The Third- Chapter 1: The Meeting
#1 of The Third
The Third
Chapter 1: The Meeting
I stared. My red eyes could not fathom the sight. This perfect creature that I immediately fell in love with was human?
-As you can probably guess by now I'm not human. I am not elf-kin either, not as one would normally envision. My mother was elf-kin, my father was, I am slightly ashamed to say, a black-elf. Black-elves are by nature not very... sociable, quite unfriendly actually. Like my father I was an unusually powerful and fast individual. From my other side of the family I received the graceful and elegant features I wear on my skin, not to mention magic stronger and more ancient than even the elf-kin who discovered it. Don't ask me how old I am, let us say that I am not fresh off the crib and leave it at that.-
A human? I had never come across a human so beautiful. A black moonless sky disguised as hair rode from her head to her waist. A face any elf-kin female would envy: delicate nose; big almond shaped eyes, green as the forest; strong yet feminine cheekbone; and lips neither too small nor too large. She wore a dancer's body, shapely, but not plump, small delicate feet, and an impressive amount of bosom. Not being good at judging human's ages I still thought sixteen or seventeen years had passed since ahe entered this world. She walked past me without seeing me and I caught her scent, clean, unlike most of the people in this... city. She didn't notice me; nobody did, especially when I didn't want them to.
I followed her, intrigued at how this perfect creature could be human. The dull orange dust ground did not stir as I moved. My dark hair streaked with elf-kin yellow fluttered as I dodged through the human traffic. The few people I bumped into stared at thin air swearing they just collided with something. I did not fail to notice a pair of disgusting males that eyed her as they passed. Dressed in dirty earth coloured rags, they did not deserve the food they ate. When the beautiful creature was not watching they turned around to follow her. I walked up behind one and stopped him with my knife to his throat. "Whatever thoughts you were having lizard, I'll have you abandon them before my wrist decides to twitch," he immediately stopped walking. I spoke slowly, poison seeping from my voice. "Good, now close your eyes," he did, "now count to twenty, slowly, then open your eyes and walk the other way." Smart lizard, he obeyed me, although I doubt he knew how to count to twenty. The other male I did not even bother with, instead just hitting him over the head with the pommel of my knife. People stared amazingly at the man who had fallen like a ragdoll for no apparent reason. I almost chuckled. I then remembered about my beautiful creature and ran to find her.
She was not hard to find, it was like finding a silver legged butterfly in a swarm of grime-flies. I returned to following and watching her unseen. The way that the wind caressed her hair hypnotized me. I immediately decided that I would keep this creature of great beauty. She suddenly turned and walked into a street and her eyes widened as she set her sight on a dead end, she did not get lost often. An omen, I realised.
She turned and her eyes widened even more as her gaze met my shadowed silhouette. That she could see me at all surprised me, especially while I was in the Shadows. This meant that she was or could one day become an Auracaster. She stood there frozen. I took a step forward and she snapped out of it, grabbing a work-knife out of her tan-coloured mediocre robe. Yet she said not a word. I took another step and she braced herself. I stepped into the light and she gasped, almost dropping her knife in the progress.
My elf-kin charms never fail to enchant human females. "Greetings," I said politely. She shyly waved her hand at me before she could stop herself. She seemed to marvel at my black leather outfit and the black hooded-cloak surrounding it. "What is your name?" I asked. She did not answer, but she warily put her knife away. Small progress, but progress nonetheless. Now if I could only get her to talk, I could already imagine her marvellous voice. I kept taking small steps toward her and said, "My name is Driiaax, what is yours?"
She backed away slightly, her face still wearing a mixture of awe and wariness. Her wariness hinted at street smarts which implied she had probably lived in the streets for most of her life. "What, may I ask, is the problem?" She did not answer but instead touched her throat. Then it struck me. "Can you talk?" She shook her head slightly. She was a mute, yet it did not diminish her beauty in the smallest of ways. "Do you have the need of help reaching your home?" Of course, her getting to her home was not part of my plan. She nodded, her beautiful hazel brown eyes finally returning to their rightful size. I motioned for her to come close. She did, to a degree; she kept at a distance at which she could pull out a knife if I grabbed at her. As if I was as slow as a human, not that I would do something as crude and disgusting as to make a grab at anyone, much less a creature of such unimaginable purity.
She walked behind me until we got to the corner and then pointed to the left. She elongated her steps so that she was walking beside me, suspicion and wonder still shining in her eyes. I tried to hide my smile at the feelings and thoughts I could easily read on her face. But humans aren't blind (although they occasionally stab themselves I hear), she noticed. She didn't say anything. - I hope I don't have to remind why-. No incidents occurred while we walked, although I did give a human male a cold look that sent him sprinting away after he outright admired my creature's curves. I then slipped back into the Shadows.
At about the time I started to get impatient she sped up a fraction. We must be getting close. Then it reached my nose, smoke, and a lot of it. She sped up even before I smelt it, if she could sense the weavings of time at this age then I was going to have to meditate on this at a more appropriate time. The scent reached her and she started to run, though not very efficiently thanks to her robe. I sighed. She squeaked slightly as I lifted her in my arms. I pumped my legs and sped by oblivious humans; they saw and heard nothing but a breeze. Why I was even taking the trouble to help her, I know not. It was not in my best interest. Yet, while the thought of my actions being beyond my control disgusted me, something drove me to do so.
We reached a point where people weren't walking. They were running; in the opposite direction as us. Lizards, felines, equines, I even saw what looked like a female elephant. My eyes narrowed; already I could see the violence and carnage ahead. Because of my... delicate but not unwanted burden, I could not join. Not that I would have anyway, it wasn't my fight, and I don't have the born bloodlust my black-elf heritage would suggest. I dodged wildly swung swords and clubs; they were all amateurs, even the guards. Apparently the Lord (I never bother learning the more elaborate titles) doesn't put his "well" won earnings into the safety of the lower class citizens.
Tan, mud walls sped by as I followed my creature's directions. Still battles raged around us. My eyes caught a Sword-caster in battle about ten strides from us. He didn't look like he would stab himself in the foot, from his engraved sword and embroidered short cloak I knew him as a Sword-caster (a Auracaster trained in the art of the sword). A foolish Auracaster to have gotten himself caught up in this pointless violence; human, no doubt. I ran on without a pause or a look back.