Walking Delusions

a/n: Special thanks to my readers. Especially my reviewers Sailorette (yay! new reviewer! I'm glad that you are enjoying this!) and ATBliss (I would love to send you that sort of information, especially since I already have a file that would suit this perfectly. If you could give me your e-mail address, I would be happy to send it to you. For some reason, I can't see it here on Aff. Thanks!).

Walking Delusions
Chapter Seven: Glimpses of What May Be

The coward’s reign is never ceasing.
Always stronger than the courage,
It smiles with seduction,
Blood dripping from dirty, stained hands.
The cool whispers of darkness never tread,
And the oppression of my inner soul,
The master of the night and the caller of the morning.
He knew, he understood, it was there all along.
I am lost within the knowledge,
Of myself and the things forgotten.
The running, always running,
I cannot take the pain anymore.
And still, he watches me.

Never was I happier to enter a creepy and foreboding forest as I was the day I burst through the first line of trees and out of the light of the setting suns. The cool darkness instantly embraced me as thin and sharp branches reached out, claiming my blood. The tightness in my chest had not eased any, and I could feel a thin trickle that at first I mistook for sweat, trailing down my front. Yet, I still did not stop running. I had to put distance between myself and those behind me. Even if they weren’t giving chase, I did not bother to turn and look, I would not stop.

I crashed through the underbrush, my heart pounding wildly in my chest even as my breathing was short and jumpy. I never claimed to be an athlete and my body had already been through enough suffering. I wouldn’t have been surprised if I passed out while I ran, collapsing somewhere in the middle of a lonely forest.

But it was in the running that I suddenly thought of my mother. Why she came to my mind at such an odd time, I could not even begin to comprehend. Here I was running from the only people I could consider friends in a mysterious world and I was thinking about my mother. She had died when I was real young. I could remember her touch, her smell, and the feel of her love but more as emotions than actual physical memories.

Father told me, once I reached an age of understanding, that she had died of an illness, something she had before they even married. I always admired him for that, falling in love and marrying someone he knew was doomed to die early. He loved her wholeheartedly, but her death drove him slowly to the brink, despite the fact he knew of her future. I supposed he wanted to believe that some miracle would help them be together, that there was some God out there who would grant him that one wish so long as he was honest, faithful and true.

But, he was wrong, and it was inevitable. Mom died and he slowly wasted away until he was nothing. People always claim that you can’t die from a broken heart, but perhaps that’s because they’ve never known true love. He died within six years of her death, leaving me alone in the world.

My father’s sister, she and her husband, eagerly took me in. Aunt Callie couldn’t have children of her own and had always wanted a daughter. The two of them loved me, I understood this and even returned their selfless affections. Still, my heart called for my parents.

I was angry with my father, angry for him not wanting to live for my sake. He wanted to die for her, to be with mother again. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to hate him. I didn’t know what I would have done in the same situation, but I found that I could hardly forgive him for leaving me alone, despite the support of Aunt Callie and Uncle Korbin. I don’t know why, but I never could call them mom and dad and they accepted me for it.

I still didn’t understand why during my hurried and pained flight, that I thought of her, but mother was on my thoughts. I had disappeared in my mind, no longer paying attention to where I was going, my body still reacting entirely on instinct. It was then that I felt a sudden and sharp pain in my chest that stole my breath away. Shocked, I ended up tripping over my own feet and crashing to the floor. I landed hard on my chest, chin bouncing on a rather sharp and hard rock, splitting open as red blood splashed onto the dark, moist soil of the forest floor.

I grunted and winced with the pain. My whole body felt as if I had been run through a presser several times over despite the fact I was already squashed completely flat. I struggled to get to my feet and continue in my flight but found that my legs were refusing to cooperate with the rest of me. The muscles had been forced to move beyond their capacity and were protesting loudly, clenching and unclenching despite my attempts to control them. I gave up and lay against the ground, panting for breath as more serious pains shot through my chest again and my chin started to ache from my meeting with the rock.

