The Vow

The Vow 8

Chapter 8

Niko made a tsk-like noise pacing in front of me, when he finally turned to face me his eyes were dark with emotion, he was all menace and lethal grace. "Are you crazy?" his voice was soft almost gentle unless you saw the snapping eyes "are you trying to kill yourself?" I shook my head vehemently tears pooling in my eyes, when Niko spoke to me I felt like an incompetent child. Certainly there was no mistaking him for Cain now his auburn hair was now shades darker, the green had faded completely from his eyes replaced by a vibrant purple.

I shook my head rigorously, my hair swinging around my head wildly. I looked into his eyes before giving way to the suddenly urge to inspect the cracked tiles. There was a rush of sound as Niko kneeled in front of me his leather clad hand gripping my chin and pulling my face up. Forcing me to look in his eyes he asked "then why did you leave me?"

Closing my eyes I mentally slapped myself, I'm no weak little girl! Opening my eyes I jerked myself out of his grip looking into his eyes I asked "and just how would I die by leaving your side? I'm not a hapless toddler in need of someone's hand to hold!"

"In this realm you might as well be! Everyone here is hundreds if not thousands of years old!"

"Well than maybe I should ditch you old man, you're holding me back!"

"ME?! I'm protecting you! You silly little ingrate! Without me you'd DIE out there! Do you even know how to get to your own world?!"

That gave me pause I felt numb "m-my own world? What do you mean? MY world?"

Niko sighed all the energy seeming to flow out of him, sliding down his back pressed against a pew he sat in front of me. He spoke in a quiet voice, I had to concentrate to hear it, the voice of a man defeated. "I had to get you out of there something is coming for us, I felt its presence when I awoke."

Niko shuttered a full body quake his breath leaving him in quick rasps, how could I not have noticed this? "It's all I can do to hold it back," almost under his breath, an afterthought really I heard so faintly, it seemed like the whisper of a dream "don't leave me." And then his eyes closed his ragged breathing grew softer and he slumped...he was asleep.

Half carrying him half dragging him onto the closest pew I sat beside him, watching as morning became noon and noon became night; all the while watching his condition. His face was flushed his breathing heavy, he was burning up. Wandering the church grounds I searched for a working faucet or some pool of clean water. In the next room over there was a large pool between to rocks the cold spring water leaking in from a crevice in two rocks.

Grabbing a piece of cloth off the huge dress I wore I ripped and tore at it trying to cut it free. When it finally came apart I soaked it in the cold spring water before wringing it out, rushing to Niko's side I placed it on his forehead moving the stray hairs from his eyes. His breathing was still ragged, and he seemed to be in pain, ripping another piece of cloth from the dress I soaked it in the spring this time not wringing it out. When I got to Niko's side I told him to drink opening his mouth to wring some water into it careful not to drown him.

After a few moments it suddenly struck me to wonder why I was so worried, I'd barely just met the man, well, Fae. Shaking my head I mentally slapped myself, it didn't matter who or-what the man was he'd done nothing to deserve me abandoning him. Through the broken ceiling I could see a sky so clear and filled with stars it was amazing. I laid myself by Niko watching the stars and the odd falling star soaring across the night.

Eventually I must have drifted off because before I realized it I was in yet another dream in that same darkness as before fog settled around me like a cloak. When I finally saw Cain he looked somewhat stronger than before the shadows under his eyes not so prominent, his skin a bit tanner, and most of all, the black tattoo was smaller than before.

"So you're back Dianna, did you find out why you killed me yet?" His voice lashed at me like a whip, I could feel its sting in my core. "tsk" was the only noise he made before he turned his back, a wall or shadows engulfed me like a wall of water a I tried to scream his name in vain. Suddenly I was standing atop a pillar surrounded on all sides by red eyes watching me, testing me, scrutinizing me. I knew what they wanted, trying to determine my weakness, trying to make me break. Suddenly I was falling once again a scream tore its way from my throat and a caught a glimpse of a man sitting on a throne of black bones his mouth curled into a predatory smile.

Then I was jolting up, a shriek leaving my throat, above me in the once mesmerizingly beautiful sky was nothing but dark clouds a mist filled with blood red eyes. I could see the shadows churning, see them ram against some kind of barrier, hear they're animalistic howls.