The Unbidden: A New World (1) (Short Parts)

Part 34

I slowly awoke to the feeling of something pressing against my chest. For a moment, struggled to open my eyes. When they finally cooperated, I saw darkness and the vague shape of something in front of me.

It was warm and when I moved my hand onto it, I found it was soft like skin. My mind was lagging a bit behind my body, but slowly the facts creeped to me. It was then I noticed the shallow rising and falling of a body.

My vision began to adjust to compensate for the little light there was. I wasn't too certain at first, but I knew from touching the soft, silky hair that it was Thea lying beside me on my bed.

It was the middle of the night, or early morning. I couldn't tell. I exhaled deeply, and slowly moved away from her sleeping body and off the bed. I squeezed my eyes shut once more and opened them again, the groggy feeling ever present.

I felt physically drained. I struggled to even stay on my feet without leaning onto the wall or grabbing onto the nearby table. I gingerly made my way out of the room and down to the inn's lobby.

The dimly lit room allowed my eyes to adjust well enough. I noticed a single familiar feminine figure sitting at a table. The room was otherwise empty save the innkeeper's apprentice. I approached the person who looked up from their book toward me.

"Good evening, Xavier," Vel'Nysa spoke, motioning to the chair opposite her.

I sat down, rubbing my eyes with my fingers.

"Why're you here?" I asked groggily.

"I came to check upon you as you did not show up this weekend," she said, sipping water from a glass.

She closed the book and set it in front of her on the table.

"The weekend ... you mean I've been asleep for at least two days?"

"Today is Wednesday," she stated.

"I've been asleep for five days."

A moment of silence passed as the wheels in my head lubed up.

"How did you know I was staying here?" I asked.

"I had you followed by Gho back when you first showed up and left. It was for insurance purposes, really."

"Why bother checking up on me, anyway?"

She took another drink before responding.

"I had some things I wanted to discuss with you."

I pointed to her water, to which she slid toward me. It was like heaven in my mouth as the smooth, flavorless liquid flowed down my throat. It was then I truly felt the effects of dehydration. My head pounded so hard I felt like a jackhammer was going through it.

I guess not drinking for five days really messes you up. This water is the best, I thought, sliding the cup back toward her.

"Is one of them about a magical presence that showed in the city on Friday?"

She nodded.

"We detected a massive presence within the city on Friday. It seemed to have navigated toward this area before vanishing. Do you have any idea what happened?" she asked, leaning in and speaking in a low tone.

"Yea. I fought another mage. His name was Roy and he possessed a Tarboleth."

Vel'Nysa's eyes lit up upon mention of the Tarboleth.

"You know of the Tarboleth?" she asked in what appeared to be excitement.

"Sort of. Can you tell me what you know about them?"

"Of course. Then you need to detail happened during your encounter."

"Deal," I nodded.

She shifted in her seat a little before speaking.

"The Tarboleth are a race of mystical steeds that give their rider tremendous amounts of power. They bind their souls to their rider, and when one dies, so does the other. There exist only twelve Tarboleth and usually they do not exist all at the same time."

She paused to take a drink of water.

"Records detail their reincarnation cycle as every one-hundred years after death. If all exist at one time, then a calamity is going to befall the world. The last instance of that was around six-thousand years ago when the great warlords of the North raised armies of hell-spawn to destroy this plane."

This sounds oddly familiar, I mused.

"Each Tarboleth possesses unique abilities as well; however, only four of them have been documented – names included."

I glanced around the room. One other person had entered the lobby but immediately made his way upstairs.

"'Tis all I have," she stated.

"I appreciate the insight ... the gentleman I mentioned – Roy – Was older, and human. He looked like he was in his fifties. He talked about coming here because his Tarboleth sensed mine," I began.

I saw Vel'Nysa's eyes shine almost unnaturally even in the dim light. Mentioning the fact that I had Aurias must be a treasure trove for her.

"You possess a Tarboleth?" the eagerness in her voice was nearly palpable.

I nodded.

"It's kind of relevant but also not. Because I have a Tarboleth, Roy came after me. He didn't identify himself with any order or organization. We only had a short exchange before he attacked me. I nearly lost my life, but I didn't ... unfortunately I killed him," I looked toward the table and clasped my hands.

"There were plenty of things I wanted to ask him about, but he refused. I attempted to be peaceful. Afterward, I tried to claim his Tarboleth, but I was too late, I guess. I blacked out after returning to my room until now."

Vel'Nysa stared at me intently, listening to every word that rolled off my tongue. There was a long, awkward pause that. I felt uncomfortable, so I cleared my throat.

"Xavier, you are an amazing and unique individual," she said plainly.