Tales of Lerathian: The Puppet (Chapter Four Excerpt)

So I really wasn't planning on releasing any more from the novel past the chapter three excerpt. This was because the events that set the main plot of the book into motion happen, and in case this story does ever head towards being published I didn't want to spoil the main twists. After a little debating, I feel it's alright to release this little bit since it only vaguely talks about what happened. This will be the last of Tales of Lerathian I post to the blog though. I hope then that you really enjoy it! In this chapter one of my favorite characters is introduced. It'll be pretty obvious who it is. Enjoy!

The noon sun shone brightly high in the sky above them. Its warmth was gently and pleasing, but Elle hated it more every second it beat down on her. It felt like a spotlight pinpointing her location to the world. Jân told her she need to stop being so paranoid, but how could she not be paranoid given everything that had happened? It didn’t help that this was the all-important day. Tonight was the night of the Blessed Moon.

It was clear without any sort of doubt that the Elvas were pursuing them. Elle could feel the negative energy emanating from the south that constantly sent chills down her spine. The lone thing that offered her solace was that whoever hunted them was far enough away for her, Jân, and Nika to stop running. They were exhausted and irritable after almost a whole week of it with little time for resting or eating. Nika was especially on edge since she figured out how to cast a shield around them to block out the Elvas’ attempts at magically finding them, but maintaining that shield drained her strength.

Elle hoped after tonight they could rest easier as Jân has supposed they could. With the chance of the prophecy coming to pass being lost, there wasn’t as much need for their hunters to track them with so much haste. That was if they could avoid being killed before then. The Elvas’ pace had increased dramatically ever since the morning sun broke the horizon. For the first time in her life, Elle seriously pondered what it might be like to die. What was it like in the Beyond? Alar had always told her no one was sure. Some believed souls would be reborn onto a world where there was no heartbreak. Others said the souls would go to live with the gods. A few didn’t think there was anything Beyond at all. The only way to know was to die.

Elle liked to think there was something. What Jân had told her the night of Mareiel’s death had to be true. Mareiel had to be watching over them from somewhere. How else would the shield have last so long? That opened up the question of why Mareiel had let the shield fail, but Elle chose not to dwell on that all that often. The best answer she had been able to come up with was that doing so would finally lead them and Alar to a place where they could live safely together. The worst answer she had was that Mareiel actually wanted them dead so that they could all be reunited that way. Elle preferred the first answer.

“Hey, look at this.” Jân broke the silence that had long overtaken them.

He pointed to a circle of logs and old fire pit that was the remains of a campsite.

“This will be a good place to rest for a little while.”

“Shouldn’t we keep moving?” Elle asked as she glanced behind her shoulder to the south.

“We have enough space between us. We need to rest for if we do have to run or fight it would be best to have as much energy as possible.”

“I’m starving too.” Nika whined.

“Then let us all sit down, get off of our feet, and see what we have left to eat.” Jân suggested.

Elle’s stomach grumbled something awful and her feet ached so bad it would be a wonder if they hadn’t started bleeding a little, but Elle’s fear was stronger than her desire to eat or sit. She paced behind Jân and Nika restlessly as they sat down on the logs and opened up their packs. Jân gave her a look and a sigh, but chose not to say anything. He frowned as he shifted through his pack.

“I don’t have anything left.” he said dejectedly.

“I thought I had a bit of nuts or dried fruit, but I guess not.” Nika added unhappily.

“We might as well keep moving, because I don’t have anything left either.”

“Elle,” Jân said firmly, “I know you’re afraid. I know you’re in a bad mood. I’m not going to force you to sit down not matter how badly I wish you would, but pushing ourselves is not going to help. We need at least a little something to eat before we move on. If we have nothing then we’ll just have to find something instead. There should be something to either gather or hunt around here.”

“I don’t think I can move anymore.” Nika sounded like she was on the verge of tears.

“Nika, you can go ahead and lower the shield.”

“No.”

“Do it. No offense, but it’s so weak at this point it’s really not going to help.”

Nika flicked her wrist reluctantly. The faint presence surrounding them that had been the shield vanished. Elle tried not to pace more furiously for Nika’s sake. The dropping of the shield made her fists clench more tightly, but the last thing she wanted was for Nika do something possibly permanently damaging by forcing her magic too much. Elle had learned from her lessons that such a thing was possible.

