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Hiya The new direction for Prophecy's Twilight (Two Worlds) continues. This is the story that will focus on Litni Speed and her companions Angel and Poet as they make their way across the Shadow Empire in order to complete the mission of destroying the Heart of Darkness. Cilia Title: The Dark Elf Book: Prophecy's Twilight Chapter: Escape from Shrill Author: Cilia Beta: Cheryl Summary: After the events of Prophecy's Twilight Introduction were Litni Speed was forced to seemingly kill her lover, the Shadow spy, Poet. We find her in desperate run through Shrill, the Shadow’s Capital, with Poet’s body slung over her shoulders. Litni has recently merged with Angel, who acts as her mentor and friend, the unlikely trio must find there way to safety, before the spark of life leaves Poet completely. Litni is the Dark Elf, neither fully drow nor fully elf,she is the realm’s champion and its destined savior, she wears the armor and wields Al’x Sun’s sword. PROPHECY’S TWILIGHT: THE DARK ELF Chapter 1: Escape from Shrill I’m a storyteller hero, no longer ‘the hero’, just a tag along for the big show. Although I take a lighthearted tone in my telling of this particular tale, our current situation is no laughing matter, no laughing matter indeed. “Litni you've got to keep going,” Angel whispered into Litni’s mind asshe staggered through the back ways of Shrill, the Shadow’s capitol, withher lover, Poet, near death slung over her shoulders. She had been forced to stab him in the chest, with ribbons of light, in order to expel the influence ofthe Heart of Darkness, freeing his spirit, but nearly killing him in the process. “You…
don’t think… I know that,” Litni said in a strained voice,
the merging with Angel had some what increased her strength and the armor
helped, but still torture and imprisonment took their toll. “I now… but why can’t I fly?” Litni asked, the ethereal wings granted to her by the merger and her acceptance of her duty, felt like led, adding to her discomfort. “Blood of the innocent,” Angel answered. “Kind of complicates things,” he added referring of course to her use of the wings to free Poet from his enslavement to the darkness. “So… no flying?” Litni asked. “No flying,” Angel answered. Litni stood still for a moment. She was bleeding, tired, alone and carrying her only ally more dead than alive on her back through the enemies stronghold. Training with Tark had never prepared her for this. But then there was a soft groan that made her heart jump with joy and a flicker of hope. Laying the prone form of Poet against the wall, she knelt down, her tattered cloak pooling around her feet. “Tough bastard,” she muttered to herself as Poet’s eyes started fluttering and then snapped open. The assassin was awake much to Angel and Litni’s surprise. “Hello Miss Speed,” he said, his voice showing no strain, and then he smiled. “You…
you…” Litni stammered. “How?” she finally asked. “You can do your explanations later. Is there a way out of the city?” she asked as she raised him up against the wall. “Tunnels… under the west wall… lead to the river,” he said as he tried to stand, but Litni pushed him down again, gently, though. “Where can we go from there, is there a safe house somewhere?” she asked. “My families'
estate is down river to the south, about a half days trip down stream,”
he explained. It was no doubt with much pain and agony that Poet and Litni made their way through the streets of Shrill. Poet half carried by his friend and comrade Litni and the young elf held together only by her sense of dutyand her training. The city didn’t help matters; crooked and winding streets and the permanent stench of dark magic were taking their toll on Litni in ways she couldn’t comprehend. A patrol came marching town the street, but thanks to the war going on there weren’t many soldiers in the city, after all the Shadows weren’t nearly as numerous as their human and elfin cousins. “Anybody think this is just a little too easy?” Angel asked. “We are lucky, those are just the city guard, everybody who could carry a swordhas been summoned to the Tower,” Poet thought/whispered back. “You can hear him?” Litni asked out loud. “Of course,” Poet answered. “Angel?” Litni asked. “Well he was bonded to me, ever so shortly, but contact was made,” Angel answered. “We are here,” Poet said as they reached the west wall of the city, they were in a alley way between a brothel and a pub, in the more undesirable part of the city, in other words a perfect place to find an escape route. “What now?” Litni asked. “We step through?” Poet answered. “You are kidding right?” Litni asked as she knocked her gauntlet-covered fist against the wall. “Trust me,” Poet said and took her hand and together they stepped into the wall. Litni felt a moment of panic as the darkness enclosed her, she was at heart a surface elf, no matter how much training she received from Tark, she needed to see the blue sky, the trips into Necris were hard enough, but this was unlike anything she’d ever endured, but then they emerged on the