Uncertainties
After all the tears had dried, I slowly made my way to the bedroom. I swept one last look around my room and walked out of my home. The only home I had ever had, all for the one I loved. Grandma Rose told me once that love stirs the deepest emotions; happiness, sadness, even anger. I cried that I had found love but that I would also lose it. I was sacrificing myself for him. I glanced over at my garden and then in the direction where Folken left. I slowly began to take tiny steps away in the opposite way. With one last look at my cottage I made for the city. As I predicted, soldiers had been ordered to comb the outskirts of the city. I started to run away although I secretly wanted them to catch me. As they hauled me away I peered behind me again. Be safe, Folken.
They led me through so many hallways and doors that I soon lost track. Finally I was shoved into a room. I blinked my eyes to adjust to the darkness. I studied my surroundings. There was a table and a chair with some candles lit.
"I have been waiting for this moment for some time."
I looked into the shadow where the voice came from and out stepped a sorcerer. As he approached me the light flickered on his face. He was bony and his head was bald. His eyes were a deep brown but the moment I laid my eyes on him I knew he only wanted one thing: power.
"I can't say I am flattered." I replied dryly.
A shuffle. Two more sorcerers appeared. The one who had spoken to me sat down on the chair with the two flocking his side.
"Tell me, where is Folken?"
"I don't know," I replied. It was half true. I knew he went to find Keith by the river but I didn't know the exact location.
The sorcerer narrowed his eyes at me and leaned forward.
"You lie, tell me where he is?"
"Why does it matter to you? It's not him you want."
"Indeed," he answered. I felt a chill run through my spine as I catch the malicious glint in his eyes.
"Which is why he will come for you once he knows that we have you in our custody."
I made no reply. This was the sacrifice I made and I prayed to the gods that Folken would never come back.
"While we are waiting for him, perhaps you could show us your pretty necklace,"
I protectively placed my hand over my neck.
"You have no power over this," I snarled.
"But your body isn't physically strong or capable of surpassing that stone." He stood up, bent down and jerked my head up as his hand clawed into my hair.
"You aren't the only one who knows about dragons," he whispered in my ear before letting me fall to the ground. My breathing was heavy as I touched the sore spot on my head.
"Take her to the chamber."
I paced back and forth, clenching and unclenching my fists. I heard a scuffling noise and turned in relief to see Keith.
"What took you so long?"
"Sorry I was held up, if you and Shayla leave now you would be able to have at least a day ahead of the soldiers,"
"Soldiers have already been set out?"
"Yes."
"Then we must hurry, Shayla is waiting for us."
We walked in silence back to the cottage. As I saw the shape of it in the distance I began to have this feeling of dread. I impulsively ran.
"Hey Folken!"
I ignored Keith and kept running until I reached the house. I walked inside. It was quiet, too quiet. I stalked into the bedroom to find it empty. She was gone.
I sat down on the bed in shock. Why did she leave?
"Folken, what was the hurry?" Keith said as he came into Shayla's room.
"She left." I said quietly.
"Shayla would never leave this place unless she had to go down to the river to fetch water or to…"
"Go to the city." I finished locking eyes with Keith.
"Damn her! She has turned herself in!" Keith cursed.
"I should have taken her with me." I regretted.
"You couldn't have known Folken." He consoled.
But I could have. After she said she loved me, why didn't she want to be with me?
"What should we do now?" I asked finally.
Keith stroked his chin, deep in thought.
"We have to clear this place, sooner or later soldiers will find it, I know a place we can stash the stuff and after that I don't know."
I don't know either.
…give up, there is no one to save you…
My vision was blurry, my body weak and my mind was aching to be freed. Two days I was held captured and they were the longest two days of my life. They whispered foul words in my ear hoping I would sway, but I held my heart in stone. I was still hoping, hoping that someone, anyone would save me from this dreaded misery. My lids began to grow heavy. I felt so tired.
I am standing in a place of darkness and somehow I know where I am. The halls of the dead. I feel shadows everywhere.
