Chapter Twenty Seven
I was at such a cold temparuature that it was almost impossible to focus. My heart beat, already slowing, was the constant reminder of how close I was to breathing my last breathe. I struggled at the thought, and by the mere struggle, I was overwhelmed by yet another surge of the frightful cold. I whimpered, but still managed to keep my eyes closed.
"Very good Raina. You're doing very well. Now focus. Think of warmth Raina."
I didn't nod, and barely listening I began to focus. I began with the hottest thing I could think of; fire. It was there, simmering. Then, with a breath, it burst into flame. This flame turned blue, cold and frozen, simmering back down as fast as it had risen. My breathing slowed was slowing.
"Again," Juniper demanded. "You have to try again."
Cal looked to Juniper. "Are you sure you're doing the right.."
"Cal…" she warned. Both went silent. Then she whispered to me in my ear. There was heat in her breath. It felt calming, hopeful. "Again."
I swallowed. It seemed to take all of my strength to even do that. 'I could use a little help here,' I wondered allowed, my thoughts indicating to the body of heat to my left, I knew to be Cal.
'Oh,' Cal answered. 'I didn't think of that…'
I ignored him at this point. Well not entirely. I let him in, I just didn't answer. I had to focus. Heat. Warmth. Fire.
"No, no no!" Juniper exclaimed. "You're obviously thinking of the wrong things! You need to focus Raina. What gives you the ultimate heat? What gives you life? Or rather, what gives you reason to live?"
Puzzled, I lingered on the continuous flame before me. I held it there, which was draining my energy as I spoke. What gives me the ultimate heat? What was she talking about?
Cal was obviously puzzled too. He just smirked after a moment, 'well if you're thinking of the burning from being envious, you can always think of me,' Although he was trying to joke, I couldn't laugh.
Juniper scowled. "Isn't there something that you care about with a burning passion? Something you can never leave for? Something that keeps you living?"
Yes. Yes there was. Suddenly, I focused, my eyes still closed. A memory, one that still lingered and never simmered. It was as strong as ever, even though I was far away from it. Home. It was home. And mother. (not my real one obvilously) But it was still home, the home I knew.
The memory brought me through a long corridor the my old home. The whole entire time, I heard two voices, male and female waiting in a small room. The room was embroidered from travels of long gone days. Days when I was merely a child. Days when both my father was alive. A time when they were both happy.
I stepped in silently through those doors. It was father's favorite study with books shelved up to the ceilings on bookshelves built into the walls. In a little place in the wall was a fire. The stones surrounding the flame, glimmered in the light. Mother and father were there. They were speaking silently. Mother was smiling and father chuckling. Probably along to one of the many jokes he had often told. Sometimes to make mother blush, but mostly to make her laugh. This was one of those times. Times where she had laugheter lingering there, even in her hazel eyes, burning brightly from the fire.
I sat down and picked up a small book. It was one of the fairy tales I'd loved when I was younger. Sleeping beauty. My favorite tale. Not because of her prince or because she lived in such a beautiful palace, not even because she lived happily ever after, (they did that in most of the fairy tales I knew, after all) but because she slept. I was always hoping that once she slept, she dreamed pleasant dreams all the while and that one day, I might as well.
I looked up from the book and caught my eye on the flicker of light from the fire. A bit of ash had trailed off and blew over onto one of the stones surrounding it. It landed on one of the stones, slowly simmering and dying away. I approached it curiously. Something about it…just drew me to it.
"Careful Raina, my darling," It was mothers voice, a warning.
"Yes my love. Listen to your mother. You are not meant to be the princess lying among the ashes." He was speaking of Cinderella of course.
I listened but didn't turn away. I slowly went up to the stone, and reached for the little ash. Mother always told me not to play with fire, but that lesson was far from my mind at this point in time. A delicate finger reached for the ash, now almost entirely black soot. Before I could reach it however, it….it was gone. Right before my eyes, it had somehow…dissolved into the stone.
I sighed, and turned away. But then I heard a whisper from the smoke surrounding me. I glanced at mother and father, but they were unaware of anything. I looked back, only to find the stone now engraved in burning flame, with words carved in the stone.
My eyes, widened in fear as I carefully read the words, boring into my eyes.
"Be weary, my dear dear daughter. This dark knight, is warning you.
To fear the light."
My eyes looked up at the message engraved, licking flames at the words. A whisper of smoke spoke the words as I read them. Suddenly, I turned back to father and mother, but as I turned around, to my dismay, everything went black.