Her eyes fluttered open, and she shot upright, her head darting around as she took in the bed chamber.
Her heavy breaths slowed down, and she clutched the blanket.
Her momentary confusion had shifted to understanding. Just the night before…
Come to think of it, she wasn't aware of how long the trip to Lispa had taken.
Ro sighed and pushed aside the blanket. The room was dark. She cursed under her breath. She should have asked Ester or Laire for a light source before they left.
Blindly feeling around the chamber in the dark, she made her way along the walls to a curtain and drew it aside.
Moonlight filtered into the room, illuminating it in a dazzling soft glow.
How would she make her way to the garden? A lot of the hallways didn't have windows, and the lights…
"The lights," Ro whispered, shifting her gaze to the ceiling.
An assortment of small glass shards hung from the ceiling, different from the glowing stones that would be embedded into the walls and ceilings of the homes back in Erzi.
Ro made a mental note. She would ask how the lights could be turned on.
For now, if the lights could be seen through the curtains, she wouldn't risk turning it on.
Could she blindly find her way down to the garden? She had memorised the layout on her way in, but wasn't sure how she would be able to manage in the dark.
Leaving a window parted, she went to the dressing chamber. A small room where her clothes had been hung. Another strange difference.
She had requested for one of her boxes not to be tampered with. Ro went through it, feeling around in the dark till her fingers brushed a cool stone surface.
Sighing with relief, she clutched the crystal, and it sparked up with a soft blue glow that lit up her face and the immediate space around her.
'Perfect.'
She wouldn't be able to clearly see ahead of her, but it could help.
She left her quarters and nearly got lost a few times, hoping she wouldn't come across anyone along the way.
A good thing there were so few servants at least.
With slow, cautious steps, Ro treaded the carpeted halls barefoot.
She shouldn't have let her abilities dwindle to this extent. She hardly had the opportunity to use it in Erzi.
The slowly cooling air let Ro know she had almost reached her destination, and she let out a relieved sigh as she saw moonlight seeping through the windows that led to the verandah.
The doors had been a struggle to push open, but the ones leading outside required more effort.
Ro walked out onto the verandah and shuddered, hugging herself as an onslaught of cold air pricked at her skin.
She rubbed her arms, wishing she had worn something above her flimsy night gown at least. Even if it was going to get dirty.
Ro looked around. The moonlight cast disturbing shadows, especially with some taller bushes. She found a spot behind a tall, uncut bush.
It provided a safe vantage point, shielding her from the numerous windows lining the nearby walls.
She dropped the crystal, its fading glow casting long shadows across the grass, and sank to her knees.
She started digging.
Dirt got under her nails, uncomfortable, harsh, coarse, but she pressed on.
Sweat riddled her skin, parts of the nightgown clinging to her skin as she sat back to examine the horizontal pit she had created.
Her fingers were raw, aching red. Ro bit her lip and closed her eyes, stifling the pain.
When was the last time she had done this?
She lowered herself into the hollow ground and scooped the dug sand over her body, covering every single surface except her face.
She took in a shaky breath, face to the sky.
'An hour. An hour should be fine. I just hope no one finds me here.'
She closed her eyes and lay still, fully expelling the air in her lungs. Her breathing stopped.
Her heartbeat slowed, and her skin started to pulse. Low rhythmic vibrations that spread out. Grains of surrounding sand clumped to her skin, and within seconds, the surrounding soil pressed against her frame, rock solid. The earth swallowed her whole, the last trace of her face vanishing underground.
The soil shuddered once, then began to throb, as if alive.
A large shadowed frame leaned over the balcony railing on the ground floor. It stood, unmoving, as sharp amber gold eyes locked onto the breathing earth.
__________
Ro's heart roared violently in her chest, snapping her consciousness back to life. She tore at the soil. Bursts of sand exploded as her upper body shot upright.
She gulped in air with ragged breaths, the sound of her pulse thrashing in her ears.
Along with it came a disturbing cacophony.
She could hear everything.
Her breathing. The rustling of insects across the soil and plants. The low tones of the air. The harsh sway of leaves brushing against one another.
Her hands snatched up to cover her ears. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to drown out the noise.
"What are you doing?"
As if on command, every sound ceased.
Ro slowly turned towards the owner of the voice. Her heart lurched to her throat, ready to shoot out of her mouth.
She had never seen him. Neither had she heard his voice before.
But she knew it was him.
Her throat constricted as his shadow loomed over her, his sharp eyes drowning out every other object in the environment.