Ch. 24
“Collection”
I look down to my stomach. There are burnt pieces of my baggy scout shirt. The leather of my vest melted exposing the daggers underneath. A red raised burn on my ribs bubbles as air hits it. I feel my nails digging in my hands. My palms probably look like shit.
I look around the white voided space. Nothing but brick walls as far as I can see. I hate this place. The longer I am in here the crazier I start to feel. Which is great. A flash of black hair with blue streaks fill my brain.
Bookshelves and bookcases start to form all around me, rows, and rows. From the cold, hard, marble floor that is now below my feet all the way to the top of the dome ceiling spreading above me. Sliding ladders connect the bookcases in one quick motion, left to right and back. Ornate archways flowing with the rows and lines of bookcases. Almost as if the archways were purposely built around the bookcases. A walkway in the far corner that leads to more floors filled with stories, knowledge, and more. The smell of books fills my nose. The smell of musty, earthy pages. Dim lights start shining above lighting up the book bindings. I run my finger down the backs of a few before grabbing a ladder and swinging a leg for momentum and gliding down the track to the end of this row of shelves. I pass a section and glimpse of black and blue shine between some books. I jump before the ladder reaches the end of the track. It hits the end with a thud. I’m running around the bookshelf. I grab the edge of it and swing myself around.
I see her before she sees me. She doesn’t look like she is fully there. Her outlines is blurred and fuzzy. She is out of focus like the clouds and mountains. Strange. But I can still see her features that I have grown up with. Her long black wavy hair that is almost to her waist with blue streaks, like blue highlights. Her high cheekbones with a slender buttoned nose. Those piercing ice blue eyes that could cut through you, but they are cutting through a book she has in her hands. Her gaze burrowed in whatever words she is consuming. Her nose twitches. She looks up and then quickly in my direction.
A squeal leaves her mouth, and a smile reaches her high cheek bones, before it fades, and she starts stomping toward me.
Shit.
“You.” She points a finger at me. Her finger is see through and almost reminds me of the Samca’s ghost-like appearance. She jabs at me, but I feel nothing. Thank Nyx. “You left without telling me! I was worried sick about your grumpy butt.” She sets the book back on the shelf before turning back to face me. Worry fills her eyes.
“It started happening again…I thought leaving may help…clear my head….” I can’t look in her eyes, she’ll break me. I look at the marble floor. I have memorized every swirl and line of this floor.
“Mihaela you could have told me.” She crosses her arms. Shit. I feel my shoulders fall. “I had to ease drop on people who talk too loud.” She smiles. I know she is a master of potions. Slipping something into someone’s ale can make their voice carry to her delicate ears.
“I’m sorry…”
“As you should be.” She nods her head. Then she looks me over, from the top of my head, passed my charred shirt, my burn, and then down my legs, to the dagger back in the holster Devlyn gave me, to my feet. She reaches for my shoulders. Her fingers fade into me. “Interesting.” Her fingers move back to her chin and her eyes glaze. Her thinking face. “If you can see me, then you are close to the castle, but you are fuzzy. Am I fuzzy to you?”
“Yes…”
“Are you asleep? Knocked out?” Her eyebrows raise.
“Yes, and no. They gave me a sleeping potion…and a sedative…”
“A sedative!? Why?” Her big doe eyes somehow got even wider.
“Um…well…I was mid shift to my beast form…without calling it…and I guess made it snow…”
“You made it snow...” I watch her face. A tug on the edges of her lips. We have plenty of memories of enjoying snow when Solomaonri decided to bring it. The laughter we shared. Then her face changes. “Cold.” Fear in her eyes. “What do you mean you didn’t call your beast form?”
“I was…” I think for a moment. “Having a strong emotional response and my hands started turning purple. My claws came, then my ears and eyes. It kept going. I just…started shifting…without thinking about it…”
“And your mental walls, and door? Did…” She stops. She knows how I feel about his name.
“They are fine.” I motion behind in the distance where the brick wall still stands. I doubt she can see it if this is truly MY mind.
Her face scrunches and her button nose wrinkles. “That is something that we will have to investigate further once you are back.”
I nod and then ask. “How are you here, or well, in here?” I tap a finger on my skull.
“I’m guessing Halfy has been keeping up with your satchel?” She tries to wink but fails miserably. She can’t whistle either. But I wouldn’t change her for anything.
