She decided not to make the mistake of asking Rick if he knew what it meant, fearing that he would react as he did the day before. But deep down, she knew that he was the only one that had the answers to the questions to seek.
She got out of bed and prepared for her day. She checked her phone and saw that Rick had sent her a message requesting her presence at the dining for breakfast.
It was a good 15 minute before she got to the dining room. It wasn’t the long sombre table she’d expected. There was a big round table in one area, and a long kitchen bar on the other. Rick helped her up into a tall chair at the dinning table. In not more than two minutes, a man walked through the door beside the small kitchen bar and up to them carrying a tray of fruits.
He must be the chef that has been preparing all those mouth watering meals. Clair thought.
“Thank you Grover.” The chef nodded at both of them with a smile. Grover disappeared back through the door to what Clair assumed was the main kitchen.
They ate their fruits and breakfast in silence. Amidst the meal, Rick stood up and went to the fridge to get a beer.
“You have beer for breakfast, is that usual?”
“Old habits die hard.” he said, taking a huge bite of toast then washing it down with the dark foamy brew.
“You’ve been legal for what? Four years? How old a habit could it be?” He swallowed and grinned broadly.
“Oh, you’d be surprised”.
Clair shook her head. Rick silver was a weird dude. He was like her stubborn old grandad telling her if smoking hadn’t killed him in fifty years he wasn’t about to quit now.
“Ok, old man”, She said, rolling her eyes.
“What did you call me?” Rick was grinning from ear to ear.
“Old man! You’re like a stuborn old man. You remind me of my grandpa, actually.”
“That.” said Silver,” is the best thing I’ve heard… maybe ever”. Now he was shaking his head. “You really have the gift of observation, don’t you?”.
” Gift, curse…” She wasn’t sure which, ” most people don’t like to be pegged”. She admitted.
” I do.” Rick was nodding his head exaggeratedly. ” A lot!”
“You’re weird.” So weird.
“Oh, right again!” He was full on laughing now. She started gigling. I’m gigling? I don’t giggle. Especially on the job.
Suddenly he looked at her with serious eyes like she’d just said the most unspeakable thing. See, he thinks its inappropriate too. She shut her mouth.
“Oh, sorry.” Rick said, “It’s just, you’re laugh…”
“I don’t usually laugh like that. I mean…” Why was she defending herself?
“No it’s fine. It just reminded me of someone.. someone who’s gone. She used to laugh like that.”
“Oh, your mom? I get that a lot”. Was she teasing him?
“No, not my mom.” Rick looked almost bashful. For once his demeanor matched his boyish looks.
Clair needed to change the subject.
“So did you manage to get the pendant clean yet?”. She placed her hand the counter next to her empty plate. Rick was carried away admiring the slenderness of her fingers. He wanted to entwine his fingers with hers.
“I took it to the lab. If you’d like. We’ve got one of those machines that vibrates really fast. I use it to clean tools, but the right solution and this piece will be like new
“Not like new, just get the dirt off it”, She said quickly. “I like the way it looks”.
“Alright, when we’re in the lab this afternoon we can take care of that.” He downed the last sip of his dark brew.
He caught her off guard with a kiss on the forehead. Clair was so stunned, she just sat there with her mouth wide open, gaping at him as he left the room.
******
She spent the day in the library, she found when exploring the room. As afternoon neared, she yawned, got up from where she was sitting and decided to go take a bit of rest on her bed. She could feel the customary tiredness wrapping it’s slimy hands around her. She felt sick suddenly, she dropped the book in her hand and rushed to the intercom button she saw.
“Rick, please come and get me. I think I’m going to be sick.” She swallowed to resist the feeling of nausea that was beginning to form at the back of her throat.
“Where are you? Rick answered, his voice urgent.
“The libra…” She couldn’t finish the sentence as an overwhelming wave of nausea crashed her. She threw up right There on the floor of the library. After that, she passed out in her own vomit.
“Clair? Clair.” Rick called and got no answer. He tore out of the shower and dressed in record time. He used a simple witch spell to dry his dripping hair, and headed off in the direction of intercom 23. She’s just lost, she’s fine, stop running. He scolded himself, as he raced down corridors to reach her.
When he turned the corner to where he expected to find her standing, still staring into the intercom, he reeled as he glimpsed Clair’s body lying still on the polished black marble floor.
Dropping to his knees and sliding up to her with the speed of his run, he took her head in his hands checking, scanning to see if she’d hit it.
“Clair? Clair? Come on.”
Rick was not superhumanly strong, but having a twenty year old’s body did come in handy. He heaved Clair up over his shoulder and headed back to his suite. His heart raced as he made the trip back, which seemed unending in his haste.
