SOL (ON HOLD)

CHAPTER 11

I awoke the next morning before Carya started her screeching and after the weird dream I'd had, I decided to go for a run to clear my head.

I started at the Acem tower and jogged round the courtyard once, stopping dead in my tracks when I saw Ciel at the Isle of Semele tower.

Was he out there all night? I thought to myself, suddenly feeling self conscious, and contemplating jogging round just so I wouldn't bump into him.

But before I could decide he turned round, his good eye glittering in the early morning sunlight.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked, making room on the bench for me to sit.

"No I- Uh I actually slept really well last night," I said walking towards him, realizing that I had had the best sleep I could remember last night.

"I also," he said raking a hand through his messy hair, "although I had the oddest dream."

"Me too!" I blurted out.

"What was your dream about?" he asked intently, turning to face me fully.

I took in his strong jaw and remembered the way the beautiful woman had caressed it.

"It was- it was about a dog," I said hurriedly, "yeah a really bad... terrible dog. What about yours?" I closed my eyes, willing myself to disappear as the words left my mouth.

"Oh, ah, just some things about home... mhm, memories I had forgotten," he said, turning back to face the fountain, his cheeks flushing.

I was about to excuse myself before I imploded, when Carya's screeching poured out of the castle.

"Time to head back," I said, already striding forward when a strong hand wrapped around my arm.

I turned back as his hand slid to circle my wrist. He stared at me for a second then, as if coming to, quickly released my hand and said, "Sol I-" before falling silent once more.

"You?" I breathed, my heart racing.

"I'll race you back!"

Then he sprinted in front of me, his long legs clearing the courtyard in seconds.

"That's not fair," I puffed, as I chased after him, my face red. Definitely from the running.

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After a hearty breakfast of egg salad and sausages with honey roasted potatoes, Kostik took the lead, directing us to the Isle of Semele tower.

It was the third time I'd been in the last few hours and I was getting kind of sick of the beautiful fountain and its mesmerizing images.

However, Kostik led us right into the turquoise and cerulean blue stained glass structure, and into a circular room.

In the middle was a large, disk shaped blue calcite stone, set into the tower's foundation. But as the dwarf tapped the stone with his stick it began to ripple and it became clear that it wasn't a stone at all but a pool.

"Let's go," he said gruffly gesturing at the pool. No one moved.

"What are you waiting for?" Ciel asked us, grinning, jumping in and taking Aester with him.

They splashed through the pool and never resurfaced. Odelyn stepped forward, frowning, and shrieked as Kostik pushed her in.

"Now are you going or I must push?"

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I stood by a small burbling lake after holding my breath, saying a quick prayer, and jumping into the pool with Fyn.

We had landed on soft, dewy grass by a lake, completely dry and somewhere else completely. It was early afternoon and the sky was a dazzling cornflower blue.

"Move it mal'en monchkya," Kostik laughed as he prodded Pelias with his stick.

"Why does he keep calling him that?" I whispered, prying my eyes away from the sky, to Fyn who turned to me, eyebrows furrowed.

"Don't you know? He's Prince Syrion's brother."

I didn't have time to react because, just then, Kostik tapped his stick into the earth and the ground began to rumble gently.

Suddenly, the dell was filled with the thunderous sound of rushing water as a magnificent waterfull rose up at the end of the lake, steep cliff walls rising beside it until we were enclosed in a small hollow.

The sunlight shone through the opening over the river, shimmering on the waterfall's effervescence.

And then, as if a waterfall growing from the ground wasn't enough, the curtains of water parted briefly, just long enough for the beautiful woman I had seen with Ciel last night to glide through.

My stomach clenched, as she sashayed across the lake, stepping daintily on lily pads that formed a path for her. Her chestnut hair shone in the sunlight and her white robes gleamed.

I turned in the side to see the other gazing at her with the same awed expression that I'm sure was plastered on my face.

"Um'ni wa Havéane," she smiled, stepping gently onto the grass, "udari ti nethren."

I looked around, confused.

"My name is Haven," Ciel whispered, his eye bright, "welcome to hell."