And still I did not cry. Maybe I had already become accustomed to that world, that dream-reality that I could not understand. I had resigned myself to my fate and had moved on with the flow of time and let destiny run its course. I might not have understood anything anymore, but I would be damned if I just let events sweep me along. I was a coward, I was powerless, but I was also human, and as such I would not be controlled. I would not be dominated. And I would not give in.

I hoped that I had lost my pursuit in my mad dash. Even still, I knew that I probably left a trail behind me that a blind monkey could follow. I had no experience in wood lore. I only hoped that whoever came running, if anyone did, had given up already.

With my muscles screaming in agony, I pushed myself into a sitting position on bended knees. Another sharp stab of pain shot through my mid-section. I reacted instantly curling inwards on myself as if that would alleviate the torture. I felt that same warm, sticky feeling that had been dripping down my belly on my hands and pulled them away to look with blurry eyes.

They were covered in blood. I briefly flashbacked to my dream but I pushed down those nauseating thoughts as for the first time in our flight from Donnil, I looked down at myself. I was horrified by what I saw.

Starting from below my breasts and dripping down my front, I was covered in blood. My shirt had been torn to shreds; I hadn’t even noticed the breeze thanks to the caked blood and grime. With shaking hands, I gently pushed away the tattered remains of my shirt and tried to find the source of the blood. It was then that I found it, the large hole in my mid-section at the base of my ribcage right at the solar plexus.

The drinking of blood had apparently healed me to a certain point, enough that I would not die, but still bled freely from the wound. Unless I could get it bound and taken care of, nothing would save me.

What in the hell had happened to me!?! That massive, gaping hole in my chest, my missing finger and the swirling feeling of something being lost, none of it made any damn sense!! The pain in my mid-section was not lessening any and I had only aggravated the wound by running. But dammit, I hadn’t even realized it was there.

I pushed myself to my feet, standing on shaky limbs. I had to find a stream or river or something. I knew absolutely nothing of first aid but I did know that the dirt and crap that had gotten into the wound could cause infection and I needed to prevent that at all cost. I managed to stand for a few seconds on my weak and trembling limbs. Taking several deep breaths to cool the wooziness that invaded my mind at having to stand, I took one tentative step forward. It worked.

Inordinately pleased at that minor victory and breathing deeply, despite the stabbing pain it caused in my lungs, I took another tentative step forward. It was my mistake that I had forgotten about the rock that I had cracked my chin on earlier. Now my clumsy feet stumbled over it.

I swung out my hand wildly to catch myself, palm colliding with the nearest tree. I didn’t fall to the ground, but I did collapse against the tree, almost hugging it. I gasped with the effort. The bark of the tree was surprisingly smooth, the golden of it seeming to tingle beneath my touch. The wind whistled through the trees above me and I closed my eyes. I only intended to rest for just a moment.

“Welcome…” came a whispering voice from out of nowhere. It was alluring and feminine, soft and soothing though it seduced me with promises. “We have been waiting for you… cailan n’enon…”

“Wha?” I exclaimed in surprise, whirling around to look behind me. “Who’s there?” I called out, feeling every bit like the dumb blonde in the horror movie. Shouldn’t I have just run for my life and not investigated the creepy sounds coming from the dark forest? Well, perhaps, if I could have pulled the strength for that out of my ass!

I scanned the dark underbrush around me, ears listening intently for another sound. A wave of dizziness struck me again and I swooned, falling backwards against the tree. I used its solidarity to keep me standing as I sought to find the owner of the voice in complete darkness.

“Do not fear…” came the voice again, seemingly no closer or further than it had been before. “He told us you would be coming.”

“He? Who are you? Show yourselves!” I demanded with more bravado than I actually had. I was scared shitless with vision blurring and blood dripping down my body.

