Kingdom of Ash

smell the pine and snow. If she missed it, if
she passed by it—
She passed through a world of snowcapped
mountains under shining stars. Passed over
one of those mountains, where a winged male
stood beside a heavily pregnant female,
gazing at those very stars. Fae.
They were Fae, but this was not her world.
She flung out a hand, as if she might signal
them, as if they might somehow help her
when she was nothing but an invisible speck
of power—
The winged male, beautiful beyond reason,
snapped his head toward her as she arced
across his starry sky.
He lifted a hand, as if in greeting.
A blast of dark power, like a gentle
summer night, slammed into her.
Not to attack—but to slow her down.
A wall, a shield, that she tore and plunged