A Way Out

A week had passed since Lucian had turned the tables on Visenya. He had secluded himself within his chambers, where entry was strictly forbidden. No longer was it Visenya's duty to cook for him or bring his meals; she was now even barred from his floor. Without uttering a single word, he had made it abundantly clear that her presence was unwelcome.

Meals were left untouched, abandoned outside his door, and a flicker of concern tugged at Visenya's heart. But the lingering resentment from the aggrievement he had inflicted upon her was difficult to shake. She found herself, too, neglecting her own sustenance, rising from the hard floor each morning to face the desolation of her existence.

Her days were now spent toiling in the fields, hauling heavy baskets brimming with fruits and vegetables. She gained newfound empathy for the weariness that plagues humans, as she herself trudged through the laborious tasks assigned to her by Lucian.

Amidst the mundane routine, she found solace in the stables. Cleaning them became the highlight of her day, as the horses offered their unwavering companionship, their gentle spirits providing respite from the pitying gazes and empty conversations of others. The horses, with their untamed grace, brought her more joy than most people ever could.

Once the stables were tended to, she took a brief respite, strolling along the serene lakeshore. But the beauty of the day was marred by the storm brewing within her heart, casting dark clouds over her thoughts and unleashing thunderstorms of emotions.

She sat along the bank, idly skipping rocks, when a flicker of movement near the waters caught her eye. Intrigued, she decided to take a closer look and was delighted to discover a cute little hummingbird wrestling in the weeds. Without hesitation, she gently scooped the bird up in her hands, her heart melting at the sight of its injured wing.

"What happened to you, little bird?" She whispered, her voice filled with empathy as she caressed the wounded wing with tender care.

While engrossed in her compassionate encounter, a voice chimed in, catching Visenya off guard. Startled, she spun around, a wave of relief washing over her when she saw Marienne standing behind her. "I didn't hear you approaching," she admitted with a faint smile.

"Hmm..." Marienne hummed. "Lost in your own thoughts?"

Visenya nodded. "Perhaps... I haven't seen you in a while. Where have you been?"

Marienne smirked, her eyes twinkling mischievously. "Ohhh... you know? Around. But it seems you've been preoccupied with your dragon lately, which I've noticed has undergone some changes. Trouble in paradise?"

“There is no paradise for me in this world...” Visenya sighed, her voice heavy with despair. “Only hell.”

“Oh, Visenya... I really hate seeing you like this,” Marienne said, her voice filled with genuine concern.

“Then don’t look at me,” Visenya retorted, her words laced with bitterness.

Marienne giggled amusedly, then confidently strode up to Visenya and snatched the injured hummingbird out of her hands.

“Hey, careful!” Visenya scolded, her voice tinged with worry. “She’s hurt!”

Marienne cupped the delicate bird in her hands, her touch gentle yet firm. “Yes, she is a wounded little thing, isn’t she? But in the right hands... she can learn to fly again.”

With closed eyes, Marienne took several deep breaths, summoning her inner calm. Slowly, she opened her hands, and to Visenya's astonishment, the hummingbird gracefully took flight, its wings fluttering with newfound strength. Visenya stood there, her jaw nearly hitting the floor as she watched the miraculous scene unfold before her eyes.

“How did you...” The words caught in Visenya’s throat, her disbelief evident in her voice as she struggled to comprehend what her eyes had just witnessed.

“Magic…” Marienne winked, her eyes sparkling with a hint of mystery.

“You’re a mage!” Visenya exclaimed, her voice filled with astonishment.

Marienne couldn't help but laugh. “Maybe I am… or maybe I’m not,” she teased, her words carrying a playful tone.

“That’s why I can’t smell you. You’re using magic to mask your scent, aren't you?!” Visenya asserted, her mind racing as she connected the dots.

A mischievous smile curved Marienne's lips. "Perhaps there's more to it than just that."

“The dragons burned your kind alive centuries ago. Mages were considered evil... with their black magic and human sacrificing. Are you evil, Marienne? Am I going to have to kill you?” Visenya asked, her tone tinged with concern.

“I don't think it's going to come to that. I'm here to help you, Visenya,” Marienne reassured, her voice gentle yet resolute. “What if I told you that the little display with the bird was just a glimpse of what you're truly capable of?”

