Page 30 of Detonation
I frown. She thinks I was in hiding before coming here? "I haven't been hiding. I was in the human realm. I was reincarnated there and grew up believing I was a boring human. All of this is new to me, besides getting smacked with old memories when I crossed over into this realm."
Her eyes widen and her mouth drops. “I guess I’d just assumed that since you're from this realm, you would have been here the whole time."
I breeze over that, answering the other half of her question. "And no, I wasn't starved there. I was just too tired to eat anything of substance the past few nights. I'm feeling it now and I need to catch up. Who knows what Raven will put me through tomorrow?"
She shelves that topic, probably pondering over my revelation that I was on Earth. Does everyone here know that different realms exist? Is it common knowledge?
Shit, I’ve got a lot of questions.
From my memories, I know that I knew about the existence of other realms in my previous life. But I was the queen so my duties necessitated that. I often had to interact with the different leaders of the realms.
There are six realms that I know of—the demons, the witches, the angels, the shifters, the fae, and the humans—but I'm assuming there are more that I haven't had the pleasure of meeting.
More memories filter through my mind, my visits to those realms drawing a smile from me. I can't believe I've been alive for twenty-one years and am only now getting to remember who I truly am. Yes, I had a terrible ending to my first life and I carry a lot of grief from it—but the beauty of it all, the beauty of this world, my past, it’s all starting to sink in.
Noreen's words come to mind, reminding me to not only dwell on my mistakes of the past. There was a lot of good that I achieved in my time. I remind myself to celebrate that as well.
"Hey, do you want to go for a walk? I'll share some of my memories of the other realms."
Her eyes light up and she leaps to her feet, grabbing both of our plates and tossing them into the designated bin, waiting impatiently for me to follow her to standing.
I'll take that as a yes,I think with an indulgent smile.
We walk out of the hall, heading down a path towards one of the few forests I've seen in the realm. The wood is the pure white oak from my memories but the leaves are a midnight blue, different from the bright pink that I remember them to be. The blue reminds me of the neon flames that covered the demon’s realm and knocks loose a memory.
Noreen's eyes are on me and I humor her eagerness, diving into the stories as we walk. "Do you know of the long-standing rift between the demons and the fae?” She frowns and I grin at that. “Well, that’s promising. Before I passed, I mended our relationships and I’m hopeful that’s still the case. During my last visit to Hell, their princess was a succubus and she had these incredible black and red wings and small horns tucked away in her long, ebony hair. What surprised me the most was her two hellhound familiars. She was able to speak with them telepathically and before I came back to our realm, she had them carry us around, showing me their community and their world, explaining their way of life."
"Hellhounds are real?" Noreen inquires breathlessly.
I smirk remembering the little—as I referred to them—fire puppies. "They're goofy and playful when they aren't protecting their territory. They enjoy belly rubs as much as dogs on earth do. Although with the hellhounds, you have to rub for short durations and keep switching hands or the heat burns. Their flames are extremely different from ours. They burn an iridescent blue and hit much higher temperatures than we're able to.”
I stop to hold one of the thick, dark blue leaves between my fingers, rubbing the veins of it and smiling at the texture. They remind me of the angel's wings—durable yet soft to the touch.
"The angel realm has a city built in the clouds, as I'm sure one would imagine them to have. The color of the clouds was dependent on their queen's mood that day. She's a fiery one, rules with an iron fist, but she’s a blast when you get a few drinks in her. She made the clouds turn into a rave scene, pulsating with multiple colors, declaring a party night for everyone."
I chuckle at the memories of what we got up to that day. Noreen watches me, a strange look in her eyes, and I wipe at my cheek. "What? Do I have something on my face?"
She smiles. "I'm just happy to see you remembering some of the good times from that life. I think it's easy for everyone to forget how much you lost in that battle as well. I can see that it’s always at the forefront of your mind now.”
I shake my head. “I don’t understand how you’re not furious with me.”
Noreen shrugs. “I miss my sister and my parents, Oslana, but holding on to the anger from their loss would get us nowhere. All it would accomplish would be to bring you down and perhaps stunt your growth into becoming who you are. I’m proud to witness this transformation."
Her words hit me like a freight train and I realize she's right. Her belief in me makes me want to work that much harder to be the person she dreamed of being. For her, for my family, for everyone in my realm.
"Death is an unfortunate part of life and life throws you into the unknown. You feel like you're alone but you never really are. There's always someone out there who’ll help you carry the weight of your sorrows and remind you that you don't have to do it alone..." She trails off for a moment, her gaze going to the leaf in my hand. "Raven did that for me. She found me walking through the battlefield after it all ended, trying to find my family."
I suck in a breath, picturing a child walking through that carnage.
She begins walking. "Raven may be a hard ass but, deep down, she knows she can't protect us all. She just wants to give us the best chance we can possibly have against them. She won't admit it to you but she prayed to the Goddess daily to—”
A man appears from the foliage surrounding us and his hand clamps around her mouth, her words cutting off as her eyes widen in terror. He’s a tall man, with a scar running down his right eye, and he holds a knife to her throat, while a pair of handcuffs dangle from his wrist.
My heart pounds in my chest.Who the fuck is this?
I shift my stance imperceptibly, calculating what I can do to get her out of his hold without the knife nicking her in the process. She’s staying still as well, hesitant to move. If his reflex is to slash her throat, there’s nothing we’ll be able to do to save her.
I hold my hands up to placate him, my voice calm as I buy some time to formulate a plan. “Let her go. What value is she to you?”
