The Cave Part 26

"One night?" I asked, shocked. "It has been many weeks since I saw you in my sleep."

My dark haired interrogator looked at me closely, her eyes flicking this way and that as she continued to hold my chin in her hand, as if picking up details about me with effortless grace. And yet, a troubled look began to chase away the fire in her gaze. Whatever she was seeing in me was not lining up with some previously held assumptions. I wanted to know what these were, but held still and waited for her to finish. I was not frightened so much as bewildered myself at the situation.

"Weeks, you say?" she asked slowly, dropping her arm and letting my face go. "How strange, and yet grotesque. What can be the meaning of this? You invade my thoughts, yet you are born of my thoughts. Still you say you are not. Then you must be sent by my sister to cause harm, and yet you pretend no knowledge of her. What is the answer to this riddle?"

"That I am, who I say I am?" The slightly ironic tone in my answering question was not so intentional as it sounded, but I was a little irritated with the self centered preoccupation of this lady, and the fire flickered back into her eyes.

"You mock me?" she snapped, her whole body growing rigid with tense expectation.

"Not at all, unless you presume everything is about yourself," I replied, this time the sarcasm was fully intentional. "But can we dispense with the formalities you seem to expect, and talk like two individuals? Last time we were only here a moment. Please tell me who you are exactly. We did not get that far last time."

For a moment I thought she was going to explode in wrath at my lack of deference and presumed familiarity. This was my dream too and I suddenly did not feel like humoring her too much, daggers or not. Fire in her eyes let me know it was coming, but then just as quickly the storm broke and she laughed in an almost regretful way, as if amusement came too late for her and this would have been more welcome some time ago.

"Details are always about the queen, but you are right my lord, or whatever title you bear," she replied, lowering her eyes a moment. "I have grown too accustomed to instant obedience and silent servants. And yet, all this shall soon come to an end. Why should I not answer your questions while there is still time?"

She beckoned me then to follow her to a table, where on sat two goblets and a long fluted crystal decanter, filled with what I presumed to be wine. She sat without preamble and looked at me for a moment. Feeling myself blush, I quickly took the container and poured the ruby red liquid into her cup. Standing up for one's presumed dignity was one thing, but I felt deeply that I should have been a little quicker to show respect to a woman.

"Thank you, my lord," said she, raising the glass to her lips to drink deeply as I poured myself a measure of the wine. I wondered if I would actually taste it inside a dream. To my surprise, I thought I did, and it felt cool going down my throat. What was this place we tarried in? Slow as I was to come to rational conclusions, I realized this was not quite a dream but something else.

"My lord Cairandawyn, please sit," said she, inclining her head to the seat beside her own. You have made your terse point, and we shall not continue on ceremony. I am Queen Tytiana, last of the House of Stryad, save for my sister who wishes to wrest the crown from me, as well as my head."

I took the seat she indicated, propping my staff up against the chair. Her eyes flicked towards the staff, but she said nothing this time. I could see that she wanted a little bit more information about what I had supposedly been doing while I was gone from her dreams the night before. The connection we were making beyond time and distance, clearly out of rhythm with each other clearly intrigued us both. I gathered as much from her next line of comments.

"So my lord, we are not from the same place or time, but clearly from the same world," said she, gesturing towards the Staff of Aquinian. "Has it occurred to you yet, that maybe it is the staff that has brought us together twice for a reason?"

"I did wonder at that," said I, at the same time placing the goblet down. I did not want to look like I was overly indulgent, though the wine was indeed very good. I had missed the taste of wine in the house of Tharkin.

"For sake of speculation, let us say that we are not just imagining each other in our dreams. That is to say, let us presume we are both real people holding a conversation in some magical way for a very good reason. Tell me, my lord, what you have been doing in these weeks you spoke of. Why else are we here together if not to speak of things relevant to you?"

"As you say, your majesty, I too have thought on this and agree." I replied, before launching into a very exhaustive account of the my doings since the last visitation. More and more, the realization that we were speaking across a void for a purpose made itself felt on my mind, as the dream did not end abruptly, and I found I had enough time to bring her up to the present on everything I had done. When finished, I looked to her for comment. Throughout my narrative, she had not said a word. A few times her eyebrows raised in surprise, but that was about all. She went slightly pale a moment at the names of Tharkin and Garthax, but again said nothing.

For a moment after I was finished, she sat quietly with a very thoughtful expression on her face. No more the grave visage, but a weariness combined with reflection. The pause lasted another long moment, as she herself reached for the decanter and poured herself another glass of wine. I was amazed as I watched her drain it in one long swallow, as if she had completely given up any pretense to queenly superiority. My mouth must have hung open, because she looked at me and laughed.

"Not quite what you expected, my lord? A queen to the last, even when you speak of my death? My actions are not always lady like."

"Your what?" I asked, looking at the wry and tired grin on her face. What had just happened.

"Ah you do not yet know your history, do you my lord? Surely if you had paid a little closer attention to all that Tharkin spoke to you, you would know who I am at this point."

"Yes, your majesty, I am an ignorant imbecile," I replied. I was tired of talking at this point and did not want to play mind games. "Please just educate me. What am I missing here? I have a crisis in the goblin caves to help solve, and I don't even know what I am going to do about the crack in the floor the creature came from. I could use your help and advice."

At this point she really did laugh, a long light hearted laugh that must have been quite cathartic for her. She even wiped away a tear from her eyes, she had been so amused. I guessed now that the strain had been sitting heavily upon her, and that the cracking point was just about reached. But she surprised me by her direct response to my question now, and I was once again speechless.

"My dear lord, do you not guess that I am the one they call the Queen of Shadows? That I am the one who wars with the Queen of Flames? From your story I learn that my realm has lost control sometime in the past from your perspective, and a creature has wandered out to terrorize your goblin friends. I should not have allowed that to happen. I was born to control the chaos that lurks in the shadow, so I presume I am dead in your time. And yes, doubtless a long time, for in my present, the dragon Garthax is young and has taken a young woman as his first rider."