I’m going to hurl.
I heard Axel screaming somewhere, “Lady Violet, Lady Violet, grab onto some drifting wood!”
That was all I heard before I got sucked under the surface. I kept tumbling through the water, trying to find which was way up. I swam the wrong way and hit my head on the bottom off the riverbed.
I felt something wrap around my neck; it tried to drag me around the bottom. It had to be the rope I made and attached to the anchor. I reached down to where it was attached to the rock.
With my eyes still closed, I used my nails to cut each fiber. I didn’t have much usable air left. I didn’t get a good breath before I was dragged under.
I was already feeling light-headed. For a moment, I was no longer in an underwater world of red, and I couldn’t feel anything around me. I was watching a scene play out in front of me.
There was a massive battle. One side had knights dressed in armor with a red dragon on their chest. The other side was wearing similar armor, but they had a blue snake painted on their chest plate.
They were charging at each other with swords. I could hear battle cries and screams at the same time. One knight’s blade was impaled into its opponent’s neck; the dead opponent’s head rolled off his body.
Other Knights were losing limbs despite their armor. All of the men continued to fight until they were no more. It took my breath away. It startled me to my core.
I involuntarily tried to take a deep breath when my mouth filled up with the copper tasting water.
Why was I witnessing such violence?
The sudden force of water entering my body brought me back to the situation at hand.
When my nails finally cut through the last thread holding the rope together, I put my feet on the river floor and pushed up. I did my best not to swallow any more water. I was fighting the urge to pass out.
When I broke through the surface, my lungs were screaming in pain. I took the deepest breath I could. I swallowed some of the blood water, but I welcomed it.
It was way better than drowning.
I heard Axel screaming again but decided to take his first piece of advice. I stretched my hands out and wrapped my hands around floating pieces of our raft. I heaved my head and shoulders out of the water. I was coughing so much I thought I was going to throw up a lung.
I looked up and saw Axel running along the side of the river, he was chasing after me. More screaming brought me back to the present, back to my dire situation.
I want out, I want out now.
I can’t watch any more death. It isn’t like watching it on TV, because you know this is real, not acting and fake blood.
I looked around. Ten meters away downstream, there was a big ball of roots hanging from the side of the bank. I shifted my weight and freed my hands to grab it. When I did, it held my weight.
When I had let go of the wood I had been clinging too, it started pulling me back by the rope still wrapped around my neck. I pulled some of the rope back to avoid being strangled, and it tugged the log back too. I used my teeth to bite through the makeshift rope, and I was freed from the driftwood. I let go of the rope, and the wood drifted away.
A pair of hands gripped my arms, and I was lifted up. Axel dragged me five feet away from the side of the bank overlooking the river.
I coughed and clawed at the rope still around my neck, it had knotted itself so it wouldn’t freely pull away. Axel saw my struggle and grabbed the rope, and broke it apart using his bare hands.
I was coughing, still struggling to breathe. My body desperately wanted to get rid of all the bloody water I swallowed, but my lungs just wanted air. They were in a private battle with each other, one that left me reeling.
Axel’s hands placed on either side of my head, and his legs were on either side of my stomach. His face was only inches from mine.
“Lady Violet, are you okay? Please tell me you are okay!”
There was so much gold in his eyes at the moment. I could see all of the individual flecks as I searched his face. There was more gold than brown.His hair was covered in sweat, and it hung down in his face as he looked down at me. I could see he had been freaking out.
Why? Why was he so particularly worried about me? Why go through this trouble to take me to someone for a few answered questions?
Suddenly things weren’t right in my stomach. I pushed him away, I recognized this feeling. He leaned back and I took the opportunity to crawl out from under him.
A look of hurt flooded his face. His face hardened as if he thought I didn’t want his help. I started crawling on my hands and knees. I didn’t want him to think I was rejecting him, but I didn’t want him to see what was about to happen next.
“No, it’s not like that,” was all I was able to say before I started vomiting.
I threw up everything in my stomach. In between heaves I would gasp for air. I tried desperately to slow my heart rate but couldn’t control it.
He must have understood then that I simply just didn’t wish to throw up on him.
“Can I get you anything?” he asked me.
His facial expression softened considerably.
I’m sure I look so helpless lying here.
I shook my head. I turned around to lie on my stomach. That was when I noticed I was still covered in the blood from the river. It brought back all the memories of what I just witnessed.
I started hyperventilating as images of the blood-soaked ground, and hundreds of bodies lay on the ground around me.
“Lady Violet, what’s going on? You are shaking. Lady Violet?”
I could hear him, but I couldn’t focus on him. I felt something cold being splashed on my face, and I sat up and screamed.
“I am so sorry! I had to, you realize that right? I had to wake you up. What happened? Why are you crying?” he asked, the panic was apparent in his voice.
I physically couldn’t bring myself to say anything. I was still shaking and hyperventilating.
He wrapped his arms around me; he was hugging me. He tried to show me some comfort.
