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[Bailos]

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Nearly a year had past since Sadira and her child were relived of their strange, haunting dreams. The Crowned Prince and his beautiful wife were closer than ever to their personal peace and the Dark Lord had been neither seen nor heard from since the visions and nightmares ended.

The large, grandfather clock near the door to Zarlox and Sadira's bedroom chimed 2am and a gentle breeze caressed the window with the night's cool air. A heavy blanket of fog started to settle nearby and the harmless sounds of night began to fall away into the all-consuming din of nothing. Strange things were afoot...
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The haze of Sadira's mind lifts until she finds herself afloat in a small wooden craft on the seas. This is a familiar place and she has been here before, but it's not a location she knows. Could the dream be happening again?

The sea began to churn and cumbersome waves lurch and fall around her until one topples her small craft. She dips below the water, feeling warm and somehow safe in the murky blackness of the deep. Something is holding her, pulling her down. She can see the sickly yellow sun shining down on her craft outlining it, teasing her as she descents further. She feels no shortness of breath and no panic as the light dims and only the sound of bubbles and water are left.

With just as little fanfare as she entered the water, she somehow falls out of it. One minute she was buried beneath the waves, now she finds herself falling onto a vast, open plain. The earth is barren, cracked and dry and an endless nothing stretches out from her in all directions. The air feels and smells stagnant and heavy, but there is neither heat nor cold to meet her. Peering off to the horizons reveals little hope for guidance. The sun beats down on her but there is no orb in the sky, just light raining down. She can see the heat rising from the cracked terrain but feels not the blaze of the midday sun. What is this place? Is she dead?

With little to no reasoning she is compelled to step forward and begin her...journey. If it can be called that. She walks for what feels like hours, trudging accross the endless, flat expanse with no end in sight but fatigue eludes her. Why will she not tire? Why does she not sweat? Stopping to get her directions and survey the area for any new clues, Sadira turns around and her eyes eventually drift ground-word. She sees her footsteps. This is not particularly odd, except she sees a second pair of footsteps along side of hers just a few feet behind. These feet are bare and resemble unprotected soles, not a foot covered with a shoe. Curious indeed. Was someone following her? How is it possible to hide here if someone is?

Turning back around Sadira sees a small pool, barely 6 feet across, with one, gigantic palm tree next to it about 30 yards off in the distance. With a rush of hope and excitement she bolts off to the oasis and skids to her knees in front of the beautiful, blue waters. She is about to reach her hands in to scoop up a drink when bubbles begin to come out of the water. Puzzled and perplexed, she cautiously draws nearer. A figure begins to manifest in the water and slowly becomes more clear. A humongous, red crab slowly draws himself out of the water and sidesteps onto the shore. It shakes off briefly before turning to Sadira, give her a genuinely happy look and speaking to her...

"The water isn't too salty today, go ahead, dig right in", the crab speaks.

Totally baffled, Sadira hesitantly scoops up the water and draws it near her lips when she feels a hand on her shoulder. A large, chilling hand, but there is no shadow cast on or around her. Looking over her shoulder, she stares up to find Bailos looking down at her. She finds the words to scream and lash out at him, but she is paralyzed either by his presence, her own fear or because she is not in control of this dream.

He speaks to her firmly, "Go ahead and drink up. There is plenty for all, and soon more."

Turning back to the pool she sees her hands are no longer full of crystal clear water but cupping deep, red blood. She lets out a scream and her hands instinctively open to let the blood fall out. As the red droplets hit the water, the calm oasis begins to wreak and the pond turns to scummy, filth. The crab shakes his head and turns away and scuttles off into the distance. A faint rumbling rolls in and the powerful sunshine gives way to sickly green clouds. A crash of thunder...and the dream is over...
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As the nightmare ends and Sadira is roused from sleep and jolts up in her bed, panting, cold and clammy, the fog has now taken hold outside and the clock strikes 5am. Sadira raises her hand to her brow and wipes the sweat away. She lowers her hand to her upper lip and feels more moisture. She wipes her nose and looks down at her hand...there's blood...

[Sadira Reflov]

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The evening had begun like most, fighting her son to get him to go to bed at a normal time, who was anxiously awaiting his father to return home, from a meeting or practice. Vian then put his hand on his mothers belly smiles.

"I hope its a boy. I want a brother! How much longer?"

He asked moving his hand away as the baby kicks it. Sadira laughs.

"Soon dear soon, about a month or two."

She rubbed her stomache and felt the pangs of the growing child in her. Zarlox finally came through the doors, greeting his wife with a kiss and his son with a ruffle of the hair. Zarlox then gave Vian that look as if to ask why he was still up. Vian just smiled.

"Yes I know I know I am going up now. Good night father."

Both of them just laugh as Sadira shakes her head moving to get her husband a drink. Soon the night progresses and both Sadira and Zarlox retire to bed. Saying their good nights both went fast asleep from the busy day they had.

Sadira begins to toss and turn as the dream slowly takes shape in her mind. Started off first of the family sailing the seas on a family get away. Zarlox, Vian, Sadira and their new daughter are quite content and loving every minute of their escape. Soon the vision turns to a different sea as her family slowly vanish from the picture. The seas..this particular sea...she recalled it all. Had he returned to haunt her again? She tried desperately to wake but was unable to. She found herself trapped in the dream for it to play out. Everything felt so real...so alive. She wasn't sure w hy or how but the dream was becoming too much. She could feel the tension build up inside of her, the stress of his possible return manifesting itself in the sharp pangs along her abdomen, the increase heart rate and the soft moans. The dream continued to play out taunting her....she knew he had a hld of her and she was his for this dream. How she so wished she could pull herself from it. Finally the chim that echoed through the house awakened her. Sitting up straight, her eyes darted around as breathing was near panic. Once she realized where she was she started to calm down, the pains in her stomache making her uncomfortable. She was about to get up and walk, but first she would wipe her face from the cold sweat. It was then that she saw the blood, she froze, unable to breath...as if all her fears manifested in that blood upon her fingers. Sharp pain shot through her body as she soon felt moisture between her legs. Knowing the meaning..of both dream and wetness, she screams out in a panic... breathing to the point of almost hyperventilating.
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"Nature gave man two ears but only one tongue. A gentle reminder that he should listen more than he speaks."