Page 53 of Blue Embers
. . .
I was floating somewhere deep in a dream. I could tell it was a dream because I was weightless, falling forever through a warm, comforting space that smelled like citrus and salty sea air. I could hear a beat somewhere in that colorful void. A heartbeat. It thumped calmly and steadily, feeding the air with a strong, reassuring energy that soaked through me like a hot bath after a stressful day. I wanted to stay there forever, but this place, the longer I was in it, felt like it was taking me further and further from myself.
I watched ripples of colors dance around me like I was in a glass dome beneath the sea. They spread out around me, eventually converging in the same place, and as each one crashed into another, images and sounds whispered from their collisions. I heard the cries of a woman. The shouts of a man. The wails of a baby. In the fleeting images, I saw coastlines dark with storm clouds. Masses of aggressive people shouting. Blood tainted the ripples until red stains had begun to leak through the blue serenity of the vision. If I could have stepped away, I would have, but I felt like I had no feet. I wasn’t even there. Not in body, anyways. Perhaps this wasn’t a dream. Perhaps this was death.
My eyes shot open just as the thought came to mind and the sudden rush of cold that slid across my skin was the perfect shock to let me know I was alive. I took in a sharp breath, my vision clearing up to reveal a room with stained wooden walls. There was a square window on the opposite side through which sunlight could come in, telling me it was day out.
The room smelled like pine and burning wood and when I looked down toward the foot of the bed, I could see why. A stack of cut logs was sitting near a small, metal furnace in which a few pieces of wood were burning to provide warmth. Draped over my body was a thick, down-filled comforter and a woven, cotton blanket.
In all honesty, I felt wonderful. I felt like I’d had the best sleep of my life and despite waking up in some cabin that I didn’t know, I didn’t feel afraid. Instead, I felt at ease, though eager to find out what was going on.
Just as I started to sit up, a pair of voices caught my attention from outside the bedroom door. I paused, looking over my shoulder at the closed entrance as they neared. When the door creaked open, I threw the blanket off and swung my feet onto the floor. Standing, however, would have to wait.
Two women walked into the room and quickly paused their conversation when they realized I was awake. The short one was a skinny, fragile looking young lady with short, dark hair and a worried look on her face. The other, an average height woman with faded lavender locks, couldn’t look more opposite. She had a harsh aura about her expression that made her sharp and a bit intimidating. She wore a fur-lined, leather jacket and raised her brows at me as she slumped against the doorframe and crossed her arms.
“You’re awake,” the smaller woman said, her body dwarfed by a fluffy jacket.
My eyes switched from the small woman to the one with lavender hair, trying to read my situation. Before I could speak, the small one walked over to the nightstand beside my bed. I hadn’t noticed the water bottles sitting there before. She unscrewed the cap on one and handed it to me.
“You should drink,” she said. “You’ve been sleeping for over a day. You’re probably dehydrated.”
I took the water and swallowed a few sips, watching my visitors carefully. When my throat was wet and I was feeling a little more aware, I decided to start asking questions.
“So?” I said. “Where am I? Am I kidnapped?”
“Oh,” the small one smiled. “No, you’re not kidnapped. You’re in the mountains. I’m Keera and this is Everly.” She gestured to herself and then the woman in the doorway.
“Mountains? Mountains where?”
“Far away,” Everly shrugged. “We needed to put some distance between us and the cities for a while.”
“Why?”
“You don’t remember what happened?” Keera asked.
Thinking back, I had little recollection of everything that had transpired between the cabin and that night at my house with Killian.
Killian, I thought.
“Um,” I said, trying to stand on wobbly legs. “I was with someone. A Draak.”
“Valentyne,” Everly said.
“Yeah,” I nodded.
“Put some clothes on.” She gestured toward a folded stack on a chair by the window as she pushed herself off the doorframe. “Meet us downstairs.”
Everly walked down the hall and out of sight before I could ask her anything else, but Keera remained. As I suspected, she was the nurturing type and seemed adamant on sticking around until she knew I was alright. I looked at her comforting expression and sighed.
“So,” I said, walking carefully across the room to the clothes. “Think you could explain things a bit better for me?”
“Of course,” she agreed. “You’re in a safehouse. You were attacked the other night by a Zephyre. Her name’s Haera and she almost killed you.”
As Keera spoke, things started to come back to me. I took off the oversized t-shirt I was wearing and replaced it with a green turtleneck as I tried to piece together some foggy memories.
“I remember the museum,” I said, pulling on a pair of jeans. “And...Ben.”
“Ben?” Keera asked.
