Skye's Arrival

I hit the ground, skidding and rolling across the stoned surface. While my skin tries to heal the freshly scraped surface, I groan. “Ow,” I breathe as I get to my feet. There is an internal struggle coming from Dawn, I can feel it. There is not a lot of time before I know Koan will catch up to us.

“What’s wrong Dawn,” I demand as I start running through a massive courtyard. Where am I?

“I’m killing you,” she answers, still sulking. “There is nothing I can do to keep myself from hurting you. You’re growing weaker by the day. My existence is designed to kill you.”

We both knew this, and I really couldn’t care less. “I know that Dawn, and I’m okay with that. Who needs immortality? I don’t. Besides, I could die even if you weren’t in me.”

“It’s not the same. I’m literally killing you Skye. You’re my sister and I’m killing you.” She starts to stir. “I don’t want to hurt you anymore. I don’t want to be a demon. I want to protect you.”

“I will protect you until I no longer can Dawn. You deserve life, not just me.” I tell her sternly, well aware that I have managed to reach the center of the city. “Family protects one another, no matter how we were matched to one another.”

“Then let me protect you by letting Koan kill me,” she begs.

“You’re the reason I’m alive,” I snap at her. “You heard him. Your presence is keeping him from breaking the veil. If you leave me, I cannot stop him. His hold over me is too strong.”

“You broke it just fine,” she tells me while there is war within her. “I don’t want to keep hurting you.”

“Hurt me,” I beg. “I’d rather die with you, than let you sacrifice yourself.”

“Skye,” she begs, pain in her voice. She knows my words are true. The more time we’ve spent together the stronger our bond has grown. She knows that eventually she’ll grow too strong, and it’ll trap me inside my body until it’s so weak that I’ll die; which will then kill her. The moment my spirit leaves this body, is the exact second that she’ll die.

“End of discussion Dawn, you’re not sacrificing yourself. I love you too much to let you do that.” I let my hair down, trying to attempt to disguise myself. If he hasn’t reached me yet, there is a chance, I tell myself to keep me running. I snag a cloak from a vendor, causing him to yell after me. I tie the cloak around myself and ignore him. There are a few men that are entering the city, that are watching me, getting ready to interfere if the vendor cannot catch me. Right when I’m five feet from the cities gates I hear screaming. It’s not from anything inflicting pain, but of fear.

I start running harder and manage to get outside the cities gates when something hard hits my back. I fall and end up sprawled on the dirt. Something rolls me over as a feral growl rips through the air. A hand clamps on my throat, making me open my eyes to see Koan’s disoriented face.

“Hello beautiful,” He snarls, venom dripping from his mouth. I try to squirm away, but he squeezes tighter, making me whimper involuntarily. The knife I put in his neck is still there. Green runes start to scry themselves into my arms as Koan’s eyes start to focus. In the corner of my eyes I see a cloaked man exiting the city, a sword on his hip while Koan stiffens.

“Mo-“ I begin but am stopped by a hand being clamped over my mouth.

There is a bit of sadness in Koan’s face while I try to speak the ending part of my word. “I’m sorry, Skye, but I need to heal you.” Koan says as he begins to bend his neck, lowering his face closer to mine.

“No!” I scream, my voice muffled under his hand as he lets go of my neck. “Koan don’t.” I beg seconds before he bites into my neck. My entire body goes rigid as I try to fight him, the glow from my runes fading as he feeds more venom into my system. Eventually a warm feeling begins to fill me as my body relaxes. I stop fighting, unable to move as my eyes lose their focus. The only thing I can see is a vision of beautifully colored stars. He pulls his teeth from my neck once I’m motionless, leaving me stardazed.

I can feel his body lift from me, taking any feeling of weight from me. There is nothing I can do as he tells me to stand, and my body obediently listens to him. He takes my limp hand and pats it gently, pulling me with him. I am screaming in my head in frustration, but there is nothing I can do.

“Come, my dear Skye. I have a lot to do before your trance wears off. This would be a lot easier if you were more willing to listen to me.” He kisses my head and pulls me close to his body. “In the meantime, let’s get you dressed in something worthy of you.”

After a few moments of walking, we end up pausing. “I’m sorry for any problems my love has caused, sir.” Koan says as he removes my cloak. “Please take this as compensation for the trouble she has caused.”

