Awakened, page 26
After a few beats, it became apparent that he hadn’t noticed her presence there with him, for he stared at the woman, Lydia, in the memory. His gaze shifted from Lydia, to Avryn, then to Marric. He didn’t seem to care about anyone else in the group, which Janis resented a bit. Couldn’t he see that they weren’t the only ones that could pose a threat to him?
Why those three? she thought.
By now, she had completely forgotten about observing the memory, and was instead focused entirely on the man. With another stab of regret, she realized she had lost focus on her outside senses. Panicked just a bit, she reached out with her senses and felt the floor of the cave where she lay; she heard the storm and the rain—the real storm, and felt the cold air of the wind on her face outside of the in-between. Nothing seemed amiss, so she returned her attention to the memory, and the man.
Janis shifted her gaze to the man again and froze, her gut wrenching again. For the dead-looking man had stopped observing the others, and was now staring at her. There was a moment of strange surreality as they stared at each other, confusion on his face. She couldn’t actually be sure what her face looked like at this moment, for she could only see from her own eyes in this state.
Behind the red glow, his eyes were piercing blue like the sky. For some reason, she got the feeling that her action of reaching out to her senses had given away her position, but that was ridiculous. How could he sense such a thing?
His stare persisted for a time, but then his eyes narrowed, and his thin mouth became a thinner line as he pressed his lips together. Then he spoke.
“So, I’m not here alone, then.”
A chill ran up Janis’s spine at his voice. His voice was not deep, like a man’s ought to be, but higher in pitch, though it wasn’t high like a woman’s. It was sharp, and seemed accusatory, as if he was catching her in a crime. But it wasn’t just his voice that made her shiver, it was the fact that it sounded echoey and murky, like they were underwater, piercing her soul and mind, as if he weren’t actually using sound to talk, but instead entering her mind directly. It was unnatural.
He stood there, expecting her to respond, but she didn’t. Come to think of it, she wasn’t sure that she even could respond. Never at any moment had she been joined in an in-between by another human being. His eyes narrowed again and he spoke once more.
“Are you incapable of speech, woman?”
He didn’t sound angry, but instead bitter, as if his whole life was terrible and he had never been happy before. She felt that she was actually incapable, but if she had been able to speak, she wasn’t sure what she’d say. She would rather have the ability to move, for that was her better form of communication. When she didn’t respond immediately, he hissed slightly. But the sound was loud in her mind, and echoed like his speech did.
“No matter. I’m not sure how you are Seeing this, but your little Avryn’s Shield isn’t enough to block my Sight completely. I’ve been watching you and your little band of miscreants every day.”
Everything felt wrong. Normally she felt so comfortable and safe in the in-between. It was like the small and cozy closet a child could use to hide from the worries and the cares of the world. She never felt vulnerable, but instead powerful, like she could see more, understand more. She hadn’t thought being there was any type of magic, but it made her feel stronger regardless.
Today, it was different. She felt exposed—open, like she couldn’t get away or hide anywhere, even if she tried. She wanted to run, attack, at least pull out her daggers for Lanser’s sake, but she couldn’t do any of that.
The strange white-washed man bared his teeth like a wild animal. He slowly began walking toward her, and the memory around them slowed down. A stab of worry and fear blossomed in her chest and gut as she watched Milnarin telling about something, though she couldn’t hear it anymore. His hands were moving so slowly, as if they were trapped by something thick and viscous. Then it happened, a strange pulling sensation spread on her body, and she fell to the ground. Shaking her head in confusion, she looked up to see her body, her full body sitting there and listening to Milnarin without her.
Blinking for a moment, she tested her grip and found that she was able to move. Instinctively, she reached to her side for her dagger, but found it empty.
Janis cursed. Apparently, weapons weren’t transferred to the in-between like the rest of her. Dazed and feeling horribly strange, she got to her feet and faced the stranger in her memory. Something had happened to her just now. It was as if her consciousness was forcibly separated from the memory body inside her head. With another stab of fear, she realized that she couldn’t sense her body, her outside senses seemed to have been left with her actual body, locked in a place that she couldn’t reach.
Fog it! What is happening?! she thought, exasperated.
She would have to deal with one problem at a time.
Spinning to the side, she saw that the man was watching her, looking amused. She was at the ready, anticipating a fight, but he only watched her. For a moment, nothing happened. They just stared at each other. Then he smiled eerily, his teeth looking remarkably white and clean against his pallid skin.
“I must say, you have some fight in you. You needn’t worry, there are no physical forms in this place.”
At that, he held out his hand and a dagger appeared. It was reddish, and shined as if it was made from—
Light, Janis thought, he’s a Lightbearer.
The dagger was surprisingly intricate for being made out of Light. It had ornate designs not only on the small pommel, but also running up the blade. Without any warning, it launched itself at Janis, right at her heart. She gasped, attempting to jump out of the way, but was not quick enough. It just missed her heart, and instead passed through her right shoulder. Then—nothing.
Looking down in shock, she saw that there was no blood, no pain. Nothing.
“I tried to tell you, I can’t kill you here. Which is such a shame, if I do say so myself. It would be a perfect time to slay you and your little band of—whatever you are.”
