Rapture, chapter 3

                                                                      -hide and seek-


    Gorstag did not like the traveling arrangements. The elvan boy was young even by human years. He was too quiet too, sitting there on his horse, a smirk on his lips. Not once did he say anything.
    "Too good for conversation, eh boy?" Gorstag asked once. Chilaem gave him no response. They continued to ride for hours that stretched into days that changed into nights. Eventually, Gorstag believed that they were lost.
    "SO, just where exactly is this place? so far as I an see, there is nothing but forest an' my rump is startin' ter chafe!"
    Chilaem looked at the dwarf. "If you are quite done complaining, look up ahead."
    "What? Will ther be a--dammit." There was the building they were looking for, it had taken them longer to reach it than originally planned, but Gordtag was now quiet too.They dismounted the horses, and walked dtowards the house.
    The house was massive, made of dark wood. There were vines and moss growing on its walls, no windows, the only entrance appearing to be the large door.
    "So its inside then?"
    "Aye, "Chileam replied, "shall we?"
    "I dont need you ter be lookin out for me like i am some sort of babe! i can do it meself!" Chilaem stared at the dwarven ruler.
      "Im sure you can, but i was ordered to come with you." Chilaem began to walk towards the house, gorstag grumbling and complaining the entire time. Gorstag walked up to the house and knocked on the door. There was, of course, no answer. He tried to open the door, the handle would not budge. "Hm," he grunted,"how's we supposed to get in? Are we supposed to just break down the door,"he said as his hand inched towards his large battle axe. "Not quite, if you can not get in through the usual methods, that does not mean that you must resort to brutality." "I wasn't sayin' tear down the whole damn house, but if the door is locked, and there are no windows, exactly how are we supposed to get in?"
    Chilaem sighed, and walked past the dwarf.
    "You know, if ye elves would not walk around treatin' us dwarves like we don't know up from down, we wouldn't be havin' this here problem. I would have been completely informed on what's goin' on here, and we would be in that house!"
    "And if you dwarves did not have such massive tempers, or had not proven that you could not be trusted with such important details once you have an ounce of liquer in your stomachs, we would treat you as equals, not as little children that will drop a crystal vase. And now that we have both expressed our distaste for each other, allow me to let you in."
    "And how do you suppose that we get around to doin' that?"
    "The key that is hidden in that bush." Chilaem bent down, and pulled a long iron key out of the thorn bush.
    The two walked into the house, and looked around. It was empty, almost as if this had all been planned.
    "Where...where is everythin'? Did he know that this was gonna happen?"
    "He might have...Let us look, it should be here somewhere."
    They split up, Chilaem searching the downstairs, Gorstag taking the upstairs. Gorstag opened door after door, but all of the rooms were the same; large, empty. Nothing was left, but there were no signs of the house being broken into. He stopped outside of a small, redwood door, and heard something. He opened the door, and there it was, the only thing left in the house, on top of it, a note.
                                             
                                                              Take care of this for me.

Gorstag felt something swelling up inside of him, and quickly gathered himself. He picked up the bundle, and headed downstairs, "I found it."
    Chilaem looked up, "Good, I can't imagine us being here much longer being a safe idea. Let's go, we have a long ways to travel."
    "Aye, ye be right. Let's go."
    As Gorstag mounted his horse, Chilaem locked the door, and raised his hand to the wall. "Let no one unwelcome enter this house. Espian tela to ne de grata."

                                                                          *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *

    Umyra had been travelling for two weeks now, each egg safely hidden except for one, and she could sense that she was being followed. She slowed her horse, and placed one hand on the hilt of her sword.
    "If you followed me this far," she said, "you might as well do what you came to do." A shrill laugh came from the shadows, and Umyra's horse stopped completely. The laugh echoed around the woods once more, and Umyra dismounted her horse. Movement from the trees in front of her continued, a shadow appearing, then a body to go with the shadow.
    "Valasina,"Umyra growled,"I should have known that they would send the traitor."
    "Traitor?" her voice was smooth and quick, and as she spoke, she did not remove her black hood. "I...do not see myself as a traitor, I see myself as someone who...wizened up, and joined the winning side."
    "Winning side? I don't see how selling your soul is joining the winning side."
    "Well, that is the difference between you and me. You...you struggle and fight to save a world that is falling to destruction, your people being slaughtered. But I, I realized what was happening. It may have taken a few sacrifices, but in the end, I regret none of my decisions. Now...you have something that my lord wants. How about you just hand it over...and I give you a ten second head start?"
    "Valasina...you know what will happen if he gets this, You can not really wish for such destruction."
    Valasina's laugh came through her hood as she answered. "I have danced in the gardens of good and evil...I know what I want, and I know what my lord king demands. And he demands that egg. Give it to me, or you death will not be quick."
    "Never. I will not aid you in the destruction of the world."
    "Fine." She unsheathed her sword so fast that it was a mere blur, but Umyra was expecting it, and moved, raising her palm, shouting, "Hanea toui nuh!!" Fire flew from her hand, and engulfed Valasina. Despite the intense heat of the flame, nothing was happening to her. Umyra could see Valasina's sword, raised, and it was absorbing the magick, weakening Umyra's strength even more. There's only one blade that could overpower this magick...
    Umyra knew that she was not going to make it out of this alive, and the egg needed to be hidden, the 'king' could not get a hold of it. She threw down her hand, and grabbed the egg. She threw it in the air, and shouted "Das vi dania!" the egg vanished, along with the last of Umyra's energy. Umyra fell down, her eyes closed, barely breathing.
    Cursing, Valasina stalked over towards the crumpled elves body. She pulled her up by her hair, "Where did you send the egg, elf? Tell me."
    Umyra could barely speak, but she opened her eyes, "Vas si he no me wra. Hsi to le no tu...hfa wra." Valasina screamed, threw back her hood, revealing her blood red eyes and pitch black hair, she thrust her sword into Umyra's chest, taking what was rest of the elf's energy.

                                                                      *    *    *    *    *    *

    Chilaem left to his own Gorstag to deliver the package. The old dwarf rode nonstop, now feeling bad for his earlier complaining. He rode for a week straight, until they finally reached the old mans house. Gorstag stepped down off the horse and walked to the door. He knocked, but there was no answer. He knocked again. Still no answer. "Hey! Open yer dang door!" Nothing. "Alright, then you drove me to this..." Gorstag put down the bundle and pulled out his axe. With one forceful swing of  his arm, he drove  the axe into the door. There was a stream of curses, followed by  stomping feet.  Gorstag quickly went back to the horse and mounted. He looked back over his shoulder, and saw the tall man picking up the bundle. He knew that from this point on, the world had a chance.



chapter 4 up soon