I felt my eyes close against my will and I started to slowly slump down the tree until I landed on my ass with my legs folded up beneath me. I felt gentle warmth against my cheek, like the caress of a concerned mother’s hand and forced my eyes open, pushing against a compelling that felt as if ten-pound weights were sitting on my eyelids. Through a hazy fog, I could tell that there was nothing there, no substance that could touch me. I was just losing my mind, probably a result of the blood loss.

But then I saw it, just the tiniest spark of light, similar to that of a firefly but more colorful and infinitely beautiful. It hovered in front of my nose; nearly making my eyes cross it was so close. The light appeared to dance in the air to some nameless song. I was fascinated and hypnotized by the beautiful glow so much so that I barely noticed when one and then two more joined it until there were four of the small orbs.

The air seemed to shiver around the dancing firelights and they appeared to grow and elongate as I watched. There was an incessant pounding and buzzing feeling in the back of my brain as it attempted to shut down but I fought it off. I wanted to see what was going on, I wanted to understand. My mouth and voice didn’t appear to work anymore. My lips moved silently but no sound issued forward.

Slowly, the glowing balls of light began to take form. Little humanoid shapes no bigger than two feet tall with wide brilliantly tapering wings began to appear, each seemingly derived from a pair of shining metallic colors: blue and silver, gold and red, bronze and green, and finally copper and yellow. Each was humanoid and their bodies were clothed with the tiniest of vines and leaves that seemed to curl close to their bodies, as if it grew from the skin. Long flowing hair sprouted from each elegant forehead to fall over their backs and down to their dainty pointed feet. Judging by appearances, every single one was female.

The four flying creatures hovered in front of my face, concern etched into their delicate features. They had lips that seemed to form words but I could hear no speech.

“Hurry my children… they are approaching…” the ethereal voice spoke again.

I still had no clue what the damn thing was but to me, with the coldness gradually seeping into my limbs and the persisting numbing tingle spreading through my body, I wasn’t sure if I cared any longer. The last thing that I remembered was another faint feeling of warm caresses and my body becoming seemingly weightless.

I was dreaming again, but it seemed more like a nightmare. I was inside my own body lying on a hard and cold stone table. My arms were restrained at my sides and there was a blindfold over my eyes. I could move freely, hear everything but other than that I had no idea where I was or what I was doing there.

“Well now, what shall we be doing today, Tucker?” I heard a most familiar voice that sent shivers of disgust up and down my body.

I tried to open my mouth to speak, to let them know that I was very much awake. But my tongue sat limp in my mouth and any contact between my brain and muscles had been shredded. I couldn’t tell my body what to do anymore. I could move my head but that did me no good when I couldn’t see. I had been robbed of speech and sight, leaving me with nothing but hearing and smell.

And smell I did. Hot onion breath near my face. I could feel the rush of air over me and I smelled the food that had been eaten earlier in the day. It made my stomach flip flop.

“I believe that we were going to test the pain threshold today, your holiness,” came the muttered response.

There was laughing right above my head and I flinched with the rush of stinky breath that blew over my face. I tried to hold in my breath so as not to smell it again. I moved my head to the side to avoid the odor as I felt a rather large hand creep up my leg from my knee to my inner thigh.

“Oh? I think she is no longer asleep,” commented the voice above me. My blood chilled. I know knew the voice. It was Constance, the back-stabbing bastard.

I tried to speak, only succeeding in making garbled squeaks in the back of my throat. He laughed again and squeezed my thigh. It wasn’t painful, just uncomfortable.

“It will make our research easier then. After all, it is much better to determine pain when you can see the effects on the patient’s face,” continued the archbishop.

“I still don’t see why we need to run tests when we are only after the jewel,” Tucker commented.

I heard the rustling of fabric, the quick rush of air and then I felt a rush of hot burning pain streak down my left leg. It was as if someone had taken a long thin blade and ran it down the side of my leg. I felt warm sticky blood beginning to course out of the wound.

