Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Shadow War ❯ Shadow War 12 ( Chapter 12 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Selena had watched the girl, Aristae, return to the castle that afternoon. The horses and guards looked small from her bedroom window, like toy soldiers laid out on a map. If only it were that easy to position the guards, the horses, and the girl.
::Why doesn't she help me?:: she asked herself, trying to block out the strange, alien feeling within her head. She could no longer hear Dilandau clearly. It was almost as if his thoughts were being blocked. At first it seemed like he was fading away, dying at the mere presence of Aristae, and yet she had a nagging feeling that was not the case. ::Where are you Dilandau Albatou? How can I defeat you if I don’t know where you are?::
There was another thing bothering her, another presence it seemed. It was there, within her, but unannounced. Formless compared to Dilandau, it was an amorphous being somehow connected with him. She did not fully understand how though.
"You will heal me, Aristae," she stated, reaffirming her faith in her prayer's answer. With a quiet sigh she crawled into her bed. The night before had been trying and a catnap before dinner seemed like a good idea. The sun was still shining like molten gold in the sky. She hoped its light would keep her mind at rest, and her monsters at bay.


"You will heal me, Aristae," the voice cut through Zongi's mind like a knife, and he stiffened at its entrance.
"What is this?" he rasped, loosening his grip on Dilandau's neck. He looked at the pale creature struggling for life beneath him, watched each weak breath that passed those parted lips, searched his unseeing eyes for some treachery. ::No, he does not know how.::
Selena's voice pierced the recesses of his mind once more, with quiet resolution. "Aristae WILL heal me."
Zongi brought a heavy hand across Dilandau's face, as if he had uttered the words. He watched it snap sharply to the side at impact and smiled when the boy responded with a whimper. It was so nice to see him like a weak little dog, unable to defend himself, his fangs useless. ::Oh Dilandau, I will be sad to kill you. I want to hurt you forever:: Dilandau thought of death. He didn't care about what came after, so long as it was not this deep ache tinged with the coppery scent of blood. Selena had deserted him, and he was ready to desert himself. ::Let me die:: he prayed to no one. ::Please, just end my life::
But the only one to hear his thoughts was Zongi. A cruel smile played upon his white lips as he decided to drag Dilandau's demise out a little longer. ::First I will rid myself of Selena. Then, when I return, perhaps I will break the boy’s neck:: "Yes, I think I shall do that." Zongi bent close to his captive’s ear, flicking his tongue out to taste the edge of its delicate shell. It tasted of blood and salt, as if he'd been crying. ::Oh, I hope you have:: "Don't go away, Dilandau." He still loved the way his name rolled past his lips, the sound, the silky texture of it. It was good even without a tense reaction. "I have business elsewhere, but I will come back. I promise."
Dilandau made no move to reply, only letting a shaking breath past his lips. Zongi's body atop his brought up fresh memories he wanted to forget. Zongi pressing down on him, biting his neck, pushing between his legs. ::No, no stop! Zongi. . .his. . .NO!::
"I'll come back for you." And with that, Zongi left him to his thoughts, reveling that they revolved around all the wonderfully evil things he'd done to him. ::Soon everything will be as it should:: He walked to the wall of smoky glass, the one Dilandau assumed Selena had erected. One long fingered hand stroked the smooth surface before passing through. His sight was dark and hazy, but he could see Zongi passing through the wall as if it were nothing. The surface wavered as he passed completely, then stood as it had before, smooth and solid.
::No escape::


Selena awoke to the sounds of the night several hours after dinner had been served. She glanced at her nightstand to see that a tray had been left for her, but she wasn't hungry. She pulled the covers back mechanically, swung her legs over the side and stood. Somewhere in the distance she heard the guard call the time. It was midnight. As if in a trance, she walked to the door and pulled the heavy handle, careful to open it slowly so it didn't creak, and glided silently down the hall. She knew where she was going, and why, though if asked she could have said nothing. It was all clear, yet vague in that all the particulars were missing, as if they weren't needed.
She passed Allen's room, pausing only a moment to hear him sleeping. He murmured her name in his sleep, causing her to awaken as if for the first time. ::What am I doing here?:: she asked herself. ::Don't worry about it, just walk on.:: was the reply. She continued without further question.
"Good, good girl Selena," Zongi said nicely, watching from the edge of Selena's thoughts as she walked toward Aristae's room. "Show me the one."
He saw her come to the door, watched as it opened before her and she stepped inside. ::Now, I make my move::
Zongi walked into Selena's thoughts with practiced ease. It was so much easier infiltrating a mind that had the false security of a physical body. He was on the field that Dilandau had avoided and felt the long golden grass brush against his bare calves. "Selena," he said quietly, "I wish to have a word with you."
There was a chair beside Aristae's bed, and Selena decided to sit in it. She kept her eyes on Aristae's face, peaceful in sleep. In a strange sort of way, she reminded her of Van. Her dark hair and skin, her nose, even the shape of her face reminded her of the Fanelian king. She realized that a connection between the two was unlikely, despite appearances. Allen had told her the girl was from the Mystic Moon.
::Van. . .:: She hadn't really had a chance to meet him for herself. She had a clear recollection of Dilandau's feelings toward him, but did not have any of her own. Allen spoke highly of him, and she figured she would probably think similarly. She was to meet him in a month's time, when Allen's post would take him to Fanelia. ::Will I be well enough to go with him?::


Zongi walked across the grass covered plain, looking for the psyche that dwelled upon it. His thoughts flashed images from what Selena was seeing. The girl, Aristae, sleeping soundly in her bed, bathed in blue shadows. Her dark hair spilling over the pillows like a cloak of ribbons, with her hand curled around an errant lock. Then the flashes stopped. The deceiver had found her, sitting against a wise old oak tree, staring listlessly into space, a soft smile upon her lips. He briefly considered killing her outright and taking over the body, but a sudden spark of inspiration stopped him.
The plain's grass was gold and dry. Zongi fingered along the length of it gently. So much dry grass, so easy to. . . He smiled the snake's grin, focusing his thoughts on fire. At first he thought of a single candle flame, then a hearth, and finally a battlefield. Grass curled black in the sudden, smoldering heat, red embers glowing along the blades. Selena continued to sit under her tree, unmindful of the growing blaze around her. Her crystalline eyes reflected gold as the whole field roared with fire.


Dilandau closed his eyes for what he hoped was the last time, breathing a single deep breath. He tried to ignore the insistent pain in his chest, and savor his last breath poetically, feeling the air in his lungs as it passed through his nose and down his throat. He wasn't going to pretend that he was ready to die, only eager to escape the unending Hell.
He could hear his heart, incredibly slow in his chest, the beats lengthening as the familiar rhythm broke its pace. Long, painful moments passed as they softly quieted to no more than a whisper, until even that gentle sound faded to nothingness.
He let his breath out slowly, fighting the urge to open his eyes and look once more around the abyss. There was nothing to see, and no route of escape. It was the only instant in Dilandau's life in which he prayed for peace.