Chapter 4

Joenek encounters a strange rothnak. He must decide whether or not she can be trusted. Meanwhile, Edileth's illness grows worse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Four

 

There was humming. It was a rothnak’s voice, soft and sweet. She hummed an unfamiliar tune that was somewhat low and sounded a bit melancholy. There was power behind her song -- if she so desired, she could fill a vast theatre with her strong voice -- and yet she hummed it with a precise quietness.

Joenek felt a throbbing ache at the back of his head. And suddenly, it all came back to him; Edileth’s injuries, exploring the tunnels, a fog, the stranger dragging him, his attempted escape, and his defeat.

What’s happened? He wondered.

Slowly, Joenek opened his eyes. He was lying on his back, the ceiling of the cave far above him. To his right, he heard the rothnak crooning. With much effort, he turned his head to look for the owner of the lovely voice.

A slight elf, with long auburn curls sat on a large block of rubble. She held a bowl of some sort in one hand, and used an oblong stone to smash the contents with her other.

Mortar and pestle. The terms popped into Joenek’s mind. He didn’t know much about medicines, but he remembered learning about the mortar and pestle from one of the herbalists in La’el.

Too bad I hadn’t learned anything useful, he thought with regret, like what to put in a mortar to save Edileth. Maybe if I knew something about herbs, I could have helped her.

That thought brought him back to the present. Where was Edileth? And how did he end up here with this rothnak? Where was the masked stranger?

As these questions arose to Joenek’s mind, he saw the humming elf begin to turn her head in his direction. Quickly, the young man closed his eyes and tried to stay calm and relaxed, feigning sleep.

The rothnak's melodious voice ceased for the first time since Joenek had wakened. There was a slight scuffling sound from where she sat. In a short moment, the “sleeping” roth could feel her presence above and beside him. A comfortably cool hand was gently laid across his brow. Joenek heard the woman speak quietly to herself and then stand.

There was a hushed rustle of skirts as the fair-skinned elf left the area.

Joenek listened to the soft sound until he could no longer hear it. He took the opportunity to view his surroundings and found, to his surprise, that he was in the very alcove he had brought Edileth to when they had first arrived. Shocked, he quickly sat up to look for the blonde. Pushing past the slight ache in his head, Joenek studied the niche.

Edileth lay right where he had left her. In a panic, he crawled to her still form. The rothnak’s brow still burned with fever, and it seemed a greater pallor had come over her. Dread washed over Joenek.

Oh no. He thought.

He began wondering about the concoction that the other elf had been working on moments ago. Was she healing Edileth? Or was she, instead, poisoning his already ailing companion? He looked for the mortar he had espied earlier, but could not see it, now.

Joenek reached out, and removed the damp scrap of his cape. Someone, presumably the strange she-elf, had re-soaked it in water. Beneath, the Edileth’s forehead had already soaked the moisture that had been in the cloth. A lump formed in the roth’s throat as he looked down at her. Joenek grabbed one of her hands, holding her burning fingers between his mildly warm ones. He felt the racing pulse that beat through the veins of the petite lady. Edileth’s eyelids flickered almost constantly, as though she was suffering a terrifying nightmare.

The faint shuffle of fabric drew Joenek out of his dark thoughts, causing him to whirl around with complete focus.

A look akin to shock covered the face of the strange rothnak. Her lips were parted slightly, and her eyes blinked rapidly a few times. At last, she seemed to have composed herself.

“I see you are not what I had thought you to be.” She stated almost apologetically. “You know Edileth?”

Now it was Joenek’s turn to stare in surprise. After a moment’s hesitation, he answered simply, “Yes.”

“How came you to be here, with her? And how came she to her present state?”

Joenek was unsure how to answer the seemingly kind elf. If this rothnak truly knew Edileth, as she seemed to, then perhaps she could help. However, there was the matter of their ever-important-and-terribly-secret mission. He decided to answer as simply as possible.

