The End of Innocence: Book 3 of the Kinstone series

Fear jumpstarts my heart, as more tears began to flow, staring at the girl who used be my birthmother. Diana simply smiles with glee, now holding onto the undead survivor of Nethune. She wants to watch me die, and then come back, twisted and corrupt.

This would be the ultimate insult to Rachel. To have me, her own daughter, destroy everything I love and cherish.

I stare into Regulus’ eyes, shaking my head, “Please don’t do this.”

He steps closer, raising his hand, “Plead all you want. Your death is long overdue, my dear. Nothing shall prevent me this night.”

A pale green magic envelopes his hand, turning it ghostly clear. “With this, I shall crush your heart and not a leave a single shred of evidence. Your mother will be none the wiser until it is too late.”

A dark grin rises on his face, “I can imagine to sheer horror of Rachel as you stand over her broken and bloodied body. Not knowing why her beloved daughter betrayed her. I only wish to be there when you rampage through your home.”

A dark chuckle arose from Selene, “I find it so excruciatingly lovely how the final daughter of Shyair shall be the one to lead her house into utter damnation.” Her crimson eyes bore into me, “You shall truly be my instrument of revenge upon those who defied me at the end.”

He then slowly begins reach for my chest. I try to struggle free but my body just won’t respond. Whatever was holding me in place was biting ever deeper into my wrists the more I moved them.

I continue to stare at Diana, praying that some part of her would lash out against him and free me. It’s always said that a mother’s love will shine through even the darkest of nights.

But the more I look at her, pleading in my heart for her to wake up…nothing. There was no love in her eyes, no desire to rush in and save me. Only an anticipation and desire to watch me die.

My birthmother shared no love for me, no sympathy, no…connection. Her death severed our bonds of family. She truly was no longer the person I once knew and loved. She no longer was…my mother.

I lower my head, feeling the eldritch energies of the spell which was about to kill me. It smelled like rancid ozone the closer it came to me. I bit my lip, feeling even more tears streaming down my face. I was going to be used as a weapon, a weapon against the very person who I called my mother. I don’t want to happen; I don’t want to die here. But I’m alone.

My eyes close, feeling the tears drip off of my chin. I want to cry, cry out in defiance to all of this crap. I want to go home, but not after being transformed into something deep down that would utterly destroy me and those I love.

Fear fills my heart, fear of my impending death, fear of not knowing where I was. Fear of what this bastard planned to do me and then more than likely simply kill me all over again.

No…no…it’s not going to end here, not like this, not in some distant unnamed forest. I don’t want to die. I refused to be used as a weapon against Rachel.

“Fenris. Fenris.”

Regulus’ hand stops for a moment, “Did you say something, my dear?

“Fenris,” I whisper.

He smiles, “If you are trying to call your bonded it won’t work. A powerful magical barrier was erected around this area the moment I arrived. I doubt even a sphinx could penetrate it. Now this won’t take long.”

The eerie glow of his hand grew brighter, causing my stomach to churn. I couldn’t call on Fenris, a being who always I can count on. Tears continue to stream down my face.

Time seems to slowly down as the image of Rachel fills my mind. I want to see her; I wanted her to be here. I wanted my mother here with right now. My thoughts stretched out as far and as hard as I take them.

Something then pulls at my heart, a singular word floated within my heart. A word so powerful, so meaningful, that I had only used with one person, and that person wanted to see me dead.

Words carry can carry a significant weight to them and can be further enhanced in times of great emotional stress, either in joy, anger, or sorrow. Words, no…names, are a promise that is given to people. It marks who they are to everyone and to each other.

“Rachel…Rachel please…please… mom. Mom.”

I repeated the plea, praying with all of my heart, my soul; all that I had become was because of that woman. She once called me her world; she in turn had become mine. I only am here because she brought here, brought me out of my pain and sorrow.

She gave me place to call home and start anew. A fresh start in life, a new world to explore, and new purpose…a new name. I am her daughter, now and forevermore. And I want her to be here right now!!

I look up to see his hand nearly reaching my chest. I reel back in utter horror. “Mom…”

Just as the tips of his fingers are about to touch my skin, I hear the sound of something like a ball shattering through a window. In a flash of light, a small object then appears in front of me, sending a blast of energy knocking the trio back a couple yards.

Regulus groans as he rolled onto his side, staring at the object which hovered in front of me. His eyes flared with surprise and confusion, somehow knowing what had knocked him back, “A Kinstone?”

Selene and Diana both rise to their feet, with the former glaring at the artifact with equal surprise, “But…but where did it come from? How does she even possess one?”

I stare at the floating crystal which hovered just in front of my face. It was half of the symbol between us, my half. Tears, which had never stopped flowing for the past few minutes seem to gush all the more.

No matter where are you in the world, it will find you and protect you. The first promise of the Kinstone, it had not once before come to pass, but now it has.

A massive lump then formed in my throat as the words of the second promise flooded into my mind. When both halves become whole, the bearers shall be reunited once more.

My eyes open, now realizing the truth behind the words. Rachel and I are one, when our hearts become one then she and I will be reunited no matter where we are in the world.

I start to cry, feeling something gripping around my heart, slowly beginning to break. A surge of energy swells within me, giving me the power to finally speak out the one word which I have been holding back for over a year and half. A name to cry out to the world, to let all know who and what she now truly is to me.

I draw in a long and deep breath, possibly the last one I do.

“Mother!!!”

My cries echo throughout the area, reverberating, shaking everything. Something then snaps within me, shattering to utter pieces as if now cast off from me. Something old, something lingering, something now lost.

The trio stands in silence, unsure whether to move forward or not.

The sound of thunder roars as a beam of light shot straight down from the sky, shattering through the barrier as though it were glass. The light then dissipates, revealing a woman clothed in a short white hooded cape with dark trim, long blue thigh boots, a wrap-around skirt, and a dark black and blue bodysuit.

She slams her black staff with three blue crystals and a ruby in the center, into the ground, which made a sound similar to a heavy metal pipe on stone. Standing beside her is a large two-tail black wolf. It snarls and glares at the trio. A soft and chilled wind wraps around the pair and me.

I start bawling my eyes out, never before feeling happier in my life in knowing who had come to rescue me.

“Mom.” I cry with fresh tears flowing down cheeks, “Mom! Mom!”