Chapter 3

The argumentative duo come head-to-head with a group of terrible beasties. Edileth becomes ill, and Joenek deals with his own near-death experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Three

 

A dull murmur enveloped Joenek’s ears, coaxing his mind from its slumbering state.

Blearily, the drowsy elf opened his eyes and blinked a few times. He took in the scenery cloaked in the pre-dawn fog.

With a weary sigh, Joenek closed his eyes again and inhaled the scent of dew-laden plant growth. He stretched in an attempt to ease the ache in his muscles. As tired as he was, he could only imagine how tired Edileth must be. Joenek doubted she had slept at all last night, even when he had taken her place of keeping watch. She didn’t trust him.

A sudden racket made the drained man flinch. Lying on his side, Joenek’s back faced the direction of where the commotion was. By the sound of it, something had disturbed the small pile of wood they had set aside the night before.

“Oh, blast.” Edileth grumbled.

Joenek’s ears perked up as he heard the woman let out an exhausted sigh. He lay still, feigning sleep. There was a soft sound as the elvish woman plopped down on the ground. A stifled sob caused the man to pay even closer attention.

What? Is the “Great and Mighty” Edileth crying? I’m probably hearing things.

But, no, he had heard correctly, for then she gave the slightest of gasps, attempting to catch her breath.

“Why?”

Her desperate plea was made in so quiet a voice, that Joenek had hardly heard it. He remained still and silent, waiting for whatever else she might say.

“Oh, Feridh, why? Why have I been given this task? Could you not choose one more suited? I cannot do this, Feridh. I can’t do anything properly. Why would you trust me, of all the others you had to choose from?”

Something within Joenek shifted as he heard the sorrow that seasoned her voice. Edileth had spoken with a thick sort of utterance which bespoke the emotion that had constricted her throat.

“And for what reason did Kaen die?”

Here Edileth’s voice hardened and she again sounded like the rothnak Joenek had come to think so little of.

“Are you not Feridh? Are you not the Creator of all; he that ordains the lives of elven-kind? Could you not spare my dear friend? Oh, Kaen…”

Edileth’s voice broke with emotion, yet again, and Joenek could hear her muffled weeping.

A grunt of frustration startled the listening roth. He heard the she-elf stand and begin pacing about.

“Oh, come now, Edileth. Pull yourself together. Now is not the time to become emotional.” She gave another snarl of annoyance, and by the sound of things, began gathering and packing her supplies.

“Of course, this would be quite a bit simpler without him here.”

Joenek could feel her eyes boring into the back of his head. She had spoken of him as though he was a vile disease.

I see she still despises me. He thought with dry humor.

“Of all the elves I had to be stuck with…” A loud, disgruntled sigh was issued forth. By the exasperated tone of her voice, Joenek knew Edileth had rolled her eyes.

“…foolish, churlish, obnoxious, childish, utterly hopeless…”

Edileth must have turned her back to him, for her voice sounded different. In addition, she must have started mumbling under her breath, because Joenek could no longer make out the insults which were spewing forth. Then her voice was clear again, and the insults continued.

“…doesn’t have the least bit of sense. He didn’t even have the mind to fight. He had a perfectly good sword at his hip, and what does he do? He runs; the wretched poltroon. Ha! And look what good it did you, ‘Sir Joenek Vaern of Lael.’ Your cowardice put you in a dead-end ally with no escape. If it weren’t for me, you craven ----, you would be Lerecht meat.”

Joenek did his best not to jump at the shock of hearing Edileth use such a fowl word. He had not thought she would speak with such vulgarity.

“Hmph.” She grunted with distaste. “Well, I suppose I ought to wake the thing. We really must to be off.”

Edileth let out a fatigued sigh.

Oh, so I’m a thing, now? For crying out loud! What is wrong with you?

“Hey,” the female nudged him with the toe of her boot. “Get up.”

Joenek growled under his breath and slowly shifted to a sitting position. A wrapped package of Vaile �" a form of elvish bread �" landed in his lap.

“Pack your things. You can eat along the way. If we hasten we shall reach our destination in the Drezkens by mid-morning tomorrow.”

