Hey guys, so here's the next chapter. It's a few days early since I will have to start preparing for fall semester in day or two. As a result, it's also probably a thousand words shorter than I wanted it to be, but I don't think the quality is hindered much. I would also like to point out that this chapter is very dialogue heavy, so I apologize if that isn't exactly your cup of tea. Things will start to pick up in the next chapter.
Next Expected Update: 8/23/16 or 8/25/16
***Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions or suggestions***
The ravages of time are not often kind, but for Elia Neilson they never came. For thousands of years the anthropologist slept as the last remnant of a world destroyed by its own brilliance and stupidity. Her clothes rotted into dust and her van crumpled into the soil, but she remained as perfectly imperfect as she had always been.
For most of the intervening years, she lay in a dreamless sleep until the rumblings of a great war disrupted the balance of magic in the world so drastically that it weakened the magic holding Elia within the druid sleep. Dreams came easily then. The faces of her family, of places she had been, people she had met. It was a pleasant way to pass the years until the eerie voice began to worm its way back into her mind.
No matter how much she tried to pick apart the language, Elia could never decipher its meaning. Thus, it remained an unpleasant hiss at the back of her mind for centuries. However, as the passage of time wore on, the hiss slowly began to adapt, whispering bits of broken English every few years or so. This puzzled her far more than anything else that had transpired during her long sleep – a sleep that she was admittedly unawares the length of.
It was some decades after the voice had begun to learn English that Elia became aware of the fact that she was slowly awakening. The feeling of her fingertips against a cold stone floor often drifted across her mind, and on incredibly rare occasions she could feel a few pale rays of sunlight dance across her skin.
The whispers began to grow in strength and insistence. Wake….up. Wake up. Wake Up!
Elia gasped painfully as her body was thrown into waking, her muscles contracting rapidly from lack of use. She could only remember being in this magnitude of pain a handful of times in the course of her existence, and never was it pleasant.
As the pain receded, she became idly aware of the presence of a hand against the pulse in her throat. The person was gentle and seemed to bore no ill will, but panic settled in her gut nonetheless. Elia had never been comfortable with personal contact, especially when she couldn't muster the energy to fully lift her head. She wasn't even certain the person laying hands upon her was aware she was conscious.
"Wha- whaa….." she murmured trying desperately to form a coherent phrase, but her body refused to cooperate.
The hand against her tensed briefly before a deep-timbered voice gently soothed her. "Shhhh. It is going to be okay but you must rest. The druid sleep has left you vulnerable."
Druid sleep? Elia forced her eyes open, immediately regretting the decision when pain laced through her skull. "I don't…..understand," she gasped through the pain, determined to find answers.
The man sitting at her side met her panicked gaze with a mild expression, gently ghosting his fingers over the line of tattoos wrapping around her rib cage. "Are you not a druid?"
"I- no," Elia stumbled, thrown by the question entirely in her weaken state, "I'm an anthropologist….."
"An anthropologist? I have heard of no such thing during my travels."
Elia tried to sit up but failed, falling back against the ground with a slightly hysterical laugh. "Most people haven't. It's not exactly a popular profession."
The man nodded his head in a contemplative manner, his hand still idly tracing her ribcage. Elia couldn't decide whether the contact was entirely too pleasant or rather uncomfortable given the circumstances. "How did you manage to stay asleep, unchanged for so long then if you are not a druid?"
There's that word again. "I don't know what a druid even is…." She groaned, shaking her head in confusion and then panic when she realized the full extent of the man's words. "How long have I been asleep?"
"Based upon the signature of magic within this place, I would guess several thousand years if not more." He stated matter-of-factly, as though the idea of people sleeping for millennia was not entirely unheard of.
Elia gasped, struggling to get away from the bearded figure. He removed his hand from her body as though just realizing it still remained on her side, and raised it in a submissive manner. "Yo- you're lying or fucking crazy! That's impossible." And that is when she also realized that she was completely and utterly stark naked. "And what the fuck did you do with my clothes, dude?"
"You were in a state of undress when we found you," the man grumbled, quickly setting to unbuckle his coat, "and if you're going to insist on talking incessantly you should at least be able to use my name. I am Allanon."
