When he awoke, he was staring into the face on an alien. Not at all unusual for this world. The creature was gibbering at him in a long stream of words. Although Tim could understand and speak the language now, his brain was too foggy to grasp the creature's words. Tim tried to get up, but the alien pushed him back down.
Tim took a look around him and realized he must be in a hospital of some sort as other people were lying on beds.
He remembered the battle with vivid clarity. The thought of what happened, what he did to that creature, sickened him. No, he would not blame himself. After all, what choice did he have? If he had not defended himself he would have surely died. But the fact remained that he had killed. This was the first time and he knew it wouldn't be the last, unless his life was taken first.
"Sleep now."
Tim's body sank into the hard mattress as his thoughts drifted away. His heavy eyelids succumbed to the gentle command and he slept.
Tim didn't know how long he spent in the medical ward, but one day he woke up feeling no pain, and was escorted back to his cell. It was a comfort to see Ileeya's warm smile. He was overjoyed she was okay. Something flickered in her eyes, as she said, "You're looking well. How do you feel?"
"Remorseful."
"That's to be expected. After all, you just took the life of another living being."
He was thrown off by the strange flicker in her eyes and he winced at the abruptness of her comment, but he tried to disregard it. Dinner was on the floor. He sat down, grabbed the pitcher and drank greedily. Instead of the coolness he was expecting, the liquid was warm and thick. It was kind of sickly sweet and coated his throat going down, but under the circumstances, better than nothing.
He noticed Ileeya staring at him with scrutinizing eyes. She seemed...strange. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but she was different somehow.
"It's always hard the first time, but it does get easier..."
"I doubt..."
"In fact," she went on as if she hadn't even heard him, "soon you may even begin to enjoy it. I wonder sometimes why I enjoy it so much."
A strange look came into her eyes, almost a sort of longing. For awhile, Tim could say nothing, so stared dumbfounded as she spoke.
"I even feel as if I can't do without a good killing once in awhile. I crave it. The Grand Tournament is my favorite time of year. The thrilling clash of steel on steel, the nervousness of my opponent, sweating, trembling, fear in his eyes. He tries to dodge, but he's too slow. Sooner or later I always win and they know it, too. The only question is when..."
"Ileeya?"
A chill swept through Tim as she continued, "...it's such an exhilarating feeling the moment he fails to block my blow and my sword plunges deep into him. For an endless second he is frozen, shocked, he cannot believe what just happened..."
"Ileeya!"
"...the cold steel pierces him, even the crowd is silent in that one brief second. His warm blood gushes over my hand and onto my clothes...his eyes are huge, stunned, he is even more afraid...I pull my sword free and he falls to the ground, his life pouring out of him and soaking into the dirt at my feet...sometimes his eyes close and sometimes they stay open in a frightened stare...sometimes he screams and other times he falls over in horrified silence; sometimes he shudders convulsively and other times he is still; but always he dies; not fit to win, so therefore he doesn't. Once again the crowd is on their feet cheering my victory - I have slain yet another fool who dared to oppose me! Cowards!!" She emitted a shrill, maniacal laugh and focused dark eyes on him.
He stared in revulsion as she picked up the pitcher and drank. Thick red liquid dribbled down her chin. She opened her mouth in an evil grin, showing reddened teeth. Her soulless eyes glinted in the dim light of the cell as she lifted the pitcher to him.
"Here!" she screamed, "Drink the blood of your slain opponent!" She laughed wickedly.
Fear ripped through Tim along with a horrible wave of nausea. He looked away and noticed the pieces of meat that was previously dinner were now parts of the creature he had defeated in battle. Fingers, an eyeball, and more.
Desperately, Tim fought to control his heaving stomach. He braced a hand against the cool wall and heard the laughing again.
"What's the matter, love? This is the best part!" she shrieked.
Not wanting to have the baneful thing behind him, he dared to turn around. What used to be Ileeya was now the demon from his nightmares. She/it was holding a piece of something and took a bite out of it.
Tim sank to his knees and lost his stomach contents into the corner while the demon's shrieking laughter echoed through the cell. The room started spinning around him and he yelped in surprise as cold, clawed hands gripped his shoulders.
"Tim?" a worried voice said.
