by Heath Pfaff
Had Telistera been one to joke, I might have believed that she was attempting to play a strange trick on us. However, I knew the silver-eyed woman well enough to know that she was not joking, and I didn't believe she was intentionally deceiving us either. For some reason, all signs of her people had been erased from the land, and nothing had been placed in their absence. I felt as though we walked through an undiscovered world.
"I'll keep watch for the night." I announced, not feeling much like sleeping. Whether it was only my new energy, or a combination of that and my anticipation of finding Kay, I could not be certain.
"Lowin, you can't. You haven't slept since we arrived here. I can take the first watch. I feel good enough to stay up a few hours. You get some sleep." Laouna said, speaking up at me from where she sat on the ground, leaning against her pack.
"I'm fine." I insisted. I didn't believe I could sleep even if I wanted to. All I really wanted to do was keep running. My body burned with unquenchable energy, my mind writhed in eagerness at obtaining my long sought goal.
"We don't even need a guard." Tower said. "There is nothing here. We haven't seen any sign of danger since we arrived. I don't know what lies ahead, but I don't think there is anything other than the wildlife here to trouble us."
"I really am not tired. I'll keep an eye on things while the rest of you sleep. I'm sure Tower is right. We could probably all sleep without worry. This place is quiet, but I'll keep watch just to be safe." I stated again. Tower shrugged and laid down a few feet from where Snow had sat down. Ethaniel was already sprawled across the grass, his pack under his head. Telistera had lain on the other side of him, furthest from the camp.
"I'll stay up with you for a bit, at least. You shouldn't have to watch alone every time we make camp." Malice said, exasperated that the others had given up on trying to convince me so quickly. They needed their rest, and I knew that Malice needed hers as well. I also knew that my beautiful green-eyed warrior had her mind set on a course of action, and I would not be convincing her otherwise any time soon.
"As you like." I acquiesced with a small smile. Fighting it was useless, and I was not really so eager to deny her company. My growing strength was leaving me feeling detached from the others. It was only Malice that kept me grounded.
We sat for a time in quiet, watching the valleys around our hilltop with no real worry that we would be attacked. Malice leaned against me, her head upon my shoulder. Under the spread of the stars above, the world truly seemed at peace. It was impossible to imagine that once the Hungering had passed through the area, massed in the thousands. On that night, beneath those stars, it seemed as if the entire world consisted of only Malice and me. The others were all but forgotten.
I felt the warmth at my side shift, and looked over to see Malice standing up. She reached a clawed hand down to me. "Let's go for a walk." She said quietly. I took her hand, though I didn't need it, and let her draw me back to my feet. She was strong, powerfully so. It was easy to forget that when one's eyes were so quickly drawn to her beauty. We walked beneath the stars, traveling down the hill and through the valley that surrounded it.
"You should get some rest." I said to her, after we'd walked for nearly an hour. She was in front of me, leading our way, but she stopped as I spoke, and turned to face me. Her green eyes were bright, even in the dim light of the stars. I could see the rise and fall of her ample chest, highlighted by my motion sensitive sight. It was only at that moment that I realized why she had wanted to go for a walk. Behind her eyes was a naked lust, and yearning that was hard to miss. She didn't speak as she reached up and unfastened her cloak, letting it fall to the ground. She knelt upon it as she pulled free the draw strings of her shirt and drew open the front of the fabric.
She removed her shirt, and set to work on her pants, unfastening her sword belt and removing the fabric with graceful precision. I could feel my excitement rising. It had been too long since we'd lain together. My desire for her pounded through my veins like a hammer against an anvil. I set about unfettering myself of my own clothes, as I watched her undress. Her body was as beautiful as it had ever been.
Her Fell Beast legs blended into her silky white hips with artistic perfection, a contrast of terrible power, and terrifying beauty that defied comparison. She drew her legs together as she cast away her pants, hiding that soft tuft of hair that concealed the mysteries of woman. Her breasts were still tightly bound and wrapped, but even so constrained, they were not insignificant to behold. I went to her then.
With careful haste I unfastened the knot holding back her ample bust. As it loosed, she spilled forth from it, a fountain of femininity from which no man could possibly turn. I cast aside her bindings, and revealed her to the stars in full glory, though not for long, as I was soon upon her, my mouth, my hands, my every exposed inch of flesh savoring in the touch of her skin against mine. My hands searched her for the places that gave her greatest fire, and her hands returned the tribute. We were a warming inferno upon a cold winter day, we were unending joy amidst a world of loss and regret, we were two parts made one whole.
Her hands upon my flesh were soon not enough to sate the hunger I carried for her body. I pushed her to her back, and parted her so that I might, in so doing, draw us closer together. The moment of connection was sublime, and every moment thereafter was greater still. I gave into her time and time again, and we lay together in passion until all desire was temporarily sated.
