In Pursuit of Light
Page 6
Rolland’s eyes are shut, and I think he’s deep in his centre - not sleeping, but not fully aware of his surroundings either. I sense movement and the sound of metal catches my attentions, and I look over to see Kia’s small hand reaching for mine. Her fingers are black and blue with bruises, three of which are broken. She still has the cuffs on her wrists that kept her chained to the wall.
I tentatively take her hand in mine, careful not to make any quick movements. Moving my gaze back to Kia I find her eyes closed. Did she mean to comfort me?
I start easing some of my energy into her fingers. But it’s like holding back a dam. My energy’s been trying to escape to heal her ever since I walked into the cellar she was kept in. Every spike in adrenaline has caused the energy behind my gift to surge.
Careful not to let it flood out. I begin to trickle it through her small fingers. The bones mend themselves back together and the bruises start to fade. Her wrists are also sprained, so I push a little more energy through, feeling the ligaments reattach themselves to the bones.
After a minute or so, her hand looks back to normal. I peek up to find her eyes back on me, searching for something.
“Can I do the other?” I ask quietly.
She pulls her mended hand back under the towel and slowly moves the other forward. I repeat the same process, fixing the bones, ligaments and soothing over the bruises. I go to pull my hand away, but her tiny fingers grasps it to stop me.
When I look back up, she closes her eyes, letting out a soft breath.
I watch her sleeping for a while before deciding to rest my head on the bed beside Rolland. With her left hand curled up in mine, I find some comfort finally.
Surrounded by dry air and sand, I hear voices calling for help somewhere. Looking around I find myself back in my first memory. The Sahara Desert.
So many lives lost, and too many families torn apart.
Making my way over to the village, a family I don’t recognise calls to me. A small child lays in his mother’s arms, her hands are covered in his blood. She calls to me for help, yet like every other time I have this dream, I try to heal the boy, but it’s too late. He’s lost too much blood and I can’t save him.
The dream changes to another memory. Another life I couldn’t save.
A woman lies with a knife deep in her chest. It’s too late and her heart gives out. The man who put it there is long gone. My heart breaks and the need to destroy something festers within me.
The next dream slams into me hard, and I struggle to keep focus on my surroundings.
A shipwreck can be seen in the distance on a stormy sea. This memory is from not too long ago, in the turn of the last century. My Brothers and I were traveling by ship, when we came across an island. Another ship tried to berth there too, but the storm took it off course, destroying the whole vessel and crew. Not a single life could be saved.
My heart hurts from the onslaught of my memories. Wishing I could have saved them.
The dream doesn’t fade this time, but a disembodied voice pulls my attention away from the wreck – a voice I don’t recognise, comes from behind me.
I turn and find a cliff with a grey stone building at the top. I don’t recollect the cliff or building, but the screams coming from it, are enough to have my feet moving without second thought.
Making my way toward the cliff, I begin my ascent up its side, listening for any more screams coming from the building, but none come. Once I reach the top, I take in the building in front of me. Sections of it are incredibly old, six hundred years maybe. Other parts look brand new. The doors and windows are all in place, but parts of the roof are crumbling. The sound of a door slamming shut comes from the second floor. Screwing my eyes shut to try and wake from the dream, I find that I can’t. I’m trapped here. Where am I? This isn’t real, I know it’s not, but I can’t pull myself out of it.
Curious as to what the building is, I make my way over and start looking through the windows. Blackness is all I can see, not even my own reflection. Three windows on the second floor have lights on, so I start climbing the side of the building.
Using the window ledges and old stones that haven’t been fixed yet to pull myself up, I get to the window where I think the noise was coming from. Nothing could have prepared me for what I find in there.
It’s Kia.
She shackled to the far wall, facing away from me. Her back has lashes from what must be a whip. Burn marks are along her shoulders and four small black circles cover her lower back. She’s barely moving, but I can see the rise and fall of her shoulders from where she’s trying to catch her breath.