The “Drezkens,” as Edileth had called them, were a group of mountains which made up the Drezken mountain range. These were the mountains which he had seen in the distance, yesterday.

Well, if I have to be stuck with this lunatic, at least I get a bit of sight-seeing and adventuring out of it.

Joenek stretched a bit before standing and packing his things. A large yawn escaped his mouth, and the young elf hoisted the pack onto his well-muscled back. He unwrapped the Vaile and began eating whilst he ran along-side Edileth.

After roughly four hours of running, the two elves were right along the Western banks of the Riddaein. Joenek had been watching the shores as they drew nearer, and now he could take in the beauty of the vast waters.

In Vel Siron, there are only creeks and small lakes, which are a bit closer in size to ponds. Joenek found the sight was quite magnificent.

Edileth stopped for a moment and allowed him to take in the sight of the large body of water. Joenek thought it rather odd. The past four hours had gone by quite pleasantly. Edileth hadn’t said much. When she did speak, she had only talked about the surrounding landscape; feeding him interesting, if not entirely necessary information about the world outside Vel Siron.

And now, here she was, letting him gape at the Riddaein. He thought back to yesterday, when the woman had snapped at him for gazing at the plains and lake and forest and mountains. Joenek couldn’t help but wonder what had changed, that she should be so nice.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” she asked. When Joenek didn’t respond straightaway, she continued. “The water brings a certain sort of calm to one’s soul. In Kerindh there are more waterfalls than you can count. It is such a stunning scene…”

Edileth had trailed off with a wistful tone of voice. Joenek looked away from the lake and studied the rothnak beside him.

Much of her hair had come free of the loose braid, and the gossamer strands of gold were drifting about her face on the gentle lake breeze. There was a faraway look in her silver-blue eyes, and a smile played at the corners of her mouth. Her face had softened considerably, and Joenek had to admit that, in this state, Edileth was quite lovely.

As he gazed at this transformed woman, Joenek felt a strange stirring within him. It was as though a faint memory was trying to make its way to the forefront of his mind. He furrowed his brow, trying to pin down the feeling.

He had almost grasped it when Edileth broke his train of thought, and the feeling left him entirely.

“We should press on.”

She still had a preoccupied air about her, and as they headed off, Joenek thought he saw a look of longing cross her face.

 

*                      *                      *

 

“Get down,” Edileth commanded in a hushed voice.

Immediately, Joenek dropped behind an outcropping of rock and turned to see what had caused the alarm. The elvish woman was also crouching behind one of the many clusters of stone, nearly as still as the granite mountains upon which they traveled. The two elves had first begun their traveling through the Drezken mountain range a quarter and one hour prior.

A faint clacking sound reached Joenek’s ears. He listened until his curiosity had the better of him, which was not long.

After a deep, steadying breath, the inquisitive man cautiously raised his head. On a ridge, just south of their present location, was a mass of dark creatures. Joenek peered at them with wondering eyes.

Standing at almost two-thirds the height of an average elf, each creature had three pairs of limbs. Two pairs were used as legs and looked rather like insect appendages. These legs supported a very round body, which appeared to be covered in a thick layer of greasy, matted, black hair. The head of each beast looked like a sinister, perverse version of a vulture.

“What, in Naine Mithale are they?”

Joenek knew quite a bit about the strange creatures which wandered the land, but never had he seen, or even heard of anything like these grotesque beings.

Edileth didn’t answer, but Joenek could sense her unease. She turned to look at him and finally spoke.

“I think that they are Bekhron. In the whole of the Kerindhian library there is only one book which mentions them. The information is scarce, but from what I read they are a wicked creature with a fierce desire to destroy life. It said that they are very difficult to defeat single-handed.”

The roth looked back to the monsters, and tried imagining them as a deadly opponent. He stifled a laugh as he watched their round bodies waddle on thin legs. With their large “arms” and the hump of flesh right behind their black, scabby-looking heads, they looked very top heavy.

Joenek gave a sneer.

How could those ridiculous things be so dangerous? Bah! Edileth is probably trying to make me look foolish.

The elvish woman stared at him for a moment.

“You find this amusing? They are evil; never underestimate the powers of the Wicked One.”