"You mustn't give up, child."
I turned around and saw my grandmother.
"My body can no longer bear the pain. So much pain, grandma I want it to end."
"I know child, your journey has been hard and difficult but you must believe he will come for you."
"He will not, he cannot," I protested.
"Is your love for him so weak Shayndel?!"
"Love… I did not even say I loved him," I replied sorrowfully.
"You can still say those words to him. Let me show you something."
An image suddenly appeared before us. It was Folken, when he was still working for Zaibach. He was crouching and in his arms I saw two people. I looked closer, they were cats.
"Lord Folken, you must leave us. Don't worry about us."
I watched Folken looked sadly down at them and then the image changed to him sitting in a guymeleff. He was flying it away and to my surprise he cried. The image began to fade away.
"He cared for them deeply in fact I think he even loved them. You saw what their deaths did to him, if it was not for helping his brother he would have surely forfeited his will to live. Is this what you want to do when he hears of your death?"
"No, he would surely not do something like that," I denied.
"People make sacrifices for love. He will sacrifice his life for your love even in death."
"I so want to be him, but how can I do this?"
"You must survive. Turn back and hold on."
"To what?"
"You want to hold on to the moment where you will see him again and he will take you in his arms and kiss the pain away. You must think of that. Turn around and walk back to the light."
"What light?"
"Goodbye child. May you embrace love as it has embraced you." Swiftly she faded into darkness. I stared at the bright beam aimed directly at me. I began to walk.
Deliver me, out of my sadness. Deliver me, from all the madness.
Deliver me, courage to guide me. Deliver me, strength from inside me.
All of my life I was in hiding. Wishing there was someone just like you
Now that you're here, now that I've found you, I know that you're the one to pull me through.
Deliver me loving and caring. Deliver me, giving and sharing.
Deliver me, the cross that I'm bearing.
Deliver me, deliver me, oh deliver me. Deliver me by Sarah Brightman
I tapped my finger on Keith's shoulder. I signalled him to follow me. Two days I had waited, waited for news and finally I found it. She had been captured and taken to Dornkirk's palace. Keith first yelled at me for being foolish but when I told him of Dilandau and what the sorcerers did to him, he immediately paled and said he would help me. Our plan was this: get into the palace, find Shayla and take her to the floating fortress that Keith "borrowed" with the help of his loyal soldiers. I weaved through the passageways with ease and Keith was trailing me close by. Suddenly I halted.
"What is it?" he asked anxiously peering over my shoulder.
"Well, well if it isn't Commander Keith and who's your friend?" That voice sounded familiar, where had I heard that voice before?
A figure stepped out of his hiding stop.
"You!" I said in rage.
"Why yes, nice to meet you Folken,"
"You know him?"
"He was a spy, that day at the market he was posing as a merchant that's how Shayla got captured in the first place."
"Now that you're here, the sorcerers will thrilled to hear that you have arrived as well,"
That did it. I quickly grabbed his throat with my metal hand and slammed against the wall.
"You will take me to Shayla, or I'll choke you to death." I warned tightening my hold on him.
"I would do as he says Justin," Keith advised. This voice contained surprised, I could tell in his voice.
Justin merely nodded his head slightly. I released my hand but gripped his arm shoving him in front of me.
"Take us now," I commanded.
"Remind me never to get you angry," Keith muttered to me.
"You would do that same thing, if it happened to you." I replied.
Hold on Shayla, I am coming.
"We are here, she is in here," Justin stated.
"What are we going to do with him?" Keith asked.
"Simple." I hit him on the back on the head with my metal hand.
"Why didn't I think of that?" he complained.
I pushed the door open and hissed at the sight. Shayla lay bound to an iron slab. Shackles on her wrists and ankles and there were cuts all over her. I walked over to her and began to break them off.
"What have they done to her?" Keith whispered not moving from his position at the door.
I felt her pulse, weak but still alive.
