Hi everyone,
It has been a long time. I am sorry to keep you hanging for so long after such a chapter as the previous one. I know, I know; how could I?!
Truthfully I intended to complete this chapter much sooner. Since I last wrote we have had a few family deaths (3 within 3 months at one point) and all the fun and games that go along with wills and greedy people.
I am also working full time and struggling to manage my time.
I haven't neglected you or my tale on purpose, and I have every intention of seeing it completed on paper... eventually.
Thank you for the comments and private feedback. It keeps me going and reminds me that people are wanting to hear more from me. It really does make my day, so thanks guys! You rock!
<3
Shadowsung
~~~~~~~~~~
Alluna woke drowsily, her head foggy and she felt like she was in a stranger's body. It felt light as helium and yet slow to respond to her will. She was lying on the rocky ground under a sparse tree at the base of a cliff and no memory of how she got there.
Sitting up, slowly; her body was so slow it was like it was on a delay. Looking around, the surroundings were so very bleak. The brown plains stretched into the distance, as far as she could see with nothing to break the monotony. The cliff face extended both directions as far as she could see. There was something not entirely right with it all, but she couldn't fathom what it could be. She felt so dreamy. A small giggle escaped her grinning lips.
"I feel like I'm drugged," she giggled, waving her arms around her, chuckling at how funny and slightly transparent they looked. Her hands touched each other and followed up her arms. They felt the strange material covering her body. It was like a shift, crude and simple, it did its job. Her strange hands lifted to her face, as she giggled at the strange sensation of touching her face and yet somehow not. It felt like she was only half there.
Her hand reached out and touched the face of the cliff and she felt a pull within her. There was something really important at the top that she had to get to. She didn't know anything else, but she studied the cliff face; it was sheer and unforgiving. Her smile dropped and tears welled.
"But I want to get up there," she cried miserably, "I want to get to the top."
A strange golden haze shot up the cliff face from her hand and dispersed, revealing a golden ladder stretching up in the rock face. Her dopey smile returned as she slowly got to her feet and unsteadily approached the ladder. The golden rungs felt warm and inviting in her almost hands. A surge of rightness flowed through her body as she pulled her strange new self up. The gold felt just as good on her bare feet as her body adjusted to her intention.
Upwards and upwards she climbed, feeling lighter and lighter as she approached the top. The smile had returned with a giddy happiness that she could not describe.
Her hand reached the top of the cliff and found grass. She pulled herself up and over, looking back at her golden paved route. She could barely see the base she had started, the tree down below seemed barely a dot on the plain landscape that stretched on forever. It had been so easy, more like swimming through a pool than climbing such a sheer and unforgiving drop.
She turned to find the grass was such a vibrant colour of green that she had never before seen. There were huge rolling hills of the majestic green, littered with wildflowers and tall, proud trees. It was like she had never seen in true colour before.
Lying down on her stomach on the lush lawns, she leisurely sunk into them. She felt warm from climbing and she had adjusted to her body. Holding her hand out, she saw it was less transparent than it had been and less blurry around the edges when she moved it. She felt so light and happy. There was nothing that could hurt her here and there was something so right with this strange place.
Rolling over, she saw the sky and gasped in amazement. It was as if she had never looked at the sky before because just like the grass and the flowers, she had never seen such a hue before. A breeze fluttered by, bringing amazing scents from the flowers nearby, which were vibrant shades of different colours. It was as if she had spent her life with mud in her eyes and her senses clogged.
The same surge or pulling ran through her again. With a whoop of glee she got up and took off, following the feeling and relishing the feel of the lush grass beneath her feet.
To the East Ally saw a forest, magnificent and looming, stretching into the distance.
Just before the tree line, across the field from her Ally could see a small house, pearlescent smoke rising from the chimney. Inexplicably she was drawn to it like a bee to a flower. There was something important about this house; it was why she was here.
It was a little cottage, straight from a fairytale; ivory climbing its walls and a gentle and welcoming glow. It was framed by a gorgeous garden full of dainty flowers and vibrant colour. An elegant white picket fence completed the picture.