Joenek rolled his eyes.

“What I don’t understand is why there are so many…and why here. In the book, which I spoke of, they are said to be solitary creatures. But more disturbing than that is the fact that they have never been sighted outside of Si-ol.”

“Sometimes scholars are wrong.” Joenek said almost mockingly.

“True…” she murmured something else, but Joenek couldn’t quite catch it. He found it odd that she had completely ignored his sarcastic jab. He had thought that it would at least receive a glare. But she was very disturbed by the beasts.

“Well, what are we going to do?” He asked.

Edileth bit her lower lip as she considered her options. Her shoulders drooped for a moment. The blonde then took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and pulled out her sword.

“Come. Use great caution, Joenek.”

He sighed and shook his head.

They made their way to the small hoard of Bekhron. It was slow going, with the boulders and crevices in the mountain’s surface. In addition, they were attempting to sneak up on the creatures.

At last, they were quite close; a mere stone’s throw from the group. Joenek counted just fewer than ten of the vile looking beasts. There was a faint breeze coming from the South, and the two elves could detect a musty odor. A few strange, squeaking clicks erupted form the beak of one of the Bekhron. He bobbed his head a couple times, and then cocked it to the side a bit so his eye was facing skyward.

It was at this moment that Edileth gave a nod and leapt over the outcropping of stone which hid them from the sight of the collection of squawking creatures.

A howling shriek rose to the air as Joenek joined the fray.

The bestial forms, which had seemed so clumsy only moments before, now seemed so sturdy and capable. A moment of shock enveloped Joenek as he realized that what Edileth had read was very true. But then his adrenaline took control.

Joenek and Edileth were surrounded by the Bekhron; standing back-to-back for protection.

They waited -- their bodies tense and ready -- for one of the creatures to attack. The enemy stood, clicking, and almost chirping. Joenek could feel the slight trickle of sweat in the middle of his back.

At last, at some silent signal, all the beasts advanced upon the pair.

It was a maddening flurry of action. The Bekhron moved with a rapidness that Joenek would not have believed possible. Three were before him, stabbing their pincer-like arms at him, while a fourth prodded from the left. The others, he assumed, were keeping Edileth busy.

The arms and legs were covered in a hard, shell-like exterior and looked like semi-polished black stone. Joenek continued to knock their clawed arms away from him, but his sword was unable to even dent it. He felt certain that if there were only one, he could manage well enough. But with so many the roth saw no escape, save through death.

A soft grunt came from the elf behind him and Joenek hoped she was faring well.

Suddenly, the roth felt something hard jab into his back. In the briefest of moments, Joenek envisioned Edileth lying dead or injured behind him with the rest of the hoard closing in on him. He allowed himself a quick glance over the shoulder.

The female elf was still up and fighting, and had just hacked the claw off one of her opponents. A plan formed in Joenek’s mind, and he knew Edileth had also thought of it.

Now the roth returned his full attention to his attackers. He waited until one of the monsters extended a claw, and moved his sword to cut into one of the jointed sections of the arm.

Quite a few times he missed or only nicked the fleshy part between the segments. But other times he could sever the limb.

At last one of the creatures was missing both its front limbs. He made a false attempt at going for one of the others, and then swept up and across, beheading the right-most Bekhron.

Joenek barely had time to notice the round, headless body fall to the ground and convulse before he turned his attention to the remaining three.

The central beast gave a cry, and leapt at Joenek. Out of instinct, he raised his sword and ducked a little. His blade hit something, and the elf felt an object bounce off the top of his head.

An odd gurgle reached Joenek’s ears, and he looked at the shrieking beast before him.

The beak of the brute had been chopped off. It’s thin, bird tongue wagged in the air, tossing droplets of thick, blue blood all about.

Joenek was quite stunned, but took the opportunity to cleave the Bekhron in two.

The remaining fiends were furious. Their beaks gaped open, and their pincers snapped menacingly. Rather suddenly, both creatures lifted their tails up and over their heads. At the end of each tail was a large stinger.

Joenek’s eyes widened in disbelief at what he saw before him. He did not know if Edileth had knowledge of these fatal scythe-like points, but he had to warn her.