It was then that I came to the startling realization that I was dressed in nothing but my underwear. It was one of the most frightening understandings that I had come upon. Please god, I prayed, don’t let them rape me… Isn’t it strange how we only call on a deity when we need something? I never really subscribed to a religion but in that moment, I sincerely hoped someone, somewhere was listening.

I bit my lip and tried to cry out, but couldn’t. The words were stuck in my throat. All that emerged were squeaks. I sounded like a deranged mouse. It was pathetic. But Constance seemed to enjoy the noises.

“I want to see if the demon has altered her physical form at all with its power. Think of the skills we could gain if that were true!” the archbishop exclaimed happily.

There was another rustle of fabric and then another pain, worse than the first, struck my other leg. One of the two was beginning to carve words, pictures, something slowly into my skin. It had to have been Tucker, I could still sense Constance’s weight above me and smell his vile breath.

I could feel the tears streaking from beneath my eyes from the pain and I cursed the fact that I couldn’t see. There is nothing more terrifying than being tortured without sight. I could not tell what was happening next, I couldn’t see what they were going to do to me. I had no way to prepare. So I spent each second in tense wait for the next strike.

I didn’t have long. There was a burning pain as something blunt yet sharp pierced my right shoulder, nearly driving me into whatever it was I was lying upon. My body arched with the pain and I cried out soundlessly, squeaking pathetically in the throat.

A dark chuckled echoed around me. “Oh, I wish I could hear your screams…” purred Constance. “Perhaps I should give you the antidote to the silencer.”

Bastard! That was what I wanted to say. But I couldn’t. A sharp prick and pressing pain in the corner of my neck and I knew that I had been injected with something. The muscles in my throat and tongue loosened and abruptly a shrill and piercing scream tore itself from my insides, echoing inside the room that all this was happening then.

“There now, isn’t that better?” came Constance’s mocking voice.

“You... you fucking bastard!” I cursed, my voice hoarse from disuse.

Despite my blindfold, I saw stars. I never even expected the straight full-fisted punch that struck me across the face, only felt the resulting pain. My world spun and I slipped into unconsciousness.

I opened my eyes slowly, almost expecting to find myself unable to see and undressed like I had in my dream. I was more than happy to discover that I was in a dimly lit room that looked far too natural for it to be manmade. Small orbs lined the walls and lit the room, casting romantic shadows everywhere. A few animal furs lined the floor looking almost as inviting as the bed I was lying in felt. I wondered exactly whose home I had ended up in and why.

Then I remembered my dream and shuddered involuntarily. I really didn’t want to remember what had happened whilst I was in Constance’s care but it seemed that my mind had other ideas. At least now I understood why I was so bloodied and cut up when Melath and his friends had saved me. Despite the fear and pain I had experienced in the past few days, some new kind of feeling was beginning to bubble up within me. It was anger, pure and simple. It was hot too, racing through my body like a wildfire igniting the dried forests of the summer. I clenched my fists involuntarily wishing that I could use them on Constance.

I heard the crackling of a fire and my attention was immediately drawn to the room once more. The bed I was occupying lay completely on the floor though it was as soft as a normal mattress. There was no furniture evident and in the far distance I could see the dim sliver of light across the floor as if there was a door that I had not noticed. I moved to sit up and heaved a sigh of relief. At least this time I did not wake up tied down to a bed.

I was dressed in a loose robe, similar to the one that Ryou wore. I was clean, not a trace of blood anywhere on me and judging by the tight feeling across my mid-section, my wound had been bandaged. I was also very glad to notice that I still wore my underthings and by the feel of them, they had been cleaned as well. My hair was lying loose across my shoulders, brushed out and untangled.

When I didn’t immediately feel a rush of dizziness, I attempted to stand. I rose shakily to my feet, but managed it on my own. I waited a moment to adjust before stepping off of the bed and onto the smooth floor.

