That night they found shelter in a small grove hidden by the vast trees that surrounded them. Birds and monkeys twittered amongst themselves as the playful primates danced amongst the hanging ferns and vines that hung precariously from the limbs of the monstrous trees. Sparrow cast her blue eyes skyward at the dense canopy of leaves that shrouded them from the intense sun that beat down upon this arid land. Though the shadows held little shelter from the humid dampness that seemed to settle into the very bones leaving the skin to swelter and sweat to help the body cool, however it did nothing to relief the discomfort of the oppressive incalescence of heat that bore down upon them.
Sparrow sighed with relief as a small breeze of cool air swept over her skin to ease her malaise. The forest seemed to capture and hold the humidity much to her candour and as the fire blazed it did little to help. She looked down at the remnants of her dinner in the small wooden bowl and sighed. Lorna, who sat next to her, gazed at her with her usual wide eyed stare. Sparrow knew what she wanted and handed the bowl to the young girl who grinned happily spooning the stew into her mouth.
Reaver lounged on the other side of the fire in his usual manner with his legs crossed and a small travel goblet in one hand, whilst the other hand gripped the string of a wine skin that sloshed its contents as it dangled, swinging idly from side to side. Even in this heat he sought to drink. How he could do such a thing to himself even after the previous night astounded her. She grimaced when she realised she was staring and swept her gaze across to the two that were huddled over a map. They whispered together in low voices as they seemed to stare intently at the parchment. She sighed and looked down to Lorna who sat feeding the baby Ginrul what was left of the stew. Its white feathers seemed pearlescent in the illumination of the fire and like Lorna's golden hair it seemed to glow.
Sparrow reached out a hand and patted the small creature on the head who made a squawk of surprise until it settled into a purr as her hand swept across the mini plume of feathers that arched from its head. The bowl was soon wiped clean by eager tongues and Sparrow put it with the others to be cleaned. She knelt by the bucket of water that Corban had managed to find. As her hands dipped and cleaned the food caked dinner service she could feel a pair of eyes upon her. She discreetly looked up at Lorna who played a small game of tag with the Ginrul chick and from her peripheral she could still see the two Samarkandian's discussing away, which left one other. She sighed and continued setting bowls aside to dry.
"Why do women find such pleasure in domesticity?" Reaver then asked and Sparrow looked up questioningly, "Well you're happily washing away whilst humming to yourself... well, why?" He stared at her curiously and Sparrow could feel her face warm from the neck up.
She shrugged. "Not all women are suited to such things," she explained and she sat back as she thought about it for a while till a wry smile appeared upon her slender lips, "I suppose ever since I was young I had always dreamed of having a home, a place where I could cook and clean for the simple act doing." Sparrow sighed a little as she continued to scrub. "Then I had been whisked away and trained for one purpose, to kill Lucien. It left little time for a domestic life and I suppose I had resigned myself to the truth that I would never have a normal life." She laughed ruefully as she dried her hands on her skirt. "Just look where we are now. The last five years have been peaceful, but not for the reasons I would have liked. I take pleasure in the simple tasks where ever I can and I do enjoy it." She picked up the bucket as she stood and tossed the water behind one the large roots and sat beside the fire once more. Reaver watched with an amused smile.
"You have just as much money as I do, you can just hire servants to do all the work," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand that made Sparrow laugh.
"Then where would the pleasure of been," she countered and he shrugged. "But then you're a man, I could not ask something so simple as for you to wash up."
Reaver gave her scathing glance. "I certainly would not," he sniffed, his head tilted imperiously so he looked up at the trees.
"Oh goodness no," Sparrow said sarcastically with a cheeky grin, "I could not possibly ask you to do that, it might ruin those perfectly manicured hands of yours. Can't have that now can we."
Reaver shot her a shocked look as he looked down at his gloved hands then back at her, making her laugh.
"Goodness," she continued and Reaver's eyes narrowed, "it's not like the water with burn you, you must be allergic to chores. All work and no play would make Reaver a very dull boy indeed."
