Shadows of the Woods

Chapter 22

"Have faith, Lilah." Androgena's voice was gentle, and I looked up to see her looking at me calmly. "Magenta and I believe in you. Your Apollo believed in you too, and I know that things will turn out for the better."

"I wish I could believe you." I told her, looking back forlornly. "But I can't even break your chains - "

Suddenly, Magenta began to whimper in terror. Androgena and I looked down to see that her eyes had rolled back in her head, and that her whole body was trembling in fear. The light that streamed into the cavernous room suddenly dimmed, and Androgena and I looked around in dread as a weird, pale grey mist began to fill up the room.

Androgena's eyes suddenly flashed with understanding. Her hand grabbed mine firmly, and her neon eyes were serious. "Lilah, whatever you see, don't believe it - "

Abruptly, her hand on mine was torn away as I was flung into the air. I hit the wall with a thud, and I gasped as I hit the floor. I looked up hastily, ignoring the pain, and saw that the whole room was now obstructed by the mist. I couldn't see further than a few metres, and the moisture in the air swirled against my skin and immediately made my hair damp. I stood up uncertainly, looking around in vain for any sign of the two witches.

"Androgena!" I shouted. My voice echoed back to me."Magenta!"

There was no answer. The mist caressed my skin and made it bead with moisture, and I wiped impatiently at my nose. Any hint of the sunlight that was present just a few moments ago was gone; all that was left was the mist, and I knew with every fiber of my being what the pale grey mist meant.

"Castrone!" I shouted. "I know you're here. Show yourself!"

My voice echoed, but nothing emerged from the gloom. I shivered and rubbed my bare arms, taking a few cautious steps forward.  What was this? What was going to happen?

"Stupid, little, floundering girl." A voice drawled.

Up ahead of me, a figure was waiting for me. He glowed slightly in the gloom; his skin shimmered like sunlight and sparkled like drops of rain, and his shaved head was bowed as he looked at the floor. Strong, wiry arms were crossed across his chest, and I saw that instead of the solstae suit I was used to on him, he was wearing flowing white robes. He lifted his head to look at me, and my heart leapt into my throat at the sight of his deep set, dark indigo eyes. They were as cold and hard as stones, and the sharp angles of his face only made him look more sinister. His dark eyes took in the shock on my face, and his lips curled in dire amusement.

"Remember me, Lilah Winters?" King Raea asked. "I've been on your heart a lot lately. Little things have reminded you of me, whether it be the solstae armour or curved blades. I'll always be in your conscious, won't I?"

"You're dead." I told him breathily. "You're dead, I killed you."

"So you did." He sounded bored. I watched as he rose a hand and inspected it closely. The mist swirled around him, but his skin looked dry and untouched. "You stabbed me in the throat. Clever, I admit." He nodded once. "You never would have been able to stab me through my suit. Did you know, I could feel that blade lodged in my windpipe?"

He looked at me interestedly, and I felt my stomach turn.

"My blood rose up around the metal like a great typhoon." Raea went on casually. "I'd never tasted blood before. Well, not my own blood, at least." He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "The blood of those faeries though... it would splash on my face when I ripped them apart, and their blood tasted much better than mine. I wonder how yours tastes."

"Stop this." I snapped. There was bile in my throat at the things he was describing. "How are you here, Raea?"

"This mist." He glanced around coolly. "It pulls up the ones that torment your heart. I'm honoured that I'm one of them." He bowed mockingly.