Unto the Shadow (Completed)

(Ch.10) Face to Face

Graynin stood perfectly still, trying to quiet his rage. He felt hardly anything from dealing with the three Shadows, but a fire had consumed him when that coward stomped down on her chest.

He almost regretted letting go of his anger, because his nerves were right there to claim him. True terror grasped his racing heart as he began to think about the only living soul that remand. The reality of the moment at hand almost too much to bare.

He was terrified to look into her amber eyes and to know that he was not going to wake from a dream.

He felt her eyes boring into the back of him, as he stalled, not ready to turn and face his soul. Athos' voice rang through in his mind, reminding him that she was not Aurora anymore, that she would not remember him, or anything of their three hundred years together. But he couldn't stop himself from hoping to see a flair of recognition flash through her eyes, despite the warning.

Reaching back, he pulled the leather hood up. He was ready to see her; he just wasn't ready for her to see him. Not willing to face complete rejection from her, even if it wasn't intentional. He took a deep breath and forced his body to move, turning to face the vision from his dreams.

Graynin had been wrong, he wasn't ready to see her. There she stood, every bit of her looking exactly like Aurora, everything from the vibrant amber color of her eyes, to her perfectly smooth olive skin. Even her stance radiated her strength, despite the slight shake she had from the traumatic ordeal she had just endured.

He had to physically bite the inside of his lip to keep himself in check, a metallic taste filled his mouth. It had done the job though, it kept him firmly planted where he was, and prevented him from doing anything that he wanted, like closing the distance between them and taking her into his arms.

Athos had given him all the information that had been collected. He read page after page of Toby's reports, and each page stacked another stone on his scale of jealousy.

Early in Toby's reports he referred to her as Aurora, but as the years went by he used that name less and less, and replaced it with her new name, Ryder. It seemed to be that as she grew and was molded by new events she grew further from Aurora's characteristics and became more solidly this new being known as Ryder.

Graynin was surprised by his own initial reaction when Athos had told him her name. He thought he would reject it, that it would seem alien to call her anything else, but when he tested her new title, saying it for the first time out loud, he had felt oddly comfortable with it. The name seemed to suit her just as well as Aurora had, but in a very different way. To Graynin the name Aurora was wholly feminine, it made him think of the wispy display of lights that danced across the sky, magnificent yet soft. The name Ryder was more masculine, yet not losing its ability to work for a strong female. To him this was the name for someone solid, someone who was focused and determined. And after what her soul had done to survive, he knew she was more a fighter now than ever.

Graynin stood silently watching Ryder from behind the shadow of his hood, extremely grateful to have that small taste of ambiguity as he waited for her to break the silence. He was still chewing on the inside of his lip to keep himself in check.

Her brow furrowed, as she became annoyed with the silence. Her lack of patience still seemed a strong part of her. He had to hold back a smile as he watched her obvious frustration building. He waited, now simply to see what she would do.

She gave up her attempt to be passive, "are you ok?" Her faced scowled at the words, as if dissatisfied with what was obviously a silly question. But the scowl quickly lifted, and her features relaxed into a stoic expression, hiding all her emotions. Despite the immediate danger passing, she was not going to show any signs of fear as she faced him.