Excerpt: Freedom

The vision danced at the edge of his mental vision and eluded his greedy grasp easily before coming back to torment him.
Martin sighed, turning inward mentally and catching the vision by the tail for the small glimpse of red hair running away from him before he lost the vision entirely.
This had happened, on and off, for several weeks now, and he’d be damned if he knew why red hair was so important. Frustrated, he slammed his open palm against the wood.
Jacqueline, concerned, stroked his hair back from his face. “What’s wrong?” She asked quietly.
He sighed again. “I don’t know. I just…there’s a vision that keeps eluding me, no matter how hard I concentrate – and I’ve been concentrating very hard.”
Her hand continued to stroke his hair relaxingly. “Maybe you should stop trying so hard.”
His head snapped around to stare at her in surprise and then stiffened when the vision danced once more at the edge of his vision. He clutched at it desperately, but it slipped away.
“Relax,” Jacqueline murmured quietly. “Let it come to you.”
Hearing this, he stopped all attempts to catch it, waiting for it, trying out her advice. And like she said, the vision came.
It came to him in its entirety.
A redheaded elf girl waited in a forest, waited for someone. She stared over the shining river gloomily, turned around and saw him waiting at the edge…You risk everything by this…face alighting with joy, she ran into his arms…follow your heart, follow your duty…a grand wedding between a handsome elf man and a redheaded elf woman. Do you solemnly swear to be my wife forever until death do us part? I do. You may now kiss the bride…the redheaded woman giving birth. Screams…There must be a sacrifice…blood staining the white linen on the bed red, red as a rose…the redheaded woman holding her baby with a smile of joy…this is…your destiny…the baby’s eyes open – he has green eyes, eyes full of power and intelligence…the green-eyed boy standing at a cliff and gesticulating wildly – the wind whips everything around him fiercely, but only caresses his face…our son…the redheaded woman crying tears of grief over a still body on the ground. I love you, don’t leave me. I love you…she lies on a bier, her body still and aged. White hair where there used to be red; she is dead. For Mother, the most generous woman I ever knew…In remembrance of the mother of the most powerful enchanters of all time…In remembrance of…colours whirl around a beautiful face with sea-green eyes and red hair, partially turned away…Sylvéa…she spins around, her eyes look straight at him. My love, she whispers. The colours are whirling faster, faster and faster around a pair of sea-green eyes…I love you…white…risk everything…gold…heart, duty…silver…kiss the bride…blue…sacrifice…purple…destiny…green…I love…there must be a sacrifice you…green…the whole world is green...
He gasped as the vision finally released him, mourning the loss of someone who had not even been born yet.
Sylvéa.
“Martin?” Jacqueline’s voice brought him out of his reverie. “Are you alright?”
“Yes.” He pulled himself upright. “I saw…” His eyes suddenly filled with tears. “I saw a woman. Sylvéa. A redhead. She’s to be the mother of the most powerful Enchanters of all time.”
Her eyes widened. Grey eyes. He couldn’t help but notice the difference.
“We must tell the Council!” She cried. “An Enchanter after a hundred years!”
“Yes,” he agreed wearily, “We must tell the council about this new prophecy.”