We dressed in the aftermath of our lust, and began our walk back to camp. Malice stumbled as we went, and I held on to her. Our love making had been vigorous, and she had been exhausted before we started. I lifted her into my arms, her weight so light that it seemed almost nonexistent. She resisted but for a second, and then laid her head upon my shoulder and drifted fast to sleep. When we reached camp, I nestled her into the grass carefully, and sat beside her.
I watched the starlight as it shimmered against her clear and pale face. Her lips were turned up in the barest smile as she drifted through her dreams. No nightmares plagued her that night. . . . my Malice, my Laouna, my love.
I patrolled the hilltop, not because I was worried about attack, but because I couldn't force myself to sit still any longer. The woods were not entirely quiet at night, but without the sounds of footfalls, the singing of the birds, and the voices of my companions, the night seemed endlessly silent. The others appeared to be sleeping soundly, so I was careful not to wake them in my pacing. I reminded myself that we would make better time once they were fully recharged and ready to run again. It was unfair of me to ask any more of them than they had already given.
A motion in the valley below caught my eyes and I stopped in my tracks. I had seen various animals throughout the night, so I wasn't entirely surprised, but still I stopped to get a clearer view. The stars were bright overhead, and my strong vision was able to discern a great deal of detail from the minimal amount of light available. Still, it was my ability to track motion that first caught my attention. I was surprised by what I saw.
A human figure, female, attired in what looked like a flowing black dress, was walking through the forest below. She had long hair, and from her slender features, I guessed her to be young. Seeing her amidst the trees sparked a terrible yearning in my heart. She was familiar. Something about her was undeniably familiar. Before I knew what I was doing, I found myself running down the hill towards the fleeting figure. I reached the valley in seconds, and fell in amidst the trees grouped there, searching for the woman that had been far easier to see from atop the hill. I moved in the direction I'd last seen her, carefully, slowly so as not startle or alarm whoever it was.
"Hello?" I called out, thinking I must be close.
I saw the glimmering light trail that my Uliona eyes recognized as movement, the edge of a dress disappearing behind a tree ahead of me. I dashed forward. I restrained myself from using the full speed at my disposal. I didn't want to terrify whoever it was. A young woman alone in the woods at night probabl
y would not be happy to have a man as terrifying as I appear in front of her out of nowhere.
"I mean you no harm. I just want to talk to you." I tried to reassure the other in the woods as I moved forward. The outline of a young women stepped out from the trees even further ahead of where I'd just seen movement before. She stopped and turned to me.
"Milady, if I could have a word. My friends and I have. . ." She turned and stepped back into the trees, and I found myself running forward again. In the woods, where the stars did not shine so brightly, I could not make out any details of her features. Why did she seem so familiar to me? Who was she, and how was she keeping ahead of me so easily? I ran forward, passing between the trees with ease. I was mindful of the distance from camp that I was allowing to form, but I could not make myself turn away from the black dressed girl.
I reached the tree by which she'd been standing, but there was no sign of her. I looked at the ground but could see not so much as a single footprint or snapped twig. How she had passed through the area without leaving any sign at all, was beyond me. In the woods, one simply could not move without leaving something, especially not if one was moving hurriedly. To stay ahead of me, she would have to be running.
I pressed forward, desperately trying to follow someone I could not see, and then she was there again, just ahead of me once more, watching from between two trees. I could reach her in a dozen long strides if I pushed myself, but I stopped, and held my hands up to show that I was unarmed. Of course, my monstrous claws, I realized belatedly, probably looked more fierce than any sword or bow.
"Please, don't run. We can talk from here. I will get no closer. I just want to know who you are, and how you got out here all alone." I pleaded with the girl in the black dress. I didn't know what good that would do, but I was certain it couldn't hurt my cause. She was agile, and moved through the woods as though she were part of them. I might never catch her if she kept running, that was if I didn't use the advantages I had.
She ducked back behind a tree, and this time I did not restrain myself. Desperation clenched at me as I feared that I would never catch up with the elusive girl. I was wrapped in the void of speed, scouring forward through the woods in an instant, slipping through the pounding resistance of the wind with little trouble. I took only the twelve steps necessary to reach the place she had just been, before I stopped myself. She wasn't there. I had arrived less than a second after she'd ducked back behind the tree, but there was no one there. I stood alone amidst the foliage, in the darkness created by the canopy above. A chill ran down my spine.
I felt a pressure on my shoulder and jumped, spinning around. The girl was there, just behind me, with human eyes, only lit with purple light like that which shone from my own. I knew her then, beyond any doubt, I knew that face. Her hair was pale and long, like her mother's had been, and her skin had that same flawless white purity, almost translucent. She was no longer the little girl she'd been when I'd last seen her. She'd grown and was now something between a girl and a woman, partially filling out her strange black lace dress, but still with the awkward innocence of youth. As I took in all of her features, I was struck by the pain of lost time.
"Kaylien . . ." I lifted a hand and reached out to her. I wanted so desperately to hold my daughter, and there she was.
Her eyes filled with tears, distorting the beautiful purple they held. "I remember. . ." She said, and then she vanished.
