GUYS!!!! I FINISHED

Chatterbox: Inkwell

GUYS!!!! I FINISHED

GUYS!!!! I FINISHED MY BOOK!!!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!

Ahem. So, some of you might remember the story I started last November for NaNoWriMo and posted here. Well, the thread eventually died, and I stopped posting, but I kept writing. And here I am, five months, 153 pages and 81,486 words later, and the first draft is finally, finally done. I'm so excited. I've never fully completed a book before, and I could never have done it without my dear fans and their constant encouragement. I would like to thank Rose bud, Jarvis, MJ, and Autumn Moon for your kind words and for reading my writing, and I'd especially like to thank Tux, Aspen, and Strytllr for sticking with me all the way.

The original thread is pretty far down, and so instead of topping it, I'm going to go ahead and post the whole thing in the comments once this pops up, if anyone cares to read it. Light Runs Deeper is my tentative title for now, though I might change it. Keep in mind that it's unedited, and therefore will have mistakes. I'm not even sure how good it is, really, but I'm taking a deep breath and putting my story out there, and hoping that somewhere in this jumbled-up pile of words, at least a few of you will find something that you really enjoy. 

 

Congratulations, Leeli!

Admin

 

submitted by Leeli
(April 7, 2018 - 2:22 pm)

back to the Inkwell
~Chapter 18~
Eris's eyes fluttered open. 
Where was she? 
She sat up quickly, only to look down and see a huge expanse of open air below her. She gasped at how close she'd come to slipping off the Whifk’s back. Now she remembered. She had been looking up at the stars, tracing out each constellation in her mind, and she must have fallen asleep. It was still dark. The sky was grey with the first hints of sunlight, casting a dusty glow through the air. 
Her stomach growled. Eris realized she hadn't eaten since yesterday. She untied her pack and dug out a package of dried witherberries. She hadn't noticed until now just how fast the dragons were going, she realized as she munched the berries. She should have been nearly frozen by now, from the wind alone, even with her Endellan furs. But she wasn't. The heat that emanated from Varilyn’s back, along with the thick strip of feathers along her back, was holding off the cold. Eris also wondered at the fact that she wasn't having trouble holding onto the dragon at this speed. 
Eris heard shifting behind her, and Tryss yawned. She blinked a few times, and almost did the same thing Eris did, before remembering she was in midair and catching herself. Eris held out her packet of witherberries. 
“Want some?” She asked. With her mouth full, it came out more like, “Whathwhum?”
Tryss laughed. “No thanks, I have my own. More for you to stuff yourself with.”
Verilyn must have heard the exchange, for she laughed, a throaty, windy sound that caused her whole body to shake. Eris had to wrap her arms and legs  around the whifk’s neck to keep from falling off. 
“I see the small she-elves are finally awake.” 
It occurred to Eris that Verilyn must have had to stay up all night in order to fly. 
“Were you awake all night long?” She asked. 
“No, small one. We Whifks are able to sleep for short periods of time while gliding. We need not more than a little sleep each night anyway, and a few dozes are enough to keep a full grown dragon flying for days.” She twisted her head around to look at them. “Enjoying the flight?” 
Both girls nodded.
“We should arrive at the cliffs by sundown. We have travelled swiftly to make the journey short.” Verilyn informed them. 
Eris had so many questions for the whifks they cluttered her head. But she wasn't sure how many questions was too many questions, or if it would be considered polite to ask everything she wanted. Eris opened her mouth to say something, and then, changing her mind, closed it. 
As if reading her mind, Verilyn said, “If either of you have any questions, ask away.” She said it so soon after Eris had thought about asking, that Eris wondered if whifks could read minds. But before she could even think to ask, Verilyn interrupted her. 
“It is said that some whifks can communicate with others through the mind, you know.” Eris's eyes widened. She thought she detected a note of mischief in Verilyn’s voice. Eris opened her mouth again to say something, but before she could, Verilyn muttered something she couldn't understand under her breath. 
“What did you say?” Eris asked. 
“Nothing, small one.” Verilyn sounded almost flustered. She seemed restless about something. She couldn't stop turning and looking over her shoulder. Her flying was jerky; she continued to speed up and slow down, swerving a bit. 
“Verilyn?” Tryss's voice was concerned. “Is something wrong?” 
The dragon muttered something again, then sighed. “I didn't want you to worry, but I suppose there's no harm in telling you. Besides, if I keep it from you, you'll only want to know more.” 
“Know what?” Tryss prodded. 
“You have noticed, both of you, that I am ill at ease,” Verilyn started. “This is because we are passing through the Blacklands.”
A shiver ran up Eris’s spine. “Blacklands?”
“Between Endell and Ielis, just north of the banks of the Aargon, lie the Blacklands.”
“I've never heard of them.” 
“They lie just behind the largest peak at the western end of the Mountains Vyrska, and slightly to the west. Just far enough behind that they aren't recorded on the maps. Few know of these Blacklands. It is an evil place. Darkness lies over it like a fog. Nothing good grow there. The ground is hardened by black ash. And it is ruled and overrun by Mörnörgs.”
Tryss swallowed. “Mörnörgs?”
“Qîllics turned evil.”
“What are Qîllics?” 
“Qîllics are great creatures of light who’s origins lie in Ielis. They are big, they have huge feathered wings, and smooth, narrowed faces ending in a sort of beak. They have soft feathery fur, and long tails. And they walk on four huge paws. Their body is similar to that of a horse, or a large cat. They, like Whifks, can speak. Some of these Qîllics, however, turned to darkness. It destroyed them entirely, and turned them into creatures of smoke and ash. They moved to the place just above and beyond the last tall peak of the Vyrskas on the eastern side, turning it into a place of smoke and ash as well. We now call it the Blacklands.” 
Eris looked around. The fog had lifted, replaced by a haze of ash. The ground, so far below her now, was blackened and cracked. No trees stood within a hundred yards. She shivered. 
“The Mörnörgs seldom go anywhere or bother anyone. They prefer to stay in the Blacklands and let their darkness fester. But they do not like it when others pass through the Blacklands. They do not like it at all. If we are lucky, we can travel quickly and leave these lands behind, and they will not notice us.” 
Suddenly, Verilyn made a sharp dip. “But I'm afraid I was right.”
“Right about what?” Eris asked. 
“Right to be ill at ease. We Whifks can sense things that others can't. I sensed--,” she cut herself off. “Hold on tightly, small ones.” She suddenly made another dip. She was now on level with Delmarill. 
“We're being followed!” She called to him. 
“I know!” He called back. Then he said something else in a language Eris couldn't understand. 
Then Varilyn suddenly shot higher into the air, and began flying faster. 
“What's going on?” Eris asked, slightly panicked. 
“We're being followed. I can sense him.”
“Who?” Tryss asked. 
“The Mörnörg!”
Just then, a shriek, like an eagle’s call, only more terrible, pierced the air. Eris turned. In the distance she could see a spot of black with two glowing red eyes. And behind it, another. Varilyn flew faster, beating her wings furiously. They rose in the air, gaining both altitude and distance, but the Mörnörg was catching up quickly. 
Verilyn performed a series of twists and swoops in the air, hoping to confuse the Mörnörgs, but it did no good. 
In the distance, a cluster of black spires rose. They seemed to be spikes of black rock jutting up from a chasm in the ground. Suddenly, Verilyn let out a piercing cry as a Mörnörg took hold of her tail. She broke free and started to weave through the rock spires. The creature crashed into one of them, slowing him momentarily. But he gained speed again quickly, and flew on toward them. Now that he was closer, Eris could see just how terrible he was. The Mörnörg was bigger than both dragons, and much bigger than her. He could have scooped her up in one gigantic paw. She saw how he could have been a beautiful creature once, but now he was awful looking. His black fur hung in matted strings from his body, revealing bare patches of scarred and blackened skin. His claws were jagged, and his wings were slightly crooked, the black feathers dull and ruffled. His entire body was mangled. And his eyes glowed a ferocious red that seemed to stare into Eris's soul. 
With one gigantic paw, he swiped the air, narrowly missing Verilyn's back leg. She rose in the air again, the Mörnörg behind her. Again he attempted to strike her, and this time he did, knocking a blow to her leg. The wound oozed purply-grey blood. She shrieked and kicked him with the same leg, leaving a nasty scratch up his chest. He cried out a terrible cry. Eris covered her ears. 
Swooping, Verilyn lost the Mörnörg in the haze for a minute, before he came down upon them once more. Reaching out with his paw, he swung at Tryss, who screamed and ducked. He swung again, this time catching her upper arm. Tryss cried out in pain. Eris grabbed Tryss's bow and arrows from her, and attempted to pull one of the arrows back on the bowstring as Verilyn made yet another dive. She wasted three arrows before hitting the Mörnörg’s paw. The arrow bounced off and the Mörnörg shrieked, but it was no serious injury. Eris turned to her sister. 
“Are you okay?”
Tryss was holding her hand to her arm. She nodded and groaned. When she pulled her hand away, it was red with blood. There was no time to bind the wound. 
The Mörnörg made for them again, diving down. It bit down hard on Varilyn’s haunches. She shrieked, and Eris attempted another shot with the bow, her heart pounding in her ears. Varilyn whirled and sunk her claws into the Mörnörg’s flank before shooting off in the other direction. Eris could see she was weakened, and was having a harder time flying. 
Suddenly Tryss screamed. The Mörnörg had snuck up behind them, and while she was attempting to bind her arm, it had knocked her from her perch on Verilyn’s back. She was slipping from the Whifk’s side, scrambling to get up. 
“Tryss!” Eris reached down, grabbing for her sister's hand. Gripping Tryss's wrist, Eris tried to haul her up, but Tryss slipped again, sliding even farther off Verilyn's back. She hung off limply, her injured arm doing no good. 
“Hold on, Tryss!” Then Eris noticed just how much blood was dripping from Tryss's wound. She thought she might be sick, but turned her gaze away and held back the bile. Tryss slipped farther. Eris couldn't hold her much longer. Then Eris looked into her sister's eyes and her heart stopped for a moment. They were no longer fearful and panicked. There was a sort of  peaceful surrender in Tryss’s eyes. 
