Etude 11 (continued)
So... More stuff! Return of the villain that I'd forgotten I introduced. Also I checked a random adventure site generator and got the result "Shrine of Flame", but I decided "Shrine of Winter" sounded cooler so now I'm running with it. :-D
Oh yeah, and Sarah's reaction to running in the cold at the end of this chapter... That's what happens to me. Yeah, I'm totally not physically fit. ;) And I did exaggerate a bit for purposes of word count. ;)
A figure in long, flowing robes embroidered with glittering sigils turned away from the mirror he had been gazing into. "So they have the Sword of Peace with them... That will be most interesting." The figure looked back into the mirror. "Now, show me what has become of the messenger."
As they continued travelling, the trees lost their leaves and their bare, stark branches dragged against the cold gray sky. The forest seemed to be cloaked in some dark, eternal winter. Only the barest sheen of frost lay on the ground, but it was enough to make the way slippery and unpredictable. The days were colder and longer, and it was often hard to start a fire when they camped for the night.
"Armand?"
"Hmm?"
"I don't think this is a normal winter."
"Duh."
"What does the map say?"
"The map? Oh yeah." He stopped walking, then swung his pack around to rummage through it. He cursed softly as the frozen cords that knotted the pack together refused to budge, but he finally managed to undo them. He pulled the map out, looked for a flat stone nearby, cleared it of frost, and unrolled the map onto the surface. He pointed at a spot in one of the forests on the map. "I think we're around here."
Sarah looked at the map doubtfully. "So we're now in the Forest of Seasons?"
"Well, that makes sense, doesn't it?" He said bitingly.
"Yeah, I guess. Where are we supposed to be going?"
"Well, we got here through the Forest of Wishes, so that means that we're out of the mappable area." He studied the map more closely. Only one corner was filled with a conventional map, and that held the Forest of Wishes that they had left. The rest of the map was filled with blobs of areas which were easily characterized and had distinctive features and landmarks, but which could appear and disappear and move around.
Sarah scrutinized the map. "Hey, there are Shrines here. Maybe we can ask them for help in getting to the Eyes of the Wind."
Armand frowned. "I don't know if that's a good idea. They might not be friendly." And we don't need help yet, either.
"Okay."
He shrugged, rolled up the map, and returned it to his pack. They continued on along the path.
...
As night drew closer, Sarah spotted a series of stone spires jutting out of the trees. "Armand! I'll bet that's one of the shrines in the forest."
He stopped and looked at the spires. He couldn't see them very clearly from this distance, but something about their shape and arrangement made the hair on the back of his neck rise. "Let's avoid them."
"Why?"
"I just don't think it's a good idea."
"Um, okay." She looked at the spires again for a long moment, and then returned her attention to the trail in front of them. But after only a few steps, she thought she saw a flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye. "Armand, did you see that?"
"What?"
"Over there. I thought I saw something..." But there were only bare trees and a spattering of frost.
Armand looked at the area. He seemed to be concentrating on something. "I think there might be something dangerous around here."
"Oh. Um. What should we do?"
He looked at her, exasperated. "Move away from it." He turned to the side and pointed. "That way, I think. There's still a trail through there, and it's in a different direction."
"Okay." She followed his lead. But soon enough, she saw something else flicker past her, just to the side. And something else, a brief glint in the gloom, to the other side. "Armand?"
"What now?"
"I think I saw more of them."
He grumbled, but drew the sword from its scabbard. It shed a cold blue light on their surroundings that only served to heighten the eerie shadows of the bare branches. Sarah caught more flickers to the sides. She spun around to look at them, but they vanished. She thought she caught another flicker, but it was gone. That one had seemed to be shaped like a figure in a tattered cloak, dragging along the ground. Probably just my imagination. I don't want to tell him that I'm getting really scared... I wish I had a flashlight or something. Something that's not the weird gray sunlight or that sword of his.
"Armand?"
"What?" He said, testily.
"I think we should move out of here."
He glared at her, but swung the sword around slowly. Finally, he seemed to find a direction that suited him, and he turned to her. "This way."
She followed, sneaking glances behind her. There were no more flickers. But as she turned to look behind again, she stumbled on something, and fell sprawling to the ground. Armand heard her fall, and turned back to her. She saw his eyes grow wide for a moment.
"I fell."
"Yeah, I noticed." He glared at her with distate again. "But look at what you tripped on."
She turned behind her, and saw a strange white rod portruding from the ground. It twisted and bent an odd angle before entering the ground again. Beside it were other rods, of different sizes. "What is it?"
"Don't you recognize a rib cage?"
"Eeek!" She backed away from it as quickly as she could.
Armand looked unimpressed by her reaction, but he stepped away from it. "I don't think this is a good sign..." Some impulse made him suddenly look up and beyond her. "I think we've stayed here too long. Can you walk?"
Sarah stood, shakily, and tested her weak ankle. Miraculously, she hadn't sprained it, although it still tingled and ached a little from the fall. She nodded. "I think so." She looked behind her. The trees were filled with dark, flickering shapes. Impressions of rags, spikes, and skulls flashed across her vision as she watched them. She started running. Armand was already running from them. She was much slower, and her breath caught painfully in her lungs from the sharp, cold air. She tried to breathe through her mouth, but that only made it worse. She started sputtering and coughing helplessly. She had to stop, leaning against a tree, as the coughing fit continued. Her throat burned with every cough. She started feeling nauseous. The dark shapes were closer now. "Ar --" she was seized by another series of coughs, nearly doubling over. with the violence of them. "Armand!" Dimly, she heard him come up behind her, and then she felt a cool, hard object pressed into her hand. She took it, and realized it was a sword hilt. A distant thrumming came from it, and spread through her body. The ache in her throat and lungs ceased. She looked up in wonder, to see a flutter of rags flash past her and towards Armand. "No!" She screamed, raising the sword. And the world stopped.
