Amara was jolted awake by the roar of a voice! "In here, my lord, we've found her!" Her eyes widened as they took in the pair of her father's soldiers. One of them pointed his spear at her while the other stepped out to wave down others.
She scowled at the spear holder as he used his size to tower over her. A soft, familiar voice whispered softly in her ear. "He certainly seems proud of himself, terrorizing an unarmed woman."
Amara turned her head, expecting to see someone behind her but there was no one. Confused, she glanced back at the guardsman, but he just glared down at her.
Amara stood up, holding her head up, refusing to be intimidated by this fool. As she did, she felt a faint caress on her cheek. "Excellent, my priestess, stand firm."
"Priestess..." Amara breathed. Her dream came rushing back to her. Could it be..? But before she could react further, her father stormed into the room.
Sir Stevren, holy knight of the realm, looked ready to explode. Looking at his red face, Amara felt sick to her stomach. He was so proud of his status as a holy knight, so quick to hold his piety over others. And yet he was a monster to his wife and daughters.
"There you are! Did you really think I'd let you get away?" He slapped her cheek, nearly knocking her to the ground.
"Didn't you realize how important this marriage was to me? We would have been tied to the richest merchant family in the country!" Another slap did knock her to the ground.
Amara fell, her hands out to break her fall. As her vision cleared, she saw the mark on the back of her hand. "It was real," she whispered.
"What? Never mind, forget your excuses. We need to get you back to the priests. The marriage can't go through now unless we can prove your purity. And God help you if you're impure, child. No one else will."
The mark pulsed with soft light as Sir Stevren pulled her up by the arm. "Look at me," he demanded.
But another voice caught her attention instead. "You don't have to live like this, my sweet priestess. You have my power in you now. It's time to fight back." A phantom kiss graced her forehead. "Show me how strong you are."
"Hey!" Furiously, her father grabbed her chin and forced her gaze to him. Amara stared at his face. His trim beard, piggish eyes, the hate and disgust that burned there.
She nodded. "It's time to fight back," she whispered. And she raised her marked hand.
"Push your power out, my pet. Let your anger and defiance be your weapon."
Amara reached inward, pulling on years of emotion, then forced it all out through her hand. A blistering purple light raged out, knocking her father back into the far wall.
In the moment before the guards reacted, she blasted out the power again, targeting the other men in the room.
Then she grabbed her pack and fled.
Amara ran for three days, pulled by a sense of distant safety. She rested where she could, once in a hollow under a downed tree, other times in caves.
She didn't hear the voice of Zymos during that time, but the sense of safety felt like him so she followed it, closing in on it. On the third day, she stumbled into another set of ruins, this time a small building well hidden by a thick grove. She stumbled inside and collapsed.
She barely heard her god's words as she let exhaustion overtake her. "Ah, you're finally here. Be warm and rest, my pet. I'll watch over you."
Amara slept hard for some time but when she woke, it was in a soft bed, warm blankets around her. A few candles flickered in the room and more light poured from the next room and with it was the smell of cooking meat. She rose and spotted a robe at the foot of the bed. It was purple lace and shimmered beautifully in the dim light. Amara smiled and wrapped it around her naked body. It honestly failed to cover anything, but instead highlighted her curves. For the first time she felt... beautiful.
Zymos awaited her as she stepped into the other room. "You look lovely, my sweet priestess," he smiled.
Amara ducked her head. "Thank you, my Master."