ETCH, page 13
Why was it a secret anyways? Nothing seems that special? Ilva thought. As she thought this, the smooth stones in her bag clunked together slightly, they thrummed with power when they touched. Ilva did not notice. She was ready to leave. Leaving home this time was not as easy. It should have been. Now, she felt she had no reason to stay. Yet she did not move from the room.
She looked all around it. Gazed at the one secret her tiny village held. This one place that her eyes had never touched, soaked in her surroundings until she felt satisfied, she had seen all that was here. She wandered out of the room and Vali was not there. Ilva wandered the rest of the house, taking in memories, some of which now hurt her. Ilva ached over the loss she just endured. She avoided looking at her mother’s body, she wanted to pretend it wasn’t even there. The vision remained in her mind however, and she would never remove the memory of her mother’s death from her mind. Every room held some memory of her mother and her. Ilva walked to a room between the study and the kitchen, the room she once slept in, and turned the handle.
The door was locked. Still fueled with adrenaline and despair, she decided to just break the damned door down. She walked back a few paces, gave herself the hardest push off, and propelled herself into the door with all she had. It splintered at the handle, and flung wide open, banging off a shelf and wobbling on it’s now bent hinges.
Ilva walked into an entirely new room from the one she had known. It was another study of sorts, only this one had a single round table, with a map, and a box upon it. The map looked like it showed all of Zoriya, as well as other continents across the sea she had never before heard of. She opened the lid of the small box, and inside were letters. Many letters. From Dola. Ilva fingered through to the oldest one and read it.
Lord Ediv,
It has come to our knowledge that you may be in possession of two artifacts. This is not according to the terms of the agreement made between our four realms ambassadors. You cannot have two class powers in the same zone. If you do not produce the sylvite crystal, so it might be moved to a safer location, we will be forced to see this as an act of war, and will respond with fervent aggression. We will be awaiting your immediate response.
Regards,
Lady Dola
Ilva moved on to another letter, then another. It seemed through correspondence they had come to an understanding that, despite the fact that Lord Ediv was harbouring one of the only surviving elves of Mila, he was not in possession of the sylvite. They had also agreed that their elves should all come together as one. Ruled by one. It seemed that Dola and Ediv had been planning an uprising together by the end of these letters. They had set up several meetings from what Ilva had read, and she assumed some of them took place in this very room. Her room, had become a war room.
It was eye opening to Ilva, how much terror this place really did have, and maybe her instincts were right when they told her to run. So, after reading the last letter, and seeing that she only had a few hours of daylight left, she made to leave home. One final time.
Chapter 40
As Ilva opened the front door, Vali was sitting on the top step of the stump that Ilva once danced upon. Ilva remembered the lessons. Dancing in the dusk filled hours. They suddenly didn’t seem like such terrible lessons. She wished for one more. Vali stood, she had heard the door, and now heard Ilva’s approach.
“I am so sorry,” Vali began.
Ilva stopped her, “No Vali, I am sorry. I said things I didn’t mean. I must go now, to the Vozrek Mountains. I must know what my mother means for me to find out there. You personally have done me no wrong. I’m the one who didn’t protect myself. It was not your duty to do that. Please take care of yourself.”
Ilva did not truly want to leave Vali. She just wanted to find her answers, she was relieved when Vali responded. “Then that is where I am going too, if you will have me along.”
Ilva let a small smile grace her face. She was quite surprised at Vali’s loyalty, and dedication. She was moved by it. She thanked Vali, “I would love to have you with me. We make a good team. If not for you, I may have just been another body in that room. I am fortunate you came, despite the things I said. I am grateful for every moment since you found the solitary, lonely me, hidden in the forest.”
Vali sighed her relief at her friend’s fast forward thinking. It must have taken some serious resolve to come to terms with her feelings so quickly. Vali was impressed at Ilva’s resilience. She was maybe even a bit envious of it. Wishing that she could process hers so efficiently, she thought to herself, Ilva is remarkably brave.