The ground felt cool against my bare feet and the bottoms of my robes swished against the smooth dirt floor. They were the only sound I could hear other than the crackling of the fire. There was a faint lingering odor of many spices on the air and incense similar to that sold in modern-day apothecaries. I coughed slightly at the taste of smoke in the air. It was not unpleasant, just tickling.

I moved around the room, insanely curious as to my surroundings. I wondered who had taken such care of me and where exactly I was. The world I had stumbled upon just kept getting stranger and stranger. On one of the walls hung a large tapestry, expertly woven in a large splash of colors. There were designs similar to that of the Aztecs of South America within it but the fabric itself was beautiful. I touched it and it felt smooth beneath my fingers, like touching the surface of water. I smiled at that thought, fondly remembering lazy summer days at the lakeside.

Just then, a large swishing sound grabbed my attention and I immediately looked to my right. There a rather thin but beautiful feminine person was standing in a doorway, holding a large wooden bowl in one hand and pushing the door covering back with the other. We stared at each other for a moment before she stepped completely into the room, letting the covering fall into place behind her.

“I trust you are feeling well?” Her voice was lilting and airy, like listening to wind chimes in a gentle breeze. I found it soothing, almost hypnotic.

I nodded politely but did not answer aloud. She was a waif-like creature, unnaturally thin and willowy with pale, pale skin and large luminous eyes, the color of topaz. She wore thin, gossamer clothing that reminded me more of spider webs than anything else. They were opaque and wispy, clinging to her barely there figure with a tenacity, though still managing to move fluidly with her. The female’s lavender hair was long, probably to her knees and braided several times over, too many for me to count. The braids were extremely small and looked rather difficult to do.

She smiled at me, noting the hesitant look on my face. She walked into the room, gliding smoothly over the floor as if she trod upon air rather than dirt wiped smooth. She kneeled next to the bed, setting the wooden bowl down onto the floor next to her. She gestured towards the bed, indicating that I should either sit or lay back upon it. I responded by glaring at her suspiciously.

“I am Lalil and you have nothing to fear from me. Please, sit and allow me to look at your wound.” Her voice had a calming effect on me. I detected no malice, no deceit, not that I was a master at knowing these sorts of things anyways. I moved slowly towards the bed, still watching her warily.

I sat down upon it cross-legged, facing her as I peered interested into the bowl. It was filled with clear water that I noticed steamed slightly. Beneath the surface of the water was a small white cloth. The liquid was fragrant and smelled slightly of berries and mint.

“Why?” I asked simply, returning my gaze to meet Lalil’s. She stared at me unflinching, smiling once more.

“He has commanded it. We the ageless only obey.”

I wrinkled my forehead in confusion. “He?”

“The master of the forest, the king of the rooted creatures, he among us which has lived from the beginning of time.” She reached out and gently pushed me down into a reclining position, pushing aside the folds of my robe.

It was then that I realized that her concoction was meant to help my wound and I attempted to aid her. It was beginning to ache rather dully so I was really hoping she had a painkiller in there.

“Okay,” I said, quickly beginning to trust someone who wasn’t staring at me suspiciously or causing me undue pain. “But who is he?”

“He is he,” she explained. Yeah, that cleared things up. Glad we settled that issue. “There is no who or what, names don’t matter to a creature who lives so long that none remember.” She soothed the liquid over my belly and instantly a cooling sensation spread throughout my abdomen, the ache beginning to fade.

I sighed, irritably blowing a loose strand of hair out of my face and resorting to attempting another question. Not that I expected a clearer answer. “Why did ‘he’ command it?”

Lalil shook her head, braids flying as she put down the cloth and started to rewrap the wound. “We do not question ‘him’; it is not our way. However, I am to take you to see ‘him’. ‘He’ will explain much.”

My gaze flickered over her form again, instantly curious. “What are you?”

“I am Anoth’di,” she answered simply, as if that was all I needed to know. Either she was being deliberately vague, or she truly believed that was it.