“Tryss! Don't let go!” Eris felt hot tears behind her eyes. “Don't let go!”
Tryss smiled and let go. 
“No!” Eris cried. She reached down. “No. No!” The tears began to stream down her face. She didn't see Tryss fall. She couldn't see. Couldn't think. Couldn't breathe. No. This wasn't happening. 
For a brief moment Eris thought about throwing herself off the dragon’s back too. But she couldn't. 
Eris let herself hang off of Verilyn’s back. She didn't know what just happened. And she was angry at Tryss. So angry. Why? Why had she let go? And then she was angry at Verilyn. Hadn't she been the one that said no one ever fell from her back? Then she turned her anger toward the king and Queen of Endell. This had been their idea. If they'd never left Endell this wouldn't have happened and Tryss wouldn't be...
“No!” Eris screamed. Tryss was alive. She had to be. 
Eris flung the tears from her face as more took their place. She stood on Verilyn’s back and drew a dagger from her pack. Then she slowly walked the length of the Whifk's body. She stood face to face with the Mörnörg. She held her dagger aloft, ready to end him. But before she had a chance, with one might swipe off his paw to Verilyn’s wing, he threw them both from the sky. Verilyn was too weak, and she tumbled from the sky, along with Eris. As she fell, Eris threw the knife as hard as she could. It embedded itself in the Mörnörg’s head, between the eyes, and it screamed as it too fell from the sky. 
And then everything went black. 
submitted by Leeli
(May 5, 2018 - 6:11 pm)
~Chapter 19~
The last thing Eris saw was the Mörnörg fall from the sky. 
She didn't see the huge white shapes that appeared soon after she had fallen. She didn't see what became of Verilyn. She didn't see what became of Rohir and Finn. She had gone unconscious in midair; not a convenient place to black out. Fortunately for Eris, someone was conveniently there to catch her. 
When she was knocked from the back of the dragon, she assumed it was all over. She assumed she would die, falling from the sky, just like Tryss. Her thoughts were muddled, and while falling, she figured it was better this way. Better not to have to face the grief. 
But what Eris didn't know, was that she wouldn't meet that fate. Rather, she would be carried to safety. 
The next thing she knew, she was being nudged awake. She didn't know where she was or why she was there. And she didn't care. She wanted to go back to sleep. She sensed a dull ache in her leg...her injured ankle. She had forgotten all about it. It must have been jarred during her fall. 
Her fall. 
What had happened?
Eris opened her eyes and looked up. Above her was a dome of connected tree branches, thatched together to form a roof. She blinked a few times. She was in a small room, the walls made of tree branches that bent up into the roof. She was lying on the most comfortable bed she'd ever slept on. It felt like lying on a cloud. She was covered with a blanket of the softest downy feathers. She took a long breath. It was the clearest, sweetest air she'd ever breathed, and as it filled her lungs, it filled her with strength and a sense of peace. 
What had been nudging her just a moment ago?
She looked down, expecting to see a person. But beside her bed stood...Eris jumped. She didn't know what it was. The creature looked very much like a fox, but with bigger ears, and two small antlers jutting up from its head. It stared up at her with big, obsidian eyes. Then it nudged her again with its snout. 
“You-you want me to get up?” It was more of a realization that a question. So Eris sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed.The fox-creature had disappeared. A few moments later, it came trotting through the door with a bundle of fabric in its mouth. The it dropped the bundle on her lap. She held it out. It was a beautiful gown, made of sparkling silky fabric. She gladly changed out of her old gown, which was dirty and ripped, and stepped into the new one. It was the color of sunlight filtering through tree branches, and hung about her ankles loosely. Tiny sparkling jewels were inset along the waistline, like droplets of rainwater. It was so comfortable, it was like wearing air. 
The creature led Eris from the dome-room. They stood beneath the bows of huge trees; the sunlight filtered through the branches, making the ground a dappled green. A stone path wound in out of the trees, leading past more structures similar to the one Eris had been in, but some were bigger, or made of stone. Here and there were fountains and pavilions, and there were a few shiny-smooth pools among the trees. Eris had no idea where she was, or where her friends were, but she felt completely at ease. It was like the forest had laid a spell on her. 
The fox-creature trotted down the path, Eris following close behind. 
“Aye, little friend!” 
Eris turned toward the voice. And she stumbled back. Standing just mere feet from her was a creature like she had never seen before. It was huge, to begin with, bigger even than the great Whifks. It stood almost three men tall, and could've squashed Eris beaneath it's massive paw. It had a narrow face, and soft, creamy-white fur covered its body, up until its two massive wings, which were covered by huge white feathers. It's eyes were deep and wise, and blue as the sea, flecked with gold. They were like deep pools of water, reflecting the stars. 
Then Eris realized what it was. A Quîllic. It looked exactly as Verilyn had described them. Eris just stood, gaping at the huge creature. It lowered its head so that it stood face to face with her. 
“Welcome to Ielis, little friend.” 
Eris didn't know what to do, so she bowed. “T-thank you.”
“No need to bow to me, little friend.” The Quîllic chuckled. “I am of no importance.”
“Oh.” Eris wasn't sure what to say. She stood up straight. “Who are you?” She asked. 
“I am Relec. And you are Eris.” Before she had a chance to be surprised, he continued. “Come with me.” The Quîllic turned and began to pad softly along the path. He was surprisingly quiet for a creature his size. Eris followed him, still in awe. 
“Wait,” she asked. “How-how did I get here? I thought I was...well, dead.”
“You see,” he began. “Myself and a handful of other Quîllics were sent to the Blacklands on...business with the Mörnörgs. It doesn't matter what sort of business we had there. But it did not escape us that while we with them, two Mörnörgs slipped away. It was obvious to me that they were hunting something. They are territorial creatures, and like nothing intruding into their lands. But it took me a bit longer to sense that you and your companions were friends. Quickly, myself and two others went after the two Mörnörgs. But we were a bit late. I arrived just as you fell. We brought you back here, to Ielis.”
“So this is Ielis,” Eris breathed. 
“The Outskirts.”
“Eris!” Eris turned. Finn and Rohir stood by a structure that looked exactly like the one she had woken up in, only slightly bigger. Finn waved. Eris rushed over to her friends, hugging them both. 
“Are you guys okay?” She asked. They both nodded. 
“We were worried about you,” Finn said. “We saw you and Verilyn fall--,”
Rohir interrupted. “Wait, Eris...” his voice faltered. “Where's Tryss?”
Eris's breath caught in her throat. She felt the familiar sting behind her eyes and willed herself not to cry. Suddenly, she couldn't talk. 
“Tryss--Tryss is...” her voice cracked. “Tryss is dead.” She whispered. 
She closed her eyes. She couldn't bear the look on their faces. Finn was upset, she could tell, even though he'd barely known her. But Rohir was worse. He and Tryss had been close friends since they were very young. 
The tears flowed more freely. 
“Come on, tell us everything inside.” Finn said, wrapping an arm around his friend and leading her inside. 
They sat on the bed. Eris took a deep breath. 
“It was so quick. The Mörnörg delivered a blow to her arm, and then he knocked her from the dragon. She held on with all of her strength, but the wound weakened her. I tried to haul her up, but--,” Eris's voice cracked. She felt hot tears brimming in her eyes again. “It's all my fault.” She sobbed. “I could've saved her, but I wasn't strong enough.” It was something she hadn't realized before. 
Finn held her and stroked her hair. “It wasn't anyone's fault.” He said as she sobbed into his shoulder. Finn was unusually calm, which was far more bearable than Rohir’s state. He just sat on the bed staring off into space. He didn't speak. He didn't cry. He didn't move. 
Eris felt terrible. 
They sat there for a long time. The tears subsided quickly, and god the rest of the time, they sat in silence. No one spoke. 
Eris didn't know how much time had passed. After awhile, Relec poked his enormous snout (or what of it would fit through the doorway) into the room. 
“I'm sorry to interrupt, but we really should be going soon.”
“Going where?” Eris asked. 
“You're trying to reach the cliffs, correct?”
“Oh, right. I suppose we should get moving.” 
Relec carried the three through the forest, following a stream. As they moved through the forest, the stream became wider and wider until it was a river. It was so quiet there, and so still. No one spoke. Even in her sadness, Eris felt peace. She felt like she could stay here forever and do nothing more than eat, drink, and sit in the sun, and be happy. She hated to leave. It wasn't like she had left Endell. Then, she was sorry, but she happily anticipated the next adventure. Here, she wanted nothing more than to be. It was such a strange feeling, and yet, so nice. She wanted to think there was no reason they shouldn't stay here forever. But they couldn't. Eris didn't know why, but she knew she couldn't. There was something she was supposed to do, and she knew it. And maybe it involved her stone. Maybe that was why she felt so attached to it. Maybe that was why she had had that dream. 
As they walked, they passed huge trees, and clear pools, and many strange and wonderful creatures. Eris could feel the presence of life and light thrumming all around her. She didn't feel real. It all felt like dream. 
She didn't want to wake up. 
The trees slowly began to get sparser, and the calm quiet began to fade. Things in Ielis seemed to pass quickly, but as they started to get farther from it, Eris started to sense how long they'd been riding. And then, suddenly, Eris realized that they were at the edge of the forest. Beyond this place there were no more trees. Here, the river split into three. Relec stepped out of the forest--and Eris stepped back into reality. 
Suddenly, everything felt so real. Sounds got louder, she could see clearer, the air was cold again, and she felt the peaceful quiet leave her. It was like being shaken from a dream; like being forced to get out of a warm bed and step into the chill air in the morning. It was waking up and wanting to drift back into sleep. Eris now knew why she couldn't stay in Ielis. She hadn't felt real. She longed to go back, but she didn't belong there. None of them did. 