"Oh yes, that would explain you now wouldn't it," Reaver countered taking a sip from his goblet.
"What's that suppose to mean?" Sparrow asked incredulously, her voice going up an octave or two leaving Reaver smirking.
"Well, you seem to work way to much," he said as he leaned over to grin at Sparrow whose cheeks were tinted a rosy pink, "I could teach you how to play if you like?"
Sparrow gaped like a woman who had just been insulted and glared at Reaver. "I don't need you teach me how to... to play as you put it!"
"Oh yes," this caught the pirates attention and he sat up with an expectant grin, "show me!"
"What!?" her eyes widened.
"Come on, your holding out on me aren't you," Reaver growled in low voice as his smirk widened.
"What! No! Reaver, never in my right mind would I … wait what are you?" The surprised woman let out a scream as the pirate pounced landing on top of Sparrow, who was left kicking and screaming as Reaver laughed as he playfully bit part of her exposed shoulder. She screamed again and managed this time to kick him off. She glared at him as her cheeks burned a bright maroon and she sat like a flustered bird who had its feathers ruffled. Reaver grinned as he sat where he was sprawled and licked his lips. A deep chuckle reverberated through his chest as Sparrow nursed the bite trying to cover it up with her tunic with out much success.
From the other side of the fire Corban glared furiously at the two, but as he leaned forward to stand Garth grabbed his arm. The man looked down at Garth who shook his head.
"He is only doing it to get arise out of the both you and Sparrow," the mage said, "its one of his sick games, so don't bother with it."
Corban breathed deeply to calm himself and sat where he had been, kneading his palms into his breeches. Garth patted him in the shoulder as he put his map away. He cleared his throat and made a uncertain smile.
"We might have a job finding the ruins," he said thoughtfully as he stroked his beard, "it is some ways east of our current position. Me and Corban believe that we will reach it in two days, possibly in the evening of the third day. However, you should know, even if we find its relative position it is buried by thousands of years worth of sand. We may have to dig for it."
Reaver made an exasperated snort that made Sparrow chuckle.
"Frightened of breaking a nail?" she asked. Reaver sighed, rolling his eyes and flipped her off, which made her laugh again. Corban looked sideways at Garth with his eyebrows furrowed into a frown.
"Are they always like this?" he asked in a low voice.
Garth nodded with a wry smiled. "Usually."
Lorna watched with her innocent eyes as the Ginrul chick laid its head in her lap. She peered down at the leaf covered floor as she her thoughts ordered themselves. She felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked up at Sparrow who smiled tenderly down at her. Lorna smiled brightly back and trotted off to her tent that she would share with Sparrow. It was leant against one of the vast trees that surrounded the small clearing, nestled between two roots that were just as think as the trunk and were twisted fiercely as they sunk into the ground. As Sparrow followed the small Ginrul cautiously padded over to the tent and nudged the flap aside with its beak, and peered inside it before disappearing within.
Sparrow looked up from the bag as the chick made its way through the small space to where Lorna was knelt on her bedroll trying to remove her clothing. Sparrow chuckled as she put aside a night dress from her bag. She helped Lorna with her dress and folded it neatly putting it on top of the bag. She looked down at the half naked child with a sad smile. From her wrist to her elbow was a long, thin white scar. A fateful reminder of that day when they first met, then as Lorna twisted to remove her undergarments Sparrow saw the worse scar she had ever seen. A warped shape of skin where this small girls flesh was branded. Sparrow knew what it was as she had seen many in her lifetime; the branding of slavery.
Sparrow tentatively touched the girl on the head stroking her soft hair before helping her with her nightdress. Lorna peered up at her with he mauve eyes knowing reason for Sparrow's silence. Sparrow cupped the child's cheeks with both hands and placed a tender kiss upon the child's forehead. Lorna smiled and laid down upon the bedroll as Sparrow pulled her blanket over the girl's body.
"Goodnight my dear Lorna," Sparrow said patting her once more on the head and getting up to leave the tent.