It was as though the wind struck her and carried her away. She just distorted with the breeze, and then faded as though she had been a creature of naught but smoke and light. My heart wept agony, and I crumpled to my knees.
"Kay!" I called, crawling to the place where she had stood just a moment before. Nothing. I couldn't feel anything. The air was no warmer there. The ground was untrod. There was no sign that she had ever been there. Was I dreaming? No, I'd had many dreams over the years, and I could tell the difference. I turned in place, looking all around me, searching for some sign that Kay was hidden somewhere nearby, but I saw nothing. She was gone, and every trace that she had ever been was gone with her. I searched the woods, combing back and forth, but she did not appear again.
Broken and with a heavy heart, I began the trek back towards the hill on which we'd made our camp. In that moment where she had stood just beyond my reach, I had felt so very close to her. In a way, I still did. I felt as though she had somehow touched my heart, as if I was still connected to her. I wasn't sure what to make of my experience in the woods, but I could not deny that something had happened. I wondered if I should tell the others, or if they would think that I was losing what was left my mind. Their confidence in me was already fading, I knew. My outbursts and violent behavior were not helping that.
I would tell Malice, but I wasn't sure about the others. Maybe once I'd told Malice, she would have some insight into what I should do. She had a way of seeing things that I could not.
A woman's scream of pain tore through the night air. I leapt into motion, following the direction the sound had come from, centering on it with my enhanced hearing. There was no follow up sound, but I didn't need another one. I knew which direction to run. I dashed forward, using my enhanced speed and strength to carry me safely through the underbrush. The voice had been all too familiar. It had sounded like Telistera.
The sound had not come from the direction of the camp, and had been far closer to me than it should have been. What was Telistera doing out in the woods? I drove myself onward, Kay not forgotten, but placed away until I had time to discuss all that had happened with Malice. Telistera needed my help, and I would not let myself be distracted by phantoms in the night. I would find Kay, but I could not let what had happened distract me. Others still depended upon me.
"Noble!" A voice yelled, coming from the same direction as had the scream before.
"Lowin, where are you?!" Malice's voice called, also coming from the same place, not far ahead. I broke through the brush of the forest and came out into a small, grassy clearing. I came to a stop. The scene before me was terrible.
Hungering bodies littered the ground, ten or more. Tower, Snow, Silver, and Malice stood, swords drawn, also in the clearing, though I noted none of their weapons glistened with blood. Their eyes fell upon me as I broke the tree line, but in truth I only barely noticed them. I came into the clearing only a few feet from the fallen form of Telistera. The woman's body lay torn from neck to waist, her insides sprawled across the grass. Her hair was no longer silver. It had faded to a dull black, stained red in places by her own blood, and her eyes, transfixed open, were a shade of brown with the empty gaze of the dead. A few feet away from her, my eyes fixed on another horror.
Ethaniel lay in a pool of quickly expanding blood, Telistera's lance protruding from his torso, near his heart. He was still alive, blood sputtering from between his lips as he thrashed about on the ground. As I watched, darkness seemed to pour from the top of his head, as if those gray smoky eyes of his were suddenly dripping out all of the vile void they'd contained. I reached for a sword that wasn't there, and took an involuntary step backwards. The others were doing the same, though they had swords, and held them at the ready. All eyes were now on Ethaniel and whatever it was that was seeping from him.
The smoke began to coalesce, forming into the vague shape of a man-like-creature, though black, and flowing, skeletal in appearance. Its eyes turned on us, and I recognized them as the eyes that Ethaniel had worn for so many years. I realized in that moment that I was looking upon the shadowlyn in its true form. The demon, a creature that should have been dead, was pulling itself out of Ethaniel's body as the man lay on the ground, bleeding out.
The shadowlyn stared at us all, its dark eyes piercing like barbed arrows, and not one of us moved to do anything. The scene before us was too unreal, too horrifying, for us to react in any way other than stunned silence. In a flash the dark thing spun about and vanished, slipping back into the woods and out of our line of sight. I was prepared to chase after it, b
ut Ethaniel's voice stopped me.
"Lowin, by all that you love in the world, Lowin, please, come here quickly." The old Knight's voice was weak, shaky, but insistent. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. Telistera lay dead, killed by either the claws of Ethaniel, or the claws of the Hungering, and the shadowlyn, a creature I felt was inescapably tied to the events that had transpired, was getting away. The other Knights seemed as confused as I.
I don't know why I did it, but I walked over to the old Knight. I believe it was his voice that compelled me, the desperate tone of a man who needed to be heard one more time. Looking at him, I knew that he would not be recovering from the wound Telistera inflicted. His heart was pierced. If not for the lance plugging the wound, he would have died already. He was wrecked; his once proud features were caked in blood, sweat, and dirt. I knelt at his side. The dark eyes on his forehead were gone, and when I looked upon him, for the first time in as long as I could remember, I saw the glint of blue in his black eyes. I saw in him the fatherly figure I had first seen at Fell Rock so many years before. Lying before me in a pool of his own blood was the lost Ethaniel.