by B. W. Catt
Sebial looked up at the sky. Staring at it intently, she could see bones slowly move throughout. She shuttered. "Is that the slime of the cave? Is that where I was?"
"You are smart indeed, young miss, immortally cursed by an immortal who deceives the mortal." The woman smiled.
"Enough with this, just tell us who you are!" Elin angrily said as he pulled Sebial closer to him.
The woman tapped her finger against her dark red lips. "Who am I?" The question he asked made her think long and hard. She quickly smiled at Elin, assured of her answer. "I am me, you are you, she is she!"
Elin, dumbfounded by the woman's answer, couldn't respond. Sebial looked up at him.
Sebial whispered to Elin. "Maybe if we introduce ourselves, she will introduce herself."
Hesitantly he nodded to Sebial's idea.
Sebial stepped forward. "My name is Sebial. This here is Elin. May we know your name?"
The woman jumped up and down with excitement. "It is wonderful to meet others in a place not meant for it.” She bowed to Elin and Sebial. “Elin, Sebial, welcome to the Land of the Forgotten. I no longer possess a name."
Sebial and Elin tilted their heads in confusion.
"Land of the Forgotten?" Sebial asked questioningly.
"Yes, this land is no longer known to the living. Here we are kept by the Keeper who was damned by The Flame. He allows us to continue to live as if time has stopped."
"We? I only see you," Elin spoke, looking around curiously.
"That is because we are in my home. Well, in my domain. I have a barrier cast around this area. Outside is no place for you both to be. There are many things in this land that cause strife. The souls here forever long for war. Which is a joy to watch, yet there is never a victor for me to share my bed with."
She looked sadly at the ceiling above.
"I am destined to watch over this place. I bring souls who desire bloodshed into this place through that."
Pointing up at the brown sky, Sebial and Elin stared up. Their hearts felt heavy.
"We do not desire bloodshed. We desire to live and bring an end to such things," Sebial said sternly. Reaching out to hold the woman's hands. She smiled at Sebial, accepting her offer. Elin kept his hand firmly on Sebial's shoulder. His trust wavering.
She looked sadly at them. "I am sorry you were brought here. Sebial went down the wrong path. I couldn't let her die. When I heard your heart screaming out to her, I had to save her. So, I guided you to her and brought you both here."
"That was your voice I heard? You sound different," Elin spoke with concern.
"Yes, to the real world, I am a sprite. So my voice carries no tone to most. But here I can show my true self without using magic to assist."
"That's incredible. You were able to help even though you are trapped here?" Sebial said with a smile.
"Yes, it is with the help of The Flame. She still assists me even though I no longer can be by her side. She called to me, pleading to save you from the wrong path."
"I see." Sebial stared solemnly at the ground. "I do not understand why she would care about me. My family betrayed her."
"Sebial, just because your ancestor did something terrible doesn't mean The Flame, yours, our creator, would abandon you. I do not blame Sebial the first; she desired love, and that love betrayed her. You are nothing but one who carries her blood and with that, her curse."
Sebial smiled slightly. Elin stepped forward.
"Thank you for assisting me. I am sorry to cut this short, but we need to leave at once. Our friends are above, and we were in a hurry."
"I can guide your friends down another path. Guiding them here will put your lives in danger. If the Keeper finds out I saved souls instead of trapping souls, he will torture me for centuries." She smirked to herself while thinking about endless torture.
Sebial stared at the woman with a concerned expression. "Why are you smiling?"
She spun and looked away from them. "Oh, it is nothing, Sebial." Looking back at them, her face turned to disgust as she scanned their bodies. "We cannot travel with you both looking like that. You will stand out covered in that slime and in those clothes."
Elin and Sebial looked over each other. Sebial's clothes were a darker shade of brown from the slime permeating the fabric. Her silver hair, brown and matted. Elin's robe was stiffening from the slime. Sebial laughed at his hair, standing up on one side. Elin quickly reached to where Sebial was staring. His eyes widened when he felt his hair stiff and pointy. Their faces were covered in brown slime.
