Making sure she kept to the narrow winding track that dissected through the woods and fields of neighbouring villages, Liana stopped for just a few minutes. Spotting a fallen log near the side of her route she thought it a good a place as any to rest up. Taking her small water container, she uncorked the top and took just a few sips to wet her mouth, before taking in a much larger amount and gulping it down. Knowing the water needed to be rationed, at least until she had a chance to refill it, Liana ensured the cork was pushed in tightly and re-tied it back to the string around her waist.
After just a few minutes Liana jumped down from the log and headed off once more, passing by another track that linked into the one she was travelling on. She thought for a moment about which village it might lead to, but then decided she would probably never find out, and in truth, she didn’t really care. Each step she took was a step closer to her future, as to whether that was down to her being selected by the Dark Elves or her heading off somewhere else, she guessed only time would tell.
“Oh! Hold up”, came a voice from behind her. Liana jumped, startled at first, before she glanced over her shoulder to see who was shouting.
“Wait for me!” the stranger shouted again, breathing hard trying to catch her up. While Liana had no idea who the person was, the fact he was heading the same way as her and looked about the right age suggested he might also be heading to Sarton. After a few doubts as to whether she should stop or not, Liana’s curiosity got the better of her, and she came to a halt.
The young man ran up to her, “Thanks! You walk so fast,” he said with a smile.
Liana just nodded still wondering what the stranger wanted.
“Hi, I’m Ari,” he said offering his hand out as a gesture of greeting.
“Liana,” she replied taking the offer.
Ari was quite tall and thin, although that could be said for most humans as they had so little to eat. He had a greenish tint to his eyes, high, well-defined cheekbones and brown hair that was swept over to one side to keep it off his face.
“Are you off to Sarton for the reaping?” Ari asked her.
Liana just nodded, lost somewhat in thought as to whether she thought Ari good looking or not.
“Are you off to the reaping?” Ari asked again.
“Oh, Sorry. Yes,” Liana quickly replied snapping herself out of her dreamy state.
“Mind if I travel with you?” Ari asked. “I’m from Berkton, just over there,” he added pointing back to where the track had been joined by another.
Although Liana had heard of Berkton before she admitted it was not a place she had ever been too.
“I’m from Tepton, and yes, of course, you can join me. I’d be glad of a little company,” she said eventually replying to his question. Ari explained that like her, he had heard of Tepton but had never been there, although did mention he had been to Sarton before.
“My Father took me there once when I was a child. Apparently, some mix up with our village quota not being met,” Ari said gesturing they should continue walking.
Although Liana didn’t say much, she felt content in letting Ari do most of the talking. Having company on the trip was nice, especially when with someone with whom she felt an almost instant connection. Liana wasn’t sure why she said it or why the thought was even in her head, but she did.
“Do you ever think about being free from the Dark Elves?” she asked without even considering the consequences those words might have. Such talk was outlawed, and Ari had a duty to report her to the authorities for expressing such rebellious thoughts. Realising what she had done, Liana put her hand up to her mouth and stopped.
Ari also stopped and turned his head slowly to look at her. Liana gazed at him, her hand still over her mouth trying to judge what he was thinking. What a stupid thing for her to have said, she realised that now. She barely knew this boy, and for her foolishness, he might be the type to hand her in. However, as if noticing the look of horror and uncertainty on her face, Ari smiled.
“Don’t worry, I won't say anything,” he said putting her mind at rest.
“I didn’t mean what I said,” Liana added although she was quite sure Ari didn’t believe her.
“Oh, that’s a shame. I sometimes think there is more to life than serving the Dark Elves,” Ari then said with another of those heart-warming smiles, before setting off again.
“Really?” Liana said knowing she was in the clear. Moreover, she had found someone who thought like she did. With a renewed spring in her step, she caught up with Ari and linked her arm in his, this was evidently a boy she wouldn’t mind getting to know a little better.
As the two walked and talked, always mindful they did so quietly in case of anybody else using the same route might overhear their treasonous conversation, the miles seem to pass quickly. The sun dropped lower in the sky, and it was Liana who spotted the town of Sarton just ahead of them.
“We best keep our opinions to ourselves from now on,” Ari said, just reaffirming what she was already thinking.
“Agreed,” Liana replied with a smile, but still keen to keep her own arm linked with his.
As they neared Sarton, the track became wider and much more travelled. Liana thought this place was no different from her home, as so many deflated, down-trodden faces passed her by as she and Ari walked into the town. It seemed most of the buildings around the outskirts of the settlement were ramshackle timber houses, not much different to those in Tepton. Small and rather pathetic looking, Liana realised this place was no better than the one she had left, which only added fuel to the fire of those rebellious thoughts she was feeling.
“We need to register over at the town hall,” Ari said pointing over to a side street leading off to their right.
Liana just nodded and let herself be guided by the young man at her side, thankful in some small way he knew where he was going and ultimately making her own life much easier.
