Sword of Flames [Book I] - {#Wattys2017}

Chapter 23 - Dagalda

Chapter 23 - Dagalda

With each step she peered at the scenery in front of her, trying to make out objects in her eyes. The area was beyond dark, and without being prepared like Zikarith there was no way of finding any light for quite some time. She gritted her teeth, wishing that the boy was with her; he was always so much more prepared than Levana ever could have thought of being. She searched the small pockets of her long, baggy pants that blended in with the dark in order to find something of use in her situation. However, there was virtually nothing but the stems of berries she had eaten a couple of days ago.

She placed the inside of her hands onto the sharp rock wall to the side. Using it to guide her through the horrifying walkway, she thought about how she looked being as she was. From only the vision in her mind, Levana chuckled, the sound bouncing off of the walls in the form of echos. And although the girl decided to leave Berrithin to be, she could not stop studying the darkness behind her for a sign of his following.

During her fifth glance behind her for the ruthless pirate, a rock tripped the Earthian. She almost fell from the sudden obstacle but quickly readjusted herself using the rock wall she was already holding. The girl held her chest, feeling her pounding heart from the scare. As she leaned on the wall to take a deep breath, she closed her eyes to think.

The effects of the Dagalda had already set in. Her mouth was dry from thirst, although, funnily enough, she had just come from a sea of water and rain. Even though it felt as if she needed water to survive like any mortal, there was a part of her that knew no matter how little water she drank she would never die. And it indeed could have felt comforting in any situation except for then. If she stayed in the dark and dingy place, she would rot on the floor for the rest of eternity. But that fact was still numb in Levana's mind. As the child was still in denial, she ventured on in order to find her way out.

As the girl kept going, she wondered how it was in the real world. How not only her family was, but Zikarith and his family as well. Did he go home? Or is he looking for the swords without her. The Earthian longed for her cell phone to tell the people from her world that she was okay. I doubt I'd have reception in here anyways, she presumed.

Levana walked and walked and walked. The need for no food, water, or sleep made it hard to track how long she had been there. Not only that, but there was no sun nor moon to stare up at for confirmation. The girl definitely felt the effects of the lack of human necessities she had, but at the same time she did not. It was a weird mix that she did not find pleasant at all.

And after some time, the girl gazed at the first sign of light for a while. It glared into her eyes. She shielded her pupils away in order to protect them from the sudden change. Her fingers closed her eyes and she moved them away slowly but surely, taking in the white gleam in moderation to not overstress her vision. Once her fingers were fully removed, she sped to meet it graciously.

As the exit came nearer, the girl smiled with ultimate joy. She was free! There was no way of knowing where the opening lead to, but anywhere but there would have been good enough. Her fast pacing went to jogging, and in no time her feet were sprinting down the tunnel to the light.

But as Levana continued, the odor of the area became drastically different. The moldy salt water smell she had known so well in the Dagalda became, ironically, the odor of death. A bit of the marine fragrance still lingered, but for the most part it was overtaken by the horrible smell.

"What could that be?" she asked herself, finally reaching the source of the light. There were light bulbs on the ceilings as if it was architecturally designed for people to stay there. However, what she came to was not an exit but an entrance to something much worse.