Chapter
Four:
Chime's eyes came open,
fluttering. White light blinded her tender vision and she shut her eyes once
more. She felt lethargic, her body heavy and numb. There was a weightless
sensation, as when she slept. Is that what she was doing now? Sleeping? Was
Rayne here? She couldn't see him...
"Hello?"
The voice was soft, sweet.
Almost achingly familiar. And it echoed, like a divine spirit waking her from
dreams of fire and torment. A gentle angelic voice. She opened her eyes again
but the sleep didn't release her. It dragged at her. With difficulty she
focused on the face above her. It wasn't Rayne. It was...
"Hellewise?"
The blond woman pulled back as
if shocked and then two other faces appeared above her. A dark-haired woman and
a silver-haired young man.
"Maya..." she uttered
weakly, wishing she could reach out. And a faint smile came to her lips.
"Theorn."
The two women looked at Theorn.
He continued to look down at her blankly.
But she didn't care. All she
could think was that the past thousands of years hadn't been real, hadn't
happened. She had finally awakened from that terrible dream. Maybe Rayne was
waiting for her, didn't know she had accidentally fallen asleep. She would have
to apologize to him for making him wait for her...
But she was home and the light
enveloped her.
The Past
She looked up at the sky. It was late in the day,
nearing sunset. The sky was turning a bloody red, the sun a burning hot sphere
off to the side. He would be getting off duty soon.
She would wait. She didn't
mind. She could look around in the meantime.
She let her eyes wander over
the gardens she stood outside of, the clean sparkling waters of the pools. The
lovely blue and greens set off the ivory white of the stone pillars of the
Royal House. It was peaceful here as many knew. As she knew. There was an air
of calm, of serenity, that could come only with hearing water drip and lap, and
smelling the freshness of red and white roses and flowers.
He was always so busy here,
never had enough time for anyone. Or maybe it was his arrogance that made him
seem that way. A smile crossed her lips. He seemed unapproachable, a wicked
dark dragon with no one of importance to him but himself. But his loyalty to
the First House of the Dragons was unwavering.
A dark figure moved among the pillars of the Royal
House, the large home to the Royal Family of Dragons. She straightened
slightly, blue eyes catching on the figure and she stared at him as he wound
around the pillars and came down the long steps toward the gardens. His steps
carried him across a path of fallen rose petals, cherry blossoms from the
nearby trees fluttering around him and settling on the marble steps.
Rayne Endymion seemed a bit tired. He still moved
gracefully, shoulders back, the same elegant manner to his movements. But he
was weary, she knew. She could see it in the way he breathed, the way he
clenched his jaw. His slim form was the darkness against the light. His color
was black, always black. The uniform he wore bore the family crest of the First
House and as he came down the center path of the gardens he removed the long,
flowing cape he wore, exhaling with the gesture. He slung it over his shoulder
and promptly forgot about it, the material falling down both sides of his body.
She could almost hear his thoughts. Another day gone, another night to come…
Selena Chimes took a step forward, hands clasped
before her and she came out of the light shadows into the pool of evening
copper sunlight.
Rayne looked up, a quick, wary glance, and he seemed
to pause ever so slightly as he caught sight of her. His movements slowed and
it almost seemed like he took his time reaching her. She felt a smile tug at
her lips but she didn't allow it to escape.
He finally stopped before her, hanging back a bit.
"You came." He said quietly.
She shivered every time she heard his voice. It was
always low, soft. As gentle as the rustling of leaves. As the breeze whispering
through the night. And it made her feel at peace, almost like those strange
musical bars Hellewise played with, those cylindrical metal pieces that tinkled
when the lightest breeze danced through them. His voice had always contradicted
his nature. And his attitude.
Selena stared at him, allowing her eyes to run over
him. His hair was black, the red sun beating down upon it and reflecting off
the locks. Like jet, smooth and glossy. His eyes were a fiery amber, red gold.
They were arresting, haunting. She tilted her head and smiled slightly, holding
back the full grin she wanted to release. "Not many women turn down your
offers." She said quietly.
The familiar arrogant smile curled his lips.
"Not that I meant to stroke your ego, mind you." She
said with a twirl, turning her back on him. "It's quite big as it is." She
murmured.
His voice reached her as she began to walk away, that
gentle, quiet voice. "Not that you mind, right?" he asked her in a lazy tone.
