Energy - Awakening

by MJ Schutte

  ‘Are you alright my love?’ he asked.

  She nodded and buried her face in his neck.

  Brighton looked at Carmen again.

  ‘She gave her life for us,’ he said.

  Adri came a little closer, keeping an eye on Mischief.

  ‘Is there anything you need Mast…uh…Brighton,’ she asked.

  ‘Help us up please,’ he said.

  Adri helped Lilian up and then Brighton.

  ‘Where is the nearest bed?’ he asked.

  ‘Master Seth’s room,’ Adri replied.

  ‘Take us there.’

  Brighton had to lean a little on Lilian as they followed Adri.

  When they got to the room, they sat down on the bed. Brighton didn’t even notice the size or exquisite decorations.

  ‘Adri, would you mind bringing us some food and water?’

  Adri ran out without a word. She was back in a flash, a tray with all kinds of food and drink in her hands.

  ‘Thank you,’ Lilian managed.

  Her throat was raw from crying. She offered Brighton some bread and meat. He eagerly took it and began eating. With every bite he felt better.

  Lilian also ate a little. Adri hovered close by in case they needed something else. Mischief sat next to the bed.

  ‘Perhaps we should sleep for a while, regain some strength,’ Lilian suggested.

  Brighton smiled at her.

  ‘You’re just trying to get me out of my pants,’ he teased tiredly.

  Lilian playfully punched him on the arm.

  ‘I thought I lost you again,’ she said seriously.

  ‘And I thought the same of you,’ he replied.

  They lay down on the bed, Lilian cradled in Brighton’s strong arms.

  They were both instantly asleep.

  Chapter 13

  BRIGHTON SLOWLY WOKE up. He didn’t know if it was day or night. It took a few moments for him to realize where he was. His eyes snapped fully open.

  ‘Lily?’ he said, looking next to him.

  ‘Yes my love,’ her voice came from the other side of the room.

  She was standing at a table pouring juice into cups, her back towards him.

  ‘I thought you might like some breakfast in bed,’ she said.

  Brighton watched her back. She was wearing a long white nightgown. It had thin straps going over the shoulders; the back was open almost down to her bottom. Her long hair was neatly tied up with a pink ribbon.

  She came towards the bed carrying a cup and a plate. The front of the nightgown was in a V-shape and cut very low, well below her breasts. With the light behind her, he could clearly see the shape of her body through the gown.

  She reached the bed holding out the cup and plate.

  ‘Lemon juice, fruit and bread,’ she said with a smile.

  Brighton sat up and put his feet on the ground. Instead of taking the plate or cup his arm snaked around her. He pulled her close to him. Softly he stroked her naked back.

  She held the cup and plate high, out of the way. Brighton laid his head between her breasts. He could hear her shallow breathing and the quick beating of her heart.

  ‘Someone is coming,’ he said pulling away from Lilian.

  ‘Probably Adri, she is preparing a bath for you,’ Lilian said. ‘Did you sense her?’

  ‘No, I can hear footsteps. I’m not using my sense at the moment,’ Brighton replied.

  Lilian cocked her head and listened. She also heard footsteps but very faintly.

  ‘You’re right, I can’t feel you using your sense. Is it gone?’ she asked.

  ‘No, I can control it now,’ Brighton replied as he took the plate and juice from her.

  ‘Thank you,’ he said smiling at her.

  ‘Tomorrow morning I want breakfast in bed,’ she teased as she sat down on the bed next to him.

  ‘Yes, my queen,’ he said between mouthfuls of bread and fruit.

  Adri knocked and entered the room. She was carrying a bucket of water.

  ‘Mas…I mean Brighton, it’s good to see you awake. I’ll have your bath ready in a moment. It’s not too hot. I hope it will be to your satisfaction. I can get more water if…’

  ‘ADRI!’ Lilian and Brighton said together.

  ‘It will be fine,’ Brighton said. ‘Now please give us some privacy.’

  Adri nodded and walked to the bath in the far corner of the room. She emptied the bucket and left without another word.

  ‘She is very eager to please,’ Brighton observed.

