Tiberius sat in the darkness. With his Atlantian gifts, Tiberius was able to make out all of features of his little cell. He almost wished he couldn't. Being able to see the walls did nothing to take away from the monotony of the darkness and the pain radiating throughout his body.
Letting loose a ragged breath, Tiberius clenched his hands into fists. It felt like he was just one giant seeping wound. His skin had endured lash after lash from the whips until his back had been nothing more than a crisscross of bloody wounds. And then they began cutting.
Drawing in a deep breath, Tiberius dragged himself across the floor, his limp legs trailing through the blood and urine which soaked the floor. He hated that he did not have full control of his body. He probably would have been disgusted with the state he had allowed himself to be forced into but he didn't have the time.
Someone was watching him.
He could feel the stare boring into him even through the darkness though he could make out no form and he could sense that he was the only corporeal person in the tiny cell. As he strained his ears, there were no sounds other than his own laboured breathing. Yet instinct told him that there was something else here.
"Who is there?" he asked, his hand moving to cradle his cracked ribs. He could feel his body attempting to heal itself but there were so many wounds. There were too many things broken or damaged.
When no one answered his, Tiberius lifted his head and stared into the dark, squinting as it to see the spectre which continued to haunt him. "I know you're there."
A female gasp echoed around him. He showed no reaction but inside he felt victory. He was right. He wasn't going delirious from his injuries – at least he didn't think so.
"Don't hide from me." He ordered, his voice gaining strength even as he started to feel light headed. "Show yourself."
There was another shocked gasp. "Tiberius. Can you hear me? I'm coming for you." The voice babbled into the darkness. "Just hold on for me. Please just hold on. I need you."
Closing his eyes, the weakened man felt as if he had finally snapped. "You can't be here. You got out. You're safe." He fell quiet for a few seconds before sucking in a sharp breath, his body jolting upright as he eyes looked into the darkness. "No. Please tell me you haven't been captured."
There was no reply. Tiberius felt emotions, ones he had buried centuries before, threating to overwhelm him.
"Answer me, Aubrey." He shouted into the darkness. Every part of his being strained, waiting for the reply but almost afraid of what it would mean. He hated it. He was never afraid anymore. Not for himself.
Finally, so softly he almost missed it, he hear her voice reassuring him in a soothing balm. "I am fine. I am safe." She murmured. "I am coming for you Tiberius."
A moment later it felt like a cold breeze had swept through the small cramped space taking any warmth with it. And then she was gone. The darkness, which had been pushed away by her invisible presence, closed in on all sides. But it didn't matter.
Tiberius smiled into the darkness. She was safe.
*** ***
"Aubrey. Wake up!"
Gasping, the red head shot upwards only to slump backwards, her hand coming up to hold her sore head. Blinking, she couldn't stop the tears which formed in her eyes. It was difficult to figure out if they were from pain or relief.
"Are you okay?"
Blinking through the pain, Aubrey glanced up at Andrew only to see red. At the sight of blood pouring from his nose, the woman ignored her own throbbing head and leapt up from the bed. Closing the distance between them, she mercilessly clamped her fingers down onto his nose in an attempt to stem the flow of blood.
"Am I okay? What about you? Are YOU okay?" she asked, frowning up at him. When he winced, she let her lips form a small smile. "Don't be a baby. It's just a nose bleed."
"Sorry." Andrew apologised.
"It's fine. Next time I suggest taking care of you first. I am a big girl and I don't need to be mollycoddled." Aubrey stated while using her free hand to force Andrew to take over the grip on his nose.
"You were shouting in your sleep."
Aubrey's head snapped up. "I was shouting?"
"Yes, I couldn't make out a lot of it." Andrew replied, his brows furrow as he glanced down at her. "You didn't look like you were having a good dream so I thought it best to wake you up."
Wrapping her arms around her waist, Aubrey turned away from the man. "I thought you would have learnt after last time I got woken up abruptly. You're lucky I didn't hurt you."
"Are you sure you're okay?" his soft voice called to her.
