The Daughters of Merlin
Chapter 29: Valia's Past

All Delyth had ever wanted was to be beautiful. Though her name meant pretty girl she felt anything but. So, when she heard rumors that there was a powerful witch who may be able to help her, Delyth tracked the sorceress down.

Delyth was kind of surprised when she entered the cave to see that the witch was a girl around her same age.

“Morgana le Fey?” Delyth asked, seeing that the girl had her back to Delyth.

“State your name and wish.” Morgana replied without turning around.

“Delyth. I . . . I wish to be beautiful.” Delyth answered, stealing her nerves. She had never been one to dabble in sorcery, but since her parents were dead, she needed something to use so she could replace herself a good husband to take care of her.

“And what will you give in exchange?”

“I have very little money but I will give anything I can.”

“Money has no meaning to me. But there is something that you can give me.”

Morgana turned to face Delyth, revealing the Witch’s ancient violet eyes. Delyth took a cautious step backward, the strange eyes unsettling her. However, Delyth forced her feeling of flight down. She had come all this way and she was determined to make a deal.

“What is it?” Delyth asked.

“Your soul.” Morgana answered with a smirk. At the sight of Delyth’s frightened and also somewhat confused expression, Morgana shrugged, the smirk turning into an amused smile. “After your mortal form has expired of course. You’ll have your beauty and you’ll be able to enjoy it. I can assure you of that.”

As Delyth thought about this, Morgana conjured up a table, parchment, and a feather pen. She held the feather out to Delyth.

“Hurry up and make a decision. I don’t have all day.” Morgana said.

Delyth took the pen and Morgana sat back slightly. However, Delyth soon realized that there was no ink for her to use to sign the document.

“There’s no ink.” Delyth said, voicing her thoughts.

“Use your blood.” Morgana said, quickly taking the feather which she used to prick Delyth’s finger, causing the girl to wince a bit before Morgana held the feather back out to the girl.

Delyth looked at her finger, the pen, and then at Morgana. This time, every cell in Delyth’s body screamed at her to run. She didn’t sign up for this. But Delyth told herself that she wasn’t going to leave empty-handed.

And so Delyth took the pen and signed.

Delyth found herself a knight with her newfound beauty and they soon married. For three years they tried until they successfully discovered that Delyth was pregnant.

Little did either of them know that on the document that Delyth had signed without reading was that her bargain with Death was to only last five years.

As Delyth finally went into labor on the fifth anniversary of the exact date that she met with Morgana, all hell broke loose in the village of Greystone where Delyth lived. Her husband had to leave her as he helped the other villagers defend them, though no one knew who was attacking them.

Delyth’s screams were never alone throughout the hour that she was in labor. Delyth had only one housewife who successfully delivered the child, a baby girl.

No sooner had the housewife swaddled the child before handing it to Delyth so she could see did the door to Delyth’s hut blow open, hitting the poor housewife and sending it backward against the wall, killing the girl. The baby in Delyth’s arms began to cry viciously as Delyth then held the child close as she looked at the now open doorway in fear.

Delyth wasn’t sure what she expected to see, but she definitely wasn’t expecting Morgana to enter the hut with a smug expression and a greedy look in her violet eyes which then began to glow as Morgana walked up to the girl.

“Time’s up.” Morgana said before placing the tips of her fingers on Delyth’s forehead and side of her face. Delyth screamed as Morgana sucked her soul out of her body.

Morgana laughed, feeling renewed energy flow through her from the absorption of her latest victim.

Morgana expected all noise to cease, except it didn’t, causing her to look over at the baby girl who was still alive.

No matter how evil a person is, there is always at least a tiny bit of good in them. And it was because of Morgana’s good in her heart that she picked the newborn up and teleported both of them to the edge of the village where Morgana set the child off to the side of the road. She whistled once and a crow with red eyes descended from the sky.

“Watch over the creature until someone comes along, My Love.” Morgana instructed.

“Uh, Lady Zana?” Valia looked at Zana concerned. “Is everything alright?”

Zana was holding on tightly to Valia’s hand, the Mage’s eyes glowing purple, looking at Valia with blank eyes as she saw everything. Zana’s hair began to spark.

“Morgana?” Zana muttered. Then her eyes widened. She quickly let go of Valia’s hand, her mark disappearing and her eyes stopped glowing, though the Mage’s hair continued to burn. “GOD! She let you live!”

Zana stared at Valia with disgust. The Mage was too shocked by what she had seen and too tired to think rationally at the time, not to mention the fact that she thought that there was absolutely no way for there to be any ounce of goodness left inside Morgana for the Witch to allow Valia to survive that long without an ulterior motive in mind.

And so Zana turned her anger to Valia. “She sent you here, didn’t she?!” Zana shouted at Valia, causing the poor scared and confused girl to back away as tears began to gather in her own eyes. “Does ‘potion master’ mean that you’re here to poison me? Poison Grace?! SHE’S THE ONLY GOOD I HAVE LEFT AND I WON’T LET YOU TAKE HER!”

At Zana’s final outburst, causing her hands to spark and for the room temperature to rise drastically, Valia screamed in fear as the Mage got closer which caused Valia to fall back against the wall, shielding her face from Zana’s flames.

“No, please!” Valia shouted in fear.

It was at the sound of Valia’s fear that Zana paused. With her fire crackling around her, the vision that Zana had received fully sunk in. Morgana was a mother as well and she would have had nothing to gain by killing Valia as a child.

Zana’s fire went out and she staggered back, hitting against the square dining table. Zana glanced back at it before she allowed herself to sink onto one of the chairs. She covered her face with her hands before digging the heel of her palms into her eyes.

Zana could hear Valia’s sobs in the silence which made the Mage feel even worse, feeling like a monster. She had just terrified an innocent girl who had been traumatized by Morgana just like her. Zana felt like she should apologize or at least say something but she found herself too angry. She was angry at herself for overreacting; she was angry at the world; angry at her ‘mother’; so angry that her hands began to steam again and her hair began to spark.

Zana was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t hear Valia hesitantly get to her feet, wiping away her tears before she cautiously walked over to Zana, stopping about two feet away.

“I can promise you that I don’t know a Morgana. And I have no intention of hurting you or this Grace. I only want to help.” Valia said in a calm and soft voice.

Zana looked up into Valia’s sapphire blue eyes. Eyes that were full of kindness, understanding, and compassion that only her father, sister, and Aether have ever given her. It amazed the Fiery mage. This girl barely knew her and even though Zana had just yelled her lungs out at her, the girl was still giving her this look that only the closest to her had ever given her.

“I . . . I’m so sorry. . . . I never should’ve yelled . . . at you like that.” Zana looked away, too ashamed to apologize while looking into Valia’s eyes.

Seeing that Zana was more calmed down and no longer steaming, Valia hesitantly placed her hand on Zana’s shoulder before giving it a comforting squeeze. “It’s alright . . . uh, I can understand why you were upset.”

Valia smiled compassionately again at Zana and though her eyes were still red, her fear was entirely gone. “I’ll leave you alone so you can . . . have some time alone. I hope I’ll see you again soon though, Zana.”

Valia then turned and began to walk towards the door. However, before she could get very far, Zana grabbed her hand, stopping Valia in her tracks and causing the girl to glance back at Zana.

“Wait . . . Stay.” Zana raised her head to look at Valia, revealing to the girl how lonely the Mage was, how badly she needed a friend; Scared that if she went to Grace for comfort that she would ruin things again. “Please.”

Valia’s lips slowly tilted up into another compassionate smile. She nodded a few times to Zana. “Of course.” Valia walked closer to the table, pulling out and sitting down in a chair next to Zana’s.