The Seeker

A Chapter by Casandra

Part One: The Gathering

Breathing short and as silently as possible, Asha tiptoed through the forest. There was an unsettling stillness in the woods she had no desire to disturb. It had been several decades since Asha was a small child, frightened of that which lurks in the shadows. Yet she had seen enough in her time on this earth to respect the things that were out of her sight and beyond any control.

She had spent most of the day's light searching for the seeker. Asha was unconvinced that someone as powerful as Samara was reputed to be would ever reside here. However, Louie was sure of this one fact, and she trusted Louie above all others.

A breakthrough was reached in a local bed and breakfast. After listening to several comments as to the sanity of the seeker and herself, Asha was directed to Samara's old foster mother. Though none seemed sure that 'Sammy the Looney Toon' would even be there.

A tiny woman answered the door several moments later once Asha found the seeker's former home. Thin and homely, she held tightly to the crucifix that dangled from her neck. Asha could tell that this woman had seen many evils in her time, most of which were probably brought upon her by the seeker.

"That girl isn't right!" the woman cried once they were both seated in her living room, "Things happen around her, things that just aren't natural!" Asha then nodded her head in what she hoped to be a consoling manner.

"She never comes around here anymore." The woman admitted. "I have told the proper authorities that she had run away, but they never found her!" Again Asha nodded, impatiently waiting for any real information as to where the seeker was now.

"But I know she's still here," the woman lowered her voice to a whisper, "I can feel her somehow, and I can still hear that eerie song of hers in my head. It's even louder near the border of the woods."

With that, Asha had her next destination. With a hurried goodbye she stood up from the couch and made her way to the door. But before she could go, the woman had grabbed her arm and brought her down to her knees.

"Please," she begged of her, "Let us pray for that poor lost soul!"

Hesitantly Asha bowed her head as the woman recited the Lord's Prayer. Though she would admit it to no one, the sound of the old words brought a comforting feel of nostalgia, and she couldn't help but think of the time when she almost believed in that prayer herself.

Those words were of little comfort to her once she found herself deep in the woods with the bright full moon shining with its yellow ring above her. Time after time she repeated them both aloud and in her mind to try and break the unnerving silence. Yet the words proved to be useless without any faith applied behind them.

Asha refused to admit her fear even to herself and continued muttering, half of her wondering if she would ever find the seeker, the other half wondering if she even wanted to find her. By a great force of willpower she steadied her breathing and her heart rate, and then continued down her unknown path.

The wind whispered in the trees, heralding her approach to the seeker who hopefully was waiting for her at the end of the path. She could never be able to tell just how this seeker would take to her presence. It was widely known that they were a territorial lot, and might severely punish any disturbance to their serenity.

"Best not to think on that." Asha whispered to herself as visions of her bloodied mass invaded her mind.

Almost in answer the wind caressed Asha's face in reassurance, carrying a pleasant scent as she breathed it in deep and free. As her mind relaxed, she could almost hear the wind singing. It was a sweet yet mournful song that her heart could relate to.

Sitting peacefully down at the base of the nearest tree, Asha could remember so many things she had forgotten. Things she had thought were lost to time. She remembered the old house and its red stables, she could recall the face of the man she once called father, but most of all she could remember Ben.

Her eyes fluttered slightly before she allowed them to close. Contented, she basked in the warmth of the memories of her happier days. She remained oblivious to the world around her as she began to hum a tune that hadn't been heard on earth for centuries.

"Whatcha doin'?" a child's voice asked innocently, bringing Asha's focus back into the real world.

Opening her eyes again, she found herself looking at a world turned up on its head. Grunting, Asha fought against her bonds while also fighting off the feeling of nausea as all her blood pooled into her head. The child's voice only giggled at her vain attempts at freeing herself.

"I like to hang upside down too," the child's voice continued. The branch she dangled from began to bounce as her face was suddenly filled with rippling waves of soft mousy brown hair. "See? But I can do it without ropes!"