“Watch their tails!” He shouted.

 He heard a grunt of acknowledgement from his companion.

Great, he thought. Now what?

Just when he had been feeling confident, they revealed their “secret weapons.”

The beast on his left stabbed at him with its deadly tail. Again, he dodged out of the way a bit and lifted his sword to block the stroke.

A hiss sprang from the creature, as Joenek’s blade left a gash. It made another attempt at hitting Joenek, and again he parried the blow. With the second strike to the tail, the creature grew more aggitated. It reached out with its one remaining claw, and trapped Joenek’s leg in it.

The roth gave a yelp of fright, when the creature pulled, sending him to the ground. Joenek then began franticly swinging his sword at the limb as the Bekhron began dragging him.

With a terrifying howl of rage, Edileth hacked at the menace. She had a fevered look in her eyes, and even after the brute was dead, she hollered and stabbed at it.

Joenek pried the stiff pincer from his leg, and watched for another moment. Finally, he moved to the frantic rothnak, and touched her arm.

A slight ringing sound was heard as Edileth swung her blade toward Joenek. He hopped back a bit, and held his hands up, narrowly missing contact with the tip of her blade.

The grime- and gore-covered elf lowered her sword, and then proceeded to lean on it.

Joenek watched her with curiosity, and wondered at her sudden outburst. He noticed a few scrapes and bruises on her face and arms, as well as plenty of tears in her clothing. Edileth’s hair was all but undone, and her eyes had an almost hollow look to them. Joenek felt anxiety welling up inside, though he wasn’t entirely sure why.

In that instant, Joenek remembered there was another Bekhron that had not been killed. He looked about, frantically, but could find no trace of it. A shiver of unease ran down his spine. Glancing at the battle scene he saw the four creatures that Edileth had slaughtered in addition to his three. The elf gave a little shake and then turned to Edileth, again.

She stood in the same position he had left her in. Feeling unsure, Joenek walked toward the rothnak and stopped just in front of her.

“Edileth?” he asked tentatively.

She started and then looked up at him. Something was wrong with Edileth, but he didn’t know what.

Oh, lovely. We’re supposed to be somewhere specific in these mountains, and the one who knows all the details has likely gone off the deep end.

Joenek rubbed his neck and sighed.

“Well, Edileth, where do we go from here?”

Her brows drew close, and she tilted her head. The thin rothnak looked at Joenek as though she was trying to remember something.

“You look different.” She said.

“Right…” Joenek mumbled. “I suppose we will just look around for somewhere to rest, and then we will figure things out.”

A strange light glimmered out of the corner of Joenek’s eye. He turned and saw a small spot of reflected sunlight. There was a tingling sensation in the back of his head, similar to the one he felt when he had visions.

The curious man turned back to Edileth.

“Okay,” he began as though talking to a child, “I need your sword, Edileth. That’s right, thank you.”

He took the weapon, and cleaned it. Joenek then did likewise with his own sword, and sheathed it. The young man held his companion’s sword for her and then spoke to her again.

“Now listen, Edileth. We need to find a place to stay and rest. I need you to follow me, understand?”

The dazed woman looked away from him, and turned her gaze to the sky.

“Where are the colors? I don’t see the sky paints. Where are they?”

Joenek had no clue what “sky paints” were, or what colors she was talking about but he needed her to follow him.

“Look at me, Edileth. No, look at me.” She hesitated, and then finally looked Joenek in the eyes. “That’s very good. If you come with me, I will take you to see the sky paints, okay?”

Edileth’s eyes grew wide, and she had a child-like expression on her face.

“Do you promise?”

“Yes, I promise. But we have to leave, now. Come on, Edileth.”

Her eyes, though clouded, brightened a bit, and she put her hands to her smiling mouth. A small giggle left her body and she clasped Joenek’s free hand in one of hers.

Thus, they departed the bloody scene. Joenek followed the tingling sensation, leading the child-like Edileth by the hand.

She kept up an almost constant stream of babble, most of which Joenek could make no sense of. Of course, she spoke often of the “sky paints,” but no matter how much she said concerning them, Joenek was never able to determine what they could be.

