The Witch of Storn

Chapter 2

Rey felt the world closing in on her. Suddenly all the sheets around her were lava, burning against her skin. The very air was aflame, making it hard for her to inhale, choking her and drying up her lungs. She clutched at the sheets beneath her, so tight that she felt them rip between her nails and give way for her nails to meet skin. The pain of her nails digging into her palms restored clarity to her, and slowly she loosened her fingers.

Breathe in, slowly now Rey, and breathe out. Do it again, and again, and again.

She repeated the mantra that calmed her down whenever she was feeling overwhelmed, and it seemed to have worked. Controlling her breathing and focusing only on inhaling and exhaling, gradually things went back to normal and she could breathe freely.

Slowly, Rey. Do it slowly.

She took in a deep breath and opened her eyes, staring at the room around her. The being, the weird space, being ripped from her old life, all of it hadn't been a dream. It was very real, and Rey was starting to recognize this. She also had absolutely no clue where in the universe she was, and that being hadn't told her anything either. She vaguely recalled the being saying something about death and rebirth, but she hadn't been thinking about it at the time. Now she wished she had been paying more attention, but it was too late and there was no time to regret anything.

Rey glanced around the room. It was unlike anything she'd ever seen on Earth, and the strange names that hovered in her mind as her eyes swept past each object made her even more certain that she was not anywhere near her old life. Her eyes landed on a contraption sitting on the three-legged stool next to the bed in which she lay. It looked like a lantern, with base and case and handle, but there was no glass globe in the middle. Instead a jewel floated in the space between the top of the lantern and its base. It was clear, but deep within it there was a yellow glow that provided light to the room.

Aetherglaze. Her mind provided the word for the floating jewel instantly.

"Aetherglaze." She said it out loud, rolling the word on her tongue. It felt familiar, like she had heard it a hundred times before. But how do I know? Rey wondered. She could think of nothing else except that this new body came with some memories. Although, if this was rebirth and Rey was starting life all over again why was she not born as a baby? Why retain all her memories of her former life? Why didn't she have any memories of anything in this new world? Suddenly Rey shook. How could she have forgotten?

Helene! Rey didn't know what had happened after she had been pulled out of her body. She had been racing to deliver the ransom for Helene, and then this happened. She could only pray that the kidnappers had been keeping tabs on her, and that they found her dead or unconscious body with the money. Worry smothered her, and she almost began to hyperventilate again, but she reverted back to her mantra.

Breathe in, slowly now. Breathe out. Do it again, and again, and again.

When she was calm again, she forcefully put the matter from her mind. She was still concerned, but she could do nothing about it as she was. It was better to take stock of where she was, to acclimatize quickly so she could find her way back home quickly. Then she could worry about Helene.

She took a look at the room again, and concluded that this new body must be very wealthy. Everything in the room positively screamed opulence: the lavender four-poster bed with sheer pink curtains, the plush rug that covered the floor, the size of the room itself (it was the size of her whole apartment), the lamps placed all around the room (something told her aetherglaze was crazy expensive), the walk-in closet across the room, the wall of books opposite the windows, everything. For a moment Rey allowed a smile to meet her lips. At least, life wouldn't be too hard if this body was filthy rich, right? She had no way of knowing what lay in wait for her.

The lamp next to her bed dimmed all of a sudden, and the room was thrust into semi-darkness. There was a sliver of light peeking out through a gap in the curtained windows, so Rey got out of bed to push the curtains open. They were surprisingly heavy, and it took a few minutes before she succeeded in opening them all the way. When she was done she sank onto her knees on the floor and huffed, panting like a sprinter who had just finished a race. She pushed her hands against the soft rug to push herself back to standing, and as she did so she noticed her hands. They were soft, looking like those of a baby. Her nails were painted a dark purple and seemed well taken care of. She smiled again. Definitely a rich one.

On her feet again, Rey observed the room through new eyes. The light of the rising sun coming in from the window cast the room in a new light (literally). Looking around, Rey noticed a full-length mirror next to the closet, and she made her way to it. Finally standing in front of the mirror, sinking her feet into the comfy carpet, Rey gazed at her new self in the mirror. Nothing was as she had expected it to be. She had been thinking that she would retain her old features but by the looks of it that was incorrect. This person-that's me now, Rey corrected herself - was much better looking than she’d been on Earth. Maybe it was the money; people always said that money made people more beautiful. She raised a slender hand to her face, stroking it gently.

Damn, I look good.

She examined her face again, taking in the details this time. Long braided midnight blue hair framed a small oval face, from which dark gray eyes blinked, slightly turned up at their corners. A snub nose and pouty pink lips rounded off the face, each feature combining to create a visage that was far more memorable than her previous brown haired and brown eyed look.

Just then, a knock sounded and the door was pushed open. A tall, slightly older girl poked her head into the room, looking at the bed. Seeing no one there, her eyes roamed the room wildly. Finally they stopped on Rey, who was looking over her shoulder at the intruder. The other girl stepped into the room and curtsied to Rey, who just kept on staring. Silence prevailed and soon the girl's eyebrows scrunched together. She looked like she had something to say, but she kept glancing at Rey and the floor alternately. On the other hand, Rey was panicking internally.

Who's she? Am I supposed to know who she is? She curtsied, so she should be a maid, right? What do I say?

The other girl quickly solved the problem by speaking up.

"Ah, um, Lady Rhaenar-"

Rey raised an eyebrow at that. Rey. Rhaenar. Someone was clearly not being creative. Noting her eyebrow the girl faltered, but Rey nodded at her.