Along with the world returned Eris's emotions. They hit her in a wave, knocking her down before she could get back up. Suddenly, she wanted to go home. Go back to Fynnesse and have her town back, and everyone waiting for her. She wanted to go running in the fields with Finn, and riding her horse through the wood. She wanted pine tea and cold nights and warm blankets and the woods and her room and her mother. For the first time, she wished that none of this had happened and that she hadn't discovered that she was an elf. She wanted to be human with human parents, still wondering what lied beyond the mountain. 
Eris felt a lump in her throat, but shoved it down. She wondered if this had been what Finn wanted. To go running around on wild adventure after wild adventure, being chased by monsters and losing friends. She never thought she'd have to go live somewhere far away to keep from being noticed by people who might want what she had. Was this what Finn had wanted? It certainly wasn't boring. But what kind of life was it?
They reached the cliffs before nightfall. 
“I must leave you now,” Relec said. “I have to get back to Ielis. There is a stair that winds along the cliff face near the Three Fountains. It's the only safe way down. The entrance will be marked.” 
Before Eris could say ‘wait’, he had spread his wings and taken off toward the forest. She sighed. 
“I guess we had better follow one of the rivers. That'll take us to the waterfalls, and hopefully, the stair,” Rohir suggested. Eris nodded and the three walked along the edge of the river. It wound its way along until it reached the very edge of the cliff, and fell, crashing into the ocean leagues below. A few yards away were two other waterfalls.
The height of the cliffs was dizzying. Eris couldn't see the ocean. She could only hear the sound of water into water. A mist hung between herself and the sea. She walked slowly towards the cliff’s edge, and then stopped. In the ground, cut into the rock, was a small indentation. From here, Eris would be able to lower herself onto the ledge below without much trouble. Below that was a ledge maybe a foot down. And then another. And another. The stair, cut into the very rock of the cliff, wound behind the waterfall itself and then disappeared. Eris sighed exasperated. 
“I found the stair,” she said. “But it disappears behind the first waterfall!” 
“Might as well see what happens to it,” Finn shrugged. “We can always come back up.” 
Rohir eyed him with doubt. “What's the use? It probably just crumbles away. It's a waste of time.”
Finn scowled. “Got a better idea to get down there?”
Rohir folded his arms. “Yes. We don't.” 
“And then?”
“We go back to Ielis, where it's safe. When the dragons’ wounds heal, they can take us back here and fly down.” 
“I'm not walking all the way back there.”
“Okay, then just throw yourself off the cliff!”
“Maybe I will!”
“Good!”
Eris stepped between them. “Finn! Rohir! Arguing isn't helping anything! I say we go down and see where the stairs end. Maybe there's something down there we just can't see from up here.”
“Well, okay, I guess. But if we plummet to our deaths, don't blame me.” Rohir cast a suspicious glance at Finn. Finn frowned. For a second it looked like he was thinking about sticking his tongue out at Rohir. Then he turned and started down the steps. 
They were steep and narrow, and Eris had to take care with each step. Cautiously, slowly, they made their way down. The steps had been carved into the very stone of the cliff face years ago. Eris couldn't imagine how anyone could have done it and how long it must have taken. They weren't exactly the smooth stairs you might think. They were jagged, uneven cuts into the rock; footholds rather than stairs. 
Finally, they reached the first waterfall. The steps led straight behind it. The sound of the crashing water was overwhelming. Looking ahead, Eris realized the stairs didn't stop behind the first fall. They turned and continued downward to the edge of the waterfall, then turned again and continued in the other direction. They zig-zagged past where Eris could see, going down, down, down, behind the waterfall. 
Finn broke into a triumphant grin. 
“Look!” He pointed to where the stairs turned and continued. “See! I knew that wasn't where they ended!” He seemed very proud. Rohir scowled. 
“I never said they did end. I only said it was a bad idea to come down here,” he said calmly, though he seemed irritatated. 
They continued on, down the cliffside, the roaring water loud in their ears. Eris didn't know how long it was until they reached the shore. She found it hard to concentrate with the constant rush of water in her ears. She hated the noise. It was so loud. And unnerving. One misstep, and Eris would be swept away by the water and dumped into the sea, to her death. She shuddered, trying to focus on her feet rather than the swirling fog below. 
As they climbed, the sun sank lower in the sky. Eris quickened her pace. 
“Come on you two, let's go faster,” she said. “We have to make it to the shore before sundown, or we won't be able to see a thing and it'll be too dangerous.”
“I'm not sure I can go any faster,” was Finn's muffled reply. It was hard to hear anything over the waterfall. 
The three climbed and climbed. It seemed too Eris that they were getting nowhere. Her mind was numbed my the monotony of placing foot in front of foot, step after step. The sun began to disappear over the horizon, setting the sky on fire with hues of red and orange. Slowly, the colors began to fade. The sky grew ever darker. Each time Eris looked up, she was shocked to find how much closer they were to night. It seemed like they'd made no progress on the stairs. Then the sun disappeared from view. The light faded from the sky. Eris and her friends stood alone, on a staircase on the face of a cliff, at the edge of dusk. Just as the last rays of light disappeared, and the sky grew dark, Eris looked down to realize that the fog had lifted. She could now see the ocean. It wasn't much farther. 
Then her foot slipped. Eris screamed. There was nothing to hold on to, nothing to land on. She was flung out into the air. Finn reached for her. She felt his fingers brush her hand, but they grasped air. She fell. 
“Eris!”
As she looked up, she could see their dim shapes silhouetted against the rock, hands gripping the rock’s edge, watching her fall helplessly. She wished she could have said a proper goodbye. 
She expected to be shoved into the water by the waterfall, and if she didn't die upon impact or dash her head on a rock, she imagined she would be pummeled by the waterfall until she drowned. But before she had fallen far, she heard a splash, and then cold water hit her all around, soaking her through to the bone. And then she was being hauled up, out of the water. She scrambled onto the deck of a small boat, gasping for air. She collapsed on the wood, shivering. Then she looked up at her savior. 
Above Eris stood a girl that couldn't have been but a few years older than herself. She was on the shorter side, and had long red hair that was pulled into a loose braid that ran down her back. A few loose strands blew across her freckle-spattered face as she bent over Eris. 
“Are ye all right?” The girl asked. 
“Yes,” Eris replied in a shaky voice. “I believe so. Who are you?”
“I'm Nelora.” The girl said simply, offering a hand to help Eris up. “And yer late.”
Suddenly, Eris remembered her friends. They thought she was dead. She had thought she was dead! She peered up into the dark gloom. She couldn't see them, but she knew they were there. 
“I'm okay!” She called loudly. 
“Begging your pardon, but, erm, who’re ye talkin’ to?” Nelora asked. Eris noticed her thick accent. 
“My friends,” Eris said. 
“Right. I was wondering what happened to them.” Wait, how did Nelora know about Rohir and Finn? And what had she meant by ‘late’? 
“Would you mind telling me who you are?” Eris asked. 
“I did. Said I was Nelora.”
“No, I mean, why you're here with your boat, why you said I was late, and why you know who my friends are.”
“I was waitin’ for ye,” Nelora replied simply. Then, seeing the confused look on Eris’s face, went on. “Ye came from Endell, m’right? You and yer friends needed a ride to the Southern Isles?” 
“Oh, yes,” Eris started. “But how—
Nelora interrupted her. “I do business with the king quite regularly. Transporting things back and forth, y’know, without anyone else noticing.”
“We’re going to the Southern Isles then?”
“Yes. The king sent word to me few days ‘go, said he needed a favor for some friends who needed to a place to hide. I figured the Southern Isles would do. But yer late. I was expecting you yesterday.”
“Sorry,” Eris said. “We ran into some trouble.”
“Hey!” Someone called. Eris turned to see Finn and Rohir standing on a rock by the waterfall. Nelora steered the boat over to the rock, and they boarded. 
“I assume this is our ride?” Rohir asked. Nelora nodded. 
Finn rushed to Eris's side. “I thought you were a goner,” he said. 
She laughed. “So did I.” 
He took her hands. “They're ice cold,” he said, furrowing his brow. “And you're soaking wet. Here.” He handed her a fur wrap from his pack. Eris remembered all she had on was the gown from Ielis, hardly warm enough for the weather here. She gratefully draped the fur around her shoulders.
“This is Nelora,” Eris said. “She's taking us to the Southern Isles.” 
“Her?” Finn pointed with his thumb. Eris nodded. 
“So?”
“I just...wasn't expecting a girl.”
“Aye.” Nelora nodded. “Most people aren't. Ya get used to it.” Then she eyed them, knitting her brows together. 
“Is something wrong?” Rohir asked. 
“Nothing. It's just...I thought there were four a’ya.” 
Eris closed her eyes. “There were. Like I said, we ran into some trouble along the way. My sister is gone.” 
Nelora’s face went pale. “Oh dear, I'm dreadfully sorry.”
“Thank you,” Eris said. 
Nelora shifted. She didn't seem to know what to say. “Cabins are belowdecks. There are two. Small, but comfortable. You’d best get some rest. We have a long journey ahead of us.”
submitted by Leeli
(May 5, 2018 - 6:12 pm)
~Chapter 20~
Nelora was right. 
The voyage proved to be a long one. 
Eris had too much time and not enough to do. She helped Nelora with things on deck when she could, but she didn't know much at all about sailing, and for the most part she only swept the deck, though Nelora had been teaching her a few knots. When she wasn't helping on deck, Eris spent most of her time in her cabin. She'd lock herself up in the room for hours on end. She spent most of the time just staring at nothing in particular and thinking. She had brought a small roll of parchment and a quill in her pack, as well as a book or two from the library in Thraenen, which she used. She'd read legends and stories and be swept out of her own world and placed into someone else's for awhile. It was an escape. It was a comfort. 
Finn seemed worried about her. He’d often knock on her cabin door. She'd tell him to come in, and he'd sit on the edge of her bed, and they'd talk, just like they used to when they were kids back in Fynnesse. 
