The Struggle Within

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[118] Nymaya: The Struggle Within
Tue Oct 19 12:32:12 2010
To: All New_Thalos ( Cayenna RP Imm Necrucifer ) Jadess Keylan Dar'shin Reklah
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She lay awake.

For hours and hours now she'd lain awake. She had expected to fall asleep a long time ago. The bed and the pillows were comfortable, the satin sheets were cooling and she knew she was exhausted.

So...why was she still staring at the darkened sunset colored canopy?

This is about the time you ask yourself 'am I sleeping?

And soft malicious laughter rolled over her like a breath straight from the Abyss. Heat pulsed through her, emanating from the stone that matched her heartbeat as it sped with telltale fear. She was fairly certain that shows of courage had no real effect against it but she did her best not to express further upon her unease. It knew well its affect on her.

She felt its touch then, a cold finger caressing gently along her neck, purposely inflaming the still sore lacerations from the day previous that it had caused with the chain she wore. It took every ounce of will inside her not to squirm, not to cry out in revulsion. Instead she found herself holding her breath, her jaw and fingers clenching while a violent shudder wracked her spine.

Pain followed and she felt the drip of her blood as it fell again from her neck. The cold of its fingers trailed further down as soft whispery laughter flowed forth a second time, as it set its touch to the scorched flesh of her neck and chest beneath the lay of the bloodred stone. She tensed, expecting more pain, but was surprised when a cooling sensation spread out over the angry red burn, soothing.

She felt its amusement keenly, she no longer seemed to require anything but its presence to sense such things. It was as disturbing as it was asserting - she was bound to this thing.

You will do as you are bid

Its voice echoed again in her memory and she knew that's what she was hearing. A memory as clear now as it had been when its breath had whispered against her ear the day previous. Another shudder tore through her, bringing forth a third bout of soft baleful laughter that prickled over her flesh, as if she were bare before it.

The time is near

And to her horror, she felt the terror of her brother's words come alive within her. She knew a quickening when she felt one, she'd had three children, though they were all lost to her now. She tried to grab at her abdomen, denial speeding through her, but she felt its touch first and a paralysis of her own panic rendered her all but helpless.

Was this what it had meant? Had her brother been right?

A terrible chill sped through her but the stone pulsed, again keeping rhythm with the fear-empowered race of her heart, and heat followed.

...the time is near..

And she awoke with a pleading cry that echoed through her room, her muscles achingly tight and a cold, clammy sweat soaking her from head to foot. She became instantly aware that the presence of the demon was not, in fact, in the room with her. It had been a nightmare. She was shaking though and could not control it as she slipped from bed and knocked over the stand beside it.

Growling a virulent curse in elvish, she opted instead to huddle around herself on the edge of the bed, her hands pressing to her abdomen while she tried to convince herself that her mind was jumping to conclusions.