Edileth also spoke of someone by the name of Babi. The leading elf had a suspicion that it must have been a childhood toy or pet.

After nearly three quarters of an hour, Edileth went quiet and refused to move further. Joenek pleaded and bribed, but she simply plopped down upon the earth.

“I’m sleepy, Father. No more. I go sleep now.” And with that, she curled up and closed her eyes.

Joenek moaned in frustration, and sank to his knees. The sensation in the back of his head grew stronger. The weary roth thought it had an almost urgent feeling to it; as though they were near their destination.

Struggling against his fatigue, Joenek stood and then scooped Edileth into his arms. For a moment, she looked up at him and Joenek thought she knew what was happening, who he was. But she closed her eyes again and nuzzled her head into his shoulder.

Ten minutes later, Joenek found a small cave entrance. He had to stoop a little to enter. But once he was inside, he could see that the cave was quite massive, with many little niches and alcoves and tunnels and little piles of stone rubble.

Joenek walked down a little path that was to his right. It seemed to have once been a grand stairway that led into the main part of the cave. However -- whether from erosion, or some other cause -- the steps were no longer defined. There were many cracks and debris littered the entire path. Joenek had to watch carefully where he placed his feet, as some of the steps had great chunks missing. At last he reached the bottom and looked about. He found a little recess that was almost like a small chamber, and went to it. The elf set Edileth down, and took the pack from her back. He then prepared a “bed” for her, using his own bedding, as well. When he was satisfied with the result, he turned back to the sleeping female.

“Edileth,” he stated as he gently shook her shoulder. She started awake and looked at him warily.

“Come lay down.”

Edileth looked at the bedding and crawled over to it. Joenek reached out and touched her.

“Wait. Give me your cape.”

Again, Edileth looked at Joenek with distrust. She cautiously unclasped her hooded outer wear and handed it to him. He then let the young woman curl up in the bedding, making sure to cover her. Joenek lifted her head carefully, and put her rolled up cape beneath it.

As nervous as he was, Joenek leaned against the cool stone and fell asleep.

 

 

A yelp of fright startled Joenek awake. He jerked upright and looked at Edileth. She was the one who had cried out, and yet now she lay very still and quiet.

Joenek looked at the lighting and guessed that a couple hours had passed. He hadn’t meant to sleep so long. Again, he looked to Edileth. His brows furrowed. Something was wrong.

Scooting to where she lay, Joenek gazed at the pale rothnak. Her skin had a sickly cast to it.

Joenek swore under his breath. He pulled the blanket off her as he felt Edileth’s burning forehead. She shivered uncontrollably.

He could not see any life-threatening wounds. Being as careful and respectful as possible, Joenek felt her sides for any hidden injuries. He felt a cracked rib on her left side, but it was not serious enough to cause such an illness.

Again, Joenek studied her. He noticed something odd in the fading light. Drawing closer, he peered at her scrapes and the tears in her clothes from the Bekhron skirmish. Wherever the blood had landed on her clothing, was a putrid purple stain. Even some parts of her skin were dappled with the fetid discoloration. But truly troubling, were the scratches and small gashes which had been covered by the Bekhron blood.

The skin around these wounds was swollen as though filled with water, and was an awful blackish-blue color. A vile, gooey substance covered the entire area of each blood-infected wound. In addition, the stench of rot and decay was heavy in the air of their niche.

Oh, Feridh. He thought. Somebody help me!

Joenek had no idea what he could do. A sense of panic threatened to overcome him, but he pushed it down, and focused on the present task. The man re-covered Edileth, and briefly thought of looking about the cave for anything that might be of use. However, with the waning light, he quickly decided against it.

Instead, he pulled out his water, and soaked a corner of his cloak to put on Edileth’s fiery brow.

A soft murmur came from her chapped lips. Joenek soaked the fabric again and dabbed her lips with it, allowing some water to trickle into her mouth.

The young man tore the small section of cloth form his cloak, and soaked it once more. He then placed it gently upon Edileth’s brow, again.

With that, Joenek lay down beside his ailing travel mate and fell asleep pleading, to no one in particular, for her life.