I sighed and shut up, letting her weave the bandages around my injured form and tie my robes back shut, the movements soothing and comforting. Within moments, I had unintentionally drifted off into a quiet slumber.

I walked down a seemingly endless road, bare and worn smooth with the passage of time. The ground beneath me was dry and cracked, as if it hadn’t seen a rainfall in centuries. Around me all was barren. I turned and looked behind me, seeing a mountain range so far off in the distance they resembled mere hills. To the left and right, stretched an endless plain of nothingness. Just flat parched ground as far as I could see.

Ahead of me, the path stretched on, continuously straight but essentially going nowhere. I looked down and saw that my feet were caked in dust as if I had been walking for quite some time though I felt as if I hadn’t moved in days. I was back in clothes from my home world; jeans, a t-shirt, and a pair of jogging shoes. My wrists tinkled with bracelets and I could feel my hair sweeping loosely over my shoulders.

The sky was grey, not the grey of overcast clouds, but the grey of empty formlessness, as if it had ceased to exist and was nothing more than a cap for the bleakness of the earth below it. I continued to walk as I absorbed other traits of this world, not really knowing where it was I was going or why I was even walking to begin with.

There was no cold, no warmth, not even a wind disrupted the utter stillness of the land. But the worst part of it, the part that let me know the world was without life was the complete silence. The sound of my shoes scraping against the dry, cracked soil was as loud as a rock concert to my ears. There was nothing… naught left in this stark environment.

Where had it all gone? The trees? And the animals? Where were the sun and stars? I felt warmth on my cheek and reached up with shaking hands, finding that I was crying. There was so much nothing, that the only word that came to mind was death, complete and utter destruction of life. As if the slate of creation had been wiped completely clean.

I sank to my knees in despair where I stood, reaching out with trembling fingers to touch the dust. It was so fine, powder beneath my touch. Small droplets of water dropped to the ground, tears from my eyes but it was far too little, far too late. The soil would no longer even accept the tiny offering. I scooped up a handful of the dirt in my hands, letting it trickle through my fingers… so fine, without water so dry like dust or mist. It fell to the ground, not even any wind to blow it away.

I gasped and allowed the tears to fall freely, aching for the world that was desolate, aching for the planet that would never live again.

“See what your pain has wrought? Your love was too great,” came a voice from behind me.

In my sorrow, I wasn’t even startled, just numb. I idly dropped my hand back to the soil, running fingers listlessly across the barren ground.

“I…” I choked, unable to finish. It took a minute before I could clear my throat and regain the ability to speak. “I am the cause?”

“Those who have the power to create, also have the power to destroy. And in your anger and broken heart, annihilation was your only response.” The voice was deep and full of sorrow, neither chiding nor judging.

“I don’t understand,” I whispered, more tears dropping to the ground. “How can I prevent this…? I don’t know how I did it but…” I trailed off, hands tightening in their grasp on the soil. “But I would die to stop it.”

And it was true. Despite my fear of death, my heart literally ached. What point was there in living if I had to exist in such a place? I would have given my life to restore it.

There was a shifting of feet and suddenly the bearer of the voice was kneeling beside me. From the dim corner of my vision, I could barely make out dark robes completely obscuring a face except for the lower portion. I could make out lips, full and soft-looking, that moved as he spoke and twinkling on the edge of his chin were tears to mirror my own.

“You gave me a choice,” he uttered softly, reaching out a gloved hand to trace circles in the dust next to my own hand. “But you weren’t prepared to deal with my decision.”

I looked up in surprise, eyes widening as I took in the appearance of this stranger face to face. I still could only see the bottom half of his face. The rest was entirely shrouded in the black cloak.

“I wanted to love,” he continued, chin trembling as more tears joined the small stream, dripping onto the barren earth and making small circles on the dry dust. “But it was too long, I waited far too long.”

