Ensnared

[Stoat]

TWO

He knocked lightly on the door. This was the hard part. He desperately wanted to run now. Run away and never return. Then he heard movement on the other side of the door. His decision had been made for him. He pulled himself upright, smoothing the military uniform he wore as the door slowly opened. An old, withered man stood before him now.

"Jeske." His father's face was bathed in the warm, soft glow of the hallway light. "You'd best come in."

His father stepped back from the doorway, allowing Jeske entry to the house. The man that had beaten him, the man that had always seemed so big, so strong, was now no more than a withered husk. The ten years Jeske had been in the military had not been kind to his father. Jeske brushed past, seemingly in denial of the presence of the man that had shaped so much of his life.

"Where is Mother?" Jeske demanded imperiously, without so much as a glance at his father

"She is upstairs, son. But she is not well. Be gentle with her."

"Gentle?!" Jeske roared, turning on his father. "What would you know of gentle? Should I remind you of your version of gentleness, father? Should I break your bones like you did mine? Should I make you bleed like you did me?"

Jeske's father cowered back, terror painted across his face. Tears rolled down his cheeks, and he brought his arms up to protect himself. That single movement brought Jeske back from the edge of the rage he felt. He remembered himself, only a few hours earlier, fending off the apparition of his mother in exactly the same way. He turned on his heel, and climbed the stairs. He gathered himself as he approached the door behind which he knew his mother would be. Knocking gently, he turned the handle, and eased the door open. Anja Vardogr sat in a plush chair, facing the door Jeske entered through. She was smiling gently, her ice blue eyes radiating an almost unearthly knowledge. Jeske always felt vulnerable in her presence, and today was no exception.

"Jeske, I knew you'd come. I have been waiting for you, my son. Come, give your mother a hug." Her smile broadened as she stood, and Jeske felt drawn to do as she bade. Caution screamed through his very being, but his mothers eyes transfixed him. He walked awkwardly forward to his mother and hugged her. An odd mix of elation and terror flooded him at her touch, and as he held her. Close physical contact had been rare during his childhood. It was something he had never found easy to accept. As she released him, she gestured to the sofa at the far end of the room.

"Come Jeske. Sit with me here. There is something I need you to know. Something I need you to take with you." She led him to the sofa, and they sat, facing each other. Jeske was again mesmerised by his mothers eyes. They had never seemed so captivating before. Her voiced washed over and through him. He was, he realised, powerless to resist. He saw his mothers lips moving, but was unable to focus on the words. Only snippets registered, and they seemed more like images than words. ".......... *Light*........... *propagate*........... *refuge*.......... *collective*........ *host*...."

That one final image, or feeling, or word touched something in Jeske. He jerked back, trying to pull away from his mother. Looking at her, there was a distinct lavender glow in her eyes. Those eyes.......... he felt himself beginning to be drawn in again. His mothers arms reached out, and she took his head in her hands, drawing him close. As her lips brushed his ear, she whispered "My son, it is time for you to join us. We are ready for you, as you are ready for us. You may not know it yet, but this is what you were born for. Soon, Jeske, all will become clear."

She drew her head back slightly, until they were nose to nose. A slight tilt of her head, and their lips met. Jeske shook as he desperately tried to break the hold she had on him. He felt her lips parting slightly, and something brushed gently against his lips. Revulsion blossomed as tendrils pushed past his lips and into his mouth. They moved deeper, down into his throat as something larger started to force its way into his mouth. He started to choke then, as the thing blocked his windpipe. Panic had him fully in its grip now, as black spots ate into his vision. Choking, yet unable to do anything to stop it, the last thing he saw as darkness descended was the benign, smiling face of the woman he had thought was his mother.

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