Angel of Fire - the Breath of Immortality - Book One #Wattys2014

Dead or Alive?

Chapter 44 - Dead or Alive?

Unable to overcome the effects of the poison in order to make my escape, I felt completely and utterly numb.

With the exception of my mind, of course.

Which was probably exactly what Serenity had intended. The fact that I was mentally forced to participate in what was happening to me, ensured I suffered the most for defying the Dark Ones. The curse of having both human and angelic blood coursing through my veins turned dying into a never ending process as I floated aimlessly locked in my liquid prison cell.

 Despite Serenity's casual prediction, I did indeed find myself desperately praying to be saved like a total freaking idiot.

Too bad it didn't work.

Time ceased to have any meaning. Days blended together, until I lost track of whether it was night or day in the pitch black water. Fear that I would never again see daylight, or feel the warmth of the sun on my face crept in the back of my mind to taunt me.

 Unwilling to play the tragic victim, I fed my appetite for revenge by dreaming up new and innovative ways to hunt down and destroy Serenity. Soon, dreams became my one and only means of escape.

Unsure of whether or not Serenity hadn't just figured out a way to manipulate my mind like she managed to manipulate everything else, I dreamed that I broke free of the invisible bonds holding me captive and swam to the top of the Devil's Soupbowl. Shrouded by near total darkness I crawled out of the thick, black water looking like some kind of swamp monster.

Steam rolled off my skin as I forced my lungs to clear of muck. Trembling head to toe, teeth chattering uncontrollably, I stood up on shaky legs. Carefully bending over, I grabbed a handful of slippery leaves to wipe off the oozey slime.

I couldn't help but frown when I noticed the stitches still barely holding my rotting flesh together. Shivery fingers traced the ones up my arms to my face, making me cringe. Yes, on one hand I was thankful my face had remained basically in tact. But the fact that I still looked like a freaking corpse in my own dream really pissed me off.

 And worse, much, much worse, I still somehow managed to be wearing the stupid armor that had killed me in the first place.

 This dream sucks.

 Irritated, I removed as much of the dirt as possible before tossing the leaves aside. Part of me expected Serenity to jump out of the bushes at any moment, and toss me back in the water. Stomach churning with anxiety, keen senses on high-alert, I decided to put as much distance between me and the Devil's Soupbowl as possible.

 As I walked through the forest...uh, stumbled was more like it...I continued to search the darkness for any signs of danger. Holding my breath, I strained my ears for noises to warn me.

 Nothing. At least, not at first anyway.

Feeling like an escaped convict, I broke out in a cold, hard sweat. Heart pummeling against my rib cage I leaned heavily against a tree, exhaling deeply in an effort to give my heart a chance to start beating normally.

That’s when I heard it.

Faint music floating on the crisp, night air. Violin music to be exact.

The very essence of the unexpected sounds deep in the forest compelled me. The notes – so sweet, so seductive, so profoundly alluring – gave me no choice but to follow.

 Off in the distance I started to see lights. Squinting through the trees, I noticed they came from what appeared to be a rustic cabin nestled deep in the forest.

Leary as I approached, every movie I'd ever saw with crazies living out in the woods came to mind. Even though in my heart I knew I was dreaming, I wasn't in the mood to get munched by a bunch of hungry hillbillies.

 At least, not on purpose of course.

Strangely enough, the closer I got to the cabin, the better I felt actually. Even in the darkness I could tell it wasn’t all run down like I'd first expected. Soft, mysterious light emanating from within gave every window a rosy twilight glow like something straight out of an oil painting.

 I crept silently up the steps, drawn by an unknown force as Bach's Concerto for two violins filled my ears. The melody so sweetly haunting forced me to recall memories from the past. Memories too painful I had to bury them.

 Without any idea of what time it was, or who I was going to bother in the middle of the night, I finally found the nerve to knock.

I’d barely finished when the door creaked slowly open.