Whipping her head around, she glared at the man. But, at the sight of him still pathetically attempting to stem the flow of blood from his nose, she sighed and dropped her gaze.
"No, I'm not okay." She ground out before throwing her arms away from her body and letting out a growl. "I saw him. In my dreams I saw my - friend. They've hurt him. They've hurt him badly. I don't know how long he will survive if they continue torturing him over and over again. And I know it wasn't a dream before you even say it. I know it deep within my heart and soul. It was real."
Using his free hand as a shield, Andrew stared over at her with sad eyes. Aubrey didn't appreciate the pity.
"I wasn't going to say it was just a dream. I was just going to say that I have an idea and maybe it would be a good time to put it into action." Dropping his hand away from his face, he paused as if waiting for more blood to flow before he continued. "Have you ever heard of Evelyn Turner?"
The red head laughed. "The TV psychic? Who hasn't heard of Evelyn Turner?"
"I was just checking." He muttered before looking down at his shoes. "She lives near here. It was one of the reasons I suggested this place. According to my uncle she was the real deal. The TV act was just to play the crowds but her entire family have been involved in the craft for centuries."
Staring at him, Aubrey knew her face held disbelief. Yet what options did they have. Closing her eyes for a moment, she drew in a deep breath before releasing it slowly. "Fine."
"Fine?"
"Yes, fine. We'll go and see Evelyn. What other options do we have? I am no magician or wizard or whatever else. The only thing I know how to do is fight and even that is questionable."
"Great, let's go."
"Are you sure we'll be okay just turning up at her home?" Aubrey asked as she watched him rush around.
He waved her off, his eyes scanning the room as he searched for his shoes.
Twenty minutes later we were pulling up to a gated property. When Andrew had said the celebrity psychic lived close by he wasn't lying. From the closed gates and the sheer multitude of security surrounding her property, it was easy to see the woman wasn't a huge fan of guests.
"I know you suggested we visit Evelyn but I don't think she likes unexpected visitors."
Andrew smiled, his foot still hovering on the breaks as he leant across the seats, his fingers quickly releasing the catch on the glove compartment. A second later he was brandishing his police badge with a huge grin on his face. Rolling the car forward, he wound down the window and pressed the buzzer.
"Hello."
Holding his badge up towards the camera so that the person could see the camera, Andrew spoke with surprising authority. "I need to speak to Ms Turner. I have a few questions."
A moment later there was a click and the gates drew open. Immediately on the other side there was a tall dark skinned man dressed in black. His chest was protected by a Kevlar bullet proof vest and there were several implements hanging on his waist. Even as he held the radio up to his mouth, his hand hovered over his belt where a baton hung.
As the car rolled up the driveway, he lowered the radio and walked up to the car. He leant down and peered through the window, looking at the two in the front seats. Aubrey only hoped he didn't want to do a full vehicle inspection. It wouldn't look good if they found the unconscious man they had hidden in the boot.
His gaze which was hidden behind a pair of sunglasses, finally fell upon Andrew. He held out his hand expectantly so he placed his ID into the man's waiting hand.
"You're a bit far away from home." He replied, holding the ID up to the light as if to find any faults or defects with it.
"We have something to discuss with Ms Turner about an ongoing investigation." Andrew replied, sitting up in his seat and meeting the man's stare.
"I wouldn't normally let you pass but Ms Turner has already told me to send you up to the house." The man replied coldly, lifting his glasses so that he could stare at the paid without any barriers. "But I'll be watching you. Follow the drive up to the house and park over on the left hand side. Do not park on the flowers."
With that he stepped away, his arm waving through the air. The gates groaned on their hinges before shutting with a loud clang.
The driveway was long. It took several minutes to reach the house which was a lot smaller than Aubrey had been expecting. Despite the acres of land all around it, the property could have no more than five bedrooms and only had two storeys. Yet it was beautiful. It looked like it belonged in a magazine with honeysuckle growing up the side, window boxes under every window though the flowers were currently in hiding.