“I didn’t lose it for a few days…” I grimace. After meeting Zanir and Halfy I lost it on more than a few occasions.
She grins and says. “Before he left to find you. I gave him an enchanted connection locket.” She shrugs. “I told him to put it in your satchel because I knew you wouldn’t keep up with it, so you wouldn’t find the locket. Plus, since I am the one who charmed your satchel. I told him to hide it in one of the many pockets just to make sure.” She now has a huge grin on her face. She must be proud of herself. Smart little shit.
“You made a connection locket...” My eyes narrow. “How?”
She shuffles her feet. “You know how I accidentally got my ring stuck in your hair last time I braided it?”
“Yes…”
“It wasn’t an accident. I needed some of your hair for the locket.” She takes a step back. I would never hit her, but it does make me smile that she doesn’t put it past me to throw hands.
“Aren’t you just sharp as a needle.”
“Well, of course.” She takes a step back to me. “If you can see me that means you are close enough to my locket.” She moves her shirt and reveals a small locket on her neck.
Something catches my eyes past her moving between bookshelves. A dark, single, shadow swirling. I instinctively step in front of my friend, my chosen sister, Oana.
Little bat…
I groan.
“What is that?” Oana steps by my side. Daring. “Is that…?” Her eyes darting to the black shadow. She can see the shadow? See him? I wonder if she can hear him, too. Doubt it. I’m the only one mad enough with voices, people, and beasts in her brain.
“No…its worse.” I smile at her. “See you at the castle.” I start for the shadow. The bookcases start to fade, and the white void starts to take over. The shadow meets me and moves across my hand as I try to smack it. I will get you one day.
Little bat…I would suggest holding your breath…
What?
Water fills my mouth. I’m gasping. Its moving down to my lungs. The white void starts to disappear. Cold water stinging against my eyes. I close them and open them again. I feel a hand gripping my hair. I feel tension along the back of my head and my face is raised. Water rushes down my face. Drop by drop. A few pieces of my hair cling to my cheeks. I’m coughing. I blink hard trying to get the water out of my eyes. Five blinks later, I see shiny blonde hair.
“Before you do anything. Just know this wasn’t my idea…” Iamys says with a squinted face as if I am going to backhand him.
Someone is getting punched in the face.
Ch. 24
“Collection”
I look down to my stomach. There are burnt pieces of my baggy scout shirt. The leather of my vest melted exposing the daggers underneath. A red raised burn on my ribs bubbles as air hits it. I feel my nails digging in my hands. My palms probably look like shit.
I look around the white voided space. Nothing but brick walls as far as I can see. I hate this place. The longer I am in here the crazier I start to feel. Which is great. A flash of black hair with blue streaks fill my brain.
Bookshelves and bookcases start to form all around me, rows, and rows. From the cold, hard, marble floor that is now below my feet all the way to the top of the dome ceiling spreading above me. Sliding ladders connect the bookcases in one quick motion, left to right and back. Ornate archways flowing with the rows and lines of bookcases. Almost as if the archways were purposely built around the bookcases. A walkway in the far corner that leads to more floors filled with stories, knowledge, and more. The smell of books fills my nose. The smell of musty, earthy pages. Dim lights start shining above lighting up the book bindings. I run my finger down the backs of a few before grabbing a ladder and swinging a leg for momentum and gliding down the track to the end of this row of shelves. I pass a section and glimpse of black and blue shine between some books. I jump before the ladder reaches the end of the track. It hits the end with a thud. I’m running around the bookshelf. I grab the edge of it and swing myself around.
I see her before she sees me. She doesn’t look like she is fully there. Her outlines is blurred and fuzzy. She is out of focus like the clouds and mountains. Strange. But I can still see her features that I have grown up with. Her long black wavy hair that is almost to her waist with blue streaks, like blue highlights. Her high cheekbones with a slender buttoned nose. Those piercing ice blue eyes that could cut through you, but they are cutting through a book she has in her hands. Her gaze burrowed in whatever words she is consuming. Her nose twitches. She looks up and then quickly in my direction.
A squeal leaves her mouth, and a smile reaches her high cheek bones, before it fades, and she starts stomping toward me.
Shit.
“You.” She points a finger at me. Her finger is see through and almost reminds me of the Samca’s ghost-like appearance. She jabs at me, but I feel nothing. Thank Nyx. “You left without telling me! I was worried sick about your grumpy butt.” She sets the book back on the shelf before turning back to face me. Worry fills her eyes.