Fear grips at me and dread pours through my stomach. I’m going to be too late. Just like I was with the others.
Using my fist to smash through the glass, braking it easily, I rush over to Kia, taking her small form into my arms. She doesn’t open her eyes, but it looks like she’s trying to speak.
Noise from behind me has me up on my feet and my sword drawn. There’s nothing there, but the door that was shut, is now open. Darkness creeps in from the entrance to the bare, musty room I stand in. Fear begins to climb its way up my legs, curling around them like snakes. I turn back to Kia, but something catches my eye again, and I whip my sword around trying cut down whatever else is in the room. Fear has made its way up to my heart, and I feel like I’m drowning in it.
Bending down to reach for Kia, I touch her back, and a small amount of relief trickles through. I still haven’t turned away from the door, and a part of me knows, as soon as I do, whatever it is, will strike.
The need to see Kia with my own eyes starts to overwhelm me. I take a quick glance at her and find she’s got her eyes shut, but she’s still alive.
Movement catches my eye again, except I’m ready this time. I turn fast to meet whoever it is.
A set of pitch-black eyes that hold nothing within them, look back at me. The figure is pushing eight feet, and its smirking like it’s founds its next meal. No arms or legs can be depicted from its semi translucent black body, which seems to hover just a few inches from the floor.
Paralysed and unable to move, I watch as it starts toward Kia. It says something I don’t understand, and I begin to panic. Using every ounce of strength to push against the wall of energy holding me still, I feel myself slip forward.
The energy keeping me trapped breaks and I find myself standing in my room with my sword drawn, breathing heavy with sweat dripping down my back.
“What the hell, Seb!!!” Rolland grunts through clenched teeth.
I look over to see Kia buried deep into Rolland’s side, with her arms wrapped around him. She’s trembling, and her towel has slipped from her shoulders revealing marks on her back. The same marks I saw on her in the dream. Did I slip into her dream? Or was it her memory?
Those black eyes flash across my vision and I still feel the residue of fear clinging to my body; I shake myself slightly to rid my body of it.
“Seb, what happened? Her fear is through the roof and I can’t get a grip on it. Put your sword down and try speaking to her,” Rolland’s scolds still clenching his teeth. There’s a fine sheen of sweat across his forehead.
Laying my sword down under the bed. I take the comforter and pull it up over her shoulders. Squatting down beside the bed so I’m eye level with Kia’s face, I find she’s got her eyes screwed shut, with her chin tucked deep into her neck.
“Kia, it’s me, Sebastian,” I coax softly, “I’m so sorry.” I want to reach out and comfort her, but I’m too concerned that I’ll hurt her more, causing Rolland more stress.
I reach under the towel for her hand, which is still wrapped around Rolland’s sides. Gently taking it into my own. I ease a little healing energy through her finger and up her arms.
“I had a bad dream and I couldn’t wake myself from it. When I woke, I think I was still caught up in my emotions and I just reacted. I didn’t mean to frighten you,” I try to comfort her, running my thumb over her knuckles.
She blinks slowly, taking a deep breath.
Pushing a little more energy through her fingers, I see her shoulders begin to relax. Rolland finally releases a heavy breath and I begin to wonder if I really was the cause of her reaction.
Keeping eye contact with her, I continue to rub my thumb over her knuckles. “Was it me who frightened you, Kia?” I don’t know what made me ask, but the words are out before I can stop them.
Instead of nodding or shaking her head, she turns back into Rolland’s chest, and I hear Rolland take a sharp intake of air.
“I swear to you, Seb, if you keep frightening her, I’ll remove your tongue and use it to wipe my arse with,” Rolland spits out.
Kia sits bolt upright and glares at Rolland. I can’t help the chuckle that escape me. From the look on her face, if she had the strength, I truly think she would punch him right now.
At the sound of my laughter, Kia looks around to me in confusion.
