Reaver

Chapter Two

"Still, Shanyula though? What kind of name is that?" I asked, looking back at Hiedel.

His ruby eyes glued to where the flash had just come from. Whatever it was his gaze was intent.

"It is my name," came a light voice. I whipped my head around to look for whoever was speaking. In front of me was a golden blue light bobbing slightly, it was a wisp. The wisp we were looking for.

It was about the size of a small melon. It seemed to fade in and out of existence, its light growing faint before flashing back full color with a spark.

"Are you the ones I am to guide?" came melodic the voice again.

The voice almost seemed to whisper, as if listening to someone in the distance, but clearer and closer. It had little substance but resonated with power.

"We are," Hiedel interjected. He leaned forward from his spot on my back.

"Not much to look at," the wisp almost seemed to huff in disappointment at us, "a forgotten god, forced to remain in the body of an addicted vampire whose cursed to drink blood he should not. Said godling is riding on the back of a foolish child, who believes that she has power over others. When in fact she can barely control her own self."

I growled at the wisp, "You seem to know much about us. Spirit."

"Of course," Shanyula said as if any other possibility was wrong, "I know about everything and everyone that wishes to enter the Mysts, you are no different. I am ever knowing, after all."

"Then maybe you can start us on our quest?" Hiedel tried to push the conversation along.

"If I must," Shanyula sighed dramatically, drifting lightly side to side. If it had a nose, I am sure it would be in the air right now.

Stuck-up little imp, I thought sourly.

"If I had a nose, my dear," the wisp stated primly, "I would not be able to stand the stench of a dragon and her pet as they have not bathed in days."

"You read my thoughts?" I growled, more irritated with the wisp then before.

"'Read' is such a simplistic way of thinking about it. If you thought about much at all that is. Thinking doesn't seem to be your forte."

"What did you say!" I snarled.

Shanyula seemed to shimmer in laughter for a second before continuing.

"So barbaric," it said jubilantly, "shouting about everything and never able to solve your own problems without resorting to violence."

"If you didn't provoke me so much," I started.

"I'm sorry," Shanyula interjected sarcastically, "are you going to run to your mommy? Oh wait, you can't. She is currently being fertilizer for some very happy trees right now."

"You wretch!" I roared again, striking out at the wisp with my jaws. It dispersed before I suddenly realized we were already in the middle of the Mysts. Thick dampness surrounded us, cloaking us as It did everything else.

Somehow we had moved closer, or it had creeped up on us while we were distracted.

"Oh," it sighed out into nothingness, "temper, temper, my dear."

Shanyula appeared again. "Or are you going to rip apart every creature that insults you?"

"If they are so foolish," I growled, my ears roaring with blood as I got more and more irritated with the wisp.

"And if you wipe out a kingdom," it said matter-of-factly, "then what? You'll be nothing but a disgraced, misplaced heathen, trying to build up a kingdom that will never be again."

"Shut up!" I roared again, frustration at the wisp, "Are you not supposed to guide me, not insult me?"

"Guide you?" Shanyula huffed, "why should I guide a spoiled child that sees herself as the victim of everything. One who never takes the responsibility for anything. Why do you think you can rule a kingdom when you can't even rule your own emotions?"

"Quiet!" I roared, more frustration building as I striked out at the wisp again. This time Shanyula didn't reappear.

Looking around with narrowed eyes, I could see nothing in this dense fog.

"Because that worked so well the first time," I heard it say, "you're nothing when it breaks down to it. You have no family. The few friends you have you pushed away. No subjects to command. No kingdom to rule over, barely any knowledge of your own history and bloodline-"

I blew out a massive torrent of fire, trying to hit anything in my blind rage.

"-and if you can't solve it with violence, then you lash out at what you can."

"Stop!" I roared, frustrated at my helplessness. It seemed as if the world was spiraling around me, but I knew we weren't moving.

What was going on!

"Face it, you're nothing but a weak little child with a chip on your shoulder and nothing to prove. What can you do? What are you even doing coming to the homeland?"

"Stop," I said again my voice losing its volume quickly, the edges of my vision starting to get fuzzy as I gradually descended downward, trying to get away. Following the natural drift of the spiraling motions.

"Then if nothing else works, you run. You shouted to save your mother, but that didn't work. You struck out for revenge when you lost your kingdom, now you run from it. Running far away, searching for a solution that may have just been a wild goose chase."

"Stop," I cried weakly, tears now pouring down my cheeks unbidden. I felt my claws hit the ground, my wings sagging, slumped to the ground a sob broke past my maw.

"Look at you, nothing but a lost child who was rejected from half her blood, while the other half doesn't even know or care that she exists. All of this is being distorted by a minor power that you can't control because of your shattered mind."

"It's not my fault," I moaned, curling up, trying to block out Shanyula.

"Should I accept your weakness like everyone else, hand over the kingdom to a broken minded fool who is on the verge of losing her own mind? Let the kingdom fall as your mind goes into the darkness. You're nothing, broken child, wanting more power than the current power she has yet can't control. You don't deserve that kingdom, let alone any pity from me."

On the last sentence, I felt the presence of the wisp disappear. Even though Hiedel was still next to me, I never felt so alone in my life.

It wasn't that the wisp was wrong. But I couldn't find it within myself to agree to its words. But there was a seed planted in my soul by its words and it wanted to bloom.

I refused to water it by believing the truth in the spoken words of the wisp. It was unfair to lay the blame of all on my feet alone. As if it all happened by fate due to me being born.

I had been a child! I had not asked for any of the past to happen. No one in their right mind would have!

No one in their right mind, echoed hollowly through the recess of my thoughts. A stunning reminder I was not in my right mind anyway.