So, it has been a few days since the last chapter. Sure an improvement from my like two month break. XD I am so sorry for that. I am sort of getting into this part of my life where I am finding out who I want to be and how I was to express it, so those past weeks I was on and off changing myself up. You probably don't care, but I dyed my hair, went shopping, started wearing makeup, and basically just adjusting to my new self (secretly squealing inside because I love how I look) and... *sigh* yeah. I really am not in the mood to continue with Dark and Siv. I decided to divide the last chapter in two, giving more Alice and Alianor chapters. If you follow me on twitter, you may know that I was thinking about removing Phantom Fish as a member of K'Joor's Gang, but I found better use of him, which kind of goes around the actual K'Joor series (figuring you guys are all caught up with that. minus the Christmas adventures.). I would like to thank my friend for pushing me to keep him in the story until the end. I found a way to sum up the story a bit better, and I don't think I would be able to do so without the push to keep him in.
Without further ado, why don't we get started on this little adventure of ours? Take care, have a happy holidays, and stay dark my fellow Darklings!
Blinking, Alice cleared her vision. Her matted hair lay in tied, messy locks on the back of her head. Her eyes felt heavy and swollen. Unable to hold them open much longer, she rested back down, a fever attacking her body in the process.
Alianor's breaths were short and choppy. Small, sleepy coughs escaped her mouth ever so often. Her ribs ached, feeling like someone crushed the from every single direction. Something felt very numb on her legs. She couldn't move without extreme strain.
Pictures flashed something in Alianor's mind. Reflections. Reflections so blurry that she couldn't make out the event. Swallowing screams and dark surroundings ran around, haunting every corner of her thoughts. Then, sharpness. The image was so vivid, she was no longer numb. Alianor couldn't scream, but her leg felt amputated. Like it was in the process of being cut off. Extreme pain put her into a weary daze. Head spinning, memories twirling, and then nothing.
It wasn't until hours later that the girls had finally come o their senses. It was a natural awakening, more like someone awoke them. A small Breton child stood over them. His small, boyish face was round with bulging cheeks. His big, curious, oval eyes blinked at them. He was holding firewood, and some flint.
"You're awake?" the boy smiled, "Thought you'd all sleep forever, figurin' the hassle you guys had been through," he waved his hands in childish gestures, swinging his arms in mixed messages, hoping to get a message across, "now me," he said, standing firm, pointing a small thumb to himself, "I dug you guys all the way out, patched you up."
Alice blinked.
"I see. Don't believe me?" the boy sat on one of the bigger logs he'd collected, "That's right. Who in the right mind would leave you two, alone, only to return hours later with some unrealistic excuse?" he kicked a small stone, "Well, I would. Of course, pulling you two in was a bit of work, if I do say so myself, but well worth it. I patched you guys up, checking if you were alive of course, and went to get firewood."
Alice looked at the boy, then the sky. She had no time for questions, just hearing this boy talk a bit was some reassurance. Of what... she didn't know. Alianor had remained quite next to her. It was frightening, yet she enjoyed it. The silence between them wasn't out of frustration. It grew between them, but it was something Alice couldn't name. Something on the lines of respect was it.
The child continued to talk, "Speaking of firewood, I better get that fire started," the boy's small hands arranged a regular sized ring of stones with the wood in the middle. He sparked the flint he had together over the wood. He clumsily brushed them past each other. After a few attempts, a small fire started, "it ain't much, but I thought you might need some warmth. The temperature will drop a lot figuring the weather we have been having."
A small croak lay in Alianor's throat. Struggling for a voice, she said something, quiet, but yet clear, "what- happened?" her words choked out from her mouth.
All attention was brought to the Alianor. Especially the boy's, "Oh, you mean out there?" he pointed to the vast water source spread out before them. Alianor barely nodded before he continued, "strangest thing... a school of them; Slaughterfish. Hadn't seen anything that strange since the breakout. Them fish like to keep to themselves. It's very rare to see a bunch of them together. They had you all under, wood sinking around you both. Well, if I hadn't been out here by myself, you'd be dead."
It was difficult letting that sink in. The silence just grew after that. It was best if some thing weren't said until the time was right.
The sun set, allowing night to fall and moons to reach up. The fire was a bit larger than the small flame that started hours earlier. Alice and Alianor sat by the fire. Alianor has a blanket wrapped around herself, protecting her, not that she needed it, per-say, but because she felt safer having something close to her. Alice sat on a log, eating a skewered squirrel the boy that saved them had caught.
"What is your name?" Alianor sternly said, not making eye contact, but looking out onto the water.
"Enoch," the boy replied smoothly.
"Where are you from, Enoch?" Alice said, chewing on the squirrel meat.
"Everywhere. I don't have a home, at least not yet. My mom died at my birth. Dad died when I was two. I don't remember how, try not to think about it. I went to the Riften Orphanage. Hell, it was. One day, we, all the kids, were playing outside. In the small fenced in area. I didn't like playing with the other kids. I kept to myself. I saw a small hole in the wall, peeping through I saw freedom. It took maybe five minuets, I was out. Came all the way here, never left."
"Where is here?" Alianor stressed.
"North part of Dawnstar. Head south, you'll get there at some point," Enoch mumbled, "ain't like I care if you leave. Looks like you guys could do better without me anyways."
There wasn't an answer. Alice didn't want to say anything, and Alianor chose not to speak. The rest of the night was spent with light sleeping, or none at all. The only good part was that the girls knew how to get home.
Yeah, I am getting tired. I worked on this, and now I think it's well enough. I had some ideas for it. I guess there'll be more of Alice and Alianor continued. Thoguth I might slip something in, turns out they didn't get back home, instead I added an explanation to how they got out. Anyways, happy holidays and stay dark!