Chapter Four:

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.