Chapter 90. The Scourage of Ignorance

KEILEN

It is large, not so large but big enough to cover my entire palm, and warm to the touch. I stare at it closely, at the swirling patterns on its shell, the colours blending within the oval. Beauty in solid form.

I can’t take my eyes away from it, even though I want to so badly. There is a strange fascination that posseses me, not of my doing, but decidedly eerie. Maybe it’s because I’m too disoriented to know a thing. No, that’s wrong. At least I know where I am.

The void. The name comes quickly, a sharp, instinctive response to an unasked question. But it fits this crushing web of darkness that threatens to be my end, that keeps me trapped as long as the spider wants.

I increase the pressure on the stone, and close my eyes. Even that makes no difference, though it’s a bit lighter than the bleakness around me.

I flip my eyelids open and she’s in front of me, her lips part slightly in a wide, wholesome, perfect grin. I yelp, flinging out my claws w