The Omega Eclipse (Book Two of the Omega Game Series)

Chapter 6

Katala

    “Wake up.”

    I opened my eyes and looked around the room sleepily. There was no one in there, why had I woke up? I groaned and got back to bed only to hear a more powerful voice speak directly to my ear.

    “Wake up Katala! And open the balcony,” I jumped out of the bed and groggily found my way to the balcony. I opened the large doors and stepped out onto the terrace. It was very dark outside and cold. I feel myself trembling while I took one step after the other until I reached the tall balustrade at the edge of the balcony. 

    The cold breeze of the night hit my face, whispering secrets while it caressed my neck and ran through my floating hair. The voices were whispering fast, making it impossible to understand them. Sleepily I screwed up my face and rubbed my tired eyes. What was I doing by the balcony in the middle of the night? I couldn’t remember. Was this a dream? I looked around me again but there was no one, just the small coconut trees that Nira had planted with me days ago. I yawned and was about to turn around and return to my bed when I saw a strange orbit of light appear at the other side of the balustrade. 

    Curious, I climbed the balustrade feeling my nightdress hit my legs and float in the air behind me. The sound of the fabric against my skin made me look down for a moment. I was standing at the very edge of a balcony suspended four floors over the patio. Under the balcony and scattered around the gardens I could see guards fast asleep, snoring while supporting their weight against their spears. This had to be a dream. And I didn’t say it in regards to the orbit of light floating softly by my feet, but because my father’s soldiers had never fallen asleep while on duty.

    I eyed the orbit of light, while still fighting to keep my eyes open. It looked wide enough to step on it. I wondered if it was strong enough to support my weight. I’d never seen anything like it so I had no way to know for sure. It had an oval shape and was silver, emanating a clear light from within that pulsed like a heartbeat. I thought I wanted to touch it and then I laughed softly at the silly thought. I wanted to touch a ball of light. Ridiculous. This was by far the strangest dream I’ve ever had.

    “Step on it...follow the stars into the forest Katala,” said a voice at my ear, raising over the thousands of whispery voices speaking to me. I nodded. This was a dream either way. It would be fine if I stepped on the ball of light. I wouldn’t fall either way since...well, since it was a dream. With a sigh I did what I was told.

    I swinged back to gain momentum and jumped from the balcony. My nightdress floated up and I felt the wind bite on my arms before landing on the orbit. I felt the warmth of its light through my skin, the sensation a pleasant one that was almost soothing against the cold, dark night. Another orbit of light appeared right in front of the one I was standing on. And then another and another, tracing a clear path over the desert and into the tree line of the Gilmesh Forest. Giggling I started jumping from orbit to orbit, loving the way their pulsing luminescence seemed to brighten when I came into contact with them. I moved fast, crossing over the desert and then stepping closer and closer until I was facing the Gilmesh Forest.

    My father had warned me to never, ever, under any circumstance step into that forest. Uncle Wolf had strong laws against hunting in Gilmesh for the same reason my father didn’t want me inside that place. It was rumored that strange creatures roamed the forest. Ancestral creatures. Dangerous ones. People entered Gilmesh and never walked out. Even the shadows of the tall needle point trees seemed ominous in the middle of the night.

    Then again, this was just a dream. I could do anything I wanted in my dreams. Even jump out my balcony and walk among the stars. This was just a dream. I reminded myself nothing bad could happen to me and walked into the forest. The orbits of silver light glowed among the trees, throwing their radiance over the dark shadows that moved closer to me. The shadows started reaching out to touch me. I smiled confused at one of the dark shadows that grew braver than the rest and stepped by my side, letting me see its face. The shadow was tall like a tree and its shape was oblique, like that of a pear. Its body was black but see through and over his face it carried a white mask with a red circle in its middle. The shadow offered me its hand and I accepted it, feeling fingers pass through my skin but strangely hold unto me. 

    More and more shadows came from the deep of the forest to welcome me. Not one shadow was similar to its brethren. They were all different in shape and color, some were red, some were blue or green, tall, small and they all wore masks. I liked their masks the most. I liked how strange they were and how beautifully rare they looked at night. Some of the masks represented humanoid faces, others beasts and the most common ones just had figures painted on them like squares, triangles and circles of different colors.