 

 

Stirring from his slumbering state, the elf heaved a sigh. He awoke quite a few times through the night to check on Edileth. Each time she seemed to be a little less aware of reality, and more absorbed in the world of her fevered mind.

Joenek now looked to the rothnak. Edileth was in the same position she had been in when she first lay down, and each time Joenek had woken up to look after her.

Lying on her side, the female had tucked her legs up so that her knees were quite close to her chest. With her legs drawn up, and her arms between them and her body, Edileth looked as though she were trying to retain her body heat. Her dry skin felt as if it were on fire beneath Joenek’s hand.

The young man worried over her, wondering what he ought to do. Now that more light was appearing, he had the urge to explore some of the cave.

Joenek used the piece of cloth from his cloak to dab some cool moisture onto Edileth's face. He gently pushed aside a stray lock of blonde, and continued caring for the ill rothnak. She did not stir, but lay deeply in her slumber. A small knot formed in Joenek's throat as he thought of what would very likely befall her. He felt so helpless, and felt that, should she die, he was to blame; he, with his lack of medicinal knowledge.

Pushing aside his fears and doubts, the young roth lay his water close beside her, in case she should awake and have need of it. He then tucked the blankets around her a little more, and gazed at her for a moment.

Joenek wasn’t entirely sure that he believed in Feridh, but he sent a prayer up to anyone who might be listening.

Please, spare her life. She may be cantankerous and annoying, but she doesn’t deserve to die.

At last, Joenek stood and, taking one last look at Edileth, walked out of their little alcove. There was a slight chill in the cave, but it wasn’t altogether too unpleasant. There weren’t any of the usual foul smells that one associates with such places, and everything was quite dry in the main portion.

In the ever-increasing light, Joenek was able to see what had been unknown to him the night before. Near the center of the massive main cave were the ruins of what seemed to be an underground town. Everything had been made of stone. The battered remains of pillars stood, or lay smashed upon the hard floor. What once would have been a grand fountain was now no more than a damaged circle of rock filled with the rubble that had been a statue. It sat near the alcove of the two travelers, and left a small, haunting shadow on the crumbling wall. Joenek wondered at the people who had lived in this place. It must have been full of life and love and music and dance at some point. Now, however, it was a solemn, desolate place that seemed to be filled with grief and heartache.

Already filled with solemnity, Joenek felt that he despised the place. He continued walking, but inside he longed for his home in La’el. Were his spirit not so dampened, he would have laughed at the idea. Even so, he did give a snort of cynical amusement. Only yesterday he had been overjoyed at this opportunity to flee from the only home he had known. And now he was pining for the very place he had thought he hated.

The pensive young man shook his head to clear away the dreary thoughts. Joenek looked, once more, at his surroundings. All along the outer wall of the cave were scattered entrances to tunnels or other caves or who knew what else. He listened carefully for any sounds that might give him a clue as to what the dark holes contained. A thought entered Joenek's mind, and he made his way back to where Edileth lay. After checking on her, the elf took hold of his sword and prepared to do a bit of exploring.

Joenek looked at all the near-by entrances, once more. He studied each for a few moments, trying to decide which he would investigate. The inquisitive roth finally decided on a mid-sized "tunnel" that was almost directly across from the used-to-be fountain.

As he drew near, Joenek took his sword and attempted scratching the stone to indicate where he had been. The rock, however, was much too hard, and did not show a trace of the mark he had hoped to make. He pursed his lips, trying to think of an alternative. Joenek briefly thought of placing a small pile of stones near the arch, but he could hardly carry a load of rocks with him. He looked down and then looked back, toward the earthen town.

It was then Joenek saw something that could be of use. It was a pile of burnt shrubbery that someone must have used to keep warm. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. As he neared the pile, he could see the signs which would tell him when it had been doused. Joenek studied the ashes and burnt branches for a moment. He wasn’t entirely sure, but he guessed it had been made two or three days ago. The question of where its maker was stirred anxiety within the roth. Joenek tightened his grip on his sword. He then picked up a blackened branch.

He made his way back to the opening he had chosen and rubbed the burnt twig against the stone. A small smear of black marked Joenek’s path. As the elf took a deep, calming breath, he stepped into the darkness.

