Chapter 4 part 1
Glumshanks dragged himself out of Kaos's room, and was met by harsh mocking laughter. Glumshanks looked up and saw the face of an elf witch glaring down at him with disdain. The goblin sighed as he thought about having to put up with one of her fits.
"Kaos beat you up eh?" Sai asked scornfully.
Glumshanks tried to reply, but was interrupted by a fit of coughing. Sai continued to laugh.
"Honestly Glumshanks, why does Kaos even keep you around? You've showed everyone that you're completely worthless." Sai grumbled bitterly. Sai had yearned for the position of second in command for a long time; she was always hoping that Glumshanks would mess up and loose his position.
Glumshanks stumbled to his feet, and glared at Sai. He wanted to reply, but couldn't think of anything to say, so he just walked away, not wanting to cause any trouble.
Sai continued to complain. "Maybe Kaos will finally get tired of you and he'll give someone who's actually useful the rank of second in command."
Glumshanks froze when he heard Sai say that. A cold chill ran through him as he thought about loosing his position of second in command. Glumshanks knew that he hadn't been chosen as second in command because he was strong. He was chosen for the position because he and Kaos had been friends for a long time. Glumshanks felt that if he lost the position of second in command that would mean that Kaos no longer wanted him around. Glumshanks felt his legs tremble as he thought about his master. Kaos was Glumshanks only friend and the goblin didn't want to loose him…
"Why so nervous Glumshanks?" Sai asked in a cold tone. Her eyes blazed with fury, as well as another emotion that Glumshanks couldn't identify.
"I'm not nervous…" Glumshanks muttered.
"That's not what it looks like to me." Sai purred changing her voice to a seductive tone. The elf sorceress floated up to Glumshanks, and placed her hand under his chin, she then lifted his head up so he was looking directly in to her eyes.
"Come with me Glumshanks, you have no need for Kaos; after all he certainly despises you…" Sai murmured in a soft, persuasive tone. She gently scratched the goblin's chin, and continued purring.
"Get away from me Sai!" Glumshanks snarled, raising his hand and shoving Sai backwards. The goblin broke in to a cold sweat as he thought about what Sai was trying to do. Glumshanks turned away from Sai and tried to run.
Sai cast a hate filled glance at Glumshanks, and leapt at him. The elf witch pinned the goblin down, and sat on top of him, she then stroked his face with her hand, continuing her seductive purring. Glumshanks shivered as the deranged elf forced herself on him. He tried to break free of her grasp, but she continued to rest on top of his chest.
"Get off of me Sai." Glumshanks pleaded. This was possibly one of the most humiliating moments of his life.
"No, no pretty boy, not until you resign from your position and I become second in command."
"Never." Glumshanks croaked.
Sai glared at Glumshanks, furry blazing in her eyes. The elf witch raised her hand and slashed at Glumshanks with her nails, causing blood to stream down his face. She then tore a strip of his tunic off of his shoulder. Sai climbed off of Glumshanks and allowed him to stand up, she then screamed at the top of her lungs.
"Rape!" Sai shrieked, the sound of her voice echoing off the walls.
Glumshanks stiffened as he heard Sai's words. The witch was accusing him of raping her! He had no clue what he would do now, so Glumshanks simply ran away before anyone could come to Sai. Glumshanks ran out of the underground tunnel, and up to the surface. He then darted in to the nearby forest.
Many oak trees grew in the forest, towering over any creature that walked through it. Glumshanks looked up at the trees, and noticed that their long jagged branches looked like fingers, and the tips of the branches looked like cat claws. Many odd shaped leaves grew on the finger like branches, and blocked the sky. There were some gaps between the trees that allowed light to shine through. The sky was a dark blue color, and silver stars gleamed above.
Glumshanks sighed as he looked at the stars. For so many years Glumshanks had looked to the stars as a source of solace, but now they seemed so distant. Glumshanks had no clue what was in store for him now, all he knew was that he didn't want to face his master. A rustling sound caught the goblin's attention, and he turned to see a strange gryphon staring at him.
