Forever Dreaming
Chapter 3
Angel Marked

Emily sat on her bed in her room, reading a book in the light of a lamp, and all the while listening to the soft splash of rain as it fell outside. The city was drenched in the rain fall from the past few hours, and if the skies were any indication, the rain wouldn't be stopping any time soon. Absentmindly, she flipped through a few more pages before giving up and tossing the book to the floor. Emily turned off the light and lay there in the dark, staring up at the ceiling. She was anguished, couldn't concentrate, and she didn't know why.

Alex hadn't shown up....She'd waited for an hour at the restaurant before giving up. It was odd though...Alex had never skipped out on her before. He was usually on time, and when he wasn't he always had a good reason for being late. Tonight was the first night he'd simply not shown...

Emily wasn't angry though, and this too she didn't know why. Most girls, hell almost any girl would be angry for getting ditched. But when she thought about it, about Alex, she didnt feel angry....she felt more...dead. No...maybe that wasn't the right word. It was like, the spot in her mind that Alex had once occupied had simply disappeared into a void. Emily felt a strange sort of longing for him, a feeling of despair. As he had disappeared, and she'd never see him again.

"Thats stupid...." Emily scolded. "its not like he's dead or anything. I'll talk to him tomorrow." she reassured herself.

But she couldn't just wait that long. She needed to know what had happened. Grabbing her cell phone off the nightstand she called Alex's home. There was a few rings but no answer.

"Damnit..." frustrated, Emily bit the bottom of her lip. "When's that idiot going get a answering machine...". She tried his cell phone next. Again there was a few rings but no Alex. She left a message on his voice mail, telling him to call her as soon as he could. Throwing her cell phone aside she returned to lay on her bed.
"Damnit Alex...where are you?"

                                                             .....

Three days had passed since Alex's meeting with Lord Grey, and they had been very, very long days. The flashes of hot and cold. Shooting, throbbing, stabbing, aching pain. And the strange tingling sensation. For the last three days all of these things had tortured her. The night after she'd returning from her meeting, Alex had curled up in the corner of her cell, and eventually sleep had overcame her. When she awoken next morning, she found herself in a different cell. It was a little larger, not to mention the floor wasn't ice cold, and a small, clean, non-cracked mirror hung off the wall. A small pile of hay lay in the corner for her to sleep on, the blanket she now had was much thicker then the last (not to mention lacked the musty smell of the previous one), and to top it all off she found a crude looking wooden contraption in the corner, which turned out to be a toilet. A primitive one, but a toilet none the less.

After laying there for quite some time, Alex had worked up the strength to stand to her feet. Though her cell had been improved, she found that the torn white summers dress was still the only thing to clothe her, and stumbling over to the mirror she pulled the remains of the dress off her, letting them dropped to the floor. Naked, she turned her back to face the mirror, and looking back Alex searched to see what Lord Grey had branded upon her. She hadn't gotten a good look at it at the time, but now she saw. Black lines ran down her back, weaving together to create an intricate tattoo. Running from her right shoulder to the middle of her back, a black angel feather now decorated her flesh. Alex ran her hand along it, and a strange warmth seemed to circulate around the image. Suddenly the pain returned, sharp and fast flashes of agony, and doubling over Alex fell back to the floor, gasping. Grabbing hold of the new blanket, she dragged it over top of her, and there she remained, unmoved, for the next few days.

No food was brought to her, but Alex felt no hunger nor thirst. All she felt was the pain and the tingling sensation running through her. She drifted in and out of consciousness, falling into deep, dreamless sleeps before suddenly being jolted back awake. Her body was being tortured, but her mind had reached a strange sort of peace. Laying there, unmoving from under the blanket, Alex had spent a good portion of those three days thinking. This had often happened to Alex in the past, when she was bored, her mind would wander and she found herself mauling over any thing that crossed her thoughts.

She thought about what had happened to her. Replaying recent events in her head, from the day at school till now. Was all this a dream, or maybe she had died and moved on to her next life in a new world? Maybe she'd gone back in time, the guards in chain mail, the swords, castles and kings. Could she have ended up back in the Middle Ages? But no...that couldn't be right, the details were off...

Demitri, the talking cat, for one....and remembering back to the night she'd met Lord Grey she remembered a brass spyglass on the mantle by the fire...the first telescope wasn't even invented till the early 1500's... Then maybe this was an altered version of the world, a place of what could of been, if only a few things had changed....

Then there was the girl and the bridge to think about. Alex had tried to save the girl, and drowned in the process, and now he was the girl? Did that mean that right now the girl was him? Was she wandering around back home in his body, going through the very same thoughts that Alex was right now?

A flurry of thoughts and ideas kept Alex occupied, helping to keep her mind off of the pain and probably the only thing that kept her sane.

