Sunset Rubies

Visions

Claire returned to the cabin more confused than when she’d left. She hoped Marcel could explain her troubled dreams so they would disappear. At least then her mind could be eased from one worry, even as it was plagued with others. She entered the home and went straight to the fire to stoke it.

The dimming flames ignited with life and Claire stood before them for several minutes, eventually the hypnotic dance of the tendrils calmed her circling thoughts. As the flames moved in the hearth, a form began to take shape within its sparks.

A giant beast seemed to pull itself from the embers. Though its fangs were hidden by its smiling lips, she knew they lurked beneath. The wolf stared at her with pleading eyes. She did not understand what he wanted, but something within her softened at the pain radiating from the fierce beast. Rejection? A desire to be loved?

A soft whimper touched her ears as the beasts eyes looked beyond her. Drawn to it, she reached out to stroke its ears but before she could touch the flaming fur, he disappeared.

“C? What was dat?” Lilith came to rest beside Claire, her eyes focused in awe at the blazing fire. “Was dat Larissa’s wulf in the fire?” She asked.

“You saw the wolf?” Claire looked down at the small girl with wonder. Lilith nodded in response, her violet eyes shining with delight that promptly fled when a thought struck her.

“Why did he look so sad? We wove Aunt Larissa’s wulf.” Claire put her arm around Lilith and held her close. Cal and Mark would be so surprised by how much Lilith had grown.

She wondered how Mark would feel about the girls calling Clarissa ‘Aunt’. Though Mark had not made his feelings for the shop keeper’s daughter clear, Claire had decided her friend would be a perfect sister in law.

“No, My Sweet that was not Clarissa’s wolf. I am not sure whose it is, but it did look sad didn’t it?” Lilly nodded.

“Can I have it? I would wove it.” Claire couldn’t help but smile. The kids had been spending more time with Clarissa since her pet wolf had birthed her puppies. They were absolutely smitten with the babies and now wanted one for their own.

“Tell you what, when Cal returns we’ll ask him if you can have one of Clarissa’s pups. Come on, it’s still too early to be awake. I’ll tuck you back in bed.” She took Lilith by the hand and led her back to bed. She sensed that the wolf in the fire had been a vision, but how had the little girl also seen it? She was still considering this as her eyes fluttered closed.

When her dreams came they were the rare relief from the cellar and death. They were filled with a little black haired angel with large, violet eyes. She skipped in a field of flowers, but stopped when the great creature stepped from the forest’s shadow and stalked towards her.

The beast was larger than anything she had ever seen. He moved towards the small child who stilled as it approached. When it was within a few feet of her the child snapped into action. She screamed and fled. The wolf watched her go with haunted eyes. A single tear spilled down his snout and he disappeared into the forest with his head hung in defeat.

***

Claire inhaled deeply as the hot sun seeped into her skin and warmed her body. She lay- soaking wet- panting from the exertion of the brisk swim she’d enjoyed. She sat up as Clarissa and Shaylee joined her on the small dirt incline leading to the pond.

“What was that all about?” Shaylee asked, collapsing beside Claire in exhaustion.

“I’m a great swimmer, but that has to be the fastest I have ever swam in my life and did we have to do the last lap? I’m spent,” Clarissa added, falling to her knees and planting herself on a blanket, on the other side of Claire.

“Sorry. I just have a lot of things going on in my brain that don’t quite make sense to me. I guess I was trying to swim out my frustrations.” Clarissa lifted her head to consider her friend.

“What’s happening?” Shaylee asked. Clarissa took hold of Claire’s hand and rubbed it comfortingly and Claire felt a sudden rush of affection for them. She felt she could talk with them about almost anything, but she didn’t want to burden them with her horrid dreams. Also, she wanted to wait for Marcel’s opinion on them. She hadn’t spoken to anyone about the vision in the fire, though.

“Is there anything in our culture or lore that’s...significant to a giant wolf in any way?” Her friends looked at each other in confusion then simultaneously shook their heads. “I had a sort of vision of one last night. It just showed up in the flames of the living room fire. It looked...sad. Even more disconcerting is that Liith saw it as well!

“The wolf just stared at her with such a deep sorrow then poof! He disappeared. When I went back to bed I dreamed about the wolf and Lilith.” She continued to share her dream in full detail and watched both of her friends’ faces as they attempted to discern the meaning of the dream.

“I know! Let’s attempt to recreate your vision.” Shaylee jumped to her feet and ran to her pile of clothes. She fussed in her pouch until finally withdrawing a blue vial of fluid with a shout of triumph. “Don’t just sit there staring at me. Here.” She threw her friends their under clothes, then pulled her own shift into place.

“What do you want us to do?” Clarissa asked as she too pulled her shift over her head.