  ‘All the serving girls are. They were punished for even the smallest transgression. Sometimes the Supremes would hurt them just for fun,’ Lilian said bitterly.

  ‘That’s wrong!’ Brighton said heatedly.

  ‘Yes, I know,’ Lilian said. ‘That’s why I always tried to be kind to them. I think I’m the only one in this place that knows the serving girls’ names.’

  Brighton got up and walked over to the bath. He looked back at Lilian.

  ‘Would you mind if I bathed quickly?’ he asked.

  ‘Not at all,’ she said, folding her legs.

  She put her elbow on her knee and rested her chin in her palm.

  Brighton looked uncomfortable.

  ‘Don’t you have something to do?’ he asked her.

  ‘No,’ she said with a smile.

  ‘Can you at least turn around then please?’ he pleaded.

  ‘No,’ she said again, her smile widening.

  Brighton sighed and turned his back towards her. He started taking off his clothes.

  Looking over his shoulder, he said to her, ‘You’re staring at me. It’s making me uncomfortable.’

  Not taking her eyes off him she said, ‘I told you before, don’t be embarrassed. Besides, I’ve seen you almost naked and I’ve been naked in front of you.’

  Brighton quickly climbed in the bath.

  ‘That’s not entirely true,’ he said. ‘You kept that panty thing on last time.’

  Lilian thought about it for a moment.

  ‘Yes, I suppose that’s true,’ she agreed.

  She got up and walked towards the bath. As she walked, she slipped the thin straps of her nightgown off her shoulders and let it fall to the ground. She stood next to the bath and slowly removed her underwear.

  ‘There, now we’re both naked,’ she said.

  She swung her legs over the edge of the bath and climbed in.

  Brighton was speechless.

  Lilian reached for the soap.

  ‘Let me help you,’ she said.

  They both stood up and Lilian started soaping his muscular body.

  ‘Sit down and rinse off,’ she said softly, struggling to control her breathing.

  Brighton rinsed the soap off and said, ‘Your turn.’

  He imitated what she had done a moment earlier. His hands were gliding over her soft skin. Her legs were so lame they could hardly hold her up. His touch was exquisite.

  Brighton finished the soaping. She turned around and sat with her back towards him.

  ‘Wash my hair please,’ she asked breathlessly.

  He sat down and started washing her long blond curls. His hands were trembling. Although her hair was long, he finished very quickly.

  Brighton climbed out of the bath, turned around and picked Lilian up. He carried her to the bed. They were messing water everywhere but didn’t care, they were only aware of each other.

  Gently Brighton put Lilian down on the bed. He straightened up and looked at her wet, naked body on the white sheets.

  ‘You’re beautiful,’ he whispered.

  Lilian reached over and grabbed his arm.

  ‘Tell me later,’ she breathed and pulled him onto the bed with her.

  Late in the afternoon when they were both exhausted, Lilian covered them with a sheet and called for Adri.

  She entered immediately.

  Brighton frowned.

  ‘Were you standing there the whole day?’ he asked.

  ‘Ye…um
…No, I just got here,’ Adri answered trying to hide her smile.

  Lilian sat up clutching the sheet to her chest.

  ‘Would you mind getting us something to eat and drink,’ she asked Adri.

  ‘Certainly Miss Lilian,’ Adri answered.

  She turned and with a big grin on her face muttered, ‘Sounds like you need it.’

  ‘Adri!’ Brighton called her back.

  ‘Yes, Brighton?’

  ‘Could you do me another favour please? Bring my things from the guest room,’ he asked.

  ‘I will do that right after I fetch you some food and drink,’ she replied and rushed off.

  Lilian turned to face Brighton.

  ‘Do you think Adri knows?’ he asked.

  ‘I think all of Zedonia knows. I can’t stay quiet when you do that to me,’ she said giggling a little.

  Brighton replied by snaking his hand under the blanket onto her leg. Lilian’s breathing quickened again when Brighton’s hand moved higher.

  ‘Let’s see if you can stay quiet,’ he said teasingly.

  Adri pushed the door open with her back and entered carrying a tray full of food and juice. Brighton did not remove his hand from Lilian’s leg, he slid it even higher.