The gryphon had dark blue eyes, with a scar covering the right one. His beak was twisted and covered with scars. His dark silver grey feathers were ruffled, as if he had recently been in a fight. The gryphon smirked maliciously at Glumshanks.
"You are a servant of Kaos are you not?" The gryphon asked.
"Yes, what is your business here gryphon?" Glumshanks replied tensely. There was something about this gryphon he didn't trust.
"The words I speak are for your master's ears alone, therefore you will not hear my message." The gryphon replied indifferently
Glumshanks burned with fury as he heard the griffin's arrogant tone. The goblin spat at the gryphon.
"I am Kaos's second in command, and you will tell me what you have come for!" Glumshanks snarled.
"A real pity your second in command." The gryphon muttered. The stranger then flew toward the underground tunnel where Kaos lived.
Glumshanks ran after the gryphon, hoping to reach his home first. The gryphon could after all be a threat to his master. Glumshanks stopped running as he noticed that all of Kaos's minions were standing outside of the tunnel, all except for Sai anyway. Glumshanks ran to join the others and hid himself behind Tenbra and Arkniss. Arkniss was a sky blue grub with black eyes and paws. The spikes that lined his back were silver, and there were silver markings beneath his eyes.
Glumshanks looked up and noticed Kaos standing by the strange gryphon. Glumshanks winced as he analyzed his master. Kaos's hands were trembling, and he looked thin and ill compared to the gryphon he stood by. Kaos's skin had turned pale, and there were multiple scratches on his arms and face. His eyes were a dull black color, and Glumshanks was shocked to notice a look of fear in his master's eyes.
"Who are you, and what do you want?" Kaos asked the gryphon. Glumshanks felt chills run through him as he heard the strain in Kaos's voice.
"I hear that you are at war with the skylanders." The gryphon said coolly.
"Yes, how is that significant to you?" Kaos snarled.
"I have a personal score to settle with So… with the skylanders, and I know of exits and entrances that you can sneak through to avoid being noticed by the skylanders." The gryphon stated.
Kaos paused for a moment, thinking about the stranger's words, he then spoke up.
"What is your name gryphon?"
"My name is Cyross."
"Well then Cyross, if you truly know the skylanders as well as you say you do, then by all means help us defeat them." Kaos ordered.
Cyross bowed to Kaos, and walked over to where Glumshanks was at. Cyross smirked maliciously at the goblin, and followed Kaos in to the underground tunnel. Glumshanks could only hope that Cyross didn't betray them.
Tick, tick, tick. The hands of the clock continued to sway back and forth, continuously emitting an irritating clicking sound. Theresa stared blankly at the clock. She had been awake for hours, unable to get Kaos's agonized shrieks out of her mind. Through these hours she had stared at multiple different objects in her room.
First she had stared at the metallic walls, and then her gaze shifted to a night stand that stood on the right side of her bed. A potted plant perched on top of the night stand, its long slender leaves dangling over the edges of its dark brown clay pot. Theresa continued to look around her room and stare. She had been unable to look at the white sheets of her bed, because she imagined them stained with blood.
Theresa stopped staring at various objects in her room when she heard a loud shriek. She lifted the covers of her bed, and scrambled beneath them. Questions assailed her mind as the shriek died away. One major question that tore at Theresa was why the battle had taken place.
What in her mind had made such blood shed occur? Was she really that blood thirsty?
Discomfort flooded her, and she knew she couldn't stay in her room. She was far too restless to fall asleep, so she decided that she wanted to explore.
Theresa pulled herself out from under the sheets, and stepped off of the bed she sat in. the young girl darted to the door, and opened it, she then ran out in to the night air. Silver stars shined down on Theresa, causing the girl to smile. The dark green grass tickled her feet, and she spun around in a circle, letting the grass rub her feet gently. Theresa fell to the ground, no longer able to keep her balance. She laughed lightly as her earlier terror receded.
