Between the Light and the Darkness - Chapter 28

Shirra hopped out of bed excitedly. They were spending the week at Grandmother Lainel's while their village celebrated their annual Warrior's Festival. Ileeya always complained of not being able to attend; their parents said they weren't old enough. But Shirra was happy she didn't have to go. She loved spending time with Granny, because unlike most of the other members of their small village, Granny didn't like to fight. She had no interest in swords.



"Will you please show it to me, Grandma?"

"No, child. You are still too young."

"Please? I promise not to tell Father. I just want to see what it looks like."



"Alright, I'll let you take a little peak, but that's all. Then we must return to your chores."





"You must always be careful how you practice your craft. Never use it to harm. Always to protect."







"I've been waiting for you."





Shirra marched to her study in a huff. It was time to raze the prison and all of its inhabitants. It was time for war. Except for that bitch. She would be brought here, where Shirra could deal with her directly. She would bring Jondak, too, to keep Tim out of the way, should he pose a threat. Shirra doubted it, though. She knew Tim was hurt pretty badly, and safely locked away. But she had underestimated the human before, and she would not make that mistake again.



She had not planned it to be this way. She wanted to take over during the Grand Tournament, but that was still months away. Damn Tim! Tim and Ileeya both! They had ruined her plans! No matter, she would just have to improvise. The Kahlari thought they were skilled warriors and prided themselves on that, but they were all weaklings.



None of them could withstand what she could throw at them, and their mind skills were weak. Many centuries ago, their mental powers had been strong, but as their skill at fighting grew, their ability to use their minds effectively had diminished. Most of them couldn't do much of anything anymore. Only a few were capable of more, but not much. She had no fear of them, the one she had to worry about the most was her sister. Shirra didn't know what all Ileeya was capable of, but she knew she would be a problem, and Jondak probably wouldn't be able to handle her on his own.



She told Jondak to hurt Ileeya, which would weaken her, then she would bring her here. Perhaps she would allow Jondak to kill Tim in front of Ileeya, that would strike a powerful blow and make it difficult for her to concentrate. Then, with her weakened, Shirra could finish her. There was no way she would allow Jondak to have Ileeya. In fact, the way she felt right now, she might just kill them all, then be free to rule the planes alone. She didn't need a king. Her child would grow up fatherless. He would be taught that his father had been unworthy.

~*~*~*~*

Ileeya returned to her cell. She took a deep breath, and assumed a crosslegged position on the floor. She willed her body and mind to relax, purging all thoughts from her head. Then she pulled up a picture of Tim's face in her mind. She studied it and called out to it, hoping she would get a clue to his whereabouts.



She scoured the villages around the prison, but turned up nothing. Then she reached farther, across the small world, looking for a trace of him. Having no luck with that, she opened her mind to see farther. Her breathing slowed, her eyes rolled back in her head as she slipped deep into a trance.


Soon she was floating through space, calling for him. She searched the neighboring planet, turning it over in her mind and looking in every crevice, every hole.

Where are you, Tim?

~*~*~*~*

Tim awoke. Or at least he thought he did. His brain felt like liquid, like it would ooze out of his ears at any minute. He shivered in the coldness of the room. He struggled to open his eyes. It was so hard, his eyelids were heavy, and it felt good to close them. The more he woke up, the more his head throbbed.



He was afraid to touch the back of his head - afraid of what he'd find. The pain was nearly unbearable, and threatend to pull him into unconsciousness, where he would probably die. He fought it, fought the heaviness that threatened to pull him under. With great effort, he managed to open one eye. He could see nothing. The room was pitch black. A searing pain shot through the back of his head. The wound felt cold and wet, and he could feel that the blood had pooled beneath his head, soaking into his hair and the back of his neck.



He desperately wanted to close his eye and float away, where he had been comfortable, instead of feeling this pounding ache that pulsed with every heartbeat. He wondered how much blood he lost. Too much?

Where are you, Tim?



Ileeya! Her voice floated through his head like a cloud, and lifted some of the heaviness away. ...Ileeya is safe, but not for long...She's still at the prison, searching for you Tim's other eye snapped open.

Ileeya, I am here!

~*~*~*~*

Finally! She found him, after hours of searching. She found Shirra's castle. It was beyond far. It was past this world, and all the worlds after that. It was deep in the far reaches of space, on the edge of the plane. Actually, where her castle sat, was a cross section of sorts, where the planes overlapped. An area that most creatures dared not tread because of its danger. Those that had the ability to travel from one plane to the next, avoided this spot. Her sister was obviously confident enough to place her dwelling there.

Ileeya, I am here!

She sensed Tim locked away in a small dark room. He was badly hurt. He needed her. Her heart ached at the sight of him. She had to help him! She was already tired, did she have the strength to go to him? She had no choice. He would die without her help.

Hang on...I'll be there soon!




Her mind being so busy, she didn't hear the scream outside her door. And a moment later, she was unaware of Jondak appearing right in front of her, leering down at her...



She was dimly aware of being pulled up off the floor by rough hands. She willed herself to snap back to present. Jondak! What was he doing here! How did he get in here! He was saying something, but her muddled thoughts couldn't comprehend. Her brain had been in such deep concentration, that it took several seconds to recover.

Her brain was brought crashing back to the cell. It felt like she had been dropped from the ceiling onto the hard floor, such was the impact that jarred her bones. Her head spun as her brain tried to compensate for the sudden shift. Tim! She had lost him!