“It started happening again…I thought leaving may help…clear my head….” I can’t look in her eyes, she’ll break me. I look at the marble floor. I have memorized every swirl and line of this floor.
“Mihaela you could have told me.” She crosses her arms. Shit. I feel my shoulders fall. “I had to ease drop on people who talk too loud.” She smiles. I know she is a master of potions. Slipping something into someone’s ale can make their voice carry to her delicate ears.
“I’m sorry…”
“As you should be.” She nods her head. Then she looks me over, from the top of my head, passed my charred shirt, my burn, and then down my legs, to the dagger back in the holster Devlyn gave me, to my feet. She reaches for my shoulders. Her fingers fade into me. “Interesting.” Her fingers move back to her chin and her eyes glaze. Her thinking face. “If you can see me, then you are close to the castle, but you are fuzzy. Am I fuzzy to you?”
“Yes…”
“Are you asleep? Knocked out?” Her eyebrows raise.
“Yes, and no. They gave me a sleeping potion…and a sedative…”
“A sedative!? Why?” Her big doe eyes somehow got even wider.
“Um…well…I was mid shift to my beast form…without calling it…and I guess made it snow…”
“You made it snow...” I watch her face. A tug on the edges of her lips. We have plenty of memories of enjoying snow when Solomaonri decided to bring it. The laughter we shared. Then her face changes. “Cold.” Fear in her eyes. “What do you mean you didn’t call your beast form?”
“I was…” I think for a moment. “Having a strong emotional response and my hands started turning purple. My claws came, then my ears and eyes. It kept going. I just…started shifting…without thinking about it…”
“And your mental walls, and door? Did…” She stops. She knows how I feel about his name.
“They are fine.” I motion behind in the distance where the brick wall still stands. I doubt she can see it if this is truly MY mind.
Her face scrunches and her button nose wrinkles. “That is something that we will have to investigate further once you are back.”
I nod and then ask. “How are you here, or well, in here?” I tap a finger on my skull.
“I’m guessing Halfy has been keeping up with your satchel?” She tries to wink but fails miserably. She can’t whistle either. But I wouldn’t change her for anything.
“I didn’t lose it for a few days…” I grimace. After meeting Zanir and Halfy I lost it on more than a few occasions.
She grins and says. “Before he left to find you. I gave him an enchanted connection locket.” She shrugs. “I told him to put it in your satchel because I knew you wouldn’t keep up with it, so you wouldn’t find the locket. Plus, since I am the one who charmed your satchel. I told him to hide it in one of the many pockets just to make sure.” She now has a huge grin on her face. She must be proud of herself. Smart little shit.
“You made a connection locket...” My eyes narrow. “How?”
She shuffles her feet. “You know how I accidentally got my ring stuck in your hair last time I braided it?”
“Yes…”
“It wasn’t an accident. I needed some of your hair for the locket.” She takes a step back. I would never hit her, but it does make me smile that she doesn’t put it past me to throw hands.
“Aren’t you just sharp as a needle.”
“Well, of course.” She takes a step back to me. “If you can see me that means you are close enough to my locket.” She moves her shirt and reveals a small locket on her neck.
Something catches my eyes past her moving between bookshelves. A dark, single, shadow swirling. I instinctively step in front of my friend, my chosen sister, Oana.
Little bat…
I groan.
“What is that?” Oana steps by my side. Daring. “Is that…?” Her eyes darting to the black shadow. She can see the shadow? See him? I wonder if she can hear him, too. Doubt it. I’m the only one mad enough with voices, people, and beasts in her brain.
“No…its worse.” I smile at her. “See you at the castle.” I start for the shadow. The bookcases start to fade, and the white void starts to take over. The shadow meets me and moves across my hand as I try to smack it. I will get you one day.
Little bat…I would suggest holding your breath…
What?
Water fills my mouth. I’m gasping. Its moving down to my lungs. The white void starts to disappear. Cold water stinging against my eyes. I close them and open them again. I feel a hand gripping my hair. I feel tension along the back of my head and my face is raised. Water rushes down my face. Drop by drop. A few pieces of my hair cling to my cheeks. I’m coughing. I blink hard trying to get the water out of my eyes. Five blinks later, I see shiny blonde hair.
“Before you do anything. Just know this wasn’t my idea…” Iamys says with a squinted face as if I am going to backhand him.
Someone is getting punched in the face.
