When Darkness Falls

Chapter 2: The Raok

Chapter 2: THE RAOK
THE RAOK
“Pommuria.”  The messenger bowed.
“Rise and speak to me”, the king replied.  Looking utterly horrified, the messenger shuffled forward, eyes fixed upon his feet.
“P-pommuria...Arya, sh-she...she...-“
“What about Arya?!  What is wrong?  Has something happened to her?” the king said looking very worried.
“Sh-she has-“, he gulped quickly glancing up.  “She is missing Pommuria!  She was expected to reach the East Elves two days ago but she did not arrive!  No one has heard word from her since Algasia.”
With that, the frightened messenger looked up flinching as if someone had slapped him across the face.  The King’s expression was that of bewilderment and horror.
“You-“, his voice cracked.  “You are sure no one has…she could have…” his voice trailed off into the emptiness.  Then clearing his throat, he looked around and then directed his gaze on the messenger.
“Tell Sir Agihad I need a word.  Quickly!”
Looking suddenly alert, and somewhat relieved, the no longer frightened messenger said, “With your leave, Pommuria.”  He bowed and dashed from the room.
                   
Arya woke with a start.
Where am I?   Her head throbbed painfully.  She tried to gently place her hand on it but found that her hands were bound together.  Looking around all the memories came flooding back…
Arya tucked the dragon egg carefully inside her traveling cloak and started heading back to camp when she heard voices ahead.  Cautiously, the elf worked her way forward toward the voices, toward camp, wondering if it was the stranger and some other companion ahead. 
She stood just outside of the circle of moonlight shining through the branches so that she would not be seen by prying eyes.  All she could perceive was two dark figures standing by her unlit fire.  Suddenly the talking stopped and Arya distinctly heard the sound of something sniffing, searching.
It was all she could do from bolting when the figure abruptly disappeared as if they had melted into the very ground before her.  Then, all went black.
Arya, by what she could tell in the dim flickering light, was bound to a small tree about the width of her neck.  In front of her was a small fire about 30 paces away.  Then, remembering the egg, she looked down to see if it was still tucked in her cloak.  Since she couldn’t see much in the dim lighting, she pulled her legs close to her to feel for it.  A slight movement caught her eye.  On the far side of the fire, also just out of flame light, stood one of the dark forms she had seen earlier.  It stood like a human but had an oddly shaped head and was wearing a black cloak that covered all of its facial features.
“Well, well, well”, said the creature in a soft raspy voice.  “It looks as if the drug is wearing off, wouldn’t you say Kroth?”
“Yes it would seem so”, said a voice behind Arya in the same soft raspy voice. 
She whipped her head around but to her amazement the forest was empty.  Slowly turning her head around she found herself looking up at the two creatures.  All though they were quite close to her now, she still could not see through the shadow so effectively guarding their faces.
“Surprise”, said the figure to the left.  “Out of curiosity, why would a young elf, such as yourself, be wandering around in the middle of the night in Lothloresmera alone?”
Once again Arya’s rage flared.  They were toying with her and besides, she wasn’t so young.  She was of age and very mature.
The creature on her right swiftly bent down and struck her across her face. 
“You will answer when spoken to!  Why are you in the forest?”
Arya gasped.  Her mind was in double-time as she searched her memory to quickly come up with a suitable answer. Her brain was completely devoid of the real reason; she had for, some reason, forgotten.  Her head felt light and her vision was blurred.     Perhaps the drugs haven’t worn off yet?
“I have been…sent here to gather herbs for my father”, she said hesitantly.  “My father was grievously wounded when he was shot by a poisonous arrow.”  Her courage was returning to her.
“Shot by an arrow…in the middle of the night”, said the creature to her left rather smugly glancing at the other.
Her confidence deflated. “He, uh.  He likes to go out on night time strolls in the moonlight”, Arya said keeping her voice steady as she could.
“I see…what is your name elf girl?” he shot at her.
“My, er, name?” she gulped.
“Your name”, it repeated.
“My name…my name is Ellesmera”, she said thinking of the forest wishing to keep as mush secrecy as possible.
“Ellesmera…” said the creature on her right.  “Well Ellesmera, you have found the Raok.”
She gasped.  The Raok were creatures of evil that feasted on the flesh of man, but dare not eat elves for elves are known to have extensive knowledge in magic and supernatural strength and agility.  But since she was apparently drugged and groggy, Arya wondered if they’d make an exception.
