Her eyes struggled to adjust to the ever growing light as Leyla made her way down the narrow corridor. It made her wonder, one more, how long she had stayed in the dim cell. Suddenly the walls opened out to a room that was so bright, she was blinded. Shielding her face with her arm, she ducked her head and blinked the dark spots away. When she tried looking around once more, her eyes focused in on the stone wall that continued in front of her and the wide archway that opened up to the right.
"You've finally come, Leyla."
Leyla lowered her elbow to hold up her fists as she searched for the source of the unfamiliar voice. It took a moment for everything to come into focus, but when it did she sucked in a sharp breath: the chamber was missing a wall. On the right and across from her, the stone walls continued, but the rock floor ended at a sheer drop to the left where Asch's landscape filled her vision.
She was standing at an impossible height in a carved out room on Ghost Mountain.
"It's a pity." Her head snapped to the right where a pale bald man in long glimmering robes walked past her to stand at the edge of the drop. "You can not stay here," the Ghost King spoke again watching the view.
Every instinct in her body told her that this was an adversary she could not defeat, that she had to run, but Leyla stood still. If the Ghost Kings had wanted to kill her for taking their precious Immortality Plant, they could have done so back at the Jade Palace. Curling her fingers into her palms, she felt for the Heat; it had begun to dissipate but she had a bit of time yet before the pain of withdrawal began.
"Where is my companion?"
"Raphael?" The Ghost King asked his gaze now on the Aqua Farms in the distance.
"Yes, Raphael." There was no need to question how he knew Raphael's name, or hers for that matter. An entity that could kill with a simple touch was not one she could begin to understand. "Is he alright? Is he here?"
"He should be dead." The Ghost King's voice grew cold, sending a shiver down her spine. "For your sake, he was saved."
For her sake? Why? Not that it mattered, because Raphael was alive. Relief hit her so hard, she widened her stance to keep her balance. "Thank you. Thank you for your mercy."
"Mercy?" The Ghost King turned then, his pale, almost white eyes regarding her without emotion. "It may have been more merciful to kill you."
Leyla's eyes widened as she stared at his unmoving mouth. How was she hearing his voice when his lips had not parted? Was he inside her head? "Why?" she finally managed to ask.
Noticing her stare the King frowned, then turned towards the view once more. "Everyone is born with a veil that stops them from seeing their Truth. Some veils are thinner than others. Some Truths are heavier to bear. You, girl of many names, were born with a veil harder than iron and a Truth weightier than this mountain."
"What does that mean?" Leyla asked.
"It means you have suffered and you will continue suffering." The pale grey eyes were on her once more and for a second Leyla thought she saw something that almost resembled tenderness in their depths. "Unless you break what blinds you, pain will be your constant companion."
Leyla tried to make sense of what he was saying, but he was speaking in metaphors she couldn't decipher and the pain that was building at the base of her spine was clouding her mind; the withdrawal of Heat had begun.
"It is time to leave," the Ghost King said as if he knew what was happening inside her. Raising one pale hand towards the bright sky he held out his palm and waited. A moment later a wild Rezeg bird appeared, its red eyes bright as it tossed its head and let loose a shriek that made the stones vibrate.
"Where is Raphael?" Ignoring the burning in her bones, Leyla took a step towards the Ghost King. "I will not leave without Raphael."
"Lieutenant!"