Sleep Keeper (21 page)

“Did the shower help at all?” she asked.

“A little,” I replied weakly.

Truthfully, a lot, but I didn’t want to open any doors to a longer visit. I crawled back in bed and she handed me the tray of chicken noodle soup, crackers, and herbal tea. Although it didn’t look very appealing, my stomach growled in approval.

“Thank you, Mom. I really appreciate it,” I whimpered with half-closed eyes, and began to eat.

An hour later, I convinced Mom that I was desperately need to go back to sleep. She offered to stay but I rebutted that utter silence was essential for my recovery and promised to call her if I needed anything. After she left, I called my boss and left a message, claiming debilitating illness and apologized that I thought my mom had called her earlier. I said the doctor thought I should stay home another few days to rest. I really didn’t care if she believed me or not, but I didn’t want to take the chance of someone calling in the morning and waking me up. I closed my eyes and tried to fall back asleep.

An hour later, I still lay in bed wide-awake. My stomach grew queasy again. There was no way I could sleep filled with this anxiety about Orion. I crawled out of bed and opened the medicine cabinet, shuffling through the pill bottles.

Ah ha!

I popped off the cap and chugged down a couple of expired sleeping pills. I hopped back in bed and stared at the ceiling, waiting for the pills to disintegrate. The cedar knots stared back down, like an estranged companion deciding if they should let me back in. We had so many memories together; some amazing, and some I shuddered away from. These past few months encompassed more emotion than I could recall from the past few years, or my entire lifetime for that matter. I had a feeling that the next few would be just as memorable. A half hour later, my eyes finally grew heavy. The darkness swirled around and I fell into a deep slumber.

A thunderous roar replaced the silence of my bedroom. I opened my eyes to paradise. Immense cliffs encased a massive waterfall that cascaded from the sky and crashed down into the pellucid lagoon below. The lagoon divided into several pools with streams of water perforating through the moss-covered earth and tumbling gently into a lake. The panorama was indescribable. I was filled with deep reverence for nature’s vast creation. Noble Falls.

              I quickly spotted Orion nearby, inspecting the mountainside. I rushed over and he wrapped his arms around me, giving me a big welcoming kiss.

              “I
hate
it when you disappear like that,” he stated.

              “Me more!”

              He kissed my neck then released me, continuing his scrutiny of the mountain.

“Um, what are you doing?” I asked.

              “Looking for a hidden opening of some sorts,” he replied, now searching the foliage at the base of the cliff.

              “A hidden opening?” I laughed.

              “I have spent all morning searching for some sign of Erebus. Do you have a better idea?” he snapped back. He clearly wasn’t impressed by my candor.

“Given the string of current events, a hidden opening seems reasonable,” I flashed a sheepish grin that made Orion smile.

I walked closer to the base of the cliffs, looking for… well… anything. I ran my hands across the smooth rocks. The animated moss intertwined in the crevasses like a map outlining the highways of a city. I followed the intricate pattern along the cliff as I walked closer toward the lagoon. Mists of cool water sprinkled from above as I inched closer toward the base of the waterfall. I leaned my face upward and closed my eyes, allowing the cool mist to wash over my eyes.

“Alexis!” I heard a muffled cry.

Before I opened my eyes, something grabbed my arm and yanked me backwards.

Ouch!

I tilted my head and peered into the dilated eyes of a tall and rugged man whose grip was pinching my arm painfully. A fierce expression smeared across a course face. His unkempt brown hair clung to his cheeks.

“Leyland! What are you doing?” Orion yelled as he approached.

“
Leyland?
” I repeated to myself.

“Stay back Orion!” he barked with a glazed stare. Droplets of spit sprinkled my cheek as he spoke.

Orion paused. “Leyland, just let her go!” he yelled through the roar of the waterfall. He was trying to remain calm, yet his clenched jaw showed his growing tension.

“I said stay back! I don’t want to hurt your
so called
soul mate,” Leyland implored. His faded brown eyes darted back and forth wildly.

Soul mate?

So Orion must have told Leyland about me. I wondered how much he knew.

Soul mate... I like that. Were those Orion’s exact words or was Leyland being facetious?

Leyland moved behind me and held a cleaver against my neck. My mind snapped back to the severity of the situation. I felt his erratic breaths against my neck. Orion held his ground, stared into my eyes, probably unsure what move to make next. Leyland moaned and slightly bowed his head in a grimace of pain - or perhaps confusion.

“What’s happening to me?” he muttered.

Orion took a step closer, “It’s not you, Leyland. It’s Erebus.”

