The Visions (Part Thirteen)

Prompt: Wishbone |  Genre: Fantasy  |  Word count: 300 words

Heat pulsed under her palm, the edges translucent and red, like glowing embers.

“Don’t run away from who you are, child,” Raven said softly.

Runa looked down at her hand, cradled against her breast, her heart beating hard against it. Slowly, she let go and reached out to the tree. The heat spread from her palm like streams of light that flowed into the curves, the flowers, the runes, to finally reach the other side. Light filled up the design until only a palm-shaped space remained dark, at the exact opposite spot where Runa’s palm was.

“Where are you going?”, Runa asked.

“To complete the circle.” Raven stared, his eyes piercing right into her, “Your strength would fail you only if you give in to fear.”

Runa squared her shoulders and looked straight ahead.

Raven stood before the dark space, pulsating light surrounding it. He placed his palm on the tree, the empty space an exact fit. Dark tendrils flowed out from his palm into the grooves that cradled the lit design, until they approached Runa.

Runa gasped. The light flickered.

‘Your strength would fail you only if you give in to fear’, Raven’s words echoed in her mind.

She braced herself and the light glowed brightly again. The tendrils reached her palm and flowed under it through the grooves.

Silence.

Dark tendrils flowed into Runa’s eyes, drowning them up, turning her eyes into pools of midnight.

Streams of light flowed into Raven’s eyes, lighting them up, turning them into orbs of fire.

A wave of energy blasted away from the tree, blowing away everything into winds of dust.

Except them.

***

She stood in a field of bluewings.

A raven flew ahead. She took a step to follow him.

The scene shifted.

She screamed, scene after scene flitting before her.