Sentinel

Chapter 28 - Dreaming Reality

Tayne cracked his eyelids open warily. Soft light greeted him, a stark contrast to the insanity of colour that had brought him here. And wherever here was, it was most definitely not the Silverborn quarters.

Straight, vertical lines rose from floor to ceiling. They left no space for light to filter through. A fog coated their forms, clinging like ashes from a fire to the seamless edges.

They sent a shiver down his spine.

Feet braced shoulder-width apart, Tayne examined the area slowly. His hand hovered over the sword at his hip, ready to react at the slightest provocation. He searched the darkness, seeking the girl he knew should be here with him.

Unless the shadows weren’t gone. Unless they affected her magic, and even now, the Sentinel approaches in the darkness...

Tayne shook his head to clear his mind of the thought.  

The fog shifted. A figure that came up to his shoulder -- Skye’s height -- materialised next to him. Tayne narrowed his eyes at the elf, noting the pointed ears. Was it her?

His training asserting itself, Tayne raked his eyes over her body, suspicious of deception. When his sword didn’t grow cold, a sign of deceptive magic, he relaxed his stance. The elf he presumed to be Skye watched him with large green eyes. Her teal streaks formed an emerald halo and gave colour to what was otherwise a monotone setting, devoid of life except the gloom that crowded in around them.

Skye took a hesitant step to the side, her gaze shifting between the buildings and him. It surprised him when he saw her hands trembling.

“I’m sorry...” she said, her voice a whisper. Skye frowned, cleared her throat and started again. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realise it’d be like that -- none of the books or tomes mentioned it’d feel like that... I mean, I thought I’d got us both killed.” Skye tucked her hands around her waist and attempted a shaky laugh. “You’d think a little fact like that would be important to mention. Warning: spell may cause individuals involved to have their bodies possessed by whatever in the nether that was.”

Tayne stared at the ground, suppressing a shiver at the way the magic had taken his body prisoner so easily. “Like lightning, grabbing your limbs so you can’t move, can’t breathe,” he said.

Skye nodded in return. “Exactly. It was almost exciting, yet it felt like one wrong move and my entire existence would’ve been meaningless. Just everything, gone.”

Tayne raised an eyebrow. “I wasn’t able to put words to it. I was otherwise occupied thinking ‘oh deities save my sorry behind’.”

He glanced around as he spoke. Through the gloom, he was sure there were figures, just beyond sight, flitting through the shadows. Watching them. He resisted the urge to draw his blade, finding comfort in the solid steel. Skye was unarmed except for a small dagger pushed through her belt, he noted with interest. Did that mean she felt safe here?

The figures weren’t harmless, he sensed, but neither did they pose a threat to his current situation. Tayne shook his head. When had he become so jumpy at mere shadows?

Ever since they began coming to life, replied a voice in his head. Tayne promptly silenced it, instead focusing his attention on the flesh-and-blood elf waiting for his reply. 

“No harm done. I think I’m still in possession of all my limbs. But where are we?” he asked.

“In Naisha, my village.” Her answer was accompanied by a worried smile.

Tayne examined the ceiling again. If he outstretched his arm, it’d be another metre before his fingers were able to make contact with it. Nonetheless, he was sure of something. The musty air confirmed his suspicion.