Chapter 3

Princess Aurelia and Zame begin their travels through the mists of Ohrog.

“If I knew I was housing a royal, I would have cleaned the place up a bit.” Zame smirked.

Trint had stared at me, eyes wide and mouth agape, for nearly an hour. He was completely dumbfounded by my presence in Ohrog.

“I almost killed King Darion's daughter.” He kept mumbling to himself, shuddering at the thought. Not the act itself, but the repercussions of my murder, I assumed. Although the kill would be perfectly justified because I was wrongfully in drow territory, I could imagine that my death would cause an uproar in the high elf community. I didn’t doubt my father’s irrational response to start a war. I shuddered. It would be completely my fault if that happened. I obviously wanted to avoid that future at all costs.

“Yes, yes,” Zame snapped. “It’s all very shocking.” She let out an exasperated sigh as she focused her attention on me. “So, Princess. I have a proposition for you.”

“Which is?” I asked cautiously.

“You say that you want to travel to the Human Realm, and I believe you. Now, I’d be willing to take you there. For a price.”

I have been planning this trip for some time now, but I’ve never voiced the decision out loud before. Let alone have anyone hear it. It made me uncomfortable to openly speak about it with the drow. But as uncomfortable as I felt, it was something that I desperately needed.

“Name it. I’ll give you anything,” I told her earnestly. I immediately regretted telling her that. To give her anything that she wanted in exchange for taking me to the Human World showed her how desperate I was.

“My terms are simple.” She shrugged, noncommittal. “A favor.”

“What is the favor?”

“You will know when it is time to collect,” she said darkly. “Do we have a deal?”

I bit my lip, not hesitating one bit. “Yes.” I nodded solemnly as we shook hands, sealing the deal. It wasn’t like I had a choice. Whatever I’d owe the darkling would be worth it. This trip was too important to waste.

“Well, we better get a move on. I’d say pack your things, but it doesn’t look like you have anything with you.” She smirked.

“I don’t,” I agreed. Just my silver dagger and the clothes on my back. My excitement and hope suddenly flared up, energizing me. Was I really about to journey to the Human Realm? I couldn’t believe it.

“Are you crazy?” Trint suddenly became animated as he voiced his outrage to Zame. “Didn’t you hear those men? After Zephyr’s orders, everyone is going to be looking for her!” Trint pointed an accusing finger in my direction.

“Which is why we need to get a move on,” she replied simply. “No one will even notice us.”

“Don’t you think that a high elf princess will be a tad bit recognizable?” he growled. “Especially now since everyone will know that she’s missing.”

“Not really,” she said, sounding bored. “You thought she was a wood elf. I’ll give her my cloak if it makes you happy.”

“I’m not letting you go through with this,” Trint said angrily. “You need to take her to Zephyr. You can’t risk being caught with her. I won’t let you.”

Zame completely ignored Trint as she began flitting around the room, grabbing various items and shoving them in a sack. She went in her room and disappeared for a few moments before returning with a large black cloak. It was the same hooded cloak that she wore when I met her in the forest.

“Wear this.” She handed me the cloak to put on. I slipped my arms through and pulled the cloak over my shoulders. “It will hide that pesky, high elf tattoo you have,” she said, staring at my Azrain markings with great annoyance.

The golden tattoo on my right ribcage was something that symbolized my heritage as a high elf princess. Up until now, I've always flaunted the tattoo, proudly displaying my Azrainian background, but now it was imperative to keep it hidden. One look at those ancient Elfish markings would reveal what I am.

“Put your hair up,” she ordered, handing me a band. I obeyed and pulled my long hair up in a neat, tight bun. I then pulled the hood of the black cloak around my head.

Zame pulled her dark black hair up as well, leaving a few wispy pieces surrounding her face. She attached her bow to her back along with her case of arrows. She already had her knives tied in a holster around her thigh. She then grabbed the sack of items and pulled out a slender rope. “I trust by now you realize that if you try to escape, I’ll kill you,” she warned in a deadly voice. “The only reason I’m not tying you up is because it will slow you down. And if you do manage to escape, and by some miracle I didn’t kill you, you will be either found or killed by someone else quickly after. Got that Princess?”

“I won’t try to run away,” I promised. Zame alone held all of the answers to my freedom. It would be incredibly foolish to try to do this without her. I wouldn’t make it out of Ohrog alive by myself. And honestly, I didn’t really know much about actually getting to the Human World.