Nearer the centre of the settlement, Liana saw the first of four stone-built buildings. Much taller and larger than the houses she had seen a little earlier, they were clearly there to make a statement. Although she wondered if the Dark Elves had built them or whether they had merely used human slaves to do it for them. Surely if the latter were true, it begged to question why the human race did not stand up to their oppressors. Humans were evidently not the sub-race they were perceived to be, and capable of much greater things when allowed to do so.
Liana felt a nudge in her side, as Ari was trying to draw her attention to something.
“Over there!” he whispered, indicating with his eyes for her to look to their right. Liana, being as subtle as she could be, glanced to where Ari was indicating and fixated her gaze on what she saw. Standing beside the doorway of one of the stone buildings were two Dark Elves. Liana had never seen one before, and although shocked at their appearance felt somewhat underwhelmed that this race dominated her own.
With a dark, almost grey appearance to their skin, and ears that seemed to go up to a point at the top, they were surprisingly much smaller than she had ever imagined. Being the dominant race, she had always assumed them to be large, muscular beings, but the two here were in fact no different in size to most of the humans that trudged around the town.
“Psst! Stop staring!” Ari said nudging her again.
Liana quickly looked away, realising that was precisely what she was doing, and not wanting to attract trouble returned her gaze forward in the direction they were going.
Ari pointed up to a sign above a door, “Here we are,” he said. Liana looked up wondering how he could possibly have known this was the place they needed to be just by looking at the letters; Could he read? While Liana knew of letters and numbers, she had no idea how to make sense of them. Neither of her parents, at least as far as she was aware of, knew either, in fact now she thought about it, she wasn’t sure anybody in her village did either. Deciding it was probably one of those questions best left for later and one she should ask away from prying eyes and
ears, she duly followed Ari in through the doorway.
Inside what was a dimly lit room sat a man wearing what Liana deemed to be strange clothes. Standing just behind him were two men, both with sticks hanging at their waist, which Liana instantly assumed were for beating people with. Seeing these men only confirmed to her that although the Dark Elves were the ones in control, it seemed they still used humans to do pretty much everything.
“Name?” came a short, sharp question from the man sitting down. Noticing Liana had her thoughts elsewhere, Ari decided to step forward.
“Ari,” he replied.
“Arm!” came the next word. “Show me your arm, boy!” the man snapped.
Ari nodded and turned his arm over so the man could see the symbol and number permanently printed on it.
“Next!”
Ari had to give Liana another nudge, noticing she seemed to be staring at one of the two men standing behind.
Registration had taken no more than five minutes and with that sorted both now had to wait until the reaping tomorrow morning. In the meantime, they were free to roam at their leisure and Ari suggested they have a look around to try and find a good place to sleep. Being away from home, any youngster who attended the reaping had to make do without a roof over their heads or a bed to sleep in. While this was the same for all, it still meant having to be out at night in a strange place, and Liana felt thankful she had been fortunate enough to have bumped into Ari while on route.
Casting her eyes around as they walked, Liana kept a firm grip on Ari’s arm. Not only did he seem to know where he was going, but she felt safer in the knowledge he was at her side. Although Liana had to admit they were still strangers, she felt they did share a common bond and had formed an instant rapport with each other. As they passed by the two Dark Elves, Liana could not resist but to cast her gaze their direction once more, but quickly turned away when one of them caught her doing so. Ari led them between two buildings to an open area within the town to where the well was located and suggested they fill their bottles while they had the chance to do so.
As the sun dropped lower in the sky and darkness eventually took hold, Ari and Liana found a good spot just a short walk away from the well. Comfortably inside the town’s boundaries, it gave them cover on two sides from the cooler night breeze, although it soon appeared they were not the only ones sleeping out in the open as Liana spotted a couple of other younger people roaming about. Whether these were just homeless or were in Sarton for the reaping was anybody’s guess. Using Ari’s arm as her pillow, she curled up beside him, closed her eyes and drifted off into a restless sleep.
Chapter 3.
It was not yet light, but both Ari and Liana were awake. The sound of some kind of wagon passing just a short distance from where they had settled down had made enough noise to wake the dead. Although on seeing it, Liana for one was quite intrigued as to its purpose and what it was doing in Sarton. Although somewhat reluctantly, Ari agreed they should get up and take a closer look; It was either that or have Liana poking him in the ribs for the next ten minutes.
In the half-light of that time in the morning when it appeared to be neither day nor night, the two discreetly moved in for a closer look. The wagon was box-shaped and pulled by two horses, creatures that Liana had only seen a couple of times before. However, as interesting and rare as that sight might have been, that is not what caught their interest. Beside the wagon were two other riders, both Dark Elves and riding the oddest looking creatures Liana had ever seen.
“What are they?” she asked in a whisper.
“I have no idea,” Ari replied instantly knowing to which beasts she was referring.
