[CONTENTID1] Ildathach [/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2] Chapter 2 [/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]

It had been hours since I fled the city and the sun was beginning to rise. Drained, both mentally and physically, from the events of the night before, I came to rest in a small glade.

The first thing I had noticed since leaving the city was that the air here was somehow different; it was as if a heavy weight had been lifted from my chest. The air seemed to hum around me, as if alive.

Sitting down against a large tree, the moment my fingers touched the soft grass, I felt a strange tingling. Suddenly, I became hyper aware of my surroundings.

The faint chirping of the birds in the distance as they heralded the dawn, the blades of grass swaying in the wind, the roots that burrowed deep below the surface-- I could feel it all. I gasped as the tingling spread from my fingertips into the rest of my body, a sudden rush of energy filling me. The humming intensified and the air around me seemed to vibrate. The leaves, the bugs moving through the grass, the soft rays of sunlight reaching me, the coarseness of the bark; power coursed through me, causing my head to pound.

With a start, I realized the air around me was beginning to warm. Magic, I thought with a mix of fear and awe. I struggled against the wave of power threatening to break free; small waves lapped at the edges of my mind, crashing and breaking in sparks as the energy continued to come.

Unable to hold it back any longer, I screamed as the wave broke free, breaking down my walls and filling my vision with a golden light.

The last thing I saw before losing consciousness was, for the second time in the last few hours, the world burning around me.

For the first time in 12 years, I woke up in a bed. Unused to the comforts of a mattress and blankets, I snuggled deeper into the sheets.

“I see you’re awake,” a voice next to me spoke with a soft chuckle, causing me to turn my head to the side where I saw a middle aged Fae. Not sensing any immediate danger, I sat up and turned to face him.

“M...morning” I stammered, suddenly feeling shy. It had been a long time since I had interacted with other Fae.

“Did you sleep well?” the man asked, I nodded. “Good. Now, my child, tell me… what were you doing in the woods by yourself? And how did you come to Ildathach?”

“I…” searching my brain for answers. At Ildathach, the events of last night all came back to me in a rush and I gasped. “My name is Ashlyn, I came from the vampire city,” I answered. The man’s eyes widened in surprise,.

“You’re a … blood slave,” he whispered. I nodded.

“I was, but I escaped.” The man seemed unsettled. “Is something wrong, ajusshi?” I asked.

“Sorry, child, but I don’t think it’s safe for you here,” he said, taking my breath away. “After you eat something, I’m afraid you’ll have to leave. We are not a shelter.”

“But-” I protested, not believing what was happening.

“No buts, child, I’m afraid that’s just the way it is.” He began heading towards the door.

“A woman named Rose told me to come here! She said that I would be safe here!” I revealed and, to my slight satisfaction, I saw my host  freeze.

“Rose?” he whispered. I nodded and described her features to him. He a deep breath. “So that’s where she’s been all these years,” he muttered. “How do you know Rose?” he asked me.

“She was the one that freed me and helped me escape,” I explained and his brow furrowed in confusion.

“Why would she do that?” he wondered. I gulped.

“Because… I’m her daughter.” Silence engulfed the room.

“You’re… Rose's daughter?” The man grabbed my shoulders, taking me by surprise. I nodded. “If you’re really Rose’s daughter, then you must know, child, that you are different from the rest of us.” He gave me a pointed stare, waiting for me to elaborate. Is this a test?

“At the vampire capital… they kept me in my own room,” I began.

“And why was that?”

“Because they were training me to be immune to iron,” I revealed. He gasped. I reached over and grabbed my sword. As I pulled the sharp steel from its sheath, he flinched at the presence of iron. “