“Ahh. So you’ve heard of us?  Hmm.  That’s interesting.  There aren’t many young ones that have”, it said looking over at its companion.  “We believe you have knowledge of the whereabouts of something that belongs to us,   Ellesmera. ”  The Raok’s voice seemed mildly excited now.  They started coming closer.
“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about”, Arya said truthfully, beads of sweat rolling down the back of her neck.  She was starting to get scared.  She tried summoning up her magic, ( Why haven’t I thought of this before?  Perhaps the drug really is fading? ) tried to remember her native tongue, her magic tongue, but it was as if it had been blown away on a chilled winter breeze.
“You don’t know what we are talking about?” said the Raok on her left agitation quite clear in his voice.  “Would this help jog your memory?”  It put its hand inside its cloak as if to pull out a dagger but pulled out a rolled up scroll instead.  With a quick glance at the Raok to its right the creature on the left and shoved the parchment in her face.  “As you are the only here who can open this message, and as you are the only elf here, you will do the honors, but it looks familiar, no?” it said with obvious pleasure as Arya’s eyes widened in terror.
She remembered!  She remembered everything now.  The reason she was sent into the woods, her language, and the scroll, which was basically the reason she was in the woods.  If they had the scroll they must have taken it and seen…
“Perhaps it would help if we untied you?”
One of the creatures went behind her to untie her hands but she new no matter what they did, she would not open the scroll.  The reason that only an elf could open a royal scroll is because of an ancient magic, used for only important matters, set down by the Elves of Old.  In fact, it was said that no creature of darkness could even touch the scroll and as she looked closer, Arya saw that the Raok was wearing gloves over its hideously shaped hands.
When her wrists were finally free, she brought them to her chest rubbed them because the rope had taken off several layers of skin.
They stood before her as she rose to her feet and waited expectantly.
“Open the scroll”, the creature repeated.
Arya looked down at the scroll and then looked up.  “I-I uh…um….” She looked at he scroll again.
“Well?!” said the creature stomping its foot.  “Open the letter!”
She inhaled deeply looking down at the scroll again.  “No”, she said in a barely audible whisper.
“What?” the creature said dangerously.  “What did you say to me?”
“I said…I said no!”  She stood tall without a trace of fear looking straight into the hood where she imagined the eyes would be.
“No one”, said the creature in obvious fury, ”says no to me!”
The creature lunged at her and grabbed a hold of her throat clearly trying to drain the life out of her.  If it had not been for the other Raok, he would have surely succeeded. 
“Stop!” it said pulling the other off of Arya.  “We may need her.  Besides”, it said with a hint of amusement in its voice that wasn’t at all reassuring to her, “we are to bring all prisoners to Rashaka immediately.” 
Slowly the other pulled away from the defender and looked at Arya with what she was sure if she could have seen under the hood was a deathly glare.
“Do as you wish”, it said nastily to the other and stalked off back to its earlier position on the other side of the fire. 
The remaining Raok shoved her roughly against the tree and tied her up.  This time he secured her legs as well.
“No tricks now”, it said knowing her magic was starting to return.  “We’ll be watching.”  With that said, he walked over to where the other was and sat down.
Now, if they would just go to sleep I could unbind myself and be on my way.
Arya stared at the creatures for what seemed like countless hours unable to tell whether the creatures had gone to sleep because of their hoods.
Finally, she made a move.  She had waited until they were completely still for a long while and then decided they were asleep.  “Ounaka funchico”, she whispered.  A dim light lit up the woods around her and then the ropes fell loosely to the ground.
She glanced frightfully at the two creatures across from her but saw no movement.   The scroll!   Arya glanced around to see if the scroll had been left on the ground after the scuffle had broken up but she didn’t see it, not that her hopes had been high.
She had no choice now but to see if the Raok had it as she looked back over to them.  As she crept across the campsite towards her captors she saw that the bigger of the two Raok had the scroll clasped firmly in its hand. 
Figures.   She walked forward until she was about five paces away from it as voices filled her head,   “The closer you are to your target, the better your magic will work.” 
“O.K. daddy.  Like this?” 
Then voices of a lifetime ago filled her head, "Be careful Arya and remember this advice: though your magic is most effective, it may fail to rescue you in the hands of dark creatures of magic.  Remember this and be on your way.”