“Don’t come any closer!” he bellowed, as he snapped his head back up and pressed the cleaver tighter into my skin. I gasped at the feel of the sharp metal cutting through. I planted my head firmly into his chest, trying to keep my neck as far from the blade as possible.

“Leyland, remember the men in Anhawk? Remember Robby?” Orion pled.

Leyland’s face twists in shame, “Robby... is dead now.”

“Please don’t make me kill you too,” Orion warned.

“Enough!” His tone returned to anger. “Your fate has yet to be decided. Drop your sword and move it! Now!” he ordered and pointed his head toward a narrow ledge against the cliff.

Orion reluctantly removed his sword and walked over to the cliff. He climbed onto the rocky ledge and moved toward the waterfall. Leyland pushed me along behind Orion. I sped up, hoping to get close enough to touch Orion and transport us to safety, but Leyland yanked me back, keeping a wide distance from him.

Water drenched our clothes as we walked further inwards. Orion halted at the base of the waterfall, confused at our destination, but Leyland ordered him to continue on. The ledge grew narrow and the force of the sprays from the water nearly knocked me to the ground. I grasped the rocks on the cliff’s wall to keep from falling into the lagoon below. The wind whipped my soaked hair against my face and the cold sprays of the waterfall stung my eyes and cheeks. I could barely keep my eyes open long enough to see where we were headed. I could no longer see Orion up ahead. I shielded my face as we continued further on the mountainside, until an opening suddenly appeared and we slipped behind the waterfall into a cavern. The cavern opened into a large enclosure made of rock and clay with a ceiling that looked fifty feet high. The walls were sculpted with obscure scriptures and drawings. A row of lit torches lined the walls on two sides. The room was otherwise empty. On the far side of the cavern were three dark tunnels. Draco emerged from the shadows of one of the tunnels as we entered.

             
“Look who I found snooping outside,” Leyland announced.

Draco’s eyes widened with delight. “Well, if it isn’t our legendary Mr. Nellis. Oh, and I see he brought along his naughty mistress.”

“Shut your mouth before I shut it for you!” Orion barked back. The strained muscles of his neck were twitching with fury. His booming voice echoed in the acoustic cavern, sending my heart racing with more adrenaline.

Draco smiled a wide eerie grin showing most of his teeth. He was amused to see Orion disconcerted. “I would love to see you try,” he teased.

              Orion, armed with only his rage, moved a step toward Draco, ready to accept his challenge.

I reached out toward Orion, as if to stop him, “Orion, don’t! You’ll have your chance... patience.”

              He halted his advance.

              “I always knew you were the obedient type. I just didn’t realize your motivation. Can’t say I don’t blame you,” Draco shrilled, appraising me from afar.

              “You’re repulsive,” I snarled in disgust.

“Feisty one, aren’t you, kitten,” he winked.

I glared at Draco with immense hatred. He may only be Erebus’ puppet, but he had also been the cause of pain, suffering and heartache for me, as well as many others. How could someone cause so much death and destruction and not have an evil soul? I didn’t buy it. He was much more than Erebus’ puppet. He had threatened everything that I loved and I was tired of living in fear. I was tired of worrying that Orion would be taken away from me. I was tired of running. I wanted Draco dead. No longer was I afraid... I was furious.

I turned around and faced Leyland with renounced anger. His clever hung loosely against his side. He held an empty expression. He had saved Orion’s life in the past and Orion called him friend. For that, I will spare his life. With my left hand, I punched him with all my strength in his throat. He immediately dropped his cleaver and grasped his neck with both hands, trying to take a breath. I kneed him with a quick jab in his groin. His hands moved from his throat to his crotch and he dropped to the ground, gasping for air. I kicked him firmly in the base of the head and his body went limp. I reached down and snatched the cleaver from the ground. With three long steps, I leapt across and grabbed Orion’s arm, focusing on Draco.

Instantly, we disappeared and reappeared in front of Draco. Orion stumbled in confusion. Before Draco could comprehend what was happening, I hurled my body at him with the cleaver. I slammed into him with such force that his body was thrown backwards and he smashed his head against the wall. The sharp blade of the cleaver sliced through his abdomen and he howled in pain, trying to shield the wound with his hand. I staggered off balance from the force of my attack and we both slid down the wall, hitting the cold floor. He slumped over, on top of my legs, with his face down. The weight of his massive body was heavy and I tried to kick him off.

“Help me,” he pled in a childlike voice that caught me by surprise.