"Goodnight..." Lorna said and then as Sparrow disappeared she whispered, "mother." She sniffled as the Ginrul chick snuggled up to her the warmth of its body giving her a small measure of comfort.
The next morning Lorna climbed out of her bedroll to find Sparrow's empty. Curiosity bubbled on the edge of panic as she opened to the flap of her tent. She sighed then when she saw Sparrow leant over pan poking what Lorna could tell was bacon by the smell that emanated from the fire. She trotted over with the Ginrul close behind her and peered over the girls shoulder as Lorna stopped by the fire.
Lorna watched Sparrow for a moment noting she was dressed very differently form normal. She was wearing her usual mid-calf boots but she was wearing a pair of trousers that were died a black with a sash that was true blue, whilst she wore what she could swear she had seen some bandits wear, but this was died a dark blue whilst the crop jacket was more a deep sky blue. Lorna's mouth fell open a little as she stared at Sparrow. She never seen Sparrow dressed this way and as the woman stood, towering over the girl, Lorna was given a sense of wonder and from her Lorna could feel experience and least of all 'power'. What surprised her most was the fact she could see some of Sparrow's bra, but she was not going to mention that as she saw Reaver emerge from another tent attracted by the smell of cooking bacon. Lorna watched as the man's eyes swept over Sparrow a look of recognition crossing his face with the hint of something else.
"Isn't that what you wore when we first met?" he asked tilting his head curiously.
Sparrow plucked at her crop jacket with a mock grimace. "Yup, it was, I had this feeling we may be encountering a lot of combat in the near future and I figured you can't really fight in a skirt, at least not very well."
Reaver nodded enthusiastically. "That is very true," he said as he walked passed her, "Plus I prefer
it." He smirked as he patted her on the bum before sitting beside the fire. Sparrow stiffened and looked down at Lorna, whose eyes danced in amusement.
"He really is pushing his luck, isn't he."
Lorna nodded as she giggled. Sparrow sighed and returned to dealing with breakfast. Not long after breakfast was consumed and Lorna was dressed, they set out to follow Garth though the dense undergrowth. As they travelled Sparrow could feel the air become drier and though the undergrowth did not thin she had this feeling that the desert was near. Yet when they broke through the line of trees it came as a shock to her to see it appear so abruptly. She sat upon her Ginrul, with Lorna nestled between her knees, gaping at the sea of white. On the far horizon the jagged teeth of a mountain range could be seen with their immense caps of white nearly touching the sky. The sand dunes rolled and dipped like static waves of water as the wind danced through picking up sand creating twisting funnels of white.
Sparrow sheltered her eyes from the glare of the sun reflecting off the sand as she turned to Garth.
"Is this the Araga desert?" she asked the mage who nodded whilst fiddling around in his bags. Sparrow watched as he with drew a white bandana and wrapped it round his eyes. When he straightened Sparrow tilted her head curiously. Across his eyes where thin slits and as he turned his head she could just make out his glowing eyes.
"Garth, what is that?" she asked, blinking in the harsh light.
Garth chuckled. "Its a way of protecting the eyes," he explained, "the light reflecting of the sand can eventually blind you so the slits stop huge amounts of light from bombarding your eyes."
Reaver peered curiously at the mage and nodded taking from his hip the sash that he had wrapped about himself. Then with a small dagger he drew from his boot made two slits and tied it about his head making not just a mask but a form of head wear that covered his whole head to prevent his brains from cooking beneath the suns heat. Garth looked at the pirate with an amused twist of his lips.
"Very clever Reaver," he murmured reluctantly, "Very fetching."
Reaver chuckled as Sparrow looked inside her bag for something similar. She pulled out a bandana and a sash. She fixed the bandana and wrapped it about her head, the sash she gave to Lorna. She looked up at the others through the slits adjusting to her now reduced peripheral vision. This disconcerted her, but knew it was necessary. Did not mean she had to like it though.
"Now what?" she asked of the mage.
The pirate was the first answer with a huge grin. "We run."
"Run?" Sparrow asked in curiosity that held a hint of fear.
