Undiscovered Origins

Undiscovered Origins - Chapter 24

Chapter 24:

            Faded memories turned to nightmares as Jade rolled on a small bed. Her head spun and hurt like the deep engraving of a sharp knife. The sheets she clutched were not silk but linin and strange to her touch. Her eyes were still too heavy to open but she began to regain consciousness. The air surrounding her was cool and moist. It smelled and tasted like salt and salad. It was an unfamiliar taste but Jade could assume seaweed.

            She tried to roll over but even her body was too sore to move. The potency of the smell was starting to wear at her nostrils and she frantically tried to move. She only succeeded in shaking violently. Finally she gave up and waited. She must have just needed more rest.

            Her memory was patchy and faded. She could not remember what had happened the day before no matter how much she rattled her mind. She did remember being in Drake’s bed with him kissing all down her body. It was only in bits and pieces and seemed more like a dream than reality. Perhaps it had been a dream; it had to be. She could not accept the alternative.

            Whispers in the dark startled her but she could do barely more than twitch. It was the twitching that seemed to go noticed by whoever was by her. There was more whispering and sounds of slight body movements.

            Suddenly she felt sprinkles of moisture upon her entire body which was weird because she felt that her clothes were still on. She got a tingling sensation that ran through her entire body.  At first it was cold but soon her entire body warmed up and she seemed to gain a small amount of strength. It was strength enough to raise her eyelids only to quickly close them away from a blinding emerald light.

            Reluctantly she slowly opened her eyes allowing her eyes to adjust to the now much dimer light. In front of her stood Pachama, clasped in torn green skirts with her wings fluttering tiredly. A faint smile touched the faerie’s lips.

            “What happened?” Jade asked.

            “You saved us.” Pachama said.

            Jade’s head spun at the thought and she tried to shake her head but her body was still weak. If she had saved them then why did she feel so empty inside? She felt grief and it was so thick that it made her stomach queasy. Something did not feel right.

            “If I saved us then why do I feel emptiness and grief?” Jade asked.

            Pachama’s faint smile disappeared and changed to grim, “Serena did not make it.”

            Jade’s memory came flooding back to her all at once. She remembered the gruesome battle and Serena’s face as she died. The images scarred into her mind. There were more pleasant ones as well but just as frightening. Drake and she had almost made love and she remembered every sensation she felt.

            She looked around now noticing the room that she lay in. It was much smaller than the captain’s room that Drake occupied. The strong scent of seaweed and fish still stuffed her nose and she could see why now. The walls were covered with vines of small green leaves. The ground seemed to be covered with a few inches of salt water. The bed had blue linin sheets and a blue and white quilt. Most of the room was dark but she could see a few small fish swimming across the floor.

            “Where am I?” Jade asked.

            “This is Selaras and Sere-“ Pachama closed her mouth and sighed at the mention of Serena. It didn’t seem she could say the name aloud any more.