“MOM!” her voice echoed out into the air, traveling far and wide across Green Haven as the young girl felt her world falling apart around her. Something all the elves shared with the unfortunate child as it was clear to them there was no fighting against these intruders, there was no bargaining with them, and there would be no mercy from them either.
Grace cried her heart out over her fallen mother, the young elf’s sobs only entertaining her guards stationed at the door of the chamber and being heard by nobody else. She rubbed her eyes and tried to catch her breath, her tears clouding her vision before she wiped them away and looked out at the horizon past the forest. The sunny weather did nothing to soothe the young child’s sorrow or make her mother’s passing any less painful, however one thought managed to keep hope for the future alive in her heart.
“Clover,” she quietly wept. “Please, come back. We need you.”
*****
“That poor dear,” Flarah spoke to herself. The kitsune stood atop the hilltop just as she had been all morning, her eyes gazing at the lush forest further ahead while appearing to see what lay beyond it. Her nine tails gently swayed behind her letting off cinders and waves of heated air while her eyes focused on something with a hint of regret in them.
“Hard to believe you care about anyone,” the voice said again in her mind.
“I care about you.”
“I am well aware of the extent your ‘care’ would be towards me, Flarah. Tell me, are you planning on just staying there until tomorrow?”
“I have nothing better to do, so why not?”
“Why are you doing this? All of your efforts here with your goal seem to be convoluted at best and futile at least. There are many paths that would be much more direct for you, so why this elaborate game with diminishing odds in your favor?”
“I thought you knew everything about me, my dear,” Flarah cryptically said before looking down with a sly grin. “Surely you know the answer to your own question, don’t you? You can see my path just as easily your own hand, right?”
“Your path is cloudy,” the voice reluctantly answered. “It’s a rather disgusting blemish in my sight if I do say so.”
“So you don’t know what I’m going to do, do you?” Flarah questioned.
“Nobody in this world knows what you’re going to do, Flarah. Not even me.”
“And that’s saying something,” Flarah giggled.
“I do however see the ripples you throw into effect. I wish to remind you yet again I hate this uncertainty you’re weaving into the world before my eyes. All this… irritating and infuriating… ugh! I feel as though you’re doing all this simply in an attempt to drive me mad.”
“I can’t lie and say the lovely sound of you grinding your teeth in frustration isn’t pleasing to me,” Flarah replied with a smirk.
“I don’t know why I humor your little ploys such as this,” the voice sighed. “I already know your friendship to me is as hollow as an eggshell.”
“You’re curious,” Flarah giggled. “That or you like me more than you let on. Mmm, is that the case? Oh… my. Are you undressing me with your eyes right now? You dirty queen, you.”
“I really hate you,” the voice tiredly replied. “Enough of your endless games, Flarah. I’ve been generous and told you more of what shouldn’t have been known to you at all, you owe me at least this much. What the hell are you trying to achieve?”
“I suppose you’ll have to wait and see,” Flarah answered looking back towards the elven forest. She crossed her arms and tapped a finger a few times, something she was seeing causing some annoyance with the woman.
“Though, if you would like a hint…”
“You’re not going to ask me to do what I think you’re going to ask me to do, are you?”
“That depends,” Flarah mused as she started thinking about something. “Do I have to, or do you already know what I’m going to ask you?”
*****
Grace wept while holding her hands over her face, the young elf sitting on the floor near the broken window while the sounds of screams were heard outside in the village. The child choked back a sob and looked down to the glass shards that were on the floor, the girl then slowly glancing behind to see the salamander women standing in the doorway just staring at her. Grace hesitated for a moment then started to reach down for a shard of glass near her leg.
“Don’t bother,” a woman’s voice said in her head. Grace jumped and quickly looked around, the girl breathing quickly before looking back to the salamander women. “They’re not speaking to you, I am. Don’t be alarmed, and stop acting so suspicious. Turn away from them so I can talk to you.”
Grace slowly turned to face the open window while trying not to shake in fear. Glancing around she saw nobody else in the room and she was certain there wasn’t anyone outside talking to her either.
“Listen to me, child. You’re going to die soon. The monster that killed your mother is going to come back and she is going to do very bad things to you on that table behind you. It will not be pleasant and it will not end quickly, I assure you.”
“Who are you?” Grace whispered.
“You have to escape now or else you’ll be joining your mother in the underworld. And don’t bother with that poorly constructed plan of trying to stab the two guards standing at the door with the glass. You will die even quicker if you try something as stupid as that.”
“How… did you know…”
“Don’t ask questions that are of no use to you. Now, if you want to live you will need to do exactly as I say when I say it. Do you want to live?”
“Who are you?”
“What did I just say to you? Do you want to live or not?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Now, there is only one way you are going to escape alive. You’re not going to like it, but it’s the only possible way for you. You’re going to have to trust me.”
