Just for you Kalie. x)
She hated this part. Sucking in a deep breath, she tried to find the will to jump, but couldn’t. Magic or no magic, thirty feet was a long way down, and she’d never been fond of heights. She edged further along the wooden support beam, closed her eyes, and then shoved herself off.
Reflex kicked in, and she threw her hands out in front of her. A gust of air swept up around her, softening her landing as her feet hit the ground and she tucked into a roll along the stone floor. Standing, she brushed the dust and a few errant strands of cobwebs off her dark clothing before taking off down the hallway.
Her heart was still racing from trying to get into the fortress, and it wasn’t about to stop. She was beginning to think she should have brought Trace along with her, but she hadn’t had time to wait for him.
The fortress felt abandoned; there was a stillness in the air that Saige couldn’t ignore. Despite her best efforts, a feeling of dread crept up inside of her as she ran through the halls. She kept her footsteps light in the case that she was not alone in the fortress.
She went room to room, finding most of the doors locked up tight. It had been some time since the fortress had been in use, judging by the cold torches which had accumulated a layer of thick spider webs over them.
Finding a staircase that spiraled down to the lower levels, Saige continued her search. The next floor down seemed even darker, with no source of outside light. She held her hand out in front of her, letting a small fire in her palm light the way for her. Again, she found no sign that anyone had been in the fortress recently.
At the end of the hallway, she spotted a door slightly ajar. A flickering light glowed within the room, spilling softly out into the hall. Saige clenched a fist, extinguishing the little flame in her palm. She slowed her pace, pressing her back to the wall as she neared the door.
For a moment, she listened for a sign of movement from within the room, but there was none. Mustering up the will to continue, she allowed herself a peek inside.
From her vantage point, she could see a wooden table on the opposite end of the room. A candle burned on the table, the source of the flickering glow. A number of papers had been scattered across the table.
She could see no sign of anyone inside the room. Casting a glance over her shoulder to be sure no one had followed her, she pressed the door open another inch. When nothing happened, she continued to inch the door open bit by bit until she had room to slip inside. Once inside, she pushed the door to the point of being nearly closed, just as she’d found it.
The room wasn’t particularly large; she could cross it in a matter of six long strides. The table, a single chair that had been pushed to the side, and a large trunk were the room’s only furnishings. Saige discovered the trunk to be locked.
The room had no windows; the candle offered the only light. Judging by how small the puddle of wax around the candle’s base was, it hadn’t been lit long. The papers scattered across the desk were the only interesting feature in the room. They contained a number of diagrams and symbols, with writing that Saige could not decipher. She thought she recognized the writing, though. It looked like the same type of script she’d encountered in Solomyre.
She rummaged through them, finding a page that depicted a seven pointed star. That alone told her that the papers had to do with magic, and she suspected it was dark magic. She grabbed the page with the star, folded it up, and tucked it safely into the little pouch on her belt.
She heard the slight creaking of the door behind her, and whirled around. The door had opened a few inches, but she found herself still alone. With careful steps, she crossed the room to the door, careful to stay out of sight from anyone that might be lurking in the hallway. Time seemed to stand still as she waited, listening for anyone outside.
It took several long, painstaking minutes for Saige to muster up the will to leave the room. She moved around the door, expecting to come face to face with someone, but there was no one. Her only company was her own shadow, faintly cast into the hallways by the light behind her.
Now that she knew she was hardly alone, her pace quickened and she took care in her steps, making them as quiet as she could manage. She continued downward, and she was sure she had passed underground now. Here, a torch had been lit around the corner of the hall. She froze, catching sight of a shadow lurking just around the corner.
Glancing back, she wondered how quickly she could return upstairs, and decided it wasn’t quickly enough. She gave as silent a sigh as she could, slipped up against the wall, and continued forward. Alik had warned her she might be walking into a trap, and she’d come prepared for a fight. She’d come to find out where her friends were, and she’d known doing so would likely lead to an unwanted confrontation.
But her goal was to keep her friends safe. She'd have gone up against an army if that's what it took.
The shadow around the corner receded, footsteps growing fainter. Saige waited until she could no longer hear them before peering around the corner. The hall was empty save for the torch burning near an open doorway. Saige drew her dagger, tightening her grip on it as she approached the doorway with slow, deliberate steps. The room was dark, and Saige could see it contained a table with two chairs placed opposite of each other.
She took a step inside, eyes scanning the shadows created by the torch outside.
“It's good to see you again, hero.”
Saige came to a sudden halt, her breath catching in her throat. ‘Not him,’ she thought to herself. Her grip on the dagger weakened, and it threatened to fall from her hand. ‘Anyone but him.’
