Between the Light and the Darkness Chapter 22

Luckily, the next day was a field day. Tim didn't think he would be able to hide his feelings for Ileeya if he had to be near her all day. That would be too hard a test. Alone with his thoughts, he set about his work. He was almost starting to enjoy his days of mindless gardening. He threw himself into it while he thought about all that had happened. He wondered when Shirra would come back for him, and dreaded the moment. He wasn't sure what was supposed to happen next. Something big is going to happen, Timmy, something real big. A fight between good and evil. Tim guessed he would just have to wait and see.

At lunch that day, Tim noticed Jondak sitting next to Ileeya. He was stroking her hair and saying something to her. Her lips formed a frown and she said something to him. Jondak seemed totally unaware that Tim had looked their way. Obviously, he thought Tim was under Shirra's control, and no longer interested in what happened between himself and Ileeya. Tim braved another look or two. When he saw Jondak lean over and kiss her cheek he thought he would lose it and blow his cover.

Ileeya pulled her head away from Jondak and frowned at him. She looked up at Tim for just a moment and their eyes locked. Jondak looked up at Tim, as well. Tim tried on his best poker face and looked away disinterestedly, hoping he looked convincing. He did not look back at them again.

During the evenings over the next couple of weeks, they practiced mind games together. He had Ileeya attempt to move things with her mind, attempt to read his mind, and attempt to communicate telepathically with him. Before they went to sleep, he asked her to tell herself to send her dreams to him. Something had to work, he hoped.

Most of the time they were unsuccessful and they were getting exhausted. But there was the occasional victory that kept them plugging away. He had Ileeya once change the evening water into a delicious wine. Once she read Tim's mind. And twice she made one of the pieces of meat wiggle, just a little, but it was a start.

It was during one of these evenings that they took the time to show their love for each other in a physical way. Being with Ileeya was everything it was not with her sister. With Ileeya, it was slow, tender, full of love. With Shirra, it was rushed, rough. Shirra was aggressive, Ileeya was demure, ladylike. They were perfectly in sync with one another. It felt like it was meant to be. Tim fell in love with Ileeya all over again, falling asleep holding her and counting himself lucky.

Although it was hard, Tim managed to get through the days without showing his feelings for Ileeya. He knew Jondak was always watching her, and didn't want Jondak to see Ileeya looking toward him. So he tried his best not to look at the two. Lunches were hell, but somehow Tim got through them by forcing himself to concentrate on his food.

One night, she had succeeded in sending Tim her dream. In this dream, Jondak was getting friendly with her and she lost her temper and shoved him backward, causing him to lose his balance and fall on his rear end. His humiliation was obvious, and a black hatred sprung into his eyes and distorted his face. Ileeya, feeling both scared and guilty, reached out to him to help him up.

Jondak got the strangest smile on his face, the same one he'd worn the day of the Grand Tournament during their handshake and the vision he caused Tim to see. In the vision he gave Ileeya, both she and Jondak were in a small house. Ileeya was standing in front of a bed, crying.

Jondak kissed her forcefully and she fought him. He slapped her hard enough to make her fall backward on the bed. Jondak leaned over her and whispered in her ear that if she resisted him, he would kill her. He took out a dagger to prove his point, and ran it across her cheek, barely scratching the surface, leaving a thin line of blood. She whimpered, then, and begged him to stop. He ignored her pleas.

He held her face firmly in his hand and looked her in the eye. "You are mine," he hissed. He forced himself on her and she screamed.

Tim awoke with a start and looked over at Ileeya's sleeping form. She was moaning and tossing and turning, crying in her sleep. She stopped suddenly and her breathing slowed. The nightmare was over and she began to sleep peacefully once more. This must have been the vision Jondak gave her.

During the vision Jondak had forced on Tim, he didn't just see the images, he was really there. He could feel, hear, taste everything. Judging by how scared Ileeya was, it was just as intense for her. No wonder she didn't resist him. She was terrified of him.

Tim hated Jondak anew. He wanted to kill the bastard and hoped he'd get the chance. What kind of coward had to intimidate people in this manner? Ileeya had told him that Irnaxxians used their telepathic abilities to their advantage. Jondak was nothing more than a bully. Tim didn't know how he was supposed to get through the lunches now. It was going to take all his strength not to jump out of his seat and strangle the living crap out of him.

~*~*~*~*

Shirra was happy. Her plans went well. Several of the smaller provinces were at war. With each other, with themselves, it didn't matter. Their leaders were dead and the people were aimless. They were now hers. She would soon be ready for a break. Just a few more ends to tie up, then it would be time to bring Tim back and have a little fun.

