Aggie had fallen into the heavy darkness around her, and had settled into it. She could feel herself growing colder and colder in her bones, until her pain suddenly was gone.

She no longer felt weighted down by her tired and broken body, and when she looked down at her hands, found they had a golden glow. Aggie took a freeing, pain-free breath, as she felt herself let go of the threads that tried to draw her back down to the heaviness-, back down to the pain.

“Why would I go back?”

Aggie felt light, and there was an ease in her body that she wasn’t sure she ever felt in her life. The feeling of being entirely free and relaxed…

She took 3 steps forward, and suddenly in the distance, saw a bright pure light.

There was no hurry to near it, but she drifted closer all the same. It made her feel more and more peaceful as she neared.

With each silent step, Aggie gradually let go of more and more threads that were gently tugging her back to a place she didn’t want to think about.

With each golden line that fell away, she found herself idly forgetting things like:

Where she had come from, the people she knew, the pain she felt…

Colors began to replace the darkness, as though she were passing forests and fields faster than time could comprehend, and so instead everything appeared in blurs and streaks of greens, blues, pinks, and purples.

When the light was large enough to be a doorway, Aggie suddenly felt her foot touch down on warm earth. She looked down surprised, and smiled at the soft grass sprouting beneath her feet.

When she raised her eyes, her smile froze.

Others were there.

All of them milling about, glowing blue, with messy tangles of threads still attached and floating behind them.

Aggie turned to a young man slowly ambled by her, his eyes cast to the ground, muttering to himself.

“Excuse me?” Aggie called, her voice as clear as a bell’s ring.

The man’s eyes snapped to her face, and went round as saucers.

“Save us!” His blue glow flared in brightness.

“From what? We’re at peace here.” Aggie replied before noticing with a small tremor of nervousness that more blue moving people had seen her. Despite them drawing closer, she felt relief that none of them sought to block her path to the doorway.

“No! We cannot pass, nor can we go back! The Thief of Souls has us trapped here. Please. He is in the mountains, in a cave you can see the North King’s castle from.”

Aggie desperately wanted to step away from the young man whom looked perhaps only a year or two younger than herself, but she felt a single thread at her back that hadn’t released from her yet, and didn’t want to be pulled by it.

“The Thief of Souls was destroyed in the War of Kinds.” Aggie countered as she took another step towards the doorway. A breeze carrying the smells of spring wafted through it, gently embracing Aggie as she neared.

“They failed!” A woman, perhaps in her early 40’s called from the line of people to Aggie’s side.

“The other’s can stop him again then. I am tired, and I need to rest.” Aggie said softly, trying not to let herself be pulled by their pleas.

“He will enslave everyone! Please! My children… they are alone!” The woman called to Aggie again, tears in her eyes, and the threads at her back thick as a mane.

“What is it I could do?” Aggie sighed sadly. “I couldn’t save a single person let alone all of you. There are others back there. Stronger people who can do more.”

“They don’t know how to kill him.” A calm male voice drew Aggie’s eyes forward, and saw the only person who seemed able to stand in her path.

A wizened old man, with a long white beard, wearing forest green robes, and holding on to a staff that looked to be made out of a heavy oak, stood staring at her with a gentle good humored smile on his face.

That was when Aggie realized he was the only one that wasn’t glowing blue, he was glowing with gold, like she was.

“I don’t know either.” Aggie pointed out her shoulders slumped forward. “Please… I’m tired.”

Her voice had dropped down to a whisper-, she didn’t want to think about what had made her so weary. She had been forgetting with every grouping of threads she had dropped, and she didn’t want them back.

The old man sighed lightly, and slowly stepped over to her, his hunched form even shorter than herself, but when he looked into her eyes, Aggie was startled to see that they were her own staring back at her.

“Sever his connection with me. He used the Servicer bond on me when it was only meant for my people. He found me during his retreat, and I have not been able to stop him in my current state.” The old man continued staring into Aggie’s eyes, a small puzzled smile on his face as though he wondered what was so familiar about her.

“I don’t know who you are, or where you are.” Aggie pointed out as she glanced once again at the doorway. She could hear the birds now. Perhaps there was a tower for her to read, and relax in the sun…

“Tell the Queen I wasn’t a Body Magicker. I was and am, a Life Bringer. I am the first Beatha, former King of the Minkies.”

Aggie’s eyes widened, and as she opened her mouth to speak, found she couldn’t.

Something was happening.

Aggie looked behind herself at the single thread that had begun vibrating.

It wasn’t like the other golden threads Aggie had shed.

The thread was glowing bright red, and suddenly, it was pulled taught.

*

Arlen wept on Aggie’s chest as the others stood with bowed heads.

