Prologue
A chilling shriek rose from the depths of the small lake, startling the girl from her pleasant daydreams. She sat up quickly, not sure whether this was something she wanted to know more about or to run from.
The girl didn't have enough time to run or think before a shape rose from the center of the lake and glided towards her. Long black hair hanging in from of a face didn't quite manage to hide grey tinted skin and lips. A dripping old dress hung loosely on a thin frame and long claws adorned the fingers. A banshee. The girl shivered.
The banshee wailed again, this time louder. She couldn't move as the creature reached out to kill her.
At least that's what she thought would happen. The sickly skin, wrinkled by too much time underwater, touched her cheek and sent shivers up her spine. The hand was cold, the claws barely cutting her skin. The banshee's mouth opened once more the girl cringed… but no wail came out. Instead the creature brought its mouth to the girl's ear and whispered.
Banshees were not known to speak, so at first she thought it was a dream. But the cool breath and the frozen touch compared to the warm trickle of blood down her cheek were far too real.
"Your time has come." It hissed.
The girl blinked silver eyes suddenly unsure of her own mental stability. Waist length sheer black hair was covered with frost. She shivered, teeth chattering.
"Your time has come." It repeated. "The time to rise again." Despite the oddity of the statement, it rang with honesty. The mystical presentation of such and idea reverberated with age-old belief, strong enough to almost convince her, the most cynical, disbelieving girl in existence. "Awaken." It hissed.
Her eyes flew open, glowing blood red. Her senses heightened and she became extremely conscious of the blood trickling down her cheek. Steam rose from wet hair as frost melted as quickly as it had formed. Her mouth became paper-dry.
The banshee backed gracefully away remaining silent until it reached the water's edge. There it let out a bloodcurdling shriek. The sound echoed off of the surface, multiplying again and again until it had become deafening. Just as suddenly as it had appeared, the banshee was gone.
She looked at the lake for another minute before sighing, standing up, and heading back to the castle. She didn't think that anyone had seen. She had to keep it a secret.
The pale man standing at the window smirked, pleased for some reason, and turned away.