Imona awoke to the sound of running and keys jangling at the cell door hurriedly before her it flew open. She bolted upright and backed towards the wall as Killian stepped just inside the cell and looked around as if forgetting where her cot was placed. His eyes looked frantic when they finally landed upon her. Imona's heartbeat set off at a crescendo.
“Imona.” Her name on his lips sounded desperate and somehow sensual at the same time. He knelt down in front of her and gripped her by the shoulders tightly. His breathing was ragged and there were bags under his eyes. She wondered if he had slept at all since she last saw him. He shook her slightly. “I need-The kingdom needs your abilities. There is tale of a surprise attack approaching. You must tell me what the Kingdom of Hallen is planning at once!”
Imona settled her fear a bit and grimaced. “Get your hands off of me at once!! You don't need me for some brainless attack! You've fended off many before!”
He shook her again, a bit more aggressively than last time. “This time is different! Obviously you stupid girl, I am quite capable of handling myself in combat!” He paused as if unsure of what he was about to say next. “This time...it is rumored that The Kingdom of Hallen...has a...someone like you. Very powerful. Working willingly with them in a plan to overtake my kingdom. I...have no idea what I'm up against.”
She studied his face as the voice in her head made itself known. “Ahh... a sister of mine? I'm surprised another one of us is so close by. And you with not a lick of the true power I possess...you are doomed, my child.”
Imona shuddered at that. The voice which was usually pestering her, making fun of her, taunting her, actually sounded not only worried, but sad. “What does that mean?..”
Killian looked at her confused, thinking that she was talking to him. “It means either you help me, or this kingdom may very well fall!” He stood up, grip still tight on her shoulders and pushed her up against the cold hard wall. “Now listen. I don't know exactly what you are...demon, witch, but I know you'd better damn well help this kingdom, or so help me I will kill you myself before I am killed by this...this...whoever she is!” With that he dropped her abruptly and turned to pace the cell, hard boots taping rhythmically on the stone floor.
Imona, having fallen to her knees watched him before stammering, “I don't condone-”
Before she could finish he stopped and pointed a finger directly in her face. “I don't want to hear that shit Imona. This is serious.” He crouched down in front of her. “I don't want to have to torture information out of you...but for the sake of the kingdom...”
She looked at him with wide eyes. Was he really serious? She swallowed. If there really was another person like her coming to attack, and they had accepted whatever power this entity was offering, they were no doubt capable of taking down the kingdom. Imona didn't know what kind of powers the entity inside of her possessed, but she could feel the power inside of her, locked away until the day she finally gives her full consent.
“I...I don't know how to help you...it doesn't work that way.” She looked down at her lap, pitch black bangs falling over her eyes.
“I've heard of what you can do, tales from the village. You can see things about people, and from whatever happened yesterday with my men, I know it is true.”
“But it was all an accident, and most of what I see is the past...”
“But you have indeed foretold the future. Do you remember a boy named Farrel? I heard tale that he and his friends attacked you, and you told him something akin to, 'Have fun jerking off with your right hand for as long as you can...you won't have it for much longer'. The next week he was attacked by wolves and his right hand had to be cut from the wolfs mouth to make an escape. You foretold that, did you not?”
She fought the tears welling up at the memory. One of the worst days of her lives. She had nearly been beaten unconscious. But Killian was right, what she had seen in visions before she passed out had come true. She had often wondered if she made that future happen, or only foretold of it. She chanced a glance up at Killian and, surprisingly, he didn't look disgusted or perturbed, only determined. She looked away quickly. “But it wasn't on purpose.”
“I don't care if it was on purpose or not, I need you to make it happen.” His voice was firm and brokered no room for argument.
Imona sighed. “If I help you...you have to take me back to my mother..”
The expression on his face was...odd. She couldn't quite place it. “I...can't do that.”
Imona gritted her teeth. “You have to at least...let me see her! Just...to say goodbye...or even for visits... please, Killian!” The tears started to fall now.
He looked at her face, expression stern. He seemed to be thinking something over but she couldn't tell what was going through his mind. His brow furrowed. “I can't make any promises...but I will do my best. That is the best I can do.”
