The Purple Jade Palace: The Hummingbird's Plan

The Talekan Assassins

Images came and went, a blur of confusion and loss and yet, an overwhelming sense of love and contentment as well. Jale swirled in a sea of blue, in a lagoon with a waterfall cascading down rocks and a garden of blue surrounding it, although he had never seen it before. He floated in the stars, reaching out to move them with his hands as if he, himself, was one of the Gods.

His body fell, spinning and freefalling until a sudden rush of green overwhelmed him, and he was standing in the midst of a lush green forest. He could smell the fresh scent of pine trees, could feel the wetness in the air on his skin, and when he lifted his head to the sky and opened his mouth, a faint mist of moisture covered softly over his tongue.

The vision swirled again, spiralling, and he was on a balcony overlooking a sprawling city that spread out to a clear, flat sea. A hand reached out. He saw it as if he was standing behind his own body. It landed gently on his shoulder. Jale turned, back in his own body, and there before him was Prince Rathner. He was older, more mature and more serious. Jale took a step forward, but he was pulled away by a force he could not see.

He was sitting on the sands of a beach, empty and desolate in both directions as a warm breeze soothed his shoulders. The sky was a blur of peach and pink clouds as the sun set. His fingers dug into the sand, and he brought his arm up, letting the fine grain run through his fingers, so unlike the cold, rocky beaches of Keglar.

He didn't know how long he sat there.

Time passed...or did it?

Something grey emerged to his right in his peripheral vision. He turned his head to find a large, grey wall of water surging in his direction. It bore down, and he only sat their entranced as the reality of his insignificance inhibited any thought of escape. It crashed over him, and he was pulled into the ocean, sucked deep into its depths. He couldn't breathe, couldn't get air, couldn't get the oxygen that was needed for his....

Jale gasped and his eyes shot open. For a moment there was only whiteness as if he was blind or if his brain was receiving too much information to focus. He blinked frantically and his vision began to clear.

A shape formed, and he blinked again to find Delba directly above him, her hand holding the sponge that was bathing his naked, upper body. His hand reached out and wrapped weakly around her throat. As quickly as he did so, the point of a blade was placed against his jugular. Jale's eyes moved to find the shadow of a person standing beside Delba, and his eyes widened in shock.

"I would strongly reconsider," a female voice said from underneath the mask she wore. "Delba has seen to your health since you arrived." For a brief moment, Jale and the masked woman stared at each other, her blue eyes piercing into his.

He nodded slowly and released his grip. Without another word, the woman removed the dagger, and she disappeared back into the darkness of the room, save for the dim lamp that was a short distance away hanging on the wall. It was all Jale could see from where he lay.

Delba let out a sigh of relief, and she continued to sponge Jale's chest in an ineffectual manner, her concern appearing to be more focused on the fact Jale was finally conscious again. With one last cautious look over her shoulder, she spoke softly, "I'm glad you are awake. It has been two weeks since you collapsed."

"Two weeks!" Jale croaked in surprise. His throat was dry and his voice weak.

He tried to gain a better view of his surroundings. Beyond where he lay, it was as if a black mist hung heavily in the air, smothering everything else. He couldn't determine whether it was a closed off room, merely night-time or whether they were underground. Frustrated, he attempted to rise, but Delba placed a firm hand on his chest urging him otherwise.