DANGEROUS DAYDREAM
A Tale from The Scattered Shards
The corpse left Zuri’s hands and floated down the underground river. Zuri covered her head with her arms, slowly releasing her magic, the blood-lust easing from her consciousness. Her vision of the cavern dimmed, plunging her into darkness.
Tears leaked from her eyes and she feared they’d gone blood red. She feared she’d become a true Blood Devil. Her body ached from the sorcerer’s torments. In the darkness, she could almost forget the truth of her life. She could see the blue asters and sunflowers of her home waving to her with the wind. She could see a slight boy with skin as dark as the space between stars handing her a bouquet of white daisies.
The boy flashed her his white teeth before turning and running away. He slowed his pace, his grin turning mischievous, having spotted his sisters weaving willow branches. Zuri’s little hunter crouched low, taking wide, slow steps towards his prey. He waited for the moment when his younger sister poked the older to jump out at them with a roar. The girls shrieked in terror. Their panic changing to anger as the hunter rolled with laughter. The sisters pounced on their brother like a team of lionesses, and the trio dissolved into ruckus laugher. Zuri felt herself smile with contentment as she watched her children.
Agony exploded in Zuri’s breast. She gasped for air to scream, but the pain stole it.
“You sleeping on the job again? You useless devil.” The Sorcerer pulled the prod away for the merest moment only to drive it back in. “You aren’t worth the lies I gave your man. Some Blood Devil you’ve turned out to be.”
Zuri curled herself into a ball and swore to never dream again. Those impossible dreams hurt more than the accursed prod.