“What I'm capable of? I'm not a mage, Marienne!” Visenya protested, her voice tinged with doubt.

“Forget about mages and Lycans and dragons and all those insignificant beings for a moment,” Marienne urged, her voice filled with urgency. “What if I told you that you have more power than anyone in this worldly dimension can even fathom, and all you have to do is learn how to awaken it?”

Visenya rolled her eyes, huffing in irritation. "I'd say that you're speaking nonsense, just like you always do," she retorted.

"It isn't nonsense! If you just listened to me," Marienne argued.

"No!" Visenya objected vehemently. "I am done listening to you! You've helped enough. Now, please... just leave me alone."

"Fine... suit yourself," Marienne gritted indignantly, turning on her heels and striding off into the woods.

"Where are you going?!" Visenya called out in confusion. "The castle is the other way!"

"I'm not going back!" Marienne replied defiantly. "I want to be free now, and free I shall be!"

"You can't leave, Marienne!” Visenya exclaimed. "Lucian will send someone after you, if he doesn't go and find you himself."

"No... I don't think that he will." Marienne retorted. "But you, on the other hand... you come and find me when you're ready, I'll be waiting."

"Let her go," Delilah interjected. "I told you she was a whack job."

"But she could die out there," Visenya countered.

"That's her problem," Delilah stated firmly. "I always sensed there was something off about her... it's best if she stays far away from you."

"Her bloodline was wiped out centuries ago," Visenya pondered. "How is this even possible?"

"All it takes is for one of them to survive," Delilah explained. "Take Lucian, for example."

“Do you think she’ll be a problem?” Visenya questioned.

“Not for the likes of a Dragon Lord,” Delilah assured. “I wouldn’t worry about her.”

Visenya tore her eyes away from Marienne’s waning silhouette and gazed up at the sky. “We still have a few more hours before sunset, and we haven’t checked the eastern border yet.”

“Geesh, Visenya... when are you going to stop this?” Delilah sighed. “It’s been a week already. What if you're already with child?”

“Then I’ll eat a whole fucking bush,” Visenya declared.

“Listen to yourself!” Delilah berated. “I really don’t think you understand the gravity of what you are saying!”

“No, you don’t understand, Delilah!” Visenya cried. “You've never had to witness the way dragons treat their slave mothers! Do you want me to live in a world where I’m not only hated by my mate… but my own children too?!”

“You don’t know if they’ll hate you,” Delilah tried to reassure her gently.

“Delilah… don’t make me beg,” Visenya pleaded with a hint of desperation in her voice.

Delilah emitted a heavy sigh of defeat, the weight of the situation settling upon her. “Ohhh… alright. Let’s go find those damn berries then.”

Without hesitation, Visenya shed her clothing and took her wolf form. With a surge of persistence, she raced off towards the eastern border in search of the elusive toxic emberberries. As they ventured even further than before, putting hundreds of miles between them and the castle, Delilah couldn't help but feel a sense of doubt creeping in. She began to question if their mission was a lost cause.

Deep down, Delilah had zero interest in entertaining any of this. However, she knew how important it was to Visenya. Having endured so much, Visenya needed her wolf's support more than anything at that moment. And so, Delilah made the decision to go along with her wishes, even if she didn't fully agree with them.

Delilah knew she had to draw the line somewhere. Especially now, with nightfall upon them and their prolonged absence from the castle. It was time for Visenya to cut her losses and turn back. That's what Delilah was about to tell her, just before they reached the edge of a cliff that faced another mountain.

"You've got to be kidding me?!" Visenya exclaimed in disbelief.

On the other side, perched at the edge of that adjacent mountain, stood a solitary emberberry bush.

"The Moon Goddess is just toying with me now!" Visenya grumbled in frustration.

"We should go back now, Visenya," Delilah proposed, but Visenya wasn't ready to give up just yet.

She carefully walked along the cliff, scouring for anything that could help her cross to the other side. It didn't take long before she stumbled upon a large tree with a sturdy branch extending towards the ledge of the opposite cliff.

"I can use that tree to climb over and jump to the other side," Visenya declared confidently.

"Are you crazy?!" Delilah blustered, her outrage evident. "It's not safe, Visenya!"

“Oh, come on... I’ve jumped much farther than that!” Visenya exclaimed.