"She is still alive, hurry we must take her out of here." I carried her in my arms and we began to walk the passages again. Sometime after, she began to stir. She groaned.
"Hold on love," I whispered to her.
"Folken, we have company," Keith warned.
"Let's go."
We ran. Soldiers were coming from all over the place blocking our paths.
"Keith I'll distract them while you slip out and bring the fortress here, I will find you."
"Right. Stay safe." He said before running off in the opposite direction.
"You too." I began to run again.
"There he is, after him!"
I twisted and turned so many corners until upon some miracle I ended up in the place, which was my very death. This was the place where I had killed Dornkirk.
"You are trapped Folken," In front of me, I saw the sorcerers come out with soldiers behind them. I turned around and more soldiers blocked my other exit.
"You will not take her." I laid Shayla on the ground and unsheathed my sword well one of Keith's swords. I had sworn before never to resort to fighting again but for the one I love that was at near death I had to.
"Come Folken, don't tell me that all your work was for nothing," one of them sneered.
"What are you getting at?"
"Did you not make the Fate Alteration Machine so you could change fate, well we are simply using your idea to further our goals. She will be the key."
"Dornkirk is gone, accept it. We do not have to right to choose the fate of others."
"This is your final chance, give her up."
"No."
"Attack him."
So many of them but I fought to protect her. As they swarmed around me, this blocked my vision of Shayndel and before I knew it, the sorcerers were carrying her towards the machine.
I vaguely remember hearing Folken's voice but the voice I was hearing now wasn't his. I slowly adjusted to my surroundings. My body did not respond to whatever was happening. I tried hard to focus but realized that my efforts were hopeless for I was strapped to the Fate Alteration Machine.
"Stop this, you will be destroyed," I pleaded the last of my strength. The sorcerers said nothing and proceeded to leave me chained up.
Help me!
I cried to no one in particular. I lay there for a long time. In the background I could hear the clashing of swords and the running of feet across the floor. I jerked suddenly when a large cranking noise started. I closed my eyes; they were starting the machine and they were powering it by using my pendant.
Get out of here Folken!
I begged silently.
Shouts were called out followed by what seemed like an earthquake. I couldn't see anything except for what was in front of me. One last time I attempted.
Give me strength.
Power flowed through my body, my pendant fused with light and with immeasurable strength I broke free. I staggered up and looked down.
The dragon had appeared from my silent cry. Thousands of soldiers were taken down by here and Folken. He was safe; he was fighting with the sorcerers. They now lay sprawled across the ground away from the machines. Without time to react, the fate alteration machine that I was standing on just collapsed, perhaps from the power that was emitted. I fell.
The same warmth that I felt as a child when Alden was curled around me to keep warm in the winter. I snapped my eyes open. The dragon was lying on her side; there was a pool of blood spreading near her belly.
"No!" I reached over touching her for signs of her unborn child. None.
"This cannot happen, Alden help me. How do I fix this?"
The pendant swung out and pointed at her. I understood and remembered what he had told me.
My life, I will sacrifice and you will carry my lifeblood until another one bears my line. You will know when to give it to him, but until then keep it safely. Remember you are one of us.
I took off my necklace and held it over the dragon's belly.
"For the life you sacrificed, give this unborn life again."
Light enveloped the both of us and then the dragon immediately began to stir again. There was no trace of blood and I placed my hand down to check again. Thump. Thump.
I am forever in your debt
You saved my life, a life for a life. So much depends on himThe dragon stood now on its fours.
Hang on, I will get us out
I clutched one of her legs and she flew out of the hole. The whole place was demolished, soldiers were scattered all over the place.
"Shayla!" Folken rushed over and took me in his arms. I hugged him back and cherished the moment that I had held on to. We were interrupted when the floor began to shake as debris was falling from above.
I am called Elke and I will name this one Arndis. I do not think we will meet again. Goodbye Shayndel
GoodbyeThe dragon spun around and ran back into the darkness. I blanked out right after that.