By the time she could focus, Jondak had already pushed her up against the wall, pinning her there with his body. She struggled, but he was a lot stronger than he looked. Irnaxxians were known for their strength.



He was breathing on her neck. He pushed her head to the side and whispered into her ear, his hot breath burning. "Finally. You don't know how long I have been waiting. How long I have been wanting. And at long last, you are mine."

Her skin crawled as a panic began to well up inside her. This was just like her nightmare!




"If you cooperate, I promise not to hurt you," he said as he jerked her head to face him.



He kissed her, covering her mouth with his fiercely. She struggled uselessly against him.



Suddenly from out in the hallway beyond the door, there was screaming and pounding footsteps. She heard Gylen's battle cry somwhere down the hall. What the heck was happening? Then she heard a key in the door.

Jondak jerked around upon hearing it, and Ileeya took advantage of the distraction.



She closed her eyes and sent a wave of force at Jondak. He flew across the room and slammed into the wall, sliding down it.



The cell door opened, Kiara stood in the doorway. Behind her, the body of Aark could clearly be seen. He was dead. Another figure ran past the open door, too quickly for Ileeya to make out who it was. "What's happening?" she yelled at Kiara.



"The Jal'em have declared war! The king has freed us so we could fight. Quickly! To the weapons room!"



Kiara dashed down the hall, in the direction of the prison double doors that led to the tournament arena, where a room with all the real weapons were stored. Ileeya stepped out into the hall, over Aark's body.



She knew she couldn't help these people. She was torn. She hoped Kiara would fare well. She ran the other way, toward the king's private chambers. She hoped it would be quiet and she could concentrate long enough to take herself to Tim's aid. She had to stop her sister - she was behind all of this.



She stepped over another dead body on her way. This one was Sulen, a prisoner. He still had his sword in his hand - he died defending this wretched prison. It was ironic, the prisoners and guards now banded together against outside forces. Sudden allies.



She dared to look out the window once she reached the king's quarters. She wished she hadn't. The sky was red, and the clouds boiled overhead. Just like how Tim described Shirra's overtaking at the tournament would be.



The large courtyard, where they had been relaxing just a short time ago, was littered with bodies, slaves, Kahlari guards, and Jal'em alike.



Slaves and guards were fighting side by side.



She watched in horror as the King's personal advisor crumpled to the ground, the Jal'em grinning up above him.



A few feet beyond him, the head priest also lie dead, a growing pool of blood forming beneath him.



She turned her back on the window, and, sitting crosslegged on the floor, attempted to tune out the frenzied battle outside.

~*~*~*~*

The little bitch! How dare she? His back was a little stiff where he had slammed into the wall, but he was otherwise fine. The battle outside didn't phase him one bit. He knew Shirra was planning it. His only concern was to find Ileeya and finish his job.

~*~*~*~*

Shirra concentrated. By now things were well under way. Battle was ensuing, and soon the Kahlari would be wiped out. The Jal'em had always been a bloodthirsty lot, fierce and proud; it had not been too difficult to persuade them that they had been cheated in the last tournament. Jondak had sufficient time to weaken Ileeya, and it was time to bring her here.



She sat and chanted, looking for Ileeya. But she couldn't find her. Shirra frowned and searched the prison again. Ileeya wasn't anywhere! She knew Jondak hadn't killed her, because she would have still been able to locate her presence. Shirra suddenly snapped out of her trance. Ileeya was here! Her presence was strong, and she had found her way here. Damnit! That meant that her powers were much stronger than Shirra thought.



"Jondak, appear!" Shirra didn't even wait until the purple cloud dissipated before slamming Jondak against the wall.

"What the hell have you been doing, Jondak? Why weren't you following orders?"




"Ileeya managed to get away."

~*~*~*~*

Tim could barely contain his relief when Ileeya suddenly showed up in the cell. Without saying a word, she placed her hands on his shoulders. She closed her eyes tight, and within seconds, he felt a tingling sensation on the wound site. It was a comforting feeling, like soaking in a hot tub at the end of a long hard day. The tingling spread over the entire wound, which was quite large, covering most of the back of his head. No wonder it had hurt so much.



He relaxed under the sensation, allowing it to flow over him and repair the damage Shirra had done. Ileeya pulled her trembling hands away, tears in her eyes, and gazed at Tim, as if she was afraid the healing wouldn't work. Tim blinked at her and smiled, not sure what to say. He gave her a tight hug - he was so happy she was okay and she had found him!



He guided her face to his for a tender kiss, the feel of her lips sublime in the dire circumstances. He didn't think he would ever have the chance to kiss those lips again.

~*~*~*~*

Pathetic excuse for an Irnaxxian! She backhanded him as hard as she could. Jondak stood there, looking down at his feet. Weakling! If his people ever got wind of him failing a mission like this, they would have him drawn and quartered on the spot. But she had no time to punish him right now. Ileeya was already in Tim's cell, healing the wound in his head. Worthless piece of garbage! She would allow him to kill Tim, then she would send him to the outer rings of hell and make him live his nightmare for eternity.



She teleported them both to the cell door and opened it. She thought she would throw up at the sight she was seeing. Her sister, standing in front of Tim, giving him a tender kiss.



Rage and jealousy sparked anew. It was one thing to know her sister was in love with Tim, but quite another entirely to see it in action. The sight appalled her. It was time to end this.