“You stay here and rest. I can’t sense anything around that could hurt us. You’ll be safe while me and Elle, who clearly has plenty of energy to spare, go and find us some lunch.”

Nika nodded weakly. She slid down to sit on the lush grass with her back resting against the log.

“I’ll go and see what I can find in that grove of trees over there. Finding plants is my specialty according to Jenwyn and Silveren. I’m sure I can search out something edible.” Elle offered.

“Sounds good. I’ll head a little ways east then. The hunting really has been awful in this area, but there has to be something somewhere. Make sure you don’t go too far.”

“Got it.”

“Wait.” Jân said as she started to turn away.

Without a word, he took her in his arms and gave her a tight hug. Elle’s nerves soothed at his familiar scent. Elle never understood how her brother could be so level-headed, caring, and just ridiculously perfect all the time, but she understood she would have been lost a long ago without him. Jân left her with a kiss on her hair before giving her a reassuring smile and heading west. Elle thought how almost annoying his being perfect could be. She would have given herself a good punch in the face long ago if she was in his position. Elle glanced towards Nika as she started towards the grove. Her sister’s eyes were closed, and she had a strong feeling Nika would be deep asleep by the time she returned.

Elle didn’t feel nearly as scared going off by herself as she thought she would. As long as she was moving it was easier to ignore the panic within her heart. A large patch of bushes as tall as her blocked her view of the campsite before she even reached the trees. Elle stopped momentarily to study them. They were rather interesting to look at because both leaves and needles grew from their branches. She busied herself thinking back to all the books on plants she read in Marmaírein while she continued on her way. There was so much about the world she didn’t know, and there was so much more to discover than she dreamed there could be.

It was as if someone cast magic on her the second she stepped into the grove. Elle felt calm. So much of her life had been spent living under their protective canopy. Jân had always gotten upset whenever she left their security by going to the High Hill. It hadn’t been until they left for Marmaírein that Elle realized how safe she felt under their shade. Elle walked eagerly deeper into the rich, untouched undergrowth. She only remembered a couple minutes later what her original intention for entering the grove was.

Thankfully, her daydreaming didn’t waste too much time for all Elle had to do was look ahead to see what she and her siblings would consider a feast. Next to a lone apple tree was a gathering of bushes full of deep purple berries Elle knew were safe and delicious to eat. What was even better was that the apple tree was a rare breed that was resistant to cold and grew its apples early during the spring. Its branches were stuffed with the large red fruit. Elle wondered if she had wandered into a dream. It was either that, someone was helping her out by guiding her here, or she was simply incredibly lucky. She quickly took off her pack to grab the leather drawstring bag that had previously held the food she, Jân, and Nika had swiped from the Center before they departed.

Elle’s excitement faded when she realized the berries were protected by thick, large thorns that could cut her hands up quite easily. There was no way to avoid them. At least, there would have been no way the old Elle could have avoided them. She knew enough magic now to handle her problem, and the magic she had learned was most likely the only thing worthwhile Elle had received from her time in Marmaírein. Elle closed her eyes and swirled her arms around her as she pulled the world’s energy into her. It was still impossible for her to take the energy with small movements like Nika could, but her magic was no much more reliable than her sister’s.

In a scene that was a stark contrast from her display of magic in the cabin that seemed so long ago, Elle’s palms flashed open and the bush shook as the thorns retreated into the branches. It was only a temporary spell though it worked well for her intentions. Her arm moved back and forth quickly as she grabbed fistfuls of berries to drip into her bag. Of course, she popped a couple into her mouth every now and again. She pulled out another bag to fill when her first became stuffed to the point where it barely closed.

However, Elle stopped her work. The noise of the birds’ chirping and creatures scattering from here to there grew very quiet. Elle grew hesitant. Unease stirred within her, but try as she might she could feel no dangerous presence nearby. Elle assumed it was her paranoia creeping up on her again. There was no one nearby. A quick glance around proved that. Still, Elle listened harder and darted her eyes around more while she picked her berries. She hummed a song to herself to relax herself again.

It worked for a little while. The weather was warmer today than it had been all year, and it was comfortable even under the shade. The shivers that ran through her were quite unnatural then. Elle kept picking the berries. She tried to convince herself it was nothing more than her own mind scaring her. Jân had picked the least populated path possible in their journey towards Bluefell. There wasn’t a town within twenty miles of them. The abandoned campsite was the first sign of any sort of civilization they had seen since they left Marmaírein. There were definitely no Elvas about. Thus, there was nothing about.

