Then, I opened my eyes. I found myself back in XaMayCa's room. The world was still shaking. I thought I was in an earthquake. That was quickly forgotten, when I looked at Oaxaca right next to me, shaking me violently.
"What's going on?" I said, a bit agitated. Hey, you would be if someone was shaking you.
"Thank the gods your awake!" said Oaxaca, gasping for air. "I've been trying for so long!"
I got from the bed. I heard some shouts. And they were angry. "Is it just me, or do I hear shouting?" I said.
I saw XaMayCa looking out the room's window into the outside of the Eldar manor. She was out of her casual clothing, and now wearing her battle armor. She had an unhappy expression on her face. "Looks like the villagers found out about Mr. Knight here." she said.
I ran from the bed to the window XaMayCa was looking out of. As I looked out into the courtyard, I saw a large assembly of villagers, holding pitchforks and lighted torches. They were shouting chants like "Kill the Outsider!" and "Death to the Knights!"
I took a few steps back from the window, and slumped against the wall. "What's going on?" I asked. "I thought Dunedar was neutral to other guilds."
XaMayCa looked out the window again. "I dunno," she said. "I called off the official search party, but I don't control the townspeople. They must have heard about you and got organized. Someone has really riled them up, they aren't usually this violent." XaMayCa shaked her head sadly.
I let out a slow whistle. "How am I gonna get out of this? The whole manor is surrounded. I take one step out, I'm dead."
"Well," XaMayCa started looking thoughtful, "I can call in a few favors and get you out of here. But it is a big risk, not just for you, but other people."
"Maybe I can use my Knight dream power to get out of here." Hopefully it would come through and I would teleport back to Nepeth. It seemed so easy. I sat down and began to concentrate, and dream of the Knights Guild Hall. I got a very painful mind blast in response. "Never mind, I don't have a clear enough mind." It was true, that previous dream with Kushana had drained my mind.
Oaxaca spoke up. "Why don't you rest here? I don't think the villagers are gonna enter the manor anytime soon."
"Nope, they are getting in." said XaMayCa. "They are breaking the front door. Soon enough, they'll break it down and come in."
Oaxaca gave a deep sigh. XaMayCa sensed the hopelessness of the situation. "Okay then. I'll send a few tells and see what I can get." XaMayCa began concentrating again, like when she used the guild line.
I sat at the table, just hearing the shouts of anger from the crowd. I closed my eyes and began resting my tense mind.
A voice said from behind me, "Interesting, eh?" I turned around and saw Oaxaca.
I was a bit startled, the voice came out of nowhere. It showed on my face.
"You okay?" asked Oaxaca. "You look like you saw a ghost."
At first, I didn't notice it, but the first voice wasn't Oaxaca's. It was familiar though...slightly. I saw some sort of figure behind Oaxaca, but it was heavily in shadow. I couldn't make out an definite elements. I hoped it wasn't one of the villagers who snuck in.
"There's someone behind you." I whispered to Oaxaca. She looked behind her, then shrugged.
"I don't see anything. This isn't the time for jokes." she said. Oaxaca looked annoyed at me, and went over to the window.
I wasn't joking. The figure was still there. In the same place.
"Amazing thing, isn't it." The figure wasn't talking, it was telling me. That's why Oaxaca didn't hear.
Now, I was nervous. I got up from the chair. I telled back to the figure, "What do you meam?"
"The power of a mob. One flame can spark a fire. And I believe this fire wants your blood."
"Who are you? What do you want?"
"Oh, I know you very well. Sad you don't know me." There was a bit of mockery in that tell.
"I have to say I can't. Your not familar to me, espcially in that shadow."
The figure slowly stepped into the dim light. The light shone over the figure's face. My mind tracked my memory for any knowledge of it.
The face was that of a female, a human one. I knew quite a few.
Light skinned. Okay, that lowered the selection.
Very short, blonde hair. The selection got more specific.
And then I came across the figure's eyes. Steely blue. Unmistakeable, Kushana's. Just looking at it made me mushy inside.
