Sladana rose from the ground.
Her beauty matched the beauty of the red haired young sorceress who stood before her.
Sladana's raised eyebrow made the sorceress chuckle.
"You" the sorceress paused, "do not understand what I meant by 'opposite..' right?"
"I do not speak in riddle's." Sladana replied with a snear.
The sorceress began to explain. "Everything has an opposite. Even a tree'- she indicated
a tree next to her-"has an opposite." She looked into the wolf-girls eyes. " Sladana."
she said, "do you FEAR me?"
Firmly, Sladana demanded, "Who are you? Give me a name!"
The sorceress laughed.
Sladana moved back, and felt her bare foot touch Shaam's warm body.
He's still alive! She felt him breathing beneath her foot. "Shaam! Please wake up!" she
wanted to cry. "Tell me your name sorceress. Please?" she said instead.
Surprised, the sorceress said, "Ce'Rawn."
Sladana choked. "No! Say your true name!"
The sorceress, obviously amused, chuckled.
All Sladana could do was stare.
This was the legendary King Belgarion's daughter? How could it be? How did she get to
the Vale? Was she truly Princess Ce'Rawn of Riva?
"You liar!" Sladana declared.
Ce'Rawn, the sorceress, walked forward.
As she came closer, Sladana became aware of the moving shadows that were Ce'Rawn's
gown. The shadow's hissed, moaned, and wept. And as the sorceress came closer,
Sladana saw that the shadows were the souls of the deceased.
A gasp escaped Sladana's throat.
The sorceress reached out a hand to the wolf-girl. Her hand seemed to thin and turn into
the hand of a skeleton, it's bony finger's reaching.
"NO!" Sladana shrieked as loud as she could. In one motion, she grasped her robe above
her feet, spun around, and ran. Her long lustrous hair flew along behind, just barely
escaping the grasp of the skeleton hand.
Then, for the first time, she ran for her life.
How far her human legs carried her, she did not know, but just when she thought she had
lost the sorceress, she heard a twig snap, either it was in front of her, behind her, or right
next to her, informing her that the sorceress was there.
Watching her run.
Watching her scream for help.
Just watching, in the shadows.
At last, when the sun was completely out of the sky, Sladana collapsed. Her lungs burned
for air, her face flushed, and her legs were weak.
A twig snapped, right in front of her.
Sladana gave a helpless moan, not daring to look up.
"Look at me." Came Ce'Rawn's throaty voice.
Sladana shook her head, looking down at the forest floor.
"Look at me!"
This time Ce'Rawn commanded, there came a growl with her voice, and it spoke with
her.
Ce'Rawn stood still.
Simply watching.
Finally, Sladana looked up, and nearly fainted in horror.
Ce'Rawn stood there, in the gown of shadows, but there were chains on her wrists, and
ankles, and at the hem of her gown, there was fire. And what scared Sladana the most was
that behind the princess stood a demon. His rippling muscles, scarcely covered by brown fur,
tensed.
All Sladana saw of the demon was the large black eyes that stared at her, and the endless
horns on it's back, neck, head, and arms. But Ce'Rawn stood still.
She looked like a doll.
A mere puppet.
A toy of a demon.
Sladana realized she was holding her breath for she began to see red dots before her eyes.
She tried to take a breath, but couldn't. It was too hard. The demon just glared at her.
And Ce'Rawn just stared.
"No." Sladana whispered as the shadows on the gown began to swallow Ce'Rawn in
the pool of darkness. All the Princess did was stare.
The shadows swallowed her, then the shadows swallowed each other until there was nothing.
No shadow.
No Ce'Rawn.
The demon approached Sladana, and with one hand, he grabbed her neck, forcing her to
stand, "Tell Belgarath we'll be back, she-wolf." It growled.
Sladana whimpered in pain and horror.
The grip the demon had on her neck tightened.
Just then Sladana noticed it's eyes swam with tears, but the tears were blood.
It lifted her above the ground by her neck.
Choking, Sladana grabbed the large hand that clutched at her throat and kicked her legs.
"We will be back for you." It said, "You can be good for breeding my kin.."
Sladana tried to scream as she kicked more franticly.
With it's large arms, it lifted her above it's head, letting go of her throat. She gasped for air
and saw the sky. Dizzy, she let her head hang and closed her eyes.
The demon was saying something, a spell of some kind.
With an effort, she lifted her head, just in time to see the sky erupt with thunder.
Lightening came crashing down.
Sladana screeched like she never did before when a lightening bolt struck her on her stomach.
Lowering her, the demon roughly set her on the forest floor. "You are now ready.."
Sladana quickly looked up, but noticed the demon had vanished.
