Typhon's Revenge

Chapter Thirty-Eight

WIND

I woke up with a throbbing headache. My body hurt so much that it was hard to move. Hard to speak. It felt as though I had been run over by a truck. Not that I had ever been run over by one but I imagined that was what it felt like.

Next to me, I heard someone move and my body stiffened, making my muscles cry out in pain.

"Kalani? Are you awake?" The gentle voice whispered and I felt a sting course through my brain. I felt as if I should be able to recognize that voice. There was something about it that sounded strangely familiar. But as I opened my eyes and looked at the person next to me... my thoughts went blank. I didn't know who she was.

She was a short, thin girl that had dark, long hair and dark eyes that were filled with worry and hope. Why hope? Had I been sick or something?

And why did it feel like I knew her? I mean, I remembered I had seen her the night before. I remembered her name was Alex, but besides that, I didn't know who she was. I should've.

With a sigh, I nodded my head and tried to offer her a smile.

There was a dim light streaming in through the window. The windows were covered with curtains but even so, I could tell it was daytime.

"Um, what time is it? What happened?" I murmured and my voice broke as I spoke.

Slowly, Alex's face fell in disappointment but she tried to hide it quickly by plastering a smile on her face and reaching towards me to grab my hand comfortingly.

"It's okay, you don't have to worry about that. But if you must know, it's around noon. You missed breakfast. I don't know if you remember but at some point in the morning your temperature came back and you fell asleep. I guess that must feel like a dream now," she whispered and I nodded my head.

A very bad dream, I thought to myself but I quickly shook the thought away.

I heard her words again in my mind and my eyes instantly widened. There was something I had to do. Opening my mouth, no words came out and I quickly reached for the end of the blanket to push it off me so that I could get up but Alex must have seen what I was trying to do and she quickly grabbed my hand to stop me.

I knew she was human, I couldn't feel her powers, so that meant I must have been stronger than her, but at that moment, that didn't seem to matter. She was holding me back as if I were just a struggling child.

That only proved how weak I was.

"Hold on, where are you going? If you want to go to the bathroom, let me help you. I can take you without a problem," she said comfortingly but also sternly.

I looked at her and her gaze didn't budge until I finally sighed and gave in. "I wasn't going to go to the bathroom. I just have a feeling that I was supposed to be somewhere right now. I don't know where but I need to find out," I whispered and Alex raised an eyebrow before smiling softly.

"I know what you're referring to. You and I were supposed to join the others on a mission to see the Oneiroi. I don't know if you know who they are but they are basically the gods in charge of our dreams," she explained and I nodded my head.

Of course I knew who the Oneiroi were, I didn't know how or why but their names rang in my mind.

"And where are they now? When do we leave?" I asked after a moment and Aileen just chuckled and shook her head.

"We are not going anywhere. The others have already left. But don't worry, they'll be back soon," she said with a smile and I felt a weird sensation of disappointment run through me. Why was I disappointed? Why had I wanted to go so badly?

The more questions that passed through my mind, the more my headache intensified and I had to lean back and take deep breaths to keep the room from spinning. How had I ended up like this? The night before, Mason had explained that he didn't know what was wrong with me. He was a healer and he couldn't heal me, that must have meant that something back was happening.

"And who are the others?" I finally asked. Hoping that if I heard who they were that would jump-start my memories.

Alex pursed her lips together and then shrugged. "Andrew, Aileen, and Mason. The other three Elementals," she whispered hesitantly and I tried to focus on their names.

But nothing happened. I was still blank.

Their names did make my head spin but that only made me feel more frustrated. I wanted my memories back. It was very frustrating to feel impotence when you knew you were supposed to know something but couldn't remember what. In this case, it was more extreme because not only had I forgotten who they were, but I had also forgotten what I was supposed to do here with them.

"I think I do need to go to the bathroom. I'm starting to feel sick," I murmured as my mind pounded in my head. I was about to throw up.

Alex must have seen how urgently I needed to get to the bathroom because she quickly wrapped my arm over her shoulders and leaned my weight against her. I managed to get out of bed quickly and Alex rushed us to the bathroom.

She opened the door with her foot and gently set me on the ground once we had reached the toilet.

I tried to give her a thankful look but I couldn't hold the nausea anymore.

Alex held my hair back and didn't complain as I threw up. My head felt as though it were about to burst.

After what felt like an eternity later, I was able to stop and lean back against the wall. Alex rubbed my arm comfortingly and whispered words of encouragement that all sounded very distant to my ears. I closed my eyes and willed the headache to go away.

"This sucks," I muttered after a couple of minutes.

Alex chuckled and shook her head. "Don't worry. You will be fine soon and you'll forget all about this," she whispered confidently and I chuckled.

One could only wish.

"Thank you for your help," I muttered and she smiled kindly.

