Page 2 of Emerald Rising
I was instantly overcome with the need to put it on. I was shaking as the cool chain settled on my skin, the pendant dropping to just above my cleavage. A sense of being part of something washed over me and tears threatened to fill my eyes again. Perhaps with wearing this, I was now carrying a piece of my parents with me.
Finally finding the courage to discover the contents of the letter, I took a deep breath, settled into the chair comfortably, and began to read.
My Shining Emerald, My Little Angel.
It breaks my heart that I sit here writing these words on a page when in reality, I should be with you. For that, I can only say I am sorry. I know it’s not enough, that it will never be enough, but I want you to know that leaving you on that doorstep twenty-one years ago was the hardest thing I have ever had to face doing.
I know that I am only going to cause you more pain with the words that follow but know that if I had the power to change things, I would in a heartbeat. The ugly truth is that I will never be known to you. I will never hold you in my arms and call you my daughter, and for that, I am truly sorry.
I come from a world where mistakes cost lives, where the love of my life was my enemy and wars are fought for no other reason than fun. I wanted more for you. I wanted you to grow and blossom into a beautiful creature unburdened by the harsh realities I am forced to live with. Please believe me when I say that you are better off where you are. You are also safer.
This is important and I cannot stress how much I wish I could protect you from the evils that have risen from the mistakes of my past. Your mother was my everything, my entire world and I loved her fiercely. Her death brought me nothing but grief and misery and losing you at the same time was a double blow my heart has never recovered from. But I had to leave you. If the world ever found out who you truly were your life would be in danger and mine would be forfeit.
Things will change for you now that you are twenty-one and I am sorry I cannot be there to support you through this. I might not be able to make myself known to you, but I have arranged protection for you. It probably sounds insane but enclosed with this letter are instructions for a summoning. Do it. They will protect you with their life when I cannot.
I am sorry I cannot tell you more. I cannot even gift you with my name but know that you are forever in my thoughts and I pray for the day when things change enough that I can finally claim you as my own kin.
Your Father, M.
I had a father.
I actually had a father and he thought I was better off without him. How could that even be possible? How could he believe that?
Anger burned hot in my veins and tears rolled freely down my cheeks. I’d never felt so alone in all my life. In the space of a few minutes, I’d learned that my mother was dead, my father didn’t want me, and I needed protecting from some stupid mistake he’d made in his past. What the hell was I supposed to do with that?
And the summoning? Well, that was a curve ball I hadn’t quite anticipated. Maybe I was better off not knowing my father, he was clearly insane. I looked at the second sheet of paper and scoffed. It was just a drawing with a bunch of hocus pocus written all over it.
“River of blood, Ash of flesh…? What a pile of nonsense.” I folded the letter and shoved it in my bag. It was stupid. I wasn’t going to perform a summoning.
Was I?
Nope. Absolutely not.
Then again, what harm could it do?
Come on, Emmy. Now you’re just being an idiot.
I needed air and I needed a drink. I didn’t care that it was still early, I was going to go home to my stupidly big, empty house and drink expensive whiskey until I forgot all about this damn letter.
I grabbed my stuff and walked out the room. I stopped by the kitchen to say goodbye to Mother Superior who looked concerned but didn’t press me for answers. I thanked them for the birthday cake and left the family who raised me staring after me like I’d been possessed by the Devil.
Maybe I had. I’d certainly been possessed by something because instead of heading straight home, I found myself heading for a little shop to purchase all the things I needed to do this summoning.
Fuck it. What had I got to lose?
