Oakbrook - The Portal

Spring Equinox (Pt 2)

Lily stirred in her sleep, tried to rearrange the cloak so it would be closer around them both. It was cold and dark as she dragged her eyes open and a weight was holding her down, pressing firmly on her chest.

"Lay still Mistress Lilith, you are still sick." A soft voice called spoke. Lily dragged gritty eyes open to glimpse the face of the green skinned Naiad. "You are safe." She was reassured and the covers were tucked tightly around her again.

"Cold." Lily's teeth chattered and her shoulders hunched as she shivered. "Tired." Her eyes slid closed again. Lily was aware of a warm hand pressed onto her cheek and murmuring voices that she couldn't quite hear. She burrowed further into the soft blankets and was quickly lost to dreams.

Kate sat bolt upright, flinging the covers from her as she did. She found herself sitting on the edge of the bed with her socks in her hand and wondering what she was doing. She glanced at the alarm clock as it blinked red numbers at her. The sun was just about up and shone in her bedroom window. She shook her head to clear the fuzziness. Kate had a hunch, one of those deep unshakeable feelings that something was wrong. But she couldn't place it properly. She had woken from a vivid dream of cold and fear but couldn't recall any details now, the dream scattering and fading in the sunlight.

Lily's awareness slowly returned. The light was soft and green. The air was warm, and she lay on a soft bed, covered with fine, delicately woven blankets. She dragged her eyes open to see the green skinned Naiad bending away from her.

"Hello?" Lily's voice sounded weak and raspy to her own ears. She tried to push herself up to sit but the room swam dizzily, so she lay back down. The Naiad turned from what she had been doing and smiled.

"Mistress." She greeted Lily simply and bowed her head.

"What happened?" Lily started to ask and then stopped as the questions just refused to stop pouring into her head. "Sam?" a sudden panic as Lily realised she couldn't see Sam.

"Sam? Your daughter?" The Naiad sounded amused and raised an eyebrow as a wry smile crossed her face. "She lives." A green skinned hand gently stroked Lily's forehead, brushing tangled hair from her face, checking for fever. "Do you hunger? Thirst?" The questions simple and gentle.

"I do, both." Replied Lily suddenly aware of how dry her mouth was and how empty her stomach was feeling, still trying to look around as her head spun with every little movement. "But I would know how and where Sam is first." She tried to sound more like Mistress Lilith and obviously failed.

The Naiad ignored the command. "Drink first, then I will tell you." The Naiad gently raised Lily's head and pressed a cup to her lips. She sipped at the liquid within and it burned down her throat. The fire warmed her from the core, countering the remaining chill she still felt and oddly filling her stomach at the same time. The soothing hand supporting her head softly lowered it back to the pillow as Lily's eyes eased closed again.

"Sam." Lily murmured as she drifted back into healing sleep.

"Your daughter is surprising." The Naiad whispered, as she drew the soft blankets up over Lily's sleeping form and crept from the small room.

Kate stared aghast at the mess covering the kitchen. Shifting a pile of badly balanced plates in the sink, she found the plug and plughole amongst the slime at the bottom and decided to wipe it all out first. She reluctantly lifted the grimy, crusted pots and crockery from the sink and stacked them on the drainer. Reaching for the nasty chemical cleaner, she sprayed foam all over the dingy surface. A few moments work with a scourer restored shine and cleanliness, and she carefully rinsed the grey scum away before reloading the sink.

Pushing her sleeves further up her arms, Kate set to work. After a few dishes she took off her jumper as the sleeves kept slipping into the hot water. Tom came to join her and helped to dry the pots.