"Not a problem, Kalani. That's what friends are for, right?" She said cheerfully and the word echoed in my mind.

Friend. 

It was funny to think she was my friend and yet, I couldn't remember anything about her.

I opened my mouth to respond when there was suddenly a knock on the door. Alex and I looked at each other before she said, "let me see who it is. Just stay put."

I nodded my head and she got to her feet and walked out into our room to see who was there. It didn't go unnoticed by me how she grabbed a metallic candle holder and placed it behind her back.

That made me stiffen. Why was she so defensive? Was there something wrong?

I heard her footsteps retreat as she approached the door and I held my breath as she opened the door.

"Noah?" She asked in confusion and for some reason, that name sent a wave of uncomfortable shivers down my spine.

"Good afternoon Alex. I'm glad I found you here, I can't seem to find Aileen anywhere. I thought she must be with you so I came looking for you. Is everything alright? How's Kalani?" His voice made the hairs on the back of my neck stand, and my headache returned in full force. There was something I needed to remember. Something important.

"Kalani is doing better. She's just in the bathroom. And regarding Aileen, I thought she told you. She left with Andrew and Mason to go with the Oneiroi," Alex replied uncertainly.

Noah didn't respond right away but I could feel the tension all the way here.

"She didn't mention it. The Oneiroi? I thought she'd invite me. Thank you for letting me know. And since you and Kalani stayed back, I can get you something to eat," he offered but I didn't like the way he said it.

"That's alright. Kalani needs to stretch her legs, but thank you for the offer. Maybe we'll see each other at lunch," Alex said kindly and Noah didn't reply, and Alex closed the door a couple of moments later.

She placed the candle holder back in its place and then came back into the bathroom with an uncertain look on her face. I was still leaning against the wall and I was slowly getting stronger.

"Who was that?" I asked slowly.

Alex pursed her lips together and shook her head. "It was Noah. He is our... well, he's a worker here at the castle. I'm not exactly sure of what he is at the moment. How are you feeling?"

I raised an eyebrow and pursed my lips together but didn't ask what she meant. After a moment, I just sighed and leaned on the wall as I pushed myself off the ground. "Better, but I am starting to feel hungry." Just then, my stomach let out a deep growl and I blushed.

"Well, that depends. How are you feeling? Can you walk?" She asked with a raised eyebrow and I hesitantly took a step forward. My legs were responding and I was able to walk towards her.

"I think that answers your question," I said, feeling much better now that I knew I could walk by myself.

"Okay, but the dining room is kind of far. So let me help you, alright?" She said seriously and I nodded my head.

So I changed out of my pajamas and the two of us headed out of the room.

I was surprised at how strong and easy it felt to be able to walk. When we got to the dining room, I was perplexed as I saw that most of the decorations were made out of precious metals and jewels. It was beautiful. Breathtaking.

The dining room table was made out of dark oak wood and decorated with golden accents. The chandelier above us was made out of gold and all of the floors were made out of marble stone and had jewels encrusted on them.

"So, what do you want to eat?" Alex asked, taking me out of my thoughts as she set me down on the chair.

"Um, I don't know. I guess I'm craving pasta with a cheese sauce," I said without thinking.

Alex chuckled and nodded her head. "Sure thing, let me just go tell Chef Alessandro." She disappeared into the kitchen.

I sighed and leaned back on the chair. My heart was racing from the effort of getting here and I needed a breather. I almost didn't notice the sound of the dining room opening behind me until I heard slow, cautious footsteps coming my way.

Quickly, my eyes flew open and I turned around with my hands raised in front of me.

A young man was standing before me with his hands raised in front of him in defeat. "Woah, Woah. Hold on, Kalani," he whispered and a cold shiver ran down my spine.

"Who are you?" I demanded cautiously and the man only looked at me uncertainly.

"You really don't remember," he whispered, and just then the door leading to the kitchen opened and Alex walked out.

She stopped short when she saw Noah but she quickly put on a happy face and walked towards us.

"Hey, Noah. You're here," she said, her voice faltering slightly.

"Of course, I just wanted to make sure you were both taken care of. Have you ordered something to eat?" He asked as he placed his hands behind his back. He was holding something, but he had moved too quickly for me to notice what it was.

"Yes, it won't take long. Are you going to join us?" She asked slowly and he nodded his head.

"If the offer is still on the table, I'd be happy to," he said with a smile as he took a seat in front of me, on the opposite side of Alex and me.

"Sure, come join us," Alex said, although her smile seemed a bit tighter and forced.

"Now, I'm intrigued. Do you remember something from your incident, Kalani?" He asked as he turned towards me and his gaze held nothing but intrigue.

I stiffened and looked at Alex and then at Noah again. His gaze was still fixed on me. And something about the way he was looking at me, made my head pound, and distantly, I heard someone screaming.