“Edileth and I are travelling companions. We were making our way through these mountains yesterday when we were attacked by… Bekhron. We slew all but one, which could not be found.”

As Joenek mentioned the terrible beasts, the woman let out a small gasp.

“‘Tis worse than I feared.” She stated directly. She crossed the distance in a few quick steps, and knelt beside Edileth. “My poor, dear girl. Would that you had not endured this. I shall do everything in my power to help you overcome this trial.”

A lot of good that does her. It’s not like she can actually hear you, lady. Joenek thought humorlessly.

“Come, help me tend to her. And while we work, you can tell me about your travels thus far.”

Joenek still didn’t trust this rothnak, but he didn’t have much choice. But if you think, for one minute, I’m going to tell you my life story, you can just forget about it.

The she-elf told Joenek to re-soak the cloth again, and he did so. Next, she gave him a water skin and a small bowl of thick soup. Joenek gave her an uneasy look.

“I know you do not trust me,” she began, “but I mean you no harm. You need to eat and rehydrate. It was not yesterday that you fought those monsters, but nearer three days ago.”

“Three days?” Joenek questioned in disbelief. “How can that be?”

“Well, I don’t know that it was three days, exactly. But judging by the condition you were in when I found you, I would guess you were in there for a bit over two. Did you not explore one of the corridors of this cave?”

Startled, Joenek answered slowly, “I did.”

“And whilst exploring, did you not find yourself surrounded by a strange smell?”

“Yes…” Again, Joenek drew out his answer and spoke as if it were a question.

“I thought as much.” The rothnak replied very matter-of-factly. “That scent comes from the Burgamsia plant. It has a powerful odor that affects the brain.

“The closer you get to the plant, the stronger the smell and the more powerful its brain-addling abilities. Once you’ve inhaled the scent of it for a minute or two, it’s captured you. The odor has an almost hypnotizing effect on one’s mind. It lures you ever closer to the location of the plant. By the time you’ve reached the plant itself, you are all but lost. At that point your mind is filled with utter joy, and not much else. You don’t realize that the plant ensnares you, for you are caught in your own mental bliss, while you starve and thirst to death. It is then that the plants consume their victim, injecting the corpse with acid to break everything down so it can absorb the mush that is left behind. No trace of the victim is left; not even bones remain to honor the elf who once existed.”

Terror struck at Joenek as he realized how close he had come to death. And then something came to mind.

“So, if I was, indeed, ‘captured’ by the Burgamsia, how did I get here?”

The woman hesitated. Immediately, suspicion crept back into Joenek, and the spoonful of soup that he was about to sample splashed back into the bowl.

“That is somewhat complicated. To explain that, I must first change the subject a bit.” All the time she had been talking, the rothnak had been working on a new herbal concoction. Now she moved toward Edileth with the clumped paste.

“Would you kindly avert your gaze?” She asked. Joenek continued to watch, unsure if this was some sort of trick.

“I’ve had to change Edileth’s clothing, and she isn’t quite properly dressed for your eyes.” She stated very matter-of-factly, giving him a matronly look. Blushing, Joenek complied.

“Thank you. Now, can you take the cloth that’s over there and begin tearing it?” Joenek looked toward the clean, white linen draped over a pack, and did as the woman asked. As he did so, she continued speaking.

“Tell me; are you in possession of an orb?”

Joenek started at her question.

“Yes, I know of the Gredhe Orb.” Joenek could hear the smile in her voice. “In fact, that is why I am here. Edileth was coming here to meet me, and the others.” Sensing Joenek’s confusion, the woman grinned.

“Of course, I ought to have known she wouldn’t have told you anything. She wouldn’t want you interfering.” Again, Joenek could hear the woman’s humor. “You see, the Orb is a rather…important item. There is much history behind it, and I am sure you will learn of it in time. For the time being, however, suffice it to say that the Orb is much wanted, by many, and for very different purposes.”

Joenek heard a shuffling, and then the rohtnak was standing beside him. She knelt and inspected his strips of linen. She smiled warmly and thanked him, walking back to Edileth to finish tending to the younger she-elf. Her story continued, and Joenek began eating the soup she had given him.

