Southern Mirkwood, Late Evening, A Few Days Ago
The sky was now turning dark pink with the clouds becoming a very dark purple as the light faded away and night crept ever closer. Ramona had been on her rabbit sled for almost the entirety of the day. Her bunnies were now starting to feel exhausted when they ground to a halt in the middle of a patch of forest at the slope of a cliff side. But it wasn't just the need to catch their breath that caused them to stop. There was something else too.
As Ramona got off her sled, she looked at the forest around her. She could barely see the sky through the leaves as the forest canopy had become choked with webs, some of which wrapped themselves around the trees down to the root like snakes. The bark of the trees also looked dry and crusted, as if all moisture had been drained out of them like dried up husks of raisins. And as she looked down at her feet, she saw that the ground was starting to become absent of leaves, leaving spaces of black earth. She looked around to make sure she wasn't being watched then reached into her sled, grabbing her staff and a hand-made knapsack. As she walked forward, she reached into the knapsack and then sprinkled chopped up carrot bits onto the ground next to her rabbits like one spreads seeds on the ground. The rabbits then started eating them hastily and loudly but Ramona shushed them.
"You must eat quieter, little ones. And stay put." she said softly "Mamma will be right back."
She made her way through the forest as carefully and quietly as possible, going up the slope as she went. She also observed the forest around her as she went, with the webs starting to thicken. She just barely missed tripping over a fallen log but managed to evade it. However, no more then twenty steps away from it she suddenly caught sight of a pathway and found herself staring at an eerie sight.
Just on the borders the forest and on the other side of the path was, built onto the outcrop of the cliff just ahead, a large fortress. The fortress looked out over the land on the darkening horizon like a ghostly lighthouse. It's tallest towers looked about the height of the tallest trees with the top of one broken down. The fortress itself was in disrepair with no walls to speak of separating it from the sheer drop of the cliffside into the field below. But what caught Ramona's eye were some faint but visible glows emanating from what appeared to be windows. Someone was there. In any other scenario, Ramona would have left but after what had happened to Sebastian, she was determined to get to the bottom of this mystery. She grasped her staff tightly and then sprinted towards the fortress, running across the pathway. As she went, she also observed the ground below her. There were no plants to speak of. It was the same black, volcanic dirt she'd seen only in patches where her bunnies were only now it was an entire field that seemed to go on forever. It seemed as if whatever was dwelling in this forest was making the ground itself sick. She didn't dwell on it for long for she soon arrived at the entrance and came upon a gate. She briefly paused, unsure of what to do, taking a look behind her at the forest before taking hold of the metal bars of the gate. She nervously opened it, with the creak of the metal sending shivers down her spine. Her skin began losing it's color and her hair was standing on end as she quietly entered the fortress, not bothering to close the gate behind her.
She then muttered something in Quenya and her staff glowed bright aqua as she soon began searching the area of the fortress around her. Normally at a place this abandoned, planets would thrive with them growing in the cracks between tiles and trees growing round. But there were none. No grass, ferns, lychan, roots or even trees and their fallen leaves. Just blank, empty stone, made creepier by the sound of the wind blowing through the cracks, holes and windows.
How can this be? There's no life here at all. Ramona thought And all I can hear is the wind. What...what dark power dwells in this place?
Her thoughts were interrupted when she got the uneasy feeling she was being watched. She turned around when she heard the sound of scurrying feet but saw nothing. She did, however, see a door that was partly open. She nervously walked into the passage that the door opened too but kept the door open so she could get in as much light as possible before the sun fully set. The unease inside her grew as she went further down the passage, with only the light of her staff guiding her. After about a minute and a half, she saw a shaft of light as she turned a corner from a window and from a gaping hole that seemed to once contain a door. She stepped out and found herself in a courtyard which offered a view of the land around the fortress. The sun was now starting to sink faster under the trees in the distance, casting shadows in the fading light. Ramona looked around, pondering her next move when suddenly then a sudden snarling accompanied by running feet which caused her to gasp and turned around, with her staff leaned forward like a spear.
