Blade Song

Chapter 7- Respite

I wandered through the endless darkness and bitter cold, my arms wrapped tightly around me as I shivered. I'd long given up calling out for anyone. No one was there to answer.

How long had I been stumbling blindly through the dark? It felt like eternity. The only point to moving forward at all was to keep from freezing to death.

Where was I? How did I get here? Had I died already? Was this hell?

There was no one to answer my questions.

I tripped on some unseeable object for the hundredth time, the hard, jagged ground slicing fresh cuts into my already raw hands and knees. I tried to climb to my feet once again, but my strength failed me and I collapsed into a trembling ball of pathetic whimpering and teeth chattering.

Was this the end?

Just when my eyelids started to fall, a warm, fuzzy sensation washed over me. It stretched out into the darkness, erasing the black and bitter, replacing it with a misty white light.

I stood up, no longer cold and shivering, and turned in a slow circle, scanning the white horizon for any indication of where to go. It all looked exactly the same. At least I could see now. And the climate had certainly improved.

Something moved under my foot. When I lifted it up, an orange wildflower poked its way out of the white. I knelt down to examine it, touching the soft petals gently with my fingertips.

"Where did you come from, little guy?"

The ground shook and erupted into a field of wildflowers. A blanket of growth spread out rapidly in all directions, covering the ground in fresh grass and dots of purple, white and orange.

As I stood up to marvel at the scenery, a musical giggle made me whip around, hands on my weapons.

A young girl in a pure white dress, with porcelain skin and hair like fire, greeted me with a smile.

"Eight," I whispered.

"Of course," she said. "Who were you expecting?"

I shook my head. "Where are we?"

"The land beyond the hills, obviously."

My lips spread into a smile. "Obviously."

"You got old."

I burst out laughing. "Yeah, I guess I did."

She shrugged. "Oh, well. As long as you can still play, it's alright."

I nodded. "Anything you want."

Eight folded her hands behind her back and smiled. "A race, then?"

"You're on, but don't expect me to go easy on you."

She snorted. "I don't need you to. I'll beat you for sure this time."

"So, where are we racing-"

"Go!" she shouted and ran past me.

I rolled my eyes and chased after her, passing her after a few strides.

"Wait," she called out seconds later.

I circled back to her.

"You're cheating," she panted.

"I'm cheating?"

"Your legs are so much longer now." She pointed at me.

I smirked. "What's the matter? Can't keep up with an old lady? I thought you might have learned some new tricks by now, cheater."