After a while of crying and Axel holding me, I was able to finally speak, “You are getting blood on you.”
“I don’t care about that. Tell me what happened. Why are you crying?” he asked.
“When I was in there, I saw how the people died. The people that blood belongs to. They are knights, who died in battle; I saw so much death, so much fear,” I sobbed again because I couldn’t help it.
Axel looked shocked. Utter disbelief crossed his face. He only hugged me tighter. I let the flood gates open.
“At first, I couldn’t find which way was up and which was down. And then when I figured out I was on the bottom, the rope got wrapped around my neck. It kept dragging me down. That’s when I saw it all. I finally cut the rope with my nails and pushed up, and well, you saw the rest.”
He pulled back and pushed back the blood-soaked hair in my face. I was breathing deeply to calm my heart rate. He handed me his little pouch of clean water.
“Here drink this, you threw up too much. If you don’t, you will get sick,” he ordered softly.
His hands were covered in the red that had stained my face.
“It’s called dehydration,” I told him.
“I’m sorry?” he asked.
“Where I’m from, that sickness is called dehydration. It’s when you lose too much water,” I tried to clarify.
“Okay, then you will get dehydration.”
He didn’t bother to argue with me, even though I could see he wanted to.
I took the water from him and drank it all slowly.
“Is there anything else I can do for you?” he asked.
I looked down at my clothes. I looked like a victim in a horror movie. The only thing I could see was the red staining my skin and clothes.
“I want to clean off. I can’t stand this, being covered in blood,” I told him.
“I know of a creek not too far from here. We will go there.”
I was glad to be leaving this river; I never wanted to set eyes on it again. He picked me up and carried me. It was weird at first having him hold me like this, but I tried to distract myself.
If I thought about it too much, I might get some bad ideas. This dream would go from PG to rated R in no time...
We followed the river bank to where Axel left all of his stuff. Then he set out to find the creek. He had walked a few hundred feet away from the river before we approached the creek.
When we got to it, Axel set me down in the freshwater. It wasn’t very deep or fast-moving, so I didn’t have a reason to worry about drowning this time.
I looked to the water flowing downstream behind me, and it was flowing red. It was the blood leaving my hair and sort of leaving my clothes. They would be stained, no doubt.
When the water was running clear again, I crawled out. I felt too weak and sore to waste energy walking. Axel picked me up and brought me to the fire he had started.
My clothes were clinging to my skin, and it bothered me. It felt suffocating.
“You have some bruising showing around your neck. It looked like someone tried to strangle you,” he said, slowly reaching out to lightly touch the bruising.
“Great, just what I need,” I said sarcastically.
“Is there anything I can do for you?” he asked me for the third or fourth time.
“No, I just want to sleep. Go back home for a while and get comfortable,” I murmured.
“Will you come back?” he asked me.
Did this mean he believed me? Does he finally believe I don’t live here?
He wanted to know if I ever planned on returning; if I had been scared away today. Part of me was scared and didn’t want to come back. Two close calls in one night was enough of an adventure for me. If I didn’t come back to this dream, though, I wouldn’t see Axel anymore.
So I knew my answer...
“I will come back. We have to get our answers don’t we?” I told him.
He gave me a weak smile.
“Can I ask for one more favor?” I asked.
“I think you are entitled,” he answered.
This was going to be embarrassing to ask. Especially from Axel, but what else could I do?
“I’m cold, this fire isn’t hot enough. Can you scoot closer and possibly share some of your body heat.”
My teeth were chattering, and I’m sure my lips were turning blue.
I didn’t know what to make of his facial expression at first. It almost looked like he was relieved.
“Yes, I can,” he said.
He crawled up next to me. He wasn’t as modest tonight as he was last night. He slept facing me and wrapped an arm around me. I scooted next to him, so my whole backside was touching him. I closed my eyes, and I could feel his hot breath on my neck. It helped warm me a little.
After a while, my shivering subsided, and I drifted into sleep.
Chapter Eight
Violet
I woke up in my own bed. It hurt to breathe, my throat was raw. I brought my hand in front of me, and there was blood trapped underneath my fingernails. How did this blood follow me from a dream?
I felt disgusting despite washing in the creek. My clothes were stained a deep red, and I was still wet. How Lovely.
I peeled off my clothes and put them in my clothes hamper. I walked to the bathroom and pulled a towel and a washcloth out of the closet. I turned on the water as hot as it would go. I still felt chilled to the bone.
The bathroom started filling with steam before I finally got in. It burned my skin at first, but I very quickly got used to its temperature.
It was better than blood water, or cold creek water.
I scrubbed everything clean several times. Eventually, I knew I was clean but still couldn’t make myself leave the warmth of the water.
How did this happen?
Last night I blinded a dragon, and I almost drowned in a river of blood. I saved my life as well as Axel’s with magic, but when it was just me dying, magic was nowhere to be found.