Three days had passed, and when she had awoken this morning the pain was gone. The pain, the flashes of hot and cold, the tingling, electrified sensation, all gone! If anything Alex actually felt better then she did before. A restless energy pumped through her, and the morning was passed by pacing back and forth across the new cell.  Alex stood, wrapped up in the woollen blanket, looking through the bars of her cell she wondered what would happen next.

"Glad to see your feeling better." a voice said from behind, and turning around Alex found Demitri standing behind her, a dead bird hung limply from his mouth.

"Hungry? Alex asked.

"Quite. Aren't you? Three days is a long time for a human to go by with out anything to fill their stomach." The bird dropped from his mouth and he began to nibble upon the wing of the fallen creature.

"I don't suppose you'd mine sharing....it would be the least you could do to make it up to me." Alex said bitterly, watching as Demitri began to tear into the bird.

Make it up to you?" Demitri stopped eating, and glanced up at her.

"You went scrounging through my head, and then told the king everything he wanted to know. Why? Did he tell you to, is that why-"

Demitri interrupted her, letting out a low, angry hiss. "I am my own master, if I do anything, its because I want to, not upon the orders of a human... I simply was hoping to protect you from the lord...at least long enough for me to figure out the mystery that is you. Though in hindsight....I guess I shouldn't of allowed him to brand you....oh well."

"Brand me?' Alex asked. "You mean....this tattoo?"

"Yes....unfortunately, your cursed now." he said, rather casually.

"Cursed? What's that suppose to mean?"

"Well not actually cursed, though most would say your close enough..." he paused. "What I mean is that you now belong to Lord Grey. As long as the tattoo of the angel feather remains upon your back, your body, mind and soul are all his. You shall serve him, and all orders he gives for as long as he deems your useful, and if, and only if you manage to survive long enough, will you be set free."

"Body, mind and soul..." Alex murmured. "What....what if I do... disobey?"

"You die."

"Die..." Alex stammered, stunned.

"Yes....you see many years ago Lord Grey devised a way to turn captured enemies into loyal servants. He personally crossed the globe and back until he was able to create a very special concoction. Cursed ink. Its a vile substance, and it smells quite foul too, and any who are branded with the ink are forced into a magical contract of sorts. A deal with the devil, so to speak."

"Deal with the devil..."

"The Angelic Mark or the Brand of Death, are the proper names for the tattoo now residing on your back, and your life, your fate now hangs in the hands of the king. By simply saying three words; god, spells, and death, and wishing it, Lord Grey can end your life. So, as you can see, ether you follow his orders like a good little servant or..." Demitri made a slashing motion across his throat with his paw.
Alex's life was no longer hers...

If....if I don't do what he wishes....that guy can kill me without lifting a finger....

Alex shuddered. The tattoo now seemed more like a cancer. A deadly disease just waiting for the right moment to strike, and cut her life short. Alex was almost tempted to try and scratch the mark off her very flesh, if only to remove the vile, unnatural thing that had become a part of her.

"But why would he do that? What can I possible do for him..." Alex asked, leaning against the stone wall for support.

Demitri ripped the wing from his dead bird, and chewed away on it as he mauled over the question. Finally he spoke. "Well....your an ace thief, so I'm thinking he'll ask you to steal something."

Alex slumped to the ground in disbelief. "But I'm not a thief..."

"You have a tendency to take things, no matter wither you intended to or not..." the words that Jerry had said came back to Alex.

"So you say....hmm...." Demitri thought for a moment "Well even if you cant do that, I'm sure there's plenty of other things you can do to be useful. From what I know, there's a lot more to being a thief then just having sticky fingers. Maybe the king will ask you to slit some throats for him? I mean...he does have Grell and a whole army, but something tells me you'd be much subtle."

Alex gave a snort, "slit some throats....heh...even you said it before, I've never killed someone in my whole life..."

Demitri's eyes began to blaze, "Actually I believe I said you weren't very familiar with a proper weapon"

"Pardon?" Alex asked.

"Your hands are soft yet they aren't the hands of any noble's daughter. Yours are stronger, as if you've fought before. And even now I see you standing on a field of battle one day, caught in-between chaos and destruction, drenched in blood and fighting and defending with both skill and grace." Alex could still see the fire in Demetri's eye's as he finished.

"What's this now?". Standing upon a field, drenched in blood....fighting with grace and skill.... "...is seeing the future also a power of a Katt?"

Demitri chuckled to himself, and began feasting upon his bird once more. "A Katt might not be able to see what is to come, but we are known for being very good guessers...." he said in-between bites.

Alex sat in silence, watching Demitri eat for some time. "Demetri....if Lord Grey does send me off, will you come with me?"

He answered after a moment. "Yes..." he said quietly. "Yes....like I said, your quite interesting. Katt's love to be where things are happening....and something tells me that if I tail you long enough, I'll run into some excitement."

