The Visit
1088 Words
Daphne slept fitfully, if she slept at all. Sometime after dawn, she stopped trying to sleep and looked over the books. She found one that had a detailed cover and a few pictures. Unfortunately, she could not ready any of the words. She would likely need to learn how to read it too.
Eventually the cat fae retrieved her before taking her for another thorough scrubbing. When she was presentable, she was brought to breakfast where she was chatted at by Sorren. He eventually had his attentions grabbed by his brother long enough for her to eat before she was banished to the shrine for the day.
It was here that she looked up the stone statue of Hecate and waited.
She wanted to go to that other plain to practice but she had no way of getting there, did she? When nothing happened for a while she settled back into the simple wooden chair and signed. Another long day of staring at the wall then.
An hour passed and her mind wandered, usually to the other plain and her irritation grew. She needed to train, she needs to.. A flash of pain rushed through her as she was dragged to the other plain. When she blinked away the pain and looked around, she found herself in the woods again.
“Late.” Hecate’s voice rang out, it was matter of fact.
Nodding she turned. “Why didn’t you summon me sooner?”
“You come.”
Squinting her eyes, she tilted her head to the side. “I have to bring myself here?”
“Yes.”
Sighing, she nodded. “Ok. Please tell me these things.” She waved her hand and motioned for Hecate to proceed with what she wanted to do. “Where would you like to start off in training today?”
The Goddess then drilled her in her defensive magic. Slowly but surly she was able to guarantee a strong barrier, it was a little larger today. Throughout the day Daphne was shown ways of drawing in energy from the sun to add strength to her shield, to add to her energy. It was still so weak but over time it would grow stronger, if she continued doing this every day.
The day was half gone before Hecate sat her down for the memory of tea. While they drank, Daphne asked more questions about the world she was brought to. About the Court she was in, many of the fae there were gifted with the power of wind. She was right assuming that they worshiped Hecate as well, their family had been supporters of the faith for centuries.
Hecate would not explain more about the faith except that it was one born from the end and the beginning. She would evade some questions or flat out refuse to answer others so eventually Daphne went to simpler subjects. Reading and writing would eventually come, but they would take time.
Learning the language would get easier, intent and deliberate choices sped up the process of language integration. If it was delivered to quickly, the language would fry her brain, or so Hecate said.
The tea was almost done, its light purple hue swirl glistened at the bottom of her cup. “Is a shield the only type of magic I can use?”
“No.” Hecate leaned forward and touched Daphne’s chest. “Fix.”
Looking at her a moment then scoffed. “I can heal?”
She nodded.
“Can you show me how to do that?” Seeing the hesitation on her face, Daphne continued. “We can still practice the shield but add in the healing.”
Her nose scrunched before the Goddess nodded. “Yes. Let us practice.”
Until the sun began to set, Daphne learned to funnel energy into her hands and change that into healing. Something that could add value to her life. It was exhausting.
When she was delivered to her body, almost no time had passed but like last time she hovered a foot above the ground. This time however she landed in a padded chair. Gasping from the sharp impact, she breathed in deeply. The exhaustion she felt from the other plain was gone, could she use more energy here and practice during her free time? That would hopefully speed things along.
She then spent the next few weeks in the same schedule.
Every morning, she would be washed, eat breakfast with a language lesson, go to the shrine and travel to the astral plain to train. When her time on that side was finished, she would come back to this one and train until evening, have dinner with the brothers followed by an evening walked then sent to bed.
Daphne’s schedule was unchanging, until it was.
She was with Hecate when suddenly the Goddess stopped her lesson. “Someone entered the shrine. Go.”
No one ever entered the shrine during the day, not that Hecate had ever mentioned at least. With a touch to her forehead, a shock of familiar pain, she was back to her body. With a thud she landed on the chair in time to meet raging cloudy eyes.
That rush of adrenaline passed through her again but she didn’t let it take over. Why was he here? He saw her.
“Riven!”
Their eyes broke apart, both dashing to multiple fae dragging a female fae. Even from this far Daphne could tell she was ill. He moved out of the way as they hauled her body to the only cot in the shrine. Why were they bringing someone sick here?
Wait, how was a fae sick?
Hecate said that one of their blessings was their resistance to illness. Yes, this fae looked like she was on the brink of death. What was this? Looking closer she could see energy seeping from the fae’s body, oozing out from her pores.
Fae don’t healers, they heal themselves. Why hasn’t she healed?
A High fae could force a healing but wasn’t that one a High fae? Why didn’t he do that?
While she ran through all of these questions, there were three fae in the room with her including the one they called Riven. They talked quickly but quietly; she could understand bits of what they were saying but not everything. What she could understand did not make sense.
The female had the sickness and would die by nightfall. She would need to be burned before the rage grew?
- Writer
