arda2

[arda2]

The Rising Dark (Part 4)

This is part 4 of idk how many

If this is the first part you are seeing, I recommend you go back and read the first few parts

We were in the darkness, locked away underground for so long that we almost forgot the light. But tomorrow would change that. Tomorrow was the day the humans set out, and the day we could put our carefully crafted plans into motion. I wondered what she would be like, the alio. She was vital in our plan, but I hoped she would at least be nice.

Xaen walked in behind me and placed a slender hand on my shoulder. “The first scouts have gone out. It is all ready.” I sighed and we left the cave.

We lay in the grass, the night loud beside us, looking up at the stars. Xaen once told me the stars were full of dreams and promises. Sometimes we come out here at night, when no one will see us, to catch a glimpse of those dreams and promises.

“I can feel a change, Naivi. I feel it coming. We will feel the sun again soon.” Xaen reassured me.

All the same, I thought and thought, and I never stopped worrying.

[arda2]

The Rising Dark (part 3)

This is part 3 of idk how many

If you haven’t read the others, i recommend you go back and read the whole story

I was sat in the front row. We left so early the whole arena was practically empty. It only took an hour or so for the whole arena to fill up. The whole city was abuzz with anticipation ; this was a certain excitement that only happened every 50 years. People had cone from all over Mercrend to see what would happen. All I could hear was the beating of my heart as I waited for the representatives to start. Father sat on my left, Mother on my right. My sisters were too busy in their own cities to come, but they sent gifts and the oldest came to visit a month ago to help me prepare. I don’t really mind that they are not here. I was never that close to them anyway: they were too old to play with me.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming.” Iandi, Miken and Dralt stepped into the middle of the arena.

“We are honoured to be the 3 representatives of Mercrend going to perform the Graidyentan. It is what we have prepared for our whole lives.” Dralt continues. I think that was the first time I ever heard them speak. Their voice is rough and low, as though it doesn’t get very much use.

“Of course, we will not be going to Tiala alone,” Miken tells us. “There are 4 others who will be coming with us. The bodyguard, although we hope you will never be needed, the seamstress, for gifts to the Elves, the chef, to prepare Mercrend delicacies, and the alio, for religious and personal duties.”

“The first we will be announcing is the alio,” said Iandi. This was it. The moment I knew whether I would go or not. “The person honoured by the Gods to become our alio is…”

“Veyra Amani!” Miken shouted. I shook my head in disbelief. Mother squeezed my hand and told me to stand up. Iandi called me into the middle of the arena.

“Well done, Veyra,” she whispered. Then, louder she said, “We were very impressed with your skills, and so you will be very valuable on our trip.” Dralt and Miken then called the other 3 and Iandi took us inside. Miken and Dralt followed soon.

“You will have all the clothes, objects and food that you need provided for you, but we will give you the rest of the day to say your goodbyes and bring all your personal items before we leave.” Miken told us where we would meet, and what else we needed to do, and then the three left the room. Before they shut the door, Dralt turned around and said, “Congratulations, all of you. You deserve this.”

***

I found Mother and Father outside the arena. Mother pulled me into a tight hug and they both told me how proud they were all the way home. When we got back home, Mother pulled out her travelling bag and said, “It seems that all of my travelling things are still lucky. Take it with you for good fortune.” So, I ran upstairs and pulled out the three books Father gave me, my map of Tiala and rag-doll horse Mother made from the box under my bed. I smiled and put them in the bag. After that I ran over to my dressing table, which was the old kitchen table, and threw my favourite hairbrush and a few ‘lucky’ hair pins in as well. I raced back down and gave Mother and Father the biggest hug I could, before pecking them on the cheek and saying goodbye. I left so quickly the door slammed behind me.

I ran through the streets, dodging the tourists and stalls on the roads, waving at people I knew, and people I didn’t. I was on such I high I almost didn’t notice the other three servants going to Tiala. They stood in a line, looking out at the sea of people. The girl in the middle spotted me and waved.

“Hello! You must be Veyra,” she said, “My name is Saltan. I’m the seamstress. This is Remdent,” She gestured at the ginger haired, sulky looking boy next to her. “He’s the bodyguard. And this is Gialda.” Gialda looked me up and down and nodded. She said, “I hope you’re smart enough to realise that I’m the cook. If not, we are not going to be very good friends.” I nodded quickly. I didn’t want to give them the wrong impression. We were going to spend the next 3 months together crossing the Gialda Ocean, and then at least 2 more months in Tiala, and it would not be very pleasant if we didn’t get along.

