Oriana's Eyes (23 page)

 CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

This nightmare, I remember now, I’ve had it before. The eyes have returned. I thought they were defeated, but they are back. They’re stronger than ever, probing my mind, seeking out my memories, my secrets. I shrink from their touch, struggling against their power. Then the eyes break through, sifting through my earliest memories.

I’m an infant, clutched in my mother’s arms, my sister beside me. The pounding of her feet upon the ground frightens me as she runs. My fingers clutch the air, trying to pull myself forward, away from the pursuers. Mother’s heart hammers against my shoulder, her breath is warm upon my head and neck. I am hungry, and I wish to rest, but the jostling causes me more discomfort. Those behind us gain distance at a greater speed, they will soon grab Mother. Perhaps then we can rest, and Mother will feed my sister and me.

At last she takes flight, I love it when mother flies. Yet this time is different. We glide into the air, the up and down rattle of her run turns into the soothing motion of wings and the rush of air. Now I can close my eyes. Mother withdraws a large breath. Her wings halt and she curls around my sister and me.

We are falling, and mother remains still, her wings wrapped around us. Her heart is not hammering. No more breath escapes her. Why does she not move? I cry out, anxious to hear my mother’s soothing voice, to feel her soft lips pressed upon my brow, to know that things will soon be all right. But she does not answer my cry. Lenora is screaming beside me as we drop, I watch her, eyes wide. Mother strikes the ground first, I clutch at her dress, my body colliding with hers. Tears fill my eyes as the strangers surround me and Lenora. Mother’s arms no longer hug us close.

I fly forward through memories, the repetitive days of the University, the endless hours of classes and studying. I see Lenora and the part-blood, her first love. The way she changed afterward, lost what was left of the happiness in her eyes. Aurek and I alone, my first kiss.

The piercing blue eyes—his eyes—watch it all through mine. I try to fight it, attempting to stop reliving these experiences. His eyes do not just witness the event, but he sees my thoughts. He sees the doubts of Odon’s teachings, my hatred for the Odonians and professors. He steals my thoughts, disregards my privacy, and then I see Dorian. No! I try to move away, to hold on to the past and keep from moving forward. But his eyes press further, and the images flow again.

Dorian walks toward me, smiles. I now recognize the emotions flowing through me, the attraction, the intrigue. Yet it is bittersweet, I am sharing these moments with
him
. He laughs at my torment, the way my cheeks grow hot when I think of Dorian, I tremble. It is all exposed, every thought and feeling, all of my love. We are in the garden, sharing a kiss. Then I am sneaking back inside, thoughts of our next meeting circling in my mind.

The memories shoot forward, the Odonian, my mindless state. Aurek’s kiss. I shiver at the sight, although it seems it was not me who was actually there. Yet seeing myself, unmoving, body numb, the moment is confirmed. I notice Dorian watching from afar. I did not recognize him at the time. I was too blank, I had forgotten. Now it pains me to see the hurt in his eyes, the way his muscles tense at the sight of Aurek’s touch.

I am propelled past this, the memories picking up speed and then slowing down for yet another painful event. I am in my room. Lenora is across from me. I am screaming at her, the flood of my panic, the intensity of my fear all returns. I know what is about to happen, and yet I am as powerless to stop it as I was in that moment. The guards storm in, knocking me into darkness.

I awake in the cell, noticing the shock of moving from the white of the University to the black caves. Time is moving quickly again, and it speeds through my first discussion with Azura and then the approach of the guards. It is here that my mind begins to close up and the eyes pry at my brain, bringing focus to the fading vision.

The guards haul me between them as the Odonian leads us to a white room. The scene instantly becomes familiar. The man interrogates me briefly. I remain silent, lying upon the cold floor. His voice evokes a returning hatred inside of me. I watch the scene, wanting to force myself to my feet and lurch toward him, doing as much damage as possible. Yet I remain still, listening as his voice slides in and out of my ears, the light burning through my closed lids.