In his suite he gently placed Clair on his enormous bed, cradling her neck as he slowly lowered her to the plush pillows. Her chocolate swirls of hair shone gold in the muted light of his room, and the soft curls had him thinking of days when he’d deamed of swimming in waves of crimson. Somehow, she looked so perfect resting here, in the very spot where he slept each night. He was about to get a towel and water to wipe her face when he heard his name.
“Aelfric?” Shocked to bear that name from her again, he stopped on his track and turned. He walked to her. “Aelfric, My love.” She embraced him, holding him so tight. Rick was taken by surprise but he leaned into the hug nonetheless.
“Claire? Are you alright? How did you know that name?” He asked still surprised and confused.
“It’s me. Sil.” She sat up like she was not the one who passed out earlier.
“How…?”
“I dunno. I just… It just happened. Where are we?” She stood up and paced round the room. “Is this a new world or what? It looks like paradise here. The shiny things.”
“Sil? How? How is this possible?” He asked
“I said I don’t know. Though I feel like I’ve been freed after being imprisoned for years. And why are you dressed so funny.”
“Oh my love.” He said hugging her again tighter. He released her and by her hand, walks her to sit on the bed.
They talked for long about everything. Aelfric about how he woke up from the ritual and couldn’t find her just to receive a letter and her pendant telling him about her death. Sil about her pregnancy, childbirth and death. He was even more shocked about the pregnancy part.
“But how is it possible that I am here in this body?” She asked.
“It’s the pendant. I crafted it with magic and the blood of the chimera that captured you. The chimera pendant is semi intelligent, having a bit of soul mind with the chimera magic. It has some subtle magical powers, and it takes the pendant over 1000 years to slowly make its way back to its original owner, which is me.”
“It somehow found a way to return to you. Hence this new feminine body i speak through.” Sil added.
“Yes, You became a lich the day of the ritual. Although you did not finish the ritual, the chimera magic mixed with the magic of my liching spell, and caused your soul to be encased within the chimera pendant, without your knowledge. Your body died in childbirth, and because you did not drink the liching fluid, your body died and decayed as normal, but your soul was trapped in the chimera pendant, that is bound to me. I had crafted it to safeguard tour soul and keep our souls together forever”
“Little wonder why I fainted after I left the place of the ritual. I’m sorry I left. I couldn’t have gone through with the ritual especially with my unborn child. I also couldn’t watch the father of my unborn child die or feel pain right in front of me. I was scared.” She said amidst sobs.
“Shh, you are here now with me. Oh how I’ve missed you.” He hugged her as her body raked with sobs. He released her and she kissed him. By the time they both drew from the kiss. Clair was in charge. She was surprised to see the tears on his face but at the same time couldn’t help but notice the tingling sensation on her lips and the butterflies that fluttered in her stomach.
“Rick are you okay?” She asked.
“Yes. Yes, I am.” He said drawing her in for a hug. She wondered what was wrong with him. But rubbed her lips with her fingers as she remembered how his lips felt on hers. This didn’t last long as she passed out again.
The intercom rang again. This time it was Todd with some security issues down by tide fences. “I’ll be a few minutes”, he said solemnly. Clair’s eyes suddenly opened and she vomited. Rick leaned her head to the side with the swift expertise of a healer. Then she went out again. Had he thought to just lie here and watch her sleep with vomit on her face?
Rick fetched a soft towel and doused it in warm water, he wiped Clair’s soft face, pausing for a moment to encircle the deep red lips that pouted ever so slightly, even when she was unconscious. He checked himslef. You’re an old creep Aelfric. passing to his closet he punched in a code on a sleek key pad on the back wall. The beautiful chrome feature wall in the back of his immense walk-in closed moved to the right with a light mechanical. The false wall revealed a vast chamber lined with backlit glass cabinetry housing every old relic from Aelfric’s life. He snatched a vial off a shelf full of liquids in varying decorative bottles, all with black tar-like stoppers. He took a moment to stare at an intricate box sitting atop a pedestal of glass in the center of the room. His insides ached as he gazed upon the evil treasure. Tearing his eyes from the box, he left the secret chamber to tend to Clair’s healing.
Clair awoke with a gasp and a disgusting taste in her mouth. she dragged her tonge along her teeth and scowled at the flavor of vomit mixed with old stale alcohol. I haven’t been drinking have I? She sat up to find herself in another strange bed. This one wasn’t as fancy as her suite, it was plain but well appointed. The soft comforter and pillows were slate grey, and the walls appeared almost black in the low light of the room. Brushed metal furniture accented the stark darkness of the decor, making the style almost industrial, but with finely curved and beautifully designed pieces of metal sculpture and abstract renderings of angst.