Her fae & His fairy

Chapter 10

Azriel:

It has been seven days since Madja's arrival, and yet the female remains motionless and unresponsive. Despite Madja's now several attempts to rouse her, she continues to lay in silence.

For a week, she has lain in the bed, as if in a deep slumber. My shadows have searched for the slightest of movements from her, but there has been nothing; not even a hiccup from her breaths. I find myself walking past the door that leads to her room more times than necessary just to make sure she hasn't stirred.

The Valkyries and I have each spent countless hours attentively watching over the female, ensuring that the smouldering herbs beside her bed never go out. A fragrant mix of lavender and various other herbs now fill my clothes and the entire house, leaving me with a tangible reminder of her presence. I can't help but feel a responsibility to her, wanting to make sure that she is safe from any harm or danger even though she is unconscious.

After a week of mysterious dreams each night, I have come to realise that it is almost like they are guiding me in some way. The first night, I dreamt about a settlement of tents with baskets left out in the open, as if the people had abandoned them without warning. I walk around this camp, feeling a sense of familiarity as if I had been here before. My thoughts wander to those who once lived here and why they had left so quickly. Was it because of something dangerous? But I don't get any answers, as the dream slips from my mind, and my usual nightmares begin instead.

The second night, I was running through the woods. The feeling of being pursued was so palpable that I thought for sure that I could feel its presence behind me. Yet despite the terror in my heart and every instinct urging me to turn around and face it, I could only keep going forward. All of a sudden, a light shone from behind, and a blood curdling scream echoed through the air. My eyes snapped open immediately as fear coursed through my veins; the remnants of whatever beverage I had fallen asleep with washed away the feelings from the nightmare.

The third night, I found myself transfixed on the dancing flames of a fire while someone was speaking. Although I couldn't make sense of the words they were saying, the manner in which she spoke – varying her voice with different tones and tempos – suggested she was speaking of something meaningful. Even though I wasn't aware of what it was about, it felt oddly familiar to me; a story. I woke up feeling much more calm than the two previous nights.

On the fourth night, I found myself in an expansive field. Torches lit up the area like tiny stars, forming a halo with a boulder at its centre. Above me, in the darkness of the night sky, it was a black silhouette of wings beating overhead. As I moved closer, I could make out the details more clearly - how bold and beautiful colours had been painted on to the rock's exterior only to be interrupted by streaks of red that ran down its sides like blood dripping from raw wounds. The closer I got, the thicker the blood ran down.

The fifth night, the nightmare was inescapable. Every sight and sound I experienced was wrought with fear and pain. I seemed to be somewhere dark and desolate, unable to make anything out in the depths of my terror; all that registered was an intense agony rippling through my body from my back. It felt as if someone had their hands buried deep inside me, trying at any cost to rip away my wings while I screamed out in anguish on all fours. I was suddenly awoken by the persistent caw of a crow. It's squawk in perfect harmony with my own from the nightmare. I found myself drenched in sweat, scared that maybe my nightmare had caused me to scream out loud for real. I hesitantly sent out my shadows to investigate, all the while still feeling the fear and dread as if it were a tangible thing in the air. But when they returned, all they could relay was that she stayed unmoving throughout this whole ordeal.

The sixth night, I was running. This time, I could make out the difference between the male and female voices of those chasing me; their thunderous steps were right on my tail. Arrows flew around me, and to my left, a tree had been set ablaze. Yet still, I ran on until finally, at a cliff edge, I stopped. Turning around to face my attackers, who luckily have not yet reached me, only then did I make the daring move: jumping into the unknown below. But instead of taking to the sky with my wings, I kept plummeting until I felt the shock of cold water when it engulfed me. Hands grabbed hold of my limbs and pulled me further below the surface, but strangely enough, I was not afraid. A sense of tranquillity washed over me as I gazed towards the heavens above. Even though my sight under water was distorted by its ripples, I could still see the rising torches from my hunters at the cliff's edge. Darkness took over my mind in my dream, and I slept the rest of the night in peace.