For Shadow (Saby)

The chain felt light and cool as Galen accepted both ends of the article, an unsettling surprise for the man. He had expected an item of such evident importance to feel heavier, and perhaps even warm to the touch. Instead, it felt just like any other necklace.

Were it not for the persistent growl of the wildness within him, he would have wondered what the point of this exercise was. Sabine was right, though, anything that the beast did not like was okay with him.

Galen swept her hair to her right side, waiting for her to hold it up for him to bring the two ends of the chain together behind her. His eyes hesitated on her exposed neck, the savage influence him battling to sink his teeth into the soft flesh why another part of him wanted to explore it with his lips again.

Shaking away both temptations, the man shifted so that he would be able to catch Sabine should her reaction be violent. Satisfied that she could easily lean back against him for support, he let the reunited clasp fall to rest against her flagrant skin. He watched her without interference for several moments, unsure if the accessory was making any progress against the curse plaguing her.

Satisfied that the object didn’t seem to be causing any visible harm, Galen’s gaze finally submitted to the allure of the ring and he lost himself in staring into the depths of the stone. If Sabine could take the risk of wearing a strange and potentially dangerous necklace, he could risk whatever demons the ring held for him.

Sabine had been holding her breath the entire time Galen placed the necklace on her. Her nerves were spiking uncontrollably. Not knowing what to expect. She waited but nothing happened. Feeling almost disappointed she turned to face Galen. He was just staring down at the ring, not moving.

Slowly her hand moved along the top of the bed to close around the ring. Taking his hand firmly in her grasp she gently slipped the ring on his right ring finger. Her body moved on it's own as she leaned down and placed a soft kiss on the captivating green stone. Straightening up stiffly she kept her eyes downcast.

“It suits you, Sire.”

Though no more memories were triggered she couldn't help but feel that she had said those exact words before. When she was touching the ring it was almost as if the butterfly recognized it. A kindred spirit of some sort. It grew warmer. The moment she stopped touching the ring the butterfly went cool again. Another puzzle.

“I suppose now we need a plan,” she said as she got to her feet and moved to the window once again. Sabine needed the distance. Being close to him after what transpired earlier was just too much of a temptation for her. It would be far too easy for her just to fall into his arms and forget everything as she had before. She hadn't known about the man from her past before. A man that had loved her. She truly was a monster.

A plan, the first step was plot their course. After years of being repressed to the point of nonexistence, he was emerging from the shadow of the beast. He remembered very little of his life from before, but he knew he had been happy then. Galen would get that back; he would get her back.

"We're going to need a guide if we're heading north, otherwise -" But the consequences of traveling without a guide would have to wait - the beast's influence snatched him into himself.

A hulking figure, obscured by shadows unnatural, towered over the figure of Galen. The man edged away from the titan, glancing around his surroundings in desperate search for cover or weaponry, but only barren crimson earth searched for as far as he could see. He and the towering shadow spawn were alone in the desolate dreamscape.

"You will bend to my will." Galen recognized the voice as the guttural growl of the beast. "You are my vassal." It rumbled, glowering over the man with menace that radiated off the hazy image like stench from a carcass.

"I'm not afraid of you." Lied the enslaved man, nearly stumbling as he backed away from the behemoth. He wasn't sure what would happen if the beast harmed him in this strange nightmare, but he had no intention of finding out.

"You will not ruin hundreds of years of preparations, insolent pup." Galen could feel the heat of the beast's breath as it spoke, he was close enough to see segments of darkness within the monster's maul that could have been teeth. Massive teeth. "You are mine."

Having delivered its message, the beast reared up and brought its bulk slamming down toward a defenseless Galen. Al` Hadesh again nearly stumbled as he returned to the room above the tavern with a startled jerk. He could still feel the beast's presence in his head, and knew from its angry snarls that it was not happy he had escaped the mystical conference, somehow.

"The beast is going to try to stop us. Even know it fights me for control." The bizarre retreat into himself had made him forget what they were talking about prior to the encounter. One chilling revelation made him push everything else from his mind. "It's getting stronger."

Only then did he look up, still dazed from the vision, to realize that he was not alone in his
brush with the strange.

"Sabine?"

She was back in the clearing again.

Sabine clenched her hands in anticipation. Expecting the man to appear again to give her another clue to her past. When he didn't she realized it was the first time she had control of her own actions. Spinning around she took in everything around her which consisted mostly of trees.

“Wondering why you are here?” Turning to the voice she saw a mirror image of herself. “He will not be coming to you this time. I fear even the memory of him wants nothing to do with you.”

“Who are you? What do you want?”

With a cruel laugh the replica came closer to her and began circling her slowly. “I only wish to ensure that you remain on the path I have designed for you. You are straying from it, that must be fixed.”

“I do not know what you mean.” Sabine flinched as the creature of her mind ran a few fingers through her hair, giving a sharp tug at the end.

“That man does not care for you. He will only abandon you as all the others did. It is for the best that you separate yourself from him now before it is too late.” The creature smiled sadly at her but she knew it was only false sympathy.

“Galen is different.” With a glare she pulled her dagger, fully prepared to strike. “I will make my own path without help from you.”

A scream came from the creature that was so terrible Sabine's hands flew to her ears. Trying to drown out the noise but it was no use.

Just as she thought she could take no more she was back in her body. With tears flowing and sweat coating her skin Sabine looked up into Galen's eyes. Not thinking clearly she threw herself into his arms and buried her face against his neck and shoulder. Shudders still coursing through her body from the ordeal.

“I met the monster.”

Their quest had not even begun, and already they were encountering resistance. With the shadow beasts plaguing their minds and temptation playing upon his heart, Galen knew this was not going to be an easy quest. Dark suspicions that they would not make it through the ordeal intact haunted the man’s gaze as he offered comfort to the visibly shaken beauty.

He held her in silence for several moments, unsure of any words to ease the pain of knowing they carried something wretched within them.

“They must be scared, to reveal themselves to us now.” Even as he uttered the consoling words, he saw the logic of them. Never before had the beast forced such an encounter over him. There had never been a need; Galen had simply lost himself beneath the smothering influence of the vile presence.

The man stared at the ring’s gem as he rubbed Sabine’s back sympathetically, captivated by the reflections dancing across the surface. Frowning slightly in confusion, his gaze wandered over to the candles in their wall fixtures. The shimmering surface of the gem didn’t seem to match the cadence of the flickering flames.

He didn’t have enough energy in him to mull over yet another piece of the convoluted puzzle. Every clue brought more questions and no answers; it was exhausting even without memory and the beast wrecking havoc on his mind. Minutes felt like years, and he felt he had aged centuries since arriving at The Ginger Wench.

“We should rest. We have a long trail of ahead of us.” Said Galen, taking in the room with a fatigue blurred glance. The window, which hadn’t been opened in years if the chipped layer of paint caked at the bottom was any indication, would serve a more practical exit than entrance due to their height. That meant the door was the only thing they needed to be wary of, aside from themselves. The threshold was a narrow one, and Al` Hadesh was confident he could defend it long enough to allow Sabine to escape.

“The bed is yours, as we agreed.”