She glanced over her shoulder at him and he hadn't
moved to follow her. Instead he leaned against a garden pillar, head bowed. He
was hidden from the sun and that was alright. The shadows were his home. But
his eyes shone like the sun, teeth glinting as he smiled at her.
"Don't I?" she asked him, coming to a stop. She
paused, lifting her head and she felt warm. The sun beat down on her and she
could feel the night approaching, the cool winds that only came when the moon
had risen. "A question for you, Rayne."
He inclined his head.
"What were your thoughts when you saw me the very
first time?" she asked him. She turned to face him fully and she saw what he
saw. A slender woman bathed in copper, her golden hair gleaming like the finest
gold, skin like ivory. And her eyes the deepest oceans, the darkest blue.
He pulled away from the pillar and finally walked
over to her. The sun shone down upon him and was merciful, lighting his
darkness in shimmering gold. He came toward her stopping only when he stood
directly in front of her. His slim figure blocked the setting sun and she felt
the coolness of the shadows. It was almost as comforting as the light but it
left her slightly chilled. She raised her eyes to look up at him and he was
tall, always looming over her.
He moved, pulling the heavy cape from his shoulder and she could only blink in surprise as he threw the soft material around her slender frame. He met the collars of the cape at her clavicles, pulling it and securing it. And for a moment he stood there, his hands holding the cape to her neck, his eyes gazing down into hers.
Amber. So thick, so deep. She could fall into those
eyes, drown in them, in their depths. If the amber of his eyes had been liquid
it would have been a warm, heavy fluid. Like honey.
He leaned down to her, moving past her jaw toward her
ear, his hair brushing her cheek. He seemed to inhale her scent and her eyes
closed as she felt his warmth seep into her. The shadows could be cold but with
him by her side she would never feel the ice. He finally answered her question,
speaking softly and she couldn't help but tremble. That voice…it worked
wonders.
"Wouldn't you like to know?"
Her eyes flew open at that and he pulled away from
her, still smiling that arrogant smile. His hand caught her face, thumb brushing
across her bottom lip and that strange pink haze settled over her. Whenever he
touched her that haze numbed her and she always felt like a fool after they
broke contact. She had to fight it this time, couldn't let her mind wander…
The haze vanished as he released her. Then he turned
and walked away, head bowed. She stared after him, feeling as dumb as she knew
she would. But she felt light too, so unbelievably light and heady.
She smiled.
The
Present
Her eyes came open slowly,
feeling oddly heavy. She felt as if she had been asleep for a long time and her
mouth was dry. Light blinded her, forcing her to blink repeatedly. Tears came
from the stinging of the air and its contact with her eyes. Up above her a
ceiling finally came into view and she frowned at it, blinking some more. It
wasn't a familiar ceiling but it certainly was lovely. There were designs on
it, long looping curls of ribbon in white.
With a deep breath she turned
her head and caught sight of a young man sitting in a chair beside the bed she
lay on. Nothing in the room was familiar except for him and she was vaguely
bemused. "Theorn?" she asked quietly, her jaw locking.
The boy glanced over instantly,
nearly breaking his neck in the process. A smile lit his face as he leaned
toward her and she saw him take her hand but she couldn't feel it. It scared
her to no end because now that she paid more attention to her body she realized
she felt nothing, nothing at all. "What happened?" she asked hoarsely.
Theorn inhaled deeply before
answering. "You took a fall, Selena. A pretty bad fall." He said carefully.
"You're healing right now and you're in my home."
Chime blinked at him. And she
suddenly remembered, the past events rushing at her at such an alarming pace
that she wanted to cringe and hide from them. But she stared at him, almost
stared him down. "It was true, then?" she whispered. "But what about Maya and
Hellewise? They were with you, only seconds ago I saw you and they were both
with you…"
Theorn was looking at her
sympathetically. "They are both dead, Selena. Hellewise a long time ago and
Maya only recently. But both dead and gone now." He hesitated as if he really
didn't want to ask her his next question. "Do you remember what year it is?"
She stared at him and
understanding washed over her, bringing with it a sense of helplessness. "It
was a dream," she said softly, to herself. "All of it a dream. And so was he…"
she turned her head away. "He was a dream. He's always a dream…" she whispered,
her voice trailing off into nothingness. The same nothingness that was her
essence and her life.
