by Stacy Lee
Chapter Seven
Drip-drip-drip
The constant sound of dripping water rouses me from where I lay. A dim light in the corner illuminates the light tan rock walls of a cave. Startled that I am no longer in my bedroll under the stars I sit up abruptly searching my surroundings. Nothing but dirt and rock encompasses me, no door or way out is visible, I’m trapped. Suddenly I’m very aware that I’m not alone. I clamber to my feet and back towards the light. A small candle in a brass holder sits in an indention in the wall; with shaky hands I remove it from its perch. Holding it out beside me as not to blind me from my surroundings, I search the walls for movement.
“Who’s there?” I call out when nothing pops out at me.
“Forgive me for scaring you, Evangelina.” Raider steps out of the shadows of the far wall. The flickering light plays across his strong upper body barely reaching to his chin, casting his face in the darkest of shadows.
“My name is Samantha. Where am I?” I ask as I take a step away from him.
“Don’t be frightened. I would never hurt you.” His tone suggests otherwise.
“Why am I here? Who are you?” Couldn’t hurt to try to get some kind of answers, even in a dream some things may turn out true. Although I wasn’t sure I wanted his answers.
“You are here to become mine. I am your Kindred.” He states boldly. “Come, let us finish this.” He steps towards me making me step back effectively hitting the wall.
“No. I don’t want this.” I try to stay strong but my voice wavers as a shadow detaches from the wall and slinks around his feet.
“I did not ask you what you wanted, child. I told you.” Quick as lightening he is in front of me, his hand tangled in my hair as he forces my face to his. I clamp my eyes shut as tight as I can, not meeting his gaze. “Stop this foolishness. You have no choice in the matter. There is only one Kindred for each Phranoy and you are mine! Now look at me!” He snarls out the words as his grip in my hair tightens to painful.
“NO!” I scream at him as I thrash my head back and forth ripping my hair out in the process.
“Samantha! Wake up!” Xavier’s voice shatters the image as my eyes pop open in fear. I push at him and crawl backwards as far as I can before bumping into Axel.
“Whoa there, Sam. It’s okay. Just a dream.” I look from him to Xavier then back again. I run my hand through my hair, my head throbbing where Raider had been gripping it. Tentatively I touch my scalp then cringe with the pain. When I pull my hand away it is red with fresh blood. All I can do is stare at it. How could a dream be so real?
“Did you hit your head?” Xavier asks as he kneels beside me. I jerk away from him but he grasps my shoulders in a firm grip. Releasing me with one hand he pulls the glasses from where they are tucked in his waist band and slides them on. Once protected he pulls my chin up till I face him. The fear, terror and rage that is consuming me flee in response to the calmness that fills me. There is an underlying current of concern and worry however the serenity overpowers it making me relax into him. I feel his fingers move in my hair, brushing it away from the raw spot where Raider had pulled a chunk free. I wasn’t sure how he was keeping me calm now that he had averted his eyes however I was thankful the fear was gone.
When he reveals the newly bald spot on the back of my head the calm turns darker spreading to fear and worry. Abruptly his emotions leave me with raw terror coursing through my veins. How could this be real but still be a dream, it didn’t make since. Can he force the bond in my dreams then make me go to him when I wake? Oh, God. Should I tell them what happened or keep it to myself a little longer?
“What happened?” Xavier bites out as he pulls me away from him sitting me back up, his grip light on my upper arms.
“I was in a cave or something. At first I was alone then Raider was there.” His entire posture changes at the name. His once loose grip tightens too painful on my arms making me gasp. He yanks his hands away quickly and takes a step back.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you. Go on.” He begins to pace in front of me, his hands clenching and unclenching. I look over my shoulder to Axel who gives me an encouraging nod.
“He scared me at first coming from the shadows and he apologized to me.” His mirthless laugh shows he didn’t believe it was a heartfelt apology either. Watching the way he paces, his body tense and unforgiving I decide to wait a little longer to explain the real meaning of the dream. “Then it gets a little fuzzy. He was talking but I can’t remember what he was saying. He grabbed me by the hair and I began to struggle against him. He ripped out some of my hair right as you woke me up. Who is Raider?” I ask boldly. With the mood Xavier was emitting I shouldn’t have but I needed answers.
