All the Wicked Things

Chapter 7

My sleep was filled with disturbing nightmares. I dreamed that I was running through a field of swords as Revenants chased me. Elric was leading the pack. They pursued me all the way back to the old school house when they faded into the darkness, where all I could see were red eyes staring back at me. When I thought I escaped the danger, Constant and his goons appeared turning me back towards the woods. I was short of breath as I kept running and running, but they were gaining on me. Right before they caught me, I tripped and fell, falling, falling, falling into the darkness.

I screamed as I shot straight up in the bed. The sheets and my nightshirt were drenched in sweat, but I was relieved to learn it was just a dream. It was just a dream, I told myself, just a dream.

My scream must have startled someone because a rushed knock came at the door, and without waiting for my reply, the door opened. To my surprise it was Elric. I covered myself with the blanket, curious as to what he was doing here so early.

"Are you alright?" He seemed sincere, but guarded as usual.

"I'm fine," I replied back, my mouth forming a hard line. I was still mad at him for retrieving me last night.

"You have been summoned by the king," he said curtly. I stared at him, waiting for more information as to when and where. "Now." His voice was irritated. Clearly, he was still mad at me too.

"Oh," I said, and he removed himself from the room, shutting the door behind him. There were no footsteps down the hall, though, so I knew he was waiting outside the door for me. I looked around the room. "What in the world does one wear to meet the king of the immortals?" I said sarcastically. But just as the words left my mouth, I saw that I had my very own dressing chest.

I stepped off the bed and into the dressing chest. Inside the darkness, I concentrated very hard on what a proper outfit for meeting a king might be. When I stepped out, I was in a navy blue pencil skirt and matching blazer. It was very professional looking, but not me at all and quite frankly I was sick of not being me. So I stepped into the dressing chest one more time. This time when I stepped out, I was wearing dark jeans and a flannel shirt; just like the ones I wore the first day of school. It was the last outfit my mother picked out for me. What better way to introduce myself to royalty than to do so comfortably?

In the bathroom, I ran a brush through my tousled hair and fixed it into a braid that lay off to the side. I splashed some water on my face and pinched my cheeks a few times, trying to make myself presentable. How I missed my makeup? Last but not least, I mixed the peppermint tooth powder with water and swished it around. It wasn't as effective as mouthwash but it did the job, at least.

Elric eyed me up and down when I walked out the door. I wasn't sure if he approved or not, but I didn't care either way. We continued our silence from the night before as we walked down the hallway.

The king's room was on the third floor, just above ours, down a very long, very secluded corridor. Two tall doors encrusted in gold with an interesting filigree pattern on them opened after Elric quietly knocked, and Elric's uncle, Leo, greeted us before limping along with us over to the king's bed. He made an attempt at small talk.

"Your wounds seemed to have healed nicely, Elric," Leo said as he glanced him over. "From the looks of you last night, I figured you'd be down for a while."

"She healed me," Elric offered, nodding his head in my direction. It hadn't gone unnoticed that he'd yet to say my name. He probably thought using my name somehow made me more human and less of a prisoner.