Severed :: Chapter 1

There was blood on her shirt.1

There was blood on her fucking shirt and I had no idea how it had gotten there.2

Worse, I had no idea who she was... who I was. 3

But there was a dagger in my hand. The weapon wasn't complex; but it wasn't exactly simple, either. Double-bladed, possibly ceremonial. I'm not sure why I was trying to find the significance in it, but it kept my mind at bay. I wasn't ready to think about what was happening.4

I couldn't tell at first glance what she was, but she couldn't be Sídhe. If she was, it was a completely different brand than I had ever come across in my lifetime; even in the darkness she was stunning, and even by faerie standards. I quickly shifted my gaze to my bare feet in paranoia; keeping my face down, eyes hidden under my hood. My hair flowed down across my cheeks, veiling the corners of my eyelids; hiding the more ethereal parts of my face. I cast my mind out to her, allowing myself to creep my aura closer to her presence. I couldn't sense any strong sources of energy from her, but those who carry the power tend to keep it tucked inside their bodies. She could be either powerless or deadly.5

"Who are you?"6

Her voice was melodic and soft. Oddly enough, her question was laced with innocence, and for a moment I thought I heard a breath of awe. I drew a breath to answer before realizing just how helpless I was. I had no present memory of myself or how I had gotten here, and the logic in my mind pointed out that aside from this girl, I was alone.7

There was no one else around, save the heap of bloody flesh on the sand, spell-torn and mangled, some feet away. It was then that I realized two things. One, we were on a beach, completely alone. My mind gave an involuntary shudder at this before shrugging the thought off. It was then that I realized that heap of bloody flesh had seen the receiving end of this dagger and magic.8

It was completely dark, the black veiling every inch of dune and driftwood from my sight. Our only source of light was a small lantern I had placed by my side, illuminating a small circle around our feet and a slightly brighter shower across our faces. I felt it's energy naturally attracting itself to me, and knew immediately that it belonged to me, just as I knew that the dagger did not.9

She was still waiting for an answer by the time I was finished with my personal calculations. Whether or not she was feigning ignorance, she had patience.10

"I don't know."11

My answer came out faltered and fearful, as much as I had tried to avoid it. Looking up at her was a risk; Leanan Sídhe are not always a welcomed sight to other females, especially those of whom were beautiful themselves. I felt the taste of sand hit my mouth as I softly, bitterly, nudged the sand upwards in frustration. It clouded the emotional glamour seeping through my body like a poison vapor, just as it clouded the illogical thinking in my mind. I finally looked up, allowing our eyes to meet. I hadn't recognized what she was before because I didn't know. Either she was a mixture of various collections of fey bedding or a completely new species of faerie altogether. She could have belonged to either court, or to none at all. My head swam as I drank in the little bit that I could see. The honesty in her eyes was appealing; and I found myself, for the first time, trusting someone's gaze on sight.12

"Come with me, I can help you out."