Chapter 36

There was something so relaxing about the warmth of the day and the beauty of the park surrounding them, which just set Helen at ease. The more she thought about it, the more she became certain Lus was right; her bad dream had been nothing more than a horror of the night. Sighing she rested back against him and closed her eyes. The sunlight filled her being with an intense feeling of happiness and she never wanted that to go away. So far she'd not had any regrets about her decision to be with Lus and, at that moment in time, she was pretty sure she never would.

A light breeze brushed past her, like a sudden chill. She tried to ignore it, but it left an uneasy tingling along her spine which ruined the moment she was in. Opening her eyes she almost had to do a double take of her surroundings. The park she was in had been burnt to a cinder. Black ash blew through the air, turning the already grey skyline into a smoggy mess.

'Lus…' her voice trembled, as she pulled herself forward in order to turn and face him. 'Do you see…?'

The scream resting in her throat cut off any words she might have been about to say. The body sat behind her was more than partially decomposed and the fact it was wearing the exact same thing Lus had been dressed in left Helen with more than a feeling of shocked terror.

'Lus…' she somehow managed.

'I thought we agreed you wouldn't play with Daddy anymore,' a child's voice sounded from behind her.

Turning round, she found herself confronted with the boy from the night before; his body just as badly beaten, if not worse.

'Playing with…'

Suddenly there was a strange creaking noise from the direction of the decomposing body. Whipping round to face it, she watched in horror as it slowly began to move of its own accord.

'What…?'

'Jo really shouldn't do that for you,' the boy's voice was mute, 'it only lets them in.'

'I don't understand what's going on,' she shook her head. 'What happened to him? How did he die?'

'He died because of you.'

'What?'

'You killed him,' the small boy elaborated. 'But its okay, you only did it to save me. I understand. But what I don't understand is why you keep letting them in. They only seem to want to hurt me.'

'Hurt you?'

'They don't go after you. They never go after you. They only attack me. And you never do anything about it. Do you know how that makes me feel?'

'I…'

'You shouldn't have saved me if he was the one you really wanted. You're not being a very good Mummy.'

'Niall…?'

'I told you not to call me that anymore,' the boy half shouted at her. 'That was what Daddy called me. He named me, not you. He loved me more than you ever could. Don't think I don't know why you sacrificed him for me. It was because he told you to.'

'Niall I would have saved you either way.'

'That's not true. The only thing you've ever wanted is him.'

'Niall that's not true…'

'I thought I told you to stop calling me that. You're not worthy to speak my name. All you want is him. You don't care they hurt me for it. It's all your fault this happened anyway. Hell rose because of you.'

'Because I choose your father over Ni?'

'You always choose Daddy over everyone. He's the only thing you seem to care about. That's why you keep bringing him back. Don't you think he's a little tired now?'

'None of this sounds like me,' she shook her head. 'This is all wrong.'

'No,' he glared back, 'this is all right. Don't you get it Mummy, you're a very bad person.'

'No, I'm not. I'm not a bad person; let me prove that to you.'

'You already have. You prove to me what kind of person you are every time you let them in.'

'Niall I'm sorry.'

'I don't want your apologies Mummy. I want you to do the right thing by me.'

'What?'

'I want you to do the right thing by me,' he repeated. 'I want you to stop putting me in this kind of danger. I want you to protect me from hell.'

'How do I do that?'

'Oh you know how Mummy,' his lips curled with a mix of disgust and anger, 'you know how.'

Gasping sharply, her whole body jutted upright. Blinking, she stared round at her surroundings. Everything had returned to normal. The blue sky, the green grass, the flowers, everything was as it should be.

'Are you okay,' Lus's was instantly up next to her, with his arms around her.

Turning towards him, she was thrilled to see him looking more than alive again. Unable to control herself, she half jumped on him and smothered him with half a dozen kisses.

'Hey, hey, hey, what was that for,' Lus laughed, as she calmed herself down.

'I just had the worst dream, at least I think it was a dream,' she began fondling her bump anxiously.

'What was it about?'

'It's too awful to say,' she pulled herself to her feet.

'Where do you think you're going,' Lus scrambled up to join her.

'I'll be back soon,' she kissed him again, this time with less enthusiasm than before, 'there's just something I have to do.'

Without giving him time to protest, she jumped herself into Dayena's chambers and hurried along to where she knew her Lady was keeping herself.

'Dee you have to change your ruling,' she didn't even give Dayena a chance to ask why she was there. 'This child must qualify for being a Vii Sen child of a Vii Sen. You must take him from me and keep him safe.'

'That's the second time I've heard that today,' Dayena frowned.

'What?'

'Arados was in here just now protesting about the same thing. Let me guess, you've been having bad visions too?'

'More like bad dreams.'

'Well I'm sorry Helen, but your child is much more cleanly cut than Arados's. You're definitely carrying a Sudosen, which means I'd be wrong to take him from you.'

'But you have to; I can't allow anything bad to happen to him.'

'And nothing bad will,' Dayena assured her. 'I can't think of anyone better suited to being a mother than you are.'

'But what if you're wrong?'

'I'm not wrong Helen,' she sighed. 'But I will tell you what I told Arados; someone is trying to mess with your head. Don't let them win. Don't let them force your child from you. Please.'