But there was nothing. Whatever it was had vanished.
With her back facing the sun and sweat starting to drip down her face, she decided now was a good time to leave for although she could be courageous if need be, she also was a realist and knew that if she stayed any longer, whatever was dwelling in this fortress might do heaven knows what to her. So she gracefully accepted the fact that Sebastian's attackers would have to be dealt with when she was better prepared.
But then as she began to make her leave she heard a sound unlike anything she'd heard before. It was a bizarre, deathly sound that sounded like someone groaning in pain mixed with air escaping a balloon. She looked in both directions but saw nothing. Now she was certain that she was being watched. The sound then re-appeared, now louder. She backed towards a column near where the pathway turned escape rout was and soon had her back against the wall. Unknown to her, though, a figure emerged as if from the ground itself. It was a pale ghost that looked as if it was made of smoke with a make-shift crown that looked to be made of bones and large blade in hand, which it lifted up as it prepared to stab Ramona in the head. However, Ramona looked up at just the right moment and saw the ghost as it then let out an unearthly shriek and swung the blade downwards, only for her to block it with her staff.
She backed away as she shoved herself backwards, managing to get some space between her and the ghost. The ghost glared at her and began swiping it's blade left and right, with Ramona successfully blocking the blows both times and in fact on the second time managed to smack the ghost as it lunged forward, with it letting out that same, demonic shriek as it dissipated as it made contact with the ground, with it's blade on the other hand becoming materialized and an actual object that landed at her feet. But just as Ramona thought the fight was over, she felt something suddenly turn the air cold. The wind became more rough as shivers went down her spine and goosebumps went up them. She then slowly turned around and what she saw made her skin lose it's color and caused her to start shaking.
From seemingly out of nowhere a giant cloud of black smoke rose up at the edge of the courtyard platform and began to take shape. The sun was almost set and the fortress was becoming shrouded in darkness, enabling the shadow to become larger. The smoke shadow then grew and grew till it was nine feet tall and shrouded by the rest of the smoke. It hung just above the ground like it was on invisible wires. The shadow then settled on a form and took the shape of what seemed human but also not, with the only thing distinguishing a face were it's glowing yellow, pupil-less eyes. To poor Ramona, it was staring into a swirling black hole darker then the darkest night, as if the thing was the physical embodiment of death itself. Cold air seemed to radiate from the ghostly figure which began to move towards Ramona slowly.
"Who are you?" it demanded in a raspy, shrill but deep voice in a language Ramona only vaughly understood "Why have you come?"
Ramona didn't answer but instead grabbed the blade and stuffed in her bag and right as the monster prepared to lunge at her with it's arms stretched out, she slammed her staff onto the ground, creating a burst of light that actually stung the creature. Ramona had teleported herself back towards the gate and then hastily swung it open, almost knocking it off it's hinges. She then ran as fast as she could, with sounds of creatures growling and yelling behind her. She soon made it to the other side and briefly looked back to see hundreds of torch lights being lit and noises of dogs howling loudly coming from the fortress. She then returned to running and headed straight into the forest. By now it was almost pitch black save for the light of the moon and Ramona almost didn't make it to her rabbits, who were sleepily waiting for her.
She crashed through the bushes and whistled loudly as she grasped hold of the sleigh, trying to catch her breath. The bunnies instantly sprang to life and made a mad dash forward, almost throwing Ramona off. She didn't bother looking back to see if she was being followed. Right now, she could only think of escaping. And the only way to escape was by going as fast as she could.
* AUTHOR'S NOTE: This chapter was meant to go before the Roast Mutton chapter but I got the arrangement mixed up so that's why it's published after. I'm sorry for the inconvenience and the possible mood whiplash in the next chapter. Other then that, enjoy!