The Girl with Red Hair and Sapphire Eyes Part 4

Xalay was kneeling on the ground unable to see anything around her. She tried putting her hand in front of her face and found that she was incapable of even making out her fingers. She touched her face, checking to see if her eyelids were open. They were. "What is going on," she wondered. A low rumble sounded somewhere above her, and slowly it got louder, until finally it roared above her head. She could feel vibration in the ground beneath her. Lighting splintered across the sky and she could feel a cool breeze on her face.

The moon decided that now was a good time to show, and Xalay focused on it. Slowly, the world began to appear around her. The outline of trees, the sound of owls and crickets were becoming clearer. She was in the forest. There just ahead of her was the boulder she used to sit on. Though it looked much smaller now. She walked over to it, and found that she could wrap her hands around it, and lift it up off the ground. It was no larger than a cat. As she considered this the large stone began to turn black in her hands, and warm. It spun around, and as it did so, a cat's head formed. It grew horrid yellow eyes, and matching fangs dripping with saliva. Xalay dropped the thing immediately and backed away. She tried to utter prayers of protection but found that her throat had lost the ability to speak. Furthermore she felt as though she were being choked, or suffocated. She put her hands to her neck and tried to scream, but nothing came out. Everything around her began to turn into black ink. But the strange cat head with glowing yellow eyes lifted, and began to float in the air towards her.

She tried to turn and run away but she stumbled instead. Then she could hear someone calling her name, the voice sounded familiar but she couldn't quite pinpoint it. Nor could she figure out where the voice was coming from. The world around her continued to melt into black ink. She stumbled again....

"Xalay, wake up!" Xalay gasped, opening her eyes. But then immediately closing them again due to the amount of blinding light in the room. Lycius ordered Candace to dim the lights. When she had done so, Lycius turned to Xalay again, "You can open them now." Cautiously her eye lashes fluttered. The room had been dimmed considerably. "You must have had some frightful dream. Did you win the fight?" He chuckled. Her eyebrows furrowed. She reached up and rubbed the sleep out from the corners of her eyes. Xalay sat up, holding the blanket to her chest. "I need some clean clothes please." Lycius put his hand on Xalay's shoulder, I really think you should rest some more. The sun hasn't even risen yet." Xalay shook her head no, "Please, don't make me go in the garden without clothes." Lycius could see he was going to get no where. He nodded at Candace who hurried down the hall towards the seamstress' quarters. She generally had a plethora of different outfits in various sizes to accomodate the women he brought into the compound on a regular basis. A practice which had been curtailed since the arrival of Xalay.

Lycius sat down next to Xalay, still wearing his white undergarments. With sincere worry he questioned, "Are you alright, Xalay?" She nodded, "I'm fine. I just need to do some things." Lycius confused said, "I'm sure whatever it is, it can wait until you're a little stronger." Xalay shook her head, "You don't understand. I need to go pray, without it, I'm not going to get any stronger." Now it was Lycius' turn to furrow his eyebrows. Again she was talking about her beliefs, that touchy subject that usually got the two of them into arguments. He didn't want to argue with her, he wanted to kiss her. Candace entered the room carrying over one arm a beautiful creme colored gown, which possessed an ornately embroidered bodice. Xalay smiled at the sight of it, "It's perfect." Candace looked at her master and meekly said, "I'm sorry, sir. But you'll need to leave the room so I may help the lady get dressed." Lycius scoffed, playfully, "Well, if I must. But let it be known I'd much rather stay in here and watch!" Candace burst out laughing as she closed the door behind him, "He's so wicked!" Xalay smiled, "Oh no he's much worse. He'd be wicked if that statement had only been a joke. But I'm certain he meant every word!" The girls laughed and Candace began to help Xalay out of bed.

