Seducing Destiny(130)

                “They are all my children, Synthia, but sometimes even children cannot be saved. No matter how much you wish it was otherwise.”

                I was about to respond when a loud crashing noise sounded from the right of us. I turned and watched in horror as the Elder Tree hit the ground as if someone had cut it down. I swallowed the cry that formed in my throat and threatened to release. He had been true to his word, and where a once magnificent tree had stood, was now a pile of bark and wood.

                “We must move him, and place his bark beside the rowan Tree,” Danu said softly as she moved to the tree’s remains. “Synthia, you must first bless the land.”

                “How do I do that?” I asked, and waited.

                “Bleed for us,” the Stag said. “Use the sacred dagger, and allow your blood to flow within the lands that you now rule. As the world accepts you, you will become more attuned to its needs. Its pain. Had you been in tune with it when the great rowan Tree became harmed, you’d have felt it. The land requires a sacrifice from you,” he said softly, and I felt the calmness wash over me again.

                “A sacrifice,” I whispered and felt my heart flop. “Not my children,” I said hastily. “Me,” I whispered. “Not my children.”

                “You misunderstood me. You’re a Goddess, and they seldom bleed. When they do, it’s considered a sacrifice.”

                I held out my hand as Danu glamoured a dagger. I accepted it and moved closer to the frost and ice covered ground, and then sliced painfully deep into the palm of my hand. Danu accepted the blade back as I allowed the blood to drip down my fingers, and sink into the frozen ground.

                “Say these words,” Danu whispered. “I am your Goddess, and of this I ask.”

                I said it softly, following her lead as I repeated what she’d said.



                             “I beg of thee, to accept my will, to accept my sacrifice. I promise to protect you to the best of my ability, and to keep others from tarnishing what was once so pure.”

                I expelled a breath and continued.

                “From this day forth, I become your Goddess, the Goddess of the lands of Faery. From this day forth, I become your protector and you become mine.”

                I waited and when she didn’t say anymore, I asked it in my own way as well. “I promise to rid you of the disease the Mages have brought to you. I promise to protect you and always do what is best for you and the people who depend on you. Please heed my call, and accept the ones I love.”

                “Beautifully said,” Ryder said as he narrowed his eyes on my hand.

                “I sure hope so,” I said as I kneeled and placed my bleeding palm flat against the frozen ground. I shuddered as I felt a ripple tear through me and then just as fast as it had started, it was gone.

                “It’s done,” Danu said as she awarded me with a small smile.

                I looked up at the damaged Tree, and prayed that the bark of the Elder Tree would work. It was no wonder that the Fae cherished the Elder trees. It was a beautiful ancient rowan, which I somehow knew had been the first thing to appear in this world. Danu had created that Tree, and then had created her people around it. The creatures that lived here before the Fae as well as the Fae themselves, which explains why we were linked to it and it to us.

                “You know it because the lands have accepted you,” the Stag said as it bowed its head once again. “Blessed be, Goddess. Call for me if you ever have need.”