Shadow Breeds

Chapter 18

August

"I don't know what happened Magna, one minute things seemed as normal as they could be and the next she was screaming about something in her head," I said, growing more agitated by the second. Ashe had passed back out and was sleeping on my bed again, but not very peacefully. She seemed to be having some kind of nightmare. "I feel useless Mags, she's hurting and I don't know what to do about it," I groaned.

Magna tapped her chin, a habit she had when she was deep in thought. Her expression turned into one of serious concern and it caused a shiver to jolt through me. "What?" I asked, my nerves felt like firecrackers going off in my bloodstream.

A thought occurred to me before Magna could respond, "you don't think-."

"Loralai," Magna interrupted me with exactly what I didn't want to hear. "Could her transformation have triggered something on Loralai's end?" I asked impatiently.

She shook her head no, "she would've had to have seen and touched Ashe as a child in order to trigger anything like you're thinking, but it's possible that her desperation to find Ashe has built up so much energy that, as the target, it's hitting her full force, but we can't be too sure yet." I sighed, only slightly relieved, "could it have projected images into her mind? She said she didn't want to see something."

"It's possible, but only Ashe can answer the questions that are eating at you most right now," Magna responded softly. I nodded while chewing my bottom lip, I just hoped she'd wake up soon.

***

Ashe

My head was killing me, but not nearly as much as the images I'd watched run through my brain a few hours earlier. I'd only been awake a few minutes before they came back against my will. My parents.

I squeezed my eyes shut and it only aided in making the scene I was witnessing even clearer. Surely this was just some awful side effect, right? Yeah, that idea brought me a little relief.

The smell of mint and chocolate wafted through the dark room and I opened my eyes weakly. I relaxed a little as my vision rested on August, who made his way to the bed with slow steps. "How are you feeling now?" He asked gently. Tears began to brim my eyes and he sat next to me on the bed, "how did they die? My parents," I managed to squeak out, I still wasn't used to the sound of my voice. It was so much smoother than before, yet my throat felt scratchy and raw.

His face whitened and my stomach filled with dread, "just tell me August."

"When their bodies were found, they were in the bottom of a pit, charred. We don't know exactly what happened Ashe," he responded almost too quiet to hear.

I exploded into tears at the realization that I had indeed been watching the torture my parents put themselves through for me. "It should've been me," I choked out through sobs. August grabbed me and pulled me into a tight embrace, "no Ashe, it shouldn't have been anyone except that bitch Loralai."

A thought crossed my mind that pulled me out of my tearful haze, "show me what Loralai looks like."

"Ashe I don't think that's-."

"I said show me dammit, I need to see her face," I demanded. He sighed and left the bedroom momentarily, coming back with a photo album similar to the one we'd already gone through. He flipped it open and skimmed through a few pages until he found what he was looking for. "Are you sure about this right now? It may not be the best time-," August tried to debate again but I stopped him.