Joenek hugged the left wall, running his hand along it and slightly in front of him. In his right hand, he firmly held his sword.

The wall was cool under his hand, and had an uneven, rough texture to it. A faint sound of water could be heard from somewhere far ahead. Every now and again Joenek detected an odd odor. As he slowly made his way down the tunnel, the scent became more prevalent, gradually filling the entire passageway. It was a strange smell, though not unpleasant. In fact, it was a tantalizing scent which filled Joenek’s mind with an odd sense of longing.

The entranced young roth had a vague feeling of urgency, but the wonderful smell seemed to embrace him, coaxing Joenek further into its presence. His thoughts became absorbed with the smell, and the elf was suddenly obsessed with the idea of finding the source of it.

Joenek felt almost as though he was in a trance of some sort. He knew he was walking, moving ever onward, but he had no knowledge of where his feet were taking him. He simply trudged along, making turns without even realizing that he did so. He did not notice when his sword dropped from his hand and clattered upon the stone floor.

At last, through the fog in his mind, the disoriented elf found himself standing in a large chamber. It seemed to be glowing with moonlight; although there was a small part of his brain that told him that was impossible.

With that thought, a slight pulsing sensation began in Joenek’s head. He grimaced slightly and gave his head a little shake. This only seemed to worsen the feeling. Joenek tried to relax, and found that it helped. He then had a sudden urge to sit down.

The roth looked down and saw that the floor was entirely covered in a strange sort of vegetation. His vision began to blur, and the odd smell grew stronger. A small sense of panic hummed in his mind, but was soon drowned in a flood of inexplicable joy.

Joenek had never been so happy. His thoughts whirred about until there was nothing left but pure bliss. He sat down among the leafy vegetation, and a ridiculous grin played across his face.

No thoughts danced in his mind, save for the thought of contentment. The elf sat as though a hollow shell. He stared into the distance, his eyes seeing naught but a clouded veil of luminescence. Had Joenek been aware of his surroundings, he would have heard himself humming an eerie tune. Every now and again a burst of insane laughter came forth from him. The elf swayed from side to side, occasionally tapping a random rhythm on his thighs. The idiotic smile was still plastered to Joenek’s face, and a small stream of drivel began to run down his chin. He remained this way for quite some time; time did not exist in his deranged mind.

Unbeknownst to the now insane elf, there was another being in the room. The hooded form watched him for a few moments before slowly making its way toward Joenek. The figure touched the raving elf on the shoulder. Rather than reacting, the young man continued his odd antics. Next the stranger grabbed Joenek, looping its arms beneath the crazed elf’s, and wrapping them around his chest. With that, the figure began dragging the roth from the plant-filled chamber. The shrouded form had made it approximately halfway to the main cave when Joenek finally started to become aware of the goings on around him.

A garbled, unintelligible sentence stumbled from his mouth. His vision began to swing back and forth, between clear and blurred. An acrid scent burned in his nostrils, and he tasted bile in the back of his throat. He felt as though his arms were being ripped from their sockets. A massive headache assaulted his brain and he wanted nothing more than to sleep.

However, something kept pushing at his mind; a memory that was trying desperately to break through the remaining fog of illusion. He tried to concentrate, but moaned in pain and frustration. Joenek’s throat felt raw. But in his pain, he noticed a sound other than his own voice. There was the sound of something being dragged, and the sound of heavy breathing.

Confused, and slightly curious, Joenek again tried to focus. He realized what it was he was hearing, and why his arms were in such pain. He was the thing he heard being dragged, and someone was behind him, doing the dragging.

The disoriented elf looked up at the being who was pulling him along the stone corridor, but it was so dark that he could see nothing. He let his head flop back down, and waited for any hint of light to inspect this stranger by.

After a brief time -- though not so brief that he didn’t struggle further against sleep -- Joenek detected a faint light. He could see a hazy shadow of his legs lying outstretched in front of him, moving slightly when running over any of the uneven spots in the floor. The roth waited until there was sufficient light to see by, and then decided to inspect his captor.

