Women Scorned by Angela Alsaleem Read Free Book Online

imagined. She held her breath as she approached. It looked like a radiant blue mirror, but the surface rippled like a small pool of water that had a rock dropped in the center, the rings extending to the outer edges. The frame was hand-carved flowers that seemed to sway in the breeze. Aludra gazed at her distorted reflection.
    As she reached to touch the surface, she made sure to keep her eyes open, not wanting to miss anything. The instant her fingers broke the blue surface, tendrils shot out of the doorway and wrapped around her, dragging her into the portal. The aqua light pulsed all around her, blinding her, spinning her.
    And then her feet hit solid ground.
    She stood behind another waterfall, but she knew right away this wasn’t the same place she’d just been. The water sounded softer, not as full. She couldn’t smell salt in the air. She crept out from behind the cascading liquid and found herself in a dense forest, the sharp smell of greenery all around her.
    An image flashed in her mind. Bleeding, beaten woman, abandoned blue car, wolves, and… “The spirit,” she said.
    “I feel you,” she sang, drawing out the “oo” sound as she walked in a straight line, head forward, sure of her footing. She wondered if the spirit could feel her, too. The High Priestess said they would feel each other, that they would be drawn to one another. Aludra focused herself, centered her mind on the female half of Rory and pushed.
    Nothing.
    She pushed again.
    All her training, all the things she’d been taught told her that she would be able to send a signal to the spirit that would draw it to her. She’d trained on how to make this signal. And now the signal wasn’t working. Her throat constricted in a moment of panic. If the spirit couldn’t feel her, if the spirit wasn’t drawn to her, would she be able to bring it back in time for the ritual? She only had six days.
    “I’ll find you,” she whispered. She wouldn’t allow this to come between her and her purpose. If she couldn’t draw the spirit to her, she would simply need to work harder to go to it. And it was so close now. The spirit’s presence pulsed within her, filling her mind, pulling her toward it, guiding her through the night. Only six days until the ritual.
    Not far from the doorway, Aludra slept through the sunshine of the first day, knowing she had time, though not much, knowing she needed her rest. She awoke on her second night out to begin her journey.
    After walking for some time without veering from her point of focus, except to go around a tree or a bush she couldn’t simply march through, she stopped to look over her shoulder. She gazed into the distance as if looking through the forest instead of at anything in it. She sighed. Her features almost trembled, a slight rippling of the flesh as her emotions tried to make her face take on an altered form. It was so different outside. Lonely, even. The unexpected forlornness was almost enough to consume her. But she was the chosen one. She shook her head, straightened, and continued on her forward path. Such new sensations made her long for the manor, for the monks therein and for the sights and sounds of the candlelit corridors.
    She’d be back soon enough. First, she had to fulfill her purpose, so she proceeded with her journey. The moon hovered in the sky, lighting her way. Aludra didn’t notice the passage of time, since there were so many new things to look at. Everything fascinated her. While she didn’t stop to digest every item, she found herself pausing time and again to analyze some things more closely.
    At one point, she came to a clearing. She slowed her pace, head cocked, eyebrows scrunched as she stared at something unfamiliar crossing her path. “What…” she began as she paused just behind the tree line. She looked at the black thing that divided the vegetation and covered the earth. When she came out of hiding, her braid whipped around her.
    The thing on the ground made a