I was struggling to breathe. The sound of my name reached my ears like a deafening cry and the feeling of my body being shaken violently woke me up, my eyes opening wide as I found myself getting blinded by the bright light above my head.
My chest was moving fast, rising up and down and I looked around, a frantic look on my face. Sawn was right next to me, his palm resting on my shoulder, warm and I also spotted Sylia, standing on the other side of the room, looking at me. She had a worried expression on her face but as soon as we met eyes she seemed to relax.
I tried to sit up but my wrists were still tied.
"Can you please untie me." I said and Sawn undid the knots of leather for me, releasing me from my restraints. He didn't say anything to me but I was sure those agonizing shouts of my name were coming from him. He sounded distressed, nervous and I couldn't elp but feel a warmth in my chest. The idea that there was someone who would care if I was okay was comforting.
Bringing my hands to my knees I took a deep breath, staring at the floor as I was trying to put the pieces together of what I had seen. The whole night had been replayed for me in the worst way possible. The pain that I felt was almost too vibrant in the back of my head. His claws digging into my flesh, my skull, I would never forget it and I vowed to never take lightly any warning again, for my own sake.
The night of terror was finally clear, an actual memory. I hadn't seen his face, I hadn't been able to recognize who had done it and deep down I felt like a failure. I was missing the most important clue, the key to everything. One good thing though was that I knew of his power, a very special one indeed. He was able to control the shadows, manipulate them to his will and turn them into lethal weapons, enemies that like them you could only meet in your nightmares. As if they were a veiled army they had crawled into our houses, under our beds, monsters that creeped into the night and took everything from us.
There was something else though, something that I did not expect, something that seemed to turn my world upside down without me even realizing it.
"I am sorry." I was sure that I had heard right, he had said he was sorry, he had apologized to me, leaving me to think of why would he save me, why would he cry for me and why would he hold me in his arms in such a tender way? I needed answers, answers I knew the council wouldn't be able to give me and I did not blame them for it. I had leads, I could just follow my instinct.
"Alice…" Sawn called me, pulling me from my own thoughts and I raised my head, meeting his eyes, disoriented for a moment. I was so invested in what my next move was going to be that I hadn't noticed where I was and what had happened just a few minutes ago. "Are you alright?" he asked me and I nodded my head.
"Yeah, I feel fine." I watched him search through his pockets before he took out a handkerchief, it was white with small red flowers sawn at the right edge. He held it carefully and wiped the sides of my face. I frowned. "What are you doing?" I asked him.
"You have blood on your face." he replied as his hand gently crossed the sides of my face. His handkerchief soon was ruined and I remained curious about my image, how could I possibly look at a moment like this.
"Thank you. You didn't have to though, your handkerchief is ruined, maybe I can just go and wash myself in the bathroom." I told him. The truth was I needed it. Not just to wash off the blood but also come back to my senses. I finally had an important lead but I did not feel excited at all. I did not feel the rush of my upcoming revenge. Quite the opposite. I felt numb, as if something was missing, as if letting the council know everything was not the best idea. Calling myself stupid in my head was the only response, just because you saw someone cry it doesn't mean you can change your mind.
"Yes, you can take your time to rest, think about things and take a bath. We have guest houses here so you will be comfortable. We will take some time, after all, to make preparations after you tell us everything. So Alice, what did you see?" Sylia asked me, finally joining the conversation. Sawn looked at her, he didn't seem pleased with her immediate questioning.
"Maybe she should get some rest first. It is not the best experience, she needs time."
"I agree with that. I just want to know Alice if there is any big lead, do you think we can find him with what you saw?" she asked again, looking right into my eyes. She looked almost expressionless but for some reason I could feel a coldness. Sylia wanted an answer now.
Just a few words and I was sure the whole council would be alerted, just the knowledge of his rare power could bring us so close to him we could even get to know his name. I was so close to finding out who the man was, to get my revenge.
"I am sorry. The truth is I did not see anything important…almost the whole time I was unconscious." I said, trying not to avoid her eyes, not to seem suspicious.
"That is quite unfortunate." she answered, a sigh escaping her lips. "I am sorry we put you through this pain for nothing." she apologized.
She believed me, she believed my lie.
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