The Root of Tomorrow

Chapter 3: Chaos

     Tamas awoke in his chambers, a five room space filled with expensive furniture and priceless amenities. A couch made of bear fur sat in a corner next to a fireplace, positioned so whomever sat in it could see Lake Victoria through the large bay window. The rest of the room was filled with chairs and tables. The next room was Tamas's sleeping quarters, with a gigantic bed and numerous blankets. Tamas laid in it, and he could feel nothing above his shoulders. He attempted to turn his head but failed, and was met with an amazing pain. He looked to his right and saw a female with her backed turned towards him. She was wearing a servant gown, and she wore a blue bonnet covering her head. She was probably hired to nurse his wounds. Tamas tried to remember how he'd gotten injured, and then he remembered the failed hunting trip to Dalton. Tamas cried once he remembered that his little brother Ayman was dead. Salty tears ran down his soft cheeks onto his lace pillow. Tamas looked at the servant and spoke to her.

''Where is Ayman? "

No response.

"Is he still in the forest?"

Still no response.

"Answer me you slave! Where is my brother?!?"

The servant turned around and Tamas saw something that made a nightmare look like a happy fantasy.

     Tamas screamed as the headless figure lept towards him with pale arthritic fingers and Tamas rolled of his bed onto the wooden floor. He struggled to get up, and when he could finally stand he was tackled back onto his bed. The figure punched Tamas in his nose, causing a sharp pain to grow on his face. Dazed, he saw the figure produce a dagger from the back of its gown. It was a sharp dagger with a ruby set in its handle. The dagger gleamed even though there was no light in the room besides a candle on a nearby table. The figure raised the dagger high and brought it down forcefully, but Tamas managed to roll out of the way at the last second. He fell onto the floor and ran out of his chambers, and he was going to scream for help when he was stopped by the figure.

     The figure grabbed Tamas and marched down the hallway to a terrace overlooking Xul Lagoon, the lake that bordered Everdale, the capital of the Cresian Empire. Between the lake and Wonderburgh were large sharp rocks, the rubble of the old fort that was built years earlier. The figure held Tamas high above its head and Tamas began to cry for help. The figure began to heave Tamas over the balcony when a fiery arrow went through the figure's torso. The figure let out a bloodcurdling scream before collapsing on the terrace. Tamas fell onto the corpse and slowly backed away, while the figure exploded into a pile of black dust. Tamas fell on his bum, frozen in fear at what he'd just experienced.

"Tamas, get your arse up off ze ground! What do you think you're doing mate?"

Tamas turned around to see his General Nolon looming over him.

"Y-Yes sir." Tamas pulled himself off the ground and headed towards his chambers. He wondered if Nolon had seen what just happened.

"Excuse me sir."

"What do you want? I don't have all day."

"Well sir, did you just see what happened?"

"What in bloody hell are you talking about? If you mean if i just saw you fall on your bloody arse, then yes I did. Get out of here you wanker!"

     General Nolan walked back down the hall towards the grand room. Tamas sighed and opened the heavy mahogany door to his chambers. The room was dark and gloomy, so Tamas walked over to a candle and lit it with a match. The candle gave off a flickering light that only lit up the bed area, bu Tamas didn't care. As Tamas turned around to his bed he saw something more pleasant than the recent events, but it was still odd. A woman in a blue cloak was lying in Tamas' bed. She had blue lips, royal blue eyes, violet hair, and pale white skin. Her toned arms were scarred and scratched, and her long legs were covered in black tights, yet the tights were also scratched. The cloak appeared to be fine, except the gaping hole that exposed part of the woman's bosom. She was breathing heavily, but it was obvious she was unconscious. Besides the scars, she was quite beautiful. But Tamas was still wondering how she eneded up in his bed.

     Tamas covered the woman with a fur blanket that was on his floor. He felt drawn to her, and he unintentionally lurched forward and gently placed a kiss on her forehead. Almost immediately, the scars on her arms and legs began to heal. Her clothing restored to its normal self. Tamas stepped back as the woman screamed chants in an unintelligible language. She sat up quickly and turned to Tamas. Tamas ran towards his door, but the woman said some chant that caused the doorhandle to become the head of a wolf. Tamas had no other exit out of his chambers, and being on the top floor made escaping through the windows impossible.

"Sit down human."The woman's voice was deep, yet distorted, as if she was in two places at once.

"I am the prince of Cresia, 3rd in line for the throne of my father, King Edward! I answer to no man, and especially no woman!"

"Really?"

     Suddenly the woman launched a blast of blue energy towards Tamas. Tamas dived onto a table, but it broke under his weight. Tamas groaned in pain as the woman walked towards him, with a fast yet serious gait. Standing up, Tamas saw how beautiful the woman was. Her cloak was skintight, and it accented her curves, which were quite nice. Her bosom was average sized, and her hair shined underneath the white light of the moon. At least Tamas would die a happy man.

     Tamas closed his eyes and waited for the coup de grâce, but nothing happened. He opened one eye and saw a slender hand reaching out to him.

"You're helping me? I thought you were going to kill me"

"I can't kill you human. When you die I die. I'm your Watcher."

"My what?"

"Your Watcher", she spoke forcefully this time. "I'm a angel guarded to protect you from harm and danger. We are bonded together for life. That's why you were drawn to kiss me. When one of us is wounded, the other can heal us by doing something...erotic, depending on the severity of the wounds."

"Well, why are you here now? Where were you when I was attacked by...by... that thing?!?

     "That was a reaper. They're fallen Watchers who kill those protected by my kind to kill us off. I've lost good friends over the years. Great friends."

     Tamas was bewildered. His brother was dead, he'd been attacked twice, and know he was bonded to a sexy angel for his life.

It was just too much.

     "Hurry Tamas. We must get your family. We have to leave Everdale."

     "But why? Why do we have to leave?"

     "Because the Kodorians are coming to invade us. They've killed nearly half of the army."

     ''Whose army?"

     The woman turned and looked at him with a worried look. "Your's Tamas."