Elle ran that thought through her mind over and over again as the shivers increased. Their magic could make the berries last a long time. She had to get as many of them as she could. Unfortunately, Elle lost her resolve. Terror struck her chest so hard she instantly grabbed her bags, stuffed them in her pack, and jumped up to look for what was watching her. The sensation of eyes firmly planted onto her could not be shaken. She glanced up to the apple tree. It was a shame to not have picked anything from it, but Elle refused to stay where she was a second longer.

She took a brisk few steps. Then it fell before it. Elle froze as the apple arced over her head and bounced on the ground at her feet. She hadn’t listened to the warnings she felt, and now she had moved too slow.

“I thought you wanted some of these?”

The male voice that spoke was smooth, clear, and teasing in manner. Elle was reminded of Jân though the actual voices sounded nothing alike. There was a coolness to the voice that was unlike anything else Elle had ever heard. Another apple dropped before her.

“Oi! Didn’t you want some of these?”

Elle knew she shouldn’t turn around. She should have already started running. However, against all logic and reason Elle slowly turned to face the other person. He was sitting on the lowest branch of the apple tree that had been completely empty when Elle looked up not thirty seconds ago. If possible, she froze even more when she saw just who was there. He didn’t look much older than her, and he was confusing. He had bright gray skin and a hint of wild to him, but his messy opal hair and shining red eyes Elle only just avoided looking into were the unmistakable characters of a Dowark. Dowarks didn’t have magic like the Elvas did, but they could cast enchantments on anyone who looked directly into their eyes. Elle kept her gaze resolutely straight in front of her.

 “This is strange,” he started in that underlying dangerous but teasing tone of his, “What is an Elvas doing so far past their border?”

“I am not an Elvas!” Elle yelled indignantly.

“Woah, okay. You do have a voice on you, and a rather strong one at that. You’re not an Elvas though? What’s with the pointy ears and pale skin then? Oh, you do have green eyes instead of amber ones. I actually like that. They’re pretty.”

How was she supposed to respond to that? Elle desperately wanted to run away, but fear kept her firmly put in place. The Dowark waited and waited for her reply. Elle was curious why he hadn’t just gone ahead and attacked her already.

“I…I am actually only half Elvas. My father is a Talmor.” Elle finally admitted hesitantly.

The idea that maybe the Dowark before her didn’t want to attack passed through her thoughts, but Elle highly doubted it. She only hoped that if she kept him talking she could keep him distracted until she could find a way to escape. There was her magic to help her, but Dowarks had legendary speed. It would be quite a risk to rely on her relatively untrained magic against an experienced hunter.

“Really? I thought they didn’t allow those?” he asked in genuine surprise.

“They don’t.” Elle replied dryly.

She glanced up just enough to see a big smile curl onto the Dowark’s lips.

“Interesting,” he said with curiosity, “So, what’s your name Miss ‘I’m-not-an-Elvas-but-I’m-still-totally-an-Elvas’?”

Elle refused to answer despite how long the Dowark waited for her reply. The smile on his face only grew wider.

“That’s alright. I’m a stranger. There’s no reason for you to be open with me. I don’t care about that stuff myself though. I’ll give you a nice hint as to what my name is. It’s spelled D-i-e.”

“Die. Your name is Die,” Elle said sardonically, “How fitting for a Dowark.”

“It’s actually pronounced Dié.”

“You spelled your own name wrong then. You did not mention there being an accent.”

Elle took a couple steps back as Dié effortlessly jumped out of the tree. He placed one hand in a pocket of his tattered and ripped black pants, and leaned slightly more on his right leg. It was such a casual way of standing, but Elle was intimidated and terrified. She made sure to keep her gaze to the berries bushes on the left of him.

“We’re both at one fault then. I missed the accent. You are mistaken on the fact that I’m a Dowark.”

Elle’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Yeah, that’s why I said this was interesting. I’m rather a lot like you. My father is a Dowark while my mother is a Vilder. I turned out more Dowark-like though, which I don’t see any point in complaining about. Who wants to be covered in fur?”