“To hear is to obey.  I go now father…goodbye.”    The voices slowly faded away and she found herself once again standing in front of the creature that held her mission in it’s hand.
Well, here it goes.   Arya took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and used all of her concentration into summoning forth her magic.  The magic she was about to do was on a higher level than she had ever done before.  To put a sleeping spell on a non-magical creature is one thing but to attempt to do that on creature as powerful as a Raok, well the results can sometimes turn out to be unpleasurable.  If Arya didn’t do this precisely right it could wake the creature or worse, drive it to insanity to which it would kill anyone, anything it sees.
“Tosorc nas eakt anihc, grobil tresn.  Sekrad urdnous anihc sepah ligrots shdo misnc.”  A silvery mist gathered on her palm as she opened her eyes.  “Fhtor shno ac lilfo tfish anihco tiforp.”
The mist dwindled a moment longer on her palm and then gently floated off her hand into the hood of the creature in front of her.  After a few minutes it retreated from the hood and floated expectantly in front of her.  Then she pointed at the other Raok and said, “Croso yadfo” and the mist crept towards the Raok and disappeared into the hood. 
Arya anxiously waited as minute by minute crept by without sign of the mists return.  She felt oddly drained from the complex enchantment.  Then finally, she saw the mist receding from the hood of the Raok and once again came toward her and hovered in front of her.
Arya pointed toward the forest.  “Senyas… Be free.”  The mist disappeared into the forest.  Now that the creatures had been put into a deeper sleep, at least she hoped they had, she slowly crept forward and reached for the scroll in the creature’s hand.
She bent down to take it and placed her fingers ever so lightly on the scroll.  She felt as if her heart would come through her chest it was beating so hard.  O.K., she thought, I’ll just try to pull it out slowly, (she started lightly pulling on the scroll) …slowly. 
  Suddenly the Raok grunted, moved its hand and turned over.  As it did Arya nearly fainted but held firm and pulled herself together as it stopped moving.   Breath.  In two, three.  Out two, three.  In two, three.  Out two, three... 
Then Arya slowly, carefully stepped over the Raok careful not to snag her foot on its cloak.  When she was on the other side she looked around for a close stick.  Her eyes fell on a thorny, jagged one near the Raok’s foot.  She reached down and grabbed it then firmly grasped the scroll.   Now, if I pull it quickly it will be better than slowly pulling it out for long time.   Just as she finished thinking this she yanked the scroll with all her might and quickly replaced it with the stick. 
Arya stood there for a moment, still as a statue waiting to see if anything would happen.  When nothing did she smiled with relief and crept back over to the fire ring.   Mission accomplished.   She looked around the camp and then went to gather her weapons and her pack sitting by a tree.  As she put the scroll in her cloak her hand touched something cold and hard.  It was the egg.   So they didn’t find it after all. 
Arya crept into the woods and disappeared into the night.
                   
Kyron watched the young elf in front of him confirmatively careful not to move until the precise moment.  He heard her say something and then watched her raise her bow pulling back the string.  Now!  He stepped forward onto a crisp twig and then jumped into the tallest tree as he watched her miss the deer as she shot in frustration.   Sorry, but I had to do it. 
As she left he noiselessly jumped out of the tree cradling his precious possession.   And now to the clearing.   He quickly ran to his destination avoiding anything that would make noise.  Once in the clearing he carefully set down his burden then walked over to the perimeters of the elf’s camp.  Once again, waiting for the right moment, he stepped on a twig just as she was striking the rocks over her would-be fire.
Once again he fled but this time to the clearing where he would let her catch a glimpse of her follower.  He hastily bent over the stump and its display and pretended to have been there all the time.   Now for a little magic of my own.
Kyron released upon her a magic that would force her to come and instantly he knew it had worked as he heard her breathing quicken and then heard the crunch.  Kyron stood up as if surprised and dashed off into the woods, mission completed, the girl chasing behind him.  But he noticed he wasn’t getting away as fast as he would like to so he watched her over his shoulder, careful not to slow his pace, to waiting for an opportunity for delay.  She started going faster and then jumped over an especially high bush.
Well, now’s as good a time as any.   As she was in mid-air he whispered a few words and sent back a tripping spell and disappeared from sight.
-End of Chapter Two-