Finally,... chapter 4. *sighs and then passes out from exhaustion*
To say that we walked back to Malekith's ship in silence would be a total lie, even though I wish it was true. After walking about fifty paces from the cave, he asked, "How are you faring?"
That caught me rather off-guard. He said it like we were having a chat at tea-time.
"... I'm fine. Why do you ask?"
"Forgive me, but in my people's customs: to indulge in the dark art of necromancy would result in fatal side effects."
"It wasn't necromancy. It was- Never mind, you wouldn't understand."
"I am not a simple minded child," he sharply reminded me.
This was always a hard thing to do: trying to explain this process.
"Well, to begin with, it was more like semi-necromancy instead of full-on, dark, forbidden necromancy. You see, when a part of the body is separated from the heart, it is considered dead, since the heart cannot give it life. What I did was re-establish the connection between your arm, hand, and heart to bring them to life again. It's not seen as forbidden like real necromancy. It's more or less an acceptable form of healing magic."
He seemed rather impressed with my answer.
"Rather interesting. Does this work all the time?"
"Well that depends on the condition of the object that was severed. If it is mangled beyond repair or in pieces, there's not much you can do. You got lucky. Your arm and hand were cleanly cut, so it was easy."
I guess if I said that to a human, it would probably make them cringe. However, Malekith seemed satisfied with my answer.
"And is this the only type of magic you know?"
"Well, it's something that very few covens know how to do. It's like a family secret that you pass down. But regular magic, like duplicating things and elemental stuff: that's what everyone knows."
"And what of your kind? Do humans know that people like you exist?"
"Very, very, very few know that witches and wizards exist, and the majority of them are out to kill us. After the Salem Witch Trials, our existence became a secret."
Before I went full on historian mode about the history of witches, we finally made it back to Malekith's ship. In its glory days, it was probably a magnificent, shining piece of warcraft. Even in its wrecked state, I was still in a state of awe. I would give anything for a blueprint of this thing.
"Nott Veor. In your language-"
"The Night Storm. She's amazing," I breathlessly said at the sight of the massive ship.
"A time ago, she was magnificent. With her weapons, and the room to hold an army of millions, there was no match for her. Now,.."
I tried to imagine what the ship looked like back then. Compared to what she looked like then, to the wreck that she had become, I could understand why Malekith was upset.
Malekith laid his hand on the ship and a hidden door slid open. He walked in, not waiting to see if I would follow. I debated whether or not I should follow him in. My mind reminded me of an ancient family rule. A Paramore is never above anyone to turn down someone's offer of hospitality, no matter what sort of company they are. I wondered if the rule made an exception for Dark Elves. But I could still hear my grandmother's final remark on the matter: to do so would be rude. Now, generally speaking, I have never been rude in my life. I could easily change that, even if it meant for me to sleep rough. But I knew the truth. I can't turn down this offer. I didn't have anywhere else to go. I stepped into the Night Storm. The door slid shut behind me, trapping me in the darkness.
Before I could even start panicing, dim red and white lights lit the corridor. It provided little light against the darkness, but I felt less claustrophobic. I walked down the hall, the metal catwalk softly clanging in rhythm with my steps. The lights led off to a side corridor. With my current path leading to darkness, I followed the lights and took a left. I looked behind me, almost doubting my decision to follow the path that the ship seemingly set. When I turned around, I quickly covered my mouth to stifle my gasp and almost jumped out of my skin. Malekith was just standing there, watching me. His eyes still seemed to shine in the dim light.
"This is where you'll stay," he said, opening the door.
I walked in to survey the dim room.
"Just so you do not wander…"
I turned to see the door close, blocking my view of Malekith, and finally shut with a click. It was the kind of click that associated with a lock.
I dropped my bag and rushed over to affirm my suspicion. I pressed all over the pad next to the door. It didn't open.
"Oi!" I shouted, kicking the door.
Pain shot up my foot and I regretted doing that.
Why was he locking me in here? Were there secrets on board this ship that he didn't want me to know about? Was I his prisoner now? I almost regretted following him. Me and my Paramore family rules.
I looked around the room. It appeared to be a miniature lab. A long, metal table jutted out from the wall. Cabinets lined the walls, but after a thorough searching, they were empty. There was no sign of a bed anywhere, but at least it was better than a cave floor. I pulled out my pillow and blankets and got as comfortable on the table as possible. As if it sensed my want of sleep, the lights in the room dimmed into darkness and the ship gave off a soft, comforting humming sound. At least someone (or something) was on my side.
I didn't know what would happen in the morning. I didn't know what lie in store for me. But for tonight, for the second time in my life, I fell asleep feeling safe.
Okay, just wanted to say that this was probably the hardest chapter I have ever written.
Another thing to get off my chest, as much as I love the fact that you all love this story and want more, it's probably going to be a while until I post another chapter. Seriously, it makes me happy when you guys want more of this. But I'm in my last year of high school, with speech, show choir, and extra college classes going on. Plus, I have other fanfictions I need to write as well. Chapter 2 of Tick, Tock, 9 O'Clock still needs to be worked on, another chapter for The Adventure of a Lifetime and Ice Cold Hearts needs to be done, and a surprise fanfic collab with Jcaslcgaiwd needs to be started. It's bad enough that I'm putting Whose Side is Right? on hiatus, I don't want to do that for this story. So, before you ask when the next chapter will be, it's probably going to be a while.
I'm sorry. I really am, but I really need to get other things in my life straightened out first.
Please review, fav, and follow. Any suggestions as to where this should go are welcome.