Sorry in advance for any grammar and punctuation mistakes and other mistakes. I found myself falling back into my perfectionist ways so I decided to finish and publish Day 17 perfect or not or it would continue to hold me back. So here it is and hope it’s at least a little good.
Day 17: Use Time Travel in a Story
***
Tonight Zanna found out how loud and how long she could scream. An ear-popping, glass shattering, five drawn out minute scream. She also found out how it felt for her heart to fragment into a million pieces. How it felt to watch your mate take his last breath.
It made her feel dead. Empty. Torn apart. Crazed.
Oh, how she could have gone her entire life without this firsthand knowledge.
“Oh!” She cradled his cool face in her hands, buried her nose into his brown beautiful hair, and wept.
All around her the battle still raged. In between her gasps and shouts of pain she could hear the collision of swords and bodies. At least they had pulled the dead to the side out of the way.
“Zanna! What on earth are you doing here?” The male voice paused to catch his breath.
“Hon, you’ll die out here.” The practiced calm way he spoke to her, she would think she was holding a bomb detonator. She knew she didn’t look good though. She didn’t feel good either.
“So,” She didn’t look up at Jarrat. She didn’t tear her eyes from the body in her arms, vowing to never let go.
When she glanced at her soul mate’s closed eyes, shivers worked up and down her spine.
Oh, Tait. Why would you leave me here all alone? As one of Odin’s warriors, he had no choice but to fight. But she didn’t think it would be this soon. He wasn’t ready. She wasn’t ready. Now her worst fear had come true. She glanced up at Jarrat’s green eyes and he flinched when he met her blue ones.
“I’ve never seen you like this.”
No one had. She was a leader on every occasion. She put people in their places on a daily. Living as the only witch in the Valkyrie Lands, she made sure they knew she was not to be trifled with. Now, with her help, lots more withes were permitted here and she was their leader. Jarrat was Tait’s best friend and she would never let him speak for her. She even bossed him around a time or two.
“My strength derived from him.” She confessed as she stared down at his still face.
“My love, my Tait.” She rubbed her hand down his lifeless cheek.
“Listen to me, woman.” Zanna glared up at him and his offensive tone. His serious expression on a normally playful face then confused Zanna.
“You must act fast.”
Zanna stomach tightened and surprise shown on her face. The familiarity of his words…where had she heard them before?
Lightening shot from all directions shaking the ground below clearing the fog in her mind and she remembered who spoke those fateful words. She cried out this time in anger. Do something. You must act fast. Oh yeah, she knew who uttered that very warning. And if Zanna had any say entire matter the witch wouldn’t be uttering anything anymore.
“I need a sword Jarrat.” Zanna held her hand out. Jarrat deliberated for a second before giving her one of his daggers.
“It’s alright love. I’ll make this all better.” She placed a kiss on Tait’s head and rose.
* * *
“You bitch, you knew.” Zanna kept the dagger pressed against the old hag’s throat.
“You knew he was going to die. Didn’t you!” The seer didn’t struggle which saved her life. Zanna was ready for a fight, hoping for a fight.
“I did not foresee exactly that.” The bored tone is what pushed Zanna over the edge. The gripped the old woman’s greying hair and pushed her toward a caldron. Inside smoke rose and whatever was inside boiled up.
It was now that the woman started to struggle but it was too late. Zanna had lost her patience. Someone was going to pay.
She tightened her grip on the seer’s hair and forced her head underneath the boiling fogging water. Zanna strength of revenge knew no bounds and she felt no sense of wrongness as she held the seer’s head under, drowning her. Pissing off a seer was not a smart thing to do, normal right in the head creatures wouldn’t dare. Zanna figured the worst the seer could do was kill her and she had no problem with that.
Tait would be there waiting for her. Only when the seer’s grip on Zanna’s fist loosened did Zanna lift the hag’s head from the water. An assortment of things happened once she removed her head from the water, all momentarily distracting Zanna.
Big boils popped up on the seers face. Some growing bigger and bigger until they exploded. Zanna pushed the seer backwards from her and took another healthy step away from the seers disgusting features and examined herself. Thank gods she didn’t get anything on her.
Mind on the task. Zanna looked up to see the seer running towards her black book. Before she could get there Zanna blocked her. She palmed the dagger and said,
“Are you ready to talk?”
“I can help you.” The seer gasped out holding her oozing face.
“How?”
Slowly the hag raised her boned finger and pointed to the green vial that sat atop a wooden table.
“Time travel.” She choked out.
* * *
Zanna struggled with enormity of what that little vial had allowed her to do. Even though she had forced the seer to explain what would happen, she still couldn’t believe it had worked. She had traveled back in time.
Stunned Zanna had watched her past self a few hours the same day she just left. She had watched herself work hard training some of the gifted Wiccan. Now that she had a full view of herself and the things around her, she noticed that Tait standing just outside the training arena. The seer had told her she would not be visible or able to interact with anyone unless she touched herself.
