Belladonna

4

When the mighty fall, where do they go? Is there spirit transported to the high places of the earth, where they will enjoy the feasting for the great deeds they have done? Will they be humbled to a servant to become more than they were? Will they serve as great lords and ladies over the house of the dead? Or is it simply a reminder of how nonexistent our knowledge of death is, but of how quickly we can get there?

The woman slept on, often in a fitful dream that reminded her that she didn't want to wake. It was a comforting dream, full of life's provisions that were denied to her, but it was easy to spot how terribly unreal it was. Nevertheless, it would repeat over and over as she slept, magic manipulating it now and again with subtle gestures of reality.

For the three men that watched her sleep, they were unaware of the monsters she was facing. Not only would she have to wake but she would need to fight herself to gain that freedom.

"Why is she still sleeping?" one of them asked with an anxious look spread across his features.

"No one knows," the other said looking to the brown-eyed man," Jaxson?"

"I don't know Danny," Jaxson tore his gaze from the sleeping woman to the man on his right.

He pinched the bridge of his nose as if force the thoughts back into his head. In an answer to their questions, the woman shot from the bed with a gasp. She looked like she had just escaped a perilous world, she was sweating, and her eyes darted around in sheer terror. Her eyes locked with Jaxson's and a hard-line formed on her lips. No longer did sheer terror reign her eyes, but, rather, a look that called for him to make his move. She was silently testing the bond between them. Her eyes showed the hatred she held for men in power. Moving her arms, she expected to feel the resistance of chains but was surprised when none tested her strength. Before she could process that thought, she was up and moving away from them.

They stayed still, only imagining her trauma. She was still dressed in the thin dress that reached barely to her ankles and overall, she still looked the same. Taking a defensive stance, she challenged them with a question.

"Who are you?"

It is a simple question when you ask for the person's name, or perhaps their occupation, but her question was much deeper. She wanted to know who they were, what they wanted with her, and why they had taken her from the cells. Her questions sought clarity from the deepest souls of these men.

She was certainly an impressive figure, standing there with her long black hair flowing freely around her shoulders. Large blue eyes peered deeply into the ones around her. Lines etched her face as the look of a worn woman took shape. The bags under her eyes were a constant reminder of the lack of sleep she had had over the last few years. The emotionless mask that she had worn over her features for years was still there, but her eyes were holding a story that everyone could read. The pain, sadness, and fear that she had held inside was now slipping past her guard to be revealed. She was thin, in an unhealthy way and as she ran a trembling hand through the raven hair, the men backed up.

"Are you afraid of me?" the evil smile stretched across her features.

The sound of pattering rain against the window in the corner caught Jaxson's attention. There had been no indication of a storm earlier. The wind beat against the shutters to get in. It was angry for being left out and as an angry child, it let its temper get the better of itself. It gave a final howl before swooping into the room and curling about the woman. It whipped her hair in all directions, tearing apart everything in its path. It threw books off of the shelves, tossed the sheets of the bed, and snuffed out the fire.

"Why would you do that?" the woman asked quietly to her friend," That was keeping me warm."

A shiver ran through her body and briefly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jaxson move as if he were going to help but couldn't decide if she'd let him. The wind paid her no heed and instead began to throw itself against the three men, supposing they had something to do with her torture.