The Wind and all her Sisters Excerpt
Looking in the face of death, I never thought I’d be grateful that he has such beautiful eyes. Zale’s are, though. They’re breathtaking. I can see the little flecks of gold among the black and I imagine a starry night before realizing that it’s more like gold among ore.
“I’m sorry it had to be like this, Marabell,” he says, but I know he’s not sorry.
There’s no time for sorry in a game like this.
“Just hurry up and get it over with,” I say, refusing to betray anything I’m feeling right now.
Maybe if I keep it all balled up inside me, then I can take it with me to the afterlife, where I can pick it apart strand by strand until I finally understand why.
“Count to ten out loud and it will be over with,” he says, taking a step closer to me, so close that I can only look at one eye or the other.
The left one is a lighter shade of black than the right, but it’s impossible to tell for certain with the light in my eyes.
With my hands tied behind my back, he pushes me down to my knees.
I can feel the heat of the stone around my neck, the one that brought about my downfall.
He kneels down in front of me and wipes the moisture from the corner of my eye. I almost lash out at him for pretending to care, but then I remember that I need to keep those emotions inside for the next life.
His eyes turn towards the horizon for a little too long, dragging out what he promised to make quick.
Back on his feet, he takes a deep breath and lifts his chin to the sky.
He whispers a prayer to some god I don’t recognize.
He places his hand at the base of my skull, forcing me to bow my head.
The heat from his hand glides over the back of my neck as he brushes the long strands of my hair aside. He hefts his sword in his hand.
I hear him grunt as he lifts the blade in a high arc. I see the flash of silver out of the corner of my eye.