I wished with my soul, my hands clasped.
Silence.
Tears slipped from my closed eyes as hope left my body.The quiet was a cruel mockery of my mounting sorrow.
I was foolish to think she would answer my call.
Suddenly the air grew heavy, pressing against my skin like wet silk.The lantern’s flame shuddered violently before extinguishing, plunging me into darkness.A thick, curling smoke rose from the ground, twisting and writhing.
And then she appeared.
Zaheera.
She was otherworldly.Terrible and beautiful all at once.Her dark skin, smooth as polished obsidian, gleamed under the moonlight, her presence laced with menace and majesty alike.
Shimmering black fabric wrapped around her in intricate layers, revealing glimpses of flesh.Chains of delicate gold were draped over her neck, arms, and ankles, each glinting as she moved.Tinkling softly, like distant bells.Her hair—as dark as the void—wove down in braids adorned with golden clasps, shifting like liquid shadow.
And her eyes—
They smouldered like twin embers in the darkness, pinning me in place.I could not move, could not breathe beneath that gaze.
A small smile spread across her lips as she lifted her chin, exuding power.
“I am Zaheera,” she said, her voice a melody of velvet and venom.It slithered from ear to ear as if she was everywhere at once, though she stood completely still.
“Why do you call upon me, mortal?”
“I… I…” The words stuck like honey to my tongue.
She chuckled, a sound like fire crackling over dry wood.“Your heart speaks loudly enough.”She circled me, her bare feet making no sound on the forest floor.“A child.You wish for a child of your own.”
Hope began to flare in my chest, bright and painful.“Can you—”
“I hear your cry,” she interrupted, stopping directly before me, “and I feel your sorrow.I will grant you what your heart desires.”
She lifted a hand to my face, her fingers warm against my cheek—too warm, as though she carried fire within her veins.
I tried to lean into the touch, starved for the promise it held.She pulled back, clasping her hands together.
“But…”
The word dropped like a stone into still water.Her smile widened, the cold light catching on her perfect teeth.
“A bargain must be made.One that cannot be undone.”
I locked my hands into fists, pressing my nails so deep it burned.“Will I know the terms before I agree?”
Zaheera’s laughter was quiet as she began circling me again.“Ahh… clever girl,” she purred, trailing a burning fingertip across my shoulders.“But no.”
Her ember eyes gleamed with ancient knowledge.“You will agree first.Only then shall I grant your heart’s desire.”
A pulse of fear thrummed beneath my skin.My mind raced, warning me—begging me to turn back.To run.To return to Edran’s safe embrace and forget this madness.
But I couldn’t.
My entire life had been spent yearning for the chance to be a mother.To cradle my own child.To silence the whispers of the village.To give Edran what he longed for.
“What will happen if I refuse?”I asked.