Oh yeah, and Sarah's reaction to running in the cold at the end of this chapter... That's what happens to me. Yeah, I'm totally not physically fit. ;) And I did exaggerate a bit for purposes of word count. ;)
A figure in long, flowing robes embroidered with glittering sigils turned away from the mirror he had been gazing into. "So they have the Sword of Peace with them... That will be most interesting." The figure looked back into the mirror. "Now, show me what has become of the messenger."
As they continued travelling, the trees lost their leaves and their bare, stark branches dragged against the cold gray sky. The forest seemed to be cloaked in some dark, eternal winter. Only the barest sheen of frost lay on the ground, but it was enough to make the way slippery and unpredictable. The days were colder and longer, and it was often hard to start a fire when they camped for the night.
"Armand?"
"Hmm?"
"I don't think this is a normal winter."
"Duh."
"What does the map say?"
"The map? Oh yeah." He stopped walking, then swung his pack around to rummage through it. He cursed softly as the frozen cords that knotted the pack together refused to budge, but he finally managed to undo them. He pulled the map out, looked for a flat stone nearby, cleared it of frost, and unrolled the map onto the surface. He pointed at a spot in one of the forests on the map. "I think we're around here."
Sarah looked at the map doubtfully. "So we're now in the Forest of Seasons?"
"Well, that makes sense, doesn't it?" He said bitingly.
"Yeah, I guess. Where are we supposed to be going?"
"Well, we got here through the Forest of Wishes, so that means that we're out of the mappable area." He studied the map more closely. Only one corner was filled with a conventional map, and that held the Forest of Wishes that they had left. The rest of the map was filled with blobs of areas which were easily characterized and had distinctive features and landmarks, but which could appear and disappear and move around.
Sarah scrutinized the map. "Hey, there are Shrines here. Maybe we can ask them for help in getting to the Eyes of the Wind."
Armand frowned. "I don't know if that's a good idea. They might not be friendly." And we don't need help yet, either.
"Okay."
He shrugged, rolled up the map, and returned it to his pack. They continued on along the path.
...
As night drew closer, Sarah spotted a series of stone spires jutting out of the trees. "Armand! I'll bet that's one of the shrines in the forest."
He stopped and looked at the spires. He couldn't see them very clearly from this distance, but something about their shape and arrangement made the hair on the back of his neck rise. "Let's avoid them."
"Why?"
"I just don't think it's a good idea."
"Um, okay." She looked at the spires again for a long moment, and then returned her attention to the trail in front of them. But after only a few steps, she thought she saw a flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye. "Armand, did you see that?"
"What?"
"Over there. I thought I saw something..." But there were only bare trees and a spattering of frost.
Armand looked at the area. He seemed to be concentrating on something. "I think there might be something dangerous around here."
"Oh. Um. What should we do?"
He looked at her, exasperated. "Move away from it." He turned to the side and pointed. "That way, I think. There's still a trail through there, and it's in a different direction."
"Okay." She followed his lead. But soon enough, she saw something else flicker past her, just to the side. And something else, a brief glint in the gloom, to the other side. "Armand?"
"What now?"
"I think I saw more of them."
He grumbled, but drew the sword from its scabbard. It shed a cold blue light on their surroundings that only served to heighten the eerie shadows of the bare branches. Sarah caught more flickers to the sides. She spun around to look at them, but they vanished. She thought she caught another flicker, but it was gone. That one had seemed to be shaped like a figure in a tattered cloak, dragging along the ground. Probably just my imagination. I don't want to tell him that I'm getting really scared... I wish I had a flashlight or something. Something that's not the weird gray sunlight or that sword of his.
"Armand?"
"What?" He said, testily.
"I think we should move out of here."
He glared at her, but swung the sword around slowly. Finally, he seemed to find a direction that suited him, and he turned to her. "This way."
She followed, sneaking glances behind her. There were no more flickers. But as she turned to look behind again, she stumbled on something, and fell sprawling to the ground. Armand heard her fall, and turned back to her. She saw his eyes grow wide for a moment.
"I fell."
"Yeah, I noticed." He glared at her with distate again. "But look at what you tripped on."
She turned behind her, and saw a strange white rod portruding from the ground. It twisted and bent an odd angle before entering the ground again. Beside it were other rods, of different sizes. "What is it?"
"Don't you recognize a rib cage?"
"Eeek!" She backed away from it as quickly as she could.
Armand looked unimpressed by her reaction, but he stepped away from it. "I don't think this is a good sign..." Some impulse made him suddenly look up and beyond her. "I think we've stayed here too long. Can you walk?"
Sarah stood, shakily, and tested her weak ankle. Miraculously, she hadn't sprained it, although it still tingled and ached a little from the fall. She nodded. "I think so." She looked behind her. The trees were filled with dark, flickering shapes. Impressions of rags, spikes, and skulls flashed across her vision as she watched them. She started running. Armand was already running from them. She was much slower, and her breath caught painfully in her lungs from the sharp, cold air. She tried to breathe through her mouth, but that only made it worse. She started sputtering and coughing helplessly. She had to stop, leaning against a tree, as the coughing fit continued. Her throat burned with every cough. She started feeling nauseous. The dark shapes were closer now. "Ar --" she was seized by another series of coughs, nearly doubling over. with the violence of them. "Armand!" Dimly, she heard him come up behind her, and then she felt a cool, hard object pressed into her hand. She took it, and realized it was a sword hilt. A distant thrumming came from it, and spread through her body. The ache in her throat and lungs ceased. She looked up in wonder, to see a flutter of rags flash past her and towards Armand. "No!" She screamed, raising the sword. And the world stopped.
posted by Selene at 8:32 PM
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