Dreams

After a bit of light reading, Kael puts out the light. A heavy silence falls over the house, and he closes his eyes. Sleep comes slowly, but brings no peace.

The dead haunt his dreams as always. It would be simple if they attacked him, fought him. That, he can handle. No, the dead stay just out of reach, tauntingly. No matter what he does. And their voices echo in his mind.

You killed us. All of us. Murderer.

Kael shakes his head, shouting back. “It was my duty! I had to!”

Your duty? **** is no duty. Slaughter is no duty.

Kael clenches his fists. “I had to defend myself! And defend my lord!”

You can justify all you want. The blood is still on your hands.

He looks down at his hands, and sure enough, they drip with fresh blood. Frantically, he tries to wipe it away, but to no avail. The voices are louder now, pounding against him like the ocean against the shore.

You can deny it all you want. We died to sate your bloodlust. Murderer. Beast. Savage. Killer.

Kael drops to his knees. “No. No, I…I don’t want to kill…”

Liar! Murderer! You are drowned in blood! Kael the killer! Kael the **** bringer!

Kael covers his face with bloody hands, coughing at the coppery taste as it flows into his mouth.

Yes! Drown in the blood you shed! Suffer for what you’ve done!

It’s hard to breathe. Kael can’t remove his hands, the blood has stuck them to his face. He is coughing, ****. The voices of the dead are relentless, screaming at him. He can’t breathe! He can’t…he…

…he sits up in bed with a shout. Drenched in sweat, gasping for breath, he looks around the darkened room. Nothing. Another dream. He wonders if there will ever be relief.

There’s a soft knock at his bedroom door, and he hears Evie’s soft voice. “Master? Are you okay?”

He looks over, and sees the door opened partially. Kael can make out her slim silhouette in the darkness. “Im fine, thank you. Just…just a nightmare.”

“Do you require anything, master?”

Kael sighs. “No. I’m sorry I woke you. Go back to sleep, Evie.”

“Yes, master.”

Kael listens to her soft footsteps as she goes back to her room. In the quiet of the night, he hears the soft thunk of her door closing. After a moment, he gets out of bed and walks over to his window, looking out at the city at night. Though mostly dark, there’s a few lights at the palace, and he knows there’s at least one champion on duty. Kael had offered to take the shift tonight, but Lord Greyheart always insists on a few days of rest after an incident. Shaking his head, Kael closes the blinds.