She walked towards the entrance of the village, Vali aside her. The two elves received more stares than either of them had in their lifetime. Blood covered them both. The large pack on Ilva’s back, her face set and determined. They were an intimidating sight, and they were striking fear into the elves of Falil. They made it to the gate, and untied one of the rested horses, whose rider would never return. Once on the horse, Ilva gripped Vali’s hand and pulled her up. Vali seemed unnerved sitting on the large mammals back, Ilva felt her grip tighten upon her waist, and she squeezed her hand over Vali’s reassuringly.
Ilva turned the stallion to the gawking and inquisitive villagers. She shouted to them, “Lady Syli is dead, and your Lord is abroad! Appoint a temporary official. I, Lady Ilva, will not be returning. These horses’ riders are all dead. The animals will need caring for. The bodies will need burying. I am sorry for the losses; I also suffer from them on this tragic day. If the day for war comes, I hope you choose the battles you fight wisely, for we all make our own choices. Do not lose sight of the freedom we all own. We all deserve freedom. We are no one’s slaves!” The horse was pulled into a tight turn, and Ilva urged him into a less forceful run than before. They cantered off towards the forest, cutting straight across the land, forgetting about the lay of the road. Ilva wanted to be deep into the forest before nighttime cloaked the land. They rode at a steady pace, and reached the edge of the Nilfin Forest just as the sun dipped into the sea.
It was a short ride on the horse. They trotted down into a slow walk after a few minutes. The horse, appreciating the lazy stroll after the journey they had made from Karna, let out soft grunt-like neighs of approval. Ilva smiled at the sensation under her. The horse’s body seemed to thrum when it spoke. The power of the creature fascinated her. She loved these magnificent beasts.
As the horse walked lazily, the events of the last few days clouded Ilva’s mind. She thought earlier today that she hated Vali, she even wished she had never met her when she was coming undone with grief. The shame of those kinds of thoughts flooded Ilva. Her face lengthened, and her eyes began to unfocus, her mind drifting into a deep dissociation. The horse neighed. The vibrations struck Ilva conscious. She secretly thanked the horse for keeping her from losing herself to the depression.
They were entering denser parts of the forest now. By tomorrow they would be near Ilva’s old cave. She decided she should tell Vali again that she really was happy to have met her, and that her words earlier were from a place of pain. She wanted her to understand how much she valued their relationship. She struggled to find the words, and was about to try. But, before she could speak, something came into view ahead that set Ilva into an instant panic. The black serpent-like dragon lay across the foothills about a twenty-minute walk away. She thought this would be a perfect place to stop for the night. Now this seemed like the wrong place to be.
She wished she had an idea where to go, no matter which way she looked she felt trapped. The mountains were on the other side of the foothills, she couldn’t turn back to the town, and Dola would soon wonder where her guards went and send more. They couldn’t continue on the path because it ran right by the hills. The Lake was very dangerous as well. The sirens in the Lake tend to lure in elves who get too close, and Ilva had avoided that watery grave for so long. What should she do? Ilva wanted to ask Vali, yet she was terrified the dragon might hear her.
She decided to chance it. To confer with Vali and come up with a plan. She turned in the saddle, came close to Vali’s ear and told her, “The dragon that chased us across the base of the mountains is here. It’s close. I can’t see a sure-fire exit.”
Vali seemed to assess what Ilva said, and set her senses on alert. She smelled the air and listened hard. She then suggested the Lake. Ilva felt this would be a road to regrets, yet she gently nudged the reigns to the right, and they walked around dense foliage and quietly left the area near the hills. When they thought they were in the clear, the horse stumbled on a thorny vine and let out a series of high-pitched whinnies. The dragon’s eyes shot open, Ilva could see her agitated yellow slits from where she stood, and they filled her with terror. In her terror Ilva screamed, “It’s seen us!”
Vali shouted in reply, “Run!”
The horse knew the command before Ilva could crack a rein, and it bolted through the trees.
