And with that delightful thought, Jess found herself sinking into the soft embrace of her downy bedding, her mind spinning with all the wonders and horrors she had experienced since daring to explore the lands of living dream.
62
What an adventure we’ve had, haven't we, Twilight?” Jess said the moment Malek left with a final farewell wave.
Twilight nodded his head in warmest approval. “You’ve done moderately well, this time around. But come. A good night’s rest is what you need to be refreshed and ready for whatever adventures lay just beyond the horizon.”
Jess smiled. "Thanks, Twilight. I'm... it sounds strange, but I feel more exhausted than I ever have before, even after Eloquin's most grueling missions. I feel so dizzy and drained, I'm almost afraid to fall asleep!"
"Not strange at all," Twilight said. "Your soul has so recently tasted the darkest seas of nightmare, and as potent as you have become in ways you have yet to fathom, the need to sleep long and hard after any sort of Delve is one universal not even you can change, my queen. And fear not, your soul is too strong and stubborn to lose its way back home, no matter how wild your dreams. Now close your eyes, Jess, and put all cares away."
Jess yawned her agreement, drifting off to sleep filled with a profound sense of relief to have overcome such obstacles and find vindication at the end, dreaming sweet dreams alive with magic and wonder, imagining the thrills of endless adventure in the months and years to come.
Sweet dreams of childhood once more, laughing so brightly, playing in a vast garden filled with trees and flowers and a host of friends she had known and loved forever. Not a dream at all. She was awake at last, after a lifetime of dreaming. A lifetime of dreams. Each dream yet another adventure to add to the sagas they told each other in laughter and play, as they danced and sung beneath the trees. As close to Heaven as they would ever come.
Her sanctuary in the midst of endless horrors, the one place she could always find peace.
Jess smiled through her tears, closing her eyes, breathing deep of that miracle of forest and flower.
Eyes snapped open. Gentle light warming fair skin, gone.
Gentle songs and laughter abruptly stilled. A desperate whimper echoing in the cold night air.
A skittering claw raking across her grave.
The sweet smell of rose and jasmine replaced by the stench of rot and decay.
Jess shivered and forced herself to look up. A hideous darkness blotted out the gentle light of the moon above.
Her precious friends' faces were now filled with pleading terror, shrieking their despair.
Jess was shaken off her feet, ears drowning in a sea of noise, gazing up to see a massive wave of oblivion arching high above, strangling all light before smashing down upon her precious forest, her sacred garden, washing her sanctuary away.
Her precious souls lost, screaming and drowning in the endless seas of Hell.
Her screams, the most piercing of all.
Only one boy still remained, hovering above the stormy seas of oblivion. Gently he gazed down upon her. Eyes the color of peace, his smile held all the love and laughter that had ever graced her heart.
Wings of brilliant virtue blinded her. The young boy's hand reached out to clasp her own.
“It is time, Jezabelle.”
And then she knew no more.
When Jess awoke, it was abruptly to the sounds of panicked banging upon her door. Malek's distressed voice was barely audible, and she immediately knew something was wrong.
“Jess! Let me in!”
She shivered as Twilight seemed to step out of shadows unseen, leaping to her bed. His all too knowing sapphire gaze spoke of horrors that instantly set her heart racing, the weight of his presence sending ripples of anxious dread pulsing through her soul.
Jess shivered. “Oh gods, Twilight.”
Her familiar did not break his intent gaze, even as her heart started to race. “Twilight, tell me what’s wrong. Please!”
Yet much to her dismay, Twilight would only shake his head. “If there is to be any chance of salvation, any chance at all, you must be the one to understand, my Jess. You must feel with your heart what terrible discord has rocked through this realm you call home.”
Jess grimaced, suddenly panicked, but the weight of her beloved cat's stare refused to abate. She had to face this. Face the sense of dread trembling through her, the sliver of terror that left her breathless and sick. And in that awful moment, she knew.
She felt as if she was somehow slipping into some strange realm of madness. Malek’s hammering upon her door became even more frantic. “Jess! We’re under attack!”
But there was more. Jess’s eyes widened in sudden horror. “Louise!”
Twilight nodded solemnly. “Our enemies have once again risen up to do battle. You must prepare yourself, my queen.” Jess felt a sickening lurch, captivated by her familiar’s gaze. “For we slide from dream to nightmare once more, and whether we wake or not is in your hands. And yours alone.”
Thank You
Thank you very much for reading Squire of War. I hope you enjoyed the story!
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Jess and Twilight have many more adventures to share. The first three titles in The Risen Queen series are all available right now.
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Squire of War Page 64