Eris suspected he also used these talks to escape his cabin, which he shared with Rohir. At first, Eris thought it was just the cabin. Finn hated being confined anywhere, and a room was no different. But it could have also been to escape Rohir, who shared Finn’s cabin. 
There had been something troubling Eris. She couldn't figure it out, until one day she caught Finn and Rohir arguing heatedly. They argued a lot, actually. And they didn't seem too fond of each other. Neither of them wanted to share a cabin, but there was no other choice. Thinking back, Eris realized neither of her friends had ever seemed to like the other much. She wondered why she had never picked up on that before. 
Eris and Nelora were becoming fast friends. Nelora was only three years older than Eris, and they found they enjoyed each other’s company. They often sat up late at night, talking. During one of these evening talks, Eris mentioned what she had begun to notice about Rohir and Finn. 
“I guess I'd just never thought of it before,” She said. “Them not liking each other, I mean. I figured they'd become friends.”
“Mmm.” Was Nelora’s reply. She was whittling away at a piece of fat wood. “I've noticed. Those two don't seem to get along.”
“But why?” Eris asked. “Do you have any idea why?” 
Nelora shifted and looked away, as if she had something in mind but didn't want to say it. “Well,” she started. “Seems to me they're jealous.” 
“Jealous?”
“Well, they both have you as a friend....and each seems to see the other as...competition.”
Eris furrowed her brow. “Competition? But why would they--,”
Nelora cut her off. “Ya don't get it, do ya?” She sighed. “They're competing. For you.”
“What? But, I can be friends with more than one person at once! Why would they--,” Then Eris realized what Nelora meant. Her eyes widened, and she felt her cheeks get hot. “Oh.” She said as the realization hit her. “I get it now.”
Nelora grinned. “And who's gonna win the competition?” 
Eris was taken aback. “No one! They can play that game, but I want no part in it! I love them only as friends. Nothing more.”
Nelora chuckled and said nothing more. 
Since that night, Eris had tried to push thoughts of it out of her mind, but the words played over and over in the back of her head. “You don't get it, do you? They're competing. For you.” Eris shook the words from her mind, and attempted to forget them. 
During her time on the Retaliation (for that was the boat’s name) Eris was growing ever closer to the stone. She could always sense its presence, and whether it was near or far. She could feel it speak to her in her mind sometimes, especially when she was asleep. She kept it with her at all times, and was very defensive of it. At times it seemed to control her. She was frantic if at any point she thought she'd lost it. In fact, it was starting to scare her. 
At the moment, Eris was sitting at a small desk in her cabin, staring at the stone. It was glowing brighter than ever. The knob on the door turned. The door creaked open. It was Finn, of course. 
He hadn't knocked this time. 
“Hey,” he said quietly, coming over to sit on the bed. Then he caught a glimpse of the glowing stone. He turned and stared at it, curiously. Then he reached out, very slowly, as if to touch it. Suddenly, Eris reached out and grabbed it. 
“Don't,” she warned. She fingered the stone, and then placed it, oh-so-gently, back onto the desk. Then she went over to the side of her bed and began digging around for something in her pack. She pulled out a piece of cloth and went to wrap the stone in it. But the it wasn't where she'd left it. She looked up at Finn. He held it, turning it over in his hands.
“Give it to me,” she said. There was something in her voice Finn didn't like. Something that wasn't part of her. Her eyes seemed to bore into him. He didn't hand the stone over.
“Eris?” 
“Give it to me!” She yelled. Then she snatched the stone from his hands and ran to the other corner of her room. She cradled the stone in her hands, panting. 
Finn grabbed her arm. “Eris, what's going on with you?” He asked. 
She wrenched her hand away. Finn reached out again. She shoved him away with all her might. “S-stay away from me! Just stay away!” She said, her hands shaking. Suddenly, with a great flash of light, a burst of energy flew from the stone, rippling through the air, and knocking into Finn. He doubled over, stumbling back. He caught himself just before he fell. 
Then she let out a breath. Her eyes lost their violence, and the strange lilt in her voice vanished. She slid to the ground, her eyes wide, realizing what she'd done. 
“Oh,” she said, burying her face in her hands. “Oh, Finn.” She began to sob. “I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened to me.” She expected him to tell her it was all right. Or to at least say something. But he was gone. 
Eris cried alone. 
Eris didn't know what had come over her. It had never been like that before. Never controlled her that much. And she had no idea what had happened with the stone and the burst of light. She was afraid of herself. Afraid of what she might do before she realized what she was doing. She kept herself confined for the next three days, coming out of her cabin only to fetch food. No one asked questions. She didn't give them time. 
She half expected Finn to show up, asking her what was wrong. But he didn't. He didn't talk to her at all. He didn't even look at her. She didn't blame him. 
On the third day, while Eris was returning with a platter of food to her cabin, Nelora caught her arm. 
“Eris, what's been up? You've been holed up in your cabin for days.”
Eris couldn't Nelora about the stone. “I haven't been feeling well.” It was true. 
“I see.” Said Nelora, though she didn't look convinced. Eris ran to her room and locked the door. 
That evening, after she thought everyone was asleep, she crept out of her cabin and up to the deck, and sat on the stern, dangling her legs over the edge. She had to get out of that stuffy room without being in danger of harming anyone. 
Footsteps sounded behind her. She knew it was Finn before she turned around. She stood up and took a step forward. 
“Eris,” He said. He looked uncomfortable. “I didn't expect you to be here.” 
“I didn't expect you, either.” There was a moment of silence.
“I couldn't sleep.” Eris didn't believe him. “Why have you been hiding in your cabin for three days?” He asked. 
“I don't want anyone else to get hurt.” She breathed. “Finn, I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me. You know I would never hurt you on purpose.” 
He nodded. She took a step forward. Finn took a step back. He held his hands up. 
“It's okay, really. Just...stay back, Eris, please.” 
Eris was hurt. “What? Don't you trust me?”
Finn looked away. “I know you wouldn't mean to. It's just...” he trailed off. 
Eris couldn't believe it. How could he say that? It was like she had been stabbed. She shook her head. “I thought you were my friend.” 
“No, it's not like that!” He backed up a bit more.
“You don't trust me.”
“I'd better go back to bed.”
“Finn, wait!”
He was already gone. 
When Finn woke the next morning, he found a lump of red fabric on his chest. Unwrapping it, he saw a familiar glowing stone. His first thought was to panic. Eris would be missing it. If she found out he had it, she'd think he'd taken it. There was no telling what she'd do...
Immediately he felt guilty. He knew Eris hadn't meant to hurt him. Of course she would never do that. But he couldn't help feeling a bit hurt by what she'd done, not to mention afraid. But that was no reason to avoid her. Surely she could learn to control it, especially if everyone left it alone. It had been partly his fault anyway. He'd taken the stone. 
Taking a deep breath, Finn grabbed the stone, and marched across the hall that separated his and Rohir’s cabin from Eris's. He stood up straight, shoulders back, and knocked on the door. 
“Come in.”
Cautiously, he stepped into the room. Eris was sitting on her bed, hands in her lap, looking perfectly calm. When she looked at him, he sucked in a breath. He held out the stone. She stood. 
“I didn't steal it, I swear!” He said quickly. “I found it when I woke up.” 
She took the stone from him, looking into his eyes. “I know.” She nodded. “I put it there.” 
Finn looked confused. 
“Last night, after you went to sleep, I put it there. I lay awake all night, restraining myself. It was calling me. But I resisted. It took all my effort.”
“But why did you give it to me?” He asked. 
“I wanted to prove to you that you can trust me.” 
Eris’s tactic worked. It took all her strength to resist the stone’s call, but she was able. Things returned to the way they were before she lashed out at Finn. And, finally, after two weeks  at sea, they reached the shores of Epplandris, the largest of the Southern Isles. 
Nelora anchored the Retaliation, and Eris, Finn, and Rohir hopped onto the white shores. There wasn't a sign of civilization in sight. Nelora began to heave the anchor back onto her boat. 
“Wait,” Eris said. “Where are you going?” 
“I've gotta get back to the cliffs. To the harbor. I've got a job to do, y’know.”
“But you're not just going to leave us here, alone, with no idea where we are?”
“I'm afraid I have to. And you do know where you are. Epplandris.”
Nelora turned the ship around and started to sail away. Eris groaned and turned to her friends. 
“What are we gonna do now?”
They shrugged simultaneously. 
“I don't know a thing about this island,” Rohir said. “I've only been out of Thraenen a few times before.” 
Eris looked around. The island seemed to be uninhabited. “Do think anyone lives here?” 
“It's possible,” said Finn. “But it doesn't look like it.” 
Eris sighed. What would they do? They were on a seemingly abandoned island, alone, with no way to get off. Eris hadn't planned any further than this. They reached their destination, Epplandris. Now what?
“There's a forest that way,” Rohir said, pointing. “Maybe we can find some shelter to camp for the night.”
They hiked in the wood for awhile. It was just a regular wood in itself, but there were many strange creatures living in it, Eris knew. She couldn't see them, but she could hear them. There was a constant humming and the occasional chirp or squawk. Finally, the trio reached a grove of trees clumped together that seemed like it would provide sufficient shelter. 
As she rolled out her blankets, Eris caught a glimpse of something through the trees. She looked closer. It appeared to be a small animal. She got up and walked a few steps toward it. It was a fox. The biggest fox she'd ever seen, almost the size of a dog. It looked at her. She couldn't decide what color its eyes were. They were a mixture of yellow and green. Suddenly, the fox turned and ran back into the shadows. She brushed it off and returned to the camp. 
She wasn't tired, but she was soon lulled to sleep by the humming and chirping, even louder at night. 
Sometime in the night, Eris was woken by a sound. She blinked and tried to recall the sound, but before she had time to think, a hand clamped over her mouth. 
submitted by Leeli
(May 5, 2018 - 6:14 pm)
submitted by Top
(May 5, 2018 - 6:14 pm)
submitted by NEW PARTS
(May 6, 2018 - 9:44 pm)

