For many years the Rhy'Din Cemetery stood as a place for the citizens of the once young town now turned bustling city to bury their dead. Today, it still served the same purpose as it would for ages to come.
Tara Rynieyn-Longden was no stranger to this place but only thrice had she stepped foot beyond its gate. The first time was to attend the funeral of her true blood brother, Tarathiele Rynieyn, a servant of the guild White Dragon's Vengeance, who was the reason why she had come to Rhy'Din to live in the first place. The second was to place her voodoo doll Arthur's first wife, Molly Dolly, upon the grave site of Lord Krovos, a former slaver Uncle of hers that led one of the first Chapter Houses of the Slaver's Association, House Phoenix. And the third was to place a tombstone for herself on the night after Rapture Andariel gifted her with immortality.
Sanctified ground had never been a problem for her when she was mortal but now that she was immortal, it posed some difficulties which was why she steered clear of churches and cemeteries.
But today she had a mission which was what brought her here for the fourth and likely final time. She needed to pay her respects to someone she cared for a great deal and whose innocent and pretty face she would never see again.
It did not matter to her that once she crossed the threshold of the cemetery gate it would be like she was walking on millions of tiny hot coals or that she would have nightmares about this night for years to come, she needed to get this out of her system and she could always go to Talomar, her Alpha Male, and have him heal her. Besides if Lars Helston could throw holy water on her and she survived, what was a little holy ground in comparison?
In her right hand she held a bunch of posies, in her left a ceramic teacup. Save for those two items, she was naked. There was no use in wearing clothing when they would only be destroyed once her flesh came into contact with the ground that lay ahead.
Reaching out with a bare toe, she nudged the gate of the cemetery open and stepped forward only to be met with an immense heat she had not adequately prepared for because she cried out and fell back.
"Dammit," she muttered and shook it off.
It was not going to be smooth sailing but she was going to do it, if it took the rest of eternity in trying, she would make her way in the cemetery, lay the flowers and teacup down and say a few words for her fallen friend. In a way she looked at this like a mortification of the flesh, atoning for the sin of not being able to save her friend from whatever end she met. Because there was no body to be laid to rest, she did not feel the need to invite anyone along with her and she really wanted to do this alone.
She took a deep unnecessary breath, straightened her posture, and stepped through the gate for a second time. The sensation was not unlike being waylaid by a swarm of angry bees but she found that if she tuned it out and did not give in to the fear of it, she was able to walk steadily forward even though she wanted to run away screaming.
All around her she could see ghostly images of holy sentinels that were charged with guarding the graves and not one of them made her feel welcome. Try as she might to ignore them, they wouldn't go away and several times she dodged their astral weapons and hissed at them in warning. Whether they liked it or not she was going to do what she came to do and if they wanted a fight she would be more than happy to meet them in battle but only after she completed her task.
Looking out before her she saw row upon row of tombstones all laid down in an uneven way, some larger, some smaller, some knocked askew, some missing altogether. She wondered if the cemetery staff even bothered to care for the graves once the mourners had gone away it was such a mess. Soon she came to an open space where she supposed the next person that died and was brought here would go and decided that this was where she would place the teacup and the flowers. There was a little tree nearby that she thought would provide a decent amount of shade to the area when the sun was shining at its brightest and the grave adjacent the space was obviously looked after by family members as she noticed there were a great deal of stones on top of the grave marker.
The burning of her flesh largely ignored, she dug a hole in the earth with her fingers, wincing as she did for it felt like dipping one's fingers into hot molten lava and planted the posies there. Then she placed the teacup down before them and bowed her head.
With a deep frown, she whispered, "For you, Ammy, my Littlest One, and dearest friend whom I love with all my heart, I do not know who took you from us but I swear upon the life that once coursed through my veins, I will never give up searching and when I find the one responsible, your death will be avenged like no other before it even if it costs me my own. I do not know where you are right now but Jewelsie and I, we're going to find you, I promise. We will break the Blades code, we won't give up. Rest now, sweet pea. I'll see you soon."
Her prayer finished, she stood and placed her hand over her navel where there happened to be a circular marking almost like a tattoo although it was hardly that. She did not normally use this ability of hers since her old lover Naebliss had marked her there as this was supposed to be a means of escape for her if she were ever in real danger but the power could be used for other purposes she had learned about through trial and error.
Purposes such as what she was using it for now. Within seconds her belly began to glow green and she watched as shadows from each corner of the cemetery raced across the grounds to envelop her in their embrace. She had no need to travel in the shadow realm at the moment so she gestured, directing the shadow over the area she had dedicated to Amthy to ward it so that nothing would ever disturb it. No blast of wind, no drop of rain, no human interference of any kind. There would be only sunshine and the sound of birds that she would allow to come in to the area and if anyone tried to dig a hole there they would find themselves swathed in an unbreakable shadow, the scent of death permeating their senses and driving them at once insane if not killing them outright from the shock of it.
"Guard this space as you would me and show you no mercy to those who would disrupt it," she commanded the shadows and they disappeared from her sight into the ground, laying in wait, like a trap, for unsuspecting intruders.
Then she left by the way she had come in, passing the same forgotten tombstones of heroes and villains alike, long dead, and exited the cemetery. The agonizing pain passing as quickly as it had come, she looked to her body all covered in burnt flesh and ash, and smiled.