“Edileth, the others that will be joining us, and I are members of a high order, devoted to the ways of Feridh. Edileth was to retrieve the Orb and bring it here, where the rest of us were meant to join her. Once assembled, we were to plan our course of action, and then act upon it.

 “I was to be the first to arrive. And I am glad that I did. I believe I arrived sometime after you unwittingly wandered into your lovely little death-trap. I found Edileth, and immediately began tending to her, though I had no idea what had happened. I gave her some vegetable broth with ginger for inflammation, garlic to help her immune system, and some basil and oregano to further combat fever.

“The following day I went for water, and noticed the blackened spot where someone had lit a fire. Fearing that it was one of Akkheron’s puppets, I did a quick search. That’s when I saw the dark smudge on the wall beside the tunnel entrance. I followed it for some distance when I detected the smell of the Burgamsia.

“You may look, now.” Joenek took a cautious glance in Edileth’s direction. The strange rothnak was putting a second blanket over the blonde and tucking it in with all the care of a mother. She then looked to Joenek and continued her story.

“I came back here and grabbed this…”

The elf moved over to her bundle and pulled the bestial black mask from within.

Ready for a fight Joenek leapt up, sending his empty bowl skidding across the floor.

“Be still.” The woman stated calmly, holding her hands up in submission. “I did not know who you were, and I could not risk your escaping if you did turn out to be the enemy. I apologize for frightening you, and for that bump on the back of your head. But as I said, I had to take precautions, especially with Edileth nearly on her deathbed. I’m sure you can understand my reasoning.”

Suddenly exhausted, Joenek sank to the stone floor. His shoulders drooped. He wanted to believe this rothnak �" she seemed so kind �" but what if she was the real “enemy?” The subject of his ponderings crouched before Joenek and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Please, believe me. I truly did mean well. I was not told there would be another with Edileth.”

“That doesn’t surprise me.” He stated. “She rather detests me.”

“Rest, now. I shall continue to care for Edileth.”

“One question, first. How were you able to save me from that stupid plant? Wouldn’t you have been affected by it, too?”

The dark-dressed rothnak smiled and lifted the mask, again.

“This has a pocket of space where one’s nose goes. I fill it with a mixture of herbs which combat the dangers of the Burgamsia.” Sure enough, Joenek saw sprigs of green spewing from the over-large nose of the mask.

“Now you must lie down for a bit. You are still weak from your encounter with the Burgamsia. I shall wake you if I need your assistance, or if anything changes with Edileth.”

Joenek liked this rothnak. Perhaps it was foolish to trust her, but he wanted to. He decided that he would, for the time being.

“My name is Joenek.” He told her. She looked at him, as though with fondness.

“And I am Yena.”

 

 

“Joenek.”

Startled out of his sleep, the young roth jerked awake with an unintelligible growl. Bleary-eyed, he looked around remembering recent events.

“I apologize for startling you, but I promised that I would wake you if there were any changes.” The tone of Yena’s voice caused Joenek’s lethargic mind to shiver into alertness. He quickly rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and began moving to where Yena had stooped over Edileth.

“Her fever has reached its height. It will either break, or…or she will die. I have done all that I can for her; now we must wait, and pray. She is in Feridh’s hands.” Her voice trembled, causing Joenek to take his eyes from Edileth for a moment.

Yena had pulled her lengthy hair back into a loose braid. There was the slightest glistening of sweat on her brow, and there was darkness under her eyes. She mustn’t have slept much since arriving in the cave and finding Edileth so ill. She had a sweet face; a face that showed both innocence and wisdom. Her blue-green eyes were large, but not overly so, and were pooling with tears.

As if feeling his gaze upon her, Yena looked up at Joenek. She blinked back her tears and smiled encouragingly.

“Come, Joenek. Let us pray for our friend.”

The young man cringed inwardly.