I watch as the scene progresses: “Administer the device.” I watch in horror as my past becomes clear. The woman enters, needle in hand. I struggle inside a body that is not under my control. I yell for myself to hear.
Oriana! Move! You can’t let them!
It is too late, the needle plunges into my neck.

The eyes watch from inside my mind, bursting with laughter.

I hear the last words of the Odonian as the memory comes to an end, their meaning finally becoming clear. “He will come for her. I am certain. Now we wait …”

NO!!
I shove myself away, tearing at the bindings that have connected the eyes to my mind. My own eyes fly open, I draw my hand up immediately to shield them from the white room. Am I inside the University?

As my vision returns, I study my surroundings. It is a circular room; behind me is a curved wall of windows that look down a familiar hillside and out over the distant forest. It is daytime. The sun is already high in the sky. I am in the University, in a room at its highest level. I lie in a circular pit at the center of the floor, which has been littered with white cushions. The rest of the floor is slightly raised around me and reflects the smooth white surface of the University hallways. Further confirmation of my location lies on the ceiling where rows of familiar orb lamps glare down at me.

Beside me a darker color stands out upon the blank pillows.
My satchel!
They must have found it by the tree somehow.
How long have I been watched?
I grab and shove the flap open, searching for the food and drink. I sigh, discovering it has all been left within. I take a moment to swallow some water and fill my stomach with the bread. Then I remember: the map! It is missing from the depths of my satchel. In this moment I grasp for my pocket and feel the hard cover of Narena’s Journal. I sigh, discovering it has been left within. But where is the—?

“Looking for this?”

I jump, whirling around, the piece of bread dropping from my hand, to discover I am not alone. The room’s wall is smooth, breaking once for an oval door. I follow its surface with my eyes till I discover the source of the voice.

A man stands, strongly built, white robes draping stoically upon his shoulders, thick arms crossed in front of him. One of his hands grips the scroll of parchment, scrunching it together at its center.

“Don’t worry, it was of no use to me. Your precious Great Oak is nowhere on the page. Useless thing.” He throws it to the floor.

My gaze moves up to his black hair reaching to his shoulders in loose waves. The tone of his skin is somewhere between the pale of a Winglet and the darker tan of a Finlet. Yet these features are not what is most striking about this man. As if glowing from an inner light, the gaze of his eyes freezes me in place. The gaze of two piercing blue eyes.

“I can see you remember me.”

Odon holds me in place, keeping me from answering. Somehow his inner control of me has strengthened, and I am powerless inside my own body, unable to move.

“So you’ve figured out my name as well. Impressive.” He smirks and starts pacing around the room toward the windows to his left. As he walks in front of the light pouring through the windows, I can see it, the aura of his power coiling around his body. The power of a half-blood.

“But then I thought you would’ve figured it out long before now. After all, I’ve been following you for days. Have you been sleeping well?.”

I cringe inwardly, and he chuckles. He is seeing straight into my thoughts!

“Yes … although things didn’t go exactly as planned. That half-blood … he’s more powerful than I expected. Nowhere near myself, of course, but powerful nonetheless. If he hadn’t been so close to you … I would’ve already discovered the whereabouts of the Great Oak.”

Then he knows it exists, and he already knows of Dorian being a half-blood. I shut my mind off to it immediately, sensing his gaze upon me, not just from within the room, but inside my mind as well.

“You can try as much as you like. Now that I have you here, it will not be long before I have exposed your mind completely.”

Without Dorian near to help shield me from Odon’s power, I am helpless. But then how was I able to break free, to awaken myself just now? And if Odon could simply take what he wanted from me, why is he waiting? Why not extract it at once? Perhaps I still have some hidden advantage.

Odon turns his stare out the window and casually waves his hand backward in my direction. My body is released suddenly, and I am able to move once again.

“Why have you brought me here?” I rise to my feet, attempting to look confident, but my knees threaten to buckle beneath me. I, Oriana, am facing Odon, not only a man twice my size, but one who possesses the ripened powers of a transformed half-blood. Not long ago I would have bowed before him, pledged my devotion to his authority, but never again.