Tim jumped to his feet and spun around, ready for a fight. Ileeya was standing before him, her face was lined with concern.
"No. Get away from me!" he croaked.
"I know the first time is rough, but you should always remember - it's either you or him. Sit down. Dinner's here."
Tim felt his gorge rising again, but managed to stay in control.
"I - I'm not hungry," he stammered.
For days the memories of Slogg's horror stricken face haunted him. He kept seeing his own sword slicing across Slogg's midsection. Countless times he felt the resistance of his sword as it slashed, having to push it to keep it going. Countless times he heard the creature scream in slowmotion, the sound echoing in the large arena and then gurgling to a stop. Many times he watched as Slogg's eyes gleamed dully and he fell in a crumpled heap on the ground.
He would not go through another tournament. He would have to find a way to escape. But where would he go? He was out in the middle of nowhere, or so it seemed. He resolved to study his surroundings carefully and take note of everything, from the mannerisms of the guards to the weather patterns and look for some possible way in which escape might be attempted.
The day after Tim returned to the cell, the victors of the Tournament were rewarded with a huge feast in the king's banquet hall. All the tables were laden with food. Guards lined the great hall, guarding the exits. The slaves were seated and served. Various fruits and vegetables, meats, cheeses, and breads were generously portioned out on finely finished stone plates. Rumors went around that the meat was actually the losers of the tournament, sliced up and served with a blood gravy. The thought made Tim suppress a gag. He decided to avoid the meat.
The long table at the back of the room, which normally sat empty, was now occupied by the king and some of his court members. The king stood. His proud gaze flicked around the room as he made an announcement.
"It gives me great honor to welcome home the champions of the tournament. A fanciful feast is your reward for work well done. Please, without further delay, enjoy this colossal banquet."
Tim didn't know if he should clap and cheer, or tell them all to go to hell. He decided to just sit quietly along with everyone else.
The food was exquisite and in never ending supply. The hall soon filled with the clamor of busy voices and wooden utensils scraping against the stone plates. The feast lasted late into the evening.
After thoroughly stuffing themselves the workers were escorted back to their cells. The combination of fatigue and a full belly caused Tim to feel quite drowsy. He was actually looking forward to sleeping on the hard mattress.
Tim awoke to the smell of fresh sausage, eggs, and coffee. He inhaled the scent deeply before he opened his eyes. He sat up and yawned, scratching his sides like a drowsy bear.
He threw back his down comforter and swung his legs over the side of his toasty waterbed. His feet felt the chill of the cold tile floor as he padded to the bathroom. Thank God! It was all a dream. The tournament, the demons, that sleazy bastard, Jondak, the cramped cell. He considered his apartment small, but that cell was only about as big as his bedroom.
He thought of all the horrors that nightmare had to offer. No more eating off the floor for him, no sir! And Ileeya. It's too bad she was wasn't real. He felt a pang of sadness as he thought about never looking into those luminous eyes again. Never having the chance to touch her silken hair. It just figures. He finally finds his dream woman and she ends up being just a dream. Maybe he would see her again in his dreams.
He took a long shower, letting the warm water cover his face and soak into his hair. He revelled in the feeling of the droplets sliding down his body. He would never take showers for granted again. And soap! How he had missed it!
He changed into his work clothes and combed his hair. He whistled while the smell of breakfast slowly permeated every square foot of what seemed like a very spacious apartment. His stomach growled hungrily.
Okay stomach. Let's go get some grub.
He kneeled down to scratch Bones behind the ears on the way to the kitchen. Boy was he glad to see that dog!
"Hiya Bones! I missed you so much!" The big dog wagged his tail and rolled over on his back for a tummy rub.
"Morning, Timmy!" Gertie called from the kitchen.
"Gertie! It's so great to see you!" he said on his way to the kitchen. He couldn't help but give her a big hug. Bones got to his feet and trotted out to the kitchen to wait for his morning scraps.
"That must have been some dream," she said as she set a steaming plate at the table. He plopped down at the table and picked up the hot mug of coffee. He sniffed its aroma, letting it permeate his senses.
"Yes, it was. It was so strange. I was somewhere else. In a prison. There were all these strange creatures...aliens...ugh. I'm glad it wasn't real."