"Theresa, what are you doing out here at this hour?" A voice called out.
Theresa turned to see Eon staring at her.
"I couldn't sleep, so I decided to explore the skylands." Theresa explained.
"At four in the morning?" Eon questioned.
"It's only four o'clock?" Theresa groaned. This night felt like it would last forever.
"Yes." Eon replied.
"Well I still want to explore the skylands." Theresa said firmly.
"Why don't you wait until morning? It's too dangerous to be away from the ruins at night."
"How is it dangerous, it's not like Kaos can hurt me." Theresa grumbled, walking away from Eon. Eon ran toward Theresa and stopped her.
"Kaos is a powerful wizard Theresa, one of the strongest in the skylands, and you are an untrained child, your no match for him."
"Yeah well at least he can't kill me…" Theresa muttered.
"Why are you convinced your immortal Theresa?" Eon sighed.
"Because I am! Or at least in this world I am, this world was created by my mind after all, and I'm certain that my mind won't let me die."
"You're convinced that life here is all just a dream…" Eon mumbled.
"Of course this is a dream, there's no way any of this could really exist, especially in New York, so the only logical explanation is that I'm still asleep." Theresa stated with conviction.
Eon paused for a moment, and just stared at Theresa. He then turned away from the young girl and walked away, mumbling under his breath. Theresa watched Eon walk away, and then turned her face toward the sky. She tried to see if she could find any constellations she would recognize. Her grandmother had told her that if you make a wish on certain constellations on a specific night then your wish would be granted.
Theresa noticed a cluster of stars that formed the Ursa Minor, she then began to whisper.
"Ursa minor, please grant my wish this night. I wish that I can see my grandmother again and that she and I could live in the skylands forever…" tears rolled down Theresa's face as she continued to speak.
"There nothing left for me in New York. I'm never going to get out of foster care; no one ever adopts the older girls, only the younger girls leave."
Theresa's voice began to choke up as she continued her monologue to the stars.
"Why did my mother hate me? Why didn't she want me? Why was I not good enough for her? Why did my father abandon us? And most importantly of all, will my mother be here, and will she care for me? Please great Ursa Minor, grant my wish tonight, let me be with my grandmother again, let my mother and father be here, and let them love me…"
Her voice cracked as she spoke the words "Let them love me." She collapsed to the grassy ground as exhaustion gripped her. The scent of grass trickled in to her nose, and soothed her, lulling her in to a peaceful slumber. Theresa's tears dried as she thought about how her wish could possibly be granted. If she thought of them maybe they would come to her. All through the night she saw images of her grandmother, and the Ursa Minor.
Meanwhile in a tunnel on the western border of the skylands….
Tenbra roamed through the underground tunnel that she and her companions lived in, trying to reach her bed. Tenbra wasn't to certain about if she could call her sleeping spot a bed, considering that she slept in a pile of torn and dusty cloth that Kaos had no use for, but at least the old cloth pile gave her something soft to lay on. When the exhausted elf finally found her pile of cloth, she collapsed and closed her eyes.
Tenbra expected sleep to claim her immediately, considering how exhausted she had been after the battle, but instead it eluded her. Tenbra's mind was far too wild in that moment to allow sleep to take it. The elf tossed and turned restlessly in the pile of dirty cloth, trying to get her mind to calm down, and yet failing to do so. Tenbra sat up abruptly, and tried to focus on the source of her frenzied mind. She finally realized that the source of the turmoil inside her mind was the fight she had been in with the skylander that day. Tenbra had slashed and hacked at her opponent, and enjoyed the other girl's suffering; the minute that Tenbra had been outnumbered was when she stopped yearning for the bloodlust. That was also the moment that Tenbra was convinced she would die.
The elfin archer that Tenbra fought had been prepared to kill her, and deep down she knew that her death would be justified, and yet the ninja elf she fought had told the archer to release her. Tenbra knew that the archer had been hesitant to set her free, and yet he had obeyed Tenbra's adversary. Tenbra clenched her fist as she thought about the girl who spared her.
