Valadel

Chapter XXI

"Shhh...this way..." Said Aryanne. Her and Danticus stalked the halls, weary of what would happen if they as so much stepped too loud.

"Where do you think the others went?" Danticus asked.

"I hope to where you say the men were. We should meet them there. How is your arm?"

Danticus the claw mark that ran through his flesh, the three gashes surrounded by dried, dark red blood. "I'll be fine."

They had been separated from the other three during their trip to the east wing. The Scrag had chased them once he caught their scent, and was nearly five times as large as when Danticus first encountered him. His skinny arms and legs were now muscled, bulky appendages, his face had grown more deformed, his forehead and his cheeks had bulged out. More of his stringy hair had fallen off, making him bald on half his head. His claws grew in length as well as sharpness, as evident by Danticus' wound. What had scared Danticus the most, however, was that his left arm had grown back, the one he hacked off not too long ago. If that was true for every limb, how were they to defeat such a beast?

"In here." Said Aryanne, ducking into a dark doorway. Light shone from her hand, illuminating the room. Old wardrobes and furniture filled the space. "Help me with this," she said, placing her hands on a large cupboard.

Her and Danticus maneuvered the large, decaying wooden object into position, to offer them some protection while they sought refuge. Danticus made his seat against the wall next to the door, and Aryanne sat next to him, close enough to consider him an ally, but also maintaining her distance. Her hand fell between her legs, still glowing with the pale, golden light. Danticus looked at her, really looked at her. Her face was soft, compared to the hardened look of her uncle. It gave away her innocent, naive nature. She noticed his gaze.

"What?" She asked.

"Nothing, I was, er, I was-"

"Staring at me?"

He felt his cheeks redden. "Yes..." he said sheepishly. "I was just...I never would have imagined myself standing in the presence of an elf, or...elva."

She gave him an awkward smile. "I would've never imagined myself in the presence of a man...or anyone besides my brother and uncle." She felt a weird sensation, a fuzzy feeling in her stomach. What it was, she couldn't place. It was a sensation foreign to her.

"So...what happened to your mother and your father?" Danticus asked her.

She sat up straight and kept her gaze fixed on her glowing hand. "My uncle tells me that my father was a great king, the king of this castle. His name was Baylen, and that he was gifted in elemental magic, like my brother. He told me a man killed him by stabbing him in his stomach." She stared at Danticus, almost a glare.

"I...I'm sorry. That's awful, everything that happened."

She shrugged. "I wish I could've met him...my uncle makes him sound like a hero."

"I bet he was," said Danticus, "what about your mother?"

Her features flexed into a more mournful expression. "My uncle told me she was beautiful. Brown hair and teal eyes. My uncle tells me I look much like my mother. Uncle said she died birthing me and my brother. If only she would have survived..."

"What was her name?"

"Ellawyn. I wish that could have been my name. It's so pretty."

"So is Aryanne," Said Danticus.

She smiled at him and said thank you. They sat there, quiet for several moments until Aryanne spoke again. "What of your parents?"

"My mother died long ago from a sickness. I hardly remember her. My father might as well of died too. He was never there for me after my mothers passing. He would hit me, yell at me, neglect me. He became the town drunk. I guess you could say he died when my mother did."