He walked towards her. Elle broke through her fear, turned on her heel, and bolted. It was only when she did that she realized safety was a lot closer than she expected. There was a large patch of sunlight streaming past the tree branches. She would be safe if she could just reach the center of it. Then she could wait until Jân came to back her up. Elle reached the sunlight with ease. However, her chest went hollow as Dié walked into the sunlight seconds later without repercussions. His eyebrow raised in confusion.

“Y’know, when you run away it’s generally better for you to keep running than to take fifteen steps and stop. You will just make it that much easier to catch you.”

“But, I-I thought…” Elle trailed off hopelessly.

She glanced from Dié to the strong rays of sunlight streaming down onto him. He mimicked her while clearly wondering what was going on in her head. Then it hit him. The threatening façade Dié had been trying to portray as he approached vanished instantly as he laughed loud and hard. Elle’s fear was momentarily replaced with embarrassment. Tears from Dié’s laughter were even starting to form in the corners of his eyes.

“Oh, that…that is…priceless,” he gasped through his laughs before gaining a bit better control of himself, “You actually believe those stupid stories, huh? It takes a special kind of idiot to truly think something can just dissolve into dust the second it touches sunlight.”

Elle ignored the burning in her cheeks. Dié was so close. Due to her stupidity she had lost her best chance at getting away. If he would just drop his guard for one second it was possible she could get a good couple blasts directly in his face before she retreated. Dié was oblivious to her silent planning.

“I’ll let you in a on a little secret. Dowarks don’t turn into dust. Bet that’s a shocker. Sunlight does eventually hurt the skin, but that’s after a good couple hours of direct exposure. Besides, I seriously just told you I was half Vilder. Vilders don’t have problems with sunlight, remember? I can pretty much be outside all day if I want. Light doesn’t bother me.”

“Oh heavens, would you stop toying around with your food Dié and just eat her already?”

“Savven.”

Both Elle and Dié’s focus shifted to apparently another Dowark-Vilder. She was situated on a tree branch much like Dié had been.

“This is my twin sister,” Dié told Elle proudly as if she cared, “So, Food, twin sister. Twin sister, Food.”

He motioned back and forth as he attempted an introduction. Elle could believe the sister part, but the twin part was much harder to grasp. Dié’s appearance was a mess. His clothing would have looked nice if it wasn’t so dirty and torn. Multiple scratches, bruises, and cuts decorated his skin. Savven, on the other hand, could almost be a porcelain doll. Her gray skin was clear and unmarked, her straight waist length opal hair shone as she moved, and her deep violet dress was well-maintained. Elle almost fell into the trap of glancing into her almond-shaped red eyes, but brought her gaze down to the earth just in time.

“Honestly, you talk too much dear brother. You could be half finished with your meal by now. I’m hungry as well. If you don’t start eating soon I’m going to have to steal her away from you.” Savven said she brushed her hair behind her shoulder.

“Where’s the fun in just sneaking and eating? In any case, I like getting to know my food a little bit before I dine. It reassures them that they’re at least not being eaten by a total monster. They get to see me as a person first.”

“That is the biggest nonsense I have ever heard. It truly remarks me sometimes that we are related.”

“Oh, come on now. Don’t say something like that. You know you love me.”

“I might be willing to say I agree if you weren’t such an idiot.”

“That’s just mean.”

“It’s true. If you would turn around you would see you are losing your meal.”

Dié instantly turned back around to see that Elle was almost out of sight.

“Hey, Food! Stop!” he called as he bolted after her.

With a shake of her head, Savven jumped gracefully out of her tree to follow.

“And this is why we’re going hungry.” she mumbled softly.

Elle had never run faster in her life. The world around her blurred green and brown as she focused on nothing else besides getting out of the grove. The trees grew sparser until the edge could be seen. Elle didn’t have the time to think that she would be luring two hungry predators to where her exhausted little sister was sleeping. If she could only get past the trees she had a better chance at alerting Jân’s attention. He said not to go too far, which hopefully meant he hadn’t gone too far himself.

She was feet away from the breaking of the trees when she smashed into the ground painfully as Dié tackled her. There really was no competing with his speed.

“NIKA!” Elle yelled as loud as she could.

Her attempt of at least alerting her sister to her struggle had an unexpected, but much welcome, benefit. Dié’s tight grip on her loosened as he jumped from the shock from her yell.

