This is part of chapter 1 of a book I started to write and then later abandoned. I’m considering picking up where I left off. I made it through 14 chapters and stopped. Let me know in the comments if you would like me to post more of the story here. 😊😊😊
Ve awoke to the sound of a low trembling rumble that was accompanied by a suffocating stench. She rubbed her tongue against the back of her teeth trying to clear the grit from her mouth, hoping to produce some saliva, still only swallowing dry air. Somewhat disoriented, she shifted slightly, making a feeble attempt at sitting up. The sharp rocks beneath her pressed into any exposed skin unfortunate enough to make contact.
She ever so slightly began to open her eyes at the sound of another explosion echoing off the surrounding mountains, bouncing through the valley, the smoke billowing upwards in the distance from the grumbling volcano. ‘That explains the smell’, she thought.
Struggling herself into an upright position, her weariness began to subside. Still feeling like she was spinning, she stumbled to her feet to get a better view of her surroundings. Nothing but rock and ash for miles in every direction.
She recognized this place, The Sullen Battlefields, almost every battle fought during the Supremacy War took place on these lands, leaving it with nothing but the haunting reminders of death and terror. The only thing found in terrain such as this is the occasional dangerous rogue, scouring for any residue lingering within the crevices of the rock. The residue was formed by death itself. When arcane black fire mixes with blood on volcanic rock, it breaks down over time and ferments into magical conduit and is highly coveted by those who practice the dark arts.
Nuriel just finished stitching up his latest catch when he thought he heard something in the rocky valley below. He stretched his neck to get a better view, a larger animal maybe? Anything would be better than the pathetic size of his catch. He carefully placed it in his satchel and scuttled down the mountainside.
On his way down, he noticed more residue hidden beneath a nearby boulder, he couldn’t resist, he needed all he could find. He pulled out a collection crystal and held it up in the light to inspect it for any flaws. The crystal was clear as glass, perfect. He placed it to the residue and watched as it corrupted the crystal, turning its perfect clear state into one which swirled with white smoke, clouding it and creating small fractures within.
He heard movement again in the valley, this time accompanied by a voice. He quickly ducked down behind the boulder and peered out to see who was speaking, inching closer, while using the environment as his camouflage. He took great precaution in staying hidden in this place. His ashen linen pants and hooded cloak blended perfectly with the landscape. If he kept still, anything that moved past him never knew he was there.
Ve was sitting on the ground, knees bent, attempting to cut through the elven rope binding the shackles on her ankles. She was getting nowhere fast. "Damn elves and their bullshit rope," she grumbled as she vigorously sawed at it with the shiv.
Nuriel wasn’t one for socializing, but her situation was just to bizarre to ignore. "You’ll never get through it like that," he announced as he began to walk toward her.
Startled, Ve looked up to find the source of this know-it-all. She managed a grunt as she watched him squat down in front of her. He placed his hand upon hers, urging her to stop sawing.
"Are you alright?" He paused for a moment studying her face. She looked as though she had just crawled out from the center of Hell. The soft features of her face were smudged with soot and partly obscured by ebony curls that escaped the messy bun on top of her head.
"I'm Nuriel." he said, trying to lighten the mood. He slid his fingers across the knotted rope and after several fluid motions he had it undone. Nuriel lowered his hood and helped her up.
Ve assumed, because of his fair skin, that he was of lowland descent, although he was quite tall for a lowlander. His hair glittered like liquid silver spilling onto his shoulders, but it was the brilliance in his blue eyes that captivated her.
"I'm, um, Ve." she managed, “and thank you.”
"Don’t thank me yet, the shackles are still locked shut, but at least you can walk now.” he said as he picked up the rope from the ground that was no longer binding her feet together
“So, what brings you to this place, hiding from the guards?"
Ve looked down at her tattered prison rags and wondered if she was indeed hiding from the guards. She didn’t seem to know, there was no memory of getting caught, not by a Sentinel, and if she had been caught they certainly wouldn’t have just dumped her here, the penalty for attempted murder of the Potentate would be certain death.
Nuriel inched a little closer donning an expression of compassion mixed with a slight smile of curiosity. There was still enough daylight remaining for him to see into her eyes. Nuriel shifted his focus to the soul of her eyes, hoping to catch a quick glimpse of her most recent past. He immediately noticed her affliction, heterochromia, two different colors. The left eye was turquoise with undertones of violet, the other glowing a mint green with streaks of gold. Never has he seen anything so extraordinary.
He glanced deeper into the center of the iris, the heart of the eye where memories reside. His mind began to swirl with flashes of fire, so much fire and destruction. He felt his heart racing. If he looked any longer she would start to feel him in her mind so he interrupted his gaze.
"You're not looking so good." he announced. His words were immediately followed by another startling explosion from the volcano in the distance. This one shook the earth around them. The crumbs from beneath a colossal boulder setting high above on the mountainside began to roll down and scatter near their feet.
"Shit! We need to get out of here!” He appeared as though this wasn't his first challenge with the angry earth.
At the crest of the mountain behind Ve, an avalanche of massive rocks, boulders and ash began to pick up pace as it tumbled toward them. He grabbed her arm and began to pull her into a sprint, attempting to outpace the oncoming threat.
**Credit for the artwork goes to the creator. I only borrowed the image that I found on Pinterest for the purpose of this post.
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