THE KEEPERS ( THE ORBS OF UTAH )

CHAPTER THIRTY

Pic of Carrah

I tossed and turned in my sleep, feeling a heavy weight pressing down my chest. My hands and feet tingled with awareness. The urge to wake up from my restless slumber so profound I found no relief to the gentle calls of the nocturnal animals.

The nightmares that plagued my mind were so horrifyingly vivid. I dreamt of Barion violating Keonn and once he'd had his fill of him he began stabbing him over and over again, a twisted smile etched on his face, his eyes wild with pure wickedness. And not long after brutally stabbing at Keonn he stood over the mutilated body, looking very smug.

When those dilated eyes fell on me I felt an evil unlike any I've ever seen before. All traces of humanity were long dead. He was a beast, the blade of the Uffilians. Like a trained dog he lived by his Masters commands and nothing more.

He barked a crazed laugh as he charged for me like lightning. I couldn't move. I was paralysed with shock and fear. Just when he was about to drive his sword into my chest I was pulled into an oblivion of blackness, my screams only roused more laughter from the beast that I could no longer see.

I slowly opened my eyes, blinking rapidly to clear up my blurry vision. That was accompanied by moving into a sitting position, rubbing my aching eyes and releasing heavy yawns.

My gods, I longed to rest peacefully even just for a minute. My body ached to rest from the strenuous activities that had occurred just moments ago. With the nightmare still fresh in my thoughts, I knew I wouldn't fall asleep anytime soon.

I looked around for Keonn but what I saw had me shifting my nails to talons. I sprung up onto my feet growling at the strange figure. Hunched over Keonn was a cloaked figure hovering his hands over the boy who was wide awake. The stranger's hands had swirls of red power curling around them and gradually sipping into Keonn, who glowed from the power filling him. Tears trickled down his face. But what confused me was the shame morphed on his face.

I didn't give myself time to think. All I saw was something or someone possibly hurting my Keonn.

Before I could get within a five feet radius of them I was encased in an orb of power that morphed to the shape of my form. The stranger had his left hand raised back, glowing as red as the layer of magic I was trapped in.

I tried to fight my way out of the encasement but the more I fought the more it tightened its hold around me. The stranger shot up fluidly. I've never seen a movement of simply standing up to be quite elegant. Helions, I was a Princess, brutally taught how to hold myself in the presence of my subjects but never could I move with the same grace the stranger seemed to control with ease.

He spun to face me, baring his face finally. My first thought was that the creature was much to ethereal to be real. There was no trace of imperfection, weakness or doubt in his defensive stance.

He wore a dark coat over a cowl neck shirt that exposed the upper part of his sculpted chest, and dark pants tucked under buckle boots.

He regarded me with a sneer of displeasure. As if he could not believe that he was to duel with a diminutive creature such as myself.

Waves of immense power radiated off of him like a second skin. Even without being quite certain I knew he was an ancient being. There was no living through a battle against him. He was a being who was not to be taken lightly.

I wondered what kind of creature he was and what he's relation to Keonn was. He had to know him on a much deeper level. A level that was undefined at the moment.

What worried me the most was how he was able to find our location. And most importantly was he a friend or foe. Barion had taught us the hard way about placing our trust on anyone. And until this being gave me a good reason not to label him as a threat then I would fight him.