"Why did she let me go free?" Tenbra murmured to herself.
Why did the girl she fought show her mercy? Wouldn't it have been easier to let her die? A strange emotion stirred inside Tenbra, and she had no idea what the emotion was. This strange emotion she felt tore at her like a knife. She felt as if she couldn't face anyone anymore, not even herself. She wanted to hide away where no one could find her, and let the darkness devour her soul. In that moment she wished she was dead so the agonizing feeling would let her go.
Shock coursed through her as she realized that the strange emotion she felt was shame. She was ashamed that she attacked the skylanders. That knowledge made Tenbra burn with furry. Why should she be ashamed? She was after all abiding by her master's orders, and doing what Kaos told her to do was doing the right thing. Or was it? Everything that Tenbra thought she knew started to fall apart around her.
"Why should I be ashamed of that though? They hurt my master, and they wouldn't hesitate to kill me!" Tenbra snapped out loud, desperate to end the turmoil that was churning with in her. "But they had a chance to kill you and they didn't." A cold voice whispered to her.
Tenbra shuddered as the voice spoke to her; she then curled up close to herself, and covered up with the cloth she slept in. Tenbra tried to sleep, but the shame continued to gnaw at her. She started to shred the cloth she slept in, in a desperate attempt to stop the turmoil she now felt.
Tenbra suddenly realized that she was trembling, and when she touched her face she felt tears. She bit her tongue and grasped her arms in an effort to stop from trembling. When that failed she quickly uncovered herself from the cloth she lie in, and ran out of the underground tunnel she lived in.
Tenbra ran blindly through the nearby woods until she came across a river. The river swirled in rapid circles, causing many twigs, weeds, and other debris to float by. Lithe willow trees lined the side of the river banks, looking down in to the river's turbulent depths, silent witnesses to the sins the river held. Tenbra could easily compare the river to her mind right now.
She looked up at the sky and saw a full moon casting its elegant rays on to the river, causing the rapid stream to become liquid silver. Multiple silver specks glimmered in the sky, acting as sentinels, guarding the river and the trees that grew around it. The young elf might have thought the place she was at beautiful, if there wasn't so much chaos in her mind.
Tenbra looked at her reflection in the river and snarled.
"What have I done wrong? Why do I feel such shame? Why must I hurt so? How do I end this agony?" all those questions raced through her mind, causing Tenbra to gasp for breath. Tears streamed down the tormented elf's face, and were swallowed up as they fell in to the river. Tenbra's body became racked with spasms as emotional agony tore at her. Her chest tightened violently, and she felt her windpipe close off. Panic filled the stricken elf and she immediately tried to calm herself before she suffocated.
Once she gained control over her breathing, Tenbra bent down and analyzed her reflection in the river. She gasped at what she saw. The river showed a small girl with dark green skin, and disheveled black hair. This strange girl had dark brown eyes that were soaked with tears. Under the eyes, were jagged scars, causing the area to look like a cat had clawed it. There was a dark ring around her eyes as well, making her look as if she hadn't slept in months. Tenbra could only stare in disgust at her reflection.
"So this is why she took pity on me… because I am a beaten creature, a creature who requires mercy, despite how loathed she is…"
"It's all very well though. Because she let me go free, I can continue to serve my master."
Tenbra continued to stare in to the river, and realized she didn't want to serve her master anymore. She didn't want to be the wretched beast she saw in the river, she wanted to be beautiful. She wanted to be loved instead of feared and loathed. She wanted to be able to love herself, or at the very least have tolerance for herself. Tenbra dragged her gaze away from the river, and looked upon the full moon her mind still in a tormented daze. She realized that she wanted to be like the moon, beautiful and adored by all, she wanted to shed her rays and give people hope, not snatch it away from them. Unfortunately this sudden wish of hers could never come true, for she was destined to live her life in shadow.
