Nameless [CURRENTLY BEING EDITED]

Five Years Earlier

Buried underneath fog and dirt, ground and rocks, a cavern opened like a gaping maw. It swallowed all light, leaving only the strained darkness. Furtive shadows ghosted like wisps of air inside the earthen cavity. Shadows armed with guns.

The sloping paths curved and curled downwards and upwards until all sense of direction was lost.

From somewhere deep below, a figure crawled upwards, his eyes constantly darting back and forth. For a moment, his breath caught in his throat as a patrol walked by barely ten meters away. Close enough to see their painfully bright eyes. He froze, his gaze stuck on their weapons, not daring to breathe.

They passed into another path. Stumbling to his feet, the figure stood and scrambled underneath an overhang. He paused, staring at the crossways that unrolled before him.

Was it right? No no, it was left. Two lefts. Let's go.

Throwing caution to the wind, the figure slipped forward down the left path, making no move to walk stealthily.

Somewhere behind him, an alarm blared. Footsteps churned the soil.

Blast. They must have sent a whole squad.

The figure burst into a run, not bothering to look behind him. Gasping for air, he managed only a few meters before something caught his boot. The crack of a whip echoed in the narrow darkness.

He struggled to his feet, glaring at the guns encircling him.

"I wouldn't try anything funny if I were you." the voice slithered into the air like a dagger being drawn. "Unless, of course, you'd like a bullet in the leg."

The figure dropped his gaze and two guards grabbed his arms and cuffed them firmly behind his back.

Failed escape attempt number three. I didn't even make it as far as last time.

Another blindfolded him and he barely stifled a curse. Now there was no way to find out the security pin.

The captain of the squad laughed softly at the boy's frustration. "Surprised that we're learning from our mistakes?"

The boy ignored him and the guards pushed him around, back down the path.

Down they went deeper underground, where all sense of direction was lost and time was nonexistent.

Past crumbling dirt tunnels and through stone structures and fluted columns until the squad reached their destination.

A cell.

The figure sighed as he heard the sound of someone punching in a code and the hiss of the opening door.

In an instant, his blindfold had been whisked off and his hands unbound. There was a flash of something black in the corner of his eye followed by a whiplash against his head. With a hiss of pain, he staggered into the stone room. The whip cracked across his face again, leaving him curled in a ball of pain. Shredded ribbons of sunset dyed pink and orange danced before his eyes.

Only after the squad had left did the boy put a groping hand to the side of his head, only to draw it away red and sticky.

He shuddered in disgust. It did not hurt now but from experience, he knew it would soon. He lay down on the stone floor, head against the cold tiles

He had to get out. Had to warn them. Everything depended on him telling them.

So he had to get out.

There isn't enough time.

The darkness snuck under his eyelids, dragging them down.

Sleep first.

No!

His fists clenched until his knuckles whitened. Pale as the bone under his skin.

If he didn't escape, the race of elves would vanish.

Disappear.

Not on my watch.

He stood up, leaning on the wall of his cell for balance.

"Thalion!" he rasped. "Let me finish this." 

Well that's a wrap. 

*Laughs evilly* 

Stay tuned for Faultless. In other words...

                                                             The End