Lycius leaned against the wall of the corridor, feeling the cold of the marble wall against the backs of his arms and neck. He listened to the two women giggle in the guest room and smiled to himself. After about ten minutes he realized they were going to be a long while getting Xalay ready, and it was most likely going to be a longer amount of time than he wanted to wait. He was disappointed at this, but then he remembered what she'd said. She needed to go pray.....to regain her strength. Seriously? He walked to his quarters, and rang the bell by his bed. Within moments Toren walked in the room carrying a robe, soap, towels, and linens. The two walked towards the bathing chamber together. Once inside the chambers Lycius undressed, Toren set down the bathing items and stoked the fires for the hot bath. Already the room was filled with thick heavy steam, that almost took one's breath away when attempting deep inhalations.

Back in the guest room, Candace tightened and tied the last of the ribbons on the back of the bodice for Xalay's gown. A second maid had entered the room and was brushing Xalay's hair. But the second maid soon left. Xalay sat back down on the edge of the bed, and slipped her feet into the white slipper-like shoes Candace had provided for her. Candace wrapped the ribbons of each shoe around each of her ankles and tied them in bows on he back of her calves. Xalay stood and thanked Candace for her help. She began to head toward the door but the ground shook beneath her, and she lost her footing. Her arms flailed as she tried to grab onto anything nearby to keep from toppling to the ground. Candace stood behind her, gripping her waist and steadying her. A flash of light filled the room, blinding Xalay momentarily. She blinked her eyes open, but everything around her was hazy, as though she were trying to make sense of things through a thick fog. Slowly her vision began to clear. However, things had changed.

Xalay could still feel Candace's fingers on her waist. And faintly she could hear Candace asking her questions but not enough to make them out, and as she looked around her she found she couldn't really see Candace either. She was just a kind of blurry blob standing behind her. She attempted focusing her eyes, but saw that she could only vaguely make out the outline of the room she had once been standing in; now the walls and ceiling were ephemeral. Suddenly in front of her seven tall men appeared. Each of them were about 8 feet in height. Their heads much taller than the room, the simply towered over everything, but weren't bound by the structure of the compound at all. Each man had pearlesque skin, black hair, and almond eyes, a large set of wings, and they were wearing armour. The largest of the seven stepped forward and knelt down so that his head would be closer to Xalay's eye level.

He began to speak, but all she heard was the most beautiful orchestral music. No words. One of the other creatures also spoke, and the one kneeling turned his head toward him. They seemed to be conversing with one another, but try as Xalay did she coudln't make it out. The kneeling angel lifted his hands and gently touched her ears. He lowered his hands and said, "Can you understand what I'm saying now?" Xalay smiled, "yes." He returned the smile and said, "Good. My name is Eamon." Xalay looked into his beautiful brown eyes for a moment and found an intense sensation of happiness welling inside her. But then she remembered. She blinked her eyes and said, "I know why you're here. Danger is coming. But who is it?" Eamon shook his head, "although our time is limited there are a couple of things we need to take care of first. Candace is still in the room, she thinks you have gone mad and is about ready to call Lycius. You need to speak with her. She will be agreeable, she was sent here because she is a Wai believer as well." Xalay nodded, "Understood."

Xalay reached her hand up until her fingers came into contact with Candace's shoulder. Now Xalay was able to focus her vision on Candace's face. Xalay looked at her in the eyes, "You are a Wai believer?" Candace nodded. Xalay continued, "Did you dream of darkness last night, and a feline head with glowing yellow eyes?" Candace's mouth dropped open, "Yes." Xalay swallowed, the part of trust was always the most difficult to procure, but she had little time to be concerned, "I need your help." Candace nodded her head, "I know." Xalay's hand flashed into the air, and touched Candace's forehead, "Sight." Candace was blinded by a flash of light, she could feel the rumbling in the ground as Xalay had, and she too began to lose her balance. Xalay caught her. The light came down a little and Candace was able to open her eyes, as she did, she too saw the 7 men standing behind Xalay. Candace turned to Xalay, "So we're going to battle then?" Eamon responded, "yes, Leviathan is coming...."

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The Girl with Red Hair and Sapphire Eyes Part 4

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