The water dissipated to a slim layer, yet emanated a squishing sound which announced my presence to my mother. A stale chill gripped me. Erot turned as did the men protecting her.
Before my mother stood the fractured image of a woman over a crystal ball, a short woman with a big bell like dress that flowed as if caught by the wind.
Her nails were as long as her charcoal black hair. That bosom of hers was so round, that the dress made her seem pregnant. The woman looked down at me.
My mother was not a fractured image like I saw once, but as real as can be. Wearing a deep red gown, blue trimmed belt bejeweled with green gems, her shoes were red and pointed. Her dark hair and milky light brown skin complimented the brown eyes that bored into me. The grin that caught her face indicated a joy at seeing me.
Valor, his neck was under her shoe. Five came behind me with Acomn slumped under his arm. We stood there. The fighting cries of the flicking flames against the cold daft roared in this calm. A large distance rested between us, but I knew that benefited us more.
“Mother,” I said.
The other woman made exaggerated motions at mother and said something.
My mother chuckled. “Yes, she is my daughter Elliza.”
Elliza?
Wasn't she the one that harboured a pertinent grudge against the Casnick coven, Valor’s prior family?
So why were they here?
Mother was probably going to hand him over to his enemies, and Elliza was an enemy.
Like hell, that was going to happen.
My mother faced me. A gentle smile greeted me. “How are you Carmine?”
“Did you name me?” I asked. That information, I genuinely desired to know.
“Yes I did. A beautiful name. It means red or blood depending on who you ask.” Something about how carefree Erot talked made me all the more observant of how weird this scene was.
How easily violence was defected in the madness of thoughts. Valor groaned in pain. I saw the blood smeared arm.
Valor spoke, but his voice was weak. “You fool, why did you come?”
“You really think I am going to leave you?”
Valor groaned and looked at the ground.
Mother tilted her feet and said, “Don't you dare breathe on my ankle you blob of meat.” Her smile radiated as those eyes met mine.
Fitting, I took in a breath and said, “Give me Valor back.”
“Oh, you love this boy. Well, I am sorry I was going to hand him to Elliza here.” She motioned at the image of the other woman.
I held back my anger and steadied my breathing. “You cannot do this for me? As a mothe—“
Corona is on the upper levels. She is watching us. Five reminded me.
I inhaled. “As a mother? As a kindness, you owed me that much. You left me alone all this time.”
“I was looking for you.”
“Oh, why is it, your subordinate Corona wants me dead, but you desire me alive? Huh?!”
Mother’s eyes finally lost their kind luster. A devious tinge came to them when they narrowed. “Corona is a bigger believer in Seermetry than I am.”
“She believes I will kill you.”
“Yes, a stupid notion really.”
I shifted on my feet. “Do you not fear me? A lot of people believe it.”
“Mmhm, I love you Ca—“
“Don’t lie to me. I know you have something planned for me. Something worth risking your life for.”
Mother snickered, but with a swift pull of her lips controlled it. “I am starting to like you. You are not a fool. Yes, you are right. This is why you should stop your childish indecisions and come to me.”
“Why?”
“You don’t need to know that.”
I almost snickered, but rage boiled over. “I don’t need to know? Ever since I was ten my life has been an unending nightmare. Jailed in a castle, chased by assassins far and wide, I saw a friend, a friend I once loved murdered right in front of me! And I don’t deserve to know nothing, anything at all!?”
My voice boomed around the room. Elliza looked frightened, even the men were glanced with uncertainty at each other. Only my mother stood tall and unfazed.
She moved her hand to the side. I followed her hand, something glowed in between the palm. “Time, is the last frontier to be undiscovered. Few understand it well. Even I lack the knowledge,” my mother said.
I watched as the light grew revealing a round object. On it, were raised pits, while the sunken pits moved and shifted.
Mother continued, “This is our world. A round beautiful patch of earth with vast seas. This is where we all live.” Her hand moved, the object spun, her index finger of the free hand pointed down at a spot. “This is where we are right now.”
My mouth gaped at what I was seeing. Her eyes narrowed. “Our world spins around and around, this creates the changing night and days. The seasons, the monsoons and deserted months. Those things gave us the idea for time. That beautiful creation was born from the shifting and changing world around us.”
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
I closed my mouth and watched as the bright shimmering object she created diminished into blinking lights that scattered and flowed into her palm, disappearing into nothing.
Mother said, “You are a marvel.”
I asked, “Am I?”
“Yes, your presence is amazing. By yourself, alone you can change this world. Singularities do that, Millicent, Erodawn." She paused. "Riana, there could have been more. But that is who we know of for certain. When it was revealed to me that a singularity was coming for my life. Everyone was worried, but oh, I was excited. To think it was my daughter. This was perfect timing, don’t you think?”
I said nothing as my mother walked off Valor then gestured at us empathically. “Singularities are impossible to kill. I know that much.”
“That is not what San Rosa told me,” I replied.
Mother shook her head. “That is what she sees in that point in time. But in a flash.” Mother snapped her finger. “They can shift odds in their favor. I witnessed it first hand with Millicent. Erodawn, I heard he died of old age. Millicent took down many enemies and was never killed once. It is not chance. It is luck. She died by suicide in the end.” My mother waved her hand dismissingly. “The little wretch.”
“Luck?”
“That’s right a body that morphs and twists luck around them in their favor. It is amazing. And you have that ability. Ever wonder how you always come out on top, no matter how bad the odds? It ain’t skill darling, you are just lucky.”