I wanted to run up to her, and give her a hug. But I felt a sudden loss of power. I fell to my knees. I looked at Kushana's face again. It was hers, but it was so distant, and had a menacing stare. I couldn't bring myself to look at that stare, so angry, so evil. It would drive a man mad seeing it for so long.
"Look up!" Kushana told me. The voice was much louder now, full of rage.
I did so, and her face wasn't the same. It looked more wrinkled, haggard, the skin was a lot paler. The stare was still there. I quickly turned my head back, away from that evil sight.
"I haven't been missing all this time. Oh, I have been alive and well in fact." Kushana told me.
"What?" I didn't understand the situation.
"I remember the past, of course. And it was good. But, it is the present now. And I've found someone else."
I was hurt. More of my strength was gone. I couldn't comprehend, my mind was losing sanity. Someone else?
"Who?" I asked.
"Why should I tell you?" Kushana seemed to enjoy hurting me.
"Who?" I said again. With more assertiveness, more anger.
"You don't need to know."
"Who!" I told Kushana, with as much force a tell could give.
"My, my. What a temper. It doesn't matter anyway. In a matter of time, you will be dead."
I got up off the ground. My strength slowly came back. I met Kushana's stare face to face, eye to eye. The face looked inhuman at this point. It was probably a trick of the light. But, I kept the stare. My mind was slipping into insanity.
I made a bold statement. "Your not Kushana, your some sort of demon."
"Sure, you can tell yourself that. I've changed dear Knight. For the better."
"I'd rather Kushana die then turn into you."
"Maybe you better kill me now then." Kushana outstretched her arms, like she was waiting for me to attack her. "Oh...I forgot, you probably still love me? Foolish boy. Your love will be eternal."
"You dirty..."
"Well, I'm off. As much this chat has been interesting, I have to go. Your friends at the window seem to have a plan about that mob I made. I said that? Oops. Forget that. Good day, or should I say bad?" With that, the figure dissappeared into the shadows. I just stood there, wondering what happened to Kushana. What vile force had controlled her. What had tainted her heart and her mind, to turn into that which I just saw. And what happened with the face? It kept decaying.
While I was in deep thought, someone tapped me on my shoulder. I turned around and saw XaMayCa. She brought me back into a sane state. I tried to hide my worry from what just happened to Kushana.
XaMayCa didn't waste any time. She got straight to the point. "I got one of my friends who runs a coach business to send one by." she told me. "They will be at the side of the manor. We can reach it by going out that window." XaMayCa pointed at a side window. "It should be in shadow, so you can avoid detection by the crowd."
"Sounds good. Except how do you get out?" I asked. I was one for details.
"I got that covered." Oaxaca said from the corner. I saw Oaxaca skillfully making a rope from several pieces of cloth. She moved her hands so quickly, you couldn't follow them. It just looked like knots were being made from her hands.
"What's your weaving skill?" I asked, seeing how well Oaxaca made the rope.
"Very good." Oaxaca said. She clenced her teeth, and her hands moved faster. She quickly made a large enough rope to hang out the window.
I looked out the window and noticed the crowd outside was getting unruly. It looked like there was a figure on the steps, raising the crowd into a mad rage. Mob justice, a term I remembered.
XaMayCa headed for the door. "I'm gonna see if I can calm down the crowds. You go and escape with Oaxaca." XaMayCa was about to leave, but she stopped for a moment. "Oh here, take these." XaMayCa threw me two things. I caught them both. It was a vial of holy water, and a saintly cross.
"What are these for?" I asked. But XaMayCa was already out the door.
I took one last look out the window at the crowd. They were even more angry, and that figure at the manor steps was leading them on. I focused my vision on that figure.
It was Kushana. She was in heavy robes, simliar to the ones XaMayCa first greeted me in. But I could see her face. And I wasn't too sure, but I thought she looked at me in the window, and flashed me an evil grin.
Truly, she was a demon. No longer that angel I adored.