“Are you my imagination?”
“I’m not going to dignify that with a response. Now do you want to leave or do you want that monster to come back and show you what real rape is like?”
“I want to leave,” Grace quietly whimpered. “Tell me what to do.”
“Stand up.”
Grace slowly got onto her feet, her breathing soft and quick as she tried her best to keep focused on doing whatever the mysterious woman’s voice told her.
“Take three steps to your right.”
The elf carefully moved three steps to the right.
“Now turn to face the opening in the window.”
Grace did so while the salamander women were watching her closely.
“Now when I say so, run forward and jump out the window.”
Grace stared at the broken window with a nervous frown while the wind quietly whistled through it.
“My imagination is trying to kill me,” she whimpered.
“Child, I am not your imagination, and if you want to live to see another day you must do as I say.”
Grace gulped then looked to see the two salamander women carefully approaching her, the two monsters hissing while slowly reaching out to the elf with their claws.
“If you stay with them you’re going to die,” the woman’s voice warned. “They will keep you trapped here, your mother’s killer will return, and then you will experience the absolute worst of nightmares before you are killed. If you want to live then you must trust me.”
Grace looked back and forth between the broken window and the two monsters that were getting closer, a nervous whine coming from her mouth as she felt she was doomed no matter what she did.
“Get ready. When I say go you need to jump out that window as far as you can. It’s the only way to survive, trust me.”
“Who are you? Tell me,” Grace sniveled.
“I’m the only one who can save you, child. Get ready.”
“Easy there, little girl,” the salamander woman hissed.
“Don’t do anything foolish,” the other hisse
d as they came closer.
Grace looked at them with worried eyes then to the open window, the breeze coming in from it ruffling her pigtails while she questioned what to do. She closed her eyes and took a slow breath, knowing she might regret what was about to happen yet it was the only slim chance she had to live.
“Go.”
Without pause Grace dashed towards the window, pushing all her fears behind her as she trusted the unknown voice with all her might. The salamander women chased after her as the elf ran forward and jumped out the window, the monsters reaching out for her only to miss her foot by an inch. Grace watched as she soared high over her village, wondering if she was indeed going crazy and her imagination really did make her commit suicide.
As she started to fall from her leap a powerful wind came across the grove, rustling the trees and blowing steadily against the tall timbers. It also hit Grace with a forceful gust, throwing the elf further to the left of the temple she had jumped out of and towards a large branch of its tree. To Grace’s surprise she didn’t fall to her death just as her mother had done, instead she was thrown by the wind right into a cluster of twigs and leaves that caught her like a net. She looked around at the tree’s arm that had somehow caught her then back to the temple where the salamander women were screaming at her from the broken window.
“Wha… how… did you know that was going to happen?” she asked in amazement.
“You must hurry and climb. They’re going to try to kill you now.”
“What?” Grace exclaimed. She watched the salamander women yell at her before they shot flaming balls of bile out of their mouths, hurling the fiery projectiles towards Grace and hitting the branch she was on. The girl screamed as fire quickly spread along the branches and leaves, burning brightly and swiftly while also melting through the wood like acid.
“Hurry and climb now, child.”
“Okay! Okay!” Grace screamed as she leapt across the branch over the burning wood. She quickly ran towards the tree while hearing the branch behind her snapping and breaking off with a loud rumble.
“Stop.”
Grace halted from the woman’s order, right before a flaming ball shot past in front of her and missed by a few inches. The elf trembled nervously then felt the limb she was on shaking again while a crash was heard below along with more screams.
“Go.”
“How are you doing that?” Grace cried out as she ran over and grabbed hold of the tree. She quickly moved around the timber by grabbing vines growing on it, just avoiding another fiery blast that struck behind her. The young girl moved away along the side of the tree as another ball of fire crashed into the wood nearby, the elf making her way under the waterfall that dropped a few feet behind her and hiding under it in the shade.
“Climb up.”
“Up?” Grace repeated. “But shouldn’t I be climbing down? Why would I want to go up?”
“To live. Now get going. Actually… wait a moment.”
Grace remained still with a puzzled expression before a blast of fire pierced through the wood above her at an angle, throwing flames and splinters off into the waterfall behind her while the girl screamed in fright.
“Okay, now go.”
“How are you doing that?” Grace yelled out again as she began climbing up the tree. She frantically scaled the timber while hearing screaming down below, the girl taking a quick moment to look down to see a larger crowd gathering at the base of the tree near a branch that had crashed onto the ground on fire.
“You knew that was going to happen, didn’t you?” she asked climbing up again. “How do you know all this? Who are you?”
“Stop.”
Grace halted and gripped the tree tightly, fearing what was about to happen next.
“I meant stop talking. Keep climbing.”