Her beauty matched the beauty of the red haired young sorceress who stood before her.
Sladana's raised eyebrow made the sorceress chuckle.
"You" the sorceress paused, "do not understand what I meant by 'opposite..' right?"
"I do not speak in riddle's." Sladana replied with a snear.
The sorceress began to explain. "Everything has an opposite. Even a tree'- she indicated
a tree next to her-"has an opposite." She looked into the wolf-girls eyes. " Sladana."
she said, "do you FEAR me?"
Firmly, Sladana demanded, "Who are you? Give me a name!"
The sorceress laughed.
Sladana moved back, and felt her bare foot touch Shaam's warm body.
He's still alive! She felt him breathing beneath her foot. "Shaam! Please wake up!" she
wanted to cry. "Tell me your name sorceress. Please?" she said instead.
Surprised, the sorceress said, "Ce'Rawn."
Sladana choked. "No! Say your true name!"
The sorceress, obviously amused, chuckled.
All Sladana could do was stare.
This was the legendary King Belgarion's daughter? How could it be? How did she get to
the Vale? Was she truly Princess Ce'Rawn of Riva?
"You liar!" Sladana declared.
Ce'Rawn, the sorceress, walked forward.
As she came closer, Sladana became aware of the moving shadows that were Ce'Rawn's
gown. The shadow's hissed, moaned, and wept. And as the sorceress came closer,
Sladana saw that the shadows were the souls of the deceased.
A gasp escaped Sladana's throat.
The sorceress reached out a hand to the wolf-girl. Her hand seemed to thin and turn into
the hand of a skeleton, it's bony finger's reaching.
"NO!" Sladana shrieked as loud as she could. In one motion, she grasped her robe above
her feet, spun around, and ran. Her long lustrous hair flew along behind, just barely
escaping the grasp of the skeleton hand.
Then, for the first time, she ran for her life.
How far her human legs carried her, she did not know, but just when she thought she had
lost the sorceress, she heard a twig snap, either it was in front of her, behind her, or right
next to her, informing her that the sorceress was there.
Watching her run.
Watching her scream for help.
Just watching, in the shadows.
At last, when the sun was completely out of the sky, Sladana collapsed. Her lungs burned
for air, her face flushed, and her legs were weak.
A twig snapped, right in front of her.
Sladana gave a helpless moan, not daring to look up.
"Look at me." Came Ce'Rawn's throaty voice.
Sladana shook her head, looking down at the forest floor.
"Look at me!"
This time Ce'Rawn commanded, there came a growl with her voice, and it spoke with
her.
Ce'Rawn stood still.
Simply watching.
Finally, Sladana looked up, and nearly fainted in horror.
Ce'Rawn stood there, in the gown of shadows, but there were chains on her wrists, and
ankles, and at the hem of her gown, there was fire. And what scared Sladana the most was
that behind the princess stood a demon. His rippling muscles, scarcely covered by brown fur,
tensed.
All Sladana saw of the demon was the large black eyes that stared at her, and the endless
horns on it's back, neck, head, and arms. But Ce'Rawn stood still.
She looked like a doll.
A mere puppet.
A toy of a demon.
Sladana realized she was holding her breath for she began to see red dots before her eyes.
She tried to take a breath, but couldn't. It was too hard. The demon just glared at her.
And Ce'Rawn just stared.
"No." Sladana whispered as the shadows on the gown began to swallow Ce'Rawn in
the pool of darkness. All the Princess did was stare.
The shadows swallowed her, then the shadows swallowed each other until there was nothing.
No shadow.
No Ce'Rawn.
The demon approached Sladana, and with one hand, he grabbed her neck, forcing her to
stand, "Tell Belgarath we'll be back, she-wolf." It growled.
Sladana whimpered in pain and horror.
The grip the demon had on her neck tightened.
Just then Sladana noticed it's eyes swam with tears, but the tears were blood.
It lifted her above the ground by her neck.
Choking, Sladana grabbed the large hand that clutched at her throat and kicked her legs.
"We will be back for you." It said, "You can be good for breeding my kin.."
Sladana tried to scream as she kicked more franticly.
With it's large arms, it lifted her above it's head, letting go of her throat. She gasped for air
and saw the sky. Dizzy, she let her head hang and closed her eyes.
The demon was saying something, a spell of some kind.
With an effort, she lifted her head, just in time to see the sky erupt with thunder.
Lightening came crashing down.
Sladana screeched like she never did before when a lightening bolt struck her on her stomach.
Lowering her, the demon roughly set her on the forest floor. "You are now ready.."
Sladana quickly looked up, but noticed the demon had vanished.