The Girl of Ossetia

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

They had been plodding along silently, except for the loud chattering of Arrana’s teeth; whom refused any console from anyone. She stared hard forward, gripping the reins as her skin prickled and the chilled air clung to her skin. Her hair dripped and gave her constant shakes and flinches. After what felt like sometime of descending, they had came into a forest, the tree’s thin and somewhat far apart, besides the fact their branches stretched out much longer then natural. The skies behind them had turned into a melted pink and orange as the sun sank behind the hills, but before them and soon to be on top were heavy gray clouds, threatening down pours. A now pungent smelling wind rose from the east, carrying unusual scents Arrana had never smelt before.

She watched Saelam for some time, feeling her biggest question come bubbling up and resting fiery on her tongue. She heeled her steed into a trot, slowing beside the stiff figure. He did not look over at first; his eyes had a far off look in them. Under the long fingers of the trees, which cast dim and long shadows across the slightly brush covered path, he looked nearly at peace. Arrana, after a few moments, looking at him and his head mechanically turned to meet her gaze.

“May I ask a question, Saelam?” her voice was almost timid, and she sank further into the saddle. His green eyes glinted, one eyebrow curving upward. He did not say anything, just waited. Arrana sat in silence for a moment, before inhaling deeply. “Where are we going?”

He looked forward, his lips a hard line, a muscle in his jaw twitched. Arrana felt dread crawling up her veins, and her eyes stung as they flicked ahead to get the putrid thoughts away.

“We have to get you as far away as possible, to the eastern cliffs.” He said after a long while, and she for once searched her memory for any remembrance of the place. She had remembered the lore of the place that some of the elders had told her to scare her, but she had never believed it. There, the water that churned and rolled below – when something was fully submerged – sucked the soul straight out of them.

“What will we do when we get there?” Arrana questioned stiffly. There was no answer.

When they emerged from the forest, it was into a low cut hill, which slowly rose before them into one large, single hill. The sky was now the color of tar, and a few long grey clouds strained out over the largest, most bright moon Arrana had ever seen. It sat like a large beacon upon a black hunch back. Crowned upon the top of the hill was a gigantic, leave-less tree silhouetted by the gigantic moon hanging just behind it. It’s branches twisted out every which way, and the hill was filled with unusual and eerie vibes.

“The creatures will awake any moment. Do not be afraid; do not show any fear, they feed off of it. They will be slower tonight because of the full moon.” Cav said, whose fat hand wrested on the handle of his sword. She watched the tree with unmoving eyes, whose branches seemed to wither and groan in an inexistent wind.

A sudden movement at the base of the tree caught Arrana’s eyes and she leaned forward rigidly, hands moving slowly to her bow. It crawled out, warily perhaps, and walked on fours away from the tree. It was an unusual figure, and fear gripped her lungs. Another one emerged, when the things slowly faced the group down far below.

They began to move very slowly down the hill, several more emerging from the base of the tree, when they suddenly came bounding.

“Now!” Cav roared, and the horses and ponies all lunged forth into a gallop head on. Arrana quickly ripped her bow from her shoulder and grabbed an arrow from its sheath, she notched it, and aimed at one of the creatures loping down the hill at her.

For a moment she studied the thing, it had an oval face, slate grey but with no features what so ever, blank and emotionless. A chill crept up her spine at the eeriness of the creature, with its gigantic radar ears upon its blank head. A roached, spine peaked back was hunched and recoiled as it ran down the hill. It had unusually long human arms, with skin so thin the moonlight filtered through it. Its incredibly long hind legs were that of a furless wolf’s.

Now Arrana let the tensed line go and the arrow shot through the air, meeting the creature’s emotionless face. A black blood exploded from the kill shot as it collapsed to the ground some feet away from Arrana and Gunsynd. To her surprise, a low wailing noise erupted from somewhere, as in agony. Her eyes flicked up to the shaking tree, now understanding that it was the tree. One of the large limbs cracked off and fell to the ground with a loud thud. Confusion raced up her veins, and she looked over at Luinil, who had just smashed one of the things into the ground with her large hooves.

“It’s the tree! Kill every creature you see come from it! They will not harm you, but will drag you to where you will. The tree is carnivorous.” Saelam yelled over another low wail. Arrana suddenly found herself watching as one of the creatures lunged into the air towards her. She quickly yanked the reins to the left and her horse quickly vaulted that way, she watched the creature land behind them, its massive ears flicking back, and then it whirled around, and came racing back. By now Arrana had her arrow ready, but as she let it go something else caught her eye. The arrow shot past the creature, only grazing it’s skin slightly. The creature landed on Gunsynd’s rump, who was sent into fearful bucking. The thing’s long fingers now reached for Arrana, who tore a bow and began to repeatedly stab it in the ears and narrow chest. The tree bellowed again as it slid off, leaving a black sludge blood trail along her horse’s haunches.

Now she spun her horse around, watching as one of the creatures had gotten a hold of Iego, who was shouting furiously and kicking as he was drug up the hill.

Arrana heeled her horse quickly up the hill, dropping the reins loose around her neck and aiming an arrow at the creature. She focused hard, releasing the arrow, holding her breath as she watched it shoot through the air. She could not look, for the creature was now at the base of the tree. She did not here a wail, and looked back up to see Iego’s hands try and grapple with the grass on the outer rim of the hole, followed by frightened shouts, that faded away as he was pulled down under the earth. She had missed.

 A low bellow escaped the tree, and another of its large branches fell to the earth as the last creature upon the hill was slaughtered. Gunsynd huffed up next to the tree, which the bark was black upon, and heavily knotted with thick and odd formations upon its trunk.

Arrana was too stunned to speak, she felt cold and nauseated. The rest slowly made their way up the hill, stopping beside the tree. She closed her eyes slowly, before re-opening them and staring down into the black hole.

“We have to save him.” She said sternly, but almost to herself, for her words were only just above a whisper.

“There is no point; he will be dead within the minute.” Saelam snapped. Arrana looked at him, her muscles drooping helplessly.

“I never asked for people to die for me.” She said slowly, her eyes burning with tears. She felt ashamed of herself. How dare she let someone die just for the sake of her safety. She had never even fully known the dwarf.

Cav and Ged were silent and pale as the moon which now was high in the sky. A heavy silence blanketed them all for sometime in the thoughts of Iego. They all bowed their heads as Luinil placed his fallen axe just before the chasm.