The hammer of what she said hit me leaving my throat dry. I looked down at my palms. Nothing, nothing at all was my efforts?
Mother continued, her fingers shaking inward towards her wrist. “Such a power, with it, oh if I had it. I can become truly immortal. The world will shake before my feet. I can, we can d—”
“You said I first, so I can assume I was never in your grand designs,” I cut in and stared her down.
Mother held her head up and looked me over with a measure of scrutiny. “Your body holds this power, your mind is unimportant.”
She moved closer, so did the men. I slipped one hand behind my back, yet all I held was warm air. Playing my cards like I had a king when all I had was an empty hand was innate to my existence.
Was it luck that gave me life or my own efforts? Could that be the extent of my worth?
That annoyed me, but what choice did I have? My mother's fist crushed. “Is that what I am to you, a piece of skin and bones?”
Her smile brightened with an innocent aura. “That skin and bones was birthed by me. You can say it was ordained to be mine, but I have no interest in transferring my mind to a Shyia meat sack. Uuraagh. I want to know how singularities are born and what makes times twists and weaves to their wills. Your body holds those secrets. So you can go on living as you are. You won’t die.”
Everyone wanted to use me for some grand design of theirs, yet no one asked what I wanted. My eyes fluttered upward to where Corona was. I saw no figure, but that shadow casted off the wall gave her away.
My mother’s tall full curvaceous body was appealing. A body that was better than mine in every way. It was funny that the thing she would not be caught dead in was the thing she desired the most. I mocked her. “Not taking me with you?”
“Oh, no, whether you give yourself to me now or later it doesn’t matter. You will always come back to me no matter what.” She turned and punched her shoe into Valor’s neck. “Whether it be for revenge, answers or because you are tired—”
She looked back and pierced me with those lustful globes of hers. “I can see it in your eyes. Your fear, I can see the terror of your life washing over you. You will come to me eventually.
“I am sure about that. You will run, you will hide, you will live many different lives, but you cannot survive this world. Even now you struggle to stand before me. You will be begging me to take it from you. Trust me, I can wait.”
She straightened. I glared, but that was all I could do. What was I supposed to say to that? That she was lying? It was my fate to kill her. No matter what, we were destined to meet again.
My body shuddered and shrunk before the might that was my mother. She never attacked me once and yet she struck such fear in my very soul. It was unnerving.
No, my efforts could not be pointless.
It was mine!
My life!
Nobody else's!
It consisted of people important to me. Janilla, Five, Sandream and Valor, there were beautiful people and I loved all of them.
I was lucky to have them.
Lucky?
I could wield my luck.
That fate, that luck could be wielded by me, it was in my hands! My fists crunched.
No, I was not useless.
If I wanted to, I could change my luck.
The moment I gave up hope, and stopped exercising my will to exist, my luck was going to run out.
I said, "You lie."
She hummed with a delicious moan. "Do I?"
I was not falling into her trap. My will was going to shout to their heavens and rupture it to the core!
"It hurts doesn’t it, that no matter how perfect you make yourselves, only we imperfect beings can gain the privilege of being a singularity."
Mother's lips twisted out of its confidence at my biting remark.
I said, “I don't know much about all of this, but I am sure of one thing. There is no floor in hell where I would ever ask that of you. You do not control me, nobody does, my body, my life is mine and mine alone! That is my decision. Not a—not a sliver of fate, Five?”
Five stepped forward and threw Acomn in between them.
My mother’s face lit up. “My oh my—the leader of Tiam.”
“Until I kill you let’s make a deal. Give me Valor and take a higher, better prize.” The conversation between Corona and my mother back then made it clear Acomn was an important piece to her.
Mother rubbed her chin as if thinking.
“Erot, I did not come here to stand listening to you glorifying yourself and going back with nothing at all,” Elliza said.
My mother waved her hand and the crystal ball rolled, shattering Elliza’s image before floating into my mother’s grasp. “Deal, take him.”
The men grabbed Valor and pushed him into Five’s grasp. Acomn was taken up and carried to the other side. Mother turned, that smile remained a constant fixture and that glint for me was nothing more than a material gawk.
“I will see you daughter.” A kind nod was given to me and it almost made me assume she cared.
Almost.
I rubbed my lips with the tip of my tongue hesitant to speak, but strength manifested itself. “I know.”
She walked off, the men waited for her to pass before falling into line.
I breathed out. Valor stepped up to me. His face was a mess, with the strands of his hair fighting his face for space. He seemed lost, saddened even. I guessed even he had shame. “Hey lass. Don’t listen to her s—”
“Stop being so serious.” He looked surprised I cut him off, but I continued, “Just keep making your jokes and watch over me like you always do.” I looked up to the upper floor. “Corona, what sayth you?”
The shadow fled and hurried steps descended into nothing.
Valor asked, “Should we—”
“Leave her be. As long as I am on this path we will meet again.”
We came out of the garden and walked the desolate lawn. We met up with Janilla who jumped with glee. Valor soon lightened up. His mighty grin matched Five’s flat grimace right now.
Valor should have little to smile about. He had a lot of broken bones from Corona throwing him around.
Five only had scratches and bruises.
Janilla smiled and bounded her hands in front of the other. I grinned and said, “Let's go home.”
Valor scowled and replied, “Home, where is this home?”
“Anywhere the road takes us.”