Collaterals

Deep Breaths

"Blood is owed!" he glared, eyes wide and crazed. This time, however, he had both hands on Leila's shoulders, clutching so hard she could feel herself bruise.

Leila looked at him in panic, "Who's blood?!"

"Blood is owed!"

"To whom?!" She shouted.

But he would not respond. He would not respond, because a moment later later, Leila was falling through space, watching as a sea of roses hovered above her. Time slowed as she fell, hands thrust forward as to hold on to something, anything , as she watched, hopeless, the roses raining upon her. Slowly, at first, one by one, and then all together until she was was surrounded, drowning, suffocating in a sea of red.

"Blood is owed!" She heard his voice boom. A death sentence, surely, as she tried to claw her way out the roses. But alas, there were too many of them, and soon enough she could not see the light of day, only the red of roses, the red of blood. 

Leila's throat was dry when she woke, hands clutching the sheets underneath her, eyes wide open. The ceiling was high above her, and though Leila's eyes could not see much in the dark, she could swear there were decorative engravings on it. For a moment, she did not move, only let herself breath, feel the air move through her lungs, and force the muscles of her arms to slacken beside her. Then, she turned, looking to where the moonlight shone from her balcony. Air welcomed her outside as it snuck in from the open double doors and moved about the room. Slowly, Leila donned her robe, moving outside as she tied its belt. The air tickled the skin of her neck, wet with sweat from the panic of her dream. She clutched her neck, massaging it slightly as she sighed, looking past the garden, past the castle gate, and to the city tumbling below her in levels. It was almost dawn, far too early for anything, and yet candles lit houses so the city seamed like a dark night sky, made alight with stars of fire. Leila breathed in the salt air.

A note, her childhood box, and a crazed Diviner. Leila could swear she'd seen him before...but where?

The question rang through her head, stopping her from returning to her slumber though her eyes remained heavy in her skull. Leila had dressed in the dark, knowing well the only thing that sharpened her mind was the edge of her sword. It was only when she was ready that she stood in the middle of her room, frowning, remembering that she'd not retrieved her blade from the guard, and no one had returned it to her. 

"...it seams they were all too eager to...disarm you, no? Say, where is your sword?" 

Leila grit her teeth against Captain's words, still fresh in her mind. Perhaps she could venture through the halls, find the guards and demand her sword back. Yes, she thought as she moved to the door, placing a hand on the knob. She would retrieve her sword, move to the gardens, and run through drills till she was fatigued enough to—

The knob turned underneath her hand, and before the door even pushed open, Leila had stepped into the darkness, a hand on a candle holder, ready to strike.

The maid servant who walked in did not see her, moving to her bed quietly. Leila watched as the maid set her candle on Leila's nightstand before patting her bed in confusion. Leila took her hand off the candle holder, "I am here."

"Oh!" The maid jumped out her skin, a hand over her heart as she looked to where Leila was. It was the same woman from yesterday, Leila was sure. She was quick to curtesy,  "Oh! You're Highness! You're up! How good, oh, how good, well. Yes." She moved to the door, "She's up, Ladies, and Decent. Yes."

The maidservants scurried in, curtsying quickly before they moved about the room, lighting candles and cleaning away, moving to her closet.

"It..is early?" Leila asked as the light of the candles bounced of the walls, lighting the room.