"I suppose if there are to be introductions you may call me Elia, though I can't say I've ever done this whole song and dance naked before…."
Allanon chuckled quietly and held out his coat for her to take. "Perhaps this will make you feel more comfortable then. I sense there is much you wish to discuss."
"You could say that again." She sighed, attempting to ignore the sight of his sculpted chest in favor of looking toward the entrance of the cave. "This cave, before I…fell asleep the entrance caved in. I don't know what to think about this situation, but I'm not fool enough to think someone would have known I was out here in time to remove the rocks before I would have died. Thus, I am inclined to believe that your assumption of the timeline is correct, and that poses some uncomfortable questions."
"I can offer to answer whichever ones you wish to ask to the best of my ability."
She nodded slowly, fidgeting with her hands all the while. "The war….did it ever come? There was talk before….and I need to know what might have happened to my family."
He swallowed heavily as though trying to find the best way to proceed. "There was a war, though that's largely all I can say. It completely destroyed the world of man and changed the face of the planet. Most of the records from that time were destroyed, and all we have left are legends passed down from the survivors."
"I- I don't know how I should respond to that," she gasped, drawing into herself. "Just give me a moment please."
Elia rolled her body into a tight cocoon, pulling the fabric of Allanon's coat tightly around her body. A quiet sob threatened to tear from her throat as the faces of her family and the world she had known flashed through her mind. It had always been a possibility that the world would be destroyed by humankind, but having it confirmed as fact was an entirely different matter. Elia felt as though a black whole had obliterated everything she had ever felt the inclination to love, and that was a hard thing to stomach.
A heavy hand landed upon her back, stroking gentle circles in an attempt to soothe her. "I know there is nothing I can say that will lessen your pain, but know that the world is not yet lost. There are still qualities of the old world that yet linger in the people of this one, of that I am certain."
"What do the qualities of a people matter when the faces are different?" she hissed, ducking her face into the collar of the jacket to evade Allanon's gentle gaze.
"Something tells me that you do not believe in the words that spill from your mouth, little one."
Elia sighed, straightening herself slightly. "No…you, you are correct. I would not be true to my profession or myself if I admitted to believing those words, but the sentiment behind them is not false. I know not a single person in this place to cling to. How am I to continue living in a world where the rules of society may be completely different from the ones I am familiar with?"
Suddenly another man ran into the cave, a host of leaves clutched between his fingers. "I've got them! I've got the herbs. Sorry it took so long, but I'm not familiar with this area….Oh she's awake."
"Yes, she is awake Wil. I am glad to see your eyes yet work."
"Who are you?"
"Ah, sorry. I'm Wil Ohmsford from Shady Vale." The lanky boy said, extending his arm toward Elia who shook it gently.
"My name is Elia formerly of the van known as Gertrude, currently of a completely destroyed world….apparently."
"Uhm….I'm sorry to hear that." He squeaked, turning to Allanon with a worried expression. "Is she okay?"
"She is sound of body, but of mind I am not certain. She is processing a great loss, Wil."
"You are aware of the fact that I can hear you, correct?" Elia groused, folding her arms across her chest. "How would you expect someone to react to the news that the world ended due to the whims of petty men? With a smile?"
"Wait? What?"
Allanon grumbled something beneath his breath and ran a hand down his face. "Elia is no average human, Wil; she is from the age of man."
Wil clambered toward Elia with wide eyes and trembling hands. He had always been curious about the ancient humans, but to see one in reality was completely astounding to him. "Really?! What was it like back then? I mean there are ruins everywhere, but no one really knows what they are."
"Wil now is not the time for such questions!" Allanon growled, grabbing the back of the boy's coat and wrenching him backwards. "We have more pressing concerns at the moment. Once Elia is well enough to sit a horse we must head for Arborlon."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Who said anything about me joining you?"
"Do you really think you have any other viable option? You said yourself that you do not know how you will survive in these lands. It is only reasonable that you join us."
"I understand that there might be a learning curve, but I'm far from helpless Allanon." She said, rising to her feet. "My profession has made me adaptable to many situations."
