I AlwaYs havE AnD I AlwayS WiLL --PART-2-TimE & AgaiN" Ongoing.

CHAPTER 21--"Old Paths Cross-We Meet Again!"

Chapter 21

Old Paths Cross----We Meet Again!

Lan Zhan had the same dream again.

He was standing in the forest again, surrounded by fire, and Wei Ying was looking at him, pleading...and then, before he could react, he turned and ran back into the darkness.

But then, the forest and the fire dissolved, and he felt as though he was standing on a chess board. He looked down : he was in the centre of the first row, flanked by white chess pieces around him. He realised he was in the king's position. Across him stood the black chess pieces, and surprisingly, Haikuan was there too, as the king in the black. For a while they stared at each other. Lan Wangji felt a slight movement around him, and realised that the queen piece next to him had moved, towards the black pieces.

'The queen goes where she pleases,' said a soft voice, and Lan Wangji looked up, meeting Reina's gaze. She smiled at him. 'Worry not, for this is but a dream- albeit, one which I am manipulating, of course.'

'What do you mean to show me?' he asked swiftly.

She laughed softly. 'Nothing, much. Just that- I seem to be playing a game of chess here.'

'I see,' hissed Wangji. 'We are pawns in your game, is it?'

'Oh, no!' she said, sounding hurt. 'You are Kings, as I am sure you must have noticed?'

She gazed contemplatively at the chess board, and Lan Wangji, following her gaze, found himself looking at the queen, who was...a person. Her face was hidden in shadow.

'Unfortunately, your queen seems to have taken her own course,' she said, sounding rather disappointed. 'It does not matter however. She shall return to you. Where else can she go? This is my board, after all.'

The colours shifted and the scene dissolved as Wangji's eyes opened. He paused to consider what his dreams meant- he knew that his intuition was stronger than most vampires he'd known.

Wei Ying, for one.

He was in distress, that was for sure. Yet, as he tried to find that speck of alarm- he was sure Wei Ying was safe. But something seemed to trouble Wei badly, something he needed to know- but what? Wei Ying was supposed to have arrived that day, so where was he now?

His thoughts strayed to Reina and the chess board. He felt a stab of anger, knowing she was using him for something- but for what?

As his anger reduced, though, he wondered if Reina had been giving him a clue. Surely it was no coincidence that Haikuan was the black King while he was the white King? And who was the Queen, who had chosen her own path? Could it be-

His musings were interrupted by the door shutting : his mother had entered the house.

He swept downstairs, noticing his father arrive a split second after him.

Carmen looked troubled, yet there was a secretive smile playing about her face. 'Don't worry about me,' she said, touching his father's arm, a rare display of her affection. 'I am fine. I just went to find out about Haikuan.'

Wangji tried to keep the accusatory tone out of his voice, but was not entirely successful. 'You met Haikuan!'

Nuan's eyebrows shot up as he looked at Carmen. 'Is this true?'