The Darkness Within

Chapter 38

Recap: Chapter 37

I almost started bawling. This man, this man. Loved me. And I was going to die without ever even experiencing what it was really liked to be loved. All I wanted was to be done with this madness, to be in a nice normal world where I could spend the rest of my life with this man. But no, these sick bastards had to take it all away from me. Sure, they were taking me down now. But I was so going to take at least one of them with me. 

Lorcan grabbed my hand, I squeezed it tightly and gave him a slight smile. I turned to Bal and Gauraud and nodded to each of them.

"Thank you, for everything." I said to them

And to Lorcan. " I'll love you. Forever." 

It was time. With a fierce cry I attacked, my sword slicing through part of the stone soldier. But before I could pull back...

It hit me.

The force of it brought me to my knees.I didn't see who had done it, but what did it matter? They all looked the same. Stone soldiers. All this time, and I was taken down by a rock. 

It was the end. 

Chapter 38

A weird sensation passed through me. But not one of death. Though it made me extremely dizzy. I fell onto all fours, struggling through the foreign feeling.

"Get up sister." I slowly raised my head to find a beautiful woman before me. Her light blond shimmered down her back and her emerald green eyes sparkled. There was something about her that seemed familiar. 

"Hurry, more will come soon, and I'm not sure if I can do that again." She turned her head scanning the area surrounding us, 

I looked at her in a daze. "What..."

She sighed and bent to pull me to my feet. "Don't worry the uneasy feeling will pass." 

"Who are you?" I asked as she straightened me up. 

"Let go of her!" Lorcan roared as he stumbled to his feet.

"What the hell just happened." Bal grumbled as he too stumbled to his feet.

"Sherridan?" Gauraud asked. 

The woman nodded. "Nice to see you again Gauraud. I hope you can hurry the others along. We don't have much time." 

"Uhh, yeah. Sure. Lorcan, stop acting like a fool. She's on our side." 

Lorcan finally made his way over to them. "Well she can let go of Caitirina then." 

"Oh, by the Mother of the Holy Moon, I'll move you myself." The woman, Sherridan, stuck out her hand and motioned it inward towards her body. The moment she did Lorcan, Bal, and Gauraund came flying forward. 

"Good, now hold on." The world spun for a moment and then turned black. The next thing I knew we were in a lavish hallway of gold and white. 

"Hurry. In here." Sherridan directed us through a door, and into a room that almost out shined the hallway we had just come from. There were no ceilings, but in it's place was a vast sky of blue, clouds and birds even dotted the sky. The walls were a mass of every flower known to man, but the vast amount of flowers, all different shades and shapes, seemed to compliment each other. The rest of the room had the same furniture every other lounge in the world had, only made out of foliage. 

Sherridan quickly closed the door and briskly walked to the window, as she peered outside she spoke quickly "I need to take care of some things, just stay here." She turned and gave us a warm, but rushed, smile. She then walked back over to the door, but as she reached to open it, I stopped her.

"Who are you?" I asked. There was something about her. Just being in her presence seemed to be doing something too me. 

"I--you really don't remember?" Her facial expression didn't change, but I could see the pain in her eyes. 

"I'm sorry, but no." A flicker of grief flashed over her beautiful features, but was quickly masked. 

She squared her shoulders and forced a smile upon her face. "Don't worry, it will all come back to you soon enough." 

Gods I hoped so...

She turned to the door, but paused before opening it. She turned back to me and place her hand lovingly upon my cheek. "How I've missed you so." With that she quickly turned and slipped from the room. 

I stood quietly for a moment. For some reason I had felt the intense urge to reach out to her. Who was she, that I cared for her so much? 

"Caitirina?" Lorcan asked quietly.

"Yes?" I replied without turning.

Bal cleared his throat after a moment passed and Lorcan didn't reply. "Come. Sit down, there's nothing we can do for now." I did as he said and took a seat in a chair that resembled a large Lilly.

"Someone mind telling me what the hell just happened?"  

"Well...we were about to die. Then you went all psycho and charged the immortal stone army. Then Sherridan came out of no where saved our asses. Now we're in...somewhere." Gurarund answered. 

"How do you know her?" I asked. 

"Sherridan? Oh, she use to be my mother's little slave. But one day, she was just gone.  I actually thought that my mother might have had feelings for her." He crossed the room and leaned against the flowered frame that surrounded a large window. I followed quickly after him.

"How did she know me?"

"How the hell should I know?" He barked. 

":Well you seem to know everything else that's going on! It seems everyone else does but me!" I knew I was being childish, but it was all really starting to get to me. It felt like everyone had a strong grasp of themselves, but me.

Lorcan stepped forward and grasped me lightly by the shoulders steering me towards a chair in the center of the room. He rested his hands on my shoulders as he lightly placed a kiss upon my head. 

"It will all be alright. Just relax." He whispered. And I did. This place seemed to sooth me. 

"Flora" My eyes snapped open, I had fallen asleep. I stood up from the chair. No one else was in the room, where had they gone?

"Flora." My attention snapped to the door. Without thinking, I moved towards it, and placed my hand on the door knob. The door swung open easily. "Flora". The voice whispered through the clearing in front of me.

"Flora, my darling..."  The voice came from the left.

"Flora, calm down...." From the right now.

"You must calm down, clear your mind."  The voice was so reassuring that I could do nothing else but obey. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. And cleared my mind. 

I felt a rush of air around me and a slight moment of intense dizziness. But as fast it came about, it left. 

I felt a presence, and a deep voice. "Flora honey. Open your eyes." 

I did, and was greeted by a pleasant sight. 

"Vaettur..." He smiled slightly. "Father" I corrected myself, this was my father.