Candle in the window



I'm open to suggestions and lots and lots of reviews.

Chapter 4

The salty breeze in the high cliffs a few miles from Luwa was breath taking. The city looked like multi-colored rocks scattered in a half circle along the coast line. This section was one of the tourist spots, although a less frequently visited one due to it's distance. The terrain was difficult and was normally traversed by pack animals.

Kai-Stern poured some water over his sweaty white hair. The climb wasn't easy but the view alone was worth it, too bad that's not why he came. There was supposed to be some shrine up here that no one could seem to really point out on a map. Strange.

He'd looked at the other tourist spots of course but there was nothing even remotely mystical or mysterious about them. Unless you count the Jolly Jellyfish's owner. How he had so many lovely ladies working for him, dispite how rude and filthy the middle aged man was had to be one of those mysteries no one in a single life time could figure out.

But this place, seemed to have a certain feel to it. The plants were scattered among the rock and smaller clumps of mud that they clung to. The only thing that seemed to thrive though was a strange looking prickly weed. Any way, after taking a drink of cool water from a flask he scanned the area for the shrine.

"Deserted." he concluded after a walk around the top of the cliff. "they said it's on the cliff over the forest." light yellow eyes looked around. This was the only cliff that had a forest under it. Unfortuantely, not only was there no shrine, there was no evidence that a shrine even existed.

"Man!" he kicked a rock off the cliff and a cloud of scattered dust followed it. "Why is this the only cliff with a forest under it?" the blue dragon officer looked over the side, he couldn't see the face very well from the trail he had come up. The cliff seemed too high for a thorough inspection from the ground anyway. The albino secured an anchor into an outcropping and threw a strong rope line over the side. "Well," he looked down once more before he went over himself, "here goes."

The blue dragon officer repeled over the cliff stopping himself every few feet to check for some outcropping or maybe a crevasse. The first several stops there was nothing of any merit. A sturdy looking tree was starting to grow out from the cliff a few feet below him. Plants are so tenacious, growing anywhere they can and fighting for that life they struggled to dig roots into.

A scattering of rocks and dirt fluttered from above him. Kai-Stern dodged, hoping that would be the only one. Just in case though, he started to pull himself up. Sounds of shuffling feet and another drop of rocks and dust spilled over him. He coughed and sneezed some dust that got too close to his nose and mouth.

"Hey!" Kai-Stern knew he heard someone up there. Hand over hand he kept climbing. A jarring began to shake the repeling line. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to take it away?! I won't let you!" That plain girl that had thrown the rock at the inn looked over the side. Her angry brown eyes accused him of every pain in her heart.

"Take? I'm not trying to take anything!" the blue dragon officer was mere feet away from the top but that girl was determinded to stop him at all cost. She pulled out a tiny but sharp knife and started sawing away at the rope. "STOP!" light yellow eyes widened when he droped a few inches as the rope began to splice. "Don't do this! Beleive me I wouldn't..."

"You're a lair." she continued to saw maddly. "You're all lair's. You killed my parents and so..so I'll kill you too!" she waved the knife at him before she sliced the final thread that, with a terrible snap, slipped down the cliff.

She ran off crying as, several meters down the cliff, Kai-Stern had managed to grab onto that tiny but sturdy tree. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to be strong enough to hold a person for too long. It was being ripped from the stone face by his weight.

"Damn it!" the albino hated the feeling of taking this tree's life to save his own for only a few minutes longer. He looked around for a foot hold, but the rocks were erroding and brittle from the wind's bombardment. Speaking of wind, the chill was starting to make his hands feel numb, even under the gloves. He felt his hand slip, but quickly tightened his grip again.

"I can't die like this." He pulled out a dagger from his belt and struck at the rocks trying to drive it in but the steel blade would only make poch marks in the rocky surface. In a final desperate blow, the resulting backlash ripped the dagger from his hand and sent it whistling down to the forest below. The tree started to give a grown as it shifted, being torn from it's supports.

Light yellow eyes looked at the trembling plant and a feeling swept over him. Would he take this life just to join him in death? If he called out the girl might come back to finish her work, and seeing no other recourse... Kai-Stern let go. I have a chance right? As long as I stay limp and a rock or tree doesn't skewer me, right?

The wind rushed past him or was it the other way around? There was no denying the horrible possibility. I don't want to die. The wind pulled a tear from his cheek. I want to go back...I want to come back to you. Kai-Stren streched an arm out to the sun.

Darkness.