A little smaller than a horse, they appeared more cat-like in shape, with shorter legs although evidently more than capable of carrying a passenger on their backs. Liana flinched when one of the beasts let out a loud roar, causing her to grab Ari that little bit tighter.
“Sorry,” she said glancing up at him and loosening her grip just a little. Ari just smiled before returning his attention to the new arrivals.
They watched as the two riders dropped down from the two strange looking creatures and then led them over to one of the stone buildings. The horses and wagon remained where they were, for now at least, and they watched as another Dark Elf emerged on the scene.
“You think they are here for the reaping?” Ari said, this time being the one to ask the question.
“Perhaps? I don’t know. I just assumed we would be lined up and sent back home again,” Liana replied.
Liana’s mind started working overtime again. If the Dark Elves were here for the reaping, did that mean they planned on taking people away with them? A scary thought if that indeed was the case.
Despite standing and watching for several minutes it was fast becoming light, and neither Ari nor Liana wanted to be spotted spying. As a result, they decided it would be best to slip away and have a bite to eat for their breakfast. Ari sat down with his back against a wall facing out towards the well, and Liana duly nestled alongside him, making sure her body was just touching his. She carefully reached into the small pouch tied at her waist and removed the two crackers she had remaining. After taking one out for herself, she knew the other would have to be lunch, as to what she ate after that she guessed would depend on the outcome of the reaping.
Liana wrapped the remaining biscuit back up and went to place it back in the small pouch, but instead turned to look at Ari. “Would you like one?” she asked noticing he was only drinking water and seemingly had nothing to eat. Ari turned his gaze to her, “I’m fine thanks. I don’t want to take what little you have,” he said. Liana smiled, thinking how thoughtful Ari was, and decided on a compromise that perhaps he would accept. Placing her remaining cracker away as originally intended she then broke the one in her other hand in two, “We can share,” she said offering him the slightly larger of the two pieces.
“Are you sure?” he asked again. Liana just nodded and feeling somehow happy, despite the uncertainty of the imminent reaping, she leaned her body against Ari’s and started eating.
As the sun rose and the people of Sarton went about their miserable existence, Ari and Liana walked back over to where they had seen the wagon earlier. Although that was still in the same place, the two horses had been moved from the front, and there was no sign of the other strange beasts they had spotted. A couple of other youngsters seemed to be hanging around, aimlessly wandering as if waiting for something, and Liana assumed they were also there for the reaping.
The same man that had taken their registration the previous day emerged from one of the buildings, followed by the two larger men with their beating sticks hanging from their waists. Two others then followed outside carrying a small table, placing it down before venturing back inside to fetch a chair. After giving a signal to another man standing in the doorway, a bell sounded out across the town, indicating those that were there for the reaping were to congregate for selection.
Ari and Liana were first in the queue, and after giving their names and showing the markings on their arm once more, they were ordered to stand over to one side and form a line. Liana looked along the row at the other youngsters, as each, in turn, joined on the end, and counted just seven more. Feeling as nervous as she had ever been she took a deep breath and watched the man sat at his desk stand. At first, Liana assumed this man would be the one making any selection, and was somewhat surprised when a Dark Elf emerged from the building from across the other side of the street. The man bowed his head as the Elf approached, pathetically clutching his hands together in complete submission.
The Dark Elf barely acknowledged the snivelling creep and wandered straight over to those up for selection, starting at the other end of the line to which Ari and Liana were standing. Although told to keep their eyes to the front and look down at the ground, Liana for one was too intrigued to follow orders. The first person on the end was a young lad, but the Dark Elf merely waved a dismissive hand as if to say
no. The boy in question was then ushered over to the desk where Liana assumed he would be marked again and allowed to leave; something she hoped to be doing herself in the next few minutes.
The second person, another boy was similarly waved aside, but the third seemed to hold the Dark Elf’s interest a little longer. A girl, with curly brown hair, and not one Liana would say was particularly pretty, visibly shook as the Dark Elf touched her. His thin bony fingers almost caressing the side of her face, before Liana felt her stomach turn as the elf moved his hand to the front of her body and down further.
“This one!” it said in a strange husky sounding voice, somehow again not what Liana would have thought they had sounded like. The girl screamed as the Dark Elf screwed its face up as if trying to smile, leering at her as the two humans with sticks grabbed hold of her and dragged her off to one of the stone building across the way.
After the next girl was also taken, Liana had a horrible thought as to the reasons why they were being selected, having heard rumours that the Dark Elves sometimes used young human girls for their pleasure. If this was the case, this was not something she was going to let them do. The very thought of having to mate with one of these vile, disgusting creatures made her skin crawl. With all her thinking, Liana had barely realised it was her turn, and the realisation only hit home when she saw those dark reddish eyes staring right at her. Despite being told not to do so, she glared straight back at them and barely flinched when those fingers touched her face.
Reign of the Dark Elves: Book One : The Sorcerer Page 2