"Thank you...". Alex said, relieved. She knew nothing of this world, and the thought of having to wander through it on her own had been quite daunting.
A loud bang echoed down the hall outside the cell, and suddenly Alex could hear the sound of footsteps. Demitri's ears pricked up and his eyes closed as he listened. "Ah-ha...." he muttered, "so they finally caught him..."

"Who?" Alex asked, as she peered through the bars of her cell, hoping to catch a glance at the new prisoner. A pair of guards strolled down the hall, and between the two of them they dragged along a pale faced man. He wore a long gray cloak, the hood of which was pulled down, obscuring his face, and brown hardened leather armour. The guards dragged him to the cell across from Alex's, and opening the door they shoved him in. A loud bang followed as the cell door slammed closed, locking the new prisoner inside. The guards quickly departed, leaving Alex to stare at the man.

"Hey" Alex asked, turning to Demitri, "Ive been wondering...if this is suppose to be Lord Grey's dungeon, why are there hardly any prisoners?"

Demetri abandoned what was left of his bird, and strolled over to sit next to Alex, gazing through the bars at the captured man, "Its been a tradition of Lord Grey....every year, upon his birthday, he releases all but the most important prisoners from his dungeon."

"Why? Is it really a good idea to release hordes of criminals all at the same time?"

"You'd think so...but the dungeons of Castle Gray rarely have many prisoners at any given time..."

"Why's that?" Alex asked, puzzled.

"Because....Lord Grey doesn't bother feeding unimportant prisoners...claims its a waste of good food."

"....What did you mean before...when you were muttering about that guy they brought in?"

Demetri looked up at her. "You really don't know anything about this land....do you?"

"No..." Alex shook her head. "Like you said...my minds a mess..."

Demetri stared at her for some time before continuing, "That man is no ordinary man....he's from Dogoroth, the land of shadows."

"Dogoroth? What's that suppose to mean?"

"He's a ranger, one who walks dark paths and hunts even darker things....one
who's very good at his job."

"And what would his job be?" Alex asked.

"Killing things... That man is like you, one of the king's pet."

"What crime did he commit?"

"Being very good at his job, didn't we just go over this?" Demitri's smirked.

"Demitri...how many 'pets' does Lord Grey have?"

The Katt thought for a moment, "....including you, and the ranger fellow, four.

"And where would the other two be?"

Demitri glared at Alex, "How should I know, off on some assignment of the king's I suppose."

The man coughed weakly, and attempted to rise from the floor, but the effort proved to be too much and he fell back down, blood dribbling down from his mouth.

"Is he ok...?" Alex asked.

"'No actually...he should be dead..." Demitri said caustically.

Alex stared at the man. "Is....is he like that....because of....of something the king asked him to do?"

"No...he tried to escape from the king, and when Lord Grey was unable to catch him he decided to use the curse...but apparently he survived...somehow.... another mystery for me...However it seems the curse managed to slow him down enough so that he could be fetched back" Demitri's eyes brightened.

"Wait." Alex said, suddenly excited. "He's alive...that means that it is possible to survive....which means-"

"Don't think about running away, he's alive now, but I doubt it will last much longer..."

The man began hacking loudly once more, his whole body spasming with every laboured breathe he took. Another loud bang echoed down the hall, and moments later the sound of boots marching along the stone floor reached Alex's ears.

"More guards..." Demitri said, his ears twitching, his tail whipping back and forth.

"Coming for me....". Alex was nervous, her last trip out of the dungeon had ended quite badly, and though being stuck in a cell didn't sit well with her. She didn't much care for the thought of having to leave the safety of it.

A half dozens guards soon appeared outside, and marching down the hall they came to a stop outside Alex's. They were decked out the same way as the guards from a few nights ago, but now they also wore metal helmets with guards that fell over their faces, blocking them from sight. One guard stepped forward, unlocking the door which swung open without hesitation.

Alex gripped the blanket around herself tightly and stepped out. Immediately the guards reached to grab hold of her, but Demiri let out a loud hiss, and the guards jumped back away from her.. Each one of the iron clad men eyed the Katt, and Demetri eyed them back. Thinking better of it, the guards backed away from Alex, instead circling around her.

"Please....follow me...." one of the guards spoke nervously, his hand resting upon his sword as he continued to look at Demetri. The Katt walked out of the cell as well, and as the escort of guards walked Alex down the hall, he trailed behind a few steps.

They passed by dozens of more cells before they reached a set of stairs, which ran up until it hit a door. Through it they went, and Alex once again found herself in the brightly lit corridors of the castle. The guards hurried her along, and Alex was walked down many hallways, until they came to a wooden door with a brass knob. A picture of a cloud with raining falling from it had been carved into the door, marking it, but for what Alex could not tell.

