Chapter 599: Ashlynn’s Growing Darkness (Part One)
..."And what price did you pay to use it?"...
Nyrielle’s words pierced through the veil of gloom that clung to Ashlynn like a shroud, startling her out of the dark world she’d glimpsed and bringing her fully back to the present. Slowly, she drew a deep, shuddering breath, followed by another as she fought to get her disordered heart back under control and restore the natural flow of energy through her body.
"I, I’m fine," Ashlynn said as she slumped into Nyrielle’s embrace, allowing herself to rely completely on her lover for support. "This, this will pass," she said a moment later as fatigue washed over her. "I just need a few minutes to recollect myself."
"Should I carry you away?" Nyrielle whispered softly. "The air here isn’t fresh and nothing grows here. Dawn is hours away. I could carry you out into the forest if it would be better, or just to your terrace if that’s enough for you," she said as she turned Ashlynn around so she could gaze into her lover’s tired, haunted eyes.
"Just tell me what you need," Nyrielle said gently as she pulled a handkerchief from her dress and began to gently dab away the beads of cold sweat on Ashlynn’s brow. "You know how I hate to see you like this."
"Fresh air," Ashlynn said softly, burying her face in the soft fabric of Nyrielle’s dress and taking a deep breath of her lavender and jasmine scent. She didn’t want to admit how far she’d pushed herself and she was certain that once she recovered, Nyrielle would be cross with her, but at the moment, the thought of fresh, cool air in her lungs and the soft loam of dirt between her toes appealed far too much to reject for a moment of stubborn pride. "And growing things. But we don’t need to go far. The gardens will be fine."
Gently, moving as though Ashlynn was a delicate piece of porcelain, Nyrielle scooped her lover into her arms before shrouding them both in darkness. She swept silently through the corridors of the ancient fortress at a speed too quick for most people to observe, leaving behind only the slightest breeze to mark their passage until they arrived in a dark, quiet rooftop garden.
Of all the gardens scattered around the grounds of the ancient fortress, this one was the most private, belonging originally to Nyrielle’s mother and filled with the lavender, lilac, wisteria and primroses that had been among her mother’s favorites when she was alive. It was also the garden where Nyrielle and Ashlynn had taken their meals together, sharing fleeting tender moments until Ashlynn trusted Nyrielle enough to invite the vampire into her bed chambers and dinner moved onto Ashlynn’s terrace.
"Thank you," Ashlynn said as Nyrielle set her down next to the wooden trellis that supported a climbing wisteria. The feeling of the cool, damp night air did more good for her than she’d imagined as she took one long, steadying breath after another while running her fingers ever so lightly over the rough surface of the wisteria’s gnarled branches.