The Mountain Prophecy: Chapter 7
I wonder what he's thinking. Quest thought. she had been busy trying to get Nolan to notice her so she could go on his so called "quest". It had been a very stressful few weeks in the village for her, and she had needed a break from all the oblivious people. They were so stupid! They didn't know what the Forgotten Scrolls really did, they all thought they were supposed to be used to protect the village. But the Scrolls were for more than that. Quest sighed. Why had she spilled everything to Nolan? It's not like she was desperate or anything. But her thoughts kept drifting back to him. Why had he lived in a cave? Where was his family? Why was he on this quest, other than to be accepted in the village?
Later, as they were walking along a path- well, I don't know if you could call it a path- but it was something. The path wound along a slowly moving stream, with a waterfall at its head. It was very picturesque and had a calming effect on everyone, even Quest.
As soon as she realized how calm she and everyone were, she noticed a flitting ball of light. Now two. Now five. Presently there were too many balls of light to count, and as they swirled faster and faster, they started to merge. It was the strangest thing, and Quest was so intently watching it, that she didn't notice when Nolan tapped her shoulder.
"Umm... Quest... What's happening? Is it magic?" He asked. He had a nervous tremor in his voice, and it was all she could do not to roll her eyes at him. Of course it was magic. But not any kind that she had ever seen. Not even when she was in The Voiceless One's lair. She couldn't stop staring! The balls of light were starting to take shape, a very bright shape.
After a few more moments of staring, the thing materialized. As soon as she did, Quest realized that it was a dryad. She must have been guardian of that pond, and the creatures around it. The dryad looked straight up at her. There was something in her stare, something almost that looked like a kind of hunger. Quest couldn't put her finger on it, but knew that she'd had that very same feeling when she was imprisoned in The Voiceless One's service. She took a deep breath, raised her hand in greeting, and spoke.
"Hello miss dryad. My name is Quest, and this is Nolan, and Louie." She gestured to her friends. "We are just passing through. We mean no harm." She hoped that would be enough to grant them safe passage through this haven of sorts.
The dryad smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. She seemed exhausted, Quest thought. She wondered it she was under employment by someone.
Slowly, the dryad raised her hand in greeting- or Quest hoped it was in greeting.
"Hello Quest. I am Lily. Protector of this pond, and all things that thrive by it. What has you this far into the forest, where there are all different kinds of dangerous and magical creatures?" Her voice had a silky quality to it. Flowing and smooth.
"Um... Uh..." Louie sighed. his eyes were shining, and he looked like he was under a spell. "H-hi, L-Lily..."
"Dude, snap out of it!" Nolan whispered harshly in Louie's ear. But Louie clearly wasn't listaning, because he just kept staring. And staring and staring and staring. Quest rolled her eyes at him, trying to get him to look away.
He took a step forward.
"Oh, ho, it seems as if this little prince is willing to sacrifice himself." Lily said in a slinky voice.
"NO! No! He stays with us!" Quest yelled defiantly.
"Oh, my dear. It is his decision if he wants to give himself up or not. Not yours." The dryad purred. "Louie dear, come here." During that whole argument, Louie's eyes had slowly been changing color from a dark brown to black, so dark that it chased the light away, leaving the whites of his eyes gray.
He took a step towards the dryad.
"Yessssss," she hissed, her eyes lighting up and smiling so big that it revealed sharp pointed teeth.
Louie took another step forward.
"Louie stop!" Nolan cried, then tried to grab his arm.
Louie snarled inhumanly and ripped his arm from Nolan's strong grasp.
Quest stood there, trying trying to figure it out, trying to figure what to do, when the dryad snapped her freakishly long fingers.
Snap.
Snap.
The noise of her fingers echoed in Quest's head, growing louder, louder, louder, every time.
She screamed.
Louie kept walking, to the beat of the dryad's snapping fingers.
"Louie! No!" Nolan shouted, frantically trying to intercept his path, but kept getting shoved out of the way.
Until.
The dryad was able to place her elegant, deadly fingers on Louie's arm. With a jerk of her arm, her hand came away, and with it, a thin yellow stream of light.
Louie opened his mouth in a silent scream, even more agonizing to watch that an audible scream would've been.