"Endymion?" he asked her gently.
She winced at the mention of his
name and then she sighed. "It's nineteen ninety-eight. And I am Chime Devlin."
She said, almost like repeating from a textbook.
Theorn exhaled in a whoosh.
"Good."
There was a hesitant knock at
the door and Theorn turned away to call over his shoulder, "Come in."
The door opened as Chime turned
her head back and a blond girl was peeking into the room cautiously. "Morning."
She said with a small smile, brown eyes crinkling.
Chime went visibly pale.
"Hellewise?" she uttered in disbelief.
The blond girl glanced at Theorn
quickly. "Uh…no." she said with a flustered expression. "My name is Thea. And
Hellewise isn't alive anymore." She stopped, looking from the dragon to the
Night Lord.
Chime stared at her. "Thea." She
stated, letting the name roll around in her mouth.
The blond girl smiled again
before looking at Theorn. "Uh, Thierry? Hannah is looking for you. She's
worried." She said to him, a knowing look on her sweet face.
Theorn nodded and slowly
released Chime's hand. "I'll be right back." He said reassuringly with a gentle
smile. He rose above her and moved toward the door, his tall body slender and
elegant. Thea smiled at him as he went around her and left, and she was about
to follow but Chime called to her.
"Hellewise…" she stopped,
correcting herself. "Thea. Please, stay."
Thea blinked, hovering at the
door. She glanced over her shoulder back out the door but after a moment's
consideration she closed the door and came forward, clasping slight hands in
front of her frame. She paused before her and sat in Theorn's chair.
Chime gazed at her, wordless for
several seconds. It was the same beautiful face, the same wise brown eyes. She
could almost feel Hellewise in the young girl. And then a smile spread over her
face, a smile full of love, and just a bit wistful. "You look so much like
her." She whispered with that tender smile. "It still hurts."
"What hurts?" Thea asked
quickly.
Chime shook her head. "My head.
My heart." She said softly. "Hellewise and I were the best of friends up until
her death." She inhaled and exhaled, her eyes never leaving the girl.
Thea's eyes widened. "You knew
Hellewise?" she asked, awe in her voice. She leaned forward some, closer to the
dragon and Chime could read the surprise and utter disbelief on her face.
Chime nodded, blond bangs
jumping up around her face. "She betrayed me," She said sadly. "She betrayed me
so many years ago…"
Thea blinked and then slumped
back in her chair. "Hellewise?" she echoed, almost as if to say, 'You're sure now?' She frowned, clearly
confused. "How?"
The dragon closed her eyes. It
was a task just to speak. Her throat felt strangely tight and scratched up from
the inside. "She took my soulmate from me," She explained in a pained voice. "I
loved him and I begged her not to but she took him from me. All those years
ago."
Thea's frown turned into a
scowl. "No…Hellewise wasn't like that, she wouldn't have done something like-"
Chime's eyes came open and she
looked at the girl, her stare cutting off her next sentences. "Endymion and I
were supposed to be together forever. It was going to be our dream after the
problems between witches and dragons were resolved." She laughed quietly,
shaking her head at herself, at her simple dreams and innocent wishes.
Everything had been so innocent. "We were even going to run away together,
start over somewhere else where there were no problems, where no one knew us
for what we were. Or, rather, that was what I wanted to do. But he…he was so
loyal, he couldn't conceive of the notion of leaving his Prince…" she broke off
and paused, breathing shallowly. "And it didn't turn out like that, anyway. It
didn't work out." She shrugged, looking down at her feet covered by the blanket
resting upon her pained frame. "And now…now he lives on but only in my
memories. In me."
Thea gazed at her and she said,
"I'm sorry," in a sad, strained voice.
Chime smiled again and the smile
was the same as the last one, tender and soft. "You're Hellewise all over.
Always apologizing for never understanding." She said not unkindly. Her eyes
drifted closed again. "I see Rayne in my dreams these days. It started up
again. I used to see him all the time back in the days when we were together.
But I'm happy because it's the only way he can continue to live on."
The blond witch didn't say
anything. She didn't want to pry, Chime realized. Instead Chime nodded to her.
"I'm sleepy." She whispered. "Stay with me, Thea. Hellewise. Stay with me as I
sleep."
Thea nodded once and Chime
closed her eyes once more to sleep, allowing the peaceful blackness to spirit
her away.