His body fell limp, except the shallow sporadic movements of his chest. I pulled my legs out from under him and crawled out. Orion lifted me up and wrapped his arms around me. I saw the cleaver lying on the ground, partially covered by Draco’s long black hair. A pool of blood formed underneath his body. I was filled with a sense of déjà vu. The image of a dumpster and alley came to mind.

The vision…

I stared infuriatingly into Draco’s frightened eyes. In an instance, his face changed to unfeigned repentance.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

His body went completely still and his already pale skin turned ghostly white. I peered down at his blanched lifeless body. His sunken eyes gazed unfixed at the nothingness that was now his soul. My eyes filled with tears as unexpected clemency flooded my heart.

A ferocious snarl echoed off the cavern walls as Erebus passed through the entrance of a tunnel. For the first time, I got a really good look at him. He must have been in his early thirties, yet he looked gauntly. He held an ominous face with beige skin hollowed in around his pale blue eyes. They looked both enthralling and haunting. My mind was screaming to transport us out of there, but I couldn’t break away from his gaze. Before I could snap out of his trance, I was ripped from Orion’s grasp and lifted from my feet. I moved to the center of the room, suspended in midair. My arms and legs fully extended from my body. I couldn’t move an inch. My limbs were being pulled from my body. I groaned in pain. A heavy pressure crushed tightly against my chest. My joints screamed and my muscles burned in protest. My groans transformed into screams. I tried to hold them in but the pain was too much to take. My screams reverberated across the cavern.

“I will slowly rip her apart,
Right Now
, if you don’t tell me where it is!” Erebus threatened.

I saw the desperation in Orion’s anguished eyes as I cried in pain.

“Don’t you do it! Do you hear me? Don’t sacrifice this world for me!” I begged between shrieks.

This was my fault. Why didn’t I choose escape with Orion over killing Draco?!

Orion stared into my eyes as he tried to decide my fate.
“I’m sorry,”
he mouthed to me with teary eyes.

He made his choice. I should have been trembling with fear. My life was seconds from ending in an excruciating death, yet I was swimming in relief. I was honored to sacrifice my life to save my home, my world, and my only true love.

“
I love you,”
I mouthed back.

I stopped resisting Erebus’ attack and relaxed my muscles in surrender. I kept my eyes locked on Orion; his beautiful face was the last image I wanted burned in my mind before I died. He kept his gaze locked on me in return, and with a swift slide of the blade, I watched as Orion pushed Draco’s sword forcefully into his own chest.

“No!” Erebus and I shrieked simultaneously.

It couldn’t be true. This couldn’t be happening.

I watched in horror as Orion’s body fell to the ground. Blood spewed from his chest as he gasped frantically for air. Shock overtook Erebus and he released his hold on me. I crashed hard onto the ground. I scrambled to my feet and raced over to Orion. I slid to the floor and placed my hands on his shoulder, focusing on the town’s border. Instantly, we blinked out of sight and reappeared somewhere in the forest.

Kneeling over his dying body, I watched in terror. My soul mate was slipping away and all I could do was watch.

“Help! Someone help!” I screamed.

I looked down at Orion. “No, Orion! Please don’t leave me,” I whimpered with an erratic plea.

His blanched body trembled as blood continued to gush from his wound. I pressed my hand firmly against the geyser, attempting to stanch the flow. He winced in pain and cried from my touch. I pulled my hand back quickly. Bright red blood ran from my hand, down my arm, and dripped onto the ground. Panic filled my chest and I couldn’t breath. I felt dizzy and my vision tunneled.

Stay focused!

He stared into my eyes with a painful daze and tried to speak. All that came from his throat was a soft gurgle as he choked on his blood. Desperate to talk, spewed out a few words between thin breaths, “Forgive… me.”

“Of course I forgive you! I love you,” I cried, weeping uncontrollably.

I laid both my hands over his heart and gazed into his eyes. Even now, with his last few breaths of life, his eyes still held a fiery spark that flickered in the sunlight.

“I love you with every fiber of my soul,” I whispered.

His body ceased to shake and he placed his hands over mine. His eyes glazed over and turned unfocused at the sky.

“No!” I screamed.

Through blurred eyes, I saw a flicker - then a faint glow illuminated from our blood-soaked hands. My body suddenly felt energized, like a thousand watts of electricity was flowing through my veins. The sensation intensified and my torso shot erect. I cringed and squeezed my eyes shut. Severe heat shot from my abdomen, down my arms and into my fingers. I clenched my teeth and screamed in my head from the burning pain. My hands felt like they were on fire, yet I couldn’t control my body enough to remove them. My body pulsated and my mind continued to scream.