The Dark Side #1

Chapter ~ 14 ~

He advanced in the light of the sun, his movements casting shadows along the ground before him. His hair, now wavy and untidy glowed a deep red against the dull greenery around him, and his skin – once pale, but now browning – stood out against his bright, cherry coloured eyes that stalked the figure with curiosity and intrigue.

"Cecily," his voice echoed, and the world seemed to glitch for a second before zeroing in on his figure again. His hands held a curved, black 'scythe' looking thing, which hung from his fingers loosely. It flashed dauntingly in the eyes of the second figure, who stepped out of the shadows. She had blue hair, as radiant as a flower, and red eyes that could kill. She watched him, eyes narrowed.

"Don't do it, Xavier" she warned him. "It's me; it's Cecily. Don't hurt me."

He ambled closer, tilting his head sideways in thought. They watched each other for a long moment, and then he lifted his arm.

He didn't say anything at all. He just brought the scythe up and stretched it out beside him as he swung it around the side of her body, snarling. It made contact and sunk into the side of her skull, lodging itself into her head. The blade went all the way through, the point sticking out at the other side, and he yanked it out, watching her dead body fall to the ground and land with a thud. Her dead eyes stared up at nothing, and-

-I wake with a scream, sitting bolt upright in my bed, gasping and choking on the thick air that surrounds my room. My eyes, wide and bloodshot, are wild with fear as my brain relays the vision into my mind, bubbling up panic and dread in the pit of my stomach. I breathe raggedly, struggling to get it under control as I try to swallow the horror of what I just saw.

"Cecily?"

I flinch at the sound of his voice, my head whirling around to the doorway as I push myself further into the wall beside me.

"Whoa, relax, it is just me," Xavier breathes, his own eyes wide in worry and concern. "Are you- are you okay? What happened?"

I shake my head, breathing deeply as I close my eyes. Flashes of my vision streak through my mind, so I snap my eyes open just as quickly as I closed them.

"Forget it," I mutter, neglecting the matter. "Just a bad dream; I am okay."

"Are you sure?" he presses, and I nod stiffly.

"Yes," I shoot back rather bitterly. "Go back to bed, Xavier."

He hesitates, then reluctantly leaves my room, not saying another word. I sigh in misery, flopping back down into bed so I can stare up at the ceiling, holding the back of my hand against my forehead. These dreams need to stop, I ponder to myself as I stare up at the plain painted roof. Or I will not be able to travel with him anymore.

*

When we wake, we eat the food Rhazien has provided for us and then sit down on the couches, ready to hear where Rhazien is sending us.

"I only just thought of this yesterday," Rhazien explains, rubbing his hands together nervously. "It is the only thing that makes sense; why would they hide Kai in a random Angel village where anyone could stumble upon him? So I thought about it, and there is only one place I can think of where the Angels would keep him under the highest protection."

I suck in a deep, careful breath of air. "The Volsci Empire," I announce breathlessly. "They are keeping him in the Empire's Headquarters. But that will be impossible to get into!"

"Not if they are looking for us," Xavier puts in, and I glance at him. "They will not expect us to actually go to the Empire; not with all the Angels there. And we know they will not kill Kai, so we have an advantage. They will assume now - since they captured us at a village - that we will be travelling to all the rest."