Lord of the Fading Lands
Page 127
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Rain streaked across the sky, covering the miles in a handful of chimes. He reached the Baristani house and arrowed out of the sky, Changing as he descended. The Fey hurried to pull down their weaves to grant him access, but those threads they didn't have time to unmake shredded before him, curling back from the buffeting force of his power as he streamed through Ellysetta's bedroom window and reclaimed Fey form at her side.
She sat huddled on her bed, pressed into the corner, eyes squeezed shut, her body racked with violent shudders. Her fists were clenched, her arms crossed protectively over her head and chest as if to ward off an attack. Ravel and her parents stood beside her, distraught and helpless. Her room was a shambles, her mirror shattered and smoking, the walls shredded as if great razor-sharp claws had sliced through the wood and plaster in a rage and scorched as if by sudden searing flame.
"She was like this when I came in," Ravel said. "She won't let any of us near her.”
"What have you done to her?" Lauriana burst out. "What have you done that sleep would bring such torments?”
"Laurie, shh." Sol tried to calm his wife, but she batted him away.
"No, Sol! I won't hush. I've held my silence too long already! I told you this was a mistake. We were meant to protect her from magic, and instead we've flung her back into its teeth! Her nightmares have returned, Sol. Because of them.”
She jabbed an accusing finger in Rain and Ravel's direction. "You can't deny it any longer! And you know where it's going to lead!”
Ignoring her, Rain knelt on the floor beside Ellysetta and laid his hand on her shoulder. She cried out and tried to fling herself away, but he caught her and held tight as she struggled against him. Her skin was cold as ice. "Shei'tani. Ellysetta. Las, las, kem'san. Ke sha taris. Ke sha avel vo. I am here. I am with you." He held her close, rocking her, whispering a soothing litany of words into her ears while in silence his heart swore bitter vengeance against the monster who had visited this torment upon her.
The convulsive shudders racking her slender form gradually diminished. "Rain?" Her eyes opened, then flooded with tears when she saw him. She flung her arms round his body to clutch him tight and buried her face against the bare skin of his throat. "Oh, Rain. You're alive. Oh, thank the gods." Wrenching sobs shook her.
Though her grief tore at his heart, his eyes closed with relief. She was safe and unharmed. She was whole and in his arms, where she belonged. "I'm here, shei'tani.”
"Hold me," she whispered. "Hold me and don't let me go. I'm cold, so cold.”
His arms tightened, pulling her closer, wrapping around her as if with his body alone he could shield her from whatever evil hunted her.
"Ellie!" Lauriana rushed forward, hands outstretched, but as she neared, Ellysetta flinched away, burrowing deeper into Rain's arms. Desperation flooded his senses.
«Rain, tell her to go. Tell them all to go. I can't bear for anyone to touch me right now. No one but you.»
"Leave us, all of you," Rain barked. «Ravel, get everyone out.»
The Fey nodded and tried to usher the Baristanis out the bedroom door. Lauriana resisted the eviction. "Don't you dare touch me! I'm not leaving my child here with you, not after this! I won't do it anymore!”
Sol flung out an arm towards Rain and Ellysetta. "Can't you see Ellie doesn't want either of us here right now? He's the only one who's even been able to get near her. Clearly, he's what she needs now, not us. For the gods' sake, Laurie, if he can bring her peace, let him do it.”
"He can't bring her peace, Sol. He's only brought all her old torments back, worse than they ever were before. How can you not see that?”
"Mama." Lauriana and Sol both turned. Ellysetta was still in Rain's arms, but she had lifted her head. Her face was pale and drawn, her eyes as bleak as Lauriana had ever seen them. "Please go. You can't help me. I'm not sure anyone can help me anymore.”
"Ellie …" Lauriana started forward, arms outstretched, tears in her eyes. "Killing.”
Ellysetta flinched away. "Don't touch me. Just go. I need you to go.”
Weeping, broken by her daughter's plea in a way no angry words could have done, Lauriana left. Sol and the Fey followed her out, closing the door behind them.
"What happened, Ellysetta?" Rain asked when they were finally alone.
"It was a dream," she whispered. "A very, very bad dream."
"Will you tell me?”
In a slow, halting voice, she did. She stumbled over the part where he'd tried to coax her into mating with him and the horrible way he'd laughed, and her voice cracked when she told him about the bodies shredded into bloody meat, rats and crows flowing like a river of disease all around her. She broke into helpless tears once more when she told him about finding him dead at her feet, carrion for the crows. "Oh, Rain, gods save me, I was the one who'd led the army to destroy you. I saw myself there, leading them. I looked into my own face—and knew what I had done. And my eyes—oh, gods, my eyes—it was like looking into the fire pits of the Seventh Hell. It was … pure evil." A fresh bout of shuddering shook her. Nothing could block the memory of those dark, burning eyes.