The elf blinked then quickly resumed making her way up the tree. She climbed up the vines that grew along the stone walls of the temple, scaling higher up the side of her home while the waterfall behind her continued falling at a steady pace with rainbows seen in the air next to it.
“Where am I going to go? I’ll be trapped up here.”
“Get into the tree above your home. Hurry, they’re coming for you.”
Deciding not to question the mysterious voice who had somehow predicted everything that was going to happen Grace ventured up further alongside her home, quickly climbing the vines and stone ledges while having no idea what was waiting for her at the top. She made her way up the vines before coming to the roof of the temple that had water rushing off it constantly from above. Climbing along the building she made her way to the back of the temple, peeking around the corner and seeing more vines growing against her home as well as a few that were hanging down further away from the tree’s branches above.
“Almost there.”
She reached out to grab a vine before it snapped taught, the girl then looking down and gasping as she saw goblins scaling the building from a balcony below.
“Get back here,” one cackled.
“You no leave yet,” another taunted while slipping on the stone wall.
“Get going,” the voice ordered Grace.
Grace quickly grabbed the plant and started climbing as fast as she could. She looked down and screamed as she saw the two salamander women quickly scaling the wall, the monsters using the stone ledges and their sharp claws to race up the building towards her with loud hisses.
“Help me!” Grace cried out as she slipped and flailed about briefly. She scrambled up the wall as fast as she could but the salamander women were quickly gaining on her.
“Don’t move.”
Grace halted and held onto the vine in fright, the clacking of the monster’s talons drawing closer causing her to whine in fright. The salamander women raced up and got on either side of the elf, the monsters grabbing hold of the plants with one hand while reaching out for the child with the other.
“You’re coming with us,” one hissed.
“Don’t move.”
“You’re going to be in big trouble,” the other hissed.
“Don’t move.”
Grace trembled as she fearfully watched the monsters, seeing them about to grab her before the plants they were holding onto ripped off the wall with loud snaps. The salamander women frantically tried grabbing more but they too tore off the stone building, leaving the monsters to scream as they fell and knocked some goblins off the wall with them. Grace watched the monsters tumbling about, with some smacking into the balcony before falling off towards the hard ground below with loud screams.
“Okay, you can move.”
“How do you know all this?” Grace softly asked before she started climbing up again. She quickly scaled the vine, moving as fast as she could while she heard goblins shouting below her. The young elf raced to the top of the building, coming up to the roof that was slanted on both sides with water rushing down along both from the circular gateway suspended above. The constant flowing water that dropped down like a waterfall from the magical opening made Grace stare in awe at it for a moment before she felt the vine she was holding onto shaking. She looked down and screamed as she saw a goblin rushing up towards her with a wicked smile. The elf quickly scrambled up onto the roof and looked around, seeing the water flowing down the slanted sides while in the air were low hanging branches from the tree.
“Do not try to cross the water. You will slip and fall, and then die. Look to your left.”
Grace turned to see a few branches hanging low from the tree, all of them of course not being next to the temple’s roof but rather suspended further out in the air.
“I have to jump, don’t I?” she nervously asked.
“You catch on quick. I suggest you hurry. In fifteen seconds a goblin is going to do very nasty things to you.”
“Fifteen seconds… how can you know that exactly?” Grace questioned.
“Thirteen seconds.”
Grace jumped then looked down, seeing more goblins climbing up
the building and getting closer. She quickly yet carefully made her way down the slanted roof, being mindful not to get too close to the fast moving water that would certainly sweep her away, and then came to the edge while seeing that the branches she had to jump to weren’t exactly close still.
“I won’t make it,” she whimpered shaking her head.
“Look on the bright side. If you fall the impact will kill you much faster and painlessly than what the goblin behind is about to do to you.”
Grace turned and yelped as she saw two goblins having climbed up onto the roof, one of them brandishing a rusty dagger while inching towards her.
“Oh fuck,” Grace breathed out.
“Jump. It’s your only chance.”
Grace trembled then looked back to the branches hanging down from the tree, their leaves rustling in the wind while the sound of water rushing by was heard along with the cackling of the goblins. Choosing the less painful way of dying should she fail the elf quickly lunged off the building towards the tree’s limbs, arms outstretched as she desperately tried to grab anything while soaring high above the village once more that day. To her relief she managed to grab one of the ends just barely, the elf hanging on for dear life as she swung around in the air with leaves falling near her.
“Climb up and then head towards the water’s gateway above your home. Get going.”
This time Grace obeyed the voice without question, knowing that whatever crazy idea the unknown woman had just might work after seeing everything else she had said come true. The elf climbed up the branch then ran across it into the tree above her home, the girl watching as more goblins got onto the roof, shouted at her, tried to follow her, and then were quickly swept away by the rushing water before being thrown off into the air.
Chronicles of Eden_Act X Page 18