Shadows Of Metum

Chapter Four

 When I woke up finally, I was no longer falling, I was laying on what seemed to be a ground but was much too hot to be natural. Every inch of my body screamed in agony as I slowly and weakly sat up, my muscles tightening painfully and my raw skin stretching, getting flecks of dust stuck in my wounds and stinging as if fresh. My eyes were dry and strained as I surveyed the area. Sweat leaked down my face and into the scratches, making them sting all the more. The area around me was a mixture of black and red and each colour in between, beautiful yet threatening . The hot ground had cracks in it, small flames like that of a hand held lighter coming up from between them. Tall, black trees stood, dried out yet still growing as their brittle branches swayed ever so slightly in the hot wind that softly blew, not enough to be overwhelming but enough to make the perspiration on my forehead increase. I stood up, feeling dizzy, as if I was about to black out. I stumbled to keep my balance, grabbing onto one of the trees thin trunks for support. A moment later, I jerked my hand away, pinpricks of pain being shot through my hand and scarlet drops appearing on my palms, mixing with the sweat. Upon closer inspection, I saw that there were tiny thorns upon the tree, sharp and deep purple, blending in with the dark colours of the tree. I looked around, searching for my sword. After minutes of frantically looking in a place where everything looked the same, I found it, sticking blade up in a crack in the hot ground. I grabbed it, relieved to find my only means of defending myself, until I dropped it once more, forgetting about the blade. A deep cut spread across my palm, on the same hand as the thorns, More scarlet blood pooled out, and dripped down my hand. I sighed and wiped it on my cloak, leaving a faint dark stain on the heavy black fabric.

I looked up at the sky, and noticed that the dark clouds in one area were darker than the rest that covered it. I followed them, sighing as I knew not exactly what was to come, but it was dangerous.