Faster and faster they ran, the horse’s eyes wide with fright. Its heart thumped so hard Ilva could feel it against her calves. They hit the water’s edge, and ran fast alongside the sandy shores of the lake. Ilva pushed the horse into the trees a bit further for more coverage, to avoid the sand which slowed them, and the haunting lake. It was too late. A dark stony looking siren sat on a rock in the lake close to the shoreline. She had jagged horrible looking movements, and an eerie dark grin plastered upon her face. The stone body moved slowly, and crackled at every motion, she played notes on a lute that almost blended in with her body. The notes sounded like they belonged to a song Ilva had yearned all her life to hear. Desperation to hear more corrupted her. The gloom hit her hard, and swept through her whole body. Soon she was halting the horse, leaping off its back, and walking towards the siren. Vali was following, just as mesmerised now. The dragon was closing in. The horse dashed off. Ilva was up to her ankles, and the siren dove under the water. Ilva and Vali plunged in after her.
They kicked and swam and followed the gentle plucking sounds, now echoing in the water. They were running out of air, but the music pulled them deeper. They started to feel dizzy, but they kept trying to swim. Their lungs desperate to breathe, gasped in water. They sputtered in the deep blue liquid lake. Then their worlds went black.
Chapter 41
Ilva woke to the sensation of water rushing up through her throat. It stung, and it tasted awful, and she was coughing painfully. Vali next to her was heaving, and looked about to throw up. She was rolled up into a kneeling position, facing down, with her head resting on her balled-up fists. Ilva, still choking hard, looked around them with bleary eyes. It was pitch black out, night had fallen now. Her eyes rested on the creature that must have been their saviour. It appeared to be a woman. As Ilva’s eyes struggled to find their focus, she noted the woman was nude, and her long hair flowed over her figure, all the way down to her ankles. It was a mix of silver and gold. Her face was expressionless and her eyes swam with various cool colours.
She eyed the two soaking wet elves, still hiccupping on the water lodged in their lungs. She was transfixed on them, and it was an eerie stare Ilva thought. Ilva finally had enough air to let out an exhausted thank you. The silver haired female did not respond. Vali, without speaking stood shakily. She bowed deeply to the speechless nude woman. Ilva faced her on her knees and bent forward into a bow as well.
Then their saviour replied in a watery voice that sounded like a babbling brook, “I, Naiade, nymph of waters, have saved you. You are destined to remedy this world. My kind are counting on you. The other nymphs are Meliae and Oreade, of the forests and mountains. There are so many other creatures besides yourselves, like the sirens who just attempted to drown you. Kelpies. Dragons. Griffins. Ix. We are all here, a part of this world. Do not misuse this land as your predecessors have.”
The water nymph then walked silkily back to the water, her body inching back under as she strode deeper and deeper, and then vanished beneath the glassy surface. It looked as if she had never been there at all. No damp footprints, no ripples to show she had just submerged into that blue realm. Ilva did not realise there were so many creatures. The sirens that tried to drown them she expected. But kelpies? She had already seen two dragons. There were griffins out there too, and other nymphs. She suddenly felt the lake wasn’t the only place they were in danger. Perils were all around them. She wondered to herself. What are ix? She had never heard of them before.
Vali and Ilva walked away from the shore and into the dark misty forest. Scanning all around for any sign of the black dragon, who appears to have left the scene, along with their horse. Ilva wondered how long they were submerged. They were closer to the cave Ilva once resided in. They could have ridden there faster. The horse, however, was gone. So, they began their long day of hiking as the sun was rising. Upon finding their way back to the forest trail, they spotted heavy boot prints in the mud leading up towards the Vozrek Mountains.
As they walked, Ilva reached out and grasped Vali’s elbow, holding her closer as they walked. At first Vali was surprised by the motion, then it was comforting. Vali had been wrestling with tough thoughts of her own since their ordeal with Ilva’s mother and Vali’s grandmother. Vali reached up and cupped her hand over Ilva’s. Walking like this she felt like one of the noble male elves, who strolled with young females around the gardens in hopes of a courtship. The thought made her chuckle, she enjoyed walking like this with Ilva. She was always a bit masculine in nature, and had never truly thought much about it until now. She knew her feelings for Ilva, and feelings about her own sexuality that were unexplored before this. It meant a lot to her, that she could be so much of herself around Ilva.
