Chapter Nineteen
LadyPrin
Disclaimer Applies.
Serena was having a restless night.
All her dreams seemed to have an imposing dark shadow over them. Even when she dreamed about Endymion that shadow was always there, hissing at the edges of her dreams waiting for the moment to strike.
And burning red eyes glowed in every shadow in her dreams.
Serena became so scared that tears started flowing down her cheeks while her eyes were still close, and she was still sleeping.
The Impearium Silver Crystal did its best to calm her, but the only way to calm her completely was to change her dreams. The Impearium Silver Crystal didn't have the power to control dreams, no one but the Dream Weaver could, but it seemed that the Dream Weaver was busy with other people's dreams.
So the Crystal did the next best thing it could to calm her.
It took Serena's spirit out of her body, thus taking her mind out of any dreams her brain may generate.
Serena didn't know that she was no longer in her body, but she did notice that something was different, in a good way.
The Impearium Silver Crystal took her spirit for a fly over the Moon's surface. It showed her the peaceful lake, the peaceful sleeping city, and the peaceful garden.
Serena became calmer with no shadow hovering nearby, and no eyes watching her.
Then something happened that the Impearium Silver Crystal didn't mean to happen.
Everything went black for a split second, and then started to lighten slowly.
Serena felt the familiar feeling of having entered another person's mind.
Sorrow and anger assaulted Serena from all sides, and she had to use the Crystal to lesson the assault of emotions.
This person's mind smelled strongly of some sort of flower, not fire that Serena had sensed in Rei's mind.
Serena blinked a few times and saw that she was looking at a chipping black stone wall. Green fungus grew on almost every part of it.
Serena realized when she blinked again, that she was not only in the mind of another, but seeing through that person's eyes as well.
Something metal scraped against stone, and the person's head jerked around.
This person was in a prison cell, and the iron barred door was being opened.
Obviously it was very heavy from the harsh scraping that sounded as it opened.
The person that Serena was in stood up and pulled against the chains that held her to the wall.
Anger swelled in the person's heart as she pulled.
Serena recognized the shape shifter that had captured her on the battlefield only two or three days ago.
She wore no guise now as she walked up to her prisoner.
"Queen Beryl wishes to see you." She said with a blood-chilling smile, as she dug her claws into the person's shoulders and they disappeared from the prison cell.
They reappeared in a dark corridor just a few feet from two big wooden doors.
The doors swung in on their own as the shape shifter and her prisoner walked through.
The shape shifter pushed the person to their knees in front of a black throne that rested upon a high platform that had steps leading up to it.
In the throne Beryl sat. Her dark purple dress flowed down the steps like poisoned water about to flood the room. Her flaming red hair draped across the arms of her chair like snakes about to rise up. Her light purplish skin glowed softly in the darkness of the room. Her red eyes were dim, but full of evil, and . . . happiness?
Beryl rose from her throne and descended the steps. Her dress was so long that Serena was surprised that she didn't trip over it.
Queen Beryl was now only a few steps away from the kneeling prisoner.
"I knew that taking you off the hands of that foolish King was an advantage for me. He didn't even realize what damage I could do with you in my hands." Beryl chuckled.
The prisoner snarled at her.
"He did say you were too strong willed to control." Beryl admitted. "But I'm not wanting to control you."
Beryl reached out a long nailed hand toward the prisoner's forehead.
The prisoner pulled back as far as she could, but Beryl's hand still found her.
It was so cold that it was actually painful.
Serena heard a scream echoing off the walls of the room, and she couldn't tell if it was the prisoner's, her own, or both mixed together.
The mind of the prisoner flashed white, and Serena found that she was no longer in it. She was above the prisoner now.
She saw Beryl take her hand away from a young woman.
The shape shifter let go of her as the young woman collapsed to the ground.
Her long pink hair fell over her face and shoulders. Her pointy ears protruded out from under her hair. And her light red eyes stared unseeingly out at the room from in-between pink strands of hair.
Beryl turned away from her.
"Give her to the guards, they've been wanting a little fun with our prisoner." Beryl commanded.
"It won't be much fun for them if she's not able to scream." The shape shifter informed her softly.
"Don't worry, she's not dead. She'll be able to move in a little while." Beryl explained as she climbed the steps to her throne. "Now leave me!"
The shape shifter bowed, and then dragged the woman out of the room, the doors closing behind her.
Just then, the Impearium Silver Crystal managed to snatch Serena's spirit out of there.
She never saw Beryl look toward the place where Serena had last floated.
She never saw Beryl bare her yellow teeth in a smile of triumph.