The bright red front door opened as we came to a stop and a woman stepped out to greet us. Evelyn Turner was different in person to the persona she wore on television. Gone were the vibrant coloured clothes, dangly stone earring and the multitude of gaudy rings. Instead, the woman who waved at them was dressed in dusky pink knee length skirt and a white blouse. Her long white hair was braided and hung over her shoulder.
"Come on in," she called. "I've been expecting you."
Exchanging glances with the man at her side, Aubrey pulled open the door and slid out from the car. Her eyes never left the strange woman as she tried to figure out whether she was friend or foe.
"Oh and bring your friend too."
Aubrey blinked and held very still. She tried not to react, keeping her face placid even as she closed the door and walked around to the back of the car. Banging once on the boot, Andrew released the catch. Lifting the lid, the red head was aware of the other woman's raised brows when she pulled the unconscious man from the boot.
Andrew hurried around to her side, closing the boot and then picking Merlin's legs from where they were dragging on the floor.
"Where should we put him?" Andrew asked, smiling brightly at the woman.
Aubrey couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes. She couldn't argue that the woman was beautiful but Andrew's reaction was more than that. He was star struck.
"In the lounge should do." She murmured softly. "And be quick about it. Too many eyes are watching."
They all moved into a small clean lounge. It screamed money. Aubrey hated the orderliness to the entire place. There was no clutter. Everything had its place and the only mementos were a few gilt framed pictures standing on top of the beautiful varnished wood of the fireplace.
Aubrey didn't care too much about the fact that they were dropping Merlin, in all of his alcohol scented glory, onto a white sofa. His boots left dirty black smears on the fabric but she just shrugged and stepped back. It would wash off... probably.
"Take a seat." Evelyn offered calmly, waving her hands at the other available chairs. She seemed unaffected but the slight, her attention seemingly elsewhere as she sat demurely within a high back chair.
Andrew immediately took the seat closest to the beautiful older woman, his entire leaning forwards so that he could stare at her. Aubrey almost made a protest and remained standing but she had a feeling the entire situation was going to take a lot longer than it should.
"So how can I help you?" Evelyn asked, her voice gentle and soothing.
Aubrey snorted, "I thought you're supposed to be the psychic."
"A sceptic I see." The woman replied serenely. "It's funny that you question me when you come to me for help. But you want proof? Fine."
The red head held her breath as the woman closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. Aubrey was tempted to copy her. But she didn't. She kept her eyes open and watched her from beneath her lashes. The room fell quiet other than the sounds of their breathing and the rhythmic ticking of the small ornate carriage clock on the mantle.
"You." Evelyn murmured.
Her eyes peeled open to reveal cloudy white where they had before been green. It was difficult to tell the iris from the rest of the eye.
"I see you. Aubrey Winters. Human. Atlantian." Her voice was deeper as if it was coming from somewhere primal. "You are clouded in shadow. You have brushed with death over and over again and now his cape cloaks you like a shield. You and death are now kin. What is life without death? And yet you have a destiny." Evelyn sucked in a sharp breath; her head tilting back to look at the ceiling while her entire body shuddered. "You have a destiny. A great destiny but you still have so many choices to make which could lead you down the wrong path. You could lead them all and they would follow. Or you could be their destroyer."
Aubrey pushed up from her chair. "What is that supposed to mean?" She asked.
Evelyn trembled, her eyes blinking rapidly as she started to come back to herself. With one last judder, she slumped back into her chair. Swiping the perspiration from her brow, she stared wearily over at Aubrey and gave her a grim smile.
"It means Miss Winters, that this is all so much bigger than your current task. You will one day face the biggest challenge of your life and you will have to make a choice." Rubbing a hand down her face, the white haired woman suddenly looked decades older than her thirty something years. "And if you make the wrong choice, you will doom us all. It seems the fate of the worlds rests on your shoulders. Now isn't that a terrifying thought."
"Well damn." Andrew muttered, his hands reaching out to help the woman but pulling back before he could make contact.
Gulping, the red head ran a hand through her hair. "That's exactly what I was thinking."