Pray? What good is that going to do? His thoughts were laced with bitterness.  It’s not as if there’s anyone out there to hear our prayers. And even if there were, what god would listen to an elf such as me?

There was a faint niggling in the back of his head. It was like a small voice within him, combating his own doubt.

You have prayed, before, Joenek.

Joenek tried to shut the voice out, to deny the truth. But it persisted.

When you first brought Edileth here, you prayed for her wellbeing.

But that was different. He fought back. I was alone and desperate.

Trust in me. The voice whispered.

Joenek was frowning. He realized then, that Yena was watching him with intuitive eyes. A little embarrassed, he scooted a bit closer to her and Edileth. He then bowed his head and closed his eyes.

Maybe if I pretend to pray, she won’t decide that she needs to talk to me, and beat me over the head with her silly beliefs.

“Mighty Feridh, we leave our sister and friend in your capable hands.” Joenek almost groaned in disgust as Yena began praying. “We know that you have a plan for each of us, and that you know what is best. We will trust you in our weakness. Father, hold your dear Edileth in your embrace. We pray that you allow her to remain here, with us. She is so young, so eager to be near you, and to do your great work. But Your will be done, not ours. In all things, we shall trust you.”

The young man rolled his eyes. Oh, please! You can’t possibly mean any of that. It sounds so…pathetic.

Joenek then listened as Yena began singing. The song had a rather bright sound to it, and she sang in a language that the young man had never heard. Though the words were strange, Joenek found them to be the most beautiful he had ever listened to. And whether it was the beauty of the lyrics, or the tune itself, the elvish man felt a great wave of emotion crash upon and swirl about him. He closed his eyes and drank in the waters of song, letting Yena’s angelic melody wash over his aching soul.

And somewhere deep inside, unacknowledged, a prayer was formed. Not a lofty prayer filled with flowery words, but a simple cry from the heart.

The elvish man opened his eyes. Yena sat with her eyes closed, continuing the strange, beautiful song. She seemed, to Joenek, to be very distant, as though the song had transported her to an entirely different realm.

He shifted his gaze to Edileth. She was terribly weak; her breathing was so shallow that he had to study her closely to see the small rise and fall of her chest. Other than that, the only sign that she yet lived was the constant flutter of her eyelids.

Joenek leaned over the blonde, wishing she would awake. He would even welcome her temper if it meant she were well again.

Being so near, Joenek could smell the salty scent exuding from Edileth. He wrinkled his nose a bit, feeling slightly guilty for reacting to the odor. Of course, she couldn’t very well get up and bathe. And the sponge-bathing that Yena had given Edileth while he had been lost in the Burgamsia’s mental bliss had quickly been negated when this final bout of fever had set in.

Joenek was watching Edileth’s lips, which had begun twitching a few moments ago. Although they were quite chapped, he thought they were rather nice looking. They were shapely; not too large and wide, nor too thin and narrow. They were perfect, really. Heat rushed into his face as he realized what he was thinking.

The unsettled elf flinched, and almost gave a yelp of surprise, as he felt a clammy hand touch his skin. He glanced at Edileth’s hand resting over his own, and then looked back to her. She was staring right at him.

Her eyes were only half open, as though that was all she could manage. However, he knew that she was aware of what was going on. Her gaze was no longer clouded, and she was looking straight into Joenek’s eyes. What he saw in Edileth’s gaze surprised him, and worried him. There was fear there; she must know that she was on death’s doorstep.

Finally, Joenek looked to Yena. At some point her song had turned to a soft humming, but she was still unaware of Edileth’s arousal. The male cleared his throat and quietly called her name.

Her skyward face jerked down, and she immediately looked to Edileth. Quietly, the rothnak moved to the younger female. She gathered Edileth’s right hand in hers, and leaned over the drained she-elf.

Recognition sparked a small glimmer in the blonde’s eyes, and the faintest of smiles whisked across her gaunt face.

“We are here, Edileth. We shan’t leave you.”

