A Second Red Thread

Sophia knew immediately where she was. She spotted the red glow at once and rushed towards it. Sophia was surprised as she noticed that were now two strands of red thread side by side. She picked them both up and followed them in the indicated direction. The shining portal appeared and Sophia went through without any hesitation.

She was back in Kieran’s body in the familiar cell. The woman with the golden lock was still at the opened door, holding out her arm, but something was different this time. Through the distortion of her face were now two deep blue eyes clearly visible. The warm and inviting gaze coming from them felt strangely cold and dangerous to Sophia. Kieran didn’t seem to notice that as he got up and slowly went closer.

“That’s it. You’re doing great, Kieran,” the woman said as he nearly reached her.

Kieran reached out and grabbed her hand. Sophia saw glowing chains emerging from her arm and creeping across Kieran’s. She could feel a cold sensation coming from them. Kieran did not seem to notice as he stepped outside the cell. The woman with the golden lock and the deep blue eyes pulled him closer to her, so that they were face to face.

“You’re out of the cell, but we’re not free yet,” she said staring at him. “Will you place your trust in me, Kieran?”

“NO!” Sophia screamed in her head, but nobody heard her.

“I will,” Kieran answered.

The deep blue eyes got closer and closer. Sophia felt her touch on his lips and a cold sensation rushed through his body. It felt very constricting to her. The woman with the deep blue eyes suddenly jerked back and looked to the side. Kieran turned his head in the same direction. A hooded figure appeared in the corridor and extended his arms. A fiery bolt came shooting through the air towards the woman with the deep blue eyes. Kieran’s body moved in front of her and blocked the spell. Sophia could feel the pain of the burn in the left shoulder and she could see some of the inscriptions on his body get activated. The hooded figure raised his arm again and shouted something that she could not understand. Kieran dashed forward. The hooded figure took a step back and his hood slipped back. Sophia recognized his face from the last dream. Kieran tackled him to the ground, landed on top and grabbed his neck under the chin. He violently jerked it sideways and a loud crack echoed through the corridor. The body of the hooded man went limp immediately. Sophia felt a could touch on her shoulder.

“That was good, Kieran,” the woman with the deep blue eyes said and handed him a longsword she had for some reason. “Take this.”

Kieran grabbed it and stood up. The woman with the deep blue eyes then took him by the hand and they rushed through the dark corridor. After climbing a long set of stairs and going through a door they arrived in a big entrance hall with a wide staircase out of marble leading to the next floor. The walls were covered with different paintings and luxurious tapestries. The woman with the deep blue eyes pulled Kieran towards the opened gate. They slammed shut before they could reach them. Both of them turned around. Sophia spotted three hooded figures on top of the staircase. Slowly more and more appeared.

“You have to kill them all for us to be free,” the woman with the deep blue eyes whispered.

Kieran flourished his sword and began to walk towards the stairway.

“Stop!” A distorted voice echoed from the hooded figures.

Kieran did not stop. He began climbing the stairs. Some of the hooded figures extended their arms and flames erupted from them. They hit Kieran and Sophia could feel the pain, but he did not stop. When he reached the top, Sophia recognized the first hooded figure as the first woman in the last dream that had her way with Kieran. Her face was full of panic and she raised her hand

“I order you to stop!” She said with a shaky and distorted voice.

Kieran swung his sword and severed her hand, right through the wrist. She opened her mouth to scream but Kieran’s sword was faster, it cut through her neck immediately, silencing her forever. Then it all became a blur for Sophia. She saw flashes of images of bodies with mortal wounds. They were all the men and woman whose faces she had seen in the last dream. The last had Kieran’s sword piercing through his heart. The blood puddle under him grew steadily and Sophia watched the light in his eyes fade. Kieran then looked around. All of the hooded figures were slain, and their dead bodies covered the stairs. The woman with the deep blue eyes made her way up between the corpses.

“You did it, Kieran!” she said as she reached him.

The woman came even closer, and Sophia could feel her touch on his lips again. It felt even colder for her this time and the constricting feeling became more powerful than before.