Rain
By Derek Heinbach
Chapter I: Fire and Water
Clank. He had never realized how well the word actually did represent the sound. Darthylle stared in horror at the guard, smiling as he walked away from the cell. Prison.
So simple a word, yet how little it had seemed to him in the trial. Well, it was called a trial anyway. He had hardly gotten to testify before the judge had sentenced him. Prison.
That is what he had said. His lawyer had gone up o the judge and said something about 'fair punishment' or something, but he couldn't remember. Everything was a blur to him now. He couldn't remember what he had done, why he did it, anything. But, he must have done something, because there was the guard, grinning with all of the few remaining teeth at him. The guard pocketed the keys and walked away, whistling some horrid tune that always seems to be playing in the background of your worst nightmares.
This is what the past few hours had been. A nightmare. He could feel his eyes well up.
"Awww..... Little baby wants his mommy?" said a voice from behind him.
Darthylle hadn't even noticed someone had been behind him.
"Who are you?" he stammered through the rage and the stunted tears.
"Glad you asked, but didn't your mommy ever tell you not to talk to strangers?" taunted the man, who Darthylle could now see fully. He was red haired, with a scar across his left cheek, looking as if he had been in a fire.
He could feel the rage building. His head was pounding. More like wanting to pound this new stranger. He hated when he got like this, because everything seemed to, well, flow out of his control. He felt his hand twitching.
"I might as well tell you, since we're going to be here for a while. I'm Orion. What's your name?"
He felt some of the rage leaving him, but still wasn't comfortable with the stranger's tone.
"I'm Darthylle," he finally replied.
"Mucho Gusto, or something like that. Its Spanish for nice to meet you, I think."
That was better. Even if he still didn't like him, as Orion had said, they might be staying here together for a while.
A cellmate. How odd it was to hear that word associated with one of his 'possessions'.
He walked over to the side of the cell where there was a 'bed' and sat down.
"So what are you in for, Darthylle," Orion said, as If he were tasting the name in his mouth.
"I'm not sure. The last few days are hard to remember." He said, slowly, as if in a dream.
"Ah, you'll remember soon enough, or the guards will 'remind you'. That's their way of saying, "Now we have an excuse to beat you".
Darthylle stared blankly at the wall. Images of the people he would no longer see flashed through his mind.
He lay down on the bed, and cried.
***********************************************
"So, I'm sitting in my study, reading up on the fifth age, when these three guys in blue uniforms bust down the door. 'Orion Moonstar?' they say. 'Yeah? What do you want?' I reply. The first one tackles me to the floor and starts to put cuffs on me. I try to get off a small spell, or even call for help, but I can't do either. They clamp my mouth and start to pull me out of the door. I see my warding traps, glowing on the ground, and I wonder why they didn't go off. So, these guys drag me to a car, and before I know it, we're off." Orion explained, in an adventurous voice.
"What did you mean when you said 'spell'?" Darthylle said.
"Oh, I didn't tell you? I am, or was rather, an apprentice of Calimor, the Headmaster of Fire. Well, anyway, they take me to the court room, and it turns out that the Headmaster of earth, Steth, has called for my arrest. I ask why, and all the cops are saying is 'treason' and 'conspiracy'. I was blamed for being the head conspirator of a group to assassinate Steth. So, they immediately haul me here, and this is where I've been since, for about 2 years," he finished.
"So you're a fire wizard then," Darthylle replied.
"Yep, that's where I got this," he indicated the scar, "tried a fireball a bit too early on in my studies. Never tried that again until I was ready."
"Must be hard being a fire wizard in Dryreach. I can't imagine your school would be too popular."
Dryreach. A veritable desert. No rain in recorded history. You can see why fire isn't too popular.
"Not really. We keep to ourselves, more or less." Orion replied.
By Derek Heinbach
Chapter I: Fire and Water
Clank. He had never realized how well the word actually did represent the sound. Darthylle stared in horror at the guard, smiling as he walked away from the cell. Prison.
So simple a word, yet how little it had seemed to him in the trial. Well, it was called a trial anyway. He had hardly gotten to testify before the judge had sentenced him. Prison.
That is what he had said. His lawyer had gone up o the judge and said something about 'fair punishment' or something, but he couldn't remember. Everything was a blur to him now. He couldn't remember what he had done, why he did it, anything. But, he must have done something, because there was the guard, grinning with all of the few remaining teeth at him. The guard pocketed the keys and walked away, whistling some horrid tune that always seems to be playing in the background of your worst nightmares.
This is what the past few hours had been. A nightmare. He could feel his eyes well up.
"Awww..... Little baby wants his mommy?" said a voice from behind him.
Darthylle hadn't even noticed someone had been behind him.
"Who are you?" he stammered through the rage and the stunted tears.
"Glad you asked, but didn't your mommy ever tell you not to talk to strangers?" taunted the man, who Darthylle could now see fully. He was red haired, with a scar across his left cheek, looking as if he had been in a fire.
He could feel the rage building. His head was pounding. More like wanting to pound this new stranger. He hated when he got like this, because everything seemed to, well, flow out of his control. He felt his hand twitching.
"I might as well tell you, since we're going to be here for a while. I'm Orion. What's your name?"
He felt some of the rage leaving him, but still wasn't comfortable with the stranger's tone.
"I'm Darthylle," he finally replied.
"Mucho Gusto, or something like that. Its Spanish for nice to meet you, I think."
That was better. Even if he still didn't like him, as Orion had said, they might be staying here together for a while.
A cellmate. How odd it was to hear that word associated with one of his 'possessions'.
He walked over to the side of the cell where there was a 'bed' and sat down.
"So what are you in for, Darthylle," Orion said, as If he were tasting the name in his mouth.
"I'm not sure. The last few days are hard to remember." He said, slowly, as if in a dream.
"Ah, you'll remember soon enough, or the guards will 'remind you'. That's their way of saying, "Now we have an excuse to beat you".
Darthylle stared blankly at the wall. Images of the people he would no longer see flashed through his mind.
He lay down on the bed, and cried.
***********************************************
"So, I'm sitting in my study, reading up on the fifth age, when these three guys in blue uniforms bust down the door. 'Orion Moonstar?' they say. 'Yeah? What do you want?' I reply. The first one tackles me to the floor and starts to put cuffs on me. I try to get off a small spell, or even call for help, but I can't do either. They clamp my mouth and start to pull me out of the door. I see my warding traps, glowing on the ground, and I wonder why they didn't go off. So, these guys drag me to a car, and before I know it, we're off." Orion explained, in an adventurous voice.
"What did you mean when you said 'spell'?" Darthylle said.
"Oh, I didn't tell you? I am, or was rather, an apprentice of Calimor, the Headmaster of Fire. Well, anyway, they take me to the court room, and it turns out that the Headmaster of earth, Steth, has called for my arrest. I ask why, and all the cops are saying is 'treason' and 'conspiracy'. I was blamed for being the head conspirator of a group to assassinate Steth. So, they immediately haul me here, and this is where I've been since, for about 2 years," he finished.
"So you're a fire wizard then," Darthylle replied.
"Yep, that's where I got this," he indicated the scar, "tried a fireball a bit too early on in my studies. Never tried that again until I was ready."
"Must be hard being a fire wizard in Dryreach. I can't imagine your school would be too popular."
Dryreach. A veritable desert. No rain in recorded history. You can see why fire isn't too popular.
"Not really. We keep to ourselves, more or less." Orion replied.
