Beneath the Wings

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Unnamed

Feet-pound the dirt behind him and his legs feel like they are going to cramp up at any minute.

His lungs are burning like hot coals, and he knows he can't hold out much longer. But he's got to give the other boys a fighting chance if there's any hope at all.

A chance to warn the others of the dangers lurking so close to home.

He dodges a tree root, the forest surrounding him only making things a thousand times more difficult.

If he can just make it past the river, it might be far enough. He can already hear the sound of rushing water, and for a split second he feels hope that he may be able to live through this.

The footsteps grow closer and closer as a buzzing overwhelms his senses. It seems to echo from every direction, closing in on him.

His heart pounds faster than his feet now though he knows he's only postponing the inevitable.

Cold hands grip his shirt from behind, yanking. He lands on his back, smacking the ground with a sickening crack as pain burns up his spine. The rocks rip into his skin like shards of glass and his hip lands directly on a tree root causing a horrible crack.

The buzzing stops abruptly and everything around him seems to go eerily silent. Even the wind in the trees seems to wait patiently for what comes next.

Then he hears a small maniacal giggle.

And what feels like large bugs, begin to crawl up his body. Arms, legs, face. They are everywhere.

He whips his head back and forth as he tries to knock them off or at the very least see what the hell is attacking him.

But before he can get a good look his vision goes black as something small is stabbed through each of his eyeballs. A sickening slimy pop sounds through the air as he feels them begin to pull on whatever he has been stabbed with, dragging his eyes out of his socket as they tug. Agony rips through his skull as a cry he doesn't recognize as his own, leaves his lips.

As tiny creatures begin to rip his skin and muscle from his bones with wet sounds, his body feels cold and shock sets in.

His brother's face flashes before the darkness and his pain-filled screams double in agony.

He prays the other boys made it to warn the town.

To save his brother.

#

7-year-old Dain

Grandpa Delmuth lets the projection of his brother's last moments morph into his brother's smiling face for a second before letting it fade from the air in thousands of tiny lights. With a sigh, he pinches the bridge of his nose, wet with tears, before turning his sorrow-filled sky-blue eyes onto me and places a hand on my shoulder.

We sit on his porch, our feet hanging over the edge as he shows me the truth. The sun outside is high in the sky, making the trees shine a vibrant green and the wheat field in front of us looks almost golden as it sways in the wind. Papa says it looks just like the top layer of earth.

"So, you see son, I'm not trying to scare you but you cannot trust that little girl! She may not be evil yet, but she will be. Without a doubt, she will be." He stares deeply into my eyes as if hoping to let me see his honesty. "I know it feels horrible to see her treated that way but you have to understand that it is for the best."

But I already do. Matching tears sting my eyes as the reality of it settles in. How dare they! How could the dark elves kill his brother, and so viciously. The words rush out of my mouth as my throat tightens around the overwhelming emotion takes over. "I understand Papa! I'm so sorry! I didn't kn-"