I finally have edits for you! 

 

Chapters 1-5

 

Typo’s (and other things)

-calm, still, peaceful one instead of calm, still, peace

-sometimes she thought she SAW shadows

-beside its eyes were large blue spots...and beside THOSE

-some PUT cream or sugar

-nothing to be done now but TO let Eris go BE BY herself

-grabbed a few of her belongings, STUFFED(stuffing) them into a burlap sack(I’m not sure if this is a typo or if you were using the commas as a break in the sentence instead of as a sort of list)

 

Word Choice (and other things)

-Great ocean instead of large ocean to avoid repeating large

-He caused the people to turn against each other instead of he caused them to turn against each other to avoid repeating pronouns

-had hope not to see but had expected to see—I’m not sure how you would change that, but it flows a little oddly

-saying many other people as a lead to two sentences in a row. If its your intention to create a redundant, soothing feel KEEP IT! I just wanted to make sure.

-simple cotton cotton dress, the color of the [morning, evening, twilight, night, stormy] sky

-anger flared up instead of anger welled up

-Fynesse is SIMPLY getting too small for him instead of Fynesse is just getting too small for him due to the older word choice throughout the novel

 

 

AMAZING THINGS

“She tried not to think about the creatures she had heard about before that roamed the wood at night, never seen but heard...and felt.” I got chills!

 

-The whole section about the sky dancing feels like something out of a Sarah J. Maas or J K Rowling novel; its such a good description.

 

-“pink as the spring blooms...” 

 

This reminds me of Christopher Paolini, Tolkein, or some other adult(ish) fantasy style of writing. It is truly amazing writing, not to mention an outstanding accomplishment. I’m hooked on this story, I’m attached to the characters, and I LOVE the settings. Your action to dialogue to description ratio is pretty near perfect. Thank you so much for sharing this with us! 

 

submitted by Licensed Bookworm
(May 9, 2018 - 6:00 am)

I just went back to my note sheet and realised that I was incredibly harsh. Your writing is amazing, and —most importantly— it is yours! Please only change what you want to.

submitted by Licensed Bookworm
(May 9, 2018 - 6:07 am)

Thank you for the edits! They were quite helpful. And I didn't think you sounded harsh at all.

Oh my goodness, thank you so much!! I'm honored that you think so highly of my writing, and to be compared with so many great authors...wow. I'm so glad you like it! You made my day.

Also, a quick note on typos: many of those are to be blamed on autocorrect. It's strange considering autocorrect is supposed to help you make LESS typos, not MORE. But nevertheless, it INSISTS on changing certain words for no apparent reason. Of seems to be one of its favorites; it is constantly changing my 'of's to 'if's. And it does the same to other words. Who knows why. That isn't to say I don't make quite a few typos myself, but I thought I'd let autocorrect take the blame it deserves. ;) 

If you go back and correct Autocorrect, it may leave the word the way you want it. You are smarter than any Autocorrect. That's worked for me. And there is likely a way to deactivate Autocorrect completely, if you want to do that.

Admin



submitted by Leeli
(May 9, 2018 - 5:00 pm)

Ah, yes. The joys of autocorrect...

