The Seven Deadly Kingdoms

Chapter 9

The three talked well into the night, the other soldiers around them retreating to their beds one by one. They talked of their families, their hopes and goals for life, and what they would do if they ever returned home. By the time the conversation began to die out, the three of them had migrated closer to the fire, it growing smaller with each passing hour. They now all laid on their backs, looking to the stars. At one point, Andrew had made them all tea from the dining hall.

"I dont know, I kind of hope they put me right at the front of the troops. I want to be able to surprise the enemies with my merger appearance before I take them down. I pray they don't make me a little messenger girl for the higher ups or something like that, dear heavens how boring that would be. I was born for the fronts." Mira said. They had settled on the topic of where they thought they would be placed in the war, and it seemed that Mira was born to be a warrior. The thought of Mira charging into battle, head held high warmed Adelaides heart. The young woman had a fire in her that Adelaide didn't expect, and it encouraged her. Mira made everyone around her feel empowered.

"I would be a better fir for the armoury. I don't want to fight. The thought of bringing harm to someone who might have a family at home, waiting for them makes me nauseous. But for what's left of my family, I would take down any King. Or I would die trying. That would probably be a more realistic outcome." Andrew said with a laugh.

Adelaide hadn't thought about where she would end up in this war. She had just assumed she would be put straight into battle, but she realised there were so many key roles in an army. Even down to the nurses and cooks. She doubted she would be assigned either of those roles, though. Her only talent was managing to muddy up any piece of white clothing she owned.

Adelaide tried to imagine anything she might be good at. Lord knew she couldn't use a weapon to save her life, but she assumed she would have the proper training to. Maybe she would be the messenger girl for the higher ups. That would be a job easily screwed up, though, and Adelaide would definitely not be the right person for a job that cant be screwed up. Maybe she could work in an armoury. Or be someones errand girl.

As she continued pondering her possible positions, she realised that she could no longer hear her new friends. Brows furrowed in confusion, she looked to both of them, only to see they were still continuing their conversation. But no sound was coming out of their mouths. No sound was coming from anywhere at all for that matter. Everything was completely silent.

Adelaide propped herself up her elbows to try and see Mira and Andrew better. Nothing seemed to be wrong with them, and it appeared that they heard each other. She tried calling to them, but no words came out of her mouth. Fully panicked, Adelaide stood and tried once more to call out to them. Nothing. She looked around the camp, and everything else seemed to be carrying on as is should. It was as if she were a ghost. And with that thought, a very familiar chill crawled up her spine, making her entire body shiver. Her eyes widened at the familiar feeling. The fear quickly turned into confusion as she looked at the stars. Perfectly in place. Nothing seemed to be closing in on her either. Just the deafening silence and her friends lack of awareness that she was trying to speak to them. Adelaide would have thought she simply went deaf if she hadn't still been able to hear the swish of her own dress.

Adelaide pushed her fear down, it making its way into her stomach. She straightened her stance as she looked around her, trying to find anything that might be causing this phenomenon. She did a full 360 before her eyes landed right beyond the flames of the dying fire. The silhouette of a man stood, facing her. The flames between them made Adelaide unable to make out any detail of the man, but she knew he was looking directly at her.

"Who are you?" She said, realising she could hear her voice again. The man stood still, staring at her. Adelaide walked closer, trying to make out any detail of his face. Even after rounding the fire, the mans figure was pitch black. She could see the dimension in his face, but shadows covered anything recognisable. When she got within a few feet of him, she decided to try and ask again. "Who are you?" She said, this time more assertively. This time, the man smiled. Even his teeth were covered by some phantom shadow. Adelaide noticed he had grown closer to her, even though he didnt move. For some reason, she wasn't afraid. As if she knew he couldn't hurt her. All she could think about was who this thing was. The man was now only inches away from Adelaide. His shadowed eyes bore into her soul, having no depth or colour themselves. As if his entire being was only a mirage.

A deep rumble sounded from the man, almost like a laugh. Another chill went up Adelaides spine with the sound that cut through the bitter silence. The laugh faded only into a distant echo, and Adelaide could see the mans brows draw together and his smile grow wider. "You know who I am, Adelaide." He said quietly, drawing out her name.

In the same second her name left his mouth, the man disappeared. Adelaide blinked, and when she opened her eyes she was laying on the ground beside Mira and Andrew, arms behind her head and eyes positioned on the stars, just as she had been.

"I cant stand the thought either. Thats why I would only go for the ones who look extra cruel. I couldn't live with myself if I knew I was the reason that someones wife or mother was getting that awful letter." Mira said. It was as if no time at all had passed. As if the interaction between her and the strange man had never happened. Adelaide considered the possibility that is was just a dream, but the same low rumble of the mans laughter floated through the air, dissipating within a few seconds.

The frightening realisation came to Adelaide that the mans voice was identical to the voice in her head that had plagued her for so long. She gasped slightly, putting a hand to her mouth. Could it have been him? Had that been the face behind the evil thoughts in her mind? Adelaide dismissed the thought; only a dark, dark magic could allow someone to get into another persons mind like that, and there was no reason that it would be used on Adelaide, a simple nobody from the forest. It couldn't be.

Adelaide settled on the conclusion that she had simply fallen asleep and had a nightmare. It was the only logical conclusion. It had been a stressful day and her mind was simply playing tricks on her. Simple as that.

"Are you alright, Adelaide?" Mira asked with a calm tone. Apparently her and Andrew had stopped talking and were staring intensely at her. "Yes, I'm perfectly alright, why do you ask?" Andrew and Mira looked at each other before looking back towards Adelaide, both quirking their brows. "Well, you just seemed a little lost is all. You were muttering something and looked very frightened. At first I thought you had drifted asleep bur when I looked over just now your eyes were wide open." Mira's statement only proved Adelaides theory. She nodded to herself and smiled at her friends. "Perfectly alright. I think I had fallen asleep for a few seconds and had a nightmare." Mira's concerned expression fell and was replaced with her usual soft smile.

The three of them continued their conversation, and Adelaide made sure to be present this time. Whether the strange experience was a dream or not, she didn't want it happening again.