Antithesis, Oaths and Omens
#9 of Antithesis
Chapter nine of the story collab. I hope you enjoy it. Just a short one this time around.
As always, comments are appreciated and requested...
Continued from 'secrets of love...'
Dark clouds rolled above Shandi, lightning flashing brightly all around her and thunder splitting the sky with a deafening report. A cold wind blew around her, making her shiver despite the light blue cloak she wore. She was standing on a plateau of dark stone, as smooth as the polished stone that only a master sculptor could create, the surface patterned the same way as black marble. A single, dim fey light lit the space about her, but darkness akin to the creeping shadows that the vampire had brought with him seemed to curl around the edges of the tiny sanctuary of pale light that protected her. And then, the fey light began to falter, tendrils of black beginning to slip into the light's reach, stretching out hungrily for her, as if to draw her into the greater darkness beyond. Icy needles of terror instantly began to fill Shandi's heart, and she reached for her magic to shield herself, to strengthen the weakening fey light, but the magic would not come.
And then, one of the dark tendrils reached her, wrapping itself tightly around her arm. Its touch was as cold as ice, and she could feel a terrible, dark energy flowing into her, chilling her from within like a draft of the coldest waters. And then, to her horror, she saw her arm withering away beneath its touch, as if it were aging before her eyes, decaying away to the ravages of time, her very life stolen away. And then, a voice darted into her mind, speaking a language she did not know, speaking dark words, horrible words that seemed full of loathing and hatred. Struggling mightily, she snapped the tendril of black that sought to trap her, but the damage was done. Clutching the ravaged arm to her chest, she struggled to remain upright. She began to feel weak, as if that brief touch of creeping dark had robbed her of all strength. Groaning in agony, Shandi fell to her knees, praying to Unisus that the light that kept the darkness at bay would not fail.
But, despite her prayers, every moment that passed, the fey light grew dimmer and dimmer, and every moment, the cloying dark pressed ever nearer to her. And still the terrible voice lashed her with horror after horror, and still she grew ever weaker. Shandi called again and again for someone, anyone, to aid her, but her voice seemed swallowed by the darkness that crept ever nearer. And then, out beyond the wall of darkness, she guessed at a shape, dark and terrible, just at the edge of her sight. It was coming nearer and nearer, its footsteps shaking the ground, and the closer it came, the harder the darkness pressed at the edges of her light, as if the dark mist itself was afraid of the terrible figure, the embodiment of all that was wrong. And then, as the shape drew near to her tiny shield of light, the voice grew louder, and the light dimmer still. As the horror in the darkness came ever closer, the voice spoke a sentence as clear as day.
"I am coming." It said, its voice echoing in the darkness and she knew that she heard the creature out there in the dark, and that it would destroy her if it came but one step nearer. And then, with a suddenness that startled Shandi, the fey light failed and the darkness enveloped her utterly, a cold so profound that she cried out in terror and pain at its touch. And, even as she felt the cold rip into her, drawing away her life by the moment, she looked up, and beheld the creature clearly in all its terrible glory, lit suddenly by fey lights of its own. And Shandi screamed, for she knew now what it was that she saw, and what it was she feared. And as she screamed, the terrible darkness surged down her throat, choking her, and she flailed wildly, trying to break its terrible embrace, but the darkness would not let her go. And then, as the dark stole even her breath, ice filling her lungs instead, she knew she was dying. With a last supreme effort, she lashed out with her arms, trying to strike her deadly foe...
"Shandi!!" A voice called, seeming to come from a great distance. It was familiar, a voice that held a strong note of command within it. "You must wake!!"
Shandi opened her eyes and immediately stopped struggling, the shock of the nightmare paralyzing her for a few moments. The familiar voice belonged to her Knight, who knelt beside her bed once more, his hands gripping her shoulders gently, his unsheathed sword glimmering on the stones by his feet. Letting out a gasp of fear and of relief, the young magus huddled close to her protector once more, warmth returning to her body as his strong arms held her, banishing the memory of the icy cold that had choked her. At the same time, she kicked herself free from the twisted knot that her sheets had made around her.