"We chose Ginrul for a reason," Garth said with an impish grin, "they are the fastest creatures in the desert and perfectly suited to the environment. This way it will only take two days instead of six."
Before she could question further Garth shot off in a cloud of sand and she sputtered. She watched in awe as the Ginrul's sporting both Garth and Reaver sped off at incredible speeds. Her jaw fell open, and before she knew it she and Lorna were left alone as Corban sped off to join them. She let loose an annoyed growl. With a kick of her heels the Ginrul surged forward with such force that she nearly fell off and with a cry of surprise she grasped a hold of the fluffy feathers before she tumbled to the ground. Lorna peered up with concern, but Sparrow patted the girls head to assure her she was fine. It was not long before she caught up and they charged confidently across the desert.
Above them a crow soared upon the air thermals that rose and swirled from the desert floor. It watched the group with its keen, dark eyes. It dipped under a cloud so that the group never left its sight. From its vantage point, high in the sky, it could see for miles and the desert lay for miles in either direction apart from behind it as the green jungle lay to the west. Due east, amongst some dunes, it could see a thin spire rise from the sands. It stared at it speculatively before its attention returned to the group flying on in silence.
When they stopped to camp Garth and Corban made a point of using the Ginrul as wind breaks. Sparrow was curious as to why, but as night fell upon the desert she found out exactly why. The temperature dropped so far that Sparrow feared she may freeze solid in her sleep. She found herself snuggling closer to her Ginrul while Lorna was snuggled closer to her for warmth. The next day passed very much like the next but as Sparrow looked back she looked upon the ever growing distance between her and the jungle with growing bewilderment. When Garth said they could cover great distances with ease she did not think it was literally.
When they camped for the second night in the desert she took a moment to look at the mountains that were now beginning to loom above them. The distance seemed shorter for it though she knew they must have quite a distance to go. She looked behind her at where the Ginrul had been laid out in a circle about their small camp with the tents built more like canopies from their bodies. They were nestled in the sand like nesting hens with their arched necks bent into 'S' shapes as they rested. It was a strange sight for Sparrow, but she conceded that she liked it. As she stood there Corban approached with a cup of warm tea which she took gratefully to fight off the growing chill. She could just see Reaver's form staring at her and daringly she turned to Corban and began to chat idly with the Samarkandian much to Reaver's evident annoyance. For some reason this brought her great pleasure.
Early the next morning Sparrow was going through her bags while Lorna fed the white Ginrul with scraps of their breakfast. She pulled out one of her skirts and as she did so something fell to the sand with a dull thud. She looked down curiously and a small black box sat sedately amongst the grains. She bent to pick it up and as she opened it she immediately snapped it shut again. Her breath was caught in her throat as a lump rose to clog her wind pipe. She took a deep breath and reopened the box staring at the ring within. No wonder she did not see it back on that market stall, someone had bought it, but who. Her eyes looked up and scanned the three men that were busy doing one thing or another. Corban sensed her gaze and looked up from where he was folding a square of canvas. He gave her a shy smile and went about what he was doing. A suspicion rose in her as she slipped the ring upon her finger. It fit just right upon her middle finger of her left hand, the blue sapphire glittering in the sunlight. She smiled girlishly, the knowing that someone might like her made her feel a strange sense of pleasure that raced through her. She thought she would test them to see who would notice first. As she packed away various items she sensed someone approach and she turned to see Reaver. She sighed with disappointment returning to what she was doing. He watched her for a moment and made a noise of surprise.
"That's a nice ring," he commented touching her hand gently.
She snatched it back and glared at him balefully. "Thank you."
"Where did you get it?" he asked curiously looking at her blankly from the corner of his eye.
"If you nick it I am going to kick your arse, you hear."
He stiffened and looked like had been insulted. "I am well aware of that fact and would not dream of 'nicking' from you as you so eloquently put it." With a sour harrumph he walked off muttering to himself. She watched him walk away wondering what had got his goat.
They continued their journey across the sand but Garth called for them to stop sometime in the early afternoon. Perplexed she pulled her Ginrul beside the mage. "What's wrong Garth?" she asked as he jumped down from the animal with a nimbleness that did not befit his age. He nudged the sand with his foot and looked about with a scowl.
