accord. She stared at her
hand. Malphas then placed his own palm against hers, and the similarity between the two
was unmistakable.
“ I made certain, as I placed your soul inside of your mother’s womb, that you
would also retain a piece of me. You are my one chosen child, the heir of Caina. As
such, you possess a true form, one native to your home realm. It is time for you to
find this… and accept it .” He smiled at her then, and released her hand. “ It will give you power against your enemies, and protect you from those who would harm you .”
She fell silent, pondering his words. Then she glanced at her brother’s form where it
lay curled on the ice several feet away. “I do not wish to be anyone other than who I am,”
she said quietly.
“ And you shall remain so. You can call upon your true form when you need it .”
He placed his fingers beneath her chin and turned her so that she was looking up at him
once again. “ This body you possess at present will always remain. I am simply giving
you what has been your birthright since the moment I took you from the Spring.
-
88 -
The Chosen Soul
You shall have two forms, daughter. One is Raven ,” he stepped back and slowly let his eyes trail over her tall lissome form. “ The other is Winter .”
She quietly mulled over what he was telling her. “I will still be me?”
He nodded slowly.
“But I will be able to defend myself,” she turned to look at her brother again, “and
those I love?”
Again, he nodded.
She closed her eyes and swallowed, searching within herself. What did her soul tell
her to do? She felt something uncoiling deep inside. It was like a shining, golden rope of
power, a magical knot that had been tied up, useless and quiescent in its anchored state. It wanted to unwind, to expand, to be free.
She opened her eyes and met the fiery, eerie orbs of his commanding gaze.
She took a deep breath. She was trembling as she said, “Very well. I’m ready.”
His eyes sparked with something akin to victory, but Raven had no time to ponder
the source of his triumph, as he then came forward once again and slowly,
ceremoniously, placed the palm of his hand against her chest.
The world exploded around her. She cried out, arching her body, throwing her head
back as unbearable heat, followed by a cold so frigid it burned like fire, surged through
her body. It was relentless, cascading over the rift that was her sanity, dragging her along with it into the depths of the unknown.
Malphas encircled his daughter in his well-muscled arms and held her against his
massive chest. She was so tiny, so fragile. And yet, as he held her, he could feel the dark stirring of immense power that she’d locked up so deep within herself. And as he
- 89 -
Heather Killough-Walden
watched, she let her barriers fall one by one, allowing that darkness to climb up within
her and take shape.
Wings of the finest raven down emerged from her back and then spread to a glorious
wingspan. His eyes grew wide with surprise, for no one else in the Nine Circles of
Abaddon had wings such as these. He watched, fascinated, as her hair became
unbelievably soft to his touch, long and lustrous, fading to the color of spun arctic ice. He felt her grow taller in his grasp, stronger, and he looked on as her skin turned dark as a
northern winter’s midnight.
And when tiny fangs pressed against her full, red lower lip, he couldn’t tear his eyes
away from her mouth, luscious and tempting.
Her first change washed over her like an ocean, and he knew she felt as if she were
drowning beneath the weight of it. He held her tight, lending her as much strength as he
could without stalling her transformation.
Eventually, the intensity of the change waned, and she moaned low in her throat.
Malphas’s eyes were focused on the iridescent sheen of her extraordinary wings as she
slowly came to and opened her eyes.
He found himself reluctantly letting her go so
hand. Malphas then placed his own palm against hers, and the similarity between the two
was unmistakable.
“ I made certain, as I placed your soul inside of your mother’s womb, that you
would also retain a piece of me. You are my one chosen child, the heir of Caina. As
such, you possess a true form, one native to your home realm. It is time for you to
find this… and accept it .” He smiled at her then, and released her hand. “ It will give you power against your enemies, and protect you from those who would harm you .”
She fell silent, pondering his words. Then she glanced at her brother’s form where it
lay curled on the ice several feet away. “I do not wish to be anyone other than who I am,”
she said quietly.
“ And you shall remain so. You can call upon your true form when you need it .”
He placed his fingers beneath her chin and turned her so that she was looking up at him
once again. “ This body you possess at present will always remain. I am simply giving
you what has been your birthright since the moment I took you from the Spring.
-
88 -
The Chosen Soul
You shall have two forms, daughter. One is Raven ,” he stepped back and slowly let his eyes trail over her tall lissome form. “ The other is Winter .”
She quietly mulled over what he was telling her. “I will still be me?”
He nodded slowly.
“But I will be able to defend myself,” she turned to look at her brother again, “and
those I love?”
Again, he nodded.
She closed her eyes and swallowed, searching within herself. What did her soul tell
her to do? She felt something uncoiling deep inside. It was like a shining, golden rope of
power, a magical knot that had been tied up, useless and quiescent in its anchored state. It wanted to unwind, to expand, to be free.
She opened her eyes and met the fiery, eerie orbs of his commanding gaze.
She took a deep breath. She was trembling as she said, “Very well. I’m ready.”
His eyes sparked with something akin to victory, but Raven had no time to ponder
the source of his triumph, as he then came forward once again and slowly,
ceremoniously, placed the palm of his hand against her chest.
The world exploded around her. She cried out, arching her body, throwing her head
back as unbearable heat, followed by a cold so frigid it burned like fire, surged through
her body. It was relentless, cascading over the rift that was her sanity, dragging her along with it into the depths of the unknown.
Malphas encircled his daughter in his well-muscled arms and held her against his
massive chest. She was so tiny, so fragile. And yet, as he held her, he could feel the dark stirring of immense power that she’d locked up so deep within herself. And as he
- 89 -
Heather Killough-Walden
watched, she let her barriers fall one by one, allowing that darkness to climb up within
her and take shape.
Wings of the finest raven down emerged from her back and then spread to a glorious
wingspan. His eyes grew wide with surprise, for no one else in the Nine Circles of
Abaddon had wings such as these. He watched, fascinated, as her hair became
unbelievably soft to his touch, long and lustrous, fading to the color of spun arctic ice. He felt her grow taller in his grasp, stronger, and he looked on as her skin turned dark as a
northern winter’s midnight.
And when tiny fangs pressed against her full, red lower lip, he couldn’t tear his eyes
away from her mouth, luscious and tempting.
Her first change washed over her like an ocean, and he knew she felt as if she were
drowning beneath the weight of it. He held her tight, lending her as much strength as he
could without stalling her transformation.
Eventually, the intensity of the change waned, and she moaned low in her throat.
Malphas’s eyes were focused on the iridescent sheen of her extraordinary wings as she
slowly came to and opened her eyes.
He found himself reluctantly letting her go so
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