Page 24 of Daughter of the Serpent

Violence dripped and ran through her veins, pure power - untapped and ready. The malice was a seductive lure, a calling to bow and obey. All she had to do was surrender. A vision of Baldr’s broken body flashed through her mind, his head rolling from his rotted corpse filled her veins with a cruel delight. Snapping his head from his body, and his limbs from their source would be a fitting way for this to end.

Yet, just as quickly as the power surged within her, the anger built, and the voice overwhelmed her senses - it all began to slip away. A brilliant light, just like the one she had seen and experienced at the rite, streamed through her consciousness.

Pure and blinding, it rapidly dispelled the darkness that had threatened to consume her.

A strange peace began to replace the volatility, an overflow of compassion and love washing over her. She glanced down at Baldr, who still lay on the forest floor, his eyes filled with hatred and disdain. Yet, despite his glaring animosity, all she could see was his truth, laid bare. The harsh lines of his face seemed to soften before her, revealing a soul twisted and rotted beneath. The overwhelming light illuminated not just his features but the very essence of his being, stripping away the layers of malice to expose the truth, his vulnerability.

His face had become something else. Changing and shifting before her very eyes, it was morphing, reshaping itself to reveal the face of a young boy. Instead of the fine lines, the wrinkles, or the aging of the sun, she could see down into his very core - to the child inside.

There she sensed his pain, and somehow she knew he had succumbed to the very same blows she had, by his own father so long ago. That he had been defiled, broken, and never had known the touch of love.

Somehow, she could perceive the entirety of him - his life, his stories, and all of his sins laid bare. Delving deeper, she searched andsought until she found, buried so deep it was almost hidden - the innocence that had once been stripped away.

The truth finally peaked from below the surface.

He despised her, but deep down, it wasn't her he loathed - it was himself.

An intense urge surged within her, compelling her to reach out and touch him - to touch his heart. She could see the dark stain of turmoil on his soul - a pulsing black energy that tainted him whole. If only she could reach it, she believed she could cleanse it away.

She moved closer to him, but he recoiled from her.

He was terrified - terrified of her power.

Yet she knew if she could just touch him, she could help. As she gazed down at him, she no longer saw the harsh, domineering man who sought to punish her. But, the sorrowful little boy who had never known the touch of kindness.

She felt herself move, extending her hands, meeting his face. His blue eyes flashed upward as she cradled his cheek.

“Let me heal your heart.” A voice said, and it took her a moment to realize that it was her own. Reaching outward toward his chest her fingers became enveloped in white light, like streams of sunlight that began to embrace him. There the light built and built, lighter and lighter - growing and growing in intensity until it enveloped him whole.

As his heart became fully encased in light, the black energy faded, thinning like washed out ink that couldn't dry - until it was gone completely.

She staggered backward, the light retracting back into her hands, her palms hot with the intensity.

She looked at him, her own shock permeating her features. Baldr’s eyes were withdrawn, as if he had been somewhere far away - no longer present but in a dream.

His men, gapped mouthed and limping, gathered around her, before she fell limp to the muddied ground.

Sounds erupted around her - the clash of steel, the spray of dirt, and the thud of something large and weighted hitting the ground. Something splattered across her body, wet and still warm, rousing her further into wakefulness. With effort she opened her eyes, her body fending off the draw to fade back into sleep.

Two blue eyes stared back, vacant and lifeless - an ax protruding from a split skull. Her body instantly recoiled, her senses snapping back in shock. For a moment, the ax itself began to gleam. The wooden handle carved with runes seemed to come alive in the blood of its victim. A bear, carved with its mouth open and menacing, held the base of the steelhead, the steel itself seeming to be birthed from its jaws. It seemed to conjure its own voice - “I claim, I claim.” it whispered in the deep.

Blood fell in a slow drizzle, a melodic spell.

He would feast with the gods tonight.

Screams erupted, and a form large and menacing barreled from the shadows, fear instantly sharpening and rendering her body useless. A hand reached out toward her and she tensed, waiting for the blow, yet in one fluid movement it ripped the ax from the man’s skull instead aside her, causing blood to spurt. The man’s eyes met hers, honeyed amber flickering in a circle of glowing fire. A heartbeat passed between them before he ducked, a blade swinging from behind, but missing his head mere inches.

Raven hair swayed, beaded and bound, as he rushed forward, blade swiping viciously and without hesitation towards the man’s throat. It made contact, the red haired brother of Baldr, instantly clutching at his neck as he tumbled backward, blood spurting. A yell echoed through the clearing, as another one of Baldr’s men made his attack, dagger white knuckled in his hand. The raven haired man dodged the blow, twirling backward before sweeping down and slashing his blade at his opponent’s ribs. Gut splitting, his insidesspilled, a piercing scream hitting the air, echoing outward through the clearing.

Bile met Sylvie’s throat as she looked away, her stomach twisting.

She needed to get out of here.

Heart hammering against her ribs as she attempted to retreat towards the safety of the trees, yet her efforts were futile. Every ounce of energy had deserted her, leaving her drained and useless. Despite the surge of adrenaline coursing through her veins, her body rebelled, the magic she had invoked exacting its toll. She lay there, helpless, fighting against the encroaching darkness threatening to consume her whole once more.

Fear laced her as she looked out toward the clearing, her eyes meeting the unfolding scene. Two men approached the stranger, weapons drawn and eyes narrowed as they encircled him.

The stranger stood resolute, his stance ready and waiting. The cloak that had previously lined his shoulders and hidden his face, lay abandoned beside him. Without its cover, the intricate runes inked into his skin became visible, along with the faded scars that rippled over the taut muscle. Winding tattoos accompanied them, adorning his arms and neck, spiraling upward in tendrils of curling blue ink. Long hair black as night that had once been shorn along the sides of his head, tumbled down thick shoulders adorned with silver pieces. He moved in a predatory grace, the fur pelts that wrapped around his torso swaying as he lunged untamed and wild - fending off attack and blow with a stunning ease. The man gripped his ax, the steel alive and whirling with flowing energy.