Shadows of the Woods

Chapter 16

The next day, I opened my eyes to see an angel before me.

She was so beautiful; she had long, golden hair that shimmered like sunlight, and a flawless face filled with soft pink lips and gorgeous eyes the colour of the ocean. She was wearing a long, beautiful white gown that draped off her perfect figure like water, and a pair of soft, gigantic white wings were unfurled behind her. The light around her was soft and warm, and I wondered for a split second if I was in heaven.

But then I blinked a couple times, and I took a better look around.

Where I was, it was beautiful but somehow sinister. It looked like a palace from a fairytale, with a high ceiling that went up forever, and thick white columns engraved with floral leaves and petals. The floor was polished so well everything was reflected perfectly. Light poured into the beautiful room, and it was soft and peaceful. On the far wall, a simple but beautiful throne was carved out of pale wood, and it sat regally but forlornly empty.

However, the thing that made it sinister was the thin, golden chains that circled the angel's wrists and chained her to a pillar.

I hurried over to her, noting absently that I was wearing long blue robes for some reason. Up close, I saw that the angel's eyes were glazed over and glassy, and that there was a ring of purple bruised around her swan-like neck. On closer inspection, I saw that almost all of her exposed skin was bruised; they varied in age and size, but they were there. It was a trick of the light that I hadn't noticed them at first, but now I felt sick looking at them.

"What happened to you?" I asked. I jumped in surprise; my voice sounded drastically different; it was melodic but mature, and sounded wrong coming from my mouth.

Her glass eyes slid over to meet mine. Her lips opened slightly, and small, pitiful noises came from her throat. I leaned closer to hear her better; it looked like she was trying very hard just to speak.

"You - know." Her voice whispered hoarsely.

I looked up at her in sorrow. "Castrone?"

She nodded fractionally, agonizingly slowly, and I realized suddenly that she was working hard just to do that as well. I looked up at the golden chains, and my mind put it together.

"Is he binding you?" I asked her urgently. "That's why you can't escape?"

Again, an agonized nod.

"How can I help?" I demanded, looking around the room hopefully to see if there was a conveniently placed was axe around.

"You -can't." She took a deep, shuddering breath. "Wrists."

"What?"

"Wrists!"

I looked down at my hands. There was another shock; my hands were older, with longer fingers. Around my wrists were golden links - I followed the chains in shock, and saw that I was chained as well. I hadn't even noticed!

I looked back at the angel helplessly. "What can I do?!"

"Find - m.. "

"Find who?" I leaned closer again. Up close, she smelled amazing.

"Find - me."

I blinked in confusion. "What do you mean? I'm right here - "

She was shaking her head. "You - are not -" She struggled. "You."

"I'm not me?" I repeated. Suddenly, I felt something silky brush my arm, and I jumped and looked down to see that the something was a strand of long, silvery hair. However, the shock of that was overshadowed by another; when I looked down, I came face to face with my reflection in the floor.