"Fine don't tell me," she huffed as Lorna giggled from between her knees. The rest followed suit using the respite as more of an excuse to ease aching bones caused by long hours in the saddle. Reaver followed Garth casting Sparrow heated glances. Sparrow ignored him as she fed Lorna some water.
Lorna gulped the tepid water grimacing at how warm it felt as it trickled down her parched throat. She suddenly froze when the necklace about her neck vibrated. This time it was not in urgency but as if it were trying to encourage her to do something. Reacting to it she walked past Sparrow and up to Garth. She tugged on the mage's coat and point into the sand. The mage followed the finger with his eyes and peered curiously at the spot that she pointed too. Reaver made a scoffing noise.
"There is nothing here Garth," he whined as he looked about with disinterest.
"There is, even Lorna is confirming it," Garth patiently told the pirate who made another noise of disgust.
"That as the case maybe, but I cannot see anything," he then grimaced as he ventured further to where Lorna had pointed, "We're not going to have to dig are we."
"Hopefully not," the mage conceded.
"Don't go too far Reaver," Corban shouted to the pirate.
Reaver rolled his eyes. "Oh really, why is that, its not like anything is going too..."
His sentence was cut short as his feet sunk and with a cry he disappeared beneath the sand. They all charged forward to where Reaver had been standing and looked down into a dark hole to see Reaver sprawled in a circle of light blinking up at them in a daze.
"Why does this type of thing happen to me," he groaned as he sat up dusting himself down. He looked about the dense void of shadow that surrounded him before looking up at the pinpoint of light in the ceiling. Four faces stared down at him worriedly.
"Are you alright Reaver?" Garth's voice echoed down to him the sound of the mage's deep voice vibrated in the void of black sending chills across his skin.
"I'm fine," he shouted back as he dusted sand from his hair.
"That's the second time I've heard you scream like a girl Reaver," Sparrow laughed down at him, beside her Lorna giggled.
"Oh Shut up!"
Sparrow laughed as they left him momentarily. He stood waiting in the circle of light until a rope spiralled down to meet him so he grabbed it to keep it steady. Garth was the first to descend as he slid with ease down the rope. Next Sparrow slid down it with Lorna clung to her back. As she landed softly on her feet Reaver looked up to see Corban staring down at them with a small wave. Questioningly he looked to Sparrow who shrugged seemingly annoyed.
"Why is he still up there?" he asked the women who held a curious Lorna close to herself.
"He said some one should stay with the Ginrul, just incase they run off or something," she replied in a monotone voice. Reaver noted her depressed tone so he gave her an encouraging smile and patted her on the bum with a cheeky smirk.
"Cheer up duck," he said as she let loose a squeak. She stared after him as he followed the light of Garth's sputtering torch. Lorna looked up at the woman as Sparrow lit her own torch and proceeded to follow grasping her hand firmly.
As they stepped lightly down the stone corridor the light from their torches revealed smooth stone surfaces with vast faded and cracked murals of past events. They were mainly of what seemed to be of great hunts depicting giant animals that, in Sparrow's mind, held no names and they were totally alien. Other murals were of past conflicts that were evidently won painting a gruesome story of ancient Samarkand. She shivered as the thought that they were the first people to tread these halls for over a thousand years crept over her. She kept close to the others with Lorna firmly in hand.
"This is supposed to be a temple, right?" Reaver asked as he stared at a particularly grizzly scene of a man decapitating what must have been a foe.
"You can say that though I would use the word temple rather loosely," Garth replied as Reaver continued to follow, "You see in ancient Samarkand it was believed that the gods desired human sacrifice so we sacrificed the blood of our foes. This way we gained honour amongst our clans and favour with the gods." Garth visibly shivered. "I am so glad we grew out of that."
"Or there wouldn't of been much left am I correct in saying," Reaver said and Garth smiled ruefully.
"You undoubtedly hit the mark."
"Don't I always," Reaver smirked.