Tork shed silent fat tears, while Keynan, Jed, and the Queen stood at a slight bow to the fallen Lady.

“Arlen… I’m sorry but… the Servicer’s are coming. We have to go.” Jed called softly, not knowing how else to let him know that they couldn’t mourn.

“That’s a bit late.” Declan looked high above them around the open sky opening where 3 black figures stood against the skyline watching them.

“We aren’t moving her until she’s awake.” Arlen said thickly hanging on to her arms.

“Arlen she won’t-” Bonnie’s gentle voice was cut off.

“She will wake up.” Arlen sat up, and grabbed Aggie’s hand. He closed his eyes, and reached out for the connection he had used to check on her during their entire time apart.

He couldn’t feel her.

He couldn’t feel any of her pain, but what if she wasn’t feeling anything physical anymore? Then he should be searching for…

There.

Arlen’s eyes flew open, she was far, far away, but there was the smallest touch of her presence.

Arlen closed his eyes, and tugged.

The ground rumbled faintly, causing everyone to stumble slightly.

“Arlen?” Tork called uncertainly as he shared a nervous glance with Declan.

Arlen’s eyes were squeezed shut as he felt his insides begin to warm. The same electricity when he had first become bonded to Aggie coursed through him, only this time he was ready for it.

A strong wind began to pick up, sending small pebbles skittering away from them.

“Close your eyes!” The Queen called, and everyone obliged.

Arlen sent lightning rushing through the invisible thread he could feel connecting himself to Aggie. He felt the air around him begin to crackle and reverberate with the raw power he was fueling into the invisible line.

“Arlen?!” Tork called again his voice rising in panic.

Arlen pushed everything he had into it, as though willing Aggie to hang on to the line he was trying to reel her in on, oblivious to the gale force winds, flashing lights, and trembling in the earth.

When he was certain he couldn’t pour any more energy into the line, he did the only thing that made sense to him;

He pulled the thread as hard as he could.

With a bang that forced the earth to buck everyone but Aggie and Arlen into the air and back by several feet, there was a flash of light so bright, it was as though lightning and thunder had imploded from the Servicer and his Lady.

The Servicer’s at the top of the mountain, had not heard the warning to cover their eyes, and were all thrown back from the opening, rolling down the rocky slope, both unconscious and blinded.

The moment the flash disappeared, the wind died down, the lights disappeared, and Arlen fainted beside Aggie.

After several seconds, everyone slowly opened their eyes, and stepped closer to the unmoving pair warily.

“What the fuck was that?!” Declan demanded coughing as the stirred up dust hung in the air around them.

The Queen and Keynan neared the Servicer and his Lady slowly, as though another earth shattering quake would occur… when there was a small cough that stopped them in their tracks.

With a sharp gasp, Aggie Beatha’s eyes flew open.

***

Lord Sean O’Farrell watched as the Beast Awares approached him slowly up the beach, with 2 crew members at his side.

Sir Barra and Lord MacDermott flanked the Duke, and stood with the same stoic expressions as they waited for the arrival of Agnes Beatha’s captor.

Sean had arranged to meet Captain James Murphy exactly at the border of the South and North Kingdom. Even though there wasn’t a port, there was a span of desolate rocky beach as far as the eye could see, and on that gray cold day, it was a particularly haunting sight.

The Duke had wanted as isolated a location as possible for the interaction, and had therefore decided against the comforts that a port town could offer. Instead, he had journeyed nearly a week through a mountain pass, camping amongst the eerily silent rocks with Sir Barra, and Lord MacDermott as his only companions.

Suffice it to say, he was in a dark mood to begin with.

When Sean recognized that his fiancé was nowhere in sight as the Beast Awares and his crewmates approached, he gripped his sword grimly. Something wasn’t right

With the Beast Awares finally before him, Sean O’Farrell wrinkled his nose and stepped back.

The right sleeve of the Beast Awares uniform coat was pinned back, showing that his loss of limb was recent, and his shoulders were hunched over what was probably a chest wound.

Sean had seen all nature of wounds in war, and gathered that the Beast Awares should’ve been on bed rest for at least a month given the extent of those injuries alone. However it was the infected right eye that looked as though it would never see again, and was far too repulsive to stare at that the Duke found most disconcerting.

“You aren’t Captain James Murphy.” Sean pointed out awkwardly averting his gaze.

He glanced at one of the other crewmembers who wore a red woolen cap and had a long ropey tail that was coiled tightly.

“No I am not. The Captain is dead. I am First Mate Ikes.” The Beast Awares rasped, and coughed breathily, his tone was unapologetic.

“I wanted to… see you personally.” A weak growl built in his throat.