- - - - - - - - - -
And... maybe I'll post some more later. You can probably guess who it is. For anyone who's read bits of books one and two, you should know who it is. There's only one person who refers to Saige as "hero". ;]
She hated this part. Sucking in a deep breath, she tried to find the will to jump, but couldn’t. Magic or no magic, thirty feet was a long way down, and she’d never been fond of heights. She edged further along the wooden support beam, closed her eyes, and then shoved herself off.
Reflex kicked in, and she threw her hands out in front of her. A gust of air swept up around her, softening her landing as her feet hit the ground and she tucked into a roll along the stone floor. Standing, she brushed the dust and a few errant strands of cobwebs off her dark clothing before taking off down the hallway.
Her heart was still racing from trying to get into the fortress, and it wasn’t about to stop. She was beginning to think she should have brought Trace along with her, but she hadn’t had time to wait for him.
The fortress felt abandoned; there was a stillness in the air that Saige couldn’t ignore. Despite her best efforts, a feeling of dread crept up inside of her as she ran through the halls. She kept her footsteps light in the case that she was not alone in the fortress.
She went room to room, finding most of the doors locked up tight. It had been some time since the fortress had been in use, judging by the cold torches which had accumulated a layer of thick spider webs over them.
Finding a staircase that spiraled down to the lower levels, Saige continued her search. The next floor down seemed even darker, with no source of outside light. She held her hand out in front of her, letting a small fire in her palm light the way for her. Again, she found no sign that anyone had been in the fortress recently.
At the end of the hallway, she spotted a door slightly ajar. A flickering light glowed within the room, spilling softly out into the hall. Saige clenched a fist, extinguishing the little flame in her palm. She slowed her pace, pressing her back to the wall as she neared the door.
For a moment, she listened for a sign of movement from within the room, but there was none. Mustering up the will to continue, she allowed herself a peek inside.
From her vantage point, she could see a wooden table on the opposite end of the room. A candle burned on the table, the source of the flickering glow. A number of papers had been scattered across the table.
She could see no sign of anyone inside the room. Casting a glance over her shoulder to be sure no one had followed her, she pressed the door open another inch. When nothing happened, she continued to inch the door open bit by bit until she had room to slip inside. Once inside, she pushed the door to the point of being nearly closed, just as she’d found it.
The room wasn’t particularly large; she could cross it in a matter of six long strides. The table, a single chair that had been pushed to the side, and a large trunk were the room’s only furnishings. Saige discovered the trunk to be locked.
The room had no windows; the candle offered the only light. Judging by how small the puddle of wax around the candle’s base was, it hadn’t been lit long. The papers scattered across the desk were the only interesting feature in the room. They contained a number of diagrams and symbols, with writing that Saige could not decipher. She thought she recognized the writing, though. It looked like the same type of script she’d encountered in Solomyre.
She rummaged through them, finding a page that depicted a seven pointed star. That alone told her that the papers had to do with magic, and she suspected it was dark magic. She grabbed the page with the star, folded it up, and tucked it safely into the little pouch on her belt.
She heard the slight creaking of the door behind her, and whirled around. The door had opened a few inches, but she found herself still alone. With careful steps, she crossed the room to the door, careful to stay out of sight from anyone that might be lurking in the hallway. Time seemed to stand still as she waited, listening for anyone outside.
It took several long, painstaking minutes for Saige to muster up the will to leave the room. She moved around the door, expecting to come face to face with someone, but there was no one. Her only company was her own shadow, faintly cast into the hallways by the light behind her.
Now that she knew she was hardly alone, her pace quickened and she took care in her steps, making them as quiet as she could manage. She continued downward, and she was sure she had passed underground now. Here, a torch had been lit around the corner of the hall. She froze, catching sight of a shadow lurking just around the corner.
Glancing back, she wondered how quickly she could return upstairs, and decided it wasn’t quickly enough. She gave as silent a sigh as she could, slipped up against the wall, and continued forward. Alik had warned her she might be walking into a trap, and she’d come prepared for a fight. She’d come to find out where her friends were, and she’d known doing so would likely lead to an unwanted confrontation.
But her goal was to keep her friends safe. She'd have gone up against an army if that's what it took.
The shadow around the corner receded, footsteps growing fainter. Saige waited until she could no longer hear them before peering around the corner. The hall was empty save for the torch burning near an open doorway. Saige drew her dagger, tightening her grip on it as she approached the doorway with slow, deliberate steps. The room was dark, and Saige could see it contained a table with two chairs placed opposite of each other.
She took a step inside, eyes scanning the shadows created by the torch outside.
“It's good to see you again, hero.”
Saige came to a sudden halt, her breath catching in her throat. ‘Not him,’ she thought to herself. Her grip on the dagger weakened, and it threatened to fall from her hand. ‘Anyone but him.’
- - - - - - - - - -
And... maybe I'll post some more later. You can probably guess who it is. For anyone who's read bits of books one and two, you should know who it is. There's only one person who refers to Saige as "hero". ;]