submitted by Licensed Bookworm
(May 10, 2018 - 4:32 pm)
~Chapter 21~
Eris was jerked to her feet. She tried to struggle, to scream, even just to kick Rohir or Finn so they'd wake up, but her captor was much stronger than her, and held her with a tight grip. 
“Don't struggle.” They hissed in her ear. 
She was forced forward a ways. When they were out of earshot of the others, her captor bent down and whispered, “I'm going to let you go now. Don't scream, and don't run. Ya hear?” Eris nodded. She was released. For a second, she thought about turning and yelling for help, but then thought better of it. She stepped back, and was able to get a better look at her captor. 
He was a boy, couldn't have been much older than herself, with rusty red-brown hair and scattered freckles. His eyes seemed to shift between yellow and green. He wore a tattered black coat. Suddenly, Eris realized how cold it was here at night. She shivered. “W-who are you?”
“Doesn't matter. Name's Korr. I won't hurt you.” Was the muttered reply. “Now, come with me.”
“Where are you taking me?” She asked. 
“That's for me to know and you to find out.”
Eris crossed her arms and huffed. “What if I don't trust you?”
Korr turned around and rolled his eyes. “I'm not asking you to trust me. Just follow me. Or I'll drag you.”
Eris frowned. Reluctantly, she followed him as he started through the forest. Soon, his pace had quickened to a jog, and then, a sprint. Unlike Korr, Eris wasn't accustomed to running through dense forests at this pace, and at night in the dark. She stumbled along several paces behind, nearly tripping on rocks and branches. Suddenly, her foot caught in a hole, and she was thrust to the ground. 
“Oof!” She struggled to stand, slipping on wet moss. “Wait!” She called to Korr, who was several yards ahead. He sighed and walked back towards her. 
“This'll never do,” he muttered. He held out a hand and pulled Eris up. Then she brushed herself off. 
“C’mon,” he said. He snatched her hand and started sprinting again. Eris was struggling to keep up, breathing so hard she thought her lungs would burst. But it was run or have her arm ripped off. So she ran. 
Finally, Korr stopped in a huge clearing. 
“I'll be back,” he said. “Stay here.” Then he disappeared into the trees. Eris sat down and tried to wait patiently, but she couldn't help but wonder where Korr had disappeared to. She got up and walked to the edge of the trees. It couldn't hurt to walk around just a bit. Suddenly, she caught a snatch of rusty red moving about in the shadows. She took a step, and crunched a leaf. The creature turned. It was a fox. It had yellow-green eyes. Then it disappeared. Five seconds later, Korr appeared out of the woods beside her. She jumped. 
“What?” He cocked an eyebrow. 
“Nothing. You just startled me.”
Korr pulled a strip of cloth from his coat pocket. Then he reached out and turned Eris so her back was facing him. 
“Wait, what are you doing?” She asked. 
“Blindfolding you.” He said. 
“What?” She spun around and grabbed his arms. “Hold on. You're blindfolding me?”
He rolled his eyes. “Yes. Now turn around.”
“Why?” Eris asked.
“I have to. It's a rule. Usually, no one is allowed into the secret city. We're making an exception with you, but you have to be blindfolded so you don't see the way there.” He wrapped the fabric around her head and secured it with a knot. Then he spun her back around. “In short, we don't trust strangers. So we don't trust you. Now come on.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the forest. 
They walked a ways, and then stopped. 
“We're here.” Korr muttered. He un-blindfolded Eris and pocketed the material. 
Eris found herself staring up at a large gate. Korr knocked on the sturdy wood. A panel in the gate slid open, and an eye appeared on the other side. 
“Pass?” A gruff voice barked.
“Åralėon.” Korr said. 
The gate slid open, and the two stepped in. 
“So this is the secret city?” Eris asked. Korr nodded. 
In front of her was a path that wound between trees and in front of wooden houses. A few people were awake, wandering around outside their homes. They stopped and watched Eris with curious eyes. 
“You'll be staying with me, I guess,” Korr said. He stopped at one of the wooden houses and knocked on the door. A small woman with a flushed face and wild red hair answered. 
“Korr! You're back. And this is the girl?” She said.  
“Yes.” Korr replied. 
“I'm Korr’s mother,” the woman said. “Call me Wineth.”
They entered the house. It was much larger than it had looked from the outside, but it still wasn't a large house. The walls were made of wood, as was all of the furniture. Many tapestries and decorative carpets hung along the walls.
“Korr, its about time you answered a few questions. Why did you bring me here? And who are these people, and what is this place?” Eris asked. 
“There'll be plenty of time for answering those questions in the morning, at the meet.” He replied. 
“What meet?” Eris was more and more confused every minute. 
“We're going to meet a man tomorrow morning. He wants to talk to you,” Korr said. “Here's your room.” He stopped in the doorway of a small room, fit with a log bed, a chest, and a chair. “Get some sleep,” Korr said. Then he was gone. 
The next morning, Eris was shaken awake by a small girl with short reddish brown hair and freckles. 
“I'm Lara, Korr’s sister,” She explained. “Figured you didn't wanna miss breakfast.”
Eris followed Lara from the room and into the large main room. Korr was sitting at a low table on the floor, and Eris sat down beside him. Wineth had prepared some sort of stew with herbs and roots, and she set a wooden saucer of it in front of Eris. She gladly sipped the breakfast, but when she had finished, she was still hungry. She dug around in her pack and pulled out the dried meat from Thraenen. It was still good. 
“What's that?” Korr, who sat beside her, asked. 
“Oh, it's a bit of dried meat I had with me.” Eris pulled out a strip. Korr recoiled. 
“What?” She asked. 
Wineth suddenly grabbed the packet from Eris's hands. 
“Hey!” Eris said. 
“We don't eat meat.” Wineth said sternly. She quickly disposed of the meat and fetched Eris a second helping of the stew. 
“Have more of this.” She said. Eris shrugged it off and shoved down the herby soup. 
As soon as she finished her breakfast, Korr nearly dragged Eris from the house. 
“Come on. We have to get to the meeting place.” He led her along the path for a ways, and then stopped. 
“I can't take you any further,” Korr said. “Just follow the path until you reach a big oak. Then turn right and continue on until you find a clearing with a circle of stones.” He turned to walk away, but Eris stopped him. 
“Wait! I don't know my way around. What if I get lost?” She asked. 
“You won't,” Korr groaned. 
“Where are you going?” Eris was suddenly suspicious. 
“Taking a shortcut,” he said. “Just stick to my instructions. You'll be fine.”
Eris said nothing more, but as soon as he started to disappear into the deeper woods, she followed him. Standing behind tree and peering around its trunk, she watched him. 
He stopped in the shadows, and for a moment, he seemed to be simply standing there. But then Eris saw a slight change. His hair shifted, and then grew, creeping along his body and starting to cover it. His face changed shape; his nose lengthened into a snout, and his ears moved up on his head, the ends becoming pointy. His feet and hands turned into paws, and he grew a tail. Then he dropped to the ground, on all fours. He shook his whole body, and the transformation was complete. Korr was a fox. He turned towards her, and Eris ducked behind the tree. But not before she crunched a leaf beneath her foot. Korr’s sensitive ears twitched. His eyes darted around the forest. Then he took a step forward. Eris risked a peek behind the tree, and caught his eyes. The same yellow-green eyes. Like light filtering through the trees. 
He had been the fox in the woods the night before. 
Quickly, Korr shifted back into his human form. He trotted over to Eris. 
“What are you doing? I told you to go on to the gathering!”
“S-sorry,” Eris said sheepishly. “I wanted to see where you were going.” 
“That's none of your business!” Korr snapped. 
“I can't believe you just did that!” Eris changed the subject. 
“Oh, so you saw,” Korr replied. 
“Why didn't you tell me you could do that?”
“You didn't ask, and you didn't need to know.” 
Eris put her hands on her hips. “Well I would have liked to. It wouldn't have done any harm to know you were a shapeshifter.”
“Formbender,” Korr corrected. “Better known as Shifters.”
“Right, whatever.” 
“And yes, it could have done a lot of harm. Most don't look very kindly on our type.” He glared pointedly at her. 
“Well I'm not like them. I don't look down on shifters.
Korr eyes flared. “Oh, don't you, elf?” He spit out the word elf like an unripe berry. Eris flinched as he said it. 
“How did you–,” 
“I know an elf when I see one.” He sneered. “Come on. We're going to be late.”
When Eris and Korr reached the clearing, a tall, burly man was waiting for them. He had scruffy black hair and a matching beard. His eyes, small and dark and set deep into his round, tan face, were shadowed by bushy eyebrows. He wore a red shirt, the sleeves of which were rolled up past the elbows to reveal his strong forearms, covered with the same thick, black, hair. 
He grunted, clearing his throat.
“So this is her,” he said, looking Eris over. His voice was deep and gravelly. 
“This is her,” Korr replied. 
“Who are you?” Eris looked at the man with suspicion.
“Theckry’s the name,” he said. “Most call me Theck. Allow me to explain myself.” He took a seat on a large rock. Eris and Korr sat down on another, across from Theckry.
“Less than two weeks ago, an old friend of mine sent word to me. He just happened to be the king of Endell. To make a long story short, he told me that an elf,” he grimaced just slightly as he said the word, as if trying to hide his disgust. “Had arrived in his kingdom carrying a magic stone. A stone of the Whispering Pool, no less. It had put her into a deep sleep. He said that a dark incantation had been used to wake her. She wasn't the only one it awakened, however. An evil also awakened. The girl and her friends had to leave his kingdom and go somewhere safer.”
“So he sent us here,” Eris finished. 
“Yes, but that was not the only reason. You see, formbenders have a long history of magic, and know more about it that any other race, quite possibly. Especially of light magic, and secret stones.” Theckry gazed at the pouch that hung at Eris’s hip. She clutched it protectively. “And so,” he continued. “The king asked me to find you. A stone like this is a great gift, and contains much power. It must be used properly, and it is very hard to control. It will take a great deal of learning. So the king asked if I would teach you.”
Eris wasn't quite sure what to say. 
Theckry continued. “And I will. On certain conditions.”
“What are they?” Eris asked. 
“I will help you, and then you will help me.”
“Help you with what, exactly?” Eris prodded. 
“That is to be revealed.”
Eris thought the deal over. For some reason, she trusted Theckry, at least enough to agree to the deal. She didn't know what he needed her help with, but she needed his. There was something else to this stone, though she didn't know what. And she needed to learn how to control it. 
“Okay.”
“Please, Korr?” Eris begged.
She had asked him to take her back to the place in the forest where she, Rohir, and Finn had camped the night before last. She wanted to find them and bring them back to the secret city. 
“No,” He grumbled. “I can't.”
“Why?” Eris pleaded. 
“I already told you why! It's against the code! Strangers are not to enter the secret city. Especially not elves. And I can't let you leave,” he said. 
“But I'd come right back! And I'm stranger and an elf, yet you brought me here! And Finn isn't even an elf,” she reasoned. 
“You’re different. You were brought here on special conditions,” he argued. 
“Then bring them here on special conditions!” Eris groaned. “Please, Korr! They're my only friends, and they're out there alone, with no idea where I am. They wouldn't do any harm. I promise! You have to help me! You're the only one who can.”
Korr was stern. “I can't. I already said no. So just drop it.”
“Then I'll go myself,” Eris said stubbornly. 
“You can't. You don't know the way.”
“Exactly. So I'll get lost. And you'll get in trouble, because I'm your charge.” Eris smirked. 
Korr had been appointed with the task of keeping track of Eris. Since she was an elf, and a stranger, the shifters didn't trust her on her own not to run away and reveal the location of the city. So Korr had been put in charge of ‘watching’ her. 
“So I'm like your prisoner?” She had asked. 
“No,” Korr replied. “You're more like--um, like a--well, yes, like my prisoner,” he had smirked. 
Korr sighed. “You won't get past the guards.”
Eris grinned. “Oh, but I will. You forget that I'm an elf. I'm better at sneaking around than you realize.”
He scowled. “It's against the rules, Eris! I can't let anyone in!”
“You keep saying that,” Eris said. “But what if you asked someone? Like Theckry? I'm sure he'd understand.”
Korr walked up to her. He stood barely an inch from her. She could feel his hot breath on her face. “No.” 
Eris sighed dejectedly. “Fine then, have it your way,” she said under her breath. 
“Come on,” Korr said, grabbing her hand. 
After they had talked with him, Theckry said there was someone who had arrived less than two weeks ago who wanted to see Eris. Korr was taking Eris to her. 
“Said she was supposed to arrive same time as you, but things got mixed up and she arrived early.” Theckry had explained. Eris had no idea who it could be. 
Korr knocked on the door of a small, rotting cottage. Within a few seconds, it was opened by a figure wearing a green cloak. The hood shadowed her face, but she appeared to be about the same height as Eris. Silently, the figure reached out and pulled Eris inside, closing the door behind her. The figure suddenly hugged her tight. Eris let her arms hang limply at her sides, not knowing what else to do. Quickly, the figure let her go. 
