Ascending Light

Skye

When he woke it was in a room filled with blankets and furs. It made the ground soft and pleasant but was very odd. There was a wooden door but it had no knob so he was trapped. The room was very small and square, about ten foot to each wall. There was no window and the only light source was a glowing crystal light-orb which laid on the ground. There was a clear crystal shelf for it to sit on in one of the corners—which would enhance the shine to brighten the whole room— but the crystal itself was just lying next to them. Belatedly, he noticed the little vines clinging to the corners, but they couldn't reach where Crysen and Skye were. He was powerless anyways and their plans would have to wait.

He felt different somehow, like he was more than he was before. It felt like he'd expanded and it was a nostalgic and nauseating feeling. He'd felt similarly before but he didn't like it and it scared him. He sat up and glanced around to find Skye unconscious on the other side of the room. The unidentifiable feeling was suddenly made unbelievably and dreadfully clear. It was like there were invisible threads stretching between them. He felt himself shudder in abject horror as he gazed across the room.

He got up to move and groaned over how sore he was. His entire body felt like it had been thrown around like a leaf in a windstorm. He also had no wings and no power to manifest them. He noticed the tiny water basin in the corner of the room and crawled over to it, grabbing a dark, thin rag from the side of it. He hadn't bathed in so long he was probably disgusting. He looked down at himself and felt a sickness settle in his stomach as he noticed the fading dark splotches. Zacesi had controlled them. He glanced at Skye and saw that his were slightly darker than the ones which marred Crysen's flesh.

First, Crysen washed himself and got rid of the evidence of their bonding. He then dressed in the same, ragged dress that he'd been in when he came. It was the only one he had and better than remaining nude. Afterwards he crawled over to Skye and carefully washed his body and poked at the splotches until they disappeared. He was already healing or Crysen wouldn't be able to affect it without any power. Skye seemed dead to the world as he slept through Crysen's ministrations. When Crysen finally returned the rag to the basin and dressed Skye, he could hardly contain his rage.

He didn't remember anything from their bonding but could feel the remnants of it deep within his flesh and into his mind. He'd been completely unaware, unable to stop whatever had transpired, had failed to save them from this mess. He hadn't realized the extent of Zacesi's power and now had become the fool in their situation. Zacesi had taken over control of both their bodies and minds and the fact that he had that ability terrified Crysen. He never would have fathomed that Zacesi could hold so much power, but Skye's body had borne the markings that explained the truth.

It was much later when Skye began to stir slowly and Crysen simply watched from across the room, arms wrapped around his legs. The storm fae seemed confused as he looked around the room and examined Crysen. "What happened," he asked with a furrowed brow.

He looked at Skye then away in anger and embarrassment. "We were controlled by Zacesi. Some dark fae have the ability to control others, but it is a very rare skill. My father taught me about it." He frowned and looked down at the faded splotches on his skin. "I hadn't thought it was possible for Zacesi, Skye. I'm sorry."

Skye was quiet for a long time as he took in Crysen's words. He seemed to be trying to remember what happened and looked around the room for clues. "What do you think they had us do," he asked finally.

Crysen didn't want to think about it. He really wanted to pretend that the last few times he'd woken up hadn't happened and he wanted to go home. He shook his head, unable to answer and refused to look at the young storm fae.

Skye grew quiet for a long time as if trying to figure out what they'd done. Finally, he whispered, "They bonded us, didn't they?"

Crysen couldn't help the sting of tears that welled up and wondered why he cried over everything when it didn't help. He didn't answer and refused to sob so he just watched his tears fall and hit his knees before rolling down his legs. There was nothing for him to say. No way to make it better. There were simply the facts as they were presented and the cruel truth.