The Castle in the Story

Chapter 2: The Oath

Lightning flashed through black clouds in a dark sky, turning slow spirals above her. A storm was coming. No rain fell, yet the air was thick with moisture. Maple found she could hardly breathe.

A lone, cloaked figure moved along the edge of the horizon, drifting slowly, lazily, in no hurry to get anywhere.

The figure stopped and stared up at the sky. There was a pull toward him and Maple called out, without thinking. The instant the call left her lips, she regretted it. The cloaked figure turned and looked at her. Maple began to feel her breath coming shorter and realized too late that she couldn't move.

She could feel his focus on her as if he'd already bound her with chains, and knew he was coming for her before the figure wheeled his mount in her direction. She felt tears streaming down her cheeks. The helplessness was greater than anything she had felt inside Handlee's guild.

She couldn't move. She couldn't scream.

Far off, a voice called to her; a warm, familiar voice that seemed to be searching for her. She tried to call out, but no words came. Terror gripped her and she tried to move once more. Nothing.

The figure approached steadily. "You've gotten slow," he said. "Or has my training finally begun to take hold? An interesting thought. I'll have to prove it." Her throat constricted, choking back tears. She knew what would happen when the figure reached her, yet she couldn't form it into thought. It was a horrible thing whatever it was. Worse than anything she had felt before.

She heard a shout in her ear and the pain was great enough that the terror freed her for a moment and she found her voice. A scream pierced the darkness and she felt the clouds close over her.

Her cheeks felt wet. She couldn't open her eyes and she didn't know where she was. A familiar voice crooned in her ear, and strong arms held her tightly.

"I'm sorry," that familiar voice said. "I didn't know what else to do."

She tried to speak, but her voice was lost again.

She felt warm lips press against her forehead, and realized she was covered in cold sweat. "You need to rest," the voice spoke again. Familiar, this voice. Warm, comforting. She shook her head at its pronouncement. She would have the dream again. She was sure of it.

Hesitation, then, "I will sing to you, and the darkness will stay away."

A beautiful tenor voice filled her mind with images of vast grasslands; beautiful creatures that looked like Doriel dancing in moonlight, singing in daylight; of fantastic mountains; crystal blue lakes; but most of all, of the joy of being together with loved ones. She cried freely, but not out of fear. She cried out of longing for a feeling she had never had, and joy that she had finally found it.

For a moment, she thought she was home.

Asleep once more, she held to those images, letting herself wander in places her waking self would claim she'd never been.

***

Doriel sat and stared at the fire.

"You want something to eat?" Callio asked. It was the first words he'd spoken since Maple had whimpered and Doriel had sung to her, first sitting next to her, then as he walked a slow circle around their camp.

He shook his head. What had happened made very little sense and he had to think it through before he took action.

Callio sat next to him. "What's the plan?"

He wished he knew. Everything had been waiting until morning. Now, they didn't have that much time. "I don't know."

If he'd said elves could lie and Handlee was still alive, Callio couldn't have been more shocked. "You don't?"