We’ve made it to Part 5 of the Writing Prompt Wednesday Short Story! We’re about halfway through Malia and Sebastian’s story and we finally have a name for this work of fiction and fantasy!
Last week, Sebastian dropped some pretty heavy truth bombs on Malia and for someone who was just thrown into this world, I think she is handling it remarkably well. Before they can move forward against The Dark, Malia and Sebastian both think she needs her memories of her past lives back. So, now what?
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The Night of the Renascent: Part 5 by Kaye Roan
*Copyright 2024 by Kaye Roan & Blue Dandelion Press, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
I did what I always do when faced with unsettling new information, I avoided it with a fervor, babbling about every topic under the sun, except for the elephant that had landed on board. Apparently, my past lives also used avoidance as a coping technique because Sebastian gave me plenty of space for the rest of the day and throughout the night.
By the morning light, the reprieve had passed. Sebastian met me as I exited the estate room, a simple wicker basket filled with fruit and biscuits in his hands. Despite the long night at sea, he looked refreshed and I wondered briefly if he was somehow harnessing and feeding on the energy from the sea around us. He waited patiently while I munched on the fruit and surprisingly fluffy biscuits.
His patience didn’t last a moment longer than it took for me to finish my breakfast though, “You need to understand your abilities if we are going to beat back The Dark. As it currently sits, you’ll be a liability.”
“Ouch,” I winced. Did he have to be so blunt?
Sebastian smirked, “I’m sorry, did you want me to sugar-coat it? The best way to make sure you don’t die is to take you to see Belinda.”
I focused on the least concerning of my multitude of questions, “Who is Belinda?”
The jerk didn’t answer, “Once your memories from your past lives have returned, you’ll have the knowledge that comes with being a Renascent and we can actually get something done.”
I tried not to be too offended that he acted like my previous deaths were inconveniences that I somehow could have prevented.
“For now,” Sebastian pulled a dagger from the sheath at his belt and held it out to me, “you need to learn how to use this.”
I took the wicked-looking blade from him and held it angled it carefully away from my body, “What if I don’t want to?”
There was a challenge in my voice, bluffing bravado to hide the fear that made my bones quake. Holding that cold, sharp steel in my hand, all of it was too real. I felt sick.
Sebastian met my eyes, his face blank and voice frigid, “You will learn to use it.”
I wasn’t up to fighting with him, especially when his tone brokered no room for argument. I knew I needed to learn to protect myself, of course I did. That didn’t mean that learning was at the top of the list of things I desperately wanted to learn to do. I needed to stay alive, at least long enough to sacrifice myself for a greater cause than sheer cowardice.
The next several hours, as the Sun rose into the sky, Sebastian led me through the motions of doing everything in my power not to die should I come face-to-face with the physical presence of The Dark or anyone else who wanted to do me bodily harm. Apparently, Renascents were not the most popular of the supernatural beings that went bump in the night so the list could be quite long.
The Sun was well on its westward descent when Sebastian called a halt to my training. My muscles were shaking and I wobbled to a spot near the helm where Sebastian worked to bring the pirate ship toward a not-too-distant shore. The shore rose from the water, a cliff of black rock; I would have believed the entire place abandoned had there not be a whisp of smoke rising from a cottage settled at the edge of the cliff.
“What does an energy-sucking vampire want with owning a pirate ship?” I asked, hoping that idle chit-chat would keep him from noticing the way my legs shook.
He grimaced, “I prefer the term energy-sustained.”
I rolled my eyes and waited for a real answer.
He sighed quietly, “I’ve had The Galaxy since we met 500 years ago. I was a sailor on this ship and was made by the captain at the time. It came to be mine when he gained eternal rest.”
“You were my prisoner,” a sudden grin lit his face at a memory I’d long since lost.
“I bet you enjoyed that,” I growled and it sounded much less impressive coming from me than it did from him.
His grin turned wicked, “Immensely.”
I huffed and crossed my arms in annoyance.
He sighed, “Rest Malia, we’ll be at Belinda’s soon.”
It felt like I had only been asleep for a few minutes when Sebastian shook me awake. My neck and back ached from where I’d fallen asleep leaning against the stack of crates near the helm. I stretched and let Sebastian carry me from the ship, onto the longboat, and then clung tightly to his back while he scaled the cliff’s face. By the time we reached the hut at the top of the cliff, I was a shuddering mess of nerves.
Sebastian had no such problem after he deposited me on the ground away from the cliff’s edge. He still stood with all of the confidence and swagger of a centuries-old vampire. He stepped around the outdoor oven and knocked steadily on the wooden door at the front of the cabin.
The door opened a short moment later and there stood a creature unlike anything I had ever seen before. From a distance, it looked like a short woman, with frizzy grey hair and round glasses. Her arms and legs were bent at strange angles as if they had been broken and never set properly. Her clothes were made of burlap, nets, and crystals and when she smiled, I could see the light glinting off of every single sharp pointed tooth in her mouth.
My shaking legs carried me toward Sebastian and the creature where they stood talking.
“Mother Belinda, this is Malia, my soul-bonded.” Sebastian introduced me and it took a moment before I remembered not to look at him like he was crazy.
“My dear,” the creature smiled and grasped my clammy hand in her smooth, dry, and leathery one. Her skin was nearly translucent with a gray tint to it, like she was a walking corpse, “my sweet Malia.”
I looked to Sebastian wondering if he had more clues to what was happening than I did. He simply looked resigned and maybe a little sad.
“Mother Belinda will help us retrieve your memories.”
“How?” shock and excitement caused my voice to come out a little breathless.
The creature smiled again, this one held a cruel glint to it, “Because my dear, The Dark is my child and I hold the memories of all of its victims here.”
Is Belinda friend or foe? Even I’m not sure yet!
Check back next week for Part 6!
Don’t forget to tune in on Friday as well for another edition of “This Book Beauty Reviews”! This week has a doubleheader and if you enjoy military romance, alpha/protectors, and fated mates vibes, I’ve got the perfect author for you to check out!
Happy Reading!
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