“Good,” she said as she suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the narrow tunnel. “Please try to keep up. Let’s go.”

“Not so fast,” Trint said, putting himself between Zame and the doorway. He stretched his arm across to the other side of the stone wall. “I’m not letting you do this.”

“Move, Trint,” she grumbled, annoyed.

“No.”

“Seriously, I don’t have time for this.”

“If you aren’t taking her to Zephyr, then I will.” Trint locked eyes with me and started to head in my direction.

Zame suddenly knocked me out of the way, making me stumble. She put herself between us. “Trint,” she said calmly. “Get out of the way.”

“You are being reckless and stubborn, Zame. Are you willing to die for your pride? Why can’t you just listen to me for once? Don’t you understand--”

Trint’s words were cut off because Zame abruptly threw her fist into his face. He bent forward, covering his nose that was now pouring blood. She quickly grabbed the tops of his shoulders to pull him forward as she suddenly kneed him with an impressive speed. Trint’s legs sunk to the floor before Zame tossed his unconscious body over to the side.

“Is he dead?” I whispered, horrified.

“He’s just unconscious. Hurry, we must leave now,” she said, shoving me forward through the dark tunnel. “Sorry, Trint,” she told him softly as she stepped over his unconscious body.

Zame took the lead as she moved through the darkness. Her quick pace was hard to keep up with, but I was managing. My only concern was the low, jagged rocks above us. It was nearly impossible to tell how low they were.

Her actions moments ago unnerved me for many reasons. Zame’s strength was incredible, and it was clear that she was very skilled in combat. Trint had towered over her, both in mass and height, yet she rendered him unconscious within seconds. That was the other part that bothered me. She had rendered her friend unconscious within seconds. Someone that seemed dear to her. A fellow drow. I could never imagine hurting one of my own kind to help out a darkling. The thought made me shudder. It was wrong and strange. I could only imagine how easy it would be for her to turn on me if she was capable of hurting her own so easily.

“Don’t move,” she told me as she began rolling the rock that sealed the entrance to the cave. She stepped through, searching her surroundings before turning to me. She nodded and gestured for me to follow. “This place usually isn’t very populated. It’s why I chose to live here. Stay close and keep your hood up. No matter what, don’t let anyone see you.”

“I won’t.”

We began our journey through the wildest parts of Ohrog. We chose stealth rather than speed and kept our pace slow and quiet. We didn’t want to draw attention to ourselves, which was perfectly fine with me. I wasn’t a fighter and preferred to remain hidden. Hiding was the only survival skill I really had, and it’s what has kept me alive so far.

The lavender sky of Ohrog was strange but beautiful. My homeland, Azrain, had very bright golden skies. The colors in drow territory were much darker, keeping a lot of things covered in shadows. I couldn’t decide if I felt safe and concealed or exposed to dangers lurking amongst the darkness.

I glanced around our surroundings warily, noticing a strange glowing mist through the trees. The blue mist was murky and seemed to have a life of its own. As we neared it, the light would grow very bright, illuminating our path. As we passed, the gleaming blue mist would fade instantly, turning into darkness. Zame didn’t comment on the glowing misty stuff, so I guess it was harmless.

The trees in Ohrog were also very peculiar. Some of the trees were similar to the ones back in Azrain: a simple brown trunk with dense, green leaves covering the branches. Others appeared to be straight out of a nightmare. A few of them had long, narrow branches without any leaves or greenery whatsoever and appeared to be dead. These trees had curved branches that twisted into several swirls, almost like deadly talons. They seemed to be reaching out towards me, but I was pretty sure I imagined that part.

Other plant life were nested on the forest floor. At first glance, they appeared to be just harmless flowers, yet as we approached them, some revealed large, bloody mouths with razor sharp teeth just inches away from my ankles. I tried to stay away from those.

After we passed the glowing mist, it was very hard to see in the perpetual darkness, but Zame seemed to have no problem with it. I guess drow were used to the dark. Their ever changing sky never got much lighter than a vivid amber. Spending so much time underground and in the dark, their eyes must have adapted. They do not call themselves darklings for nothing.

As we walked, we were mostly silent. I didn’t know what to say to the drow, and I was baffled on why she wanted to help me. Drow and high elves hated each other. We merely tolerated each other to prevent bloodshed of our people. The ingrained instinct to fear Zame was making me uncomfortable. I kept expecting her to suddenly turn on me, going back on her word as most darklings do.