“Excuse me, but, who are you?” Eris asked. 
The figure lowered her hood. Eris found herself staring into two familiar green eyes, framed by dark bangs. She took Eris’s hands. 
“I'm your sister.”
submitted by Leeli
(May 9, 2018 - 5:04 pm)
~Chapter 22~
For a second, Eris just stood there. She couldn't speak, couldn't think, couldn't move, couldn't breathe. Then she stumbled back, landing in a wooden chair. 
“N-no,” she mumbled. “That can't be. My sister is dead.” 
Tryss sat down in a chair opposite. “I know. I know it's a lot to take in. And I know it seems impossible. But it's me.”
Eris looked up. Of course it was her. She had never doubted it. But she couldn't believe it. “But--how?” She asked. “You kind of fell off a dragon.”
Tryss laughed. “A Quîllic took you back to Ielis, right?” She asked. “Well, I suspect he told you that they had been in the Blacklands and how they were able to save you.” Eris nodded. “Well, as I was slipping from Verilyn’s back, I glanced down and saw a white shadow under me. And somehow I just knew that it was good, and if I let go, I'd be okay.” Suddenly, her lower lip began to tremble and Tryss’s eyes brimmed with tears. “I'm so sorry,” she said. “I just had to let go. I knew you'd all think I was dead. I didn't even know if I'd see you again.”
Eris said nothing. 
Tryss took a deep breath and dried her eyes. “After I fell, I landed on the back of a Quîllic. The two Mörnörgs that had been chasing us must have called for backup, because we were immediately pursued by two others. It was two to one, and the Quîllic already had me on its back, so she wasn't able to fight the monsters. She told me that you would be taken to Ielis, but she couldn't go there because the Mörnörgs would follow. So she flew out over the sea, because the monsters don't dare go beyond the cliffs. She brought me to this island, and then left. I was scared and alone. I didn't dare go into the forest in the dark, so I camped on the beach. The next day, Korr found me and brought me here. I explained everything, and the shifters kindly agreed to let me stay until you arrived.” She paused while Eris took all of this in. Then, “Where are Rohir and Finn? Are they okay?”
Eris shook her head. “I don't know. I haven't seen them since the night before last, when we arrived, and Korr found me and took me. I asked him to take me back to the place where we camped to find them, but he refused. He kept saying it was against the rules.”
Tryss sighed. “We're going to find them. I'll talk to Theckry.”
“There's something about these people,” said Eris. “They're so distrusting and secretive. And they have a something against elves.”
“They're shifters,” said Tryss, as if that explained everything. “They have reason to distrust us.”
“What reason would that be?” Eris asked. 
“It's a long story, but many years ago the shifters lived among the people of (insert name of continent here), just like the elves used to. But things happened and rumors spread and soon they were being accused of using dark magic. They were looked down on and cast out by the elves. Though they weren't officially banned, it was obvious that they weren't welcome, and soon it would be by more than just the elves. Before long, the shifters were forced to leave their homes. They sailed across the sea to this island, and this is where they've been hiding ever since.” There was sadness in Tryss’s voice, and in her eyes. She continued. “I believe there was some mistake. It was all wrong, it must have been. Shifters are good people, I know they are. They know much of magic, light and dark, but I know they wouldn't meddle with evil. The elves were wrong, Eris, and Korr has a right to dislike them.” Hastily, she added, “As do all the shifters. Not just Korr.”
Eris narrowed her eyes. She hadn't mentioned Korr. “I suppose.” They didn't speak any more on the subject. 
“Well, I suppose we should get back. Korr will be wondering what we're doing, and we need to talk with him about Rohir and Finn,” Tryss said, standing. 
“Please!”
Eris found herself begging Korr once again to take her back to the camp, only this time, Tryss was pleading too. “If you get in trouble, I'll say it was my idea, and I made you bring them,” Eris told him. “And that will be the truth, because I'm going to make you.” 
Korr hugged and sat down. “Fine,” he grumbled. “But Theckry’s not going to let them in.”
Eris broke into a grin. Then she gave him a quick hug. 
“Thank you!” 
Korr grimaced and stiffened until she let him go. Then he stood up quickly. 
“Come on. We'd best get going.”
Korr blindfolded Eris and Tryss for the first part of the journey. 
“I don't trust you not to try and run off when we get back if you knew the way,” he said. Eris rolled her eyes behind the blindfold. They walked in silence for some time. When the reached the large clearing that Eris and Korr had stopped in when he first brought her to the secret city, they paused and Korr took off their blindfolds. He then continued to lead the way while Eris and Tryss talked quietly a few paces behind. 
“They aren't going to believe it,” Eris said. “That you're alive, I mean.”
Tryss chuckled. 
“They were so upset. Especially Rohir. He hardly talked for days. I was starting to worry about him.”
Tryss looked pained. “I feel awful. I wish there was some way I could have told you all that I was okay.” She looked away. “Rohir has always been like a brother to me. I don't know what I'd do if I thought I lost him.”
Eris thought she detected something strange in her sister’s voice, but it only lasted a fraction of a second. 
“I hear that Theckry’s going to teach you some things concerning the stone,” Tryss said, changing the subject. Eris nodded. Her chest felt tight for a moment, thinking about the stone. She always felt it. She always sensed its presence, knew exactly where it was. But she felt it more sometimes than others, or felt it less. Sometimes it simply drifted to the farther reaches of her mind until she felt it bring itself back to the front. When she had first received it, Eris thought the stone was good. It was a gift, after all, meant to help her in someway, though she couldn't imagine how. All it had done so far was cause trouble. She frowned. 
“I'm starting to get worried, Tryss. About this stone and all.”
Tryss looked at her. “What happened?”
“It's--it’s just that, well, it's been getting stronger. Like it's...like it's controlling me, or something. I can feel it more, and it's like it speaks to me. And,” she dropped her head. “Something happened. On the ship.”
“Yes?” Tryss prodded. 
“Finn--he reached for it. And I thought he was going to take it from me. So I grabbed it, and I felt something change in me, like I wasn't in control of myself. And I told him to stay back, and he didn't, so--so I knocked him over. I don't even know what I did or how I did it but somehow the stone, it blasted him with power and knocked him over. And I made it do that.”
Tryss looked skeptical. Then her brows knitted closer together and a sort of realization came over her face, like she didn't want to believe what she was hearing, but knew she had to anyway. 
“And then I went back to normal,” Eris continued.  “But I was afraid I'd hurt someone else, so I stayed in my cabin for days. Finn wouldn't trust me anymore. That was the worst part. I don't even think anyone else knew about it. And then I snuck into the cabin he was sharing with Rohir in the night and put the stone in his hands. It kept me awake all night. I could feel it, even in the other room, and it was like it was pulling me. But I resisted. And he trusted me again after that. And nothing like that has happened since.”
Tryss frowned. “I don't think it's safe, Eris. It shouldn't control you like that. Maybe--maybe it's best if you don't keep it.”
“No!” Eris said, a bit too fast. Then, calmer, “I mean, no. You don't understand. I can't do that.” She shook her head. “I can't do that.”
Tryss nodded. “No, I understand.”
“We're here,” Korr announced from the front of the group. 
Eris frowned. “No. No we're not. This wasn't the place.”
“I know,” he replied. “I didn't mean that. Your friends are just ahead.”
“How do you--“ Eris didn't finish her sentence. She was interrupted by the sound of crunching leaves. 
She took a few steps forward. Between the trees she could see two dark forms coming toward them. She moved closer. One of them squinted. 
“Eris? Is that you?” It was Rohir. 
“Yes!” Eris waved an arm over her head. 
The other--Finn--broke into a grin. Both boys hurried over to her. 
“We've been searching for you since daybreak! When we woke up, you were gone!” Finn said. “What happened?” 
“It's a long story;” she said. “I'll tell you on the way back.”
“Way back where?” Rohir cocked an eyebrow. 
“To the secret city. The king of Endell sent us here for a reason. There are shapeshifters living here, an entire city full. They know things I need to know about the stone. Korr, that boy back there, took me there in the night. I can't tell you all the details right now. Now, tell me how you got here!” 
“Well,” Rohir said. “We didn't know you had been taken until this morning. We looked all over, thinking you must have wandered off, but we didn't find you anywhere. Then I noticed the subtlest prints in the leaves.”
“So you tracked me all the way here?” 
Rohir shrugged casually, though you could tell he was proud. “My father taught me a bit about tracking. Though it did take us all morning to follow the trail, and of course he was no help,” he jerked his head toward Finn, who scrunched up his face and stuck and elbow in Rohir’s ribs.
“I think you've forgotten who here killed breakfast!” He said. 
Suddenly, Korr appeared beside them. Eris flinched. She hadn't seen him come up. “What did you say?” He asked. 
Finn gave him a sideways glance. “I said I was the one who killed the rabbit we ate for breakfast, that's all.” 
Suddenly, she saw Korr’s face turn bright red. His fists clenched at his sides. “That’s all?” He asked, teeth clenched. “That's all? Do you realize that you took an innocent life when you could have had a perfectly good stew or a few root vegetables?”
“It was one rabbit, okay!” Finn said holding up his hands. “No big deal.”
“No big deal?” Korr was yelling now. “What if you had been that rabbit? Then would be no big deal? What if that had been a formbender in animal form, not just an animal? Then would you care? I have two friends who can shift into rabbits, ya know.” Suddenly, Korr reached out and grabbed Finn's bow from his back. “You won't be using this anywhere near the secret city.”
Finn took a step forward. “Hey!” His voice was sharp. His face was red. “Give me that!” He grabbed for the bow, but Korr was too fast; his fist closed on air. 
Eris sucked in a breath and took a step back. This wasn't good. Finn felt very strongly about his bow. His father had given it to him, and he hardly went anywhere without it. It was very important to him. Korr taking it was not going to end well. 
“Korr, just give him back the bow.” Eris held up her hands. “Trust me. He won't use it.”
Korr looked skeptical. Finn looked like he was ready to throw Korr in the dirt and leave him there. Suddenly, Finn lunged again. 
“Stop!” Eris yelled, though she knew it wouldn't make a difference. The two were already pushing each other. Soon they'd be in the mud, wrestling. 
Then, before she knew what was happening, Tryss stepped between them. “Stop, both of you.” Her voice was even. Suddenly, Finn’s eyes widened. Eris snuck a glance at Rohir. He stood frozen to the spot. 
“Please Korr, just give Finn back his bow. He won't cause any trouble,” Tryss said. Korr huffed and rolled his eyes. Then he reluctantly handed it over. 
All at once, Rohir came to his senses, dropped everything he was carrying, and was at Tryss's side in an instant. He wrapped her in a tight hug. Finn gave Eris a questioning look, but she mouthed the words, ‘explain later’. Quickly, Rohir pulled away. 
“H-how?”
Tryss grinned. “I'll explain on the way back.”
submitted by Leeli--New Parts!
(May 9, 2018 - 5:05 pm)
submitted by Top
(June 24, 2018 - 4:01 pm)
submitted by Top!
(June 24, 2018 - 4:01 pm)
submitted by Top!
(June 24, 2018 - 4:01 pm)
~Chapter 23~
Theckry (whom Eris learned was the head of the shifters) agreed to let Rohir and Finn stay in the secret city on certain conditions. They were never to reveal its location, they (of course) were blindfolded anytime they left or returned, and Eris was responsible for any damage they caused. They were given a small tent to share (neither of them were too happy about that). Eris was still Korr’s charge, and, though she wished she had more freedom, she soon got used to him following her everywhere, as well his slightly grumpy manner. 
That night, Korr took Eris to the place where they had met with Theckry that morning. When they reached the edge of the moonlit clearing, Korr left her. At first, the clearing seemed completely empty. The stars shone bright between the trees, but tonight their light seemed cold and distant. Eris caught a hint of a sound. A slight rustling. Her eyes darted around the clearing, settling on a dark shape lumbering through the shadows at the edge of the trees. It turned its eyes on her, small and dark. It approached her, and as it came into the light, Eris jumped back. It was a bear. She opened her mouth to call for Korr, but she realized he'd be too far by now. Instead, she reached for the dagger at her side. But suddenly, the bear began to shift into human form. Eris was astonished to realize it was Theckry. She shook her head, wondering why she was surprised. She knew he was a shifter, of course. She just hadn't gotten used to these people changing form yet. 
“You were a bit earlier than I expected,” Theckry said. “But I suppose there's no time to waste. Might as well get this over with.” He sat down on one of the large, moss-covered rocks that sat in a ring around the clearing. 