Tenbra sat and stared at the moon for hours, not even bothering to think about how her master would punish her if she wasn't at the camp, soon the moon was dipping behind the sky, and Tenbra began to grow restless. Just as Tenbra stood up to go home, an idea came to her, and she wondered why she hadn't thought of this idea sooner. Tenbra ran away from the river, and in to the territory that the skylanders lived in. she had decided to talk to the skylander she fought earlier that day, and ask the strange elf why she had let her go free. Tenbra smiled as she ran, and said a prayer of thanks to the moon for giving her the idea. The young elf only hoped she could get to the ruins and back home before Kaos awoke.
Sophia limped over to the balcony of her and Flameslingers home, trying not to damage her leg more in the process. Her leg had been badly injured in the battle against Kaos; she now had to walk with crutches to help her get around. She looked up at the stars and started to count them. For some reason counting stars helped Sophia calm herself down. A rustling sound in the tree caught Sophia's attention. She looked up at the nearby palm tree to see an elf sitting there.
The elf had dark green skin and brown eyes; her hair was black and disheveled, Sophia recognized the elf she had fought in the battle against Kaos.
"What are you doing here?" Sophia snarled at the intruder.
"I want to talk to you." The elf replied. Sophia didn't reply. The elf leapt from the tree and on to Sophia's balcony.
"My name is Tenbra, and I want to know why you let me go free." Tenbra stated bluntly.
"I let you go because it was the right thing to do." Sophia said to the annoying intruder.
"Right by whom?" Tenbra pestered.
"I don't know! I don't kill with out reason ok!"
"But you had a reason; I was trying to kill you!" Tenbra exclaimed.
Sophia glared at Tenbra before asking "Do you want me to kill you?"
Tenbra flatted her ears and spoke.
"I just want to know why you let me go free…" Sophia saw a look of pure turmoil in Tenbra's eyes.
"I don't know why I let you go free." Sophia admitted, confusion churning in her mind. Why did this girl care about being allowed to flee from the battle? Surely it had benefitted her.
"What's your name?" Tenbra said changing the subject, noticing the confusion in her companion's voice.
"I'm Sophia." Sophia replied, not fully understanding why she was putting up with this stupid intruder.
"Why do you work for Eon?" Tenbra questioned. This question shocked Sophia but she answered it anyways.
"I work for master Eon because he is my friend. He gave me a home when I had no where to go. He took care of me when no one else would. I guess I work with him out of friendship and gratitude."
Sophia paused for a moment before asking, "Why do you work for Kaos?" a look of grief flashed through Tenbra's eyes as she spoke up.
"I work with him because he was my friend once. He saved my life when I was a child. He and his friends raised me. Then one day our friend Taresa vanished, and Kaos was depressed all the time. When I asked him what was wrong he would break down in tears, or lash out at me until he collapsed from exhaustion. Often times I let him hurt me, because when ever I tried to defend myself, he would cry and say how I was just like everyone else. He would say I betrayed him, and ask why I didn't just abandon him. I tried to make some sense out of his outbursts, but I had to give up. Eventually he called me and some other ragtag people together, and he started sending us to attack the skylands. I went on these raids because I knew Eon had hurt Kaos. I don't know how or why, but I'm certain that Kaos is so crazy all the time because of what Eon did to him."
"What do you mean Eon hurt him?" Sophia asked confused and saddened by what she had heard. She felt bad for Tenbra now that she knew Tenbra hadn't sold her soul to the darkness, but had sold her loyalty to Kaos.
Tenbra shrugged unable to answer the question. She simply leapt in to the palm tree over looking the balcony, and cried out
"Thank you for talking to me!" then she was gone. Sophia stared for a moment at the odd girl, and then limped back to her and Flameslingers room, and collapsed on the bed. She closed her eyes and reflected on all Tenbra had told her.
Authors Notes: Yeah, I'm not to pleased with how this chapter turned out. The beganing scene is kinky, the scene with Theresa is corny... I could complain about this chapter all day... The only part of this chapter that I'm actually satisfied with is the scene with Tenbra. I'm just going to hope chapter five is better.
See you then!