Seeing in the Dark: Prologue

London, 1893

As I slip below the murky surface of the Thames, the darkness and quiet of death surrounds me. But, I cannot rid myself of the feeling of failure.

There is no hope now

The Tree of All Souls Lives

She will destroy us

I am suddenly standing at the bank of a river.

I look around and realize that I am in the Realms.

A place that is both beautiful and frightening.

A barge makes its way toward me.

I wait.

Three women stand on the barge.

One is an ancient crone.

One is a beautiful, young maiden.

One holds a cornucopia.

I step onto the barge and they nod.

"Your time has come. You have a choice to make," the old crone says.

She opens her hand to reveal three purple berries.

"Once you choose, there is no going back," she says.

Having been mute all of my life, I can only shake my head at her.

She peers at me in confusion.

"What is your choice?" she asks.

I move my head in the direction of the bank, hoping that they will understand.

"You wish to complete your soul's task?" the crone asks.

I nod.

"You can only appear as a ghost. You must find someone else to complete the task."

I nod in understanding and I step back onto the bank.

The barge pulls away and I am let there alone.

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Three years later…

I have kept a watch on the human world, looking for the one who can finally restore balance to the Realms and defeat the Tree of All Souls.

I have found her.

She is the daughter of one of my former schoolmates, Mary Dowd.

But, for her to understand the present, I must show her the past.

My past is not a happy one.

But, it is important for her to see and know.

However, I must sort through my past to let her know what she needs to do.

And so, I shall reflect back on it.

A/n: I wanted to write about Mina's story. I was very fascinated by her in The Sweet Far Thing. I know the prolouge is short, but the chapters will be longer. Please review! Kirsten