As Ally approached the house, she saw a woman sitting on the front porch in a rocking chair, knitting and humming to herself. The tune was so familiar; her childhood bedtimes flashed before her eyes as her mother tucked her in, singing that song until she slept. Tears welled in her eyes as she drank in the woman.
Her hair was just as she remembered; long and flowing, much like her own, she could almost feel the texture through her fingers. Her nose was smaller than Ally's; it was a cute button framed by rosy cheeks and plump lips. Her mother had always been the most beautiful woman in Ally's eyes.
"Mum," she whispered, her eyes welling; hardly daring to move any closer.
The woman looked up from her knitting and saw Ally. Her knitting clattered to the floor as she got up from the chair, staring in disbelief, "Ally?" She cried.
~~~
After a tiring day, he was nearing the end of his shift. The smell of the dead clung to him like a second skin that he had long since become accustomed to.
"Got another one for you Sir," called a man in scrubs wheeling in a gurney with a black body bag. "DOA, Jane Doe. The Emergency crews found her at a warehouse fire."
The doc sighed and rubbed his balding head. He nodded to the man and together they heaved the bag over onto his table. He signed the paperwork and bid the man goodnight. Alone once again, save for the bag, he sighed again and looked it over.
His bones had been aching, and the cool air in the morgue wasn't helping him in the least. He decided to finish his preliminary autopsy and head home as quickly as possible, before anymore bodies found their way to him.
He stepped up to the bag and pulled the zipper down, exposing its contents. He tusked to her quietly, "Oh my dear, you are far too beautiful and young to be down here. Such a pity."
The girl on his table was young and pretty. Her head was almost rotated to the back, so that she was looking over her shoulder.
He organised his trolley and removed the bag completely. He cut through her clothes quickly and professionally, his eyes on her body for any sign of tampering. He looked at the toe tag, clicked his recorder on and began his report.
"Victim name: Unknown shall henceforth be referred to as Jane Doe. Female, average height and build, approximately late twenties. Cause of Death: preliminary evidence suggests a catastrophic cervical fracture. Asides from neck injury, there appears to be no external marks of any kind. Thorough examination has yielded no scarring, marks or blemishes. Most unusual. End of external preliminary report. About to begin internal investigation."
He clicked it off and put it on his trolley. Picking up a scalpel, he pushed down the blood shield over his face and approached the bench.
Time froze in the room; the coroner looking like a statue carved from marble. A black cloud swirled around and fell, revealing Alamihr, his eyes glowing golden-rimmed red. He looked down at the pathetic mortal who had nearly ruined his revenge. Her death had been too easy; soft and almost painless.
He snapped his fingers. Her eyes snapped open and she tried to inhale a deep breath. Her neck was far to twisted to allow it. She sat up quickly, turning red from lack of air; she grabbed her head and jerked it back, pain contorting her face. Finally it clicked into place with a strangled cry and she drew breath in short pants, the pain slowly leaving as her body healed. The shape next to her made her swivel in alarm.
She saw the coroner statue and the pool of useless material that were her clothes.
"You are awake. Good" came a voice behind her. She swung around, recognising the voice and the shiver that travelled along her spine.
There he stood; his cloak and black gone. No longer looking like a twisted and gnarled creature he had made himself to be, he looked almost normal except for his deep glowing red eyes and faint golden veins that swirled like tattoos across his features. Despite these differences, he looked perfectly handsome, dressed in a regal black and white dinner suit. Caitlin knew his nature and was not fooled.
He leant against the steel desk, playing with a black chess piece in his hands. "Did you know chess was considered the game of gods before the game of kings?" he asked, his voice light and airy, "We used to play it millennia before you pathetic mortals dreamed it up."
He held up the piece he was playing with. It was an unusual design, filled with lines and points, giving it a malevolent feel. "The game I play spans further than you can imagine. You were a mere pawn for me to use as I saw fit."
He paused, contemplating the piece before locking eyes with her once more. Caitlin's head swam as she fell into his red, swirling eyes. "I underestimated you," he said quietly, "Not something I do often, I assure you. For a pawn, your usefulness was compromised by your futile attempts to derail my plans. Did you really think you could fool me, puny mortal? Did you really think I would let such infractions pass unpunished?"
"But I was dead," Caitlin cried, "what worse punishment could there be?"