“Is…is she okay?” He asks, sounding hesitant while I hear the sound of money crumpling.

“She’s fine. I talked to her and have calmed her down. I’m afraid she was suffering from night terrors.”

“There’s blood on her neck,” the man says, “and your face. There is a knife in your neck sir.”

“She’s fine.” Koan snaps and pulls me along. “You certainly know how to grab attention, my dear.” He mumbles, picking up the pace. He then sighs. “I hate that you cannot speak with me. I wish you didn’t force me to stardaze you. Seeing you like this is not something that I enjoy.”

He walks in silence, leading me to who knows where. All I can see is a variety of colors dancing in front of me, entrancing my mind. I cannot form a coherent thought or speak. I can hear and feel what’s around me but that’s pretty much it. There is nothing I can do as he tells someone to undress me and get me cleaned up and ready for bed. I cannot even flinch as he lays down next to me and wrap his arms around my waist, telling me to close my eyes and go to sleep.

When I wake, I can see that I’m in a white stoned room. I’m on a plush bed with red silk sheets. There is broken glass from the window from our previous fight. My eyes widen as I realize that. The window is not fixed, and I can escape. Carefully, I slowly lift Koan’s arm from me.

Right when I shift out of the bed I feel a hand snag my waist and pull me into him. “Good morning dear.” He mutters into my neck then bites me, causing me to tense as his venom works its way through me; caging my mind in a world full of beautiful stars.

After losing count of this routine, he always made sure to wake before me and bite me before I could try to fight him. I think it’s because the last time he didn’t stir before me, I managed to get a punch to his face, and almost to the door before he reached me. He’d take me everywhere with him so he could keep me on his bite schedule. The second one of the day was usually around lunch, the third being right before bed.

While in one of the trance, or another, Koan sits me down. I feel cold metal touching my skin, causing a shiver to race down my spine. “Are you sure that this is going to work?” He demands. “So far, every attempt at trying to expel Dawn seems to do nothing.”

“Well, it may have something to do with your venom in her system.” A male voice points out. “Who is this girl, Koan? Why is she possessed with a demon?” A foreign hand touches my neck, causing Koan to growl a warning.

The man starts chuckling, “She’s your lover?”

“No!” Koan growls. “It’s not like that. She’s my partner, and my bledded wife. Not a bed accessory.”

There is a slight hesitation. “Koan, you cannot have a mortal partner. She’s not a demon so she has to be-“

“Yes, she is.” Koan snaps, “Do not touch her again.” The hand is forcibly removed from my neck quickly. “Never do that again.”

“That explains why you’ve been keeping her sedated. Who is she? How-how did you even get her to this plane?”

“That’s not your concern. What do you think we can do?”

“Well, knowing she’s a Celestial with a demon inhabitant, you’ll need someone stronger than her to remove it.”

“There is no one else!” He roars. “No one is stronger than her in this mortal realm, or higher, than the Celestial King himself.”

“Koan, you didn’t.” The man says with shock in his voice. “You didn’t force yourself onto a Celestial Soldier.” He demands, voice shaking.

“I did not!” He yells. “We were in love once, it’s not like that.” He takes my hand. “I’ve never stopped loving her and I never will.”

“If you’ve been bledded you physically can’t. Are you why she has this demon?” The man demands.

Koan hesitates. “It’s one of them. Now how do we get Dawn out of her?”

“There may be a way. With the help of a Celestial Priest, and another Celestial Soldier, we’ll be able to extricate Dawn from…your wife. She won’t fully be able to be removed until both of the parties agree to it. Do you think her darker half will be willing to leave her?”

Koan groans. “Maybe, but where will we get a Celestial Soldier?”

The man chuckles, “If I recall, Heathe’s bledded one is a Celestial Soldier.”

“She’s demon now,” Koan groans in frustration.

“But her blood was born Celestial, it’ll still work the same.”

“Then how come the veil spell won’t work?” Koan demands.

“Easy. She’s not a strong celestial. Only her blood is celestial, not her power. You need her to have both celestial power and blood to break the veil; and it must be strong enough to match your own.”

“Go get me a Celestial Priest.” Koan roars, his voice followed by the sound of scurrying feet.

I feel a hand take mine. “Come, my dear. I want to speak with your other half.” Unwillingly I follow but anger is building in my mind. Don’t you dare Dawn!