She looked at him incredulously. How hard could it be to just take her on a horse to visit her mother from time to time!? She wanted to argue further, but something about the expression on his face told her not to bother. That was the best she would get.
She sniffled and wiped her nose on her sleeve and looked at him again. “It happens with touch...sometimes, but not all of the time. And I can only see things about the person I'm touching. Most of what I see is the past...but sometimes I do see their future. Usually it's gruesome in some way. I don't see how that will help.”
“No matter what happens with my Kingdom, I will be on the front lines, fighting with my men. I'm sure you could see something about the upcoming battle through me.” He suddenly grabbed her wrist. “Try Imona.”
She looked down at his hand engulfing her small wrist, closed her eyes and tried to focus. Her brow furrowed as she concentrated furiously. After several minutes she opened her eyes again and looked at him.
“Well? What did you see?” His eyes held a tinge of anciousness waiting for her answer.
“Nothing...I told you I don't normally make it happen. It just kind of....happens.”
He released her wrist and went back to pacing. “Dammit! Well, what's different? Recall all of the times it's happened. What were the circumstances?” He stopped and looked at her waiting.
“Um...really? You want me to tell you...of course you do.” She sighed to herself again, thinking about if she truly wanted to share this with him, but there didn't seem to be much choice. “Well...I guess you already know about the time with Farrel and his friends. I wasn't doing anything wrong, just resting by the lake. Him and his friends were nearby and started whispering to each other. They came over and spouted some nasty words at me. One of them pushed me down and got my dress dirty, another kicked me, and then Farrel grabbed me by my dress and started punching me. It was pretty bad. I had the vision suddenly when his fist connected with my temple. I said what I said, and then I passed out.”
Imona paused to collect herself. “Another time, a few years before that, I went to the market for some food for mother. She had wanted fish for dinner, but when I got to the market, the stall was empty.... Mr Ornsby said he had some extra fish stored at his home, but that he wouldn't go get it and bring it back for me to purchase as he was getting older and it hurt to walk for long. I agreed to purchase the fish at his home. Once I got there, he closed and locked the door behind him. He said..” Imona licked her lips. “He said...no boy'd wanta filthy 'touched' child like me and that I should let him make me a woman. He pushed me onto his bed and hiked up my skirt. I fought, but I was young. He had his hand around my throat as he fiddled with my dress and that's when I had a vision. I saw his child dead in his arms. He'd had a son who drowned on one of their fishing expeditions. I told him it was his fault and that the spirit of his son was going to haunt him until the day he died. He recoiled in shock and I got away.” She paused to look pointedly at Killian. “It was true too, at least the part about it being his fault. He was a drunk for a time after his wife died. He told everybody that his boy died at home in his sleep, but really he had taken him to fish, got drunk and fell asleep. By the time he woke up his son's body was floating lifeless in the water. He was only 6, hadn't been taught yet how to swim. Bastard.”
Imona started to play with the braid hanging over her shoulder. “One other time...mother got mad. I don't even remember what I had done wrong, but she slapped me. I was so shocked. The moment her hand connected...I saw something. It was the future. I saw her crying with a nursemaid, begging something not to be true. The nursemaid told her she would never again bear children. I didn't mean to say it out loud...but I did. I told her she would never again bear a child.” Imona brushed away a tear. “That was just last year. I hadn't meant to hurt her so.... She hasn't quite been the same towards me since.” Imona cleared her throat. “Um...I guess there was another time..”
“Enough. I get the jist. All of these stories are horrible. It's only ever happened when something bad was happening to you then?”
Imona thought about what she was feeling at each incident. “Fear, pain, anger, shame...all bad stuff...yeah. Why, what does that mean?”
“It might have to do with something called adrenaline.”
“Bingo. This Kingdom Holder has looks and brains, I'm impressed. The only time you're able to cipher even a fraction of the power within you without officially sealing the deal is when your heart is racing. Your instincts are piqued in those moments, allowing you brief access. Now, what kind of horrible things will this Kingdom Holder do to you to activate your latent gifts...I wonder..”
Imona looked up at Killian with fear plain in her eyes. What more trouble has she gotten herself into this time?
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