Micah

Chapter 9

Micah was moving quickly, wrapped in the cover of darkness. Long hair curtained his face, brushing against the bare skin on his shoulders. He tried to look down at his body, but he had no control over his movements. It was like he was stuck inside of someone else, looking out through their eyes. Once he realised that he had no control, Micah gave up trying and instead started to pay attention to his surroundings. They were hurrying through a meadow of shocking blue flowers, stars glimmering in the sky and a beautiful crescent moon overlooking it all.

Before long, they came upon a small hut made of wood, and they raised their hand to knock quickly. Micah was shocked to see it was a small hand, pale and fragile, definitely a woman's. There was a ring on her finger, but before Micah could examine it, she dropped her hand to her side again. The door was opened quickly, clearly, the occupant had been expecting the visit, and the woman stepped inside, lifting her hands to throw off her hood. Micah caught another sight of the ring. It was a black band with a sparkling diamond and inside the diamond, a single drop of blood was suspended, always falling. The sight of the ring sent a shiver through Micah's mind. He felt like he knew it, even though he was confident that he'd never seen it before.

The ring disappeared from view and the woman looked up into the face of the person who had opened the door. They stood tall and willowy, strength in every line of their body. Their hair was a deep blue colour, falling in waves about their face, and through it protruded pointed ears. Their features were similarly pointed, with carved cheekbones and a narrow jaw, a long thin nose and eyes that were narrowed by the squinting look they were giving the woman.

"Why have you come, Princess? If your mother finds out, I will lose my head." Their voice was deeper than Micah had expected, but still it held a certain softness. He held no doubt that this person was a Seelie and, if that was the case, the princess they were talking to must have been -

"My brother, Micah, I can sense he is alive on Earth. He is going to die in a bloody battle, Prae, and I can not allow that to happen again. You must go to Earth and save him. Please." Micah knew that his sister did not say please unless she were truly desperate, and clearly so did Prae. They shook their head and rolled their eyes, but dutifully picked up their sword and strapped it around their waist so that it rested low on their hips.

"Very well, Princess, but you must make good on our deal someday soon. You must let me sire your children."

"You will when I am queen. I will not let any child of mine near my mother." Prae nodded, seemingly satisfied with this response, and then they opened the door, gesturing Serena out of it before following behind. They closed the door quietly and locked it with a key that hung about their neck, and then without another word, they turned and walked away into the night.

Serena watched them walk for a moment before turning her face towards the Moon.

"Please, Mother Moon, look after my brother. Send him strength." She flipped her hood back up, once again giving Micah a sight of the ring that sent another jolt of uneasy familiarity through his stomach, and then took off in the opposite way from which Prae departed. 

Micah awoke with a start and within a second he was sitting upright, hand halfway to his sword. He thought that sounds of battle had roused him, but after a moment of confusion, he realised that the only sound was Caesar's soft snores from across the tent. It was a surge of power in his veins and the mark that glowed upon his forehead that had caused him to wake so suddenly. He was not surprised.

He could remember the dream so vividly, Serena's inky black hair and soft white skin, the way she spoke, with authority and confidence, but still the undertone of need. Micah was glad that she was so critical of their mother, he had long feared that Serena would have been brainwashed into her way of thinking, but it was clear that that was not the case. And that ring... he wasn't sure why it had bothered him so, but the mere thought of it gave Micah a feeling of anxiety like no other. It rested deep in his stomach and sat on his chest like a weight, in no way eased by Serena's fear of his imminent death. She didn't see death often, but when she did, she was never wrong, and Micah feared that no amount of Seelie warriors or Moon blessings was going to help that. He only hoped that he'd be able to escape his father quickly, were it to happen. The years that he had spent away from Hades were blissful and he had no desire to return, not even to see Xifomachos, whom he missed dearly.

With a sudden panic, Micah looked sideways at Caesar. His snores had fallen silent, had he too been woken? Was he now seeing that Micah was no human? But no, he slept on, shifting ever so slightly, one hand clutching his sword. Even in sleep, Caesar was tense, ready to leap up into a fight at a moment's notice. He never truly rested, and yet he never seemed to tire. Micah was in awe of his strength and his power of will. It was something that he himself had yet to achieve... If he ever could. A lack of sleep made him irritable and disagreeable, truly unpleasant to be around. But Caesar? He never lost his fire.

Micah ran a hand over his face, it was grimy and covered in sweat. He again yearned for a soak in the baths and a long sleep without fear of attack, yet he knew he'd get neither for some time. He knew that he wouldn't even be able to manage a short sleep, at least not until after the battle had been fought, for he was far too awake to even consider laying back down to rest. Adrenaline pumped in his veins and his brain was whirring rapidly.

Deciding to try distracting his mind, Micah pulled a small book from under the cot on which he lay. He knew that his friend would always have a book in his tent. Caesar never went anywhere without them.

For the rest of the night, Micah read stories of Alexander the Great by the light of the moon.