A Court of War and Sacrifice

23. Obscure Warning

The artwork above is not mine.

•༻☾☽༺•

Seren rubbed her eyes and yawned, only half listening to what Jurian, Lucien, and Elain were talking about. Her mind felt strangely foggy. "I don't know what else we can offer him," Lucien said, pacing across the room. "We've offered him everything we possibly can."

Jurian ran a hand across his jaw. "Why did you bring her, again?" He jerked his head towards Seren.

"Remember when the dread lord told us his own wife and child died?" Elain asked. "I thought bringing Seren here might touch on his sympathy."

"I'm also daemati, if that helps," Seren added.

Jurian narrowed his eyes, watching her. "It does, actually. You should speak with the dread lord and use your abilities to find out everything you can. Search his mind for a way to free Vassa, or, better yet, influence his mind directly."

"I can try," Seren replied.

"Tomorrow," Lucien said. "It's too late to do anything tonight." He crossed the room and opened the adjoining door. "Come on, Jurian." The human followed him out.

"We'll sleep in here," Elain explained. "I told Lucien you would probably feel more comfortable sharing a room with me, than with Jurian."

Seren grinned. "You're right." They both changed into their nightclothes and crawled into the single large bed. "Do you feel strange?" Seren asked, rolling over to face Elain.

"No?" Elain raised an eyebrow. "Why? Do you? Is something wrong with the baby?"

"No, I don't think so. My mind just feels murky. I feel like I'm forgetting something, but I don't know what."

Elain wrinkled her brows, thinking. "I felt that way the first time I came here too. It passes eventually."

"Why does this happen?"

"I'm not sure. Lucien and Jurian complained about it too, at first. Don't worry. The feeling will pass soon."

"Hm." Seren closed her eyes, waiting for sleep to come.

It didn't. She couldn't find a comfortable position to relieve the steady ache in her lower back. Seren tossed again with a sigh. Elain was sound asleep beside her. Seren sparked her flames to life and began to twist them in the air. A few shadows danced around them.

Her shadow tightened around her arm. It pulled towards the door. Seren frowned at it. "No," she whispered. "Remember what happened last time I went somewhere by myself?"

The shadow pulled again. Seren dissipated her flames and ignored it. It yanked harder on her arm. Seren glanced at Elain, then slid out of bed. She grabbed Metanoia and silently crept out the door. The shadow was pulling her down a hallway. Seren followed its lead through the large manor.

An eerie feeling stole over her. Seren looked around, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. She paused beside a painting that was covered by black cloth. Seren tilted her head and lifted the cloth gently, expecting to see the dread lord's dead wife.

Instead, she saw a portrait of three people. One, she recognized as the dread lord. Only, he looked different in the painting. He looked younger and more powerful. A woman stood on one side of him. She looked slightly younger than him, with long dark hair and abnormally black eyes. Another man stood to the left of the dread lord. This man appeared to be the woman's twin. The artist had portrayed this second man as somewhat translucent. The edges of his form were blurred.