"Is this what you saw?" He spun Spirit in the air between them, weaving an image of a pale face dominated by dead black wells where the eyes should have been.
She sat huddled on her bed, pressed into the corner, eyes squeezed shut, her body racked with violent shudders. Her fists were clenched, her arms crossed protectively over her head and chest as if to ward off an attack. Ravel and her parents stood beside her, distraught and helpless. Her room was a shambles, her mirror shattered and smoking, the walls shredded as if great razor-sharp claws had sliced through the wood and plaster in a rage and scorched as if by sudden searing flame.
"She was like this when I came in," Ravel said. "She won't let any of us near her.”
"What have you done to her?" Lauriana burst out. "What have you done that sleep would bring such torments?”
"Laurie, shh." Sol tried to calm his wife, but she batted him away.
"No, Sol! I won't hush. I've held my silence too long already! I told you this was a mistake. We were meant to protect her from magic, and instead we've flung her back into its teeth! Her nightmares have returned, Sol. Because of them.”
She jabbed an accusing finger in Rain and Ravel's direction. "You can't deny it any longer! And you know where it's going to lead!”
Ignoring her, Rain knelt on the floor beside Ellysetta and laid his hand on her shoulder. She cried out and tried to fling herself away, but he caught her and held tight as she struggled against him. Her skin was cold as ice. "Shei'tani. Ellysetta. Las, las, kem'san. Ke sha taris. Ke sha avel vo. I am here. I am with you." He held her close, rocking her, whispering a soothing litany of words into her ears while in silence his heart swore bitter vengeance against the monster who had visited this torment upon her.
The convulsive shudders racking her slender form gradually diminished. "Rain?" Her eyes opened, then flooded with tears when she saw him. She flung her arms round his body to clutch him tight and buried her face against the bare skin of his throat. "Oh, Rain. You're alive. Oh, thank the gods." Wrenching sobs shook her.
Though her grief tore at his heart, his eyes closed with relief. She was safe and unharmed. She was whole and in his arms, where she belonged. "I'm here, shei'tani.”
"Hold me," she whispered. "Hold me and don't let me go. I'm cold, so cold.”
His arms tightened, pulling her closer, wrapping around her as if with his body alone he could shield her from whatever evil hunted her.
"Ellie!" Lauriana rushed forward, hands outstretched, but as she neared, Ellysetta flinched away, burrowing deeper into Rain's arms. Desperation flooded his senses.
«Rain, tell her to go. Tell them all to go. I can't bear for anyone to touch me right now. No one but you.»
"Leave us, all of you," Rain barked. «Ravel, get everyone out.»
The Fey nodded and tried to usher the Baristanis out the bedroom door. Lauriana resisted the eviction. "Don't you dare touch me! I'm not leaving my child here with you, not after this! I won't do it anymore!”
Sol flung out an arm towards Rain and Ellysetta. "Can't you see Ellie doesn't want either of us here right now? He's the only one who's even been able to get near her. Clearly, he's what she needs now, not us. For the gods' sake, Laurie, if he can bring her peace, let him do it.”
"He can't bring her peace, Sol. He's only brought all her old torments back, worse than they ever were before. How can you not see that?”
"Mama." Lauriana and Sol both turned. Ellysetta was still in Rain's arms, but she had lifted her head. Her face was pale and drawn, her eyes as bleak as Lauriana had ever seen them. "Please go. You can't help me. I'm not sure anyone can help me anymore.”
"Ellie …" Lauriana started forward, arms outstretched, tears in her eyes. "Killing.”
Ellysetta flinched away. "Don't touch me. Just go. I need you to go.”
Weeping, broken by her daughter's plea in a way no angry words could have done, Lauriana left. Sol and the Fey followed her out, closing the door behind them.
"What happened, Ellysetta?" Rain asked when they were finally alone.
"It was a dream," she whispered. "A very, very bad dream."
"Will you tell me?”
In a slow, halting voice, she did. She stumbled over the part where he'd tried to coax her into mating with him and the horrible way he'd laughed, and her voice cracked when she told him about the bodies shredded into bloody meat, rats and crows flowing like a river of disease all around her. She broke into helpless tears once more when she told him about finding him dead at her feet, carrion for the crows. "Oh, Rain, gods save me, I was the one who'd led the army to destroy you. I saw myself there, leading them. I looked into my own face—and knew what I had done. And my eyes—oh, gods, my eyes—it was like looking into the fire pits of the Seventh Hell. It was … pure evil." A fresh bout of shuddering shook her. Nothing could block the memory of those dark, burning eyes.
"Is this what you saw?" He spun Spirit in the air between them, weaving an image of a pale face dominated by dead black wells where the eyes should have been.
