Page 2 of Redemption (Deliverance Duet #2)

Chapter One

Iris

I have heard people in my village talk about death before. They speak of a soft light that appears, and then you follow it to everlasting peace. This is not my experience.

I find myself in a forest. It’s one I have never been to before, the trees more like the pines from the north than the large oaks near me, but this is no forest from my land. Despite being somewhere unfamiliar with no recollection of how I got here, I’m not distressed, only mildly curious.

I know I’m dead, or at least that I am no longer connected to my body. This should upset me, but I feel strangely… numb. My memories are fuzzy, and I don’t remember how I came to be here, only that I need to start walking.

A pathway lies ahead, with trees lining either side, and I feel a pull in my chest. This is the way I’m supposed to go, that much is certain. I lift my foot and take a step forward, but my chest constricts. I pause, my breath in my throat. Pressing my hand to my chest, I stop and wait for the feeling to pass, then I try again, but the same thing happens, only easing when I stop.

I’m supposed to go forward, I know it in the very marrow of my bones, yet something is holding me back.

What force is so strong that it can alter the path of death?

There is a stirring behind me, and I turn to look at the darkness. Was that always there? I am sure I would have noticed if it was. It appears to be a writhing cloud of shadows and wholly unnatural. It might seem scary and intimidating to others, but when I look into it, all I feel is warmth and protection, a strange description for something so dark and supernatural.

The mass of shadows moves towards me, completely enveloping me. Should I fight it? I could push it away and run towards the path I’m supposed to take, but even if I believed that was my best course of action, it wouldn’t do me any good. The overwhelming power the darkness possesses is so much stronger than I am and would steal me away whether I wanted to leave or not.

Wrapped in its twitching, pulsing embrace, I close my eyes and let the familiar yet strange sensations move over my body. I have a choice to make. Something deep inside me whispers that I already know where I want to be, so I breathe it in and let it consume me.

I don’t know where it will take me, but I know wherever we go, I am going to be safe and protected. Magic swells around me, and despite any uncertainty, a small smile spreads across my lips.

Everything I now know is darkness.