Rebelsong

Awake and Confronting...

When I wake paralysis takes hold. Unable to move neither my legs nor my arms, fear grips me: an uncontrollable panic, raging as a forest-fire of emotion. “Calm down,” Sorne’s voice doesn’t come as a comfort. My dream; so real; so vivid, how could I forget?

"W...why were you there... that day?" My voice is raspy and low- the words barely making it out of my mouth-but the expression on my face portraying my anger. "What?" His expression seems shocked yet he knows of what I speak: “In Deepglade; you came, you...were there!" The words coming out strongly now; quickly, feeling and movement begins to return to my limbs and my fist, clenched tight, rises to meet with his face.

He stumbles back and falls hard against the floor. I’m in the infirmary: a large hall with high, arched ceilings; soft, plush beds; and huge oak doors; but no others. My body, tucked tightly within thick cotton sheets, swiftly lifts to meet the floor. Blinded by anger; I swiftly stagger towards Sorne; no pain in my body: only hate.

Arms reach ahead of me now; I pull my hand to my body and then extend my arm to bring my fist down upon him. Beginning to rise from the ground, Sorne lifts his head revealing a blue-tinted face with long silken hair; this is his true form. My body: stuck in perpetuity, falls backwards landing against the stone floor, my gaze fixed tightly on his misshapen face; his pointed ears; silken hair; blank eyes.

Sorne opens his mouth revealing sharp, jagged fangs and oozing saliva; bringing back grotesque images of Kaloe. “Seph…” His voice brings me back to reality and sends hatred and anger surging through me: “NO! Stay back!” I shout wildly, my voice quivering and booming at the same time as I shuffle backwards.

He rises to his feet and begins to approach me, but I keep shuffling backwards; my pace still increasing. “Seph…you must understand…” I quickly interrupt him: “Understand? Understand what exactly? That you lied to us all? That you're one of them? Go on; understand what?!”

 I back into a wall but my legs keep moving forcing my body upwards into an awkward standing position. Sorne quickly approaches, not metres away now. I shuffle as fast as I can along the wall until I reach the corner of the hall: stuck between worn stone and polished wood.

I can back no further. Sorne reaches out his hand from which sprouts claw-like nails. I quickly bat it away with my left hand and send in my right as a fist. In a sudden blur of movement; I over-stretch my arm and find myself being pulled by it and forced to the floor.

I quickly roll backwards and in one swift motion rise into a stand. Still wearing the clothes that I had on when I fell, I pull my fists close to the fabric: a fighting stance. “I don’t want to fight, Seph. Please just let me explain…” Before he can finish I am already charging as fast as my battered legs will carry me.

In a matter of seconds I am upon him; I raise my fist and throw it in his direction- sudden and painful- large vibrations stampede up my arm; my hand meets his thick, rock-like chest. It’s hard like iron; unbreakable; bone-shattering. The bones in my fist crack against his thick hide.

My hand- broken and beaten- is stuck against his chest; the slightest movement sending tremendous pain shooting up my arm. “SEPH!” He roars; the sheer magnitude of his voice causes my eardrums to burst. Suddenly, he brings his trunk of a forearm up clashing against my chin, not only forcing my jaw upwards, but the rest of my body as well.

I flip backwards mid-flight and land face first on the floor: blood filling into my mouth by the pint and flooding out onto the stone tiles creating pools of seeping, red liquid. I try to lift myself; stop from drowning in pools of my own blood, but when I place my hand against the stone it screams in agony. I can’t lift myself.

Before I have a chance to use my other hand, Sorne drags me from the puddle; the stone burns me as I’m dragged across its surface. In a second I am thrown against a wall, hunched beneath a window. The impact causes me to cough out a pool of blood which runs down my chin and cascades to the ground.

I can’t speak and moving is a terrible effort. I slowly lift my head, large deposits of blood resting in the corners of my mouth. I try to make out a sentence but only one word manages to claw its way from my beaten mouth: “Why?”

In a freakish shift, Sorne’s face reverts back to its human form and he begins to talk with a soothing tone which still holds a firm note: “I found you that day- I saw you helpless; beaten, and then Kaloe: I knew I couldn’t leave you, let you die. I’m not sure what it was…you just reminded me of…” Before he can finish; the glass in the window above shatters sending shards of glass scattering in all directions. Their jagged edges pierce me as they fall like raindrops, refracting light in all directions. I look down at my body; apart from a few cuts from the glass and my pre-existing wounds nothing has struck me. Splattered crimson upon my green garments raises my awareness: I gaze upwards. Stuck deep into Sorne’s chest; one arrow. He reaches out his hand to me and falls backwards.

The sharp, unmistakable clang of bells echoes through-out the hall: the bells ring out-once…twice…thrice; we’re under attack. I can’t pull my eyes from Sorne, his body seems lifeless…dead. The sharp clang of bells stops suddenly; leaving silence. Me and Sorne: alone, unmoving, deathly.

Down the corridor that leads to the hall, I hear commotion; but my thoughts still linger on Sorne. Through great wooden doors a small band of students come charging: Remiel, Celestine, Ezekiel, Tobias and Alexis. They all file one after another and barricade the door with whatever they can find: beds, desks, chairs…

Ezekiel’s strong, commanding voice breaks through silence: “That should hold them off for now; you guys ok?” His face is bruised and all along his arm large cuts in which grotesque pus and blood lingers. “Yeah should be fine, although… what the…” Tobias’ jaw drops and as the others turn from barricading the door they see why: shattered glass, broken beds, and pools of blood… “Sorne” Celestine speaks softly, her voice trembles as she does. They all shuffle, avoiding the chaos, and huddle around Sorne’s body. Alexis breaks down into tears; Remiel wraps his arm around her, drawing her close to him.

They kneel beside his body, their expressions are identical: cold almost lifeless. Blood rushes in my ears and I can hear my heartbeat-slowing. I pull my hand up but don’t have the strength to keep it there and it loosely drops against a piece of glass. The pang made by the collision causes Tobias to turn his gaze. “Seph!” He and Celestine rise to their feet and come over to me, closely followed by Ezekiel. “What happened?” Tobias asks; urgency in his tone. I try to make out a sound but I don’t have the strength to make out any words.

“He’s injured, he needs help! Alexis...go grab some bandages from that drawer.” Ezekiel’s tone descended into anger quickly as Alexis is still weeping at Sorne’s body; “Alexis…GO!” Remiel releases Alexis from his embrace and angrily marches towards Ezekiel: “Hey, in case you haven’t noticed, Sorne is dead; and if you keep talking to her like that then you’ll be too!” A smirk arises on Ezekiel’s face, as if he’s been waiting for this confrontation: “ Oh, I’m sorry. Is that a threa…” He is silenced as the wooden door bursts open, forcing the barricades in all directions. Through the door four faefolk enter; all dressed in some sort of steel battle armour. They form two sets of two and two rows, through which one particularly large faefolk walks through: dressed in the same armour, but with an extravagant helmet plated in gold and silver. Quickly, Remiel pulls Alexis away from Sorne’s body, just as the faefolk approaches. He presses his right foot down on Sorne’s body making Alexis flinch; he removes his helmet there and drops it so it lands on Sorne’s face. I look up. “Hello, Seph. Missed me?” Kaloe.

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This chapter is shorter than the rest, but please note that while my chapters are small; i plan to write lots of them :-D Thanks to all readers, fans and friends! :-D