Prologue
Darkness. At first I thought my eyes were closed, but as I blinked several times, I realized that it wasn't the case. My eyes darted all around searching for a glimmer, a flicker of light, but there was nothing. Then I noticed the silence. Not a sound, not a single noise could be heard and I could feel the weight of the quietness in the air inside my head and on my body. I tried to move my arm, but it wouldn't budge as if something heavy held it down. I then tried to move my other arm, my legs, my head, but my muscles just wouldn't respond.
Suddenly, I saw a dim ray of light on the ceiling above me and I realized that I was lying flat on my back on something hard. The light became brighter and I soon heard footsteps echo on the shady walls around me. I strained my eyes to look as far right and left as they could go. I was in what seemed to be a cave-like room. The ceiling arched on all sides and formed walls, which connected directly to the floor like a dome. I must have been on some kind of raised platform, for I seemed to be several feet above the ground. The glint of a knife caught eye and I noticed it and several other things were laying on several wooden tables along the walls, but it was difficult to see in the dimness.
Torture.
The thought exploded into my mind and my eyes grew wide. I again tried to get up, out of this strange prison, but my body remained useless. That was when my eyes focused on a smaller table on the opposite wall and on it stood, what seemed to be a beautiful, golden goblet. Even in the darkness I could tell the goblet had been decorated with intricate engravings and precious stones.
The footsteps grew louder and I focused my attention on the glowing ray of light on the stone ceiling. I thought I heard a voice, or several voices, in hushed whispers coming closer to where I lay. Suddenly, there was a loud clanging sound, like someone turning a key in a lock. It was followed by the creak of a heavy metal door and I felt the presence of someone, or something, in the dome shaped room with me. The light became brighter and I could see two shady figures a few feet from where I lay.
"May San'wor smile upon us," one said, whose voice was that of a man.
"Get the knife," the other demanded. This person, no doubt, was a woman. Her voice seemed sweet, yet stern and cold. The sound of it sent a icy chill down my spine.
I saw the man's dark shape walk over to the table with the tools and choose a knife. I instantly began to panic. I tried to say something, but my mouth wouldn't open and I ended up mumbling something in my throat. The man froze.
"Shhh," the woman hushed. "He's trying to say something." I heard the woman come closer and I soon saw her dim face looking down at me. I could tell, even in the darkness, that she was exceptionally beautiful. She had long black hair that framed her face and deep green eyes that seemed to pierce my soul. Her lips were bright red against her pale skin and I could see a scar on the right side of her face, which began at the top of her cheekbone and continued down to her jaw. Despite this visible flaw, she was breathtaking. However, besides her beauty, there seemed to be a foul energy about her, which made me cringe in fear.
"Liam, do not try to speak," she said quietly. She knows my name. "Your muscles are useless, thanks to our dear friend the Wyrm Spider." She turned to one of the tables and lifted up a clear jar. She angled the jar above me so I could see what was inside. A large spider, the size of one's palm sat motionless in the jar. It wasn't one of those hairy ones; it was smooth and of a scarlet red color. I grimaced to think that such a horrible creature's bite was the cause of my paralysis. The woman then leaned very close to my ear and whispered in a way that made my blood run cold.
"I have waited a long time for this, Dreamer."
Dreamer?
She lifted her gaze from me, set the jar aside, and looked to the man by the tools. She held out her hand and he passed her a long, silver knife-like dagger. I tried to control my fear and swallowed down a scream. I felt a cold hand grip my right wrist and looked on in terror as the woman brought the blade down and pressed the tip against the underside of my arm near the elbow.
"Anast nienn shawi louskanin ae uist cythrrol saem," she chanted. Her voice had changed to a low rumbling sound that seemed to come from deep within her throat. "Ist yerr gamenn sirilu borith a ve flux hecath oi yoll anstir dakken rahl SAN'WOR!" With that last word, the man dashed to the table, which held the goblet and clutched it in his hands. He knelt down and held the goblet under my outstretched arm, which hung over the stone table on which I lay.
Suddenly, the whole cave-like chamber began to shake. Not much, but enough to create a low rumble and cause the tools and tables to vibrate. Then it happened. The tip of the blade cut into my flesh on the inside of my elbow and my eyes grew wide with shock. I could then feel the knife slowly slicing my arm downwards to the wrist. I tried to yell out in pain, but all I could manage was a muffled moan. I clamped my eyes shut and lay in agony as the knife cut through my arm and my blood began to fall to the stone floor. But that was when I realized that my blood wasn't hitting the ground. Instead, the man was collecting it in the goblet, which was filling up quickly. The woman then removed the knife and a wicked smile crossed her lips as she looked at the goblet. She grabbed it from the man's hands and stared into it and I then noticed something strange. My blood was shining light. It was still red, but a bright light was emanating from it and shining on the cave ceiling. I glanced at my ruined arm and saw that the blood was lit up in the same way.
The man still knelt on the ground, except he was moving his lips as if saying something, but no words came out. I glanced back to the woman who held the shining goblet filled with my blood. I looked on helplessly and in absolute horror as she lifted the cup to her red lips, and drank.
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If you like this story, please follow and vote! The side drawing is one I drew on a scrap sheet of paper at a final exam in 2012 :)
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The Dreamer's Blood
Adventure(Book One in the Cielven Trilogy) Liam Simmons is no ordinary high school kid and his dreams are no ordinary dreams. When he and his friends, Skip and Bree, are transported to the strange world of Arsian, they find themselves suddenly thrown into a...
