A Dance With Death

|| Chapter 19 - Conspire ||

        

I am not sure of what to do next: should I go towards him and ask him what he wants or should I run away from him, never to look back?

His smile tells me that he knows of what I'm thinking.

"This is a one-time opportunity," the voice, as cold as death, says to me.

Caius stares intently at me before turning his back. He slowly disappears behind the crops. I stare with bewilderment at the tall grass.

"Wait!" I yell.

I hurry towards him, fearing I might lose him. I have made up my mind: I need answers. There is nothing more important. This is my chance of making sense out of this madness. I have to know what he wants. And why me?

My legs feel abnormally heavy - even for a spirit - as if they are numb. With great difficulty, I carry myself forward and I dive through the crops. Oddly, I feel the leaves scratching against my skin. Being a spirit, I shouldn't feel anything even if this is a dream. I curse in pain, yet, I continue walking, searching for any signs of Caius. My vision is blocked by the tall crops.

Gradually, an odd feeling grows inside of me. I stop abruptly. I grab a stem next to me as I feel air through my otherwise non-existent throat. Air fills up my lungs. My eyes widen, surprised at the strange change, I place my hand on my chest and push it firmly.

I can feel my heart pumping.

As if I'm no longer a ghost, I can breathe. I can feel the plants around me brushing against my skin. Even though the sharp leaves provide great discomfort, I feel alive. It's a feeling that I missed for a long time.

Before I could welcome this change properly, the leaves around me start rustling wildly. I'm unable to process the sudden noise. Suddenly, I gasp as their sharp edges enter my skin. I fall on my knees, waving my arms frantically, trying to save myself from the constant piercing. I rub my palms on my arms as an attempt to soothe the pain. Instead, I feel a warm and slightly sticky liquid running down my arms. I gasp in horror as I look down at my palms, which are now covered with blood.

The leaves start entering deep into my flesh. I let out a muffled cry as I feel the stems around my neck. They tighten around my neck as I fall on my back. I can see the dark sky through the leaves. My vision starts to blur.

I am going to die. There's no stopping it. Cauis will kill me.

I feel exhausted as I try to fight away the plants. My whole body gives in, as my arms and legs fall to the ground. I let go of the struggle. My eyes start to flicker. I start feeling dizzy as the rustling of the leaves starts to overpower me. The pain has now made me numb. I can't feel anything. The noise around me starts to fade away.

I expect something to happen. The silence is intimidating. The darkness is overpowering. I can feel no pain. All the chaos seems to have vanished. I lay on the ground motionless with my eyes closed. Then, I feel a slight tug on my right arm. I realise that I'm not dead, yet. I, with hesitance, struggle to open my eyes.

I'm not dead.

I try to adjust to the lights falling on my face. The ground beneath me now feels cold and hard. I'm not at the field anymore. I raise my head, blinking a few times to get a good view of where I am. Gradually, a small chandelier hanging from a ceiling comes into my view. The chandelier seems antique, being lit up with candles. The ceiling is made with polished wood.

I bring my arms to my side, and push myself up. My gaze meets that of paintings of many people hung on a laminated wall. From the way the people in the painting are dressed, they seem to be of royal blood. I look around and realise that I'm in a room filled with well-furnished furniture and lights. It's not a small room, but it isn't big either. Taking the support of a bench to my side, I aid myself in standing up.