I reached out with one hand, covered still in the dust of the fallen earth, intent on wiping away the tears that were on this stranger’s face. I don’t know why, but something about him called to me and was most familiar. He jerked away from my touch.

“No,” he denied fiercely, shaking his head. “This is only what could be. There is still a chance.”

Curiosity ate at me. This was so much different than the other dreams I had experienced. It was more like a premonition. “Who are you?”

“Anne?...” The voice was struggling to break through my dream-like state even as I fought to remain in it. I had to know.

“I am the chosen,” he murmured softly. “And… the…”

“Anne!”

I jerked awake, looking into the amused eyes of Lalil. She raised an eyebrow at me, trying to restrain her laughter. “You fell asleep on me,” she commented.

“Dammit!” I cursed, frowning intently. “I almost knew, I had almost discovered...” I trailed off, uncertain how to finish my statement.

Was that truly a portent of what was to come? Or simply the product of an overactive mind and imagination? Was I dreaming even now? Still so many questions unanswered that I felt like a boat without a paddle, being tossed from wave to wave of the stormy sea.

Lalil sighed, twisting her hands in her lap in what I took to be an anxious gesture. “Then I am sorry that I woke you… it is just…”

“It’s alright.” I exhaled slowly. “Just what?”

She began to brighten then, liquid amber gaze turning so hopeful that I was uncomfortable under the yearning that I caught. “We have been waiting since the beginning.”

I frowned from lack of understanding. “Since the beginning of what?”

“Creation,” she replied simply. “As long as Tears has existed, we have waited.”

My brow crinkled as I sat up on the bed, brushing loose strands of hair from my face.“For what?”

She smiled, patting my wound softly before rising to her feet. “Come. You will eat when we speak to him.”

“Do I have a choice?” I remarked sourly.

I was beginning to fear just a little, making my mood a little dourer than it would have been in any other situation. I slowly got to my feet, the soft robes easily resettling about my figure. I did an experimental stretch and found that my chest didn’t feel as tight as before nor did it burn with pain.

Lalil laughed softly, her voice mellifluous to my ears. I was jealous in that moment, wishing that when I laughed I sounded like that. Instead, I tended to sound like someone straight out of heehaw.

“You are not a prisoner; you are free to leave if you so desire.” But it was still there, that pleading with her eyes that I stay.

“Nah.” I waved a hand of dismissal. “Lead on.”

In truth, I was afraid, but I was also insanely curious. It’s always been my fault to want to stick my nose where it didn’t belong and I always wanted to know what was going on. Plus, I wanted to meet this great old thing that was king of a forest. I wanted to believe he was hot. That’s usually how kings were. At least, in the fairy tales, which, despite all the blood and torture, was what this was shaping up to be. I had only to wait for the knight in shining armor that was my true love to come to me. Only, I was no blushing, beautiful princess.

Lalil shook her head at me, that enigmatic smile still on her face. Turning, the waif-like woman began to head out of her home, leaving me to follow. I trailed along after her. She pushed past the door covering and stepped into whatever lay beyond. I followed without hesitation, blinking against the bright light that assailed my vision.

When my eyes adjusted, I glanced at my surroundings. Lalil had come to a halt, waiting for me to make a move. Beyond her I could see the trees of the same forest, now lit with early morning sun. The air was crisp and cool, more so than it was inside of her home and I could see my breath every time I exhaled. But the clothes that Lalil had given me were quite warm.

I turned around, surprised to find that we had been inside of a tree far smaller than the home I had stepped out of. I couldn’t comprehend exactly how all that space fit inside a tree that was only as big around as I was wide. My mouth gaped open in astonishment.

I heard Lalil laughing behind me and I flushed with embarrassment. Turning, I glared at her, my embarrassment making me irritated and angry. “What are you laughing at?” I snapped.

“You seem so very surprised by the magic,” she commented, amusement on her features. “You shouldn’t be.” Again with that enigmatic look.

