This is Glek

Chapter 26: Headaches

I wandered up the palace steps, after parting with Tobias at the front gate. My talk with the devil hadn't completely cleared my mind, but I did feel better. Going back to the pets' quarters, I opened the door to find Lord Eadwyn standing on the other side. His eyes landed on me, and I bowed my head.

"Where were you, Raja?"

I chewed on my lip.

He stood in front of me. "Raja, answer me now."

"With him," I said softly.

The overlord snatched my neck and yanked me forward. "Be more precise."

"Tobias." I cringed, prying at his fingers.

Eadwyn tossed me to the side. I staggered back, until my foot caught on a chair, and I toppled into a pile of pillows.

"Lock him up." He swung his coat around behind him and went into the hallway.

A guard lifted me to my feet and led me to my bedroom. I went inside without much prompting and listened to the door lock flipping into place. With a sigh, I went over to the bed and fell down on top of it.

Helix didn't sound very different from this world. Tobias talked about it in such detail, and it had none of the qualities that I would associate with hell. I chewed on my fingernails. I was starting to think maybe Tobias wasn't lying. Sitting up, I glanced at the door. If he was the devil pulling off a trick like this wouldn't be hard. I needed to stop thinking about this. It was making my head hurt.

Going to the bathroom, I opened up my jewelry cabinet. I took out a few different necklaces and tried them on. I fastened one with strings of diamonds and sat down in front of the mirror. Flattening a portion of hair on the side of my head, I examined it from different angles. The shaved section had taken forever to grow out. I doubt I'd ever do it again.

Letting my hair fall about my shoulders, I went to get another necklace. I picked up another with a thick band. Diamonds were embedded in the gold. Turning to the mirror, I stretched out my neck and slipped it on.

"Tobias Franklin Hollins," I whispered. "What a strange name for a dem-"

The necklace fell from my hand, and I dropped to my knees. A pain erupted in my forehead. I leaned against the cabinets, waiting for it to pass.

"Raja?" called Nyko.

I snatched the necklace and climbed to my feet.

Nyko appeared in the doorway. "Are you okay? I heard a bang just now."

"I just dropped it." I went to put the necklace away. "I'm fine. How'd you get in?"

"The guard didn't stick around long." He sat down on the counter. "Where'd you go?"

I shrugged, climbing into my chair in front of the vanity. "I wanted to talk to Tobias."

"Oh." He gave me a smirk. "Any particular reason why?"

With a shrug, I grabbed a brush. "I just wanted to talk to him."

With a groan, Nyko slid off the counter and walked over. "You went from calling him the devil to sneaking out of the palace to simply talk to him?"

I nodded. "Basically."

He took the brush from me. "I don't have a problem with Tobias like you. If it were me, I would've left with him by now."

"Hmmm...." I took a deep breath, peering down at the floor. "He said there's a block in my head, and that's why I don't remember him."

Nyko was quiet.