Darkness Rises

Chapter 6

My body was numb, I didn't know what was going on. I flicked my eyes open and stared at the cream ceiling.

Is this what the afterlife looked like?

"You're awake," a soft voice said from next to me.

I turned my head and saw two women, one with golden blonde hair and brown eyes, the other with brown hair and grey blue eyes.

Ok, maybe I wasn't dead but if I wasn't dead then where was I? The blonde-haired woman stood and slowly made her way over to me. I pushed myself away from her, my body aching with the movement.

"It's ok, you're safe here," she said softly, sitting on the edge of the bed and holding her hand out.

I watched her for a while, she looked familiar, but I couldn't place it. I slowly reached my hand out and took hers, she gripped my fingers lightly and gave me a small smile.

I wanted to know so many things, but I couldn't bring myself to talk. The woman holding my hand shifted a little, so she was facing me. I don't know why but she seemed so warm, and this place seemed safe.

I flung my arms around her and held on tight, not stopping the sobs that shook my body. Her arms wrapped around me and rubbed soothing circles on my back.

I felt so small compare to her, I was little more than skin and bones although my arms had some muscle from making bread every day. She reminded me so much of Amelia and I sobbed harder.

Once my tears had eased, she loosened her grip on me a little.

"Let's get you dressed," she said with a small smile and I looked up.

The brown-haired woman was gone, and we stood.

"My name is Mor by the way, what is your name?" She asked as she opened a wardrobe and began flicking through clothes.

"Jasmine," I whispered.

She smiled at me as she handed me a pair of black pants and a soft white jumper. I went into the bathing room to pull them on, I knew she had likely seen my whole body, but I didn't care, I still had some modesty.

When I came back out, I folded the night dress and lay it on the end of the bed, spying my old, ripped dress hanging over the back of a chair. There was a soft knock on the door, and it opened.

Rhysand, High Lord of Night walked in, I panicked, just because he didn't kill me at the meeting didn't mean he wouldn't now. I looked around for a place to hide and eventually settled on the bathing room, running in, and locking the door as I curled my power as far into me as I could.

"Rhys, what the hell were you thinking?" Mor hissed.

"I just wanted to see if she was ok, to tell her that she was safe in my court." He mumbled back.

"Look, I know you didn't mean any harm, I'll talk to her and see if she will meet you." Mor said with a small sigh.

Little did she know it had nothing to do with him being a male, he was the one male I could never meet again. That's when I realised, she wasn't at the meeting. I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked awful, like the life had been sucked out of me.

"Jasmine, he's gone," Mor called though the door.

I opened the door and walked back out. My hair fell in front of my face and I pulled it all behind my head. Mor handed me a band of leather and I smiled at her in thanks as I tied it around my hair.

I ran my fingers through my mess of curls. My hair had always been hard to tame so at ten I gave up, each day I just tied it behind my head. I looked just like my mother; she had always been able to keep her hair under control though.

"Jasmine, would you like to go on a walk around the city?" Mor asked.

"Sure," I said with a small smile.

She took me down a long corridor and into a massive foyer. She opened the front door into the city, and I couldn't stop my gasp, it was stunning.

"Welcome to Velaris," Mor said with a chuckle.

She took me round the whole city, it was beautiful, the people were all so friendly although Mor kept glancing at me if a male passed too close, but I didn't mind each time, none of the males here looked like him.

She took me into a sweet shop that had pots of varying sweets covering the walls. The shop owners were an older couple who gave me a small lollypop. It was so kind, and I kissed them both on the cheeks.

On the way back to the manor I put the lollypop in my mouth, and I felt like I could explode it was so tasty, I had never had sweets in my life.

"Jasmine, Rhys would very much like to meet you." Mor said as we walked.

"That's the High Lord, isn't it," I whispered.

"Yes, but I promise he is nice, he doesn't act very official most of the time." She said with a smile.

"Ok," I whispered once more.

I knew that if I was staying under the same roof as him, I couldn't avoid him forever, I just hoped that once he knew who I was he wouldn't change his mind about ending my life.