Sparrow shook her head her eyes rolling skyward. Their footsteps continued to echo along the corridor as they continued, the corridor felt like it proceeded forever until it opened up to a vast chamber. As they trod down a great staircase their torches were barely able to penetrate the darkness. When they eventually got to the bottom they carefully made their way past vast pillars that disappeared into the dense darkness above their heads. About the pillars were similar murals but depicted more worship than conflict which suggested to them this was indeed the main chamber.
"This is a stroke of luck," Garth commented as he stood beside what looked like a pool spread out before them like a mini lake.
"If you say so," Reaver commented as he peered into the greenish liquid, "Wait a moment, this looks familiar, Sparrow does this look like that pool we fell in back at that castle?"
Attracted by the Pirates voice she looked down at the pool curiously. She leant down and stared at it for a moment before nodding.
"It definitely looks like it," she replied looking about pools edge, "And look, with pillars surrounding it too."
Garth questioned them and they explained that they fell into a similar pool back at the castle where Reaver was held captive by the masked stranger. Garth nodded.
"It was rumoured that rich and wealthy leaders had pools of rejuvenating health," he explained, "they would gather water from special underground springs and it was said that the water could cure any ailment of the body and cleanse the blood of poison."
"That explains him then," Sparrow said jerking her thumb at the pirate.
"Do you mind, that was no fault of mine," Reaver scoffed looking away.
Sparrow laughed as she edged her way around the pool the sound of her voice intensifying the mirth. Reaver scowled darkly as he followed with Garth who had an amused smile on his lips. Disgusted, the pirate refused to even look at him as they made their way round a corner of the pool and came across a ledge that reached out over the pool with a pedestal at the end. Lorna trotted over and walked carefully along the thin ledge to the pedestal, which she climbed on peering into the dark water below. Sparrow called out for her to be careful, but Reaver told her not to worry and made his way over to make sure the small girl did not slip and fall.
Sparrow watched him approach the girl with a confused frown and looked to Garth who stood beside her with both their torches held high as his eyes scanned a vast mural. She looked up and upon the wall was massive mural stretching nearly forty feet above them of a man with dark skin. He was dressed in an ornate robe that swept around him in vast folds and about his neck was the same necklace that was now clasped about Lorna's neck. In one hand was what looked like a blank sheet of parchment and the other hand was rested atop of the head of a gigantic feline that stared down at them with white eyes. The man himself stared at them with similar white eyes and staring into them sent shivers racing up her spine.
"What kind of cat is that?" she asked as she looked over at Garth who was inspecting a small hole in the wall.
"It's an Aswali beast," he replied tracing his finger about the edge of the hole noting that there were small claw marks, "They have been extinct for centuries."
"Tell that to the one we saw three days ago," a voice echoed behind them and they turned to see Reaver staring up at the mural with Lorna looking about the pirate's side with a frown.
"Your not serious?" Garth asked incredulously as Reaver approached with Lorna clinging carefully to the back of his coat. The pirate peered up at the mural and nodded affirmatively. Garth tapped his chin thoughtfully as he regarded the floor.
"Things certainly are getting stranger," he commented to no in particular. Silence fell between them and it was then Sparrow noticed a strange ringing that permeated her eardrums in a rhythm that had begun to irritate her. She was not the only one to notice as Lorna covered ears and Reaver shook his head as if to clear it. As Sparrow listened closer the ringing turned to squeaking. Her first thought were bats, but as she listened closer the discordant sound was too disembodied to be bats. Then from the hole behind Garth a funnel of light appeared growing stronger and stronger as the sound intensified to a near screeching. Amidst the screeches the tight flutter of wings was heard.
They clustered about the hole watching as the light grew stronger, then with out warning orbs of bright white light burst from the hole, no larger than Sparrow's fist and orbs swarmed like insects in the centre of the chamber in a vast vortex of light that whizzed in dizzying circles. Fearing she may puke Sparrow looked away, but it was Garth's cry of alarm that made her look at the mage then up at the mural. She gasped and took a step back. The blank sheet was no longer blank, but had drawn upon it a map of intricate detail. However, what amazed her more was that the mural had moved. His hand was pointed to the pool and as she moved further back she noticed that the feline was now looking to the map. This was odd, why would the feline be looking at the map.