How does that work?
I saw men dying. How can I erase that from my memory?
Then, the way Axel held me after, and the way he curled up next to me when I was trying to sleep. It felt so comfortable right next to him, despite being wet, cold, and terribly sore.
It was a complete personality flip from the day before, where he was so rude to me. Now he was gentle.
Why? Did he feel sorry for me?
The water started turning cold against my skin, so I took that as my cue to leave. I cut off the water and wrapped myself in my towel. I walked back into my room and dressed in a warm hoodie and warm sweatpants.
I wore my hair down to help cover the bruises forming around my neck. They were an intense purple. No amount of makeup would cover it naturally.
I looked at the time. It was only three in the morning. I still had a few hours to sleep before school started.
I took off the necklace and earrings, placing them on my desk. I crawled back into bed and hoped I would be met with peaceful sleep. None of the dreams started until I found the necklace and earrings, so maybe without them, I would sleep normally?
When I woke again, it was ten in the morning. I was late for school, why did Mom let me sleep in? I found a note on the untouched part of my bed.
-Honey, you looked so tired when I tried to wake you. I’m letting you take a sick day. There is soup in the fridge. Rest up, Love Mom
I was "sick" yesterday. It would only be natural for her to think I was still sick.
I silently thanked her. I needed to sleep in. I also needed this time to loosen my muscles and figure out how to cover my bruises with my uniform and the small amount of makeup I had.
I got up and brushed my hair. I put on my shoes and grabbed Victoria’s diary. I was going to learn as much as I could today.
I no longer thought she was crazy at all. With the strange dreams of another world and the physical effects of what happened there, I was living her life.
I walked downstairs, and Grandmother Winslow was nowhere to be seen. I walked outside into the sun and walked across the yard to the tire swing I sometimes liked to read on. I tested the rope. When I was satisfied that it was still sturdy, I sat down and opened the diary.
Dear diary,
Last night I visited the world yet again, I am beginning to prefer it to this one. I was practicing battle techniques with a trusted friend when he accidentally sliced my wrist with the tip of his sword. It was an accident. He was too much a match for me.
When I awoke, my wrist was covered in my own blood. My husband believes I self-harmed and hasn’t taken his eyes off me since I awoke. I don’t like feeling like a prisoner. In the other world, I’m free. I’d rather be sleeping than awake in this hell. This is my nightmare.
Victoria Lane
◆◆◆
Dear diary,
My husband has taken this too far now, he insists that we must have a child. It will help “bring you out of this madness,” he tells me. The only madness I’m suffering from is the one he is causing. This morning he forced me to try to conceive his child. I don’t believe this will work. Nothing could keep me here with him.
Victoria Lane
◆◆◆
I couldn’t believe that my great grandfather would force Victoria to have a child with him.
How could he think that would bring her back to his version of ‘normal?’
The whole situation was utterly messed up. I felt sorry for Victoria, even though that mess brought my grandmother to the world.
I kept reading the few remaining entries. She talks about the man who helped train her. He mastered magic, but she never once mentioned his name. She fell in love with him but never told him.
I was walking back to the house when Madison texted me.
Mads: Hey, you are living right?
Me: Yeah why?
Mads: Lacey is spreading rumors that you killed yourself yesterd
ay.
Me: Of course she is. I just checked my pulse I’m still breathing.
Mads: Why are you out?
Me: I needed a mental vacation I had to check out of hell for a while.
Mads: Got it. See you tomorrow?
Me: Yeah, don’t need anyone starting to plan my funeral.
I walked back inside and ate some soup. I left the bowl in the sink, so Mom would know that I got up at some point today. I walked back upstairs to my room. I was feeling more rested, but still very sore.
Hopefully, Morthshadow will take it easy on me this afternoon.
I popped some Ibuprofen to help with some of my body aches. I dressed in layers for this visit. I wore a t-shirt, a pair of jeans, and for safe measure, I put clean sweats back on overtop. I expected this place to be cold since there was no sunlight there.
I put the necklace back on my neck and tucked it underneath the hoodie. I didn’t bother with the earrings. I had my suspicions that they weren’t what caused my dreams. My necklace is what changed colors, and temperature, not the earrings.
I crawled into bed and pulled the covers over me. I did my best to take a nice little nap and wake up next to Axel.
Axel
I woke up, and Lady Violet was still sound asleep beside me just like she was yesterday.
I looked around, the position of the suns on the other side of the river, told it was the middle of our resting period. It is what Lady Violet called night. I tried to wake her once more. I felt this urge just to see if she was okay.
I’ve never felt responsible for any other person in my life, except for my sister, mother, and occasionally myself.
Then suddenly, when Lady Violet went under the water, and I couldn’t see her, I felt responsible. I feel responsible for her safety and well-being.
If she had died, it would have been on my hands.
I have never been as happy as I was when Violet popped out of the river.
Emerald Dreams (The Dream Traveler Series) Page 6