"I would most appreciate it if you could kindly cut me down." Asha said through clenched teeth after trying to blow the child's hair out of her face.

"Does this mean you wanna stay and play?" the girl's voice asked hopefully.

"You cut me down this instant!" Asha screamed furiously to the child.

"Okie dokie," the child replied, "You don't have to be sucha meanie about it!"

In seconds Asha fell to the ground like a heavy sack of grain, her head being the first to break her fall. Rubbing her scalp, she looked around only to find herself face to face with a tiny girl, no more than eight years of age.

"Why were you hanging up there like that?" the girl asked, hardly giving time for Asha to breath.

"I wasn't up there on purpose," Asha growled, "Someone tied me up there!"

"I didn't see nobody, and I've been here the whole time!" the child replied, "Then pop! There you were hanging from the tree."

Standing up slowly as her blood began to fill in its appropriate places again; Asha tried her best to storm off. Yet instead she found herself at the base of another tree trying to fight off the blackness building up behind her eyes.

"Why are you running away?" the child questioned, almost sounding hurt at the idea, "Why can't you stay and play?"

Asha sighed as she resigned herself to the fact that she was stuck here until her faintness wore off. Curling up closer against the trunk of the tree she looked at the girl who watched her with fascinated eyes.

"Because, child," Asha answered calmly, "I am searching for someone, and finding this someone is of the utmost importance."

"Who is it?" the child questioned, "I might know them, I know lotsa people!"

Asha stared at the girl with a raised eyebrow, clearly doubtful that she could possibly know of the seeker. The child, however, was obviously quite sure that there was a good chance of her knowing this someone, and Asha saw no harm in asking.

"We," Asha began, "Call this someone a seeker."

"I've heard of seekers!" the child instantly perked up, and Asha did as well, "Like hide n' go seekers, I love hide n' go seek! But why are you seeking the seeker, ain't it the other way around?"

"This seeker plays no part in your childish games!" Asha replied while trying to keep her temper in check, "She is a being of exceptional talent, a bridge between both the physical and non-physical realms."

The girl looked at her with a blank face of confusion. Asha could tell that there were many questions the child wanted to ask, but it was also apparent that she hadn't decided which one to chose. Before the girl had that opportunity, Asha began again.

"You most likely wouldn't know her by that title. That is if you know her at all." The child gave no response and Asha continued. "She also goes by the name of Samara."

The child's eyes brightened and a wide warm smile grew on her face. Asha asked her again if she knew of the seeker, hopeful that the child's sunny disposition meant that she knew where this seeker was. The girl nodded her head enthusiastically.

"That's me!" the child exclaimed, "My name's Samara, mommy called me that before she went away!"

The child who called herself Samara looked at her guest with great excitement. Asha on the other hand, was much less excited as the girl pelted her with dozens of questions as to where her mother was and if this meant that she could finally go home.

"You," Asha addressed the child as she stood up feebly, "Cannot possibly be the seeker, and I do not appreciate you wasting my time."

"But..." the child tried to explain before Asha waved her words away with her hand.

"No more girl!" Asha continued, "I will have no more of your foolishness."

Bowing her head, the child began to sniffle and whine. For a moment Asha considered her instinct to reach out to the child and comfort her. The poor thing was obviously in a lot of pain, but there were more pressing issues in the world than consoling a forgotten girl. Once she had regained a steady footing, Asha began to walk away.

"You will not succeed." An airy voice whispered behind her, "Your mission has already failed."

Turning around, she searched everywhere for the voice of the seeker, how she knew that voice to belong to the seeker was just another of the mysteries that surrounded their race. Seeing nothing but a hazy silhouette of the child, she walked back to the clearing that she had come from. The girl still sat at the base of the tree with her head supported in her arms. Her crying had stopped, and her breathing stayed steady as Asha approached.

"Did you hear that voice?" she whispered to the girl.

"Of course I did." The same airy voice replied from the girl's body.

Looking up to meet her face, the seeker glared at her through the child's eyes. Their color was now replaced with a vibrant and glowing white as the pigments of her brown locks faded to match.