Janis was breathing hard, adrenaline rushing through her limbs and making her ears roar. He hadn’t even moved a muscle at all. Such movement would have given her more time to dodge, but it was as if some invisible force had launched the dagger at her. Yes, she wasn’t bleeding or dying, but if this was any representation of the power this odd man had outside of the in-between, Janis didn’t stand a chance.
“Who are you?” she said forcefully.
Her voice shocked her, as if it came out of a place she didn’t know. It sounded far away, once again resembling sound underwater.
“Oh, so she does speak, then? I can tell that you are not accustomed to viewing the world in this way. I suspect you’d be full of idle threats had you been able to speak earlier.”
“What did you do to me?”
A small smile spread across his face, and he seemed more amused than ever.
“So many questions. This isn’t an interrogation, my dear. You’re lucky that I separated you from your body. So many limitations exist in this place if you’re stuck there.”
Separated from my body?! What the fog is going on?! she thought.
“Oh relax, my dear. You aren’t dead, and I can’t kill you, so you might as well enjoy our time here. Now, it’s my turn to ask questions. Where is the boy?”
Janis didn’t relax, despite his comment, but instead bared her teeth. She remained low in her ready-to-fight position. Then, without warning, she yelled and launched herself at the man. Throwing a fist right at his jaw, she aimed to knock him down. Unfortunately, she was disappointed in this as her hand passed right through his face. Cursing, she spun to look at him again.
“Are you quite done, my dear?”
He was pleased, and his face was practically dripping with the emotion. The shadows continued to dance on the wall, but they were slow, which felt odd and unnatural. Well, no more odd and unnatural than what she was experiencing now.
“Where is the boy, woman? I have strained and tried to See where you and your little friends are, but I cannot See. Now that I have you here, tell me.”
Janis smirked. “Or what?”
She felt nervous, and a bit afraid, but also very confident now that she knew he couldn’t hurt her, and that he couldn’t find them.
The confident look on his face melted away and was replaced by rage. His lip began trembling and he was growling slightly. Bone white hands clenched at his side and she sensed that he had just lost his leverage on her.
“Blasted woman!” he shouted, anger boiling out. “No matter! I’ll have her to talk to.”
Confused, Janis looked to where his bony finger pointed. He was fixed on Lydia, and just then, still in slow motion, the woman’s eyes began to glow. All at once, there was a ripping sound and the woman’s body separated, a second version of herself sliding out behind the glowing-eyed version sitting by the fire.
The older woman looked puzzled for a moment, standing just behind herself in the memory, then her face twisted into fear as she took in the scene around her. She stared at her body sitting by the fire, then looked up to see Janis, or rather, the in-between Janis, standing a bit back behind herself, and the strange robed man.
“We haven’t much time, woman! Where is this happening? Where are you and this little band of so-called warriors sitting around this fire?!”
Her gut twisted inside.
Where is this happening?! she thought. Why in Lanser’s name is he speaking in the present?
She suddenly felt very small, like she didn’t know anything real in the world. It was the feeling that she got when she felt like she was breaking laws of nature. A similar feeling had overcome her the first time she’d entered the past in the in-between, and that had taken time to come to terms with. Laws were being broken. Janis didn’t know why or how, but she got the feeling that time was blurred here, and it made her almost lose herself to its strangeness.
It took a lot of her strength and focus to push the feelings aside and refocus her mind. She had heard accounts of men and women breaking laws of nature and going mad because of it. However, even more strange, this odd man and Lydia seemed unaware of the strangeness.
Janis almost yelled at the man that this had already happened and that Lydia had left the cave a while ago. She opted to say nothing so as to not indicate her lack of knowledge about the situation. Besides, he was oddly adamant that this was happening in the present.
Lydia looked scared, but also resolved.
“You have no power over me here.”
She said this quietly, and her lip trembled slightly.
“Blast, woman! We haven’t the time for your games. Your vision is about to end! TELL ME NOW!”
Her mind raced. It felt as if it was spinning faster and faster, trying to take everything in before it ended. She only recognized now that the man’s eyes glowed eerily, as did Lydia’s, though hers were blue, and his red.
They must be using some Lightbearing of some sort. He mentioned her ‘vision’, so is that what is happening right now around the fire? Is Lydia Seeing them?
Janis looked at the memory of Lydia sitting by the fire, eyes aglow.
That’s right! Her eyes only glowed for a time. What happens when it ends?
“Do you know who this man is?! He can’t be trusted! He also is one that can Destroy. He has powers beyond your comprehension, woman! Come to me, and join my forces. I can protect you from people like him.”
Lydia’s body stiffened and her face hardened. She glanced over at Avryn, looking worried.
“Yes, I Saw him, and I am Seeing him now. He can Destroy, and he has killed. But I can See you, and you are no better than he.”
Janis felt proud of the woman’s resolve, and suddenly felt self-conscious about her own cowering before this man.
Her words carry more power than she expresses with her stature—
Then it hit her. Lydia shouldn’t have been able to talk. Without realizing it, she spoke.
“But—how—” Janis said, interrupting the exchange. “You can’t speak.”