She had also warned her to time it just right because the knowledge she had now, her past self, did not have. If she jumped the gun and entered her body too soon, she would only have a few moments before she forgot all about Tait’s future death. Then she’ll would be back to square one, alone and going crazy.
So she waited, watched over herself. Zanna heart clenched as she watched them make love the last time before he got called to war. Their love was amazing to watch, she’d cried as she watched them together. It was beautiful, they were beautiful.
She closed her eyes against the pain of emptiness running haywire through her chest. Zanna could fix this, she would make this right. Tait would be in her arms before this night was over.
She spirited to her vanity table and sat down. When the room quieted Zanna turned back around. Her past self, slept, sated but Tait, he lay awake gazing at her. He spent a nearly ten minutes taken in her face with an array of emotions sweeping over his face. The knock on the door startled her even in spirit form. Tait face became impassive and he rose from the bed and dressed. Zanna rose her body shaking with anticipation and fear.
Tait armored up and then went to the door. When he opened Jarrat stood armored up as well. Together they left the room, Tait giving her a last longing look. Zanna wanted to follow but couldn’t leave her body behind. So she waited knowing that it would take a while before the war began. She paced, she cursed, and she spun herself in circles. Anxious and frustrated.
Finally she had enough. She stalked to the bed and touched her sleeping form smoothing the blonde hair that shutter her from the world. For a second it felt as if a black hole swallowed her and she was falling. All too soon it ended and Zanna eyes popped open with a start. The room spun making her nauseated. She took a moment to breathe but only a moment. When she felt she could walk she jumped out of bed. She strapped herself up with weapons and took her candle and lit it. She prayed to the great goddesses before leaving.
She ran out of her balcony and glanced out into the darkness. There just beyond the hilltop was a light. The war was in full swing. Taking no time to think she jumped down from her perch. Her bones jolted as she landed then began racing through the forest behind her home. The closer she got to the light the louder the war could be heard. She broke through the clearing not pausing to take in the massive sight in front of her. She knew her allies and she killed any foe, fighting her way to Tait. You’ve got a second chance don’t let it pass.
She ran headlong into the war crashing into and fighting anyone who wouldn’t let her through. When she spotted Tait, she lost her breath. The urge to run her fingers down his long brown hair and sun kissed skin rose hard. Zanna resisted. Well her mind resisted but her body was already on the move.
She watched for his sword then threw herself in his arms. He jumped and cursed, tightening his arms round her.
“Zanna?!” He bellowed then his arm swept up and around her. She didn’t turn but heard the familiar groan of death close to her ears from whatever foe he’d slain. The groan of death that had once flowed from Tait’s mouth. It took everything in her might not to throw herself in his arms and feel if he was really here and healthy. She couldn’t…wouldn’t relive that horror of him dying again.
“For Gods sakes woman, get the hell out of here!” He shouted shoving her behind him. She pushed his arm out of the way.
“Shut it Tait, I’m here to help.” And to save your life. She pulled herself from his arms and reached for her sword.
She eyed every person on the battlefield, trying to figure out who dealt the death blow to Tait. In her mind everyone was a suspect, there were no allies. Odin’s warriors were not the most loyal. Here the code was more of survival of the fittest.
Tait was one of the more dominant warrior out here. He was a target.
Suddenly she couldn’t see past Tait’s black tee as he had pushed her out of the way of the fight. His heat enveloped her from all sides when he barracked her against a tree. Fight now, kiss later. Even as she told herself that she found herself gazing at his lips then back to his eyes. So instead of indulging she squeezed her eyes closed.
“Zanna,” He sighed. His warm hand caressing down her cheek made her jump. She came that close to losing him. Hell, she did lose him. The emotions rocked her off her equilibrium that she had to grip his shirt to stay balanced. She opened her eyes and his widened.
“Zanna?! What’s the matter sweetie, talk to me?” His blue eyes bore into her and his arms wrapped around her offering support.
“I…you-
“What the hell is your woman doing here Tait?” Jarrat growled in her direction and she shot him a dirty look.
“Saving your asses” She finally snapped. Now wasn’t the time to get into the whys and how’s. Some of which she was starting to forget.
“She’s already here.” Tait silenced Jarrat then gave her a look. A look that said we’ll talk about it later, but Zanna read it as Thank you for saving my life.
“You’re welcome” She smiled sweetly and he frowned. Together they turned and faced the enemy. Bound together forever, your fight is mine to battle through for you. The vows they both had branded on their body focused her.
**
~I.L.U*
Quanisha
Refresh your memory on past challenges: Day One, Two, Three and Four, Day Nine, Day Ten, Day Eleven, Day Twelve, Day Thirteen and Fourteen, Day Fifteen, and Day Sixteen.
And for the whole list of 31 Days of Magic.
This Week’s Prompts:
Embrace the Madness 
Speak with Light.