deal far
too difficult to refuse. Raven thought of what little she knew of the Death
Keepers. In essence, she would be offering three memories in exchange for the
means to save her Mom. As it was the Death Keepers who had kidnapped her Mom
in the first place, Raven considered it an added bonus that the Void took a
special interest in them.
“I agree,” Raven
shivered in the chill of the emptiness. She wondered if the Void and the
Emptiness Aunt Bertha bestowed upon her were the same thing.
A little voice
whispered, No, I’m here.
Who spoke to her?
The voice was so
quiet and yet so compelling.
Even while the
swirl of darkness moved forward to complete the bargain, Raven whispered, “What
are you?”
“The pause before
creation, the space between atoms, the moment of possibility. You need me.”
Raven nodded as
she felt icy fingers caress her arms. Every breath hurt her lungs, punctuated
by shards of ice. Suddenly, she found herself remembering things from her
childhood. As memories flooded her mind, she watched her father leaning over
her crib, teasing her at breakfast, walking together, and singing to her.
Image after image
of Dad, many long forgotten flooded Raven’s mind as the Void extracted her
promise. She witnessed it all as if for the first time, until the point when
he died. Raven saw things she didn’t remember. She saw the man who stabbed
him anew. It was a young version of Harold. Harold!!!
Raven gasped. How
could she not have seen or remembered? But then, it had been so long ago, and
with a few changes to his face and the natural ravages from aging, there was no
way she could have known before now. Her memory continued. She watched as Jade
and Fire attacked Harold. She witnessed her younger self begging Air for help,
but something went wrong and instead of Harold, her Daddy burned.
He screamed for
just a second, an instant, and then disappeared.
Strange.
“Is this true?”
Raven asked the Void.
“They are your
memories.” The Unmaker said. She didn’t actually remember many of them before
this strange and disturbing unveiling of her life.
Raven felt
disturbed. She had long thought that she bore sole responsibility for her
Dad’s death. Air whipped up the firestorm. The new memory, accurate and true,
told a different story. Jade’s Fire struck at Harold who had a gift of his own.
The Unmaker said, Harold . And her Dad disappeared before he died. That
could have been the Keepers, too, taking her father away through some gift of
the Universe.
Raven rubbed her
eyes. They felt so cold, as if she’d been walking across a snow field with snow
blowing in her face. She had a sudden moment of clarity. “My father was a
Keeper.”
The Void didn’t
respond. It pulled the last memories from her mind, the ones from last summer’s
adventures when the Death Keepers kidnapped Mom, but then helped the sisters
escape from the vampires.
The Void’s icy
breath blew across her mind, showing Raven the gate to her Mom’s prison. First,
you must get the key. Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and a Keeper must join together
to open the portal to the Dark Keeper, the one who lost Time. He has a key
that you can take.
“Show me details.
You promised.” Raven didn’t like vague notions. She wanted a concrete visual.
The Void
responded.
As Raven grew
colder and colder, she saw more and more. Knowledge poured into her mind, and
she knew that she could rescue her Mom. The cost would be dear. She didn’t
know if she could pay it. Someone had to cross worlds. Raven knew she would have to do it.
The Dark Keeper
is evil and cunning. He will not return to his cell easily.
“Show me how to
take it,” Raven said.
Unless the
Universe gets involved, you will have to bring him across, obtain his help in
crossing the barrier, and then once he has brought you all back, returned him
to his prison.
Everything was
planned and patterned in her mind.
too difficult to refuse. Raven thought of what little she knew of the Death
Keepers. In essence, she would be offering three memories in exchange for the
means to save her Mom. As it was the Death Keepers who had kidnapped her Mom
in the first place, Raven considered it an added bonus that the Void took a
special interest in them.
“I agree,” Raven
shivered in the chill of the emptiness. She wondered if the Void and the
Emptiness Aunt Bertha bestowed upon her were the same thing.
A little voice
whispered, No, I’m here.
Who spoke to her?
The voice was so
quiet and yet so compelling.
Even while the
swirl of darkness moved forward to complete the bargain, Raven whispered, “What
are you?”
“The pause before
creation, the space between atoms, the moment of possibility. You need me.”
Raven nodded as
she felt icy fingers caress her arms. Every breath hurt her lungs, punctuated
by shards of ice. Suddenly, she found herself remembering things from her
childhood. As memories flooded her mind, she watched her father leaning over
her crib, teasing her at breakfast, walking together, and singing to her.
Image after image
of Dad, many long forgotten flooded Raven’s mind as the Void extracted her
promise. She witnessed it all as if for the first time, until the point when
he died. Raven saw things she didn’t remember. She saw the man who stabbed
him anew. It was a young version of Harold. Harold!!!
Raven gasped. How
could she not have seen or remembered? But then, it had been so long ago, and
with a few changes to his face and the natural ravages from aging, there was no
way she could have known before now. Her memory continued. She watched as Jade
and Fire attacked Harold. She witnessed her younger self begging Air for help,
but something went wrong and instead of Harold, her Daddy burned.
He screamed for
just a second, an instant, and then disappeared.
Strange.
“Is this true?”
Raven asked the Void.
“They are your
memories.” The Unmaker said. She didn’t actually remember many of them before
this strange and disturbing unveiling of her life.
Raven felt
disturbed. She had long thought that she bore sole responsibility for her
Dad’s death. Air whipped up the firestorm. The new memory, accurate and true,
told a different story. Jade’s Fire struck at Harold who had a gift of his own.
The Unmaker said, Harold . And her Dad disappeared before he died. That
could have been the Keepers, too, taking her father away through some gift of
the Universe.
Raven rubbed her
eyes. They felt so cold, as if she’d been walking across a snow field with snow
blowing in her face. She had a sudden moment of clarity. “My father was a
Keeper.”
The Void didn’t
respond. It pulled the last memories from her mind, the ones from last summer’s
adventures when the Death Keepers kidnapped Mom, but then helped the sisters
escape from the vampires.
The Void’s icy
breath blew across her mind, showing Raven the gate to her Mom’s prison. First,
you must get the key. Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and a Keeper must join together
to open the portal to the Dark Keeper, the one who lost Time. He has a key
that you can take.
“Show me details.
You promised.” Raven didn’t like vague notions. She wanted a concrete visual.
The Void
responded.
As Raven grew
colder and colder, she saw more and more. Knowledge poured into her mind, and
she knew that she could rescue her Mom. The cost would be dear. She didn’t
know if she could pay it. Someone had to cross worlds. Raven knew she would have to do it.
The Dark Keeper
is evil and cunning. He will not return to his cell easily.
“Show me how to
take it,” Raven said.
Unless the
Universe gets involved, you will have to bring him across, obtain his help in
crossing the barrier, and then once he has brought you all back, returned him
to his prison.
Everything was
planned and patterned in her mind.
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