“The wolf showed up in the flames of a fire, right? So, we need to build a fire.” Shaylee sent Claire to gather branches while she and Clarissa gathered kindling. When they all gathered back at the pond with their treasures Shaylee arranged the timber and quickly built a fire. She gestured for her friends to sit around the flames with their knees folded.

“Marcel has taught me some about summoning visions. With a drop of this potion and a drop of blood from the person whose vision you want to see…”

“Wait, so Marcel really is a witch that knows spells and stuff?” Claire asked, astonished. “I just thought she was called a witch because of her abilities as a healer and knowledge of herbs!” Shaylee and Carissa stared at her, dumbfounded.

“Marcel has not had the need to use spells and potions when we are living here in relative peace, but she’s renowned as one of the most powerful witches in Danyon. She is widely known and honored for her witchcraft.” Clarissa stated.

“I guess you have not been around much when she is doing small tricks to entertain the children. I believe she mostly does them when you are at the training camp because she does not have the energy to chase them around all day,” Shaylee added.

This amazed Claire. The children had mentioned the little tricks that Marcel played, but she had assumed they were only tricks of the mind and not truly magic. Her assumption that Marcel was so powerful was entirely based on her abilities as a herbologist. She would pay better attention to the details from now on.

“So why doesn’t she use it to destroy Leishmann and Teisha?” Claire asked. Shaylee and Clarissa exchanged a puzzled look.

“How much do you know about Teisha?” Clarissa asked.

“I know that there’s something dark and evil about her and I’ve been studying the book of Spells and Prophecy and I believe she will only become more powerful if she is not stopped.”

“And this is all you know about her?” Shaylee stared at her with concern.

“Is there more?” Claire countered.

“A grave deal more, but it is not our place to tell you. Now before you try to weasel information from us I am going to firmly tell you, no. It is a conversation that must come from those that hold the secrets. I am unsure why they are keeping such information from you, but there must be a reason for it. I will say only this. Marcel does not use her powers against Leishmann and Teisha because it would take a great deal of dark magic to do so. If Marcel was to deal with the dark magic it would come at a great cost to her and all those she loves.

“She is waiting for the power of light to come and bring balance to the magic of this world. Right now there is so much dark magic filling Danyon that it is poisoning the hearts of men. That’s why we have men like Leishmann and witches like Teisha,” Shaylee explained.

“I read something about the light magic. It comes from Sorchanna. This light magic will not only bring balance to the darkness, but has the power to destroy it. So, what’s the light magic? Can we find it?”

“It’s not what, it’s who,” Clarissa replied. “Light magic and Dark magic are two witches that must face each other.”

“Not only do they face each other, but it’s a battle to the death,” Shaylee explained further. “If darkness wins, the world will be forever lost in the evil that will rule it. If light wins, then Danyon will be free from the evil that has plagued it for over a thousand years.”

“So when will this battle come?” Claire was almost afraid to ask the question. The more her friends said the more she was filled with a sense of unease. Could she be...? No, it was impossible for she was not a witch.

“There is nothing that says when it will happen, only that it will,” Clarissa stated.

“Am I…” Claire let the question hang; unable to finish for fear that if she uttered the words they would latch on and be true. Clarissa, sensing her nerves, soothingly ran her fingers over her friend’s knuckles.

“Anything is possible, but with you there is a very clear prophecy. In a time of great destruction and turmoil 'a child with hair of pure white who is raised in a land outside of time will save the world from whence she came.’ You are meant to destroy Leishmann. I would think that even Sorchanna could not expect two great defeats from one person alone.” Claire smiled, relieved by the explanation.

“And besides, the great dark witch has not surfaced. Until she comes to reign we will not see the witch of light.” Claire smiled at Shaylee as well, but something still did not sit right with her. Teisha could very well be the dark witch if rumors of her powers were to be believed, but that would mean Cal would not be able to destroy her and he’d be...She had a sudden and desperate need to change the subject. She picked up another stick and threw it on the diminishing flames.

“So what about this vision?” Claire asked. Shaylee nearly jumped at the realization that she had completely forgotten her spell. Her eyes lighted with excitement and she scooted closer to Claire.

“May I borrow your dagger?” She asked, sliding the stopper from the vial. Claire unsheathed the dagger from her belt and handed it to Shaylee, who smoothly poked Claire’s finger and squeezed until a rich droplet of blood beaded against her skin.

“Now, pour a drop of the liquid on the blood,” Shaylee ordered reverently. Claire looked up from the hypnotically perfect droplet and met Shaylee’s encouraging eyes. Looking back at her hand still cradled in Shaylee’s, she lifted the vial and tipped it over the small wound.

A single aquatic drop eased from the lip, teetering on the edge but unwilling to move any farther. Claire bounced the jar, but still the majestic formula refused to obey her commands. Finally, with a loss of patience, she tipped the vial once more. The drop of liquid splashed down on her finger, accompanied with several others.

“No!” Shaylee cried, snatching the vial from Claire’s hand in panic. “It should have been only one drop!”