"You are alright, it was only a nightmare." He whispered, gently stroking her back with his hands.
For a few moments longer, Shandi allowed herself to be comforted, the cool moon-shadows enough to hide them for the moment, then she drew back, laying against her headboard. Shivering, she looked around her room, seeing that while only dimly lit with moonlight, there was no danger within it. There was no creeping darkness, no horrible figure walking closer, no dark stone about her. In fact, judging by the light coming in through the windows, it was a perfectly clear night, the deep blue of the sky lit with a multitude of stars. There wasn't even a cloud in the sky. Finally, Shandi returned to looking at her guardian, wondering suddenly why he was there. They had decided long ago not to risk such closeness, for it was too easy for someone to observe them without the wards in place. And it was only then, as she beheld him lit by moonlight, that she noticed that his white fur was marred by several new scratches that slowly dripped blood. She realized at once that she must have been hitting him while he tried to wake her, her claws digging into him with deadly intent.
"I am sorry." She replied, reaching out and touching one of the scratches with a gentle hand, letting soothing magic wash into him with her touch.
"It is fine." He told her, looking surprised at her apology. "You were asleep, and besides, there was no lasting harm done. I heard you cry out and I came to find you writhing in your bed like you were under attack. What were you dreaming about?"
"It was horrible," Shandi said, closing her eyes and drawing her knees up to her chest, letting out a long slow breath as warmth finally returned to her body, gently rubbing her arms. "But it was more than a dream. I have had nightmares before, but nothing like this, nothing even close to this. I don't know how I know, but I know. Something is coming. Something more terrible than anything I have ever known. I know that doesn't make sense, but I can feel it."
"What can be done?" Kael asked, and Shandi looked at him in surprise. The Knight was taking her seriously. Gratitude instantly welled up within her, and Shandi smiled. No one else that she knew would have trusted her word as he did.
"Nothing tonight." She replied, the terror of the dream finally releasing her in the company of the wolfish knight. "But before anything can be done, I must be sure of what I have seen. And I can think of only one place that would know what I seek."
"I will be ready when you call." Kael said, rising to his feet once more. As Shandi watched her protector turn to go, she felt a peculiar feeling well up within her. Kael had come to her aid once again, being exactly what she needed once more. And though she had told him nothing of where she was going or what she might face along the way, he was not only willing to go with her, but acted as if it were expected of him. She suddenly realized then the depths of the love that he felt for her. For her, he was willing to face any danger, confront any situation. It went beyond the oath he had sworn to serve and obey her father, and beyond the order Nael'eth had in turn given the knight to protect her. His loyalty to that oath, and by extension, to her, was impressive, and Shandi knew that anyone else in her family would have turned that loyalty against him long ago, manipulating him for their own purpose. There were also those that would have turned his love against him, using it to make him do anything they desired. And somehow, the thought of someone doing that to him was almost worse than the nightmare had been.
In an instant, she had decided. She could not, in good conscience, ask him to go with her, knowing that to do so would require of him things beyond his oath, things that he might, no, that he would, do anyway, out of love for her. She would not use him that way, would not even ask that of him, willing or no. As Kael scooped his sword from the floor, an answer came to her, though it was something she had never considered before, and wouldn't have been considering now had she not been sure of the darkness that was coming. But as she decided to do it, a warm resolve rose in her, a resolve to remove her secret lover from danger for once.
"Kael, wait a moment." She said and the wolf turned back to face her. "I want to ask you to do something, but it is no small thing to ask."
"Yes, my lady?" Kael asked, standing before her.
"If I am to fight whatever is coming, I will need to do things that will put myself and anyone that is with me in danger." She began, sliding her legs over the edge of the bed so she sat upright again. "There may come a time when, to protect me, you will have to do something that goes beyond the oath you took for my father. And I won't ask you to do something like that. In the morning, I will ask my father to release you from your oath, so you may remain here, and not face the danger." It wrenched at her heart to say it, knowing that it meant they would be separated, but he was the one person she would do anything to spare from further harm in her name. But, to her surprise, the wolfish knight shook his head, kneeling before her so they were eye to eye once more.
