Rayfire

If you don't want to spoil it for yourself, you won't by reading this. In fact, you will just be full of questions. However, in this chapter (This is from Troy's eyes) this is pretty close to the end of the book in Chapter 52. Lynyza is very important in this chapter. Lynyza is Gavin's Seer, who he mentions in Chapter 4. Anyway, she's kinda possesses Troy. =] I liked writing it, believe me. Yeah, I'm getting carried away. Just remember that Troy is a): ill and b): controlled by Lynyza. That's all and enjoy and comment at the bottom of the page!! 

Thanks.

52: Troy

I was alone in ward ninety – nothing stirred. Sitting up and almost falling over with the effort, I swung my legs off the bed and placed my bare feet on the cool rock floor, letting the icy feeling wash through me. It did little to help my neck, arm and shoulder, which felt as if they were on fire, my blood silently boiling. Although the poison was nowhere near it, my stomach felt weird and felt horribly dry and something kept on churning in it, scorching my stomach. It felt a little like molten rock. I felt like I was going to be sick but there was nothing to vomit. I stood up unsteadily. My legs no longer felt fragile; in that mere second they’d changed, surging with strength. I had to stand carefully for several moments before I felt steady enough to walk, and even then I had to wait for the mist to stop playing on fast-forward.

The howling wind outside poured in through the window, the coverlet zooming off the bed to become entangled with Rayfire, which was shoved unceremoniously into the wall. I made no move to retrieve the blade, instead crossing to the window, measuring each step to focus my mind on something other then the pain. The salty tang of the sea wafted up my nostrils.

What the hell am I doing? I asked myself – I had absolutely no idea, drawn to the window like iron to a magnet. I opened my eyes.

The grey mist still swirled slothfully, blinding me. I waved an unresisting hand in front of my eyes; nothing. I felt like a living puppet, bossed, controlled by a snarl in my head. I couldn’t disobey. As much as I tried, it just seemed to make it harder to disobey and easier to obey. So I just do what it says – which isn’t much. Just stuff like ‘stand up’, ‘go there’, ‘do this’, ‘do that’ – you get the idea.

Below, mighty waves, tipped with boiling froth, slammed against the cliff, sending the sea spray into the air like bullets from a gun. The wind began to keen again, wailing a mournful dirge to the smoky grey-black clouds above. Rain came in torrents, buffeting my face, each drop like an icy needle plunging into my skin. The moon, and the stars, where nowhere to be seen as jagged tridents of lightning vented their spleen, thunder booming out.

I stood there for what seemed several lifetimes, the waves slamming, the spray shooting, the wind crooning, the rain plummeting downwards, the lightning stabbing, the thunder booming…

My temples began to hurt. I closed my eyes.

“No… nonono, open your eyes, Rayfire. Ye mussst open your eyes…”

Cow!

“Ye ssshall sssee the Empire how it will be…”

What? Don’t get that. We’re in a storm…and I can’t see a thing anyway.

“OPEN YOUR EYES!”

I stayed stubbornly silent, eyelids itching to open. After several painful minutes, I reluctantly opened an eye, the pain in my temples unbearable.

“Good, Rayfire – I sssee ye are becoming more faithful.”

“Faithful?” I snorted. “Faithful?! I’m not doin’ this willin’ly, if that’s what ye mean -”

“Ssshut up! Your endless babbling does little to help! I am trying to think. Ye have defied me, and therefore must be punissshed....”

“Big words, Lynyza,” I remarked. “Biiiiig words. But, as much as ye wish to, ye won’t slay me an’ can’t slay me – yet –”

“Who sssays I can’t?” Demanded Lynyza, sounding exactly like an arrogant toddler.

“Me!” I replied cheerily. “Ye see, sure, as much as ye want t’ slay me, ye can’t, an’ won’t. Ye have t’keep me alive.”

“Only your worthlesssss body, Rayfire!” Lynyza shot back.

“Nononononono, wrong, a big fat zero!” I exclaimed. “Ye still need part of me – the real me, not old mangy pants – t’understand the way others think, my memories, weaknesses… it’s like having a huuuuuuuuuuge data-base at your dirty fingertips…”

“What if I don’t need your information?”

“The thing is – ye do.”

Lynyza seemed about to protest, but merely replied, “We shall see.”

The minutes stretched by in silence, the wind still wailing. It seemed to be at least ten times louder then I normally registered it; my head began to protest, throbbing.

I swore.

“Language!” Admonished a playful voice from behind me, then footsteps. Eva appeared at my side, bearing a tray for two. “Dreadful weather, huh? Up an’ about – feelin’ better?”

I didn’t reply, silently praying that Lynyza would just shove off and leave me in peace.

Eva took my hand, which had been minding its own business on the windowsill. “Need anythin’ at all – a drink, another coverlet, anythin’?”

“No thanks… I’m fine…” I swallowed. My surroundings swam before my eyes and I had to steady myself on the windowsill. I felt giddy and faint and dazed all at the same time. My headache became a dull throb, pounding away relentlessly inside my skull like some sort of drum.

“Troy -?”

“I’m fine.” Eva obviously knew I wasn’t.

“I’d get away from the window, mate. Ye look like death.” She told me and tried to pull me away but I couldn’t move. Wave after wave of emotions – grief, rage, anguish, pain – crashed into my brain. Eva was dragging me backwards, or at least trying to, yelling at me to stop. But I didn’t even know what I was doing.  

Began to feel empty. Fear clawing at my insides. Tearing my brain to pieces. Hands felt like they were welded to the windowsill. Neck burning, shoulder burning, arm burning.

Cold.

Empty…

Hurts.

Mist. Clouding thoughts. Empty, dark. Alone. Can’t think.  Don’t know what to think. To do. Don’t want to go on. So cold. So dark. So… so…

“Troy! Get away from the window!”

Cold.

Empty.

Hurts.

No life. Empty. Dark… alone…cold. Temples bursting with pain. Dazed. Lost in a whirlwind of emotions… though still empty –

Flung around like a rag doll. Hurts. Don’t resist.

Below there was the sea, crashing against the cliff, venting its anger. The rain was slithering down my face. Eva’s voice had reached a shrill shriek.

“Troy! Please, mate! Listen t’ me; get away from the window!”

The wind still howled, hurting my ears. Eva was yanking on my arm and pleading for me to get away from the window. I didn’t even know where the window was. All I knew was the mist. Coloured spots danced before my eyes and everything seemed to slow. Only my headache remained. Everything else seemed to have faded into the background. The rain seemed to be softer, the wind quieter, the sea slower, sloshing in large waves below. But Eva’s voice was still loud and clear. When she yanked particularly hard I stumbled, my head thwacking into something hard. I heard Eva curse and she let go of my wrist for a few moments. But even as something other than the rain, sticky and warm trickled down my face, I was still mesmerised by the raging ocean below. Even the mist had silently disappeared, so I could watch on as sea spray was hurled into the air. I couldn’t stop staring at the mortal beast below. I couldn’t breathe. It’s salty tang hung on my tongue, bitter and vile. The rain trickled into my eyes and hung in drops on my eyelashes, blinding me as the seconds ticked by…

“Troy! Stop it, please, please stop it -!”

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