FURIES by Shannon Burton (great novels .txt) 📕

"Ya know that makes me curious.I didn't know that you guys could heal quickly and to be honest I don't know much else about you guys except from what I read in the book." I huffed.

"Well you know that we can fly and we also can move just a little bit faster than humans.You already know that when we shift our eyes that we have incredible sight and we, as Acaidens, have amazing fighting skills.I've only heard of the Furies having extra powers but they keep that to themselves." Luca said.

"Why don't these Furies seem as accepting as they pretend to be?" I questioned.

"Because they aren't.They all secretly dislike us for one reason or another and they can't stand the fact that they actually need us."

"Well except for Rayon." I said.

"Yea but Rayon and her sisters had fallen in love with humans.They know of the kindness and courage that comes from them so they are entirely excepting." Luca explained.

"How come none of the other sisters pass judgement?"

"It's Rayons gift to see the future and know what's in someones heart.So it only makes sense for her to pass judgement." Luca said.

I nodded my head but one question still plagued me, "Where are the other sisters?"

"That is a question that no one seems to know the answer to.Some believe that they permanently took on lives as humans so they could stay with their husbands."

I pulled the last bag from the trunk and handed it to Luca.Once we gathered up everything we needed we commenced walking.

"Ok if we walk for about two more miles we will be at the cliff you were talking about.We will have to camp out for tonight and in the early hours of the morning we will find Mikael." Luca assured me.

"Ok that's fine with me but we need to make sure we move fast.I don't know how much time he has left." I murmured.

"Can I ask you something?" Luca requested.

We both wove in between the thick forest.Unlike the forest back home, the light actually filtered through enough to light our way.

"Sure." I allowed.

"How do you know so much about where Mikael is if your not even mated?"

I gave an audible sigh and tried to find the words to explain the connection between Mikael and I.

"It's complicated but when I was thirteen I began dreaming about Mikael and the cliff.For a year or two the dream stopped coming.That was until the day I went back to school for my senior year.When I showed up to school I had classes with him but it turned out it was Damien pretending to be Mikael.Our paths were always meant to cross.I began dreaming about him every night after that but each time the dream would change as our fates began to line up." I explained.

"You were not kidding.That sounds extremely complicated." He laughed.

"Do you love him?" Luca questioned.

"I can't." I simply said.

"What do you mean you can't?" He stopped and faced me.His anger showed plain on his face.

"It's a part of this destiny crap.Rayon took my ability to feel love and anything that could truly make me happy so that way I wouldn't be distracted.I am suppose to become some great amazing warrior but it is never said whether or not I will end up with Mikael.I guess you could say that it hasn't been written yet."

"Fuck that sucks!" Luca whistled.

"Come on, lets keep walking." I insisted.

One great thing about Luca is that he didn't need to fill the air with meaningless chatter and I was grateful for that.Everything he said was knowledgeable or something that could distract me readily from my thoughts. 

"I can teach you some more once we set up camp.I have a feeling finding Mikael isn't going to be easy." He grimaced.

"Yea I think thats a good idea.I want to be as prepared as possible."

We continued on the next half mile in silence and we came to a flowing river hidden well by trees.Flowers blossomed on the sides of the river and grass sprouted around the beautiful buds.

"This river must flow off from the water surrounding the cliff." I pointed out.

"Perfect we can follow it to wherever it is were going." He guessed.

"We can't set a fire otherwise they will know where we are, but we do have some turkey sandwhiches and chips so we will make the most of this fanciful feast.But first..we practice."

We practiced for about two hours and once Luca said that we could rest I jumped at the opportunity wholeheartedly. He pushed me to my limits and many times I wanted to cry out in frustration over practicing the same things over and over again.

"Once again.Not bad for a newb." He laughed.

I rolled my eyes at his words and put down my bag to rest on.As I lay on my bag eating I began to slowly nod off to sleep.From the slits of my eyes I could see Luca doing the same thing.It had been a long day and we both needed the rest.

As I fell into slumber I began to dream.

Zhara.Open your eyes. The voice that spoke wwas husky and deep.

When I did I was standing inside of what looked to be a crystal like cave.Nothing else stood inside of the cave and I noticed that it was freezing cold.

"What is this place?" I asked.My breath blew out in huffs around me.

I looked over to Mikael to see him leaning against the cave wall.The only thing that he had on was a pair of ripped jeans.He had bruises all over his face and he was definitely malnourished.

