Night fell over the peaceful palace of Dell, but from one of the highest rooms a window shone brightly. Inside stood the King and Queen of Del as the gazed inside the crib of their baby boy. The little bedroom was painted light blue with few decorations but many toys. The simplicity helped to give an expression of sweetness.
"Oh Lief, he looks just like you," Jasmine said for the thousandth time as she leaned into the padded cradle, reaching out her hand to lightly brush the little face of the sleeping baby.
Leif smiled, staring at his son fondly. "But he has black hair just like you," came the well-used reply. The pair tarried for a minute longer, Jasmine gazing with love at her little son, drinking in his sight and essence with the nearly unmatchable love of a mother. Contentment and thankfulness swelled within both the King and Queen of Deltora. 'I'm glad I found all the gems for the belt,' Lief thought.Then he laughed out loud at the understating thought as he put an arm around Jasmines shoulders.
"I must go to bed now," Jasmine said after a moment, with a sigh of sudden weariness.
"Yes," Leif agreed, concerned. "You need to sleep and get well." Jasmine had been weak lately and Leif worried about the threat of fever. "I will stay with the baby for awhile."
After Jasmine had left, Leif slumped down into a chair in the corner and pressed his hands against his aching temples. Leif appreciated the company of his loved ones, but he had needed to be alone, to release his stress agony and not have to pretend in front of others that everything was alright.
Something was happening inside of him. Something that continued everyday from the moment he woke, and all through the sleepless, agonizing nights. It was as though he was being torn in half, or like something was fighting inside of him. But it did not hurt, it was much worse than that. An overwhelming, terrible sensation that came from the soul.
Liefs arm was burning at that moment- but no, it was cold. Cold to the bone; burning with cold. Sometimes the coldness would fade. Other times, like now, it would flare up and spread through his whole body, seeming to reach his core.Where had he felt that coldness? He thought of a scene long ago, during the quest for the belt of deltora. It was a terrifying scene, though just one of many; an evil creature like a grinning white flame had held him by the arm, and Jasmine by the neck, bent on killing.
That creature had chilled him to the bone, and now a coldness even more intense spread over and into Lief until he felt like a flame burning of cold instead of heat. It lasted for a minute, growing more and more intense until Lief wondered if it was going to kill him. And then suddenly, it was gone. Leif would have sighed with relief, but he realized in puzzlement that he was incapable of sighing at all.
Then the door opened. The baby's plump old nurse stood in the opening, head bent. She looked up, at Lief, and her eyes, terrified, suddenly widened into saucers.
"Ol!" She screamed.
