Prologue

The broken bridge that stood in front of Eluwae seemed to taunt her. The intricate carved stonework of this bridge depicted ancient battles, seemingly lost to time unrecorded by the relentless and vile Scholars of the Enigmatic Truth. The Mothers had abandoned her, for trusting those savage beasts— trusting them with her life and she trusted them with her magic. The Mothers were right to do so. That was how she should have been, alone. Eluwae let a solid white cloud of breath out into the moonless night sky. A deep, throbbing pain welled up in Eluwae’s bare, sanguine marred, alabaster legs. Large black and purple bruises slowly crawled up her arms. How long had she been running? Time had felt as if it were a blur. 

With continued heavy steps, Eluwae dragged her body towards the center of the broken stone bridge. A ten foot section of the middle of the bridge had been torn and sundered. The dark void-like river consumed its bed. A twelve foot drop. Eluwae considered letting herself fall and be washed away. A nagging pain on the small of her back howled for her attention. It had persisted for a while now, but what was it? Eluwae slowly reached around to the small of her back, finding something long and wooden embedded. She began to tug at the invading object. With a hearty rip, waves of exhaustion rolled over Eluwae’s petite frame. 

A bloody arrow. Silver tipped. With a shaft made of an ash tree.

The swift roar of the watery void called to Eluwae, whispering her name inside her head. Three sets of golden colored eyes illuminate the water. The Mothers. They’ve come back. Eluwae inched her foot towards the hewed edge of the center of the bridge. 

“Eluwae. Come back home,” The gleaming eyes whispered, in unison, inside her head. Eluwae’s blackened hair grew darker in the night sky. “Those beasts know not what they have lost. Your intelligence, your beauty, your grace. We recognize you for what you are.”

“You’re right.” Eluwae whispered back. Tears form at the dark creases in her eyes, slowly beginning to roll down her cheeks. Small strands of red begin to interweave themselves into Eluwae’s long raven-colored black hair. In a raspy, angry voice, Eluwae spit out, “I deserve so much more.”

The sound of horse hooves on freshly packed dirt caught Eluwae’s attention, drawing it back from the road she traveled on. A man dressed in simple overalls and a tweed shirt approached on his horse’s back. Wielding a torch and a black metal spear, he waved the torch frantically. “El, where are you!? It was a misunderstanding! He understands the bond we share now! I’ve explained everything!”

“Leave this place, Alexander. You do not belong here!” Eluwae shouted, sending a pulse of arcane energy from her body. Her hair steadily grew a darker crimson color. Alexander dismounted from his horse, tying him to a nearby tree, and slowly approached the decaying bridge. The gentle clinking of metal ringing over the plateaued bridge, piercing Eluwae’s mind. His perfect face, his light green eyes, and curled brown hair danced in his torchlight.

Stopping at the steps to the bridge, Alexander raised a hand towards Eluwae. She felt the rage pooling on her face. She let out another pulse of force, trying to dissuade him from approaching. Her hair, now, fully consumed by the crimson anger she felt. He wasn’t there to stop them. Alexander abandoned her to die. Alexander shouted, “El, please, there’s no need to be upset. I can explain everything. Just let me approach.”

The pleading look in Alexander’s eyes broke Eluwae down. This man was her weakness. The crimson hair began to fade into a blue-ish hue. Glancing behind her, Eluwae scanned the water for the gleaming eyes, they were gone. Eluwae commanded, “Lay down the spear, then you may approach.”

Alexander obeyed, tossing the spear into the dirt twenty feet away, and he waited for Eluwae’s approval. She gave him a simple nod. As he started to approach, a splitting headache hit Eluwae. Looking back at Alexander, Eluwae could see both Alexander’s body and a large, burly older human clad in grey robes, standing side by side. Eluwae blinked and only Alexander remained.

“El, I really didn’t know that the Scholars were planning that. You need to believe me.” Alexander pleaded. The torchlight illuminated Eluwae’s face, revealing the bruises and fresh cuts scattered all over her body. “The Father called me to meet with him in his study at the keep. But when I got there, he snatched you from our home.”

Eluwae took a step back from Alexander, tears continuing to fall. She didn’t know whether to believe him or not. His words were comforting, but he should have known that He would do this after he found what Eluwae was. Eluwae growled as four leathery bat wings erupted from her back, “You made your own choice to heed his call, Alexander! You chose to leave in the middle of the night! You chose to say nothing to me! They knew what I am and who I could be! You allowed them to come and take me! You did this to me!”

“You’re right. I cannot apologize more for that choice, El,” Alexander took another step forward, grabbing on her right shoulder. She winced from the pain and looked back at him. A gravelly, older voice that wasn’t Alexander’s spilled from his mouth instead, “But I should have killed you, myself.”

Eluwae could feel the ripping of flesh on her lower right side as the black metal spear pierced straight through her torso. A bloodcurdling scream pierced the silence of the frozen moonless void.