**** Chapter Fourteen: POWERS UNLEASHED

****

Chapter Fourteen: POWERS UNLEASHED

Demon was sitting on a chair next to the bed with his head in his hands. I could barely make out his form in this blurry kind of haze that blanketed everything. I wanted to ask what he was doing there. Wasn’t he supposed to be trekking off to Khuzdoh?

But I slipped right back into Slumberland.

When I woke up again, I could see a lot more clearly. There were colors around me that I had never even known before, the bedspread, curtains, rugs were no longer deathly white. Demon was sitting on the bed. He noticed I had my eyes open and leaned closer. His angelic face was inches away from mine.

"Aoife,” he said, “are you all right? Has it happened? Do you feel different?" "Has what happened?" I whispered.

He was even more beautiful up close. His eyes seemed even more beautiful today, shimmering with a hundred shades of blue. I saw his lips moving again, but I couldn't hear anything. That snapped me right back to reality.

"I can't hear you.” I panicked. “What's happening? I can't hear you anymore!"

He patted my shoulder as if to tell me to stay put and turned to Azure. I couldn't hear anything but from the gestures it seemed Demon had asked Azure something to which he replied with a shrug. He didn't know the answer. Azure then walked towards me, put his hand on my forehead, poured some sort of a clear liquid into my mouth from a vial and helped me swallow it. Then I fell asleep again.

When I woke up the third time, it was morning.

Bright light shone in through open windows. Very, very bright light. It was like I was looking directly into the sun and any minute I expected my eyes to burn out. I instinctively covered my eyes. Random images of the past few days floated across my mind, from Lorez and her lake to Demon’s hasty departure. But he had come back hadn’t he? I had seen him sitting by my bed – or had that been a dream?

It was getting exceedingly difficult for me to distinguish my dreams from reality. The only thing I could truly recall as real was me passing out in the bathtub. How I got to the bed and under the covers after that was a mystery. Did Azure put me there? Demon wasn’t home so who else? Wait – there was this male servant Rumir. Had he? Perhaps he’d put me to bed the first time I fainted on Azure’s back from our ride back from Lorez’s lake. Or was that Demon? It smelled like Demon. And why was I fainting so often? I never had –

There was a soft knock at the door.

"It's open," I called out. “I think.” Oh hey! I could hear again! I sat up in excitement and that’s when I noticed what the hell I was wearing!

“Good morning Madam.” Rumir walked in with a cart full of food.

I quickly pulled the thick duvet over my shoulders enough to cover the paper thin, racy black lingerie I was dressed in. He smiled at me as he parked the cart by the foot of the bed. He looked bleached, even in this light: Pale face, dark hair, dark eyes and black clothes. He was the perfect mannequin for any high profile store!

“I presume Madam had a good night?” he asked politely. “Would you like me to prepare a plateful for you?”

“I – uh – no.” I felt nervous. No reason. Just a strange man standing in the middle of my bedroom offering to feed me buttered toast and tea while I lay half naked in a lace nightie. “I need water, please.” And who do you suppose dressed me up for bed? You or Demon?

Curse the Demon!

“I have lemonade.” He reached for a crystal decanter.

“I hate lemonade!” A sharp throbbing erupted in my brain. I clutched my head with both hands and groaned.

“O dear.” Rumir was quickly by my side with a glass of clear water. “Madam, are you alright?”

The pain subsided just as quickly as it had occurred. And then I realized the duvet had slipped down to my – ahem – I gracefully pulled it back up. Only problem was I had no freakin’ hands left to take the glass of water!

“Er – Rumir – where are my clothes?” I asked awkwardly.

“I’m sorry Madam I can’t say. I’m not in charge of the laundry.” He spoke rather smugly. “Unless of course Krâl demands it.”

“And – he hasn’t – in my case,” I said. He nodded. “I see – so – could you please check if there are any clothes in the closet here that I could change into?”

“There is no closet here, Madam.”

“What? Why?”

“Because we never receive guests and the ladies who do come here usually –” He stopped and looked at me.

“Usually what?” I stared. “Usually stay in Demon’s room?” Which meant I was wearing what one of the ladies must’ve left behind. Oh how I hated Demon! “Where is he?” I hissed.

“Outdoors, Madam.” The servant answered politely. “He may not return for a while.

Perhaps till tonight.”

“Since when is he out?” I asked.

“Since this morning.”

So I hadn’t dreamed him by the bed, and he hadn’t gone to Khuzdoh. Why? Was it possible that his conscience had won out over his wickedness? That he had finally decided to help me? I’d better see him in that case. But – not looking like this!

“Well, who in hell knows where I can find my clothes then?” I asked.

“The housekeeper would know. But it’s her day off today.”

“Perfect!” I faked a smile. “Is there a bathrobe I can use?”

“The towels are in the bathroom.” He pointed to the breakfast again. “It’s getting cold Madam. Would you like to –”

“I can help myself. Thank you Rumir.” I smiled at him and he, with a courteous bow, turned to leave when I remembered something. “Rumir! How do I go downstairs? The first time I tried I ended up in the cemetery. I don't want to take that way again.”

“Oh, you must have gone to your right. Madam must take the long corridor on the left hand side. Walk right through it, past Krâl’s bedchambers and you’ll arrive at a large landing with a grand staircase in its midst. That will take you down to the main lounge and out to the castle grounds.”

“O that’s so helpful. Thank you so much.” Now I kind of liked him. He bowed and smiled and left.

As soon as he was gone, I flung off the duvet and crawled across the bed over to the footboard to scrutinize the breakfast cart. It was a tiny piece of heaven for a hunger stricken stomach. Toasted bread; real butter; a platter of hot pancakes topped with strawberry sauce and fresh strawberries; a cheese omelet the size of my head – well, a bit smaller – okay a lot smaller; and for drinks – a bottle of milk; pitcher of lemonade (ugh!); a quart of orange juice and a bottle of water.

I pouted but my growling stomach had no patience. So, I glugged down the entire quart of orange juice. Then I grabbed a fork and butchered a few pancakes, stuffed a few bites of that divine omelet down afterward, and finished off gracefully with a glass of good ole water. Mmm – I was as happy as a stuffed bear. All I needed was a good belch to compliment the chef and a napkin to wipe off all that syrup all over my face and – oh dang! The bathrobe!

I went into the bathroom. It was big, marble, and white. Very clean. I spotted a nice sized linen closet in one corner and opened it. It was loaded top to bottom with fluffy white towels of all sizes. But there was nothing in it that looked even remotely like a bathrobe. I felt so exasperated! How could I get out of this hideous colorless room if I had practically no clothes on?

I closed the closet door and walked away. On my way out of the bathroom I saw a wide full length mirror that reflected the whole of me from head to toe. I stopped and looked.

The girl in the mirror had long, tangled hair. She had a fine toned body that was almost spilling out of the lacey racy black net nightie that just about covered half of her thighs. Her nightie had spaghetti straps and a nicely lined bust that revealed the cleavage but nothing else. The juiciness of the garment started from the waist down where it was all net and lace. But God bless whoever had added decency to this attire in the form of solid underwear! It wasn’t mine but it was there.

Yep! Whoever had worn this sexy number would’ve made Demon very happy.

I frowned at the thought but couldn’t look away from my own reflection. I’d never worn anything like this before. I’d never looked so – so – in need of a bathrobe!

I wanted to know who helped me into this and hoped it was the housekeeper since that was the only she in the household of strange men. But the bigger problem was what to do now? She was off on holiday. And I had nothing to wear. And that’s when it hit me.

…past Demon’s bedchambers…

Now, there was a huge closet in that room.