Chapter Three: The Dream

Prince Alexander has a frightening dream. Introducing Feori the mountain lion automaton.

Once Prince Alexander returned to his rooms on the west side of the King's keep, he pulled out the goggles that belonged to the Shadow. The Prince was no fool. He knew that if the Shadow wanted, she could have worked her dark and powerful magic to send the Prince back to his royal bed chambers instead of wandering the castle grounds. She must have left it there on purpose. 

He couldn't explain the strange dream that had fogged his mind and put him into a sleep walking like trance and brought him to the Grand Library. 

In the dream, a mountain cat with the face of a young girl spoke to him in a strange language that Alexander could not understand. Her eyes were closed and her full lips moved in a rapid chant. Strange pictographs formed odd shapes of light and swam towards the Prince. Like most dreams, Alexander was powerless and unable to move his body. It felt like a pair of invisible hands forcing his head to look forward at the beautifully strange beast performing magic. 

When the chant was done, the mountain cat girl opened her eyes. They were blood shot and the irises seemed like a familiar red. Blood trickled from her tear ducts in streams and soon flooded the whole room. A sense of fear swirled in the depths of the Prince's stomach. When red had drowned the mountain lion girl and ebbed away as quickly as it had come, the Prince was presented with a new image.  

The mountain cat girl had transformed into a human girl with long pale limbs and flowing dark hair. She stared at the Prince with sad red eyes and looked down at her lap where a bloodied white stag rested. Its breathing was labored and its eyes slowly clouding over. A serpent was wrapped tightly around the girl's neck and rose up flicking its tongue at the Prince in a challenge. The Prince was not allowed to look away at the horror that this mad dream had displayed before him. 

Immediately Alexander knew what the dream meant. 

It was an omen. As dark and foreboding as an omen could ever be. He tried to form words and a question brimmed at the tip of his tongue. Suddenly the pictographs of light attacked him and his sight was drowned out in white harsh luminescence. He could see nothing and hear nothing but the sounds of a hollow wind blowing through his ears. When the dream omen finally allowed his sight to return, the Prince found himself standing outside of his bed chambers and the corridors were alight with tiny dancing pictographs. 

He could do nothing to control his actions and it seemed like his legs belonged to another man. At last, he found himself at the golden door of the Grand Library. The latches unlocked before his eyes. And steam was released in thick wisps from the gilded nine-headed dragon plastered on the surface of the door with a screech. As it swung open, Prince Alexander caught the sight of the air shimmering opalescently where the moon beamed down from an open window. 

That was when he knew he wasn't alone in the Grand Library and that the pictographs he saw dancing at the corners of his eyes had led him to an interesting discovery. 

Prince Alexander stared down at the goggles in his hands. It was relatively plain and used to view history lessons or  textbooks that were filmed through digi discs. The goggles were especially popular amongst students since it was portable and light weight. The Prince stared down at it in puzzlement and then tossed it on his night stand hoping to discover its secrets in the morning. 

Sunlight filled the Cloud castle with a warm hazy glow promising a beautiful day. A wonderfully cheerful breeze drafted through the Prince's open windows and rustled the curtains from the canopy of his bed. Animals chirped happily and rodent's scurried this way and that unaware of the treacherous darkness that loomed ahead. 

 

 A magnificent mountain lion automaton strode up lazily to Prince Alexander's slumbering frame swathed in fluffy white blankets and licked the golden hand that peaked from the covers with a pale metallic tongue. The Prince stirred slightly. But showed no signs of waking. 

The automaton cocked its great head to the left and then the right as the Prince slumbered on as peaceful as ever. With a low growl, Feori grasped the goggles in her sharp silver teeth and slapped them against the Prince's hand. "All right, all right!" The Prince snapped. "Let's take a look at it." 

Accepting the goggles from his friend, the Prince pressed a button and the crystal lenses glowed. Feori nudged the goggles with her head and the Prince accessed the history where the titles of the digi discs were kept. He had assumed that there would have been a larger list but there was only one title and that was the history file belonging to King Achleon. 

"What's so important about King Achleon that the Shadow sneaks into the Grand Library in the middle of the night and hides from the Prince?" He mused. 

Author's Note

Please excuse me for taking so long to write this chapter. I actually had everything down in one day but I wasn't happy with it and I'm still not. But I will go back and fix the ending. I promise Zari will make an appearance next chapter.

Reviews

[Decanter Red]

So many automatons! I want to collect them haha! It pretty much reminded me of 'turn me on' music video featuring nicki minaj and david guetta LOL! I like the mountain cat girl too, I have a feeling that she's a beauty. Oh, and the prince too. He must be a really handsome guy ;)

Beautiful descriptions, magnificent scene like a real fantasy movie? What else should I say? 100/100!

[Gosia]

Yeah, watch those automatons. Decanter Red might have pokeballs ready ;-) Now seriously, they're a really nice trademark of your story. I felt sceptic about them at first, but I'm warming up to them.

I expected the prince to find out what Zari was looking for in this chapter. I felt a little bit disappointed that there was less action compared to the previous chapters. But, the descriptions were great. Now I'm off to the chapter four, eager to check out what will be going on with Zari.

[Riding the Rainbow]

Prince Alexander totally wants to know and I liked his POV in here;) well done!

[Samuel Jack]

The automatons are indeed awesome lol but you have also retained the feel and (Strangely) a colour palette, it's not something I've ever really noticed in a book before, but from your writing I get lots of shiny metallic grandeur. Your taking your time more now, it feels a lot better paced to me. At some point down the line I'd love some info on the "dream omen" is it a regular religious occurrence or is it a sinister one off? Forgive me my probing, if its going to Come up later, just tell me to shove off.

It's coming together like you envisioned I think, so keep up the good words.

[Katiya K]

Aww I just love reading your reviews Sam! :) The dream omens! Ah yes I will definitely elaborate on that in the future. It would have to do with something about the Shadows and of course one specific shadow! Anyways, thank you so much for reading!

[Samuel Jack]

Ha ha! A cheeky hint ;)

[Joshua Hunter]

A great new chapter! The more I read your work the more I fall in love with it! I absolutely love the world you have created and it is so interesting! I also love Love LOVE the automatons, they are so awesome! I cannot wait for the next chapter. I can bet it will be amazing!

[Katiya K]

Thank you for keeping up with the reading!! :) I'm glad you are in love with this as much as I am.