"I do not see what is wrong with our wardrobe. These are normal wears," Elin stated while attempting to rub the slime off his sword. "We just need to wash these off."
"I agree with Elin. Could we not just go as we are? This outfit is significant to me. I would prefer to keep it."
"I suppose I could disguise you both with a spell, but first, you must bathe." She snapped her fingers. Sebial and Elin became enveloped in bubbles.
"What are you doing, sprite!?" Elin shouted from within the bubble. His body, floating in it.
She smiled. "Do not call me a sprite. It sounds unfitting! I am simply giving you what you both need. A BATH!"
Sebial looked over at Elin, who was glaring down at the woman. "Elin, there is no point in fighting. It is obvious Rose has the advantage here!"
Elin jumped to look at Sebial. "Rose!?"
"Yes, her eyes remind me of winter roses in Pasuria. Their petals are blood red with a black stem. They are beautiful yet dangerous. They have thorns that will absorb your blood if you get too close. Their true name is Krimsanaric, but that is too long of a name."
Elin looked at Sebial in shock. "What type of horrific country do you reign over, Sebial?"
"Hush you both!” Rose looked up at them. "Thank you, Sebial. I will cherish the name. Now it is time for your bath."
Rose chuckled before raising her hands towards them. She closed her eyes, releasing a blast of dark magic from her palms. Black fog enveloped the bubbles. Their clothes suddenly vanished. Elin began to scream at Rose, but she ignored him. The magic from her hands changed to white, causing bubbles and their enclosure to fill with water. Sebial and Elin began to panic as they were surrounded by water with nowhere to go. She closed her palms, causing the water to stop filling half way up, leaving them room to breathe.
Opening her eyes, she looked at both Sebial and Elin as they pushed against the bubbles trying to break free.
"Enough of that, you two! Are you planning on playing in your baths all day!?" Rose shouted to them.
Elin and Sebial stopped and looked towards each other. Their faces turned red when they noticed the other one was naked. Their eyes quickly shifted back to Rose.
Simultaneously they both yelled at her. "RETURN MY CLOTHES!"
Rose fell to the ground in laughter. "I take it neither of you has seen the other naked then?"
"This is disrespectful, Rose. Give us our garments at once!" Elin shouted.
"Not until you both wash up." She snapped her fingers, causing small suds to form in the bubble. Snapping her fingers once more, she gave them soft coral. "Scrub with that! If you don't, it will scrub for you!"
They both scrambled to grab the blue coral before it could take over. Rose turned around and walked off.
Sebial looked at the coral in her hands and gently squeezed it; it let out a small whimper. Sebial released the coral and jumped to the other side of the bubble. The coral slowly bobbed on the surface of the suds. It began to chime as it started to move towards her.
"ROSE! Get this thing away from me!" Sebial cried out.
Rose turned back and looked up at Sebial. "If you wish it to bathe you, then let it. Otherwise, take hold of it and scrub! It is one of my best works of art! You can even tell it where you want to scrub, which I love when it comes to reaching my back!"
Sebial began to mutter to herself in disdain. As she stared at the coral, it began to chime. Sebial’s eyes widened in fear as she watche
d the coral begin to slide back and forth. She quickly reached out and grabbed the coral before it could touch her. It whimpered again. "I am sorry little creature, but I must use you."
Elin let out a small laugh as he watched Sebial look at the coral with disdain. "Sebial, just hurry up and scrub!"
"Keep your eyes over there, Elin!" Sebial glared at him.
Elin quickly averted his eyes and began to wash himself off.
"I will be back shortly with your clean clothes; my pets are currently cleaning them for you."
"You can't leave us like this!" Elin shouted.
"Do not worry. The bubbles will release you when it senses only life on your bodies." Rose quickly turned and vanished from their view.
