Okay - I have good news and bad news. The good news is - I have an update! The bad news is - it's kinda short - only about 30 pics. They way I have divided the chapters caused this one to be a bit short, but the rest should be a little longer. The photoshoot was murderous - not because it was a difficult chapter to pull together, but because I have three kids in the house and they were driving me nuts! But with the help of coffee and dark chocolate, I was able to finish it. I'm going to
try to get an update posted every two weeks through the summer - I'd really like to finish this one by September or thereabouts (after school starts) so I can move on to some other of the millions of projects that are calling my name.
Chapter 25
Shirra lied in bed and stared up at her vast ceiling. It was night, and the flickering light of the torches illuminated their surroundings in an orange glow. She should have been asleep hours ago, but something about her conversation with Tim nagged at her. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something just didn't seem quite right.
For perhaps the thousandth time, she replayed the entire conversation she had with him right before the implantation. It hadn't bothered her at the time because she was so enamored of Tim. She had simply dismissed it.
Actually, she smiled to herself, once Tim struck her, all she could think of was her intense lust for him. It was only now, hours later, long after the throes of passion had ebbed, that the thought entered her mind. And once it entered, she started dwelling on it. And the more she dwelled on it, the more it nagged at her. Thus began a long night of discomfort.
She didn't want to believe that Tim was deceiving her. In fact, she found it difficult to believe that her spell had failed. She knew it had succeeded. She was there, she saw it first hand. So, if the spell had succeeded, then how would it be possible for Tim to not be under such spell now? Had he fought it? Or had it only been temporary because he was a human?
Weary, she ran through the conversation once more, trying to figure out just what it was that bothered her about it. And then she got it. It wasn't just what he said, but a combination of his comments and facial expressions that triggered the nagging sensation that now plagued her. She had been discussing their wedding plans, quite animatedly, and when she was done, there was no happiness on his face. No excitement. What had she seen instead?
She closed her eyes and took herself back to that moment. Yes, now she could see it. His dark eyebrows held a delicate furrow, and his perfect mouth had turned down in a slight frown.
"What of...Ileeya...and Jondak?" He had asked. She was irritated about that. Who cared what happened to those two losers? She was talking about taking over the world, of ruling a land full of faithful subjects devoted only to her. And the only one she felt worthy of being by her side was Tim. Shouldn't he have been at least a little happier?
But the only thing he had was of Ileeya and, as an afterthought, Jondak. Something just didn't seem right. This situation would warrant further investigation. But not tonight. It was late and she was tired. She sighed deeply. She would be most unhappy if she had to get rid of Tim. She would live with it, the seed was planted and would grow, the child would be born. But she loved him, and hoped she would not have to do away with him. She couldn't stand it when she was deliberately deceived.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
He took a deep breath and knocked on the cell door. He heard Aark's guttural reply and told him he needed an audience with the king right away.
There was a moment of silence, then riotous laughter erupted from behind the closed cell door. Tim banged on the door loudly.
"It's really important!" Tim yelled, "I need to see him right away."
"What's so important to disturb the king's rest?" Aark inquired in his growling voice.
"Something's going to happen at the next Grand Tournament.
An...assassination of the world leaders."
The laughter grew louder. "Very funny, Strange One, good joke. Now go to sleep. Tomorrow's a hard day."
"I'm very serious, Aark, something is going to happen and I need to warn the king!"
"Go to sleep now."
"Please. Just listen to me. Open the door so I can talk to you."
"I said no," Aark said, growing agitated, "Now sleep! No more talking!"
Tim yelled in frustration as he pounded his fists against the door. Now what? He turned around and saw Ileeya sitting on the floor cross-legged, "pretzel style" as young children called it.
She had her eyes closed, oblivious to her surroundings. He was about to ask her if she was okay, then thought better of it. She seemed to be concentrating.
A soft groaning, almost like the mewling of a kitten came from outside the door. Tim could clearly hear Aark's panicked breathing through the door's thickness. Aark sounded like he was having a nightmare. He stumbled into the door and screamed, a shrill sound that cut through Tim's head like a knife. Then all was quiet.
The door was unlocked and slowly opened. Aark stood in the doorway, his grayish face pale. Sweat beaded up on his forehead and rolled down his face. He just stood there, staring at Tim with huge, frightened eyes, swaying on his feet.
Ileeya appeared beside Tim and put her hand on his arm. "I think we'll have that audience with the king, now."
The were led down the long maze of corridors without restraint. Outside the audience hall a very animated Aark tried to explain why an emergency meeting with the king was necessary. After a lengthy discussion, the guards finally agreed to ask the king if he would consider an audience with Tim, Ileeya, and Aark. The king agreed, and several minutes later they were deep in discussion.
They told him all they knew, about what Tim had overheard: Ileeya's emerging mind powers and Jondak's involvement. The king sat in deep thought for a moment, scratching his chin.
"This is grave news. It appears, Tim, that you are indeed the one foretold of in the ancient scriptures. You are here to save us all."
Tim's throat constricted and his hands grew clammy. "What?" he managed to croak feebly.
"The ancient scriptures. Knowledge that has been passed down for centuries. The prophesies tell us of a hero who will come from another world to save us. A hero belonging to a race that most of us have never seen before. A human."
Tim felt the room spin around him. He attempted to focus on the words that were just spoken to him. Him?
A hero? That was ridiculous. He was just a man. A man that didn't even belong here. He didn't even know where the heck he was, or that a world other than his own even existed.
"That can't...it can't be me...," his legs threatened to buckle underneath him and the room started to spin.
"Why not?" the king replied simply.
"Because...because," he felt himself sway to the side, overcorrected his balance and fell smack into Aark who was standing beside him.
They both fell into a tangled heap on the floor, and Tim was vaguely aware of Aark's elbow slamming into his cheek before the world ceased to exist around him.
~*~*~*~*
Shirra came to the conclusion that she would have to perform some sort of test on Tim to see if he was still under her control. But what could she do? She had pondered that until deep into the night, unable to sleep because her dilemma.
Just when a few pink streaks lit up the morning sky, she found her answer. She smiled wickedly to herself before finally falling into a deep slumber.
~*~*~*~*
"This makes no sense, Ileeya. How could I possibly be here to save the whole world? I barely even know how to fight."
"I'm just as clueless as you are. I had completely forgotten about the scriptures. It's just one of those things you hear about once or twice and shrug off because you don't think it applies to you. No one ever thinks something like this will actually happen in their lifetime. But with the knowledge we have, we know that our world is in danger. If the prophecy is true, maybe you really could be here to save us."
"But how could I possibly do that? I'm just a slave here. I don't have magic or mind powers, and there are much better fighters out there..."
"Tim, what was it that you told me Gertie said? That I brought you here?"
She's the reason you're there, Timmy. She called you there. She set up the portal. Gertie's words came back to Tim in a rush. He almost physically jerked from the force of them. Ileeya set up the portal to bring him here. He was brought here to help save the world? He shook his head, unable to wrap his brain around it. This was just too big.
Something big is going to happen, Timmy, something real big.
He couldn't think about this right now. It threatened to drive him crazy. Fatigue washed over him and all he could think was how much he wanted to sleep. Sleep for hours and hours, maybe even forever. And if the only place he could get that sleep was the uncomfortable prison bed, then so be it.
Without further comment, Tim bedded down and Ileeya followed suit. She didn't seem concerned that he hadn't answered her question. She snuggled up next to him, placing her head on his arm. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, not wanting to let go. What would the future bring for the two of them? He didn't even have time to dwell on the question before sleep mercifully washed over him.
