Chapter 7: Uncharted Lands

Mercy Hall

The Tagnikzur Kingdom, 1715 . . .

'Are you sad?' The words swirl around in Mercy's head. 'Be you lonely, my child?'

The singsong tone grates on her last nerve.

"Stop it." She cups her ears. "Please."

In her mind's eye, an image of a woman appears. She's ethereal in profile. Her skin shimmers like liquid mercury under the sun's rays.

"Are you real?" Holding out a hand, she waves it back and forth. "Or an apparition?"

'To my words, listen ever so closely.'

Strings of light flicker back and forth. They swirl in the wake of Mercy's movements.

This isn't real, she thinks to herself, it can't be.

"This is a dream." She rubs her face.

'I assure you, a dream this is not.' The image of the silver woman remains, etched in her mind.

"Where am I?" She blinks several times. "The royal garden?" Something is different, her surroundings, though the same, now smell different. "Who the hell are you?"

'Deep in the dark depths of lore, truths linger to whisper of war.'

Mercy shakes her head, but the fuzziness continues to weigh her thoughts. "What do you want?"

'For you to listen, child,' the foreign voice continues to croon in her ears. 'Man, and beast, they parted ways, hatred set their hearts ablaze. But in their embers, there lies, an unspoken love ready to rise.'

"What's that supposed to mean?"

'All shall be revealed if you but listen.' The silhouette raises an arm. 'Love, pure and simple, is a bond so thick, it spans all of space.' Beads of light surround her fingers. 'And within the veil of time, exists a triad for lovers to find their rightful place.'

The twisted image of a tree with knotted roots engulfed by the pond water appears.

"Wait." Mercy's eyes widen in wonder. "How did you do that?"

'Tell me, do you desire love's true embrace? Yearn to feel a lover's full grace.' Strands of swirling electricity enfold Mercy, warming her body.

"Am I dreaming?" She rubs her eyes. "I must be."

'Do you crave the blissful kiss of love's eternal bliss?' The woman approaches. She brushes long, willowing fingers over Mercy's mouth.

The contact makes her lips tingle. "Love's embrace, an eternal bliss?" She sways with the undertow. "What's with the riddles and questions?" She stumbles forward in the open water, exposed.

The binary beats of her twin hearts quicken.

Mercy spins around. "The guards." She searches the shadows of the night.

'Do not be afraid, child. No one shall enter this place. You are safe in my protective arms. Nothing will touch you within my embrace.'

"What are you?" She carefully studies the being's face. However, like a reflection in water, it keeps changing. There's a peace about this creature, one she doesn't quite understand but wants to.

'I have many names that both humans and beasts, alike, have bestowed upon me.' Rising into the air, she hovers just above the waterline. 'Fae, spirit, sprite, devil, demon, angel, imp and many, many more, you see.'

"Why doesn't your mouth move when you talk?" She focuses on slowing her ragged breaths. "How is it I can hear you?"

'Because, child, I was tethered to you, telepathically, the moment you took refuge in my arms; therefore, I am in your head. So, why would my mouth need to move when my words already freely flow in your mind.' The being strokes the water, creating a ripple that expands several feet.

"How did you . . ."

'There is no need to be alarmed.' An angel fish mouths the creature's index finger. Its fins curl and uncurl to form a swaying fan of color that leaves shimmering specks in the water. 'The images you see are only a manifestation within your memories, both new and distant, which helps your primitive brain process what is unfolding on a higher plane of existence.'

"Excuse me?" Her jaw drops. "Did you just call me primitive?" The water, buoyant and light, laps around her waist. "Wait. Am I dead?"

A smile dances across the being's face. 'Nay. You are not dead, at least, not yet.' She sits on the surface, immerses her legs, and then swings them like a pendulum. 'Fate has more in store for you, Mercy Hall, so do not fret.'

Two words roll around in her mind: not yet. "How do you know my name?"

'I know many things about you, about your world, actually, about many worlds.' The silvery woman cocks her head to the side in a bird of prey-like motion. 'I ask you, once more, are you sad? Be you lonely? Do you desire to feel pain nevermore upon this desolate shore?'

Flashes of memories flood her mind. Her chest constricts, squeezing the breath from her lungs, and she relives the death of her clan: first her mother, her sire, and then her brother.

Tears fill her eyes. "I couldn't save them." Her talon-tipped claws cut into the water then into the riverbed. "Make it stop." The damp moisture of the soil reminds her of the tunnels deep in the bowels of the castle. The thought makes her heart ache even more. "Please."

'You have experienced a great loss, an unfathomable pain.' The entity slinks off her perch. 'But your soul is still pure, unstained.' She offers a hand 'Come forth, my child. Don't be shy, clutch my hand.' Without hesitation, the being cups Mercy's fingers in hers.

Lids brimming with tears, Mercy's body shakes. She's drawn into a firm embrace, shrouded by warmth.

"I don't want to return to the world I left - to death." Softly, she weeps. "I seek happiness. I want to be loved, protected. I don't want to live with this pain anymore."

'Then hand in hand, we'll travel the unforgotten strings of time's uncharted lands.'

A deep-seated warmth takes hold, warming her from the inside out. Swirls of vibrant colors spin around her.

Weightless, Mercy floats in the veil between time. "Is this real? Am I dreaming?"