Soul Bound: The City Of Almara

Chapter Five: Dream

Nora awoke, but not in her home, not in the bathroom in the tub with Alara curled up beside her. Noras heart pounded, were was Alara!? Nora clutched her shirt and keeled over panicking, it physically hurt without Alara. She felt tears run down her cheeks but a warm tongue licked her cheek. She looked up and instant relief filled her and the pain ebbed away. 

Alara gave her a quizzical look and turned invisible, Nora looked up to see a wizard walk right threw her, she was a phantom in a dream, unseen and unfelt. She stared after the wizard and got up to follow him. It was indeed the wizard of Almara, a grumpy old hundred year old fart that smelt just as bad. His name is Jessepi Golman and he did not like people. Nora followed him to his small corner of the castle, the door was a poorly peeling wood with metal bars holding it together, it was dome shaped and was slightly ajar. 

Inside was just as appalling, it smelt vile and acrid, but familiar. It smelt of the assortment of herbs she would see in her mothers cupboard, herbology was illegal for anyone including the Wizard. The floors where sticky underfoot and the walls had a floral wallpaper, yellow and peeling away with mould outlining the torn bits. The table at the far corner of the room was filled of steaming bottles and cluttered with books and scrolls. Scrolls Nora peered at intrigued her, scrolls on Dragonology and Reptology including Biology. Nora blinked and chuckled in amusement, science was a part of magic. 

Jessepi Moved swiftly and with porpoise every move he made he had done a hundred times before, grabbing herbs and sprinkling them into a boiling pot of water, twisting and grabbing something else Nora didn't know about and pouring it it. The pot exploded with green gas, like the one around Almara and the rest of the world. Was.. was it the Wizard creating the gas. Jessepi turned and poured some of the liquid in two viled and speed walked out to the king and queens throne. 

Nora understood now with a smal gasp of shock, she saw their pale grey faces, half closed eyes and slightly parted mouths. Their eyes where glazed over in semi consciousness and a slight hint of pain, pain for their suffering people, not themselves. Nora knew she couldn't be seen or heard but she still covered her mouth in shock and trembled all over. 

Alara shook herself to flatten her ruffled fur "Are we seeing what is present, or are we seeing a past or future." She said. Her voice pulled Nora from her trance and she looked at her companion "I'm quite sure it's not the future, and-" A young girl with a long flowing aqua and white dress came around the corner, staring exactly at Nora. The girl stopped and gestured Nora to follow.

Nora and Alara exchanged glances and followed along. As they where walking Nora gazed at the beautiful girls hair, so soft and a beautiful copper blonde. Her hair was down to her waist and tied back into a long plat. The girl turned "I don't have long so I have to tell you now." She said. A pure white grey goshawk fluttered down and landed on the metal shoulder plate of the girl. "I am Princess O'de, I'm using the berry last of my energy, Jessepi will give me that liquid soon. You must continue your work, try to call jessepi out for what he is doing, dethrone him and give it back to my mother and farther, only you can you are the-" her body flickered out like a light, she must have awoken. Nora ran around the castle until she found Princess O'de's room.

Jessepi was indeed pouring the liquid down the girls throat. Nora scowled, her body still trembling with anxiety. Nora's throat caught itself and she dropped and clutched her chest. Another attack. She felt her mind slowly ebbing away and her vision going prickly. How was she to do this!? She was just Nora. She had been asked by the princess herself to save Almara. Alara licked Nora's cheek, there wasn't much she could do for Nora apart from send her mental images of happy memories. 

Nora rocked back and forth, accepting the memories and slowly calming herself. She reached for Alara and grabbed her fur tight. "I can't do this Alara."

"No, no you can't. But, maybe we can." She said in her soothing voice. Allara looked around, they where still here, still asleep. "We should take this as an opperarunity to find out anything we can." Alara nudged Nora gently with her muzzle. Nora, still quiet simply nodded and got up. 

The two wondered around trying to find Jesepi's chamber and when they finaly reached it the door was wide open and the same acrid smells wafted from inside. Nora stewed up her more and walked in searching the tables, sometimes even passing right threw Jessepi who was oblivious to her presence. Then Nora stumbled across something odd. It was a normal object, but why would a great wizard have a ordinary old desk photo sitting there, dusty and cracked and black from soot. Nora picked it up and wiped away the dust and instantly a jolt passed threw her, her eyes widened and she almost dropped the photo. It was her mother and Jessepi on a park bench laughing. 

Alara used her paw to bring Noras arm down to show her the photo. "Thats.." Alara understood now too. 

"Why is she in the photo Alara? Theres absolutely no connection!" Nora said. "This looks as if it had been taken before the slavery of women." Nora said. "Could they have been friends? What if they where related?" Nora said. "How could this photo have happened?" Nora asked her soul. Alara looked years older with those brilliant vibrant blue eyes. Alara knew as much as Nora did but a thought passed threw her mind and before she could stop it from reaching Nora, Nora gasped. "NO!" 

Nora stared wide eyed at Alara "It can't be, that would mean...." Nora shook her head. Maybe I can bring this back when I wake up, ill ask mum about it," Nora said "Before we jump into conclusions." She said darkly. She took out the photo from the frame and folded it up sliding it into her pocket. Alara suddenly vanished is gold dust and before Nora could call out, she did the same.

Nora gasped awake and jolted upright Gasping for air, her eyes glued shut from the sleep ripped open stinging her making her nose and eyes water. She looked at Alara who sent a thought: Is it still there? 

Nora reached into her pocket and a thin old sheet of paper slid out, Nora nodded to Alara. 

//Going on hiatus for school holidays, good bye people!!!\\