Amthy was worth every scab.
Tara Rynieyn-Longden was no stranger to this place but only thrice had she stepped foot beyond its gate. The first time was to attend the funeral of her true blood brother, Tarathiele Rynieyn, a servant of the guild White Dragon's Vengeance, who was the reason why she had come to Rhy'Din to live in the first place. The second was to place her voodoo doll Arthur's first wife, Molly Dolly, upon the grave site of Lord Krovos, a former slaver Uncle of hers that led one of the first Chapter Houses of the Slaver's Association, House Phoenix. And the third was to place a tombstone for herself on the night after Rapture Andariel gifted her with immortality.
Sanctified ground had never been a problem for her when she was mortal but now that she was immortal, it posed some difficulties which was why she steered clear of churches and cemeteries.
But today she had a mission which was what brought her here for the fourth and likely final time. She needed to pay her respects to someone she cared for a great deal and whose innocent and pretty face she would never see again.
It did not matter to her that once she crossed the threshold of the cemetery gate it would be like she was walking on millions of tiny hot coals or that she would have nightmares about this night for years to come, she needed to get this out of her system and she could always go to Talomar, her Alpha Male, and have him heal her. Besides if Lars Helston could throw holy water on her and she survived, what was a little holy ground in comparison?
In her right hand she held a bunch of posies, in her left a ceramic teacup. Save for those two items, she was naked. There was no use in wearing clothing when they would only be destroyed once her flesh came into contact with the ground that lay ahead.
Reaching out with a bare toe, she nudged the gate of the cemetery open and stepped forward only to be met with an immense heat she had not adequately prepared for because she cried out and fell back.
"Dammit," she muttered and shook it off.
It was not going to be smooth sailing but she was going to do it, if it took the rest of eternity in trying, she would make her way in the cemetery, lay the flowers and teacup down and say a few words for her fallen friend. In a way she looked at this like a mortification of the flesh, atoning for the sin of not being able to save her friend from whatever end she met. Because there was no body to be laid to rest, she did not feel the need to invite anyone along with her and she really wanted to do this alone.
She took a deep unnecessary breath, straightened her posture, and stepped through the gate for a second time. The sensation was not unlike being waylaid by a swarm of angry bees but she found that if she tuned it out and did not give in to the fear of it, she was able to walk steadily forward even though she wanted to run away screaming.
All around her she could see ghostly images of holy sentinels that were charged with guarding the graves and not one of them made her feel welcome. Try as she might to ignore them, they wouldn't go away and several times she dodged their astral weapons and hissed at them in warning. Whether they liked it or not she was going to do what she came to do and if they wanted a fight she would be more than happy to meet them in battle but only after she completed her task.
Looking out before her she saw row upon row of tombstones all laid down in an uneven way, some larger, some smaller, some knocked askew, some missing altogether. She wondered if the cemetery staff even bothered to care for the graves once the mourners had gone away it was such a mess. Soon she came to an open space where she supposed the next person that died and was brought here would go and decided that this was where she would place the teacup and the flowers. There was a little tree nearby that she thought would provide a decent amount of shade to the area when the sun was shining at its brightest and the grave adjacent the space was obviously looked after by family members as she noticed there were a great deal of stones on top of the grave marker.
The burning of her flesh largely ignored, she dug a hole in the earth with her fingers, wincing as she did for it felt like dipping one's fingers into hot molten lava and planted the posies there. Then she placed the teacup down before them and bowed her head.
With a deep frown, she whispered, "For you, Ammy, my Littlest One, and dearest friend whom I love with all my heart, I do not know who took you from us but I swear upon the life that once coursed through my veins, I will never give up searching and when I find the one responsible, your death will be avenged like no other before it even if it costs me my own. I do not know where you are right now but Jewelsie and I, we're going to find you, I promise. We will break the Blades code, we won't give up. Rest now, sweet pea. I'll see you soon."
Her prayer finished, she stood and placed her hand over her navel where there happened to be a circular marking almost like a tattoo although it was hardly that. She did not normally use this ability of hers since her old lover Naebliss had marked her there as this was supposed to be a means of escape for her if she were ever in real danger but the power could be used for other purposes she had learned about through trial and error.
Purposes such as what she was using it for now. Within seconds her belly began to glow green and she watched as shadows from each corner of the cemetery raced across the grounds to envelop her in their embrace. She had no need to travel in the shadow realm at the moment so she gestured, directing the shadow over the area she had dedicated to Amthy to ward it so that nothing would ever disturb it. No blast of wind, no drop of rain, no human interference of any kind. There would be only sunshine and the sound of birds that she would allow to come in to the area and if anyone tried to dig a hole there they would find themselves swathed in an unbreakable shadow, the scent of death permeating their senses and driving them at once insane if not killing them outright from the shock of it.
"Guard this space as you would me and show you no mercy to those who would disrupt it," she commanded the shadows and they disappeared from her sight into the ground, laying in wait, like a trap, for unsuspecting intruders.
Then she left by the way she had come in, passing the same forgotten tombstones of heroes and villains alike, long dead, and exited the cemetery. The agonizing pain passing as quickly as it had come, she looked to her body all covered in burnt flesh and ash, and smiled.
Amthy was worth every scab.