Chapter 21 #2
I turn and start running again, looking for a way out.
The next room is empty, but I can see where someone had been hanging out.
The blood puddles and body parts still litter the floor.
It smells like shit and something else that I don’t recognize, but whatever it is makes bile gather in my throat.
My feet speed up, passing more rooms with bodies in all states of living and dead—this corridor seems never-ending.
Gaelan is up ahead again; this time, he turns and goes into a room.
“Gaelan? Please wait! Where am I?” I run faster, trying to catch up with him, skidding to a stop at the next archway.
I look around and shiver from the chill in the room; it’s so dark in here I can hardly see.
I lift my hand and whisper, “illuminare per ignem.” Flames dance on my fingers before I wiggle them, and the flames shoot off to light the only candle in the room.
My eyes take in the shadows, the chains on the walls; this looks just like the other cells, but something is different - that feeling is making me stay.
My body is trembling with fear when I look down and see the floor covered in blood.
Looking up, something catches my eye; in the darkest corner of the cell, a man is chained to the wall, his chest is bare and covered in blood and dirt.
Welts ooze blood across his chest from being whipped, and he has a larger stab wound in his stomach.
His face is lowered, and it looks like he’s sleeping… or worse, dead.
“Hello?” I call out. Gaelan came into this room; he had to. I saw him…
“My Rose.” He whispers to me again, and my eyes take in the man as he lifts his head, his eyes glowing bright blue in the darkness. A blue I would recognize anywhere.
“Gaelan?” I gasp as I run over to him, and he smiles weakly as I cup his face, tears running down my cheeks. “What happened?” He leans into my touch as if it soothes him, but the wounds I can see on his body make me believe differently.
“My Rose.” His voice is so weak that I can hardly make it out.
Letting go of his face gently, I move my hands over his arms to the cuffs that are around his wrists.
He groans in pain when I touch the bleeding welts, his head falling, hanging limp.
I can see blood dripping onto the floor—his blood, and so much of it.
He lifts his head again, his glowing blue eyes locking with mine. “My Rose.”
“Gaelan? Oh my god, who did this to you?” My hands cup his cheeks again; I look closer at the bruises on his face. He opens his mouth to speak, but starts to fade. “Gaelan?” panicked, I sob as he fades in my hands, something is wrong, this doesn’t feel right. Where did he go?
I look around the cell, not sure what’s going on. Why am I here?
Where am I? This was meant to be a nightmare, but now it feels much worse.
Hearing the chains again and a cry of pain, I turn to see that Gaelan is fading back in; he has another cut on his face, someone has sliced his cheek open, my eyes travel down to his chest, and I can see what looks like an “M” carved into his skin. “Gaelan, who is M?”
“Macy,” he grits.
Panicked, he’ll fade away again. I try to unclip the cuffs, I pull on the clasp, and he groans in pain.
“Baby, I’m so sorry, but I have to try.” I pull harder, but they won’t budge.
I pull on the chains next, but they’re embedded in the wall.
I pull so hard on the chains that my hands cut, leaving blood on them, yet they still won’t move.
“Gaelan, I can’t break them.” I’m frantic now as more tears fall down my cheek.
His face lowers again, and his voice is weak. “Rose, you need to get help. This isn’t a dream,” he says, his eyes flashing as he fades away again.
I scream, not wanting this to be real. I need to get him out of here.
He can’t die. I turn and look around the cell for something, anything to help me, but I see nothing.
He said this isn’t a dream, then surely there must be something I can do.
Gaelan calls my name again, making me turn back to him; he has another cut along his neck and a bruise over his ribs—someone is hurting him.
“Gaelan, what do I do? I have no powers here; I can’t heal you.” Looking at his wounds, I don’t think my powers are strong enough to heal him anyway. Fuck!
His head lolls to the side, and he pulls in a shaky breath; his blue eyes still shine so brightly that my heart breaks into a million pieces as I look at him. “Gaelan, can you tell me what I need to do?”
He opens his mouth to speak, but he’s fading again. I see his eyes fill with terror, and then his cries of pain. I try to reach for him, but he slips out of my hands, and he’s gone again.
“Fuck…” I run my hands over the wall, wondering if there’s some kind of portal or something that will take me to where he is, but nothing.
Turning, I run to the door. I want to scream out again, but I don’t want to alert whatever is hurting him that I’m here.
Running down the hall, still searching for where he’s gone.
I sprint along the same dark corridor, passing each room again, searching. But nothing.
Making my way back to Gaelan’s room again, but he isn’t here, “Gaelan,” I shout.
“Where are you?” I turn to see him fade in again, his head is cut, and there are slashes on his arms. I rush over to him.
“Baby? Gaelan?” I tap his cheek lightly, and his eyes fly open and lock with mine.
His voice is so soft I must lean in to hear him.
“Not dreaming, my Rose.”
I shake my head. “I don’t understand, Gaelan. What’s going on?”
He coughs, and blood spills from his mouth.
“Dream walking, my Rose,” he coughs again, and more of his blood drips onto the floor, like a red river flowing.
His voice comes out with the sound of gargling blood.
“Baby, I need you to…” I let his head go and reach for the chains again, trying to set him free, scared that if he fades away again, he might not come back.
“Gaelan, what do I do?” I reach down and gently cup his cheeks, lifting his head carefully, his glowing eyes reaching mine. “Gaelan, please, stay with me.” Tears fall down my cheeks, and he grins at me softly.
“It takes a lot more than this to kill me, my Rose.” I want to roll my eyes at him, but I laugh a little. How can he even make a joke at this time?
“It might do, but the road to that end looks awful from where I’m standing. Please let me help you,” I plead.
“Call Mark, my Rose. Tell Mark, Macy has me. Tell him to send the hounds.”
I nod my head slowly and then frown. “But Gaelan… how?” I look around, and it suddenly comes to me. “I need to wake up.”
His eyes lock with mine, and he grins at me. “I know, baby.” He then whispers, “Wake up.”
My eyes fly open, and I sit up, panting for breath.
Looking around and finding I’m in my room.
I try to calm my breathing down, my head feeling like I’ve had the worst nightmare ever.
Looking over at the clock and seeing it’s just past two in the morning, I need to go back to sleep.
Lying back down and wincing, feeling a stinging in my hands, sitting back up, I look down and see blood, frowning, wondering if I started sleepwalking again.
“My Rose.” The sound of Gaelan’s voice echoes in my head, bringing memories of my nightmare in a flash. I gasp, reaching for my phone. “Oh my god, Gaelan.” I dial Mark’s number, and he picks up after one ring.
“Mark?”
“Ari, is everything okay?” he asks, sounding worried.
“No, I think Gaelan’s in trouble. I had a dream and—”
“What did he say?” He cuts me off, and I hear footsteps moving quickly.
“He said to tell you that Macy has him.”
“Did he say anything else?” He almost growls at me.
“To send the hounds,” I say, before the line goes dead.