Page 28 of One Last Promise
“Why would anyone go there?”
“Only those with the strongest powers survive.There is an oracle on the isle that grants wishes.I know of one that came back and was granted a wish.”
“What was the wish?”
“Oh, now we are sharing stories, are we?You told me my kind always lies.What’s the point in telling you?”
“Motherfucker!”It was wrong of me to use that word again, but there was something liberating about saying it out loud, and at Darce.
“Twicein one day!Alora, I am impressed,” he chuckled, crossing his arms.“I’ll wait here while you do whatever it is you need to do.”
Was it possible that this Noxlin male and I were befriending each other?The lengths someone would go to for survival was strange.
The ritual to pay my respects to Nantu took a few hours.I blessed the mountain with the flowers Luz and Nell had given me, and asked Nantu, along with Holy Ether, to allow my powers to fully manifest.I took a few moments to bless Raiden, as well, praying that he had found peace.
At the end of the ritual, I placed my hands on the ground of the sacred spot where Nantu had jumped to her death.I prayed for my safe return home, and for the strength to make a difference when my powers fully surfaced.Please, let me be enough.Allow me to take revenge for my mother’s death.Holy Nantu, moonlight blessed, gift me with your strength.Holy Ether, support me with your guidance.I am but your humble servant.
My hands began to light, trickles of my power embedded into the ground.
The gods were listening.
“All done?”Darce asked as I made my way back down from the summit.He’d found a few large boulders to sit and rest against.Nodding, I gave him a small smile.“Did it feel as if she was listening?”
“Maybe.I prayed to Holy Ether, too.”
“She’s a god wecanagree on.”That was true.Holy Ether might have been theonlything we had in common.
“How long do you think it will take to get me home?”
“A couple of weeks.I can take you as far as the scorched land.It will only be half a day’s walk from there.Your kind will be able to track me if I go any farther with you.”
“I understand that.Thank you.”
“We’ll make camp at the bottom of the mountain.It won’t cause any harm to conserve some energy tonight.”
Chapter ten