Elin began to vigorously scrub himself in order to break free. The suds in the water slowly turned from white to brown as the slime washed off his body. He smiled to himself as he washed the last bit of slime off his arm. The water quickly drained from the bubble, leaving Elin completely visible. He covered his waist with the coral so Sebial wouldn't see him uncovered.
"I should be free now...why am I still in this," Elin whispered to himself. He looked around the bubble and tried to find some form of opening to no avail. "Let me..."
The bubble quickly began to rain on him.
"What is this?!" Elin shouted.
Sebial jumped to see why Elin was yelling. His hands were covering his head as water ran down him and quickly evaporated as it touched the bottom of the bubble.
She watched him move about the bubble. She took note of a deep scar that ran down his left leg. Looking back to his hands on his head, blocking the falling water. "Elin! Are you okay?"
He jumped, remembering Sebial can see him undressed, and quickly covered himself with his hands. Sebial looked away, blushing. "I am fine. I was expecting to be released, not rinsed!"
The water stopped pouring down, and the coral vanished from his hand. The bubble he was in slowly brought him to the ground before disappearing.
"You're free already!?" Sebial looked down on Elin. He turned away.
"Yes, now would you please not stare at me and finish with your bath."
Sebial nodded and quickly began to scrub herself. She slowed down to carefully clean her hair free from the slime entangled in it. The water drained, and the shower quickly began. She used the coral to scrub her body once more as she was rinsed off from the suds.
The bubble slowly began to descend and release her. Leaving her standing naked near Elin. She quickly turned her back to him.
"Do not look this way, Elin. I will cut you!" Sebial yelled out to him.
He began to laugh. "Cut me with what?! That sprite stripped us of our clothes and swords!"
She suddenly became enraged; her hair and body began to glow blue. Sebial's silver hair began to sway as her eyes began to change to a dark blue.
"I am going to hurt that sprite," Sebial mumbled to herself.
Elin shuddered at Sebial's magic growth. He could feel her power pressing against his back.
"Sebial. Control yourself. Your bloodlust might wake this Keeper she spoke of."
"So be it. I will destroy him as well."
Ten
Two days since their disappearance
"This way seems different," Woldiniar paused. Denias ran into his back. He turned around, looking down at Denias with a glare.
"Unless you are a female, which I doubt you are, I suggest you back away from me, elf. I only cherish the warmth of a female."
Denias stepped back. "It is your fault, warlock. I do not seek such things. Even if the king said for it to happen, I would become a eunuch, and if that wasn't enough, I would-"
Woldiniar waved his arm in the air gesturing Denias to stop. "I do not need to know such details. Just know, I would take a female dwarf for warmth before I would ever take you."
Denias nervously chuckled. "That is a scary notion. I only wish to find Elin safe."
Woldiniar walked ahead, rubbing his hand through his hair with frustration. He called back to Denias, "We will just follow this and see where it goes. Do not forget this place has many traps."
Woldiniar glanced back to see Denias slowly trailing behind, giving him plenty of space. He smirked. Good, the elf is smart. I do not need someone so close to me. His magic will interfere with what I am trying to do. I do not need him stopping me. I can already sense the magic changing the paths again up ahead. My light magic has already stopped and turned down another tunnel. This is going to take weeks. It's already been two days.
Woldiniar slammed his hand on the wall. Denias jumped "Is something wrong up there, Woldiniar?"
"Yes, your elf might be seducing my student!"
"He would never. He is a proud guard of the realm."
"He is still a male."
I do not think he knows what is truly at stake here.
"Hurry up, Denias. My student is in danger. Or maybe Elin is, maybe she killed him for getting too close."
They began to run down the caves winding paths. "Watch your mouth, warlock!"
"Watch yours, elf! I have a beautifully pure student who will one day be queen trapped with some darkly dressed half-elf!"
Denias ran faster, closing the gap between himself and Woldiniar.
Good elf, now I can run faster. We should be able to make it out of the cave before it shifts again. I am growing tired of using my magic.
Woldiniar whistled, enhancing his and Denias' stamina. "Run faster, elf! I don’t share my magic with just anyone!"
