Sylvie questioned.

“Even I cannot tell you that, for it seems the gods have their own designs for you.” She cradled her cheek. “Yet, I can tell you this. You will have a choice - between this world and the next; and you must choose wisely, for your choice will define fate for us all.”

Sylvie raised her eyes, opening her mouth to speak, the question curling on her tongue.

“You will know only at the appointed time.” She cut her off before she could begin, “But when you do, do not falter. Who you choose - will define your destiny.”

“Who?”

“Two paths have been placed before you now,” She continued, her hands still gripping wildly into Sylvie’s skin. “Follow the heart. Follow the soul - it knows where to go.”

“Please, help me understand. I need to know more - ”

The seer’s hands fell away as she turned, facing the open forest as if her eyes could take in its marvels.

“You must choose, past or future.” The seer said, vexed. “I will say no more.”

Sylvie retreated, her face withdrawn.

“Now go,” The seer insisted. “Your friend awaits you. She has returned to the festivities.”

Sylvie’s body jolted as she suddenly recalled why she had come to the seer’s tent in the first place. Looking up to the moon, it hung high in the sky, casting a silvery glow over the vast expanse of the forest at the edge of the clearing. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but the longer she lingered, the more likely it became that Tara would elude her and someone would discover their escape from the temple walls. Urgency surged, her veins alive with pulsing energy that cut through the lingering grogginess. Freeing herself from theseer’s hands, she stepped forward into the night. Swaying slightly on her legs, she forced her eyes open wide, willing her body to obey her commands.

“Then I must go.” Sylvie breathed, turning slightly to squeeze the seer’s arm. “Thank you.”

“Go child, and may the gods be with you.”