“Damn, you really are lou―”

He sentence was interrupted by his own scream of pain. There had been no choice for Elle other than to summon whatever magic she could muster. The great explosion of red magic that erupted from her palm pressed against his cheek shocked even her. She wasted no time leaping to her feet. Unfortunately, Dié recovered impossibly fast and forced her to the ground again.

“That hur―”

A deft punch to his jaw stopped his words once more. It barely did anything though. He maintained his grip on her well.

“Could you please―”

He cried out in pain again as he only half avoided another flaming red burst of magic. Elle made sure to sink her knee deep into his stomach this time as she scrambled up to her feet. However, Dié was relentless. He forced himself to move and catch her despite the vast amount of pain Elle kept dealing him. Each time she got an inch of freedom he snatched it away from her. They tumbled over the other again and again as they desperately fought to achieve their own goal. Elle tried another cry for Nika’s attention, but it seemed she was too far away to be heard.

Her mind raced as Dié more successfully pinned her down. She managed to get two more good punches at his jaw, but then Elle made the horrible mistake of forgetting what she shouldn’t have forgotten. She looked right into Dié’s eyes. The consequence was instant. Her whole body went limp― immobilized by the power Dié held within those red eyes of his. Even control of her thoughts was almost lost to her. It was hard to think straight as her mind felt numb. Elle thought about irrelevant things like how Dié was actually rather good looking and how Alar would have a fit if he saw how Dié was straddling across her and pressing her wrists into the ground.

“There’s a good girl.” Dié said softly.

He rested his forehead against hers. His chest rose and fell quickly. The singed skin on his face revealed he hadn’t won the fight as marvelously or easily as he would have liked. Dié locked his gaze more intently onto hers, and no longer blinked. Elle could think of nothing else but that stare and the fear still within her heart that told her these moments were her last. She had run away from Marmaírein to save her life, and now she was going to lose it like this.

“I can sense that you’re scared. Perfectly understandable.” Dié continued quietly.

Elle could feel his breath against her skin as he talked. He brushed her hair away from her neck almost lovingly.

“You really don’t have to be. There’s no reason for me to drink all of you up. You have more than enough blood to fill me. If you hadn’t tried so hard to get away you could be back on your way to whoever this ‘Nika’ person is by now,” he told her, “Heh, you’re surprised, huh? This is what happens when you jump to conclusions.”

Dié closed his eyes and gently pressed his lips against the base of her exposed neck. He inhaled deeply. Elle fought as hard as she could to move, but all she could do was twitch slightly. Dié chuckled.

“I’ve already put an enchantment on you. I’m not some child with untrained powers. The enchantment will continue even though I have moved my eyes away.”

Though he said that, Elle felt his power loosen enough to allow her mind to see more clearly. Honestly, she preferred the clouding of her senses. Dié ran his hand down the back of her neck as he inhaled ever deeper against her skin. He left a true lingering kiss on her collar. The whole experience was grossly uncomfortable and humiliating. To have him touching her in such a way against her will placed more fear within her already terrified heart.

“I said I wouldn’t drink all of you, but I don’t know if that’s actually an honest statement,” Dié admitted, “I’ve never smelled anything like you before. Talmor blood is bitter. Elvas blood is too sweet. You…are the perfect middle. I’m so damn hungry. I don’t know if I will be able to stop before I drink you dry.”

“Well, I know if you don’t start drinking within the next ten seconds I will tie you to a tree so I can go ahead and eat what you’re taking too long messing around with.” Savven warned.

Elle, and apparently Dié as well, had completely forgotten she was nearby. She stood only ten feet away watching with her arms folded.

“Alright, alright.”

Elle breathed shakily as Dié placed one last kiss at the base of her neck. She struggled with all the energy she had left. Her fingers twitched pitifully. Dié’s breath on her was so warm. He pressed his fangs against her skin, and Elle gasped sharply as he quickly bit into her. A burning sensation shot through her whole body. Her back arced though Dié pressed her down. The pulling of her blood out of her body made her stomach turn. Dié’s drinks were slow at first, but grew deeper and longer with each passing second. Elle closed her eyes. Already her vision was darkening. A chilling numbness grasped her hands and feet. Elle could feel everything within her shutting down, and she eased the pain away by comforting herself with the fact that she would be seeing Mareiel soon.