"My lady, I swore I would obey your father's command." He said, his eyes holding a look of understanding once more. He knew full well what she was trying to do. "And that command was to protect you. I would not ask to be released from such an oath, not even if it would lead me to certain death. As for asking more of me than my oath demands, I am yours to command, you know that."
"Kael, I appreciate your devotion," Shandi said, gently touching his cheek with her paw, "But if my fears are correct, this involves members of my own family. Your oath was to serve and defend House Kit'ranth, and I won't let you betray that oath." Once again, the knight smiled.
"Thank you, Shandi," He began, bowing his head, "But your father ordered me to defend you, and to do so, I must go with you. To a Knight of Antaria, there would be no higher purpose to serve. And for me, there is nothing I would rather do. But if you are worried about oaths..."
As the Knight trailed off, Shandi was surprised to find him shifting position so he was kneeling upon one knee, as he had once done for her father. But this time, he did not place the glittering point of Fal-cotha upon the floor as he had done before, swearing himself into service of her family. Instead, he laid the magnificent sword upon his palms, as he had when he had shared its secret with her, all those months ago. And then, to her great surprise, he held it out to her, offering her his most prized possession. Shandi looked at her protector in surprise, a blush warming her cheeks as she met his piercing blue gaze once more. His eyes held a look of such conviction and loyalty that she found herself mesmerized by them, unable to look away. As if commanded by some unseen force, Shandi reached out both her hands slowly, one finding the magnificent sword's hilt, the other the center of the blade, near the knight's left hand.
The moment her hands touched the sword, she felt an electric thrill surge into her, the sudden impression of many voices whispering at once within her mind, one louder than the rest. But the language they spoke was unknown to her, earthy and yet otherworldly in sound. She felt Kael shift the position of one hand, moving it along the blade towards the point even as she took hold of the blade. And then, the warrior before her spoke.
"I, Sir Kael Duranus, swear upon the sword of my ancestors," He began, the runes upon the sword glowing bright blue, "To serve you, Lady Shalendrea of the house of Kit'ranth, holding your command and your life above all," At these words, she heard the distinct sound of a blade biting flesh, and then, the runes of the sword suddenly blazed brilliant scarlet as the Knight's blood trailed from his palm onto the glittering steel from the sword's point, though the knight's gaze did not waver in the slightest, not even a twitch to be seen. "This I swear, upon my own life's blood, to death and beyond. Will you accept this oath, my lady?"
Shandi hesitated for the barest moment, feeling the crackle of magic energy beginning to suffuse the air around them. This was something new, something she had never seen or even heard of before. It was some sort of oath imbued with magic, the words a contract more binding than any other. She suddenly felt as if a weight was settling on her shoulders, and she knew at once what it represented. Just as Kael was swearing himself to service, so too was she accepting a great responsibility of her own. Drawing in a deep breath, she replied, "I will."
"From this moment onward, my sword, my service and my life are yours to command." Kael finished, and finally Shandi felt his eyes release her. Shaken, she pulled her hands back from the sword, all the fur on her arms standing on end, an eerie sort of feeling washing through her. She knew without being told the extent of his oath; that he had just made a promise to her to obey her command, no matter what it was, to protect her life even if it meant his own death, even if it meant fighting against all the known worlds. And more, she knew that she held everything that was his in her hands, body and soul. It was an awesome responsibility, and, it suddenly came to her that it was also a great gift. In fact, it was the greatest gift her protector had to give, and he had given it into her keeping. With a shudder, she looked back at the Knight and found him calmly wiping his own blood from the blade of the sword, the shining scarlet light fading slowly from the runes. When the steel gleamed bright once more, he laid the blade upon his shoulder and then spoke, repeating the words he had spoken earlier with a deep bow. "As I said, I will be ready when you call, my lady..."