Oath of the Alpha - Eva Dresden Page 0,16
illumination, a corona of power exuded from it, a darkling luminescence from the depths of the Abyss and beyond.
Cold penetrating her down to the very core, Aida’s breath stuttered into rigid lungs locked frozen. The inky oblivion etched its way inward, crawling across the rifts of decay with spidery fingers toward Aida. Seeking, yearning, it reached across the seemingly endless space to tickle over her hands, her face, twining snug around her ankle to slither its way up her calf and thigh. Swearing she could feel the dusky threads shudder in anticipation, Aida’s fingers twitched.
It was too much like Otaso’s dungeon, the thing lingering in the black depths to torment her, biting and clawing, hurting her in ways she was never prepared for. The last days giving her a taste of the warmth, the fresh spring taste of freedom, Aida found herself incapable of accepting this fate, unwilling to return to the times of pain and loneliness but uncertain she could ever break free. A cry of despair, one tangled in the swamps of regret and the fire of outrage, burned through the scum of ice.
As a scream rushed over her parted lips, the circle cracked. Snapping and popping, grinding, the now jagged edges sought to reform. Vicious sounds shuddered through her teeth, making her jaw ache as the cry continued to build. The ground beneath her dipped, a ripple flowing from the tight inner ring in ever expanding circles. Rolling through the forest, stuttering groans and wild thrashing preceded a storm of swirling hues. Diseased chartreuse, jaundiced yellow, pungent ochre—it all tumbled down around them with a roar of fluttering sighs.
Tawny skin, deepened to a soft amber from the sun these last few days, grew paler, from sandy pale to white and edging into a pure blue. The frosty glow became brighter still, raising the hairs on the back of her neck as Aida pushed at the murky earth. Straining upright, she gripped the backs of her knees to remain sitting up as the sunless light sought to push her down. Groaning through gritted teeth, Aida watched the flickering blue lightning sizzle through the air. The smell of burnt things and darkness clogged the back of her throat as the inky flames receded, jerking back and fading while Aida pulled herself forward onto her knees.
Full force of her shriek aimed at the rustling drifts of leaves as her fingers sank deep into the earth, Aida wanted it all to go away, to stop, wishing none of this had ever happened. That she’d never been born, never stolen, never taken. She wanted to be quiet and warm in Er’it’s embrace all the more as a surge of heat zipped up her center at the mere thought of him. It left her breathless as the frosty glare pulsed in erratic waves, blinding in their intensity and ragged as her stuttering heartbeat.
As she climbed to her feet, the darkling ring sizzled and smoked, leeching into the ground to leave a charred circle filled with sooty markings. Her need so strong for him Aida swore she could smell his musky cedar scent, she tipped her head back and wailed at the sky, challenging the unfeeling stars that mirrored her eyes, daring them to fall down around her head where she could curse them. Icy tears rained down her cheeks, burning her glowing skin and leaving sorrow-dim shadows in their wake.
With a sigh, the light flickered out. Aida blinked hard into the sudden darkness. Sniffling and rubbing the heels of her palms across her eyes, she tried to ascertain which shadows were real and imagined. She found Marilsa stood against a tree, her hands braced on the roughened bark. A piece broke free when her nails dug under the ragged slab, the sound a whip crack in the calmed quiet invading their little scene.
Emerald gaze wide, Marilsa brushed her thumb over the flat of her fingers to clean away the sticky dust left behind. Letting out a shuddery sigh, she nodded at the ground at Aida’s feet, her lips twisting into a peculiar grimace.
Unwilling to let the evil woman from her sight for long, Aida chanced a glance downwards. She forgot all about Marilsa as the lush colors exploding around Aida’s feet became clear even in the uncertain light. Verdant green grass whispered in a cooling breeze, knee high and still growing as Aida stared. The leaves crunching under her boots lost their gangrenous hues as vivid reds, brilliant golds, and rich ochres replaced