Chapter V - Within Dreams

Aoife was in a deep sleep, still she felt a comfort around her but she was not conscious to recognize it, still it was warm. Before she awoke her subconscious mind started to dream of things she could never remember when she awoke. They played out in her subconscious mind as if she was reliving memories of a past life that she was aware of only when she was in a deep sleep. Deep in her mind she relived her past life, where she was revered and powerful, she was also with Furbaide.

Through different eyes she saw herself spending days in the forest as she witnessed Furbaide smiling whenever she was with him, especially when they were engaged in a passionate lovemaking. Aoife when she was awake saw only mere traces of the love buried within him, but in her dreams she saw it in its full glory and desired to see it when she awoke. Times they were apart were a blur but the dreams became so intense when she was with Furbaide, they felt like a spiritual awakening, even before summoning Furbaide she had those dreams. Awake she couldn't remember anything of her past life, leaving only her suppressed desires for the living god.

Past lives started the obsession with Furbaide and caused her initial interest in the living, but Aoife started to develop her own unique feelings for Furbaide . The way he comforts, the warmth he gives when he touches her that erodes her stoic pride, replacing it with a more open compassionate dignity. Aoife stops being herself when she dreams however, and another personality takes her place, one that relishes to relive the past. Before awakening there is always one memory she has to relive every time, a battle on the slopes of a mountain, mannibles surrounding and overpowering her, she is begging for help but she doesn't receive any she is left to fend off her attackers alone.

It ends every time with Judas Khan appearing before her and stabbing her with a curved dagger with a black blade, the pain and shock makes her numb all over and not soon after she awakes. Aoife then drits in a limbo where she is neither awake or asleep, shivering to the chilling cold. Awakening fully started to feel a warmth, a heat that comforted her, making her feel safe. A lingering warmth stayed with her as she fully awoke, remembering nothing of her dream as she felt the comforting warmth around her body.

Eyes opening suddenly she thought as she first awoke that she was still in a fight with the Dreg, calm came over her slowly as she realized she was in the lap of Furbaide. Just as she relaxed however she realized her head was resting on a particularly firm part of the deities lap that caused her to jump up in surprise when it twitched.

"You deviant!" said Aoife, her voice was loud and angry.

Furbaide just grinned as he grabbed her wrists as her fists started slamming into his chest with a sly smile never leaving his face, he pulled her close to him hugging her close.

"Let me go," she said, a order that she was shocked to see Furbaide not obeying.

"Your binding on me has weakened," said Furbaide, "I don't have to do every little thing you say, the poison most likely weakened your hold on me, don't worry it's still there."

A wicked smile came across his face as his hands ventured along her back and down to her hips, a surprisingly powerful slap smashed into the side of Furbaide's face. The hard slap was so loud it echoed in the forest, free from his grasp Aoife intended to storm off, but she fell onto her knees. A seething agony starting from where the Dreg's arrow shot her in the shoulder to her feet, making her unable to stand on her feet, she was shake in pain.

"Look at what you done," Furbaide said.

Going to her side quickly he placed a hand on the wound the arrow made and held it there tightly. Underneath her garments the wound the arrow made had started to scab over forming a black rock hard surface, with his divine powers Furbaide eased Aoife's pain.

"I drained most of the poison out but it still in your system, may take a day or so to get over it completely, so until then don't move around too much," Furbaide said.

Concern was in his tone of voice and his face furrowed in concern, Aoife felt a confusing sense of admiration. Indeed he was a perverted deviant deity who she had less control over, but he had a kind spirit.

"You don't have to fret over me so much," she said, a protest he did not heed.

"Remember I don't have to listen to your orders anymore," he said, reminding her of the situation, "I am still bound to you though so don't worry I'll see it through till the end."

Aoife was confused as she didn't sense the bind that she placed between them anymore, but she was still weak from the poison so she didn't think much of it, both decided it was best to continue on as they have wasted too much time, the daylight started to fade into dusk. Furbaide lifted her off the ground, trying to carry her across his arms Furbaide felt Aoife struggle.

"You are not carrying me like that," she said.

Compromising he carried her on his back, holding up her legs with his arms, she held onto him tightly, her lean arms wrapped around his broad neck. Both of them felt the warmth of one another's bodies but tried not to let the other one know they felt it, embarrassed about the closeness both of them were feeling for one another.

"Thank you for saving me," Aoife said.

Furbaide didn't respond right away, Aoife was anxious as she did not know if Furbaide heard her or choose not to respond.

"No need to thank me, we are even for bringing me back from the Otherworld," Furbaide said.

"I did that for my own selfish purposes," she said, making it clear that he owed her nothing. "You could've just left me to die since the bindings are broken, you wouldn't have returned to Annwfyn since the tether is severed."

Aoife confessed for as she devoted more thought to it she sensed binding was gone, her near death experience sever it, but since he saved her he wasn't forced back to his prison. A oversight she clearly didn't account for, she feared he would leave her, still she knew she couldn't let him believe he had to stay or be exiled to his former prison.

"Like I would do something like that," Furbaide said, anger in his voice.