  ‘Brighton,’ Lilian whispered urgently.

  ‘Yes?’ he whispered back innocently.

  Adri approached the bed but Lilian stopped her.

  ‘Just put it on the table, thank you. We will get it there,’ she said trying hard to control her voice.

  It didn’t quite work. Adri grinned from ear to ear and nodded. She put the tray down and walked to the door.

  As she was about to leave she turned and said, ‘I will bring Brighton’s things later; much, much later.’

  Lilian just nodded not trusting her voice. As soon as the door closed, she let the sheet drop and flopped back. Brighton pulled the sheet off her completely and gently stroked her body.

  ‘Enough teasing,’ Lilian breathed and pulled him down to her.

  They fell asleep in each other’s arms late that night.

  When they woke up, there was fresh food and juice on the table. Brighton’s things were also on the table. He got up and brought the tray to the bed. They ate giggling and teasing each other. As soon as breakfast was done, they got dressed. Brighton thought they should get some fresh air for a change.

  Lilian opened the door. Another serving girl, Michaela, was standing with her back towards them. She was also about sixteen years old like Adri but a bit taller. She jumped around and dropped her head.

  ‘Good morning Miss Lilian, Master Brighton. Is there anything I can do for you?’ she said, her voice trembling.

  Brighton sighed.

  ‘Not the Master thing again,’ he said.

  He put his hand under Michaela’s chin and lifted her head so that he could look into her eyes.

  ‘My name is Brighton, please call me that,’ he said with a smile.

  ‘Yes, Master Brighton,’ she replied through trembling lips.

  The young girl was close to tears.

  ‘No. Brighton, not Master, just Brighton,’ he said to her in a soft voice.

  She just stood staring at him, eyes wide. Lilian touched her shoulder.

  ‘Michaela, it’s alright, he won’t harm you,’ she soothed the frightened girl.

  Michaela looked at Lilian with big eyes.

  ‘But he killed Supreme Amber, Supreme Theresa and a lot of Dark Ones,’ she said, tears welling up in her eyes.

  ‘Some people say he is going to kill all of us,’ she sobbed. ‘They call him “The White Demon”.’

  Brighton put his hands on his hips.

  ‘Ridiculous,’ he whispered.

  Lilian spoke to the girl again.

  ‘Michaela, how many people are left here? I thought everybody ran away?’ she asked.

  Michaela answered through her tears.

  ‘Only some of the servants are left. And two cooks. All the Dark Ones and Supremes fled. There is also a black demon roaming the halls.’

  ‘Supremes?’ Brighton asked, alarmed.

  He thought they were all dead.

  ‘Weren’t they all killed?’ he asked Michaela.

  She shook her head, too afraid to speak to him.

  ‘Well, who is left? I killed Amber and Theresa. Mischief got Seth. That leaves Raina, Michael, Lauryn and Richard. Did all four of them escape?’

  Michaela shook her head again.

  ‘The black demon ripped Supreme Lauryn’s head off and tore Supreme Michael apart. The demon also killed another eight Dark Ones. There was nothing they could do to stop it. Supreme Raina and Supreme Richard fled. Nobody has seen them since.’

  Brighton started walking towards the dining room. Lilian followed and gestured for Michaela to do the same. They found an empty hall. There were no bodies on the floor, everything was clean. Brighton was confused but Lilian understood instantly what happened.

  ‘Everything always had to be spotless. That was one of the rules the Supremes made. The servants must have cleaned this up.’

  She looked at Michaela who nodded a confirmation.

  Brighton paced up and down, thinking hard.

  Lilian sat down on a chair. She told Michaela to do the same but the girl refused.

  ‘Servants are not allowed to sit,’ the girl said.

  ‘You’re not a servant anymore,’ Lilian told her but still Michaela refused to sit down.

  ‘I promised Evangeline,’ Brighton muttered to himself as he continued pacing.

  ‘Did you say something?’ Lilian asked.

  He didn’t hear her.

  ‘I have to do it, I promised,’ he muttered again.

  He stopped and faced Michaela.

