The steel mirrored her mood--cold, sharp. A flame flickered in its heart, white-hot; only metal’s chill kept it from fanning into a raging fire. Steel . . . If she could only make it her own. Kaileya’s eyes traveled the length of the knife, from the point pricking her throat to the night-black handle half-hidden by slender fingers. Night-black. Like the sky above her, the cave before her; like her opponent’s hooded cloak and her own.
Confrontation in the Caves
She fell back, hands groping for her own lost weapon. Beads of sweat raced down her back, damp, distracting. Curse Argon and its eternal heat. And curse Firea and its winters that made her blood prefer the cold. Her opponent crouched beside her, a pitch-black shadow, nearly invisible against the cave’s gaping maw.
A Hunter's Judgement
His words struck deep. A knife-slash across her throat would’ve been kinder. Two years of training, the last of her inheritance spent on a knife--now lost. She could hear Leyin now, his big-brother tone mocking her. “Kaileya’s luck! You’ve seen its work. She married Imron, and look what happened to him. Her blessing, everybody else’s curse!” Her blessing, yes. Her mother’s last gift--it must’ve been, for after her mother died, it had come to her. A weapon she could forge again and again, her emotions both metal and fire, her will the hammer to shape it.
A Gift and a Curse
And now, needing a weapon, she formed it, grasped it, thrust it at her opponent. He flew backwards, a curse on his lips, his steel going with him. Kaileya struggled to her feet, battling the wave of drowsiness that assailed her--the price of her gift.
The Challenge of Acceptance
Her opponent stood waiting, steel in hand. “Sheathe your weapons!” The order came from the cave, whispered rather than shouted, as cold as steel or death--the voice of Hawan, Lord of Caves himself.
The Silence of Judgement
Her kind? As if her gift made her something less than human. And to hear those words from a Hunter, an assassin’s assassin who preferred shadow to sun. What was he called? Snake? There were those--Leyin, for instance--who’d condemn this Snake just as quickly. She sheathed her blade and moved closer to the Hunters.
The Ceremony of Naming
In the Hunter’s chamber, beneath the banners of the Immortals, the flame beckoned. Silent oaths whispered in the air, charged with the gravity of a lifelong commitment. There, where shadows glide and secrets thrum, Kaileya faced her destiny thus sealed.
Reckoning in the Flame
The flame writhed, and so too did memories, weaving a chain—immortal serpents, echoing past and sin. Her transgression, her power's misuse, burned clear in the glow of judgment.
The Price of Power
Staring into the flame that mirrored the serpentine eyes, Kaileya’s soul quailed. Two serpentine letters seared upon her skin—an eternal reminder of her gift, and her guilt.
Finding Solace
As Kaileya left the echoing halls of judgment, she pondered the dualities of life and the sanctuaries we seek. Some find refuge in the quiet of libraries, amidst the solace of stories and the silent company of pages, whilst others, in the bustling embrace of the world beyond.
Retribution and Redemption
And in the tapestry of travels, redemption may lie in the haven of a hotel room, a place where solace meets the wayfarer. Here one can piece together the fragments of self, courage rekindled under the watch of new horizons. In the world’s embrace, we find our refuge, our path to atone amidst humankind's broad, motley tales.
About the Author
Karen L. Kobylarz, a master of fantasy and creator of worlds, invites readers into the intricacies of human emotion through her compelling narratives. Dive deeper into her stories to discover realms of magic and the challenges of the human spirit.
Contributor Bios
Get to know the visionaries behind the tales, the weavers of dreams and the harbingers of literary escapades.
Table of Contents
Navigate the depths of storytelling through an organized compilation of this anthology's offerings.
Background by Tosha
Explore the aesthetic foundations that cradle this story’s universe, painted by the skilled hand of Tosha.