"Isn't it beautiful?"

"Is this where you are?" I questioned back.

He sighed and began walking in a circle around me.

"What if I told you not to come and find me?"

"Then I would pretend that I didn't hear a word you said." I retorted.

He stepped towards me and ran his hand along my jaw line.

"I'm so happy that you were meant for me.Even if I will never have you." Mikael said sadly.

"What do you mean?" I growled.

"I love you Zhara." He said before he disappeared.I tried to grasp at his arm before he entirely disappeared but it was like he was a ghost.The sun began to rise and the rays of light bounced off the crystals.It was beautiful.I looked around for the source of the light and about three feet from where I was standing there was a door carved into the wall.Light seeped from underneath and I felt the room get colder.

I woke up to Luca shaking me.

"Hey Zhara.Wake up its okay." He brushed hair from my face and I sat up.

"His time is up soon."

"How soon?" Luca choked out.

"As soon as the sun rises.They are keeping him in an ice covered chamber and when the sun rises it gets colder." I murmured.

"Fuck there torturing him." Luca gasped.

"I thought you guys were immune to human weaknesses."

"We are but we can still be weakened." He murmured.

"There going to kill him in a different way.How can you guys be killed?" I sighed.

"Beheading."He gasped.

Luca backed away and looked like he was about to lose all restraint.

"I'll be back in a minute." I said.I rose slowly to my feet and walked into the trees.

I was in a daze as I walked to nowhere in particular.I let my feet lead the way and soon I came upon a small body of water.There was just an hour before the sun rose but I knelt down by the water anyway.

"Rayon I am begging you to help me save him." I whispered.

Nothing happened.I waited for a few more minutes before I got up to walk away.

The wind blew in the wrong direction and I turned to see Rayon.

"I can see your gift hasn't fully developed in you dear Zhara."

"Gift? You mean me becoming an Acaiden?" I questioned.

"Oh there is so much more to the gift I am opening up for you. You just need to get it to come out." She smiled.

"How do I do that if I don't even know what the gift is?" I was frustrated and she could see it.

Rayon glided to a stop in front of me and touched her hand to the side of my head.I looked deep into her multi colored eyes and fell.Everything was covered in blinding light and I was stumbling against the white walls of a room.I had never been here before and I didn't want to be now.

"Rayon!" I yelled out.

She materialized in front of me and I jumped back.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Somewhere that will allow you to think a little better." She answered.

"What is it that I need to be thinking about?"

"Everything that matters to you.Everything that you love and want for yourself." She explained.

"But I thought that you took my ability to." I was becoming more confused by the second.

"Yes I did, but I had to store it somewhere."

"So why won't you be able to get it back to me when this is all over?" I questioned.

"Because everything fades.Memories, hopes, dreams.There is no telling when this will all be over and that is why the end of your future can't be seen.Right now everything important to you has been converted into that of a memory, and soon it will become so filled up in here from new memories that you may have no room left for the old."

I looked around the room to see everything important to me play across the walls like a movie.As I watched my heart ached and I clutched at it.I could feel and it felt good.

"This is what I could lose if I continue on." I stated.

"Yes.It is a terrible burden to bare."

Boy wasn't that the statement of the year!

"Okay what is the gift thingy you gave me?" I began walking the room and touched my hand to the memories.Tera, my dad, and my mom flashed by.

Rayon smiled in excitement, "Hopefully this will make you hate me a little less."

She raised the palm of her hand to the center of my forehead and I had no choice but to close my eyes.My body grew cold and the ground beneath us began to move.

Ayec monag tonobre telatue don.

She repeated these words a second time and pain shot through my body.I don't know what the hell she said but the pain made me wish that she hadn't.Every limb and nerve was on fire and I found myself wanting to crawl out of my skin.The pain felt so familiar yet so unearthly.Surely no one could survive such excruciating pain!

My breathing became heavy and I was sure that this was it for me.I couldn't survive her gift and Mikael was going to die because I couldn't be strong.I began gasping for breath but couldn't take in enough air to feed my starved body.In mere seconds my heart slowed and came to a stop all together.

There was once a time in my life when I had the silliest notion that the world was my book.I honestly thought that each page was mine to create what I wanted.I wanted to feed the hungry and love without inhibitions.I longed to leave my mark on the world in ways unimaginable.Oh the things we think when we are young and shielded from the horrors around us!

As I got older I thought that I had seen it all but