  ‘Gather everyone. Bring them here please.’ he said.

  He concentrated for a moment.

  ‘They are that way,’ he said pointing down the passageway leading to the servants’ quarters. ‘Twenty-two people in total’.

  Michaela rushed off instantly. Lilian got up and walked to Brighton.

  ‘What are you planning?’ she asked.

  ‘I made Evangeline a promise and I intend to keep it,’ he answered.

  ‘The Supremes’ mother? Did you speak to her?’ Lilian asked carefully.

  ‘Yes. You were dead for a while, didn’t you meet her?’ Brighton replied.

  ‘Briefly, we didn’t speak,’ Lilian lied.

  She didn’t want to tell Brighton what Evangeline said to her, it was far too disturbing.

  Slowly people started entering the dining hall, mostly young girls. Fear showed on every face.

  When it looked like everybody was there Brighton climbed up on the table. He spread his arms and started talking to them. Cries of panic came from the small crowd, some falling down on their knees crying.

  Brighton shot a confused look at Lilian. She gestured he should drop his arms. Brighton realized that’s how the Supremes used to establish an energy link. He quickly dropped his arms and started talking again. The crowd instantly went silent.

  ‘Listen to me. I am not here to harm any of you. I am sorry for the events that took place in this hall. It was unavoidable. The reign of the Supremes is over. Most of them are dead, only two survived.’

  Silence greeted him. Lilian realized that the servants would not dare ask questions. She asked instead.

  ‘Who will rule in their place?’

  Brighton thought for a moment.

  ‘We will form a council with representatives from every city and town. This council will not rule but rather serve the people. The people will choose the members of the council.’

  He looked at Lilian to see what she thought of the idea. She nodded her agreement.

  ‘What about the remaining two Supremes and the Dark Ones?’ a small voice came from the crowd.

  It was Adri.

  ‘I will track them down. They will agree to this,’ Brighton answered.

  Adri spoke again.

  ‘And if the
y don’t?’

  Shouts came from the small crowd.

  ‘He’s a demon, he’s going to kill us all,’ one voice rose up.

  Brighton quickly lifted a hand. Silence fell immediately.

  ‘I am not a demon. I am a person just like you. I am not going to harm any of you. If the Dark Ones do not agree with my idea I will persuade them.’

  He thought it better to say this than to share his real plan with them. The two remaining Supremes were going to die, he promised Evangeline. If the Dark Ones agree with the idea of a council elected by the people he will let them live.

  ‘Go and spread the news that the Supremes’ rule has ended. Tell everybody you come across that I will address the people of Zedonia tomorrow at noon in the centre of town. This is your task now; nobody is to stay behind in these caves. Nobody will ever live here again,’ Brighton finished.

  Brighton got off the table. Wondering if Mischief was still around, he used his sense. He recognized the cat’s energy just outside the caves. He also picked up something else. There was still one more person in the servant’s quarters.

  ‘Michaela,’ he called.

  The young girl rushed to his side.

  ‘Yes, Master Brighton?’

  ‘There is someone in the servant’s quarters. Why didn’t you bring everyone?’ he asked, trying not to scare her.

  Michaela looked confused.

  ‘Everyone came. The only person left there is Robert,’ she answered.

  ‘Who is that and why did he not come here?’ Brighton asked.

  Lilian answered.

  ‘I clean forgot about him. Robert is the Supremes’ father. They kept him locked up in a room just past the servant’s quarters.’

  ‘Why?’ Brighton asked.

  ‘Seth is…was a very cruel man. He killed Evangeline in front of Robert and then locked him up. They forced him to steal energy from the servants to stay alive,’ Lilian answered.

  ‘How do they force him? Why doesn’t he just refuse? Eventually he will die,’ Brighton asked.

  Michaela answered. She was growing more confident around Brighton.

  ‘They take one of us to Robert. If he refuses to steal our energy, they kill the girl. They bring another; if he still refuses, they kill her too. Robert doesn’t take all our energy, only a little. As long as he keeps doing that, we stay alive. We sometimes sit outside his door and beg him not to refuse the Supremes.’