other side at the rivers edge. “Are you alright Litni?” he asked in a gentle voice that made the young elf smile. He was standing unaided, but his shoulders were sagged and his wounds although healed slightly didn’t need much to open up again. “Fine, fine,” Litni said and stood up straight. “Now where is this raft of yours?” she asked moving away from his touch. Poet frowned for a split second, but then his neutral mask slipped back on. “This way,” he said and pointed the way. “Litni give it time,” Angel said to Litni, softly but firmly. But Litni just ignored her partner. ~*~*~*~ Litni pushed them down the river towards the lands belonging to Poet’s family, they were like he had said one time, farmers, a wealthy and old family, but still farmers. They stayed as far away from each other as the small, barrowed, raft allowed them to be. Poet was huddled up as the night chill started biting at his wounds again and Litni at the back pushing them along. Angel was not happy from where he watched. “How much longer?” Litni asked. “We’ll arrive at dawn,” Poet answered, straining to keep his teeth from chattering. “Good,” Litni answered. “Keep talking to him so he won’t pass out,” Angel stated quite firmlyin her mind. Litni would have scowled at Angel is she could have seen his face, but instead she just sighed. Taking a long look at Poet who sat huddled on the barge, trying to ward of the cold and to maintain consciousness. She felt abig lump in her stomach, a big ugly ball of guilt sinking down. “Poet I don’t… I don’t hate you,” she said. “And I… am sorry,” he answered. “Are you alright?” she asked as she pushed the pole. “I am fine Miss Speed,” Poet said firmly. “Oh now I know you are faking,” Litni said with a small smile, which did not come easily. The night was disappearing all around them, the river seemed to flow into the horizon, she saw no mountains, just endless plains that stretched to the mountains in the north and when she looked back she knew there was nothing behind her and the pole. “You should be keeping me awake you know,” Poet said with a laugh in his voice that quickly turned into a cough. “Poet,” Litni said with concern and placed the pole down on the floor of the raft the stream could carry them the rest of the way. She made her way carefully towards him, her eyes shining by the lights of the stars and the moons. Kneeling behind him she wrapped what remained of her cape around them both, pulled his head against her chest and started stroking his hair gently while talking to him soothingly. She noticed that his black hair had lightened somewhat in colorand it made her smile slightly. She didn’t know what came over her but she started saying everything that came to her mind. Her wished, her dreams and hopes for the future. “It’s
going to be alright Poet… we are going to make it and go somewhere and be
alone… away from the war, maybe go back to Sun how does that
sound?” she asked. “It’s
a start, I have never thought much about the future, but now I do, strange I
just always wanted to be Rose Guard, maybe find somebody nice to be with,
somebody who didn’t want me just because I’m the heir to the Third
House…” “Maybe,” Litni answered with a smile, but before she could act on her impulses the raft ran ashore and sent them tumbling. The sun was rising and not far from the rivers edge they could see Poet’s ancestral home and their arrival had been noticed and groups of people, armed people, came rushing towards them. Litni stiffened and went for the gauntlet and the green gemstone that held her, sword, but Poet placed his hand on hers and shook his head. She wordlessly helped him ashore and he straightened himself up to his full height, ignoring that it made his wounds bleed again. Once in range the captain of the guard force called out. There were more than just house guards, behind them stooda sizeable part of the house staff no doubt. “Identify yourself!” Poet took a deep breath and then spoke. The way he spoke shocked Litni somewhat, always softly spoke and quiet, his voice thundered and carried a strong air of authority. “I am Darien Xarlanion,” he called out and a rumble went through the ranks of the small guard regiment, their ranks parted and a small and fleshy woman of perhaps fifty years, with gray streaked black herand large white eyes, made her way towards them. Hugging Poet she smiled and spoke in the softest voice, a mother’s voice. “Welcome home son,” she said as she backed away from him “Mother,” Poet said with a small bow and winced as it tore at his wounds, he hid it well but Litni and his mother noticed. “Poet stop this you are killing yourself,” Litni hissed as she went in to support him. “You picked wisely,” Poet’s mother said and Litni gave her a small smile as she supported Poet. “Come you need rest,” she offered. “That would be…” Litni started, but then Poet felt very heavy in her arms. “Goddess!” Litni shouted as it hit her, Poet hadn’t come home to get better, he had come here to die and the holes in his chest started to bleed again. To be contiuned in Prophecy's Twilight: The Dark Elf #2 |