“Come on! If we don’t go now, we’ll be late,” Remdent worried. He hurried us through the crowds, occasionally turning back to usher along a distracted Saltan. Once we got back to the Embassy, Remdent’s face was bright red from running around to find her, and Gialda and I were in fits of laughter.

“You know,” she said to me once she had enough air to talk, “I think we might be good friends.”

“I think we will.” I laughed.

***

“What about you, Veyra?” Iandi asked. I blinked. We were sat in the grandest room I had ever been in eating the biggest meal I had ever had. I was so focused on eating that I didn’t even notice the conversation shift to me.

“What about me?” I said, trying to think of what they could be talking about. Iandi laughed and asked again, “What did you work as in the Embassy before?”

I told them about my job as a minor worker in the Embassy temple, and my father’s stall at the market. Iandi looked amazed and showed me a beautifully carved wooden necklace, which I immediately recognised as my father’s handiwork. We all laughed at the coincidence. Miken said it could be fate and we laughed at that too.

“Oh, praise the Gods, that reminds me,” Saltan rummaged around in her shoulder bag and handed us all necklaces. I had a gold veyra flower with rose coloured stones. “I asked around and found out what everyone’s names meant.” I looked up around the table. Remdent was holding a silver chain with two crossed swords hanging off it. I wondered what that meant. The rest were easy. Gialda had a silver anchor, which means the ocean, Saltan found herself a gold sun, because her name honours the sun god, Iandi a stone from the beach, because Iandi means island or hope, Miken had a wooden wheel, for perseverance or travel, and Dralt had a pressed flower in resin, for new life.

“They’re beautiful. Thank you, Saltan,” I said for everyone. She blushed, looking pleased.

It was only after the meal that I had the chance to look at everyone properly. The whole evening was so rushed, going from one thing to the next and I hadn’t stopped to take in the people I would spend at least 5 months with. I looked at Remdent. His ginger hair and freckles meant that he was from the Eastern Regions. His pale face would quickly tan on the ship to Talia. His calloused hands were roughened, probably by years of work as a farmer’s help or maybe even from on a fishing boat. I supposed we’d find out on the ship whether he was a farmer or a fisherman, but he was always so serious, never seemed to smile or look up from under his flop of red hair. I turned to Saltan. Her hair was the colour of honey and she was very well tanned. She wore an incredibly intricately stitched dress, probably made do herself. She was a local, sunny and bright, seemingly still living in the city. Her blue eyes darted round the room, taking in all the details and patterns. I laughed silently and shifted my gaze to Gialda. She seemed fun, with dark hair and dark eyes the dared you to laugh. She was pretty enough, but the way she held herself gave her a dangerous look that would tempt even the most reserved man. Or woman, if she was in that way inclined. She was a cook that knew how to use her knives. The representatives looked quite simple; Iandi floated on a cloud, calm and collected; Miken was the backbone of the group, he held all of them together; and Dralt was the rule breaker. So far, during the past few hours, they had managed to escape into the streets twice, trip over 3 servers at the meal and now had a wicked glint in their eye. I had originally thought of Dralt as reserved and quiet, but that is more like Miken.

Gods, I can’t believe I can just think of them like I know them. I do know them, if not very well. They don’t talk down to us at all. We are equals, each important in our own way.

At Nightfall, an official looking woman walked into the room. She was familiar to Iandi, Dralt and Miken, and announced we had to sleep, and don’t even think about sneaking out Dralt, tomorrow was far to important for that.

***

I lay in my bed, thinking. It was the most comfortable I had ever had, but even the soft matress couldn’t lull me to sleep. I could feel something coming, something big. What was waiting for us in Tiala?

[arda2]

The Rising Dark (part 2)

This is part 2 of idk how many yet.

If this is the first part you are seeing i suggest you go back and read part 1

I stood behind the Great Elder, in the shadows at the back of the stage. My people were sat in front of me, chanting her name. “Xaen, Xaen, you will bring us into the light,” they say.

Xaen raises a hand and shouts a quieting spell in old Elvish. Instantly a hush falls over the room. No one dares break it.

“It is not me who will bring you into the light. I am old, and can only plan. But there is one who can lead you.” Xaen beckons me forwards, and I step into the light. “This is one of our most devoted followers. She will do anything for her clan, so chant her name instead of mine. Naivi, Naivi!”