"A girl?"
Tim looked up at her. "What makes you think that?"
"Ah. Timmy, I can read you like a book, I've been with you so long. I can see it in your eyes. You look like you miss her."
"She wasn't human. She was...such a mystery."
"Pretty?" Gertie asked.
"Beautiful. Long platinum hair, big silver-blue eyes..."
"You fell in love with her, didn't you?"
"Yeah, Gertie, I did. I wish she weren't a dream."
"Where are your balls, boy?"
"What!?"
"Your balls. Where are they?"
He felt a flush rise into his neck, "Gertie, why would you ask me such a thing?"
"You're madly in love with this woman, but you don't tell her. Instead you let some skanky bastard drool all over her."
"But it was just a dream..."
"No, Timmy,
this is the dream. You are still on that strange world, sleeping in a prison bed, a few feet away from the woman you love."
"No. that can't be."
"You and I are just going to have a little chat and drink our coffee. You better drink up, they don't have this where you're at now. Your girl is something special. She has a lot of untapped mental power. But she needs someone to help her find it. Right now it's a raw power and not under her control. She's the reason you're there, Timmy. She called you there. She set up the portal."
"But how?"
"I told you," Gertie continued, "she has the power. But she doesn't know that she has it. She's not even aware that she brought you to her. Something big is going to happen, Timmy, something real big. A fight between good and evil. Ileeya is very strong, but delicate, like a flower. She needs you to help her realize her potential."
"But how do I do that?" Tim asked.
"To unlock the mystery of the future, first you must open the door to the past. Your girl is keeping something from you, Timmy. Something you need to know in order to help her. You'll need to find out what it is. And you be careful with that Jondak. He's bad news. He's out to take what's not his to take. You need to protect her. But you're not indestructible. If you fail, then she will, too."
"This isn't making any sense, Gertie."
"How do you think she knew your full name? How do you explain why no one there had ever seen a human before? Don't you think if they had the ability to collect human slaves there would be some there? But instead, everyone stared at you like they've never seen anyone like you before. No one knew your language."
"The king knew it, and one of his staff members."
"Telepathy is more common there than it is here. You'll run across many who have some ability. But Ileeya is stronger than them all."
"If what you're saying is true, than what am I supposed to do?"
"You can start by asking Ileeya about her sister."
"She doesn't have a..."
"Goodbye, Timmy. And don't you worry about Bones and me. We'll be just fine."
Tim awoke in the prison cell's hard bed. He had torn feelings about being here. He desperately wanted to believe the dream of being back home. It all seemed so real. He could see how the sunshine streaming in through the dining room window highlighted the wrinkles of Gertie's face as she talked to him. He could smell the aroma of a breakfast he didn't even get to taste. He could hear the sausage sizzling and Bones's tail thumping on the floor while he waited for his scraps.
He looked over at Ileeya's sleeping form and an intense longing filled him. She was sleeping on her side facing him. The dim light reflected off her platinum hair and accentuated the delicate curve of her face. He was glad he still had a chance with her, but this place sucked. If only they could get out of here.
He had no idea what time it was, but knew he would never get back to sleep. He sat on the floor facing her. What did Gertie mean when she said Ileeya had untapped power? Gertie had told him that Ileeya brought him here through a portal she set up, but didn't know it. Why? Why bring
him here? How was he supposed to help her realize her potential? How did she know of earth? How did she even find him? So many questions. He didn't know how to answer any of them. Gertie said Ileeya had a sister, but Ileeya said that she was an only child. Did she lie? Why?
To unlock the mystery of the future, first you must open the door to the past. You can start by asking Ileeya about her sister. He resolved to do just that.
And you be careful with that Jondak. He's bad news. He's out to take what's not his to take. Ah, Jondak. Honestly, Jondak scared him.
Where are your balls, boy? You need to protect her. He was going to have to push back the vision Jondak gave him out of his mind. He couldn't allow Jondak to intimidate him. Tim would have to keep in mind that Jondak would use his psychic powers against him, but he had no defenses against such a skill. Jondak was also a better fighter. How was Tim supposed to protect Ileeya?
He didn't have any answers, but he was going to have to try.
