Rayne, Child of a Thousand Years CH 31

The beautifully crafted chairs reclined easily on silver gears and ever thing about her sparkled it’s pale hue. White. Of all the colors that someone could pick for an entire set of rooms…five, if she hadn’t counted wrong…why had whoever owned this place chosen white? It reminded her of Rathsar’s wings…of how innocent the daemon pretended to be. But why was that so irritating? Surely one of them had to place the innocent, naïve, appealing sort.1

Rayne rolled her eyes as she stood up again. She just couldn’t sit still knowing that Tyke and Jacub weren’t with her. They’d come on this trip willingly enough, but it was sort of her responsibility to make sure that they were okay…well, in the end, anyway. A frown creased her lips as she made her way to the door. Perhaps she ought to explore the rooms outside these chambers.2

“Don’t you even dare try it, Gable!” Rayne’s hand froze on the doorknob.3

“But Marjorie…” a deeper voice was just outside her door.4

Rayne backed up a bit as the voices grew louder, “I’ll have nothing about it! You hear me!? Away! Her Highness doesn’t want anyone to see her!”5

There was a moment of silence and the youwarkee slowly made her way towards the door. She leaned on it slightly when the second voice spoke again, “She ought to know what happened to her companions.” Rayne caught her breath. Gable—whomever that was—knew about Jacub and Tyke! She had to talk to him.6

Marjorie’s voice made her freeze with her hand locked on the door again, “No. It’ll be your head if you think otherwise, now get to the kitchen before she catches us way up here!”7

Rayne waited for a moment longer before finally easing the door open and peering around. They hadn’t locked her in. That, at least, was a good thing. The same hallway was on the other side of the door, much to Rayne’s surprised. She was sort of expecting this entire place to be another illusion-based creation. Gods knew that she’d definitely had a great deal of those all ready.8

Taking just one last moment to look back into the rooms behind her, Rayne slipped out and shut the door quietly behind her. She didn’t hear anyone in the hallway, so it must be safe. Else? Well, that person must be very quiet then. The youwarkee wanted to growl at Rathsar as she made her way down the hall towards the golden light coming from underneath another door. Perhaps it meant that someone was there? There were a few rumblings of someone talking, but Rayne couldn’t make any of it out as she neared the door. She paused for a moment as she strained to hear what was being said.9

“Is she ready?”10

“Yes, Your Greatness. She is all ready making her way here.” The slight growl to the voice sent shivers down Rayne’s back.11

A pale hand flicked a dismissal to the dark creature before it disappeared into the silky flowing gowns. “Good…we wouldn’t want to keep her friends waiting for long…”12

“The door…” it purred.13

Rayne stood surprised and a little chagrin as the doors before her opened wide before her. The marble flooring swung out before her in undisputed opulence. The columns about her rose up like giants of alabaster and candles glittered from silver chandeliers. Everything, even here, was white. The youwarkee forced her frown away as she slowly made her way towards the other end of the gigantic room. The long thick black carpeting raced straight up the middle of the room to a set of beautiful stairs. Even from as far away as she was, Rayne could tell that the stairs were engraved, inch by inch, in some intricate sort of writing. It made her skin crawl.14

She stopped at the bottom of the stairs and stared upwards at the woman that sat above her. The thing, regal creature she saw there was beautiful, in her pale sort of way, but Rayne could see the hollow, empty look in the woman’s eyes. She was no beauty. Still, she kept her mouth shut as she stood there studying her from where she was.15

“Do you have nothing to say to me, Rayne?” Her voice was like warm chocolate, but Rayne didn’t let her guard down. There had to be something wrong here. She could feel Rathsar churning in distress as it was. Whatever had the daemon going was bound to show its self soon.16

“Do you not know your own relative?” Pushed the woman again as she stood up and swung her hands out to the side in a majestically regal gesture.17

Still, Rayne ignored her as she stared to survey her surroundings carefully. There was a cage about halfway up the stairs. It was covered in a beautiful stitched curtain. Opposite that was an empty landing and around the woman above her…Rayne nearly collapsed in surprise. The chair directly to the woman’s left was a man she’d thought she’d never see again.18

A smile laced the pale woman’s face as she moved to place a hand on the man’s head, “Do you recognize this heathen, Rayne? I would suppose that you would.”19

“What….” Rayne’s voice nearly shattered as she moved up the stairs a short distance, her legs nearly gave out on her by the fifth step, “What have you done to him!?”20

The thin laughter made blood curdle. “Dear Rayne!” she sighed as she pushed the man’s face to the side. The limp form merely slumped forward again as the woman came to stand in front of him, facing the startled youwarkee, “Do you not know anything!? All these years of waiting…plotting…just waiting until you were of age and you know nothing of what is going on!?”21

Rayne’s eyes grew wide as she looked up at the woman. “…No…I don’t.”22