Never trust drow. Aelrah’s voice replayed in my head. It was something that was understood and ingrained in us since we were born. The two races were meant to be separated and left alone. I was breaking all of the rules now.

But, Zame didn’t turn on me. She continued walking steadily in front of me, seeming at peace.

“So, Princess,” she said suddenly. It was the first time either of us had spoken since our journey. “The laborious horrors of being a royal too much for you? I couldn’t imagine having to live such a horrible life. Being waited on hand and foot every day. Getting anything you want when you want it. Must be terrible. I’d probably run away too.” She smirked.

“That’s not why I left,” I told her sharply, sticking my chin up. She knew nothing of my life, and I could tell that she wanted to. Her curious gaze flickered to my face, wanting me to reveal the secrets beneath them.

“Then do tell.” She gestured with her hands, no doubt trying to understand my motives for wanting to go to the Human Realm.

I just shook my head and continued walking. I expected her to snap at me, demanding me to tell her, but she surprisingly didn’t press the issue. She let it drop and continued walking through the murky forest without speaking. The awkward silence filled between us once again. I suddenly felt bad, wondering if she was simply making conversation. I guess people could talk without having an ulterior motive.

“Is Trint your lover?” I asked her, trying to find something to talk about. I suddenly realized that I really didn’t know anything about drow. I knew nothing of their hobbies, lifestyles or anything personal about them. Just that they were cruel and manipulative.

She snorted, laughing bitterly towards me. “I assume that’s a joke.”

“No, of course not. He seemed very protective over you.”

“He’s a friend. Nothing more.” She rolled her eyes at my expense.

As we traveled farther, I suddenly saw something vast and dark blue. We continued closer, and I saw the river blocking our path with much more clarity. The large river stretched on both sides, as far as the eyes could see.

“We have to swim through the river. You can swim, right?” Zame asked me, sighing.

“Yes, I can.” An involuntary grin stretched across my face. I was a very good swimmer. It was something I enjoyed doing in Azrain. These waters did not intimidate me, and it seemed like a very short distance. It wouldn’t be much of an effort to cross. The water seemed fairly calm.

As we approached the river, I started to put my foot in, testing the temperature. Zame suddenly yanked me backwards by my shirt, making me nearly fall backwards. “Are you stupid?” she demanded angrily.

“What did I do?” I asked, taking a couple of steps back from her.

“You’d be dead in seconds if a kelpie was there,” she growled. She suddenly reached in her sack and revealed a large, shiny red stone. I watched curiously as she placed the glistening stone by the edge of the river, watching the movement ripple in the water. I assumed she was trying to see if a kelpie would be attracted to the movement.

Nothing happened. No kelpie, no nothing. After a while, I grew impatient and started to get into the water once more.

“Wait,” she warned, gesturing toward the water with her fingers. I followed her hands, suddenly spotting movement just beneath the surface. The water started to gently ripple in all different directions, bouncing off of each other.

A green scaled creature slowly rose out of the river, water dripping down his face and body as he lifted his head toward us. He had an elven face, but it was all wrong. The green scales made him something else entirely. As strange as he looked, I couldn’t help but admire his beauty. The large contours of his shoulders, strong jaw and jade green eyes held my gaze. He slowly smiled and beckoned me forward. He playfully splashed me, and I giggled. His smile grew shyly when he saw my reaction.

“What are you afraid of?” I asked Zame, chuckling.

“Don’t move,” she warned in a low voice.

I ignored her as I took a step in the water, my eyes focused on the brilliant jade eyes of the sea green elf.

His eyes were the only warning I had that something was suddenly terribly wrong. His pupils dilated until they were completely black as pitch, soon covering his entire eye socket. His smile grew, along with sharp fangs that cornered the sides of his mouth. I didn’t even have time to scream before he lunged towards me.

Author's Note

Suggestions please!
Any comments would be greatly appreciated :)

Reviews

[Daydreamer54]

Awesome cliff hanger and after Zame oynched Trint, i began to like her more. I wonder if Trint will be Aurelia's love interest... ;)

[Strigoikillerr]

Hahaha thanks :D lol and Aurelia needs someone a little more manly :P hehe No offense to Trint or anything.

[Daydreamer54]

lol, your'e probably right! XD

[InsanityWriter]

Zame is such a boss!! :D I love this...

[Strigoikillerr]

Ikr? She's so much fun to write. Thanks for reading!!! :D