Greys III - Revelations

Chapter 13 - Air, Ale, & Ash

Nearly an hour later, as each of us were deep in our own thoughts and lulled by the rhythmic sound of the train on the tracks, Ailech screamed.

I was at his bedside first, shaking him awake as he cried out again. His eyes flew open, meeting mine, and I dropped to my knees, the strength in my legs seeping out like they were withering away beneath me. Ailech reached out to grab ahold of me, just like I had been reaching for him a moment earlier, his eyes recognizing me as he came out of whatever dream he had been in.

"The hell was that?" I asked from my knees, dumbfounded by how I had even gotten there.

"Your leg must have fallen asleep, happens to the best of us, Mors," Ailech replied with a look that told me to agree, and though I didn't know why, I nodded, letting him know I had received his message.

"Yeah...that must be it. Are you okay? You yelled." I changed the subject quickly, getting back to my feet and leaning against his bunk.

"Yeah, sorry, full disclosure, that happens a lot. I've had nightmares ever since I was a child. Abby does his best, but there isn't much he can do, just like for yours. That's why I try to sleep as rarely and lightly as I can get away with, it isn't exactly restful for me. Never has been. Though they've been less in the past months."

Ailech sat up in bed, his legs over the side, hands massaging little circles in his hair as he spoke at the ground, his voice muffled. James' watchful eyes flicked between Ailech and me before he spoke quietly, like he already knew the answer and was dreading its confirmation.

"Are they from my father?"

"We can't be sure, but that's always been my running theory. Abby can stop natural nightmares and dreams, he isn't that impotent."

Suddenly Kael joined the conversation, hanging his head off his bunk and letting his hair fall around him like a shroud.

"I feel left out. How come daddy-damned doesn't haunt me too? I'm impressive, I have skills. Elitist asshole."

The joking in Kael's voice made me smile, he sounded like I remembered him. And though I could tell he was trying at it, I still returned the wink he sent in my direction. Nevaeh had been silently watching in the new way of hers, green eyes seeing everything, putting pieces together like some elaborate puzzle.

"I guess I understand why Abby always kept such a short leash on you now. If the Collector is working so hard to haunt you, for so many years. You must be important. He wouldn't use that energy on just anyone."

The heavy silence settled again after I spoke, as the elephant in the room reared it's head again. I decided to take the plunge.

"Tell me the prophecy, Abby will as soon as we get back anyway, might as well give me an extra day to process. I know it won't be good, prophecies rarely are."

Ailech tried to look over to James, but he studiously ignored him. He didn't give up.

"You want to explain our fates to your Pair?"

James snorted a laugh, rather uncharacteristic of him, and shook his head, his choppy, midnight hair crisscrossing his face.

"I only know the crumbs my father told me, not full verses. I mainly got lectured on the meaning, that something new was coming and a war would follow, light would fall and he would reign, all with me by his side forever faithfully under his control, bound to him. You know, the usual bedtime stories. I'm sure he twisted it, since he must have known it was about me. But still, my views are probably more pessimistic than helpful. And some parts of it I've only just figured out recently."