The Reckoning (short story)
Title: The Reckoning
Author: Rohese Bayvel-Timbertree
First published on the 9th day of Olaesta in the year 5120
Following on from the Search for the Truth, this journal is a repository of vignettes including insights into Rohese's continued story and her reunion with her sister, Poladra.
Prologue
"It all begins and ends in your mind. What you give power to, has the power over you, if you allow it."
It had all started with a curse.
Poladra hadn't meant to hurt Rohese quite so profoundly but she was not known for her patience. She had lashed out but who could blame her. To have your fiancé declare his love for another on your wedding day was enough to upset anyone and make them angry; for it to be your own sister was the cruellest blow of all.
Admittedly, Rohese had claimed to have been oblivious and, in hindsight, that was probably true. Rohese had always been the naive one, something that Poladra used to tease her about mercilessly. As children, they had bickered like all sisters are wont to do but, on the whole, they had been quite amicable. Rohese had resented how close her elder sibling had been to their father though but he didn’t play favourites; he merely had more interest in the arcane than the spiritual.
Poladra paced her small room, her heels clicking against the bare stone floor. The term "room" was probably an exaggeration. It was more of a cell furnished with a cot, a single blanket and a rickety stand, on which stood a jug of tepid water for bathing. The only redeeming feature about the confined space was the window that overlooked a cobbled courtyard and the fact that the door was ajar. Poladra's movements were not restricted and she was free to come and go at will.
The witch had spent the last 25 years striving to understand and perfect her magical power in this place, hiding from Elven society while she wrestled with her conscience and desire to learn more. She stood at the window and stared at the moons in the night sky. Another Lornon's Eve had come and gone and she was still unable to harness the Dark Moon's potent energy. Three months later and she had finally learned something that brought that possibility closer.
Rohese had come into possession of their grandmother's ring. The Day of Zelia's Warning was only weeks away; it was time.