The dryad looked noticeably stronger as she pulled more and more of the yellow light out of Louie's arm.
"LOUIE!" Quest screamed, tears streaming down her face.
And then it was done.
Quest slumped to the ground, visibly defeated.
Louie was gone. Shy, sweet, unassuming Louie.
Gone.
Later, as they were walking along a path- well, I don't know if you could call it a path- but it was something. The path wound along a slowly moving stream, with a waterfall at its head. It was very picturesque and had a calming effect on everyone, even Quest.
As soon as she realized how calm she and everyone were, she noticed a flitting ball of light. Now two. Now five. Presently there were too many balls of light to count, and as they swirled faster and faster, they started to merge. It was the strangest thing, and Quest was so intently watching it, that she didn't notice when Nolan tapped her shoulder.
"Umm... Quest... What's happening? Is it magic?" He asked. He had a nervous tremor in his voice, and it was all she could do not to roll her eyes at him. Of course it was magic. But not any kind that she had ever seen. Not even when she was in The Voiceless One's lair. She couldn't stop staring! The balls of light were starting to take shape, a very bright shape.
After a few more moments of staring, the thing materialized. As soon as she did, Quest realized that it was a dryad. She must have been guardian of that pond, and the creatures around it. The dryad looked straight up at her. There was something in her stare, something almost that looked like a kind of hunger. Quest couldn't put her finger on it, but knew that she'd had that very same feeling when she was imprisoned in The Voiceless One's service. She took a deep breath, raised her hand in greeting, and spoke.
"Hello miss dryad. My name is Quest, and this is Nolan, and Louie." She gestured to her friends. "We are just passing through. We mean no harm." She hoped that would be enough to grant them safe passage through this haven of sorts.
The dryad smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. She seemed exhausted, Quest thought. She wondered it she was under employment by someone.
Slowly, the dryad raised her hand in greeting- or Quest hoped it was in greeting.
"Hello Quest. I am Lily. Protector of this pond, and all things that thrive by it. What has you this far into the forest, where there are all different kinds of dangerous and magical creatures?" Her voice had a silky quality to it. Flowing and smooth.
"Um... Uh..." Louie sighed. his eyes were shining, and he looked like he was under a spell. "H-hi, L-Lily..."
"Dude, snap out of it!" Nolan whispered harshly in Louie's ear. But Louie clearly wasn't listaning, because he just kept staring. And staring and staring and staring. Quest rolled her eyes at him, trying to get him to look away.
He took a step forward.
"Oh, ho, it seems as if this little prince is willing to sacrifice himself." Lily said in a slinky voice.
"NO! No! He stays with us!" Quest yelled defiantly.
"Oh, my dear. It is his decision if he wants to give himself up or not. Not yours." The dryad purred. "Louie dear, come here." During that whole argument, Louie's eyes had slowly been changing color from a dark brown to black, so dark that it chased the light away, leaving the whites of his eyes gray.
He took a step towards the dryad.
"Yessssss," she hissed, her eyes lighting up and smiling so big that it revealed sharp pointed teeth.
Louie took another step forward.
"Louie stop!" Nolan cried, then tried to grab his arm.
Louie snarled inhumanly and ripped his arm from Nolan's strong grasp.
Quest stood there, trying trying to figure it out, trying to figure what to do, when the dryad snapped her freakishly long fingers.
Snap.
Snap.
The noise of her fingers echoed in Quest's head, growing louder, louder, louder, every time.
She screamed.
Louie kept walking, to the beat of the dryad's snapping fingers.
"Louie! No!" Nolan shouted, frantically trying to intercept his path, but kept getting shoved out of the way.
Until.
The dryad was able to place her elegant, deadly fingers on Louie's arm. With a jerk of her arm, her hand came away, and with it, a thin yellow stream of light.
Louie opened his mouth in a silent scream, even more agonizing to watch that an audible scream would've been.
The dryad looked noticeably stronger as she pulled more and more of the yellow light out of Louie's arm.
"LOUIE!" Quest screamed, tears streaming down her face.
And then it was done.
Quest slumped to the ground, visibly defeated.
Louie was gone. Shy, sweet, unassuming Louie.
Gone.
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