As if that answered all the questions in her mind, Edileth closed her eyes and sighed. Small tears formed at the corners of her eyes and slowly scudded down her temples. Yena leaned closer to Edileth and kissed her brow. She then whispered in a low, soothing voice.

“Feridh is with you, dear.”

With her last bit of energy, Edileth gave Yena’s hand a small squeeze. Joenek’s heart skipped a beat as he watched Edileth lying so still. Feeling a sense of panic rising in him, Joenek looked to Yena. She sighed, her shoulders drooping and her head bent. A lump formed in Joenek’s throat. She then looked to Joenek and gave a weary smile.

“Her fever has broken.” She whispered, pointing to the beads of sweat glistening all over Edileth.

He let out a gust of pent-up air and sagged. Suddenly he felt terribly tired. He fought against his exhaustion, not wanting to sleep in case things somehow went terribly wrong. He glanced at Yena, who looked as tired as he felt. She gave him another weak smile, and then nodded, as if she could read his mind.

“Nothing more will happen, Joenek. We can all rest easy, now.”

With that, Yena curled up beside Edileth, and rested. Joenek could tell that she wasn’t going to allow herself to sleep, because she never quite relaxed.

She just wants to be ready in case Edileth needs anything. He tried reassuring himself. But he was still worried about the young elf.

Even so, his tiredness soon overtook him. He was lying on the other side of Edileth, and the last image he saw before nodding off was her glistening facial profile.

Author's Note

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

Reviews

[Glen Yumang Manese]

Now this chapter 4...
I did not find any editing in this one...
If I did miss something...
hard to tell...I pick up 99.9 percent...
I leave the .1 for error...
we are human...LOL...
this takes a dramatic scheme...
the stranger is revealed...
the effects of the Burgamsia...
evil plant that it is...
the events of the last 3 days explained...
the trauma and ordeal of the sickness...
is surpassing...and the musical interest...
seems to draw everything together...
in the way you ended this one...
answered a lot of my questions...
as to what happened from the previous chapter 2...
gives --- but yet leaves more to follow...

[Elina]

Thank you!

[Stefanie Holmes]

I was finally able to get back on here and catch up on my reviewing... I was super anxious to get back to your story. :) You certainly did not disappoint with this chapter. It was excellent and I liked that you added some religion into this fantasy.

~Stefanie

[Elina]

Haha! I know what you mean; life has become very busy for me, leaving little time for substantial writing, let alone reading and reviewing.
I am glad that you are enjoying this; it means more than I can even begin to express. As with most writers, I'm sure, I love my characters and the story/world I have created for them, but often feel that I am too fond of them to be a good judge on the interest that others will have for my writing. So it's always uplifting and encouraging to hear such positive feedback.
As for the religion, I have always had a fondness for the writing of C.S. Lewis -- The Chronicles of Narnia were a HUGE part of why I started writing -- and I also have a great love for authors like Donita K Paul, Wayne Thomas Batson, etc. Because of this, I have always striven to include the Eternal Truth in all of my writings. My faith is such a large part of who I am, so I find that it isn't difficult to do so -- indeed, it would actually be quite difficult not to.
Thank you, again, for taking the time to read and review my writing; it is always appreciated.

[Stefanie Holmes]

My faith is a huge part of my life as well and I admire C.S. Lewis's writing too! I get attached to my characters too so I understand that completely!

[Eddie Davis]

Your story keeps getting more interesting each chapter. I loved the interaction between Joenek and Yena. The prayer to Feridh was also very appropriate and I love to see religion like this in fantasy stories. I incorporate a similar theology in my books. You have a very nice book developing here.

[Elina]

Thank you so much. As always, your input is very appreciated.

[Josh Dollar]

I like it a lot. The plant and prayer parts are great! Please write more.

[Elina]

Thank you! I am currently in the process of working on chapter five. I've hit a tricky spot, but am hoping to move onward soon.

[Sue Hart]

Beautifully painted. The worry and despair with a sigh of relief. If you have more of this book written I would love to read more. Well done.