Watty's Shortlist 2023
"I have been waiting a long time to meet you."
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When two warring kingdoms hear of a magical object that will end the conflict once and for all, two rival heirs embark on a quest to retrieve it and bring their...
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Back in an endless chasm, Aila opened her eyes. Recognition flared through her at the familiar darkness that enveloped her, at the silence that hung in the air, only this time punctuated by an incessant pounding in her head.
Pain slammed into her body hard, and she fought the urge to groan, feeling self-concious about breaking the stillness around her.
A flicker of red appeared before her, and she found herself meeting unusual eyes that she somehow felt she knew quite well. He smiled as he saw her, unconcerned by the blood that was pouring out of her arm.
"You remembered," he murmured vaguely, regarding her with an unnerving mix of respect and curiosity.
Aila's mind was roaring, unable to even form a coherent thought in the first place. She reckoned she wouldn't have been able to formulate a reply even if she'd tried.
"Ah, allow me to help you," the stranger appeared to place his hand on her head, though she only felt the whisper of a breeze float by her. Within seconds, her head was clear and all pain was gone.
"Your friend has taken care of that," Red pointed to her arm, which now neither hurt nor appeared to have improved. "It should heal within the next few hours."
"Huh?" Aila managed finally.
He smiled.
"You've done well Aila, but you must keep going. Two trials remain. Your mind and spirit are already worthy; do not forget that."
Her mouth was dry but she managed a nod.
"You must awaken now," the stranger murmured. "It's been a day. They are waiting for you, and they are worried."
He again brushed a quick kiss across her knuckles, and she again only felt the gentle caress of a light air. Dazed, she watched as he faded before her vision, hope shining in his stark features.
Her senses again seeped back into her, and she could feel that they truly had eluded her for a long time, a whole day. They felt foreign, strange.
Aila registered the feeling of movement beneath her first. Next, it was the feeling of someone's arms around her, beneath her legs and behind her back. The third was the chill in the air, the sweat clinging to her skin, and the brightness that hit the back of her eyelids. The fourth was her mouth, even dryer in reality than it had been in that abyss.
And as her eyes slowly fluttered open, the fifth thing she registered was a pair of concerned blue eyes staring into her own, so very different from the red ones in a distant chamber of her mind.
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Ah there's so much planned...
Let me know any theories you have and please vote and comment if you enjoyed!
