Blooms of the Empyreal

Chapter 7: The Barrier

The Duke smiled his hunter’s smile, and it glittered wickedly from the jewel-colored eyes of his. “My dreams could not be sweeter than this reality,” he whispered again, a hand running up the skin of Mariana’s leg.

She gasped and was frozen in place, unable to stop the soft brush of gloved fingers on her flesh. Unable to stop the rush of heat to her thighs. Unable to breathe when he touched her like that.

Another gentle brush of fingers across her naked chest made her whimper in the back of her throat. From desire or something else, she didn’t know.

Those perfect eyes blinked closed for a second, and when he opened them, they were slitted like a cat’s, a too wide smile across his perfect lips. “You belong to me,” he whispered, but it was no longer in the Duke’s silky voice. It was another voice, just as familiar. She heard that voice in all of her nightmares. 

“Don’t,” she gasped, choking on her own fear as the Duke’s hands pressed her wrists down into the mattress.

“But you belong to me, Mariana.” Pain lanced through her whole body as the Duke, leaning forward, bit her hard on the neck. “Now everyone knows it.”

She couldn’t fight back, couldn’t move-

Mariana opened her eyes, inhaling the cool morning air deeply into her chest. Her skin felt hot and too small, like it didn’t belong to her. Like she was too big to be contained inside of it. Sweat dripped down her between her breasts.

A nightmare.

The Duke wasn’t there, wasn’t touching her.

It wasn’t real.

She felt cold and hot all at once, her eyes swollen and her throat ragged. She couldn’t get enough air-

In desperation, she threw herself out of bed and, limping to the closest window, unlatched the panes and pushed the glass open.

Morning air, cold, pure, and sweet, hit her in face. The shock of it froze the edges of the nightmare, making it a little easier to breathe. Not real, not real. She swallowed hard, released to let the fresh air dry the sweat that dripped down her torso.

The main sun was rising from its place on the horizon as the second sun still slept. The first sun threw beams of light over the gardens, dew glittering wetly on every branch and early bloom. It must be almost spring here; much better weather than the scorching summer heat she’d left behind on Earth.

After a few moments of running her eyes over the peaceful scene below her window, she slowly began to relax. The man in her nightmares hadn’t been the Duke. It had been someone else entirely, and that someone couldn't not reach her here, no matter how hard he tried. Mariana took another deep breath before closing the windows with hesitant fingers. While the air felt delightful, she wasn’t trying to put on a show in her sleeping clothes for any servants who might be out in the gardens this time of day.

Feeling calmer and more distant from her dreams, Mariana bathed and dressed in one of the outfits Collins had chosen for her, careful with her ankle. She studied it carefully; the swelling had gone down considerably and she could use the leg without too much pain, but she knew pushing her injured foot would only make it worse again. Sighing, Mariana wrapped up her hair in a messy bun on top of her head, wondering what might be in store for her today when a massive gong sound rang through the whole world. It shook the house, the crystals of the chandelier in her rooms clinking against one another like they were shaking in fear. Mariana froze, her breath caught in her chest. She wrenched her door open, her hands shaking with fear.

“Good morning, Lady Mariana!” one of the servants was just down the hallway, a broom in his gloved hands. The man was older, but looked pleasant and spry in his embroidered overcoat. “How may I serve you this morning?”

Mariana stared at him, her lips parted, her eyes blinking. Had she imagined-

“What was that noise?”

The servant looked momentarily confused, then he smiled. “That is the barrier, my lady,” he said. “It surrounds the whole of the city and protects it from bad weather, from wild animals, and ensures we get plenty of rain and sunlight for the crops to grow.”

She stared at him. There was a big bubble over the whole town? Who had made it, and how? A million questions fluttered through her mind, but she wasn’t sure how to articulate any of them.

“Would her ladyship like to be escorted to breakfast?” the servant asked, leaning his broom against the wall and bowing as he held out an arm.

“Ah, yes, thank you.”

Between her dream and the idea of the barrier, Mariana’s mind was so full that she was silent the entire walk down to the dining room.

The Duke was already awake and seated at the table, his eyes locked on a sheet of paper as he sipped his morning tea. The servant holding Mariana’s arm announced her entrance, and the Duke dropped his paper, getting to his feet and giving Mariana a solemn bow.

As she made her way to her own seat across the table, she kept her eyes on the Duke. He was undoubtedly one of the most beautiful creatures that Mariana had ever seen in her whole life, but her dreams clung to her body like sweat, and she felt like she could not quite shake them away. The Duke’s smile was just as soft as ever, his eyes deeply purple, and his gaze invariably locked on Mariana.

Hunter. If he’s the hunter, I must be the hunted, she thought, a shiver slipping up her spine.

“It’s a pleasure to see you so early, Lady Mariana,” he said, silky and smooth, his eyes following her movements from over the edge of his teacup. “I hope you slept well on your first real night with us.”

She swallowed hard. Had coming to this place only been one day ago? It felt like a century had passed.

“Ah, I did sleep well, thank you. The bed in my rooms is very comfortable.” And I kept my door locked, which also helped, she thought, but tried to smile so as not to give a hint of her thoughts.

“That is wonderful to hear. The ladies will be eager for your attention tonight, I am sure.” The Duke carefully folded his fingers together, ,resting his mouth against them, his elbows on the table. He watched as she ate, his eyes on her but seemingly off in another world.

“What are you thinking so hard about?” she asked, softly, unsure if she wanted to hear the answer.

The purple eyes focused again, hungrily roving her face. “I was thinking of how to get you safely to the party without having you walk too much on your injured ankle. I was worried that walking to the palace would be too much for you, but no men are invited, of course.”

Mariana studied his face, wondering if he were upset at not being allowed to accompany her, but his expression gave nothing away. “I can wrap it up if I need to walk. Worst case, I’m sure the palace will have plenty of servants willing to help me out.”

The Duke frowned, but nodded, as though he didn’t like the idea of the palace servants being the one to help her. She wondered what ideas could be going through his mind to make him frown like that, but Mariana didn’t have the nerve to ask.

“The party invite states that you should be dressed informally, of course. Do you have something in mind for tonight that Collins can have ready?”

They chatted over the party preparations, and she conceded to the Duke’s offer of a carriage ride, pulled by horse-sized dog-like creatures called Valmur. She agreed, but mostly because her ankle ached. She wrapped it carefully that morning, but the skin was bruising in a very ugly way. 

"I have a question for you, your Grace, about the barrier."

The Duke's head snapped up, his purple eyes lancing through her body. "Who told you about the barrier?"

"One of the servants mentioned it keeps out wild animals and bad weather; I just find it fascinating. It also made quiet a loud noise this morning, which is what piqued my interest in the subject," she added, not only feeling the need to protect the servant, but also give an explanation. 

The Duke took a deep breath and looked down at the table, carefully rearranging the silverware by his plate. "Ahh, yes. I don't know much about the barrier myself; I know my great-grandfather was one of the magic users who helped to construct it. It keeps everything else out while letting us go through, somehow. If something large hits the barrier, though, it can make quite the sound. Based on the weather forecasts from outside the dome, it may have been tornado," the Duke smoothed down the silk of his shirt and smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "I hope not, for there were men out in the woods today searching for game. I hope no one was injured."

There was something weird about the way the Duke was acting; Mariana was pretty sure he hadn't said all there was to know about this barrier, but she also was sure she wasn't going to get anything out of him today. No, she had a party to get ready for, which she half dreaded. But it was already decided, and she didn't have any other engagements to make an excuse for missing it. So she chose a floor-length breezy dress for the evening, and prepared herself to meet the other women who had been summoned to this world.