“He’s joking, Kia, he’s just tired and grumpy. He would never hurt me -” That’s not true, I rethink my words. “He would never hurt me out of spite, only out of fun,” I clarify with a smile playing around my mouth.
She turns back to Rolland, but he just raises an eyebrow. “Fine, I won’t hurt him, I promise,” he relents, rolling his eyes, then brings his gaze fully to me, a smile pulling at his lips. “You’ve got a woman fighting your battles for you now, that’s kinda hot.”
His ocean blue eyes look incredibly tired, and his usual butterscotch skin tone is beginning to fade.
I roll my own eyes at his in response. At least he’s still joking. I look back at Kia and she’s still eyeing Rolland, but her body language has relaxed.
Deciding that sleep would be best to avoid for a few hours, I head into the en-suite, and start preparing the healing bath in the next room.
It’s about the size of a small swimming pool, so it can easily fit at least a dozen people comfortable. Adding the healing salts that Jack supplied, and some of the gel that Matt makes, I adjust the setting of the pool to keep it at the right temperature for the next forty-eight hours. The salt cleanses any general infections and the gel relaxes the muscles.
The floor of the pool has crystals embedded into it. Clear quartz and rose quartz, amethyst, citrine, black tourmaline, carnelian, various aventurines, plus a couple of others that Jack provided. But like the Brondroll and Gauldrix stones, they have powers that I don’t understand. I tried researching them to find out what they do, but I found nothing. They are most likely from wherever the hell he came from himself.
Deciding to get more comfortable, I take a quick shower and dress in some cotton pants and a thin white vest. Checking the pool, I find it’s at the right temperature. The crystals and stones shining off the lighting, gives the room the appearance of a lost cave. The thought of getting Kia healed to some degree, lifts my mood as I turn to make my way back to the bedroom.
Chapter Six
Rolland
My body is starting to shut down from exhaustion after the last spike in Kia’s emotions, and I’m beginning to doubt my control over keeping all her pain away. What set her off? There must be more to it than just Seb moving too fast and drawing his sword. It felt more like she was drowning in her fear. At least her eyes have regained a few specs of silver, but they aren’t swirling like they were earlier.
I pour some of the remaining water into a glass for her and lift it to her lips, but surprisingly her hands meet mine, and she takes it from me gently. Looking more carefully at her hands, I see they’re free of any bruising and broken bones, with just the cuffs remaining on her wrists. Those are most definitely going to be a bitch to remove.
Seeing that the towel has once again fallen off her slim shoulders, I pull it up carefully around her shoulders then settle back down into the bed to try and find my centre and regain some focus. But whether it’s from the lack of sleep or my inability to stop worrying about Kia, I can’t seem to settle myself. I can feel sweat coating my head and back, and my body feels like it’s been running for days.
A small, cool hand runs along my forehead, but as much as I want to open my eyes to her, they protest and remain closed. This seems to make her anxious and I can feel her panic begin to rise, so I push what little calming energy I can muster through to her. I hear her sigh deeply and a few moments later her head comes to rest over my heart.
Time passes by slowly, marked only by Kia’s soft breath as it tickles my chest, her body relaxing with each exhalation. Suddenly I hear Seb’s warm voice trickle through my brain, but it sounds like he’s talking to me under water. Fighting my way to the surface, I feel a hand on my chest as heat begins to seep into me.
Is he trying to heal me? What a dick. He just can’t help himself. He must play nurse at every opportunity.
The warmth that’s growing feels different from his healing energy though. It’s more like what I felt back in the cell we found Kia in. The memory of her back there crashes into me like a bucket of ice, and I yank myself from my centre a little too quickly. Instinctively my arms tighten around the body in my arms to confirm she’s still there, but my head bashes into something hard as I sit up too quickly.
“Fuck, Rolland! Shit! What’s your head made of? Stone?” Seb’s curses fill my ears. Slightly disoriented, I shake my head to clear it then massage my eyes with one hand. When I finally open them, two pools of sapphire are swirling back at me.