The old woman shifted her gaze to Janis and she narrowed her eyes.
“I know not how you join us here, girl, but this place is different from the real realm. It’s a place of Seers, and information. Your eyes don’t glow, yet you hear, and See.”
“Forget the assassin! Tell me where you are! NOW!”
The man was roaring now, not even attempting to add pleasantries.
“You cannot hurt me here, Seer.” Lydia said with an air of finality.
Growling, he summoned his dagger and launched it at the woman. She gasped and attempted to dodge, but it passed right through her chest and disappeared behind her. It was clear that the woman knew she couldn’t be harmed, but instinct would always get the better of a person.
“You know not what power I hold! I will find you, Lydia, and I will exterminate you and your plain little husband!”
Janis soon got the answer to her question before, as Lydia’s past self, or rather, the fire-sitting self, relaxed and her eyes returned to normal. The second Lydia’s body faded to mist and quickly combined itself with her real body, then the memory continued, albeit slowly.
“Assassin! Mark my words, you cannot escape your fate. I will find you and the boy, and you will die at my hand.”
At that, he swept his hand to the side and vanished himself. When he left, the tugging sensation returned to her gut and she was pulled back to her sitting position by the fire. Her vision was restricted again, and she had to peer only out of her peripheral vision to see where the man had stood moments before. Sure enough, he was gone. She once again had access to her outside senses and she relaxed a bit feeling them, so familiar and safe.
Her attention was lost completely. She paid no more attention to the memory. All that stood out to her was the last look that Lydia gave her just before they left the cave. It was a knowing look. The look carried a much deeper message than Janis could have imagined. Lydia knew that Janis had seen the strange man with the red glowing eyes. She had known that Janis met her in the in-between.
For the second time that night, she felt exposed to the world.
Chapter 14
Janis’s eyes snapped open and her full senses took over again; the crispness of the night air felt colder without the fire to push it back. What struck her the most was how quiet everything seemed. The stillness of the air almost felt uneasy. Then she realized that the strong torrent of rain outside had stopped, almost. There were occasional bursts of wind and sometimes a rumble of distant thunder, but it had turned from an overwhelming volume to a small, dull hum. She turned to the hand that had awoken her and saw Harmel smiling at her in the dim light. With the absence of the fire, it was strangely lit in the cave.
Looking over her shoulder, she saw a very small ball of Light, about the size of her thumbnail, hovering against the wall near the sleeping form of Avryn.
Seeing her gaze, Harmel answered a question that she didn’t know that she had.
“Yeah, ‘e can hold it up jus’ a wee bit while ‘e sleeps. Can be righ’ useful, tha’ thing. Why, Oi don’ remember the’ last time Oi had t’stand watch without the bit o’ Light.”
How remarkable, Janis thought as she stared at the small bluish Light. What else can this man do while he sleeps?
That thought reminded her of her recent experience, and she shivered to herself. Though she was no longer in the in-between, she still felt lingering feelings of exposure and insecurity.
“I guess it’s my turn then, hmm?” she said idly, still staring at the Light.
“Mm-hmm.”
“Did I miss anything?”
“Yeh mean, other than the fact tha’ yer a noisy sleeper? Nah.”
Harmel moved so that he was between her and the small ball of Light. As he did so, he noticed that Janis was still staring at the ball of Light.
“Yeh know, it ain’t goin’ nowhere. Yeh gots plenty o’ time ta watch it, if yeh like.”
A grin spread on his face, the stupid grin that he gave when he told his terrible jokes, which happened far more often than Janis enjoyed. She was honestly surprised that she put up with his comments and jokes, for they lacked all intelligence in her mind. There was something about this man, though, that made her want to feel something. Happiness? No, it wasn’t that.
Pushing the feeling aside, she merely sighed and stood up, shoving the grinning man to the side slightly. He hadn’t actually been in her way, but it felt natural to brush off his dumb happiness with a physical rebuff. It was a language that she spoke better than any emotional nonsense.
“What’s the time? I can’t quite tell with the clouds in the darkness.”
“Wha’? There’s somethin’ tha’ the all-talented assassin can’t do? Fog me good. Din’ see tha’ comin’.”
Janis rolled her eyes and suppressed a biting comment. He was just joking, but she really didn’t have the patience for it, especially with how she felt right now.
“Couple hours is all, till sunlight. Avryn came after Shrell, then me, so Oi reckon’ it won’ be long now.”
Janis nodded to him, indicating that she understood, and that the conversation was over. Harmel seemed to get the idea. He settled in next to where the fire was, just a few paces from Avryn and Marric, and closed his eyes. The man had a remarkable knack for falling asleep on the go, for it seemed only a few breaths before they slowed into the rhythm of sleep.
The rain drummed on the ground lightly, making a hissing sound rather than the pounding that she had grown accustomed to in the last day and a half. She was glad that it appeared to be slowing down. There was something about the power of the storm that made her uneasy. The mountain weather was so unpredictable, especially this high up. It was lucky that the cave hadn’t flooded with the quick rainfall and that they hadn’t met any man or beast already sheltering in the cave. It seemed almost too good, now that she really thought about it.