“No one.” He spits out.
“He is obviously someone, Xavier. He was there when the Ranoy attacked, now he was in my dream. What does he want and why isn’t he like the other Ranoy? He is obviously evil; you can see it in eyes.” He continues pacing, his circles getting wider and wider.
“You might as well tell her, Xavier. We haven’t seen the last of him and you know it. He will undoubtedly be there when we go for the King and now we know for sure he knows who she is. Why else would he infiltrate her dreams?” Axel reasons out for him but still he paces.
“Xavier, please. Tell me why he upsets you so much.” I beg with the softest voice I can manage. Against my will I was beginning to care for this man and seeing him so upset wasn’t making my insides feel good.
“Because he is my father!” He shouts halting in his spot to look at me with rage. I was sure it wasn’t meant for me. A small gasp of horror escapes me no matter how much I try to keep it in. his pacing continues.
“I thought you had to be bonded for that to happen?” I ask no one in particular. Xavier stops abruptly and stares at me.
“How do you know he’s not?” Uh-oh. I should not have known that. I shrug hoping to play it off.
“A guess. No offense but he seemed too bad to have something good like a Kindred. From what I gathered a Kindred is an honor and some never find theirs. He didn’t strike as the type to be honored.” He snorts then glances to Axel.
“Yes he had a Kindred. My mother.” He doesn’t elaborate so I cross my arms and wait. When he glances at me after a few more circles he sighs then comes to sit beside me.
“My mother is dead, Sam. She died in a fight against the Ranoy when I was around fifty. I know that sounds old to you but in our lives it is the equivalent of a humans ten. We grow up very slowly not hitting full maturity till the age of one hundred. From there our body’s age even slower as you saw with Maddox who could pass as a twenty-five year old human but is three hundred. We do grow old but it takes centuries. Raider is close to a thousand years old, as is your own father. They were actually boyhood friends growing up. Something happened around the time your dad was crowned King that turned Raider against his people. He grew distant and cold from everyone he knew. As the years passed he only got worse. When he met my mother she had no choice in the bond. Unlike you she was powerless to stop it.” I flinch at the sadness that radiates from that one sentence. It wasn’t only for his mother but for himself and my denial of him. “He was cruel to her but he never crossed the line laid out in the curse. He never took her life, even though he came close a time or two.” He stops and rubs his hands over his face the shine that was coating his eyes is gone when he finally looks back up and over my shoulder focusing somewhere behind me.
“Many of us believe he had already been working with the Ranoy when my mother was sent out to investigate a town that had supposedly been slaughtered the day before. They were a small group of four that were never supposed to see any action, only to investigate a claim that had come in. When they arrived to the town it was alive and thriving, for about five minutes. As they landed in the streets Ranoy flooded the town from all directions killing everyone, even the four Phranoy. It was an ambush that was executed effectively.” Anger courses through his words.
“If he helped with the attack why isn’t he a Ranoy?” I ask confused.
“He was not there, he did not kill anyone. The only way a Phranoy is transformed into a Ranoy is if they kill an innocent with their own hands. Calling for her death or even an entire towns did not meet the curses requirements. He would have had to take a life himself. He has avoided doing that for more than five hundred years now, Sam. He is the brains behind the Ranoy attacks. I’m sure it was him who took your father. But unless he personally kills someone innocent he will never turn.” Okay, that made sense. He could sit back and watch others kill by the hundreds but as long as he never got his hands dirty he would remain a Phranoy.
“If a Kindred dies does another replace her?” I ask quietly.
“No. It has never been heard of, never been done. Once she is gone you remain alone forever.” His words although sad, were in truth. You could hear it in the conviction behind them. So how was it the bond tried to form between us? Something wasn’t right here. I know what I felt; I know it was the same feeling as when Xavier looked at me the first time, but how?
“We should get moving. If he was in her head then he knows where we are. They will be here soon.” Axel’s quite voice is heard from directly behind me. I nod then rise to my feet, thankful my wings were flexible enough to still allow me to sit like I had been because I had forgotten about them being there.