Boone Brux - Chain of Illusions

Siban sent up a prayer of thanks to the Saints that Juna had reached the manor in time for Rell’s healing. The three sisters, Ravyn, Meran, and Juna, were the Trilation. Three Bringers to battle the darkness and open or prevent the opening of the Abyss of Souls. They were also powerful Oracles and might be the extra measure of guidance Rell would need to pass from demon back to human.

Rell’s arms tightened around his neck. The crowd stepped back to allow them to pass. A few of the Bringers rubbed their arms, no doubt against the gnawing of the Bane taint Rell caused.

“Welcome, Rell.” King Gregory greeted them from halfway across the room. “We’ll try to make you as comfortable as possible.”

She peered at him, as if weighing how much she could trust him and then said, “Thank you.”

The urge to clutch the small demon to him, and never release her, overwhelmed Siban. This might be the last time he held her—the last time he’d see her alive. But he pushed his personal needs aside and set her on her feet. Uncertainty plagued him. Rell had only seen her human body once and it had been during the chaotic night of her capture. How would she react to seeing her body in its suspended, death-like state? Siban stepped back when Jade approached.

…

Rell had been at odds with her sister since the day she’d been captured. She waited for Jade to speak. The glow of the candles illuminated her face. No malice or anger registered there, giving Rell a measure of comfort. Instead of words of reassurance, Jade reached for her hand and intertwined their fingers, pulling Rell toward the line of Bringers standing several feet away. They parted to reveal a table she hadn’t noticed when they’d first arrived.

Rell’s heart beat faster, the realization of what lay beneath the white shroud taking hold. She stopped, tugging Jade to a halt.

Her sister turned. “Don’t you want to see her?”

Jade’s question confirmed what Rell had suspected. Though her sister had fought and sacrificed to keep Rell’s humanity intact, she’d always viewed her as something other than Esmeralda, her human sister. Rell stiffened her spine, refusing to show that the thought stung.

Her gaze drifted back to the shrouded figure. Did she want to see her body? Would it change anything? Whether or not it did, she needed to see. “Yes.”

Not releasing her hand, Jade pulled her forward until they stood next to the table. Two Bringers, one woman, one man, gently folded back the cover to reveal the porcelain features of the girl she’d once been.

Rell untwined her fingers from Jade’s and took a step closer, angling her body so she could view the face more clearly. Esmeralda, her old body, looked as if she were sleeping, though the coloring of the skin was more pallid than it had been when she’d been full of life. She reached and touched the cheek with the knuckle of her finger, making sure not to prick the skin with her talon. The soft flesh gave way under her caress but felt unnaturally cold.

Rell pulled her hand away, paused to take one final look, and then turned away. “I am ready.”

Having her body revealed had made no difference in her resolve to go through with the healing. The driving force was no longer just to be human, but to be with Siban and possibly repay the Demon Bane for all they had taken from her. She would do whatever it took.

Of her own accord, she walked to the large wooden slab and climbed onto it, dangling her legs over the side.

Siban moved to stand in front of her. “Are you all right?”

She nodded.

His voice dropped to a whisper. “I am here, fighting for you. Never doubt that.”

She nodded again and turned to place her feet on the wood. Siban rubbed her hand and stepped aside when Jade once again approached. Perhaps it was her possible impending death or being with Siban that had abated some of the darkness from her soul, but Rell wished that no animosity existed between her, Jade, and Willa. But the words wouldn’t come. She needn’t have worried. Once again Jade took the lead in making things right.

“I love you.” There was no waver in her sister’s declaration. “Mother and I will be here for you during and after the healing—no matter what happens.”

“I love you, too.” Rell reached for her hand and squeezed. “Thank you for everything.”

Willa moved forward with hesitant steps. Rell hadn’t spoken to her mother since she’d been captured; the anger and shame of keeping Willa’s existence a secret from Jade had fed the darkness. There were so many lies and misconceptions between them, but now, as Rell faced her uncertain future, all her hostility slipped away. Though she couldn’t bring herself to ask for her mother’s touch, a comfort she desired more than she would admit to even herself, she did need to make recompense of some kind. She looked at Willa. “I’m sorry.”

Without hesitation, her mother swooped in and wrapped Rell in a warm hug. “Just get through this so we can be a family again.”

The embrace stirred the sensation of memories long forgotten. Love . Safety . Home . Rell wrapped her free arm around Willa in a tentative hug. She closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of her mother. She smelled like the cooking fire, fresh air, and the herbs that permeated the healing room.

Rell let her arm slide back to her side when her mother released her. Instead of stepping back, the woman cupped Rell’s cheeks in her hands and looked at her. The blue eyes she remembered from when she was a child searched her face as if taking in every detail. “You are beautiful.”

A foreign sensation tingled along her nose and burned behind her eyes. Rell blinked away the irritation and looked at Jade, unsure how to respond to her mother’s compliment.

Jade’s brow furrowed and she reached to tilt Rell’s chin toward her. “Your eyes are green.”

Three of the Bringer women moved forward and poked their heads between Jade and Willa, peering at Rell as if she was a puzzle they were trying to figure out.

“Extraordinary,” said the older of the three.

The one named Ravyn grinned at Rell. “I think Siban has been a very good influence on you.”

She gave Ravyn a hint of a smile. “This we agree on, Bringer.”

“If you’re ready, Rell, I think we should get started.” The king gripped the arm of the first Bringer who had spoken and gently pulled her away.

Her sister and mother released her and stepped back from the table, their expressions strained impressions of hopefulness. Ravyn took her place in the circle of Bringers.

One small woman remained, smiling at Rell. She resembled Ravyn and the woman Gregory had pulled away, but was lighter in coloring. “My name is Meran. I am a Redeemer, which means I will help you through your transformation. If you lie back on the table, we can prepare you.”

The darkness inside Rell screamed not to submit to the Bringers. As if sensing her battle, Siban moved forward to stand directly opposite Meran and lay his hand against Rell’s back. “It’s all right. I’m going to help you through this, and I’ll be here when it’s over.”

Warmth spread along her skin, easing the tension and the impulse to resist the Bringers’ help. She held his gaze, drinking in the strength of his words and presence. Shifting her position, Rell reclined to lay flat on the table and settled into the curved opening between her wings. They cradled her, cushioning her head where they crisscrossed at their tips.

“We will need to restrain you,” said the Redeemer.

The urge to fight the Bringers reared up inside Rell again. Her lips pulled back in a silent snarl, and she bared her fangs in warning.

“It’s for your own well-being and the safety of those performing the healing. We don’t know what to expect.” Perhaps to strengthen the truth in her words, Meran gently laid her hand on her wrist. “Will you allow this?”