    I let them guide me deep into the forest. Inside the wilderness it smelled like wet earth and the humid trunks of the trees. My bare feet grew dirty when we passed through a muddy patch of land, where long serpents tangled around my ankles and climbed over my body. The hiss of their thin tongues against my neck gave me the worst case of giggles. 

    Covered in snakes and leading the long procession of shadows we stepped into the shores of a wide lake in the middle of the forest. The lake was circular and black. The water was so dark that it seemed as if it was ink. I could tell by the stillness of the water that nothing lived in that lake. That it was too deep and too obscure to swim in it. A spectral coldness emerged from the darkness in waves of freezing air. Not even the bravest of the shadows neared the lake and the snakes covering my arms hissed, scared from it. 

    The orbits of light started to join one by one over the lake. The spheres grew into a mass of silver brightness that seemed to elongate and shrink. Then it stretched and jumped, until it grew taller and thin, resembling the shape of a woman. With long, toned legs the woman turned to me and walked, floating over the cold smoke of the lake in an elegant stride. Her silver hair floated like a crown behind her and even if her face was devoid of any features I could feel her attention on me, observing and studying me silently.

    “I’ve been watching over you for a while Katala,” said the woman inside my head, her voice melodious and soft, like the touch of a feather, “you are pure and kind. A child of light. You are the perfect mate for the God of Night.”

    “I’m still too young to be married,” I said with a frown and the voice laughed melodically.

    “You will become a woman in the morning. That was why it was imperious for you to inherit my powers tonight, when you are still a child of pure light and young enough to transform into the Queen of Spirits,” the woman raised her arm, offering me her hand, “come and take the power to touch the one that can’t be touched. Come and receive the strength to walk by his side. Come and turn into the queen you are supposed to be.”

    I only paused for a moment to think. I’d already jumped out of a balcony, walked into the Gilmesh Forest and made friends out of snakes-literally- what could be wrong about touching that woman? She didn’t look dangerous and this was a dream either way. I could touch whoever I wanted in my dreams. I moved to the shores of the lake and raised a hand covered by a green snake. The woman took my hand and like before when I touched the shadow in the forest, I felt no flesh, and still her hold remained. Her touch anchored her to my bones and through that connection I felt a rush of warmth flow into my body. It moved quickly, like a river streaming down my veins and reaching my heart. Light exploded into my chest and a gasp escaped from my lips. The sensations were powerful but not painful. Strange but familiar at the same time.

    When it was done and the warmth in my chest started to recede I looked at the woman. Her silver light seemed less shiny and there was a strange slowness to her elegant moves. She caressed my cheek and my forehead while her light pulsed softer and softer.

    “Be a good mate to Noctis and remember,” she whispered in my ear, “the forest needs her queen. Don’t stray too far from Gilmesh or you would die. When you are ready come back to the Dark Heart of the forest and plant the seed. Join your mate then and live.”  

    The whispery voice started humming a sweet lullaby and slowly my head started to tilt to the sides. I fought to keep my eyes open, but I was too tired to stay awake. The snakes and the shadows pushed me softly to the lake’s shore and curled around me until I was once again warm and comfortable. I smiled and finally let the sleep put me down, down and down until I ceased feeling and thinking. 

    When I woke up again I was back in my bed at the palace and it was late in the morning. I usually didn’t overslept but I was feeling strangely tired. My legs and my stomach hurt. I was sweating too much and trembling under the covers. Nira opened the doors and showed her face at me. The bright smile she had been carrying seemed to die after one look of me. I had to look quite terrible if Nira was worried.

    “Katala don’t move, let me look for Auntie Silvana!” she screamed over her shoulder and ran away. I was too tired to tell her I wouldn’t be able to move even if I wanted to. A tearing pain doubled me over, making me moan. Heat pulsated through my skin in waves while I screamed and knelt over my bed.

    I heard over my own moans and screams the sound of my mother’s steps. She was ordering someone to bring food and water. There were people running around, orders whispered and then my mother was hugging and hushing me, trying to brush my hair back with her fingers.

    “What is happening to me?” I asked her through the haze covering my vision and my mother gave me a sad smile.

    “It’s your first Heat,” she said while she hugged me to her chest, “It will be alright Katala. Your father would have everyone leave this wing of the castle and you will have plenty of food and water…”

    I felt another wave of pain and then lost my consciousness.