The Guardians of Time

Chapter Nine: Spinning

Ayden refused to take his eyes off of her as she sat across from him on the floor trying to catch her breath. His own breathing shallow, his mind reeled with thoughts and emotions he had once buried deep in his memories. Kathryn had died. He had seen it and he had buried her. But, here she was and suddenly he was panicked that Jos may reappear and shoot her again.

He was completely numb all over and, his gaze never leaving hers, he stood slowly and walked passed her, sitting on the edge of the bed. He looked down at his feet and the floor seemed to sway. Closing his eyes tightly, he brought his knees up to his chest and began rocking back and forth like a child. He couldn't watch her die again.

"Wake up. Wake up. Wake up." He whispered to himself as tears flooded his eyes.

He continued repeating himself, begging for the return of a reality that he had come to know. He was tired of dreaming of her. Suddenly, he felt a soft hand touch his arm and his eyes shot open to see her kneeling before him on the floor.

"Ayden..." She spoke softly as her worried eyes dug massive holes into his body. It was as if she were setting his soul on fire. "...you're not dreaming. I'm here."

She gave him a light smile in an attempt to comfort him but the effort was futile. With her touch and the sound of her voice, he quickly scurried to the other end of the bed, never taking his eyes off of her. His tan complexion had gone completely pale, as if he'd just seen a ghost.

"Ayden. Please. This isn't how I wanted you to find out." She stood and watched him for a moment before seeming to glide across the room to him.

"F-f-find out?" He whispered through quivering lips.

Before she reached him, however, the door crashed open with a loud thud as it slammed into the granite wall. Jakoba came charging into the room, green energy emanating from his fingertips. Two guards stood on either side of him, their long metal trident staffs ablaze with blue electricity.

"Ayden!" He shouted before he locked eyes with Kathryn.

He sighed testily, pursing his lips at her before turning to the guards and dismissing them. He then stared at Kathryn for a long moment, the green vanishing from his hands as he let his defenses down. He walked across the room in a huff and, grabbing her arm, began dragging her towards the door. Ayden just watched, awestruck.

"You have violated a direct order from the queen! She told you he was not ready!" He stopped near the entrance, looking up at her incredulously. Then their conversation continued in hushed tones. Ayden could hear everything they were saying as he looked at Kathryn's form eclipse that of the little man.

"The queen understands how difficult this has been for you. Probably more than you know. I have no doubt you felt his presence. But she told you not to come here. You were to wait until after the ceremony tomorrow." Jakoba chided.

"I'm his wife, Jakoba. This is the first time in nearly two and a half years that I've seen him. I came up here just to see! I tried to stay quiet, but I didn't know he was going to attack me!"

Jakoba thought for a moment, obviously angry at Kathryn's choice, but he wasn't sure what to do.

"It doesn't matter. I can't punish you for following your heart. But you cannot stay here. The queen fears everything he's seeing for the first time could force him into a catatonic state. And none of us can afford that." He motioned for her to leave and walked toward the door, she shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.

"Wait!" Ayden finally found his voice and was shocked at the decibels at which it escaped his mouth. He stared her down. Jakoba stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, you have a big day tomorrow and this will only further complicate matters. You need your rest. We can deal with this in the morning. I don't think your heart can take it."