Aoife was caught off guard by Furbaide's frustration, it was clear he wanted her to let the topic drop, though it was curious how opposed he was leaving her to fend for herself. If Dreq wasn't coming would he had stayed? Both of them didn't talk for awhile as the sky turned a dark orange with shades of purple covering the sky. Night would soon be upon them, and they had some time before leaving the forest, Furbaide was moving slower than usual to keep Aoife from feeling any discomfort.

"You don't have to walk during the night," she said, "we can stop for the night."

"No, we lost too much time, you can sleep while I carry you, by morning we will be at the forest's end" Furbade said, in a diligent tone of voice that was comforting in a firm way.

Aoife didn't speak anymore on the subject but she didn't like relying on him so much.

"I don't need to sleep," Furbaide said, responding as though he read her inner thoughts, "you need to rest to get over the poison, please sleep I don't want to worry about you."

Those words were confusing to Aoife, did he have affection for her or was it all a deities sense of pity for mortals. Either way she couldn't keep her eyes open much longer as she was weak and needed to rest her mind a little while longer. As she slept soundly on his back, Furbaide considered what he has done for Aoife in the past few days since his summoning. Comforting her after they discovered the body of the Spider Mother and carrying her were completely unnecessary.

Something in his mind compelled him to do so, a power he couldn't resist against, not like he would if he could, he thought of it as being a prisoner in paradise. Not wanting to escape even if he could, the feel of her body against his back soothed his conflicting heart and mind. The feel of her muscular lean legs in his grasp made him fantasize of feeling her entire body against his, such thoughts he chided himself for having as he calmed himself with deep breathes. Darkness covered the forest and the moon rose in a crescent shape with many bright stars spotting the dark sky, under the dense coverage of the trees he could see through the folds the light of the night sky.

Turning his attention on the trail ahead he looked into the pitch blackness of the forest, noticing the sounds of small insects and animals skittering about, with his sharp vision he could see them in the dark. Mice he saw were running into a bush, trying to hide from a perched owl who waited high above their heads in the tree. Furbaide passed them and heard the swooping of the predator snatching a squealing vermin from its hiding place in the grass, lifting it up in the air. Mercy is in any true predators heart as its life was ended with a quick slice of its talons.

Furbaide thought of himself like an owl only he is carrying the mouse to safety, while walking in the darkness with his treasured burden on his back he tried to make sense of his feelings for Aoife. Never before did he meet such an alluring female, even if she was a bit arrogant at times he could never imagine bringing her harm. Giving out a sigh in her sleep Aoife sounded like a chil having a troubling dream, stopping he waited for her to settle back to a deep sleep before continuing on, wishing he wasn't so sensitive to her needs and desires. In truth though he knew he wasn't compelled anymore, and perhaps he never truly was, accepting his true desire to serve her was hard for him to admit, eventually he'd admit that to himself and to her.

All night he struggled with his emotions, little by little he accepted waves of self truth to erode his stoney inner psyche. By the time Aoife awoke, they were nearly out of the northern forest, and the first signs of daylight were coming over the dark horizon.

"Did you sleep well?" said Furbaide, asking with concern.

Aoife was still drowsy but the poison had run its course , leaving her with only slight fatigue; before she spoke she felt thick dryness in her throat.

"Yes I did," she said, "except for a dream I had."

Aoife lifted on arm from around his neck and reached into her the bag around her waist and pulled a flask of water and greedily drained it of its contents.

"What was your dream about?" Furbaide said, as they were out of the dense part of the forest.

After wetting her throat she answered as she was becoming fully awake.

"Blood," she said "and a spear tainted with blood, held by a pale hand."

She spoke as if it wasn't a dream but a prophecy, Furbaide sensed a powerful essence in her words. Something in her words had the kind of magic one uses to foresee the future, something that became quite clear as Furbaide set foot on the flat landscape that was north of the forest. With the rising sun Furbaide saw in the distance with his far seeing eyes a giant bird perched on a distant cliffside, with a figure seated on it's back. A familiar aura came from the figure that Furbaide soon recognized, it was Dolus.

When the bird took flight and started to soar towards them Furbaide was prepared to obliterate the pale man from the world. Aoife sensed also the familiar aura of the pale man, even with Furbaide's brodd back blocking her sight she felt Dolus' unnatural aura that was itching at her soul. Aoife lifted her legs out of Furbaide's arms and dropped onto her feet. Still a little weak in the legs she struggled to maintain balance, after a moment of shaky legs she managed to have her firmly planted onto the ground.

"Here he comes," Aoife said "you better let me have the final blow."

"I might kill him outright," Furbaide said. "I want him dead more than anyone else in Crel at this moment."

The giant silver bird who soared higher into the morning sky, flying swiftly to soar right above their heads, seeing his chance Furbaide crouched down then leapt into the sky. Propelling himself like an arrow, as Aoife prepared a spell while she wondered what Furbaide meant by hating him more than anyone else? Did he have a reason to hate him more than she did? Aoife decided to put the question aside as she started to conjure a ball of fire, before the fire could materialize though the pale man held up a spear and soon came a flash of light.

The light was so bright it blinded both Furbaide and Aoife.