Leaving - Part 2 |
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Chapter 4 |
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| The sound of water dripping on stone fills the silent air as I look around. I know this tunnel. How could I not; it has haunted my dreams for years. I peer into the darkness ahead for the flashing light from my previous dreams, but the only illumination comes from the candle in my hand. There appears to be a bend ahead and I walk forward peering around the corner. The tunnel is unchanged and I continue along it, the wet slap of my footsteps echoing endlessly against the stone. Suddenly I listen closer, careful to keep my pace the same. The echo has changed, doubled; a counter rhythm faster and louder than my own. I shiver slightly as I remember that while the light is no always in my dream tunnel, Ariel is. Never before has he come running after me, always appearing before me, but never before have I travelled so far. The echoes build to a crescendo and I spin to face him as he rounds the corner, determined to get some answers at last. “Why do you keep...?†I trail off, my eyes widening in surprise. It is not the palely beautiful Ariel panting before me but another young man, equally familiar but different in every way. I speak before I have a chance to think. “Rushton? What are you doing here?†He looks around, eyes suddenly filled with confusion. “I... I don’t know. Following you. Where are we?†I stare at him with the same confused expression he gives me. A sudden thought strikes me and I gasp. “You have to go back. You can't come here, it isn’t safe.†If, as I suspect, this tunnel is part of my quest, who knows what dangers there are for him here. And even if it is just a dream, Ariel is sure to turn up and I will not, can not, let him get his hands on Rushton again; even in a dream. “But you’re here,†he points out, his voice calm and reasonable, “why can’t I come too?†It takes me a moment to work out what he means then my heart freezes. He does not know what he is asking, does not know that he is asking to join a quest likely leading to my death, yet something in his voice tells me that he would ask even if he knew. How I long to accept him! To finally reveal to him my deepest self, and have his strength and love beside me at the end. But it can not be. Besides, what help could he give me, really? Better that he stay and continue what we have started at Obernewtyn. I shake my head sadly, knowing what must be said even though it hurts us both. “Rushton, you have a duty to Obernewtyn. My duty lies elsewhere.†Abruptly, the fading echoes resolve into more footsteps; coming closer. My heart pounds and I know that the one I have been waiting for has arrived. Ariel has come. Rushton shifts beside me and I turn to him in panic. “You must go! Now, before he sees you!†Then I do something I have never done before and push, flinging his mind away from me and out of my dream. He begins to fade, an expression of surprise filling his face. As he fades from view I whisper three words to him, words I have never quite said, words I have been too afraid to admit. I love you. Rushton is gone and I turn to confront the pale figure of Ariel emerging from the darkness. I watch him warily as he approaches, needing to know why he keeps following me here. His face shows a pleasant smile and for a moment I wonder if I have misjudged him. Then I look into his clear, blue eyes and am swamped by a sense of insatiable hunger and cold, calculating rage, strong enough to be felt even without empathy. I recoil from him, searching for a way to escape yet knowing that there is nowhere to run. A faint tug pulls me backwards and I feel the tunnel fading. Ariel stares at me, his smile turning to surprise then anger. He steps towards, fists clenched, and I close my eyes, surrendering to the pull, allowing it to draw me back to my body and safety. |
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