chapter 16

Chapter 16

 

 

“Live this life my son. Live this life my son.” The woman bathed in blood now whispers toward Khan, in black abyss, empty and cold. She screams at him as he feels the burning in his chest. Only in this black abyss there is nothing, no one, no one for him to burn, only himself.

 

 

 

“Khan…Khan.” Khan wakes in a cold cave seated close to a fire, as Julia sits over him. “Wake, come back.”

 

Khan blinks his eyes harshly a few times. “Julia?” He begins to feel restless, “Where are we, where’s everyone? What happened?”

 

“Be calm, relax. We’re fine. I am treating your wounds. I don’t know of everyone else. I managed to-” Khan tries to stand as Julia pushes him back down, leaving her hands on his chest. She turns her face to hide her smile as she feels his heart racing. “Just lie down, we’re not finished.”

 

Khan looks down at his body, covered in cut, scrapes, and harsh bruises. Aware now of the pain, he rolls his head back and slowly lies down. “Are you okay?”

 

“Much better than you.”

 

“That’s not difficult.”

 

She laughs but quickly changes her tone, “You see why we rebel? You see what Carlucious does. You’ve now witnessed in one day, what every person in this city has lived through during his reign.”

 

“I’m just glad that you are okay.” She looks down at him smiling. He breathes slowly as she washes the wounds. He does his best to replay the chaos in his memory. After a while Julia stops moving, and the only sound heard is the crackling of the fire burning. Khan opens his eyes to see Julia exhaling, slowly shutting her eyes. She gently places her warm hands onto the wound across his stomach. As she continues to breathe outward, a luminous light shines over the wound from her hand. As it grows brighter the pain slowly dies away, as does the wound itself. Finally she removes her hand, revealing the wound to be gone. Khan at a loss for words only rubs his stomach staring up at Julia as she slowly opens her eyes. “Julia what did…how…is that the…”

 

Julia crosses her arms as she stands up. Pacing around the cave she crouches close by the fire, her eyes lost in the bright rage of red and orange. “Since I was a child I’ve always been able to. I don’t know control this, whatever it may be. This light. When I met Obrean, he and I realized this could be used to destroy.”

 

“So last night...” She nods her head. “Why do you fear it Julia?”

 

            “I do not fear this. I hate this. I have no purpose, no knowledge of what I am supposed to do. I never have been spoken to by a voice, nor spoken to in a dream, nor had my destiny thrust upon me. This…random useless ability means nothing.”

 

            Khan pulls himself over toward her as he settles near to rub her back. “I would think, such beauty would be a reason enough.”

 

            “You think it’s beautiful?” She holds her gaze on the fire.

           

            “I was talking about you.” He turns to grab more logs. “You cold?” He tosses the logs into the flame, the tips of the fire touching the cave roof, as he spreads the warmth.

 

            She inhales sharply as she stands. “You should be okay to move are you?” Khan stands and nods to her, aware now the sword not being on his back. “It’s in the corner over there, we should go now. It’s morning.”

 

            “Yes, let’s move then.” He puts the sword on his back as he turns to find Julia standing in front of him. “Ready?”

 

            She leans forward to kiss him on his cheek. “Thank you.”