"Seeker," Asha questioned hesitantly, "But how can this be?"

"You refer to the awkwardness of my physical form?" the seeker answered, "You doubt the wisdom of my choice, and the power this form can wield?"

"Yes." Asha replied, knowing that it was useless to lie to a seeker.

"And you," the seeker continued, "Strung up in a tree by this form, captured only by my song. Yet you doubt me."

Asha couldn't help but think back to earlier in the day, and her interview with the seekers foster mother.

"I can feel her somehow," she heard the foster mother's words clearly in her mind, "And I can still hear that eerie song of hers..."

Again, the vision of her bloodied body lying on the ground invaded Asha's mind. If it had taken so little to capture her before, what was to stop the seeker from demonstrating her talents even further?

"Well," the seeker replied, seeing into her heart, "I am happy to oblige."
In seconds the seekers unseen forces knocked Asha to the ground. She could feel them all around her, smothering her and suffocating her with their presence. She could hear all of their voices; many spoke in languages she could not understand.

By their collective force she was pinned to the ground, their essences writhing and wriggling over her like snakes. By the seekers command, they bit into her cold flesh. Sucking and slurping at her immortal blood, they feasted as Asha cried out in agony.

Then as suddenly as they had come upon her, they vanished. Hesitantly testing her new freedom, Asha sat up painfully as her curses evil magic began to slowly heal her wounds. The seeker still sat in her trance at the base of the tree, her body glowing with unnatural power.

"Ah," the seeker began after several moments, "Your blood tells an interesting story, many pains and many evils in it."

With a quick nod, the seeker motioned for Asha to look to her right. As she didn't look forward to another of the seeker's attacks Asha did as she was told, only to find a tired old woman sitting next to her, with faded auburn hair tied tightly in an old fashioned bun.

"Mother?" Asha whispered painfully.

"My babe," the woman replied as she brushed a few strands of her daughter's hair out of her face, "My dear little one."

Asha cupped her mother's hand in her own as it gently caressed her face. There were a thousand things that she wanted to say to her, things that had run through her mind for years. Yet all she could think of now was the sweet feel of her mother's hand petting her hair.

Hugging her tightly around the waist Asha nuzzled into her mother's neck, taking time to remember the scent of lilacs that had followed the woman for so long. The longer she held onto her, the more she could feel something warm seeping through the fabric of her shirt. Pulling back she looked at her mother's stomach and saw a bright patch of blood blossoming on her dress.

"Why," her mother demanded as bloody tears streamed down her face, "Why did you do this to me, babe?"

"Please, mother," Asha answered with her own tears, "Forgive me, I didn't mean..."

Before she had a chance to finish, her mother's spirit was called back to the seeker. Asha tried vainly to grasp her and pull her back, but there was nothing for her to hold onto. Soon her mother had crossed back to the other world, and the bridge between them was closed.

"What an evil to commit." The seeker stated. "For such foolish reasons too."

"It wasn't me!" Asha screamed through her tears, "It wasn't me!"

"Oh, but it was you, girl." The seeker continued. "You allowed the evil to overtake you, and now you want me to aid in making amends for that evil by bringing about more evil?"

Controlling her anger and tears, Asha took a moment to contemplate her answer. Though the seeker most likely already knew her train of thought, she hoped that the effort would at least be appreciated.

"Sometimes," Asha began slowly, "One evil is necessary to prevent the continuance of another."

"Wisely spoken," the seeker agreed, and the child's face smiled, "And well put, but I am still not convinced."

"Then give me another chance." Asha said while handing her the manila envelope from under her coat. "The meeting is in little more than a month and we would be honored by your presence Seeker."

"Shallow flattery at best; do not expect my arrival because of that." Samara said strongly. "Yet perhaps there is something I can give you for the one you seek after me."

Looking deep into each other's eyes, neither said a word for several moments. Eventually the seeker broke her spell and left the clearing without another word. The sun peaked softly over the tops of the trees, and Asha knew what she had to do.