I raised an eyebrow before moving forward, falling easily into step beside her as she headed off into the forest. She followed a path worn well, as if it had been taken many times in the past.

I took in my surroundings as I walked, too involved by all that was happening to me to even consider conversation. The forest was just like home, despite the trees being a greenish-gold. I could hear birds singing and the air was fresh, as if it had just been poured onto the land. No pollution, noise or otherwise. The ground was soft beneath my sandaled feet and occasionally, a leaf crackled with my weight.

Around us, weaving among the trees and trailing along the ground was a thin stream of mist, soft and fluttery, mostly opaque. It was everywhere I looked; making the forest seem like it was formed over a dream rather than anything cohesive.

“Be wary of the mist,” Lalil warned when she noticed I had reached out a hand as if to test the feel of the moisture against my skin.

I instantly recoiled as if it would sear my skin, afraid of the consequences judging simply by the tone of her voice. “Why?”

“It is where the Visnay hide,” she answered simply, putting an extra step to her stride.

I picked up the pace so she wouldn’t leave me behind, shivering unintentionally as the name of the creatures sent a stab of fright through my stomach. I had no idea what a Visnay was or what it implied, but the fearful tone to her voice when she had said it was enough warning to me.

“Then, they’re out there now?” I questioned, my voice barely above a whisper as my eyes darted around nervously. “Watching us?”

“The kiss of the mist…” she murmured in response. “Until then we are safe.”

“This is all just too weird,” I mumbled more to myself than anyone else.

Everything was happening so fast. One moment I was going to class, the next I was being dragged by nasty creatures, and then I was saved by a group of non-heroes, then after a strange turn of events, I was on my own. I only hoped that the others had chosen not to follow me and I no longer had to worry about them. Though Vincent was on my mind, why I could not say.

I continuously saw him; he was the perfect guy as I had always pictured. Cold, though I was sure a gentle heart was somewhere beneath, with black hair and golden eyes. Yes, he was what I had always wanted and looked for in the real world. Unfortunately, dreams rarely if ever came true. Especially not for someone like me, too wrapped up in my fantasies, I didn’t venture into reality. Not after the heartache it had offered me.

“Yes, the mist is dangerous,” Lalil mused aloud, throwing me a sidelong glance. I looked at her expectantly, waiting for the lavender-haired girl to continue. “But you are the cailan n’enon n’ahlam.” She smiled.

“What does that mean? Cailan n’enon n’ahlom?” I snorted. “There’s nothing special about me. Never has been, now all of a sudden people want me for my power.”

She stopped in her tracks, eyes gone wide with fear and a hand coming to her pert mouth, slim-fingered and elegant. “Someone knows?” Her words were hesitant and whispered, as if that ‘someone’ was watching at that very second.

I raised an eyebrow, regarding her strangely. “This bastard in some temple tricked me, convinced me I would destroy the world and he wanted to protect it. Next thing I know I’m being knocked out and I wake up who knows how long later missing a finger with a huge hole in my chest,” I explained, raising my four-fingered hand for emphasis.

She shook her head before moving forward. “This is not good. ‘They’ have already made their move. We haven’t much longer. Come.”

“They?” I questioned, hurrying to catch up to her. She was nearly running.

A shiver of apprehension raced down my spine and I suddenly had the uncanny feeling that I was being watched.

“He will explain where I cannot,” she answered stiffly, though she wouldn’t look me in the eye. Her brow was furrowed, her normally peaceful face seemingly distracted. She was afraid, that much I could discern, but why I was not sure.

I hitched up my shoulders and prepared myself for an encounter with the king of the forest. Perhaps he could tell me what was going on in far clearer methods than Lalil had attempted. And if I was really lucky, he would be gorgeous.

A girl could dream.

*****

a/n: Yep! Another update soon to come. I'm editing through this rather quickly. I hope you're enjoying! I look forward to your comments!

Thanks!