Bound by J. Elizabeth Hill Page A

exasperation. Turning back, she looked at the image of Tavis again, the way he seemed to watch her. She was about to take another step closer when she felt a deep frustration from the man behind her. Startled to sense an emotion from him at all, she turned but the scene had changed.
    He was still there, but further away now, in a separate pool of light. He was on his knees, sobbing over something clutched in his arms. She tried to walk to the closest edge of her own sphere of light, but never got closer to either the edge or the kneeling man.
    Around him, the ground was stained red, and she realized that it was an unmoving woman he clutched to his chest. Fay's stomach turned when she realized it was the woman's blood everywhere, soaking his clothes, still leaking out of her torn body. As she watched, he held the dead woman tighter and cried out in grief. She wanted to reach out and comfort him, but the distance between them never diminished.
    As he continued to sob in anguish, several figures, indistinct in cloaks draped to cover every part of them appeared out of the shadows. They descended upon the blond man and grabbed his head, his shoulders, arms, legs, and dragged him away from the body. They carried him backward as he fought to free himself from their grip, but Fay wasn't sure if they were really moving, even though the body was gone. The scene she witnessed remained the same distance from her, though she had stopped trying to reach the other light pool. The man's struggles caused him to look over his shoulder and he cried out again, in fear this time. They were dragging him toward a large golden frame with silver symbols shining across the top. His struggles grew frenzied and he finally managed to free one arm from his captors, but then it was too late for escape. They were pressing him through the frame, and a rippling substance that she knew should be but couldn't be glass formed around him as he disappeared through the golden rectangle.
    The other light went out, the scene vanishing with it. His voice drifted out of the darkness, wrapping around her. You see, Faylanna? I understand loss. I can grasp the pain you feel over the death of someone you loved. I know what it is to be pursued, to fear discovery by others. Can he ever understand you as I do, my sweet? Be mine, wait for me. It will be time soon enough, then I will show you how we were meant to be together.
    Fay woke up with a start, confusion at his final words warring with horror from the scene he had shown her. How does he shape the dream like that, she wondered, trying to calm her racing heart. She was just starting to get herself back under control when a hand was laid lightly on her upper arm and she strangled a scream, flinching away from the hand and thinking of cloaked figures and golden frames. The movement brought her around to face Eliar, who looked shocked and contrite, his hand frozen in place. She let her breath out slowly as her heart again began to calm down.
    "I'm sorry, didn't mean to startle you," he whispered.
    She nodded and they both relaxed a little. He pulled his hand back, but remained crouched by the side of the alcove where the little bed sat. Fay looked and was grateful to see Tavis, who was sprawled out in his corner of the room, still asleep. She drew her knees up under her chin and wrapped her arms around them. She knew that sleep would be a long time returning this night, if it came at all.
    "Do you often have nightmares like that?" Eliar asked her, his eyes still intent on her.
    She shook her head and then felt a bit guilty. She clarified, "Never like that one, no. It was..."
    She shuddered as she trailed off and he put his hand back on her upper arm. "Do you want to talk about it?"
    She stared at him and after a moment he dropped his hand. "Can I ask you a question first? You hate my father." She waited for him to nod before going on. "Why? What's he done that's so awful? Ganson said in his message that my father was involved