"-Um, yes...so, um-"would she just say it already?! "-you're supposed to be getting ready, Miss. Shall I draw a bath for you?"

"Ready? For what?" Rey wondered if the girl had heard the slight panic in her voice. It seemed she hadn't, or rather; she was busy being flabbergasted at the seemingly innocent question.

"Lady Rhaenar! You couldn't have forgotten, have you?"She searched Rey's face, but what she saw there must have been enough to convince her to explain further.

"The trial? Today's the date of the trial!"

Rey nodded, doing her best impression of someone finally remembering a forgotten fact. The girl seemed to buy it, and asked again about a bath. Rey accepted and the girl walked briskly past Rey to the mirror. Rey watched her with interest, swallowing the gasp that sprang up when the girl pushed aside a curtain beside the mirror, revealing a door. Rey looked on as she pushed the door open, light appearing in the bathroom as the maid stepped into it. It must have been one of those -- aetherglaze lamps. In a few moments the girl had flipped some switches and turned some knobs and soon steam wafted out of the bathroom, inviting Rey in. The girl stepped out of the bathroom, clothes slightly wetter, with a towel -where did she get that? - which she presented to Rey. Slightly uneasy with the girl's servile manner, Rey took the towel and stepped towards the bathroom. Then she stopped, looking over her shoulder at the maid close behind her.

There was quiet for a moment, the girl shifting her weight to another foot under Rey's gaze, before Rey broke the silence.

"Yes?"

The girl's face squeezed together.

"I don't...understand...?" She tilted her head a bit.

"Why are you following me?" Rey demanded, regretting her somewhat harsh tone when the girl flinched.

"To help you with your bath...?"

Clearly Rey was being the unreasonable one, if the confusion on the girl's face was an indicator. Common sense told Rey to just accept and cease doing anything that was obviously out of the ordinary, but the thought of letting someone else assist her with a bath made Rey's stomach turn. She would rather not, thank you very much.

"I'll bathe myself. You can pick out my clothes while I have my bath."

Without waiting for a response Rey marched into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her immediately she entered it. Stepping out of her clothes, she turned to the bathtub. Then she stared. It was all she could do.

Is it too late to ask that maid for help?

******

Slightly wet and wrapped in a criminally fluffy towel, Rey stepped out of the bathroom, dripping onto the carpet. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw the maid frown at the carpet. Rey was too elated to care. After a few minutes of cluelessness and stumbling, she'd finally remembered how to work the dials and buttons attached to the bathtub. Well, not really, it was more the case that she'd done all of it instinctively. It was as if Rhaenar had taken over and done it, even though Rey was in full control. She mulled over the issue as she stepped into the undergarments laid out on a low recliner inside the closet (it seemed this world wasn't that ancient after all, they had bras - somewhat primitive and little shorts for bottoms that looked like a cross between panties and bloomers). The bath had gone well enough, even though it was a little clumsy. She supposed Rhaenar hadn't done much bathing on her own. It was frustrating though. The things she wanted to know were unavailable, leaving her with miserable scraps and pieces. Like the maid! What was her name? It didn't seem like Rhaenar was such a spoilt brat that she was ignorant of the name of her personal maid. Shrugging the matter off, Rey took a black, satiny shift from the girl and shimmied into it, looking at the girl when she finished. There was more, surely?

The girl stepped forward with a dress over her arm, holding it out for Rey to take. It was dark green, heavy and high-collared, and Rey hated it on sight. She reeled from the force of the feeling, making the maid panic, asking her what was wrong. Rey shook her head, lifting a hand to her head, and letting the maid help her to sit on the recliner. The other girl hovered over Rey as she caught her breath. A minute later she felt better, and she stood again, waving the maid away when she asked if Rey was fine. Ignoring the girl, Rey thought back to a few moments ago. Sure, she disliked the sight of it, it looked hideous to her, but she didn't hate it. It felt like she did though and she wondered if that was Rhaenar's sentiment on the dress.

There's no time for this, she said to herself and turned to the maid.

"Not that one...hmm..."

Rey looked around the closet, paying no attention to the protesting girl.

That one? No, too puffy.

"Miss! It's your uniform! You have to wear it!"

Hmm...that one? Ugh, too pink.

"Miss! It won't help your case if you don't show up in it!"

I have a case? Wait a second, that's it!

"Miss! Are you ignoring me?!"

Rey rolled her eyes at the girl with a small smile on her lips.

"Duh, obviously. And I'm not wearing that monstrosity."

She pointed and the girl's eyes followed her finger.

"That's what I'm wearing."

******

High above Rey, far, far, far above her, a certain being was cowering and kowtowing on the ground. This space was similar to the one Rey had seen in her short time there, but this was much, much bigger. The throne was a real throne this time. And on it sat He, a being far above Rey’s being in stature and presence. He stared with indifferent eyes and a thin smile as Rey's being bowed and scraped and almost licked His feet. After a few more moments of bowing and pleading, His eyes grew more bored, if that was possible. He raised the scepter in his hand, and somehow from his head-to-floor position the other sensed it and shut up.

"So," He started, and the being shook. "What did you do?"

The being shook even more. But he answered as fast as he could, afraid to keep Him waiting.

"I-I made a mistake, Your Gloriousness..."They quivered, wetting their lips with their tongue.

He raised a brow, lazily.

"And?"

By now the being was vibrating, hands thudding dully on the floor.

"...I sent a soul into its past life."

The smile on His face disappeared, much like the being's had with Rey, and the being made themself as small as they could.