"But you don't even have any clothes!" Will exclaimed.
"That is…..true."
"Then it is settled; you will ride to Arborlon with us shortly."
Elia grumbled irritably before nodding in acquiescence. "I will come with you for now, but do not expect me to tarry long. It has never been in my nature to stay in one place, and I should like to see what is left of the world I knew."
"I cannot say I approve of that plan either, but it will have to do for now." Allanon conceded with a simple nod of his head.
"Good. Now let's blow this popsicle stand, boys."
"So I'm assuming all ancient humans could ride?" Wil asked while clutching onto Elia from behind as she carefully maneuvered his horse over the rough terrain.
She chuckled quietly to herself before responding. "No. Very few could in all actuality; we travelled in cars….which I guess could be equated to a horseless carriage. I actually lived in one that I named Gertrude. Beside that we also had planes which flew across the sky to carry us vast distances."
"You travelled in the sky? That sounds impossible."
"It's not….wasn't that unusual back then, but we had more in the way of technology than you do at the present. Though it seems you have gained much by learning to harness magic." Elia scowled slightly and shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe I just said that."
"Your people were not aware of magic then?" Allanon asked, drawing Artaq closer.
"I don't think so, but there were always whispers of it in far way places. Some cultures believed that they'd harnessed some sort of magical ability. I'd always figured it was an aspect of some people's creation myth or a means of social control. Now I'm not so certain."
"I don't mean to sound like a bumbling fool, which I'm sure I am failing at, but most of that made no sense to me." Wil said, running a hand across his brow in confusion.
"Ah sorry," Elia replied sheepishly, "I forget that not all people are anthropologists at times. In short, it was believed that magic did not exist during the age of man as you call it, but based on my knowledge it is plausible that some may have possessed the ability to wield it."
"Are you sure you're not a druid?" Wil asked. "Allanon has such a distinctive style of speech that I assumed it was a characteristic of them. Which shows what I know about magic and the people who wield it, but you sound exactly like him sometimes so I couldn't help myself from asking."
"Yes I'm sure," she replied, sending him an irritable glare. "I have never possessed the ability to shoot fire or any other element from my hands or any other appendage. Boring I know."
"If it is any consolation, I do not find you boring in the slightest." Allanon replied, clearing his throat before continuing rapidly. "The knowledge you have of the old world is fascinating, and I am certain it could teach us much."
"Thanks…I guess."
The druid cleared his throat again and refused to look in Elia's direction, pointedly staring off into the surrounding wilderness. Wil tried to muffle his laughter against her back, but failed miserably resulting in a serious of choked guffaws that echoed in the silence. Meanwhile, Elia remained completely unaware of the reason for the boy's laughter and instead chose to direct the conversation off of whatever had caused him to lose his head. "So, I haven't thought to ask this yet because it might make me seem entirely insensitive or completely insane, but bear with me please. I have to know, are you an elf?"
Wil quickly shook off his laughter and cleared his throat to answer. "I'm actually only half-elven," he said, tapping at the tip of his ears. "See I have short tips. Full-blooded elves have much longer ones."
"Jesus Christ," she murmured quietly, reigning Spitter to a halt for a few moments, "This is some next level weird shit, and you guys have no idea because you're the weird shit. Crap, sorry that probably sounded horribly indelicate and insulting."
"Trust me I understand weird shit on a spiritual level. A few days ago I thought I was just another random kid. Then this guy," Will said, tilting his head toward Allanon who was once again listening to the conversation, "walks in on me passed out naked in a bathtub and tells me I'm destined to go on some quest. He still hasn't exactly explained that one in full yet."
"All in due time, Wil. Right now we must focus on reaching our destination." He replied in a somber tone. "We cannot afford to be any later than we will already be."
"What will you be late for exactly?" she pondered, tilting her head to regard the druid. "Based on your tone I would assume it is something unsavory."
Allanon shook his head. "Believe me I would tell you if I could, but it would only serve to place you in grave danger."
"I suppose I can't disagree with that, but it doesn't make it any less annoying that you won't divulge the purpose of your trip. Which I am currently being drug on, might I add."
