Heart of Darkness

Chapter 38

 

            Zelgadis woke, rolling over with the realization that his head felt as if it were filled with cottonballs. “Ungh,” he muttered to himself, and his mouth… he must have slept with his mouth open. He coughed at the taste of ashes, and pressed his lips together. Ashes, ashes… Ambervale. Cerulean blue eyes snapped open as Zelgadis sat up with a gasp of shock.

 

            He wasn’t in Ambervale.

 

            He was in an unfamiliar room, somewhere that looked like a one-room cabin. The bed was small but comfortable, and he could see across to the meager kitchen area. Zelgadis sat up, looking around. The interior was rustic, masculine in color and style, bland and yet somewhat familiar, as if he himself would choose the same. There was no sign of a feminine touch at all, no flowers, no photos, not even a well-dratted little doily to put a glass on top of in the vain hopes of protecting a priceless wooden finish.

            There were two doors, one off to the left, centered in the wall and framed by two dustily curtained windows. The door to the right was the kind with the window on top, and given that it opened in the kitchen area, Zelgadis decided that it was the back door.

            When he heard a rattling at the door to the left, he lay back into the bed, closing his eyes to maintain the illusion of sleep. No sense in blowing his cover and letting whoever it was coming into the cabin know that he was awake. He’d keep the element of surprise on his side this time. He’d done that once, thank you, and look where it had gotten him… some strange cabin in the middle of who-knew where.

After a bit more rattling, the door on the left opened and a familiar figure stepped in, closing it quietly behind him as if not to disturb anyone else in the cabin. Slow and quiet footsteps carried the figure across into the kitchen area, movements fluid and somehow more than human.

            Zelgadis watched through half-lidded eyes as Xellos put a bag on the counter and gave it a bland look. For a moment, there was a vague temptation to alert the Trickster Priest that he was awake, but it was set aside in curiosity of what Xellos could possibly be doing. There was another curiosity that Xellos hadn’t sensed that he was awake. None of this made any sense.

            Gloved hands opened the bag and retrieved a small earthenware jug from within. Two cups followed, and some plates, and finally a wrapped parcel of food. Xellos was making breakfast? Manually? Curiosity gave rise to temptation once more, and Zelgadis sat up as quiet as a cat, and opened his mouth. “While I appreciate the effort, Xellos, I’m married and you’re not my type.”

            Much to Zelgadis’ amazement, Xellos jumped nearly a foot into the air. He turned to look across the cabin, violet eyes focused on Zelgadis for a moment, and then he nodded, as if to himself. “You’re awake. Good. No doubt, you have a great many questions for me.” Without explanation, he waved to the table. “Coffee and cinnamon rolls. Fresh and hot, so you may as well eat first.” Xellos’ voice was calm; he was acting as if nothing about this was strange.

            Which it wasn’t, actually. It was surreal.

            Zelgadis noted with relief that he was fully dressed, the cloak still bundled about him. At least that hadn’t vanished… or worse. He was starting to think that nothing was beyond Xellos at this point. Was Xellos the one who’d been behind this whole mess? A continuation of before? Had he put the woman Cassandra up to it? No… he had seemed genuinely unsettled by the revelation of her involvement. If that had been real.

            The scent of the cinnamon rolls finally crept over to him, and he shook his head as he left the bed. “Jedah put you up to this,” he observed, because there was no other way that Xellos could have known of that particular combination. “He couldn’t get to me in Ambervale, so he coerced you into doing it for him. Though how he’s managed it, I can’t even begin to imagine.”

With a barely hidden laugh at the thought of his younger brother having anything over Xellos that could possibly be used as incentive to play housemaid, Zelgadis sighed and decided to allow the strange morning to continue, to let the game play itself out. At least he’d get breakfast out of it. Then perhaps he’d have gathered enough energy to collect himself and depart this cabin and go find Lina.

            “Your brother did ask me to ensure that you were safe and well. He said that he’d be along in a bit and not to go anywhere. He had a few things to take care of before he gets here,” Xellos said as he watched Zelgadis run a hand through his perfectly normal hair and walk across the cabin. There were the odd similarities or two shared by Jedah and Zelgadis, but Jedah’s personality wasn’t nearly as dark as one might think it ought to have been. Then again, that was part of what Xellos liked about him.

            Zelgadis broke his train of thought again. “Care to explain?”

            Can.’ Tiny little word, really. With huge possibilities… and repercussions. Often tempered by ‘Should’ and ‘Shouldn’t.’ Xellos knew better to say his reasons, even though he could. Jedah would kill him. Or worse. There was a pause, and then out came the knowing smile and the predictable waggle of the finger. “I’m afraid that’s a secret.”

            Zelgadis echoed the last two words as he pulled out a chair and sat. “Well, if I have to play in this farce, I may as well enjoy it. Go ahead, here I am. Serve me breakfast.”

            The Trickster Priest froze. He hadn’t considered that. But there it was, and here he was… damn that capricious son of Beastmaster!