Call of the Wolves

20. Glimpses Through Time

His pupils bounce between my eyes, only a brief moment where I can see him soaking in the fear that overcomes me as I sense her presence. His head ever so slightly turns, his eyes trailing along trying to gather any sense of her being here, remaining subtle in his expressions, I can feel his body tense above me.

There's a tight clench in his jaw and I can see how the world around him evaporates as he focuses on the tree lines behind him, already knowing his next move but waiting for the perfect moment.

There's a shift in his body and his face turns fully behind him, and just as I think he's about to do something, he simply stands up, his sword lowered at his side.

What is he doing?

"Serelia," he continues to scan the camp around us, but his muscles relax and the teeth in his jaw release. "There's no one there."

"What?" A gasp forms in my throat as I repeat his motion and stand besides him, my eyes trained onto the tree line, the figure no longer there. "She's here, Caesar... She was here at least. I saw-" My voice dwindles, not finishing my sentence, as I turn my attention back to him.

"Your mind is trying to get the best of you, preying on your fears. Don't let it." There's a calming sincerity as he speaks, probably thinking this is because of my nightmares from last night. I'm about to say more when he goes on to reassure me. "We've doubled our guard and defenses since the last Crimson appearance here. We're on top of everything to make sure that she or any of her pack can not get past one of our wolves without us knowing about it. I promise you, Doll, you're safe here." He lifts his sword and takes a couple of steps back so that he is now opposite of me once more. "Come on," he motions for me to do the same. "We'll train for a bit longer before going in for breakfast."

I can't help but look at the tree line past his head, waiting for the shadow to reappear. I know what I saw. I know that this isn't some trick of the mind. There was something there.

My tongue glides against my upper teeth before biting down, an impulse in me wanting to do something. To go over there and see for myself. But I trust Caesar, he wouldn't lie to me or say something he didn't believe was true. Breaking contact with the shadows, my eyes land on the ground beneath me. Everything's okay, I try to convince myself. There's a punching in my gut that is shouting at me otherwise, I go to pick up my sword from the ground. As I draw the weapon back up, settling my fingers around the hilt, I look back at the tree line one more time just in case.

It's there.

Emerging from the deep umbra, the darkened figure reemerges, still a shadow hiding in shadows, but the figure of a human outline is clear as ever. My body numbs, freezing over completely, and before I can scream, or say anything, or even blink, the silhouette swoops from its position far away and a dark haze travels towards me, consuming any light within my sight. An intense burning radiates through my skull, the haze incinerating any last light.

A flare rages in my eyes, blistering them as if turning them to ash. I want to scream, to allow the sound to surround me. But the sweltering in my throat doesn't allow that one, desperate relief I crave. Instead it is stuck in that void between my brain and vocal chords.

The flare ignites into a flame, a flash of light across darkened sights. The flashes pulsing between pure light and dark until there is nothing but light. The pain becomes so intense I begin to feel detached from my own body. Yet that is something too good to even wish for as the agony jolts across me. Every sense within begging for me to succumb to the pain, yet one by one those senses are cremated by the burning that only continues to grow hotter.

Then the light dims. The burning begins to cool. The pain softens to mere aching.

Then the fire becomes an explosion.