The crowd joins in, louder than before, louder, and louder, until all I can hear is the deafening roar of my name.

[arda2]

The Rising Dark

Hi, I have been writing something i would like to share. 

This is the first chapter

I hope you enjoy

                                                   The choosing

“Wake up, Veyra. You’re going to be late!”

I sat on my bed, fully dressed. Today was the day. I would go in there for Mother, and I would make her proud.

“I’m already up, Mother. I might not even be the first questioned.” I called down the stairs as the smell of sausages wafted up towards me. She does know how to get me up.

“Oh, you look lovely! I knew that dress would be useful again. Now eat up, you’ll need as much energy as you can get if you’re going to get the position.” Mother always tells me about how she kept the dress she wore when she arrived in Kilin, the main region of Mercrend. Its lucky, she says, and she has been hoping it would get worn again, and that it would bring good fortune with it. Mother is from Main, the region on the other side of Mercrend. Everyone there has horses, and goes riding through the forests every day.

“Is Father here?” I ask. Mother tells me that he already left to set up. Father has a stall in the market. Every day he goes to the market with a basket of new hand carved wooden figures. They are beautiful, and sell well. So well, in fact, that sometimes he can take days of to spent with Mother and I.

“He will take the day off tomorrow. He will be at the choosing, I promise.” I hope he’s true to his word. The whole city will be there anyway; he would make no sales.

“Well, would you look at the time! Go, Veyra, go!”

                                                           ***

Three names have been called. Surely I must be soon. All the girls that came out look quite calm. There’s no need to be so nervous, Veyra. You will be absolutely fine. This is Mother’s lucky dress.

“Veyra Amani? Veyra?” I was so caught up in reassuring myself that I almost missed my calling. I stood up, a little embarrassed.

“That’s me, sorry, I’m here.” The woman at the door waved me through impatiently. She asked a few simple questions, like what position I held at the Embassy, how old I was, which region I was from. She wished me luck and then left.

Another door opened and the three representatives walked in. I couldn’t believe it was them! I had only ever seen them from a balcony in the parades we couldn’t afford to go to. They were chosen at birth to cast the Graidyentan, a peace spell in old Elvish that roughly translates to ‘Protection’. They were given the best of the best, and the day they turned 20, they would travel to Tiala, the continent of the Elves.

The blonde woman, Iandi, stepped forward. She introduced herself, Dralt and Miken in a soft voice. They are old Elvish names, meant to prove our peaceful intent.

Dralt stood stoically behind Iandi, only moving to acknowledge the introduction with a small nod. She was the most fearsome of the three, with her dark hair pulled back into a tight bun and wearing a leather bodysuit she could have been a shadow. She was a sharp contrast to Iandi, who was pale and white in every way. Even her floating, pale blue dress contributed to the image of light and carefree.

“Try it.” Miken said from behind me. I whipped around, startled, to see him standing behind me holding a flute for the prayersong. I had been learning how to play for the last 5 years, and only ever playing prayersong in preparation for this. He asked me to play ‘For Peace and Praise’, one of the first songs I learnt. I played the whole thing through twice before stopping to glance at the faces of the three. They seemed pleased, especially Iandi, although I couldn’t exactly tell if that was because she just had a permanently smiling expression. Even Dralt was nodding, which I took as a good sign. I carried out a few other trial duties, and then the sent me home. I was amazed at how little there was to it. Being the alio wouldn’t be such a bad task. It might actually be fun, especially meeting the elves. It wouldn’t just be me there anyway, there are three more people, the bodyguard, the seamstress and the chef. I felt quite confident for the first time. I might get the position. Praise the Gods, I might go to Tiala, land of the elves.

The minute I got home, Mother sat me down and made me tell her everything. I described everything, from Iandi’s pale blue eyes to Miken’s crooked teeth. I told her about the prayersong and more about the trip I found out from mingling outside the Embassy. I described everything in such exquisite detail we filled the whole day with talking. By the time I had said everything, and Mother had no more questions, Father was back. He was exhausted, so he went straight upstairs.

“By the Gods, I didn’t realise how late it was. Go to sleep now, or you’ll regret it at the choosing tomorrow.”

[arda2]

Hi!

I have been writing a story and i wanted to use this blog to allow others to (hopefully) enjoy it. If this comes up i would appreciate it a lot if you would check out the rest of this, and share it. Thank you so much for reading this so far!