Ilva felt the same way. She caught a glimpse of Vali’s smile, and could see she was content.
The next day, in the evening hours, Ilva’s breath caught when she saw the tiny familiar cave ahead of them. The small mossy overhang under the hill. It was going to barely hold the two of them. The same cave she had slept in for decades. The sun was setting, and the dark had closed in on them quickly, they hadn’t paid attention to the orange glow across the land moments before. It had been a long night, and a long day.
Ilva’s muscles groaned until she sat down, and her body did not want her to get back up. She slouched a bit, legs crossed, hand resting on her cheek, her elbow propped upon her knee. She might fall asleep just like that she thought. Vali laid down her blanket from Llyr, and Ilva pulled out her blanket from home to drape over the both of them. Then they crawled into a tight cuddle, Vali kissed Ilva’s cheek, and they were asleep in minutes. Vali rolled over with an arm above her head, snoring loudly, and Ilva turned over until she was squashed up against her again.
When the cave brightened with the sunrise of the next day, Vali awoke. Ilva still breathing deeply into her collarbone. It felt good. Vali felt each breath huff hot across her, she flushed heavily. Unconsciously she squeezed Ilva tighter to her with the arm that still rested beneath Ilva’s head. Vali breathed her scent in deep, the smell of her hair, of her skin. She kissed her forehead. It took such strength not to continue kissing. Ilva is safe. Ilva groaned sweetly in response, and that was the extent of Vali’s control. She kissed her temple, her cheek, her nose.
At this Ilva groaned slightly crankily, and fluttered her eyes open. Vali was close, and her arm was holding Ilva in place next to her, she looked up at Vali and said, “Good morning,” in the softest voice. Vali pressed her lips into Ilva’s.
Upon waking they noted that their clothes were filthy, after the battle in Falil and the sirens attack they were covered in blood and swampy muck. They walked a couple hours to a stream and washed their clothes in silence. Once everything was clean they hung the garments in a tree to dry while they bathed in the rivers frigid waters.
Ilva dressed herself, watching Vali intently as she did the same. Vali’s body was darker in tone than Ilva’s, and she noticed it most when Vali was bare. Next to her own pale complexion Vali was quite a contrast, there were a few scars on her, that Ilva hoped one day she would learn about, the rest of her skin was that even tanned tone. It was soft and smooth. Ilva felt an urge to run a hand over Vali’s abs before she covered them.
As the rough tunic was being put back on, Ilva suited herself, and did not deny the urge to show affection. She ran her hand over Vali’s stomach, who let out a small sigh. Ilva hugged her from behind, keeping her hand under the shirt, she kissed Vali’s back through the fabric. She released her, they finished dressing and walked back to the tiny cave. Vali felt they should stay in the cave only one more night, then move towards the base of the mountains on the morrow. Ilva agreed. She would miss her little cave, though it no longer felt as homey as it once did. The entire world felt different now, tainted with loss and hardship.
As Vali went out to hunt, Ilva began collecting fire wood. She had a large armful of sticks and was heading back to the cave, when she heard a snap from somewhere behind her.
She turned, but it was too late.
Chapter 42
Ilva awoke that night in a much larger cave. One that was so large there was a river running through it, and many stalagmites and stalactites adorned the floors and ceilings of this place. Ilva had no idea where she was, who had brought her here, or why? Questions, and fear of the worst possible outcomes flooded Ilva’s head. She was beginning to panic. Her heart rate rising, her eyes wide in the darkness. A light began bouncing on the wall from a path down where the stream ran out. Soon the glow became a torch, and holding the torch was; the elf with the dragon. The elder elf approached Ilva with a casual gait. As he glided up, he stared down his nose at her. A contemptuous glare.