He eyes me with amusement. “I’ve been watching you, Oriana.”

My eyebrow rises. “For how long …?”

“Since before you ever met that foolish half-blood. You must have known that you stand out among the others. You were never able to achieve the perfection of that blank look.” He smiles to himself as if this is a humorous subject.

“Then you knew I was never devoted to you like the others. You knew all along I thought against the University.”

“Oh please, it was obvious. Did you honestly think I wouldn’t notice a Winglet girl making trips to the garden every evening? I could tell your mind was working beneath that rush of gold, behind those starlit eyes. You truly resemble your mother Sonya very much. It’s a shame I had to end her life like that. If you weren’t so amusing, I would’ve destroyed you from the start, but you never had the backbone to act upon your thoughts anyway. Even now you stand there, a fragile flower.” Odon looks me up and down with a disgusted glint in his eyes.

“Then you were toying with me?” My fists tighten. My jaw is clenched. I am a fool; I knew it all along—a cowardly fool.

“Well, the rest of the bunch aren’t very entertaining, are they?” He pushes fingers through his slick black hair, laughing softly. “Yet there was a slight interference, though I couldn’t have planned it better myself. Dorian, the last half-bloodlet, took an interest in you. You suddenly became the perfect ploy. I knew I was keeping you around for something. I still can’t wait to watch him squirm.”

“What do you mean?”

“Why, at the Rebirth, of course. I’m sure he wouldn’t miss it, especially now that I have you here,” Odon studies me as his words hit home.

Can he possibly know? That Dorian and the others are planning to sneak into the Rebirth and attempt to defeat him? But then why shouldn’t he? Odon was there when Kadin carried out his attack. If Odon is aware of Dorian’s age and lineage, then he could expect a similar assault from him.

“Your face confirms my assumptions. They will make an appearance at the Rebirth, but then I had already presumed. Doesn’t matter anyway, I was suspecting a second attack, seeing how the last one went unsuccessfully.” He shakes his head in pity. “The fool, turning on his own men, although I can’t blame him. Who would want to share power like this? Do you think Dorian will be any different? You think somehow he will get past his hatred, his thirst for power? I guess that’s what keeps you people hopeful, the idea of reachable dreams.” Odon approaches the edge of the floor where I lie below. “It’s useless. The true winners are the ones with the power. Once Dorian realizes that, once he feels it in his grasp”—Odon holds out his hand, staring into it as if it were a fountain of endless energy—“he’ll forget all about you and his friends.”

“You’re wrong.” I quake with anger from his words. “Dorian will succeed. He’s going to be the most powerful of all, and he’ll use it just to kill you!” I spit out the statement before considering my intentions. Is that really what I want? Is that really how I feel?

“The way you killed Aurek?” Odon’s smile broadens as I am slowly brought to my knees. That’s right, I killed him, in the garden last night. Aurek is dead, and I am the one who ended his life. Somehow I was capable of such an execution.

I shake my head, staring at my outstretched hands, the same ones that have caused destruction. How can I ever face the others again? What will they think of me? What will Dorian think? “But it was only an accident! I didn’t mean to …”

“Didn’t you?” Odon’s eyes blaze with innocence, as if he is simply providing the truth. “You hated Aurek from the beginning. I saw your memories … I heard your thoughts, felt those emotions of repulsion. You thought he’d be better off dead!”

“No! I never wanted it …
really
!” I sob into my hands, still resisting the truth of his words. I wished Aurek would disappear, leave forever, but death? “I didn’t want this … never …” My tears form dark spots upon the white cushions below.

Odon is beside me, his hand upon my shoulder. “Little Winglet.” His voice is soothing, his hand warm. I feel the pulse of the power reaching out through it and coursing beneath my skin. My body stills, my tears stop, I lose all emotion, all feeling. In fact I can hardly remember what I was crying about. “He deserved what he got.”