One of the guards gave a quick nod, and four of the guards walked off, leaving Alex and Demitri with the two that remained. "A guard will wait outside...." a guard, the same one who had spoke before, stated "just tell him when your done. Try to not be too long though...Lord Grey is expecting you shortly." His job done the man hurried off himself, and the sole remaining guard opened the door, beckoning for Alex. Cautiously Alex entered, and to her amazement she found herself in with what appeared to be a large bathroom.

The floors and walls were smooth to the touch, and looked to be made of marble. The room was fairly small, most of the floor was occupied by a large circular pool of water that was sunk into the floor. Steam rose from the water and caught specks of light that shone down through a circular skylight above. A rack hung from the wall in the corner, where white towels and bathrobes awaited. The sight took Alex's breath away, the room could only be described as beautiful, and it looked like something from a health spa. From what she had seen so far, Alex had thought this world to be like something from the medieval ages, but this...this room was more like something from her own time.

"How do they keep the water warm...?" Alex murmured to herself. Walking over to the edge of the pool, she dipped a toe into the water. It was perfect.

"They just route water from the underground springs." Alex turned around, and saw Demetri sitting over by the closed door.

"Planning on bathing with me?" Alex asked.

"As if." Demitri said, wrinkling his nose he went and sat down in a corner of the room in a huff. He began to lick himself, as if trying to prove that the Katt's way of cleaning with yourself with your own tongue was a much better then soaking in water anyways.

Alex edged near the pool, beginning to draw the blanket aside, but looking back she noticed Demitri had stopped cleaning himself. Now he sat, eyeing her
intently. "Pervert cat..." she mumbled. With one swift motion she drew the blanket off of herself, and tossed it behind. Demitri let out a startled meow as he leapt out of the way. Alex quickly hopped into the pool, and felt the warm water wash over her pleasantly. Her muscles, stiff from all the nights sleeping on the floor, began to relax and Alex felt a strange sort of calmness fall over her. She dipped her hands into the water, and splashed some onto her face.

"This is....nice." Alex muttered, water dripping down her face. The room was quiet, the water was soothing, and for a few moments Alex felt as if she might drift off to sleep, but before she could the questions came to her, prodding at her mind. The questions, the worries, the fears, the wonders, the thoughts. What was she going to do? Would she serve Lord Grey, until she hopefully won her freedom? Or should she try to escape, and if she did, then what? Find a way to get by, or try to find a way home? Was there even a point? Maybe there was no way back, maybe this world was hers now. How had she even ended up here in the first place? Why was he a girl? What had happened to him back in his world? What was this place? Why, who, where, how!?

After much thinking and mauling over thoughts, Alex came to a conclusion.

All this thinking was ruining her bath. "Demitri, talk to me please." she pleaded, "I need to distract myself, or I'll go insane with all this worrying."

"I have to agree, your thoughts are bouncing around your head so much right now its giving me a headache" the Katt muttered.

Alex's head spun around, glaring back at the Katt, "Are you reading my mind again?" she asked, accusingly.

Demitri stood, and walked over to the edge of the pool. "Indeed, you seemed to be relaxed, which is the perfect time to wander through a persons thoughts. However" he added, annoyed, "your head suddenly started racing with so many thoughts and right now I'd have a better chance of finding a needle in a haystack then I would trying to sort through your mess of a mind...."

"Why are you so interested in me?" Alex asked.

"Because" Demitri glared at her, "we Katt's are the worlds greatest wanders and keepers. Its important for us to know all, if only to keep idiots from running the world into ruin."

"How long have you been around for?"

"I'm about 700 years old...give or take a decade."

" 700...And what year is it now?"

"1537 since the start of recorded history."

"Aren't you bored with the world?" Alex asked, amazed. "I would think after being around for seven centuries you would of seen and done everything imaginable."

"You'd think that, wouldn't you." Demitri said slyly, "But the world changes, and though I have witnessed much, and probably will continue to do so for many years to come, every now and then a new wonder, or a mystery shows up and amazes me. You are a new mystery, and therefore its my job to sort you out."

"...And then?"

"And then I'll go back to wandering...hmm....What's the matter with you?"

"Nothing..." Alex dipped herself under the surface of the pool, stopping just before the warm water hit her nose.

I thought I might be able to count on Demetri, but it looks like that might not be the case...once he's gone I'll be utterly lost in this world...Though...maybe if he can figure me out, I can understand what the hell's going on...

Alex lowered the rest of her head under the water and after a few seconds rose from the bath. Water dripped off her smooth skin and down her longs locks of black hair. She went over to the rack of towels and dried herself off.

"Done already?" Demitri asked, rising to his feet.

"I cant stand it anymore...its better if I get my meeting with the king over and done with now..." she grabbed one of the white bathrobes, wrapping it around herself tightly. "I need to know what's going to happen... I need to know..."