"I understand your frustration, but you will have to trust me."
"Says the man I've known all of six hours." Elia muttered beneath her breath, before urging her horse into a forward trot.
The trio rode straight through the night without incident, though Elia could not remember the last time her derriere had been quite this sore. It had been a great while since she'd last ridden such a long distance and it was definitely showing in her body's response. Plus, it certainly hadn't helped matters when Wil fell asleep against her back halfway through the evening.
Unfortunately with Wil asleep, the night was incredibly quiet. Allanon spoke very rarely, instead preferring to ride beside her in silence. He did, however, occasionally compliment her on her riding abilities, which he professed were probably better than most of the cavalrymen in the elven army. Elia couldn't decide whether to be flattered by such comments or worried that he would try to barter her off as a prospective soldier. If there was one thing she did not want, it was to become a pawn in the wars of an unfamiliar people. Though from what Wil and Allanon had mentioned of the elven people, Elia wasn't too worried about her prospects of being swept into violence; however, the thought still lingered as an uncomfortable reminder of a darker time in her life.
Eventually distant bird song began to herald the arrival of morning, and the dark hues of night gave way to the brilliance of a beautiful sunrise. Despite having travelled in this region extensively, Elia could see no familiar landmarks. She supposed that it shouldn't be surprising given the fact that her beloved van, Gertrude, had been completely obliterated by the ravages of time, but it was still a source of great sorrow and growing anxiety.
To stem the flow of her thoughts, she turned to Allanon in the hope of engaging him in conversation. "Where are we exactly? I travelled in this region a great deal, but it is as unfamiliar to me as the surface of the Moon at the present."
"We are on the very edge of the Westlands; it should only be an hour or so until we reach Arborlon."He replied in an even tone.
"Ah," she nodded her head slowly, "And what exactly is going to happen to me once we reach this famed city? You have spoken of my travel with you but not what comes after. I am beginning to worry that you are as lost for answers as I."
"I do not know, little one, though I should hope that they will give you something more fitting to wear than my cloak."
Elia chuckled, holding up her arms so that she could swing the excess fabric around. "Yes it should be nice not to look as though I've chopped off a large portion of my arm."
As absorbed as she was in her antics, she completely missed the small smile Allanon directed at her before he spoke. "I should like to see the elves' reaction to you, for I doubt they've ever met an individual of your like."
"Is that good or bad?"
"I would guess their reaction to you will be most pleasant. For someone who has just learned of a great loss you are coping well, your strength will appeal to them."
"Honestly I don't think I've fully processed everything yet," she responded with sigh. "Given a few hours of rest I am sure reality will sink in and with it a mental break down….most likely."
He regarded her somewhat uneasily from the corner of his eye as he spoke. "You are remarkably unaffected by the prospect of future mental instability."
"When you've seen as much as I have, you learn to accept your emotions even if they threaten to break you apart."
Allanon nodded silently in response, allowing the conversation to die once more. They continued on in a similar fashion until Wil began to stir against Elia's back. He emitted a few unseemly groans before sitting up to rub the sleep from his eyes before muttering, "Are we there yet?" in a hoarse voice.
She couldn't help laughing at the normalcy of the statement given the present circumstances causing both men to look at her curiously. "I- I'm sorry it's just that everything is so different but then there's you and you're just so normal that it hurts."
"Just what every man wants to be told in the morning."
His statement just caused her to devolve into an even stronger fit of giggles that echoed through the surrounding wilderness. She was half certain that the elves in their pretty city could probably hear her slightly hysterical laughter, but Elia couldn't bring herself to care. Suddenly Allanon took hold of her arm, squeezing it almost painfully. "Quiet! Something approaches our location."
"Oh fuck me."
So, Allanon has a bit of a crush, Wil thinks it's hilarious, and Elia is completely oblivious. Ah such fun! I hope you guys enjoyed what I managed to push out this week. I'm expecting the next update to be more exciting, so hopefully you'll stick around.
Next Chapter: The trio arrives in Arborlon, problems ensue, a princess is found, and Allanon is put in an uncomfortable position.