Sean O’Farrell raised an eyebrow, and stared down his nose at the Beast Awares, waiting for him to explain.

“Were you attacked First Mate Ikes? What happened that your Captain is dead, you are maimed, and my fiancé is no where to be found?” He demanded his patience from the stressful months already worn scantily thin.

“Your fiancé happened, my Lord.” The proper title of the Duke was hissed.

“I beg your pardon?” Sean challenged with a growl of his own.

“Your whore of a fiancé stabbed me, sliced me eye, and cut the throat of our Captain before she stomped his face to death.”

No one dared to breathe for several moments.

“I see. Did she also overpower you, and take your arm as well?” Sean mocked icily, narrowing his eyes.

Were they trying to extract the bounty without Agnes being present with such a weak story?

“No. Her Servicer did that. Though it is with my great pleasure to inform you my Lord; Your fiancé, is dead.”

Sean O’Farrell was about to make another scathing comment when the First Mate drew out a long string of pearls. They were the very same pearls that Aggie had been wearing when she had shown up on the Duke’s doorstep sopping wet.

With a slow black gloved hand, Sean took the pearls from the extended claw of Sir Ikes, and stared at them for a full minute before speaking.

“Did she truly do all of the things you said?” He asked, his tone more humble than before.

“That and far more. Then again, I imagine you’ve been hearing some tales of her deeds yourself by now.”

Sean O’Farrell sighed, and nodded.

“I suppose I will have to alert her family.”

“Her mother already knows.”

Sean O’Farrell’s eyes snapped up to the Beast Awares face, and narrowed his eyes. Ikes looked appropriately sheepish at his slip of the tongue.

“How would Lady Beatha’s mother know? You were told to come straight to me when you found her.”

“Ah. Well, we found her at the South Prince’s summer home. Her mother happened to be there at the time.”

“Why was it she was at the Southern Prince’s home? That is only a day’s sail from here by my estimate, and you contacted me nearly 2 weeks ago saying you were sailing straight to this meeting point?” Sir Barra bared his teeth, and Lord MacDermott drew his sword as Sean stared levelly at the Beast Awares and crewmen whom were all growing incredibly shifty.

“We had to stop at our Prince’s request to deliver wanted fugitives. You must understand my Lord, that our loyalty is to the crown.” First Mate Ikes’ voice was too defensive, and too jumpy.

“I see. Now tell me… in my time of knowing Lady Beatha, I often found some underlying motive behind her actions. For example; I know that some say I mistreated her, and she herself made it known she did not care for me, so she ran away. Why is it then, that she risked murdering your Captain, if it meant she would lose her life? Some things aren’t adding up First Mate Ikes. I intend to investigate this more closely.”

“I believe she didn’t want to be returned to your care my Lord.” First Mate Ike’s blurted a little too quickly. He waited a moment before continuing more slowly, aware that he had taken several steps back already at the severe expressions of Lord MacDermott and Sir Barra.

“She… had been left of her senses from her time with the Minkies.”

Sean O’Farrell didn’t respond, only continued staring at the Beast Awares carefully, making him squirm.

“The… bounty, my Lord?”

“Where is Lady Beatha’s body?” Sean asked, his tone level.

“The Servicer took her. Along with my arm.”

“Then he will have taken your bounty with him. You have delivered nothing but trinkets today, and have wasted my time. I will be seeing you again First Mate Ikes, if that infection doesn’t kill you, but you might count yourself unlucky if it doesn’t.”

Sean gave one last glower to the crewmates and First Mate Ikes whom looked as though he wanted nothing more than to launch himself at Sean O’Farrell.

The Duke strode away, back to where 2 horses stood waiting. Sir Barra continued slithering along beside them in silence.

“What now O’Farrell?” Lord MacDermott asked grimly. He was greatly disturbed at the story he had just heard, as well as hearing of the death of Agnes Beatha.

Josephine would be terribly distraught…

“We hold a funeral, and after 2 months of mourning I will attempt to find another bride, though to be quite honest… I think all hope is lost.” He answered gruffly, swinging his leg up and over his mount easily.

“At which point do we take the Southern Kingdom?”

“We take the Kingdom after the funeral. For now, we must head back home.”

The 2 men squeezed their legs into their steeds, and began the miserable journey back to Duchaster Counter, with Sir Barra easily matching their pace while slithering along beside them, trying not to spook the horses.

None of them said a word, but all were deep in thought over the mystery of what happened to the deceased Lady Agnes Beatha. They wondered if she had truly become as skilled, violent, and ruthless as was rumored, and if so, what had caused that?

It never once occurred to them that Lady Agnes Beatha was alive, or that they would lay eyes on her again, and yet…

She was.

And they would.

Soon.