“Let me explain a few things about this stone you hold,” Theckry began. “I'm sure you know a few things already, such as how the stone can seem to speak to you, or put you to sleep.”
Eris nodded. 
“You see, there is much to be learned about these stones, and though I know perhaps more about them than most, I still know very little. But I will share with you what I do know. The stones are very powerful, which you know. The power they contain is that of light. So much power is concentrated in such a small thing that is extremely hard to control. When held by a mortal being, it is often too much power and will put them to sleep. And oftentimes, if the holder is somehow able to overcome the sleep or be woken from it, they will feel a strong connection to the stone, almost as if they can feel it speak to them. They can often sense the nearness of the stone, and feel its pull.”
Eris knitted her brows. “Can it control you?”
“Control you?” Theckry repeated. 
“Yes. I mean, can it almost make you do things?”
Theckry frowned. “Why would you ask that?”
Eris considered whether or not she should tell him about the incident with Finn. She quickly decided she should, and explained the whole thing. 
“It was as if I wasn't me,” she finished. 
Theckry continued to frown, creating deep creases along his tanned forehead. He made a thoughtful sort of growling noise. “As if you weren't you,” he repeated slowly. “Interesting.”
Eris was suddenly worried. “How so?”
“This doesn't happen often. Not often at all. Being made of good power, the stones do not corrupt or control. At least...not on their own.” He stood and began to pace. “I understand there was a mistake involving a certain spell and the way you were woken?” 
Eris nodded. “That's right. The Waking Incantation. My friends were just trying to help. They didn't realize it was evil. We later discovered it had been written under the power of evil, in the dark tongue of Umbolar, and so were also spoken under the power of evil.”
Theckry shook his head slowly. “I see. This would explain a few things. Incantations spoken under the wrong power can have nasty side affects on both those who speak them and those who they are spoken over. I'm surprised your friend isn't experiencing anything...unnatural.” 
“How do I make it stop?” Eris asked. 
“You must learn to resist. What you did, in separating yourself from the stone, was a powerful show of strength. Many would not have been able to do that. It was a step in the right direction, and shows that you have the right strength, stubbornness, and courage to overcome the darkness if put to use. So you must simply learn to control the stone and not to let it control you.” Theckry drew nearer to her. “To defeat the darkness in Engar, you must first defeat the darkness inside yourself.”
Suddenly she was confused. “I never said anything about Engar.”
Theckry looked grave as he leaned down to look into her eyes. “I think you know as well as I why you were given this gift.”
Eris creased her brow. What was he talking about? Then suddenly she knew. Her mouth dropped open. Of course. The one thing that could defeat the evil across the water could be the thing in the pouch at her side. She wondered why this hadn't occurred to her before. 
“But, but I'm just a girl! I can't do this, I can't beat this! I-I--,” she trailed off. 
Theckry sat down again. “I know. Even to me it seems like quite a lot. But you can't ignore the fact that the pool chose you. You don't have to face this future, and you can run all you like. But you can never escape what you have been chosen to do.” He stood to his feet again and walked to the edge of the clearing. Back turned, he said, “I suppose that is all to be settled another time. I will teach you the rest of what I know of the stones if you like, but the night is getting old. I suspect you will want to get some rest.” 
Eris stood and made her way to the treeline. She started into the forest, but realized at she didn't know the way back in the dark. She turned to ask Theckry for directions, but he was gone. She wondered briefly if she should wait until someone came for her, but decided to risk it. It was the same forest, only in the dark. She thought she shouldn't have much trouble if she just invisioned the way they had come before. 
She was wrong. 
Before long, Eris was deep into the forest, unsure of which way to go next. Soon she felt a droplet of water, and then another. The drops became heavier and more frequent, until it started raining hard, draping a heavy mist over the island. The fog did her no good, and she became even more lost, but in addition, she was cold and wet. Not to mention sleep-deprived. She felt like sitting down on a log and crying, but that was not an option. 
Suddenly, she heard a faint call through the heavy air. She began to make her way toward the voice, and detected a fuzzy glow between the trees. Slowly, a figure began to take shape in the fog. 
Finn smiled. “Lost?” There was a mischevious glint in his eye, as if he was trying to hold in laughter. 
Eris scowled. She saw nothing funny about losing her way in a forest in the dark of night, wet and cold. But, as always, Finn had found a way to make a joke of it. “No,” she replied, wrapping her arms around herself. “Just a bit turned around.” 
Finn chuckled. Eris continued to scowl, which made it all the funnier to him. 
“Come on,” he said kindly, holding his lantern out in front of him. 
Eris walked beside him, arms wrapped around herself, shivering. Her toes and fingers were so cold they hurt. Finn turned and saw her shivering. The corners of his mouth turned down as he attempted to hold back more laughter, for she looked quite funny when she was cold, wet, and mad, to him, at least.
“Here.” He took off his coat and draped it over her, wrapping one arm around her shoulders as they walked on through the forest. 
“I was sent to find you after it started raining,” he explained. “Korr thought you might have some trouble finding your way back, what with the fog.” Merriment played in his eyes. 
Eris said nothing. 
They reached the encampment shortly, and Eris slept in Korr’s cottage again. Though ‘slept’ is a stretch. She tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep for most of the night. What Theckry had said about the stone had troubled her greatly. She could not stop thinking about it. His words floated through her head like a fog rolling in, enshrouding her.You can never escape what you were chosen to do. 
Later that afternoon, Eris met with Theckry again. He said nothing more about using the stone’s power against the evil in Angyth. 
“Today we will work on using the stone’s power.” Theckry said. “You remember what you said about the stone flashing light and knocking your friend down on the ship?” 
Eris nodded. 
“When you did that, you used the stone’s power, but unintentionally. This could be very dangerous, and you must learn to choose when to use the power, not let the stone choose for you. As I said before, these stones are never meant to be intwine with any sort of dark power, so after the spell was spoken, it might well have negative side effects, such as controlling. Now, tell me this. What did you feel when the stone released its power?”
Eris thought back to the moment on the ship. “I felt...alive,” she said. “And connected to it. But there was a twinge of darkness.”
Theckry nodded. “To release the power in the stone, you must find that feeling of connection with the light again. It isn't an easy thing to do. Now, know this. You must never use this power lightly. Only in the most dire circumstances must you release it, for it can be dangerous if not used properly.”
Eris nodded again. “Of course.” 
“Now,” said Theckry. “I'd like you to try it. But you must be very careful. Focus your target in your mind. Use the ground for now, or maybe one of those logs over there.”
Eris took a deep breath. Then she drew the stone from her pouch. As she held it, it began pulsing with a soft glow. She closed her eyes. She could feel the stone. It wanted to speak to her. She thought back to all the times she had felt the light the strongest. She played back the memory of when she had accidentally blasted Finn over in her mind, remembering the feeling of when the light was released. But the stone stopped pulsing and grew cold. 
Eris opened her eyes. She didn't know what happened. 
“That's alright, try again.” Theckry motioned for her to do the process over. 
Again Eris closed her eyes. This time, she replayed what she had felt at the Whispering Pool, and just before she had fallen asleep that fateful night. She could feel the stone pulse quicker, and grow warmer. She breathed in, and suddenly the light filled her with a warm rush, like hot water running through her insides. It was jolting, but in a good way, in a reviving way. At the same time there was a flash of light--Eris opened her eyes--and saw Theckry jump back to avoid a wave of energy. As soon as Eris opened her eyes, it was gone, leaving a warm glow hanging in the air. 
She had done it. 
She had forgotten to pick a target.
But she had done it, and that mattered. That meant something. 
“I did it,” she said quietly, satisfied. Then, with a burst of joy, “I did it!” She threw her arms in the air. “Did you see that?” She cried. Theckry chuckled. 
“Oh, I saw it, and closer than I would have liked! I think you had better work on your aim, lass!” 
She smiled sheepishly. “Sorry.”
Eris continued to practice for a long time. She never quite hit her mark, but she came close to a rock, once. 
On the walk back, Eris met Rohir on the path. He stopped her. 
“Eris, I have something to ask you.” His voice was serious. Eris’s heart quickened. She took a step back. “First, I want to tell you that I know all about what happened on the ship with the stone.” 
Eris was puzzled. “What are you talking about?” 
“I know what happened with you and Finn and the stone. He tried to take it from you, and you got scared and it took control of you, and you did something to him by accident.” 
Eris frowned. “Did he tell you?” 
Rohir shook his head. “I could just tell. My father always said I have a strong gift of perception, made even stronger by that I am an elf. Finn wasn't himself for a few days, and neither were you. I didn't see you out except to get food, and it worried me. I thought about going to check on you, but you seemed like you needed to be alone.” He paused and looked at the ground. Then he raised his eyes to meet her gaze again. “I've noticed you've gained better control of the stone’s powers since then.”
“How did you know?”
Rohir shrugged and smiled. “Like I said, perception. You seemed a bit more yourself today, more in control, more confident.”
Eris smiled. 
Rohir looked down down again and his voice grew quieter. “Anyway, I had been wondering...well...what exactly you planned to do.”
Eris’s forehead creased. “What do you mean?”
He looked up again, meeting her eyes. “Surely you know as I well as I do that youre meant to do something with this stone.”
She drew back. “What do you mean?” 
He sighed. “This stone contains the power to defeat the growing darkness in Angyth. I think you know what I mean. A darkness is rising, Eris. You alone may be able to stop it.”
Eris sighed. “I can't stop this. I'm just a girl, I'm not strong or brave.”
“But Eris, it chose you. You're stronger than you think, and braver too.”
“I know it chose me,” Eris said. “But it made a mistake. Someone else should have been chosen. I didn't want this!” She pulled the stone from its pouch at her side, and held it up to him in her open palm. “Here, you take it! You could use it, you could beat the dark.”
Rohir smiled sadly and closed her hand around the stone. “You know I can't.”
“You're right,” Eris replied. “But someone else could do it. Someone wise and strong, like Forest Rider, or Lord Oryn.”
Rohir shook his head. “No. No they couldn't. It wouldn't work.”
“Why not?” Asked Eris. “I give this freely!” 
“It's not that. It wouldn't work because they couldn't control it. You are the only one who can control it, Eris. You can deny it all you want, you can run and hide, but you can never escape it.”
Eris threw her hands up. 
“I can't do this anymore, Rohir! It's too much!” Eris yelled. With that she threw the stone in the dirt and ran. 
She ran into the forest, a storm of dust flying up around her angry feet as they pushed at the ground. Tears flew from her face, but she didn't notice. Suddenly, she tripped on a branch, flying onto the ground on her knees. She threw her head into her hands and sobbed. She was tired, so tired, of all the pressure, of all the expectancies. The fate of Earvinst had been placed in her hands. Eris didn't understand. It made no sense at all, and yet, everyone expected her to do something incredible with this stone. 
She hated the whole thing, but deep down, she knew Rohir was right. She could deny it and run from it, but she couldn't escape it. And no matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't forget how she felt connected to the stone, and she couldn't forget the feeling she had had when she used the stone’s power. 
Slowly, Eris stood and brushed herself off. She closed her eyes and let the stone’s pull lead her back to where she had thrown it. Then she opened her eyes. She was on the path again. Rohir was fingering the stone. He must have picked it up after she had thrown it. When he looked up and saw her, he handed the stone over quickly, looking a bit embarrassed.
“Sorry,” he muttered. “I shouldn't have brought it up.”
Eris took the stone gently, feeling it pulse through her and fill her with a familiar warm feeling. But this time it was a bit different. There was a moment of silent communication between her and it, a moment of understanding. 
She looked up at Rohir. 
“It's not your fault.” She turned to leave, but stopped. “Rohir, I know what I have to do.”
submitted by Leeli—NEW PART
(June 24, 2018 - 4:02 pm)
« first‹ previous1234567next ›last »