Of Two Suns

v

The taste of dirt permeated Ryla's tastebuds, and the sound of her own coughing stirred her back into consciousness. She blinked hard as light stabbed at her eyes; it felt like ages before they had adjusted. It was brighter; the clouds had cleared enough to let in some light from the suns. How long had she been unconscious?

The world before her had rotated, and she quickly realized that she was laying on her left side. As she struggled to right herself, she found that her hands were bound behind her back. After a few tries, she was able to right herself using her shoulder and elbow to push off of the ground. With a tree now at her back, she rested back against it as she looked around. All around her were tall trees and moss covered rocks; the temple was nowhere in sight. She could hear the faint sounds of birds chirping some distance away.

And the scent. The scent of Perneah Woods was all around her. She was still home.

And she was also alone.

She realized as she gazed at her surroundings that the Elf was gone. His unfamiliar scent was faintly mixed with the scent of the woods, telling her that it had been some time since he had left her there. He must have been confident that she wouldn't make it far if she tried to run.

With a sigh, she leaned her head back against the tree. The stiff bark was almost comforting as it poked at her scalp. The pieces of sky she could see through the foliage were a mix of grey and blue, and she could make out faint slivers of gold cutting through. As she stared up through the leaves, she wondered if she would ever get the chance to see the dragons fly that high.

Ryla bolted up, away from the tree. Her eyes quickly scanned the area all around her, twisting around to try and see behind the tree at her back. The dragons were gone. A memory ran through her mind of the Elf gripping one of the dragons so tightly that it screamed. She suddenly felt like screaming, herself. But she knew if she did, she could potentially draw more unwanted attention to herself. The shadowed image of the witch who had chased her through the woods flashed before her eyes, and she shivered.

She bit her tongue as she clenched her hands hard into fists, feeling her nails chip at the scabs on her palms, and began to wriggle her wrists. She needed to get her hands free; needed to find the dragons and then run as far away as she could. Even if she had nowhere to go. She needed to find Myricha, and her father. She refused to let herself believe that either of them was dead.

The same unfamiliar scent of the Elf grazed her nose before she saw him. He was silent as he walked, as if his feet floated above every rock, root, and stick. The lower half of his face was still hidden behind a black cloth, but his eyes looked frustrated, his brow furrowed. His hair was dark, almost as dark as the clothing he wore; most of it was tied up atop his head and hung down to the middle of his back. His black clothes clung to him, and accentuated every muscle on his lean body.

She could feel herself beginning to tremble as she watched him. She had no idea who this Elf was, or what he wanted. Was he aligned with Perneah's attackers; had he been there when the attack happened? Was this Elf going to kill her, or would her fate be decided by those who seemed intent on catching her? Would she ever even find out the reasons behind all of this?

When she was young, her mother had always warned her to stay away from Elves not-from Minthe. They were highly intelligent, and could be incredibly ruthless. She would say how there were some who enjoyed playing with humans the way little ones enjoyed playing with dolls. As Ryla grew, her mother continued to instil in her that if she were to ever come face-to-face with one of them, she should run as fast as she could in the opposite direction.

She tugged at her restraints, trying to loosen what felt like rope. The braided material dug into her skin, but she didn't care; she didn't even care if she ripped her skin apart and bled, as long as she could get free. She needed her hands if she wanted even a small chance of being able to fight back against the Elf before her.