Alda'hirakam ghar Ara; Chapter 82

  • The sight of Teldryn had faded. The young mer hoped his love wouldn’t blame himself. He cherished the moments he had spent with the bladesman. He’d miss him though. He’d miss everything about him. If only they’d had more time… Teldryn…

    Ciel’nn had closed his eyes as it had become pitch black in the crevice.  He winced at the pain that was caused by the poison. His couldn’t move his left hand and his heartbeat was weak. It was spreading. Any movement would make it worse, he knew.  I’ll be dead before I reach the bottom, he thought.

    For all his life, the forces that couldn’t be defeated by any mortal means, had taken his friends away. The only difference was now that he had been the target this time by House Hlaalu and not by the forces of Oblivion. Ciel’nn didn’t know what to think of that twist. Well, it’s better me than Teldryn…

    Then his consciousness blacked out, but he felt something at the same time.

    It felt like a pull.


    In his mind, Ciel’nn felt himself falling, no, sliding through a smooth surfaced cavern. Only tiny pebbles slid with him. The darkness around him faded by a layer. A part of him wanted to flee, but there was nowhere to go. It screamed in panic, and Ciel’nn lingered between unconsciousness and acknowledgment of what was going on.

    The slide stopped and he fell through something that felt like cobwebs. Not sticky ones, but…silky.


    Endure, my child.

    The whispers came when Ciel’nn regained his consciousness then he fell back into the darkness.

    You shall not perish.

    There was feeling of air on his face as he fell into a large opening and then landed on an elastic surface. His consciousness lingered for a moment.

    The poison…

    …unfortunate…

    …you’ll endure…

    …hardship…

    Ciel’nn couldn’t see, but he felt something touching his cheek. He couldn’t say if it was real or not.

    Look at me, child.

    It wasn’t a command, but a prompt. Ciel’nn thought to fight it, but his eyes snapped open as if he was awake. He’d swallow if he was able to, but everything got stuck in his throat. He wanted to have someone close to him, but he was all alone.

    You’ll learn to cope, my child.

    In due time.

    Ciel’nn felt a sharp sting in the wound where he had been stabbed. He screamed until  his consciousness faded away. Then he fell once more.




    “Wuuuuu…”


    The Riekling patrol leader sighed. It was the fifth time when his patrol fellows whined about something. Maybe it was the boar meat gone bad, or something else. He didn’t really know what it was this time. If they didn’t stop then he’d leave them out for the night.

    He turned around with a scowl and then stared in shock. All of his patrol fellows were quiet and… dead. At first he couldn’t say why, but as he crept closer he saw a bigger person lying on the fellow rieklings. The person didn’t move either. He looked up from the bottom of the deep crevice.

    A fear settled in the riekling. This must be a bad omen as a higher person had fallen on them! A very bad omen! The riekling fell on his tiny knees and reached with his small hands up into the darkness, toward the sky above. Why? Why had the gods punished them so? He wept.

    “Goora.” A snarling sound came from close by.

    The Riekling turned to look with watery eyes. There stood Riiwak, the High Shaman’s assistant with a number of riekling warriors. The patrol leader sighed. He thought he’d be sacrificed for pleading the gods to spare them.

    Riiwak strolled closer to the patrol leader. With a gesture toward the person on the dead rieklings, he explained that he was there to retrieve the fallen one, on orders of the head Shaman, and as soon as possible.

    “Guh.” The Patrol leader sighed. He gestured wildly that the creature was dead as well as his fellows. No one could survive that fall. The deep crevice was lethal to all creatures and as far as he knew no one was spared from the fall. Not even poor B’wak who fell in the last year.

    The High Shaman’s assistant grunted and gestured the warriors to move the fallen one.It would be slow going, but it must be done. The High Shaman had said they did not have much time to act. He gestured to the patrol leader to follow him.

    They marched down the icy and deep caverns that were lit with small torches and glowing crystals. The cavern spiraled slowly down and then took a turn to left.

    Riiwak kept an eye on the fallen one once a while. He hadn’t let out a sound during the whole time, and the head Shaman’s assistant hoped all this was for nothing. He just couldn’t grasp the reason behind this event, and the High Shaman hadn’t explained much.

    They crossed the ancient mammoth twin bone bridge and  then approached the major area where every riekling watched them passing by. The chatter began after they were gone to the High Shaman quarters.



    From the high rise and between the large braziers, with her ritualistic fetishes and a worn boar fur around her small body, and a mysteriously carved bone staff in her hands,  the High Shaman, Gnimmum, observed as they brought the fallen one to her domain.

    The rise was guarded by two bone masked Riekling Chargers on boars. They gave space for the warriors carrying the creature that had fallen onto them.
     
    “Mella kalee.” The High Shaman grunted and pointed at the low stone and bone ritual table on front of the rise. The table was covered with boar furs. She moved down the side ramp while they lowered her charge on the furs. Gnimmum gestured for Riiwak to prepare the fires near the table.

    She ushered the warriors away, and noticed the patrol leader lingering around, then she ignored the male Riekling. Gnimmum shifted at the table and observed the fallen one’s face. It wasn’t peaceful and the High Shaman frowned. Then she spotted the wound on the left shoulder; it had bled. Leaning close and sniffing at it, she shook her head. “Pugh!” The bleeding had stopped for some reason.

    And the poison, Gnimmum couldn’t make sense of it, but she let out a series of guttural curses. What a vile poison it was! She deemed there was something she could do about it. Turning swiftly and slamming her staff on the icy floor, the High Shaman signaled Riiwak to fetch some sapphire gems  from the storage area. And the assistant obeyed.

    Then she turned back to the fallen one, hoping she had time to save him. The fires around the table seemed weak, and Gnimmum gave a wave around with her staff. The fires became stronger and warmer. She’d still have to prepare the incense candles for healing which she believed would help.

    While waiting for Riiwak and the gems, Gnimmum noticed something that gave her hope; on the forehead of the fallen one had appeared  some beads of sweat.

     

     

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