I look over to Seb who’s rubbing his head and wincing. “Rolland, you were totally out of it, man. We’ve been trying to wake you for nearly five minutes. I didn’t think you were going to wake up,” he chides in his dulcet tone, running his cognac eyes over me. I look away to avoid his questioning gaze. If I’m struggling with her pain after just a few hours, how did she ever survive it herself?
“The pool is ready, but I’m not sure you’re going to be up for it, Rolland. Maybe we should wait for Jack to return?” Seb suggests as he continues to watch me, still rubbing at his head. Fuck that, she stays in my arms till this feeling leaves me, or I pass out. The pompous prick can suck on eggs, I think to myself. Gathering Kia into my arms, with one hand under her legs, and the other supporting her back, a wave of heat rushes through me, sending a shiver through my bones.
Knowing Seb is about to heal Kia urges me on and helps me push past my body's desire to rest. Drawing the pain away from her and burying it deep within me, I make my way through the en-suite without acknowledging Seb’s comments. Stepping through the archway and into the room that houses the pool, the smell of the salt and gel hits my nose. The combination is incredibly refreshing and reminds me of the salt lakes of Iceland. I feel Kia’s curiosity, worry and a small amount of joy struggling to get through her other intense emotions. Looking down at her, I see her full attention is on the pool, and imagine myself seeing the room for the first time.
Along the right side of the pool itself there are four seats built into the wall, perfect for relaxing into and zoning out. Having fallen asleep in them many times, I know they’re quite comfortable. Both the left side and back of the pool have a ledge halfway up to accommodate more people.
As Seb steps up to my right and turns toward Kia, her emotions begin to change. Fear and worry still pour from her, but a trickle of desire seeps through too. If only I could tell what she is thinking.
“Kia, the pool will help the healing process, but there could be a slight sting from the salt. Once in, I’m going to start healing your broken bones, and then take a look at your back, okay?” With her full attention now on him, she gives a small nod of confirmation. Seb shifts his deep-set eyes on to me, full of concern. “Take it slowly, alright?” he cautions. I nod in response before moving us closer to the pool. Despite her nod of confirmation, however, anothe
r spike of fear rears up and Kia turns her head back into me, burrowing her nose in my chest, forcing me to take a deep steadying breath to help process it.
The instant my foot hits the water, the gel and stones get to work, easing the muscles in my legs, and soothing them like a warm caress. I take the next two steps easily and I’ve still got Kia’s small frame above the surface, but as the water continues to soothe my muscles and tendons, my body begins to crave rest and the time to restore itself - my legs begin to shake a bit.
The next step down into the pool seems to stretch as seconds slow down. My muscles seem to have relaxed too much now and my left foot slips. Falling sideways into Seb, I try to regain my footing, but my body doesn’t respond and we slip into the water. As Kia comes down with me, the sudden shock of her pain overwhelms me as it fires through my body. Fear engulfs me and I can’t separate her emotions from mine.
Flashes of being chased underwater by shadows burst across my vision, followed by a stabbing needle like pain up my back. I try to drag air into my lungs, but all I inhale is water, and as another wave of fear crashes through me, my body gives up and I’m dragged into darkness.
Chapter Seven
Sebastian
I watch Rolland sink into the water, taking Kia with him, and without thought, I yank her up into my arms. She’s gasping for breath and shaking from head to toe. As I settle her into the safety of my arms, fear sets in for Rolland as he hasn’t surfaced yet.
“Kia, breathe for me, sweetheart, breathe for me. Deep breaths,” I urge her softly.
She’s trembling and clinging to me hard, her arms and legs clamped around me like a vice. Shit, Rolland still hasn’t come up yet. “Kia, Rolland is still in the water, and I need to pull him up. I’m going to set you down so that I can get him, okay?” She shakes her head no, refusing to let go, and I take it that she’d rather stay clung to me like a monkey and brave the water again than be put down and left by herself.