To Walk Through a Dream Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven With Wavering Footsteps Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Stone Song Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three A Tale of Winter Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Destiny Inescapable Prologue Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Epilogue The Cycle's Continuing Beginnings Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Two Spirits Akin

Destiny Inescapable Chapter One The sound twisted and spun in iridescent tones of purple, now narrowing to a single thread, now exploding into a spiraling chorus of silver and rainbows that were inextricably woven into a single voice, and all through it, the sunlight streaming in through the wagon's one window made intricate golden patterns that buzzed with the intensity of a thousand violins. But then something caught at the edge of perception, pulling her into a sharp, brown, discordant note. The world turned upside down and she was held there by something soft, yet restraining, confusingly familiar and damp. There was a muffled thump from inside the wagon and his mother's singing ended abruptly in a sharp cry. Worried, but too weak to move quickly, Bertho rose from where he was tending to his little sister and climbed the wagon's steps to investigate. Looking in the door, he saw that his mother had tripped on their old quilt while making the bed, and now lay entangled in it, looking frightened. A shadow fell over him from behind, and he looked up to see Chelise on the steps, worry creasing her features. "Oh, Krianna! You shouldn't have tried to do this yourself!" She exclaimed as she brushed past Bertho and helped his Mama to her feet. She half-turned to address him "Bertho, go and bring your sisters inside." While he tottered unsteadily down the steps, she led Krianna to the door frame and left her leaning against it for support while she finished making up the bed. Bertho returned supporting one of his older sisters, Serena, while the oldest, Felyana, carried their little sister. The four children stood listlessly to one side while Chelise changed the pillowcases. From the doorway, Krianna watched her children sadly. Bertho and Felyana glowed much fainter than usual, and Serena almost not at all, and little Neyla, not quite two years of age, flickered on and off like a firefly. Chelise was swirling turquoise and clicking like a beetle. Her concern was dull brown, dripping off her and coating everything inside the wagon, but it did not help anything, just hung around making the air thick. Krianna wanted to push out the brown air that drowned the sunlight. Even when Bertho coughed weakly, it did not dislodge the dark colour. Calmly she watched as their lives slipped away from them, for there was nothing she could do. Chelise watched Krianna from the corner of her eye while she helped the children into the bed again. The other woman's dusky skin glowed healthily from the fever, but the children had been ill longer than her and were now pale and wan. Krianna wasn't even watching them now, instead she gazed at the place where they had stood a few moments ago, oblivious to her surroundings. Chelise wasn't even certain whether or not the woman even knew that she and her children were dying. Even now, in the grip of a fever and clinging to the door frame to keep from fainting, she emanated a certain air of grace and dignity as befitted a gypsy princess. The seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, Krianna had been the pride of the tribe from the day she was born. She was blessed with talent in everything that interested her, especially singing, and she was gifted in other ways as well. She had been known to make accurate prophecies now and again, and could tell more about people just from looking at them than was revealed to the ordinary eye. She possessed the ability to see auras with concentration, and could influence the minds of others with her song. She was kind and gentle, and all the tribe adored her. When Rolando, a violinist, had asked to be joined with her, her father the Rom Baro had presided over the ceremony himself. The two of them had been in love for many years, and after their marriage, their love for each other only continued to grow. She bore Rolando six children in all, though two of them died in infancy, and their life together was a happy one. All the tribe knew they were destined to be together, and they couldn't either of them imagine going on without the other. Then something changed. Krianna's abilities began to grow again, as they had not done since her adolescence. She began to see auras constantly, and sensed her surroundings with a growing awareness until it overwhelmed her and she went insane. Now she was detached from the world, and only communicated occasionally with the people around her, as she had difficulty even concentrating on their presence. Rolando's love for her continued to grow, although there was a sadness to it now. He had lost the company of his wife, but still he protected and supported her, and held her close when she was so lost in the swirling mass of the world that she could not find herself. Whenever she realized he was there, she affirmed that she still loved him fiercely. When Rolando was killed by soldiers one night, the rest of the tribe took up caring for Krianna and her children, as she was barely able to care for herself, but the children were very much attached to her, and sometimes could hear her when she spoke to them without words. Then a further tragedy struck. When passing through a village, a plague had been picked up by some of the tribe, and Krianna and her children were some of the unlucky ones. They quickly left the village, and broke the tribe into two groups, some of the healthy gypsies volunteering to stay with the sick ones to care for them, and the two groups camped within a few miles of each other, communicating regularly and sending supplies. Chelise left her private musings and guided Krianna outside to sit by the cookfire while she made soup. Krianna sat passively, her body forgotten while her mind was absorbed in the swirling, pulsating mass that had become her world. Chelise looked up suddenly when she heard a faint noise and saw that Krianna was weeping softly, her face in her hands. In an unusual moment of lucidity, her words were clear and intelligible. "Serena's dead." In the wagon the other three children slept silently beside their dead sister, their breathing weak and shallow. Chapter Two