With Joenek’s first glance at the stranger, a jolt of shock went through him. He saw an onyx-black face that shimmered in the faint glow. A cruel, leering smile of razor-sharp, white teeth glimmered, as if hungrily waiting to taste his flesh. Great ruby-red droplets of blood were splattered over the entire face, and streams of the same red dripped down the fangs of the bestial countenance. Hollow eyes seemed to look right through him.

Upon further inspection Joenek noticed it was not, in fact, the true face of the one dragging him, but a garish mask. He then proceeded to observe the rest of the stranger. The figure wore a dark cloak of coarse material which concealed its build, but could not hide the fact that he was somewhat short. The arms that were wrapped around Joenek’s frame seemed quite small and the gloved hands appeared to confirm that the one pulling him about was not very large. There was something about the figure that tugged at a seemingly distant memory. The elf struggled to remember.

Edileth! Joenek thought in panic. How could I have forgotten about her?

He wondered if this stranger had found Edileth. If so, what had he done to her? An irrepressible fear gripped Joenek and sent him into frenzy. He had to get away from this dark form.

With a growl of anger, the young roth jerked hard to the left. The stranger lost his grip, allowing Joenek to lunge forward, out of reach. He leapt to his feet, and suddenly swayed with fatigue. Throwing an arm out to brace against the wall of the tunnel, Joenek reached for his throwing dagger. His eyes met the hollow ones of the stranger’s mask.

The shrouded figure darted toward him, dodging his poorly thrown blade. Joenek cursed his tiredness, and dashed down the tunnel, toward the main cave. He felt that his feet were stuck beneath the surface of the stone; as though he was attempting to wade through it, rather than run atop. Behind him was the pounding of the dark one’s feet, rapidly closing the gap between them. Suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed at the back of Joenek’s head. He yelped in agony, and dropped to the cold stone beneath him. A dark haze began to creep over his eyes. He struggled to stay awake. The last thing he saw was the leering mask looming over him, and then all went black.

Author's Note

Any critiques are greatly welcomed. Also, I have some sketches for the book in my "photos."

Reviews

[Glen Yumang Manese]

However, whether from erosion, or some other cause, the steps were no longer defined; there were many cracks and debris littered the entire path.
---
Whether from erosion, or some other cause, the steps were no longer defined; there were many cracks and debris littered the entire path.

seems this line is a tongue twister of a sort in the beginning...I would delete --- however...and as I read through it...I thought you meant "However, weathered from erosion...but that was not the case...just the way you worded the sentence...

As for this Chapter 3 --- picks up pace again with another battle scene...
and there is conflict on both sides of the equation...
One is ill from the battle...
the other is lured into a trap of sort...with the smell of poison...
exploring the surrounding of the cave...
making him delusional...
yet the interest lies in a new character...
who saves him and what lies ahead for them...
as this comes to a close...

[Elina]

Thank you for the suggestion. I will delete "However." And thank you, again, for the review.

[Glen Yumang Manese]

You're welcome...if you put more chapters out for preview...let me know...e-mail me...write on...

[Stefanie Holmes]

Your writing truly amazes me. You have such a unique creativity and it intrigues me to continue reading! I didn't see anything in this chapter that needed fixing, but you seem to really go over your work before posting, avoiding simple mistakes. I enjoy that and it's refreshing! I don't feel the need to be reading and pointing out fixes... I can just read and enjoy the story.

This chapter was great! I really enjoyed the battle scene and the descriptions of the 'monsters'. I just love your creativity! (which I know I keep saying over and over! haha)
I look forward to seeing where this story goes from here!

~Stefanie

[Elina]

Thank you so much. I feel so honoured by your lovely reviews. I am glad that you are enjoying it.

[Eddie Davis]

The story is really well underway now and the tale is quite good. The monsters are different and interesting and Joenek's abductor is intriguing. I like the hints of mystery that you weave into the story. You also have a knack of ending on a cliff-hanger that draws you on to read the next chapter. You have done quite a nice job so far with this tale and I will certainly continue to read it.

[Elina]

Thank you so much!

[Josh Dollar]

Ah, good. I'm moving on. I can't wait!

[Sue Hart]

Very suspenseful and a page turner. The story is building beautifully and has drawn me in.