Rojuun
Page 50
Chapter 32
When the footsteps moved away, Liselle opened her eyes. Insect-like wings hung loosely down the creature’s hunched back. There were four sets of arms like the Rojuun, but the lower two were misshapen and deformed as though they had never fully developed.
Tears flowed from Liselle’s eyes as she began shaking in terror. She couldn’t help the sobs that broke from her chest. Liselle desperately hoped it wouldn’t hear her and come back. She caught her breath and tried to focus. Her robe was dirty from webbing, slime and dirt. The sleeves were hanging down, leaving her arms exposed. An acrid odor clogged her nostrils. Heavy silence was broken by the crackling of a fire.
The unnatural fire sent shivers down her body. When Liselle noticed the tools of torture, she began to sob again.
She wished that she hadn’t gone with the party into the cavern. She wished that she had never even heard of Rojuun. At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to be in her own bed back in the valley with her mother running fingers through her hair.
Liselle calmed down and stopped sobbing. What she really wanted was for Vevin to come and rescue her. He would run his fingers through her hair and kiss her cheek, earlobe and lips. Liselle remembered the web the malformed creature had cast and how Vevin had screamed. Fear shot up her spine and she began sobbing again.
She wanted to be strong, but it was so dark and frightening. The tools on the wall looked cruel and she knew that diseased monster wanted to cut into her with them. Liselle felt them eagerly reaching out for her, wanting her skin. She sobbed again and gasped for air. Her body was weak. There were no plants anywhere and the evil mist that he had cast into her face had sapped all of her strength. Liselle felt the room spinning and dizziness overtaking her. Desperately, she tried to focus her mind, but darkness overwhelmed her.
***
Liselle felt a tug in her hair. She didn’t wake, instead entering what felt like a dream. A purple flower, which looked a lot like the flower pin she wore, formed in her mind. It let her know that it would tell her what to do when the time was right. The flower told her that she must do it, no matter how frightened she would be. Liselle mentally agreed before darkness beset her again.