~*~*~*~*

"Tim," she nudged him, "Tim, wake up."

"Huh? What is it?" he asked sleepily. It was about an hour or so before morning.

"She's coming back for you. I'm not sure when, but soon. Maybe a couple of weeks. I just...felt it."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. I feel it. It's such an odd sensation. Like a thought that popped into my head, but it's more than that. It's like when you have a gut feeling about something. It's hard to explain, but I know I'm right."

Tim fought the bile that began to rise in his throat. He was glad she was able to pick that up. It showed him that the power was indeed there, she just needed to practice using it. He decided not to tell her she had succeeded in projecting her dream to him. He was thrilled that she had finally done it, but definitely not thrilled with the content. She made no mention of having the dream, and he didn't want to bring it up and make her think of it all day.

Tim feared Shirra's reappearance. He didn't want to go back to her in her bed chamber any more than he wanted to dig his eyeballs out with the tip of his sword. He hoped he would be able to perform the tasks ahead of him convincingly. He would have to find a way to detach himself and let his mind go somewhere else.
He resolved to try his best, for Ileeya's sake.

Today was a practice day. This day was Tim's biggest test, yet. Every time he saw Jondak, he kept seeing him in Ileeya's dreams with that self satisfied sneer on his face. He wanted to bash his head against the stone wall. Repeatedly. He put all that extra energy into his practicing. Tim studied hard, he had a feeling he would need these skills sometime in the future.

They had recently had a slave tournament, and he did very well. People were starting to pay attention to him, to cheer him. Ileeya said he was picking up his skills very quickly. Of course, he was super motivated to do well. He wished there were many more practice days so he could advance even faster.

Tim didn't know how he got through lunch, but somehow he miraculously did. At one point, he didn't even know why he even looked, to torture himself, obviously. Jondak was sitting next to her, touching her hand. Tim kept seeing the dream Jondak grabbing Ileeya's wrists roughly. He knew Jondak hadn't actually done any physical harm to her, but the mental anguish was bad enough. He might as well have done those horrible things to her, by forcing her to see it. Bastard!

Tim was absolutely livid. It took every ounce of restraint he could muster not pounce him and just go nuts on him. Stabbing him with his fork, punching his smug, smiling face, cramming handful after handful of food down his throat, kicking him till he stopped moving.

Boy, he wished he had a punching bag. Instead, he started exercising in the cell in the evenings until he was exhausted. Ileeya begged him to stop and sit by her and talk, but Tim really needed to get these feelings out. It was the only outlet he had.

They continued to practice Ileeya's emerging skills, which were starting to show improvement. She was starting to believe in herself and becoming more confident, which gave her more success.

Instead of dried cardboard-like meat and plain water on most evenings, Ileeya treated them to sumptuous elven cuisine and fine wine. Tim was able to think about things from his own world, and Ileeya could pick them up a little more than half the time. One night, thanks to Tim's help, she was able to change the dried meat into hotdogs.

She was also able to send Tim clear pictures of her home, too. It was beautiful. So rich and colorful; peaceful.

Once Ileeya sent the meat scraps flying, and in one instance, had two going at the same time, at different speeds. She was starting to get to the point where she didn't have to concentrate quite as hard to accomplish these feats. And several evenings she was able to project her dreams to him. Thankfully, they were mostly happy.

On one of these nights, as they lay together, nude, Ileeya quietly said, "She's coming to get you tonight, Tim."

Tim believed her, had seen her abilities improve dramatically over the last several weeks.

It felt like a cold hand squeezed his heart. "I don't want to go."

"I don't want you to go, either. Just get through it quickly. Maybe she'll send you back before the night is over."

But Tim knew she wouldn't. He would be stuck with her all night. He was fairly certain she'd send him back before the guards came to get them for the day's work, because she had said before that she didn't want to arouse suspicion, at least, not yet. What if she decided she didn't care anymore and didn't send him back at all?

Ileeya picked up on that. "Get up," she said to him. He complied without question.

She gently placed her hands on Tim's shoulders, closed her eyes, and concentrated. Tim felt a comfortable blue swirling feeling in his brain.

"There," Ileeya said, "I have placed a protection on your mind. Shirra can no longer dominate you, even if she put you through another ritual. It wouldn't work. Furthermore, you are protected from all other forms of mental attacks."

"When did you learn how to do that?" Tim asked.

"Just now," she said, smiling at him. "You better get dressed. She'll be here in a few hours. Maybe you can get some sleep before she gets here."

Tim kissed her lovingly, and then dressed and bedded down, after pushing the beds back to their proper places. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep. It was going to be an agonizing next few hours while he waited.