"I can sense that, thank you."
"Hmph, I only did it so I don't lose my fodder to the cave's traps. Your use has yet to come."
Denias ground his teeth. "I see why Sebial ran off. I would rather die than be stuck with you for a lifetime."
Woldiniar ignored Denias. He instead began to hum as he ran along the lit cave walls, each turn coming faster as he picked up speed.
He listened to his hums return in order to find which way to turn without thinking.
"How are you moving so effortlessly?" Denias whined. "Easily. I sing! Have you not been stuck in a cave with sealbats?"
"Sealbats are not of this land."
"So that would be a no. They live in deep-sea caverns with only a small window to leave four times a year. I angered some sirens, and they placed me in one. It took me a few years to understand how they find their way out since the caves are enchanted with the tunnels changing. The openings change locations as well."
"How do you anger sirens? Are you not a warlock, one of the few given life by The Flame? Wouldn't the sirens worship you?"
"Oh, they did." Woldiniar chuckled while his cheeks turned red. "I abused that worshipping power." He shook his head and refocused. "Enough of this. We are on a mission. We must rescue Sebial."
"Elin too!"
"If he is there, then sure. But I will not go searching for him."
Woldiniar whistled. "Good, the exit is just ahead."
"Exit? I thought we were going to find them!"
"We need food first and equipment. The cave changed at least forty times since we began to trackback."
"How do you know that?"
"I was feeling the magic along the walls with my light magic."
Woldiniar smiled. "There it is!"
They squinted as they approached the exit. The sun was rising, its rays shining into the entrance.
They stepped outside the cave, Woldiniar stretched his arms. "Finally, fresh air!"
"Woldiniar?"
"What elf?
"Look."
Woldiniar turned around to see Denias standing in front of a wall. His hands pressed against it. Denias looked back to Woldiniar. "Now what. They are in there. The wall is gone?!"
"Dammit!" Woldiniar slammed his fist against the wall. "Now I have to walk all the way around. This is going to take weeks. Oh well. Let us go."
"What?! You do not seem convincingly upset."
"Oh, I am upset. It means I have more work to do.
I just got Sebial back a few weeks ago after searching for a long time. Now I have to search again. This is why I despise children."
Woldiniar walked off in the direction of smoke rising in the woods. "I believe that is a village. It will take six days. Let us go, elf."
Denias ignored his words and began to sob against the wall. Woldiniar turned around, looking at the elf. "I said, let's go!"
He didn't move. Woldiniar whistled. Green smoke flew out of his palm, enveloping Denias in the air. I will carry you there, you pitiful creature."
Denias mumbled.
"Oh, that is right. I silenced you as well. I do not care to hear some centuries-old elf cry." Woldiniar smiled. He walked to the woods with Denias following behind him, floating in a shroud of green fog.
Eleven
Her magic began to expand further away from her body. Elin turned around to see swirls of icy blue clouds rise to the sky from her body.
“SEBIAL! STOP!” Elin called out to her.
Sebial turned around to face him, her body now white. He stepped back in fear as she slowly approached him. The purple ground around her began to turn into shards of sharp ice; cold fog slowly covered the ground. Elin raised his hands towards her. Opening his palms he released a ball of fire in her direction. She raised her arm towards the flame and shot it away with a burst of cold air.
He began to walk towards her, he focused his magic on his body, heating it with flames. As his body slowly engulfed into the fire, rain began to form between them. Sebial began to shake with anger.
“Elin, leave me be at once!” Sebial spoke sternly.
“Sebial stop this. You are taking this too far.” Elin continued to approach her. The ice on the ground melting as he walked.
The wind around her began to pick up causing Elin to stumble. He stood up, looking at her with concern he began to release more fire magic. The air around him became heavy, orange flames shot from him.
“I will stop you Sebial. This is childish.”
His words cut through her. She raised her hands towards him. The clouds quickly came down from the sky shooting him back. His feet tore the ground as he flew back.