Esma’s POV
I closed the door behind me after bidding good night to Diana and my mother. Reed had vanished. Diana told me he had gone for some work along with Asher and will probably return by tomorrow.
Ever since Diana told me she had seen my death, my mind was not at rest. Who will kill me? I haven’t done any harm to anyone. Neither do I have any enemies.
If I have to die, I would have died when I went to meet Hecate. She could have easily killed me with the snap of her fingers. Also, she had the best reason to do so. Then, who else?
Diana told me the future is capricious. It is unpredictable and based on our actions or thoughts.
“The world is woven from the billions of lives, Emmy. Every strand crossing every other. If we could just attenuate to a single strand, the future could be entirely calculative.” Diana’s words rang in my head. She talked in riddles, but I couldn’t blame her. Maybe witches are taught to talk in riddles.
I don’t fear death. I will be happy to sacrifice myself for my pack’s well-being.
I laid down on my bed and closed my eyes. How much has happened to my life in the last month? First the attack in the meeting, then the threatening letter, going with Reed to his house, meeting Diana, meeting Hecate.
I opened my eyes and sat up abruptly. Hecate. She gave me the talisman last night. I quickly walked into my wardrobe and took out the talisman from the jacket. I had hidden it in case Reed was suspicious and searched my clothes.
The talisman glowed in the light. I don’t know how long I stared at it before picking up the knife from the shelf and slicing my left hand.
A few drops of blood dropped on the talisman before the cut healed again. I had to do this. I want to know what happened to Reed. Why the moon goddess cursed him. I closed my eyes.
Anochi porta.
The trees started whooshing angrily outside the window. The wind blew strongly. None of this was enough to scare me anymore. I closed my eyes again, readying myself. After a painful minute of silence, the talisman glowed brightly, illuminating the whole room with its brightness.
The golden rays stretched from the talisman and scattered across the room, making me unable to see anything.
The next second, I opened my eyes and found myself standing way out in the middle of nowhere. This was a lot easier than I had thought. Why didn’t Diana give me this talisman? It could have saved all the scary shits. The cold hands coming from the bed. I shuddered, remembering it. I wonder now if she wanted to scare me off from knowing Reed’s past.
“Hello?” No response. I knew the talisman was working. It was showing me a vision of Reed’s past life. Suddenly a twig snapped, and I turned back to see the familiar little ocean-blue eyes. The eyes I could distinguish from millions.
Without a doubt, I knew he was none other than Reed himself. He must be ten years or so. He looked poorly, weak, and undernourished but looked excessively adorable and cute. His clothes were torn in several places, but there was a spark in his eyes—a spark which he lacked now.
The boy ran in my direction. I closed my eyes, ready to get hit by him, but he passed me like a mist. He ran past me, deeper into the forest. I followed him without delay. He ran faster and slowed only when he reached a hut in the middle of the forest.
The hut looked small and shady. He walked inside. “Mom?” he asked, walking inside the kitchen. I followed him. The whole place looked as if a storm had hit it. Everything was destroyed. For some reason, I was also anxious, fearing what could happen here.
Reed ran into the other room only to return. “Mom.” I heard him shouting this time from the other room. He looked scared and terrified. There was blood scattered all over the place. Reed returned in no time. The door from the kitchen was wide open, and some blood was dropped on the path.
Without any delay, he ran on the road, following the trails of blood. After running a few miles, he stopped dead in his tracks. He looked as if he had seen a ghost. I matched his line of sight, and all the blood drained from my face. There she was. Selene.
“MOM.” Reed ran towards her and put her face on his lap. “Mom, open your eyes. Please, Mom,” Reed cried, and it tugged at my heart. “Mom, please.” He sobbed before breaking down and hugging her close to his chest. Selene was dead. She was killed. But by who? Andrew?
The next moment, I was standing in the middle of the village. Several shops were opened on either side of me. I assumed it was a market of that village. They all were blurred. I walked further and soon found myself standing in front of a small grocery shop. Out of the blue, a small kid came and picked some fruit, but before he could escape, a man grabbed his hand and lurched his hand so hard that the boy lost his balance and fell face first on the ground.
The boy tried to stand up, and this time I saw his face. He was Reed. He looked weaker and thinner. “You pathetic shit.” The man sneered before started kicking him on his ribs mercilessly. Reed coughed up blood and laid unconscious on the ground.
I closed my eyes in pain. I knew that what I saw was Reed’s past, but no one deserved to live like that. My heart longed for him more. The wind changed, and the trees started swooshing again. I opened my eyes only to find myself in a different place—a small house. The room was cleaned and furnished. There were dozens of bottles of potions and spell books on the table.
Without a second glance, I knew I was standing in the house of a witch. I have seen Diana’s room; it looked the same as this, and the smell of the room proved my assumptions.
A cloaked figure entered the room. With the stature and small posture, it was no doubt there was a woman inside the cloak. She opened the door of her room only to reveal another cloaked figure. It was well built and tall. I assumed inside was a man.
They nodded, and both entered the room. The lady quickly walked behind me, took out a sack, and gave it to him. He examined it before putting it behind his back and started walking back to the door.
“Reed.” The lady shouted and lifted her cloak, only to reveal herself as Hecate. She looked exactly the same as I last saw her. Not even a wrinkle changed. The man turned back and lifted his cloak, proving my assumptions right. He looked young and muscular, better than the last I saw him. His eyes were cold and dead of any emotions.