Hey everyone. Well I have worked hard on this story and I cannot believe that this is the end. :( After this is the epilogue and then its done. Happy reading.

Understanding

I knew he was coming for me. I had let my guard down and I was positive that he had found me. I was not sure exactly what he wanted. A small part of me knew he would never turn away from his brother. A larger irrational part of me said that nothing was impossible.

It was beautiful day. The sun shone brightly but inside my apartment was dimmed. I could hear children playing outside and yet I was afraid to leave my home. There were so many secrets about my life. I thought back to the time when I had been with my family in Arria, and it all seemed so distant, so care free. It was mid-afternoon when there were knocks at my door. I stayed in bed. I heard Mrs. Lyke questioning the visitors, or better put, intruders. We are friends, a familiar voice answered. I walked to the door reluctantly, his voice pulling me towards him. When I opened it I realized that he did not look different.

"Hello." Jai said quietly, apologetically. There were two other men behind him. "Wait here." He told them. He entered my little room and closed the door. "How are you?" I walked to the other side of the room and poured myself a cup of tea. "Say something Asha."

"What do you want me to say?" I answered smartly. He smiled. "I suppose you have come to take me back."

"Something like that. Dmitri needs you." I snorted.

"For what exactly?" I asked.

"I can't answer that."

"When do we leave?" I would have thought I would have been more reluctant to go with him. It was easy to leave Rion. I had not found what I had been looking for there. He helped me pack and spoke to me like an old friend. As he paid Mrs. Lyke my debt a couple of men help me into the carriage. He did not ride with me.

The journey was long and rough. I tried to relax, to sleep, but I could not. I wondered what awaited me. What I was meant to do. Who I was. Sighing heavily, I realized that I would never know. When I finally slept it was filled with disturbing dreams. They made no sense. I thought that maybe the dreams were my magic flooding back to me.

*_*

Everything was set for the ceremony. It was Dmitri's chance to receive all the power he had been tricked out of. The sacrifices were ready. It was important that each one had to do with her former life. Locked in cages as if they were animals sat Asha's mother, her sister, Dale, and more recently Lysander. The fifth sacrifice would be Jai, whom she loved. Dmitri smiled to himself.

*_*

I thought that returning to the dreaded house would evoke greater feeling from me. I felt numb and cold. Eli greeted us and led me to a room. I did not see Dmitri. Right after the sunset, a maid brought me food and explained that she would help me get ready. Staring into the vanity mirror all I could see was a sad little girl.

"You have beautiful hair." The maid said, fashioning my hair into an elegant bun. She clipped a silver barrette with diamonds into it. Next she worked on my face. She made my pallor even paler, and to add to the affect painted my lips a crimson red. My eyes were traced with black. My dress was an elaborate monstrosity. It had a very tight corset and a full skirt all done in black. To me I looked like a corpse but the maid begged to differ. I was later let out of my room and led outside. From here it was evident that at one time the manor had been quite beautiful. The back of the house was a big clearing surrounded by trees. In the middle of the clearing was a small basin on a pedestal. As I neared the pedestal I realized the basin was filled with water. Behind the basin was a rather tall man in a strange outfit. Dmitri was standing to its left and I was put to its right.

"We come together tonight to bond these two spirits." The strangely dressed man began. I had not been given instructions in what to do so I simply stood there listening to the man's opening address. Jai and several others had gathered behind us. Dmitri looked at me and smiled. I smiled back. I should have felt afraid or at least inquisitive to what I was getting myself into. For some reason everything seemed right, something that I had not felt for a long time.

Suddenly a fire started up behind the man. At first it was contained but then it spread getting bigger. No one moved and it seemed that I was the only one that was startled.

"In front of the alter of Hephaestus and Poseidon, of Vulcan and Neptune, take the dagger and let your blood seep into one another so that you may be joined forever and always." A dagger was in the basin. Dmitri reached for it. I was fading and could not hear what he was saying. Suddenly more figures appeared around us. They were part of my vision. At first only a couple appeared but soon there was over a hundred hazy figures surrounding us. A man stepped forward. He looked familiar. He had the same square jaw that Dmitri had and bright green eyes as Jai did.

"My child." He said. I do not know to whom he was speaking to. One of his sons or me? I knew I was the only one that could see him. His eyes looked so sad and hurt. A woman my age joined him. She had long blond hair and soft blue eyes. I instantly knew that she was Opal, Jai's former love. She did not say anything and instead looked at Jai lovingly. Dmitri was done with his speech. He handed the dagger to me. It felt so heavy in my hand. Dmitri nodded. Looking at the figures I realized that they were the voices that had haunted me for so long. The ones that had lulled me to sleep at night muttering kill him in perfect unison. Everything was so perfectly clear now. One of the figures, a woman in tattered clothes began the chorus. Soon all the voices joined her.

"Kill Him."

"Kill Him!"

"It will be so easy."

"You have the tool in your hand."

Time seemed to have stopped. They continued urging me on until the man that had to be Jai's and Dmitri's father spoke.

"Dmitri is destructive. He is the one who is leading the rioters of Ashlyn in an attempt to take the power from the king. It was a mistake bonding him to you. Even as a child he was manipulative and evil. Aaron did the right thing giving you away. You are special Asha. You are blessed by having the power of all the Ashlyns before you. Of having all of us to guide you. Kill him now."

Taking a deep breath I plunged the dagger into his heart. The voices roared. I was completely in my vision and could hear only them. I tore out his heart as it was still beating. The people around us did not try to stop me. He was controlling them all. By killing him I released his grip on their minds. It took them a while to regain themselves. I was exhausted and collapsed on Dmitri's dead body.

I have little memory of what happened next. I do remember coming out of the vision, the figures and voices fading. Jai lifted me up from the floor and brought me down stairs to what looked like a dungeon. I saw my mother there, my sister, Dale, and Lysander. Jai unlocked their chains. Helping each other up, everyone ran. I often think of what they thought that night, seeing me drenched in blood. I would never get the chance to ask. Jai sat next to me and held me as I cried.