“Not in your human form!” Delilah emphasized. “And I can’t climb that tree, Visenya!”

“I know that,” Visenya replied. “I’ll climb the tree in my form and then, when it's time to jump, I'll shift. It will work like a charm.”

“I have a bad feeling about this, Visenya. I think we should turn back now and not get ahead of ourselves,” Delilah urged.

Visenya brushed off Delilah’s concerns. She shifted back into her natural form and proceeded to ascend the tree, ignoring Delilah's protests. As Visenya reached the top, she tested the strength and durability of the branch that would bear her weight.

Satisfied with its sturdiness, she carefully traversed the branch, relying on her finely-tuned sense of balance. However, a wave of unease washed over her when she glanced down at the river below, hearing the relentless crash of the turbulent waters against the rocks.

“It's not too late to turn back,” Delilah suggested, her voice filled with concern.

“No, I’ve got this,” Visenya declared confidently.

She carefully navigated her way to the end of the sturdy bough, gracefully lowering herself into a crouching pose, preparing for the imminent leap.

“Alright, Delilah... Are you ready?” Visenya asked.

“As ready as I'll ever be,” Delilah responded, her voice steady but tinged with a hint of nervousness.

“On the count of three,” Visenya instructed, her voice firm and determined. “One... Two...”

Visenya's attention was abruptly diverted by a rustling in the nearby bushes on the opposite cliff. She instinctively tilted her head, trying to sharpen her senses as she struggled to pick up a sound, a scent… anything.

"Visenya!" Delilah's voice suddenly blared at the precise moment a bloodthirsty tiger emerged from the undergrowth, lunging directly for Visenya's throat.

Visenya swiftly dodged the tiger's attack, slipping off the edge and catching herself before plunging into the raging waters below. The ferocious beast, relentless in its pursuit, swiped its razor-sharp paws at her as she desperately clung for dear life. Above her, the bough began to splinter and crackle under the weight of the tiger's aggression.

"You're going to kill us both, you stupid fucking animal!" Visenya's rage echoed through the air.

A thunderous crack reverberated from the bough, signaling its imminent collapse under the relentless pressure. Visenya's grip weakened as the bough plunged downward, momentarily throwing the tiger off balance.

Unfortunately, the sudden dip failed to send the demon to its demise. It clawed frantically at the wood, desperately trying to regain its footing. Seizing the opportunity, Visenya summoned her strength and pulled herself up.

Once safely atop the bough, she wasted no time retreating towards the trunk of the tree, with the tiger in relentless pursuit. With a burst of agility, Visenya leaped into the air, grabbing hold of a sturdy tree limb just as the bough snapped in half.

"Shift!" Delilah cried, her voice filled with urgency, as the incessant animal collided into Visenya, sending them both plummeting thirty feet to the unforgiving ground below.

Visenya tumbled violently onto the hard rocks, each impact eliciting a yelp of pain as her body sustained cuts and bruises. She lay there in the gravel, her form covered in a macabre mixture of dirt and her own blood, while every muscle and fiber screamed in agonizing protest. The pestilent cat snarled menacingly a few feet away, its determination to kill undeterred despite its own injured state.

"Shift already!" Delilah growled, her voice brimming with fierce valor. "Let me out so we can tear this fucker apart!"

Visenya had been presented with numerous opportunities to end the tiger's life, but she had never fully acknowledged the reason why she hadn't seized them... until now. The truth was, Visenya was deadly and redoubtable in her own right. However, as the tiger stalked towards her, its predatory gaze fixed upon her vulnerable form, she realized that the fighting spirit within her had finally reached its expiration date.

She vividly recalled those cruel words that Lucian had once hurled at her, expressing his deep desire to eradicate that very part of her. If only he could see her now, she would boldly look him square in the eye and say, "You won."

Delilah's heart raced with panic as the tiger drew nearer. "Visenya?! Don't make me force-shift!"

Delilah was well aware of Visenya's intentions; she could feel her will to live slipping away... And with that, she didn't have the heart to condemn Visenya to this tragic existence any longer. Visenya saw this as an easy way out, an escape route in the form of a quick and merciful death.

With closed eyes, Visenya shut out the sound of the feral beast charging towards her, seeking solace in the knowledge that once it was all over, she would finally find peace.