Sparrow had not noticed how close she had got to the pool and when Lorna let out a cry she was too late. The woman stumbled and fell clumsily into the pool causing the water to slosh over the edges. As she tried to gain stability in the whirling liquid she felt a hand grab her wrist and she was hurled from the pool gasping and spluttering. She knelt on the edge and looked up at a now damp Reaver who glared down at her as the illuminated tornado continued to spin above their heads highlighting the worried creases of his face. The water dripped from her clothes and hair causing a puddle to form on the floor.
"What is it with you and water?" he asked in what Sparrow could tell was a worried tone.
She sat there and blinked at him incomprehensibly as she felt a little light headed. She suddenly began to giggle while the peeved pirate glared at her.
"What is so damned funny!?" he half shouted and she shook her head unable to get a word out as her laughter caused her to double over. For some reason she found the whole thing terribly hilarious, but she had no idea why.
Garth smiled uncertainly as he made his way along the ledge. He looked up at the swirling mass and from what he could see they were not wisps, but something else entirely. He took out the old piece of blank parchment and across it the light brought forth an image of intense and intricate detail that made Garth gasp in wonder. He stared at it as a hand tugged at his coat and he looked down at Lorna who stared at the lights that circled above them.
"What are they Garth?" she asked and Garth shook his head.
"I honestly don't know," he admitted, "I haven't found anything like in any of the bestiaries in all the libraries I have been too."
They both looked up. As Garth watched the lights dance as Lorna made her way to the pedestal and stood upon it reaching out towards the lights making a high pitched whistling sound. Garth turned to look at her and watched in astonishment as one light detached itself from the throng and hovered uncertainly in front of the child. She giggled as it landed upon her out stretched palms and as Garth drew closer his eyes widened. Lorna turned slightly to look at the mage with a huge grin. A multitude of questions filled Garth as he looked from Lorna then down at the creature now sitting in her palm.
It was no larger than her hand and its head seemed strangely larger and disproportionate from its body, which was thin and insect like. Its four legs were long and were attached to an abdomen that was segmented. Its chest, or thorax, Garth thought correcting himself, was stout and it had thin arms with hands with three spindly fingers. It tilted its oval shaped head its antennae bobbing as its large pink eyes regarded the humans with curiosity. The source of the light, Garth noted, was its magnificent wings that shone and became illuminated when it flapped them. It seemed also to twitter and trill like a small bird much to Lorna's delight. In response to the light the necklace about her neck seemed to glow almost happily.
Then something seemed to disturb the creatures as the dance intensified and the white light changed to a dull orange. Even the trilling changed to a screeching of terrified birds. Lorna looked to Garth who turned to Sparrow and Reaver who had settled to arguing quietly on the pools edge. Even they had noticed the change and had turned to look into the darkness. Panic began to arise in Garth and grabbed the small girls arm who had let the little creature go. The little thing shot from side to side as if trying to make up its mind then began to follow them along the ledge.
"What's going on?!" Sparrow shouted over the din as she grimaced.
"I'm not sure," Garth replied, "They must be reacting to a danger we can't even feel. Either way I think we should leave!"
The other two nodded in agreement and they turned to go the way they had come when a dark shadow shot across them. A loud roar made them freeze in their tracks and something surged and loomed in the darkness as if moulded by the very shadows itself.
"This can't be good," Reaver muttered as it loomed closer.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I definitely think this was better than the last chapter. Well I apologise once again, uni work sucks as always, but I have finally managed to update. Things are about to get exciting now and I find myself looking forward to writing them.
I hope you do enjoy this chapter as I do feel the last one was a bit of a flop. I will get to re-writing certain chapters, but that probably won't be until I finish the whole thing. Well read and review folks if you have enjoyed. Any criticism is accepted as long as it's constructive, lol. Till the next time X3