Tales of Scrolleria. Anna B'hea and The Scribe

Chapter 1. Choosing moon

We wake up to the sounds of trumpets and the rough grasp of a large man. The brute picks Anna B'hea up onto her feet, the mask covering all but his green eyes. She struggles to fight back, hands being tied by rope will not stifle her fury but it will keep her from acting. He chuckles throwing Anna onto his shoulder, her struggling like a trapped tiger kicking his back, thrashing around, she even tried to bite him through his thick leather armor. She stops as the moonlight beams down on her.

Looking around her she sees the nine statues of the scribes adorned with gifts and the large crowd of both Chosen and Blank Slates. Taking in each statue, Viera writer of romance, her statue is lavishly carved out of rose quartz with crown white lilies around her feet. Borsha writer of action and adventure, his statue is made from bronze adorned with shields ropes and maps carved into him. Her eyes lock onto my statue. It's a broken mess of marble and obsidian, my head is missing along with my arms, and most important my quill and notebook are nowhere to be seen. Before she can finish with her observation the brute drops her to the floor. Her head snapped to the ground with a loud thunk. I narrow my eyes down at the brute storm clouds begin to roll in.

He pays no attention to the murmurs of the chosen as they pull out umbrellas, Anna B'hea's eyes glare at him. With a shrug, he pulls her face to look at the Sentinel a towering construct of gold and silver gears rods and pistons.

"Curious curator what have you wrought before me." The 7-foot automaton whirs its gears.

"Inquisitive inquisitor I have brought the one defected and unclaimed for many moons." This thugs voice sounds familiar.

Nevertheless, my laughter breaks into a thunderous roar, streaks of lightning blazed across the moonlight sky, they hold steadfast to such silly rituals. With this display, even the most hardened have stopped talking, holding their breath, awaiting what's to come. As the Sentinel takes Anna B'hea from the man she is placed in the center of a white disc bathing in moonlight. Her blue eyes gaze back at the crowd, so beautiful in the moonlight, and like all things, this beautiful moment will not last.

A howl long and percussive ripples through the air causing the crowd to gasp in fear. The sound stills my heart, she is here and she is just as lovely as the day we meet.

"Shadow Hounds on the archway!" A small woman dressing in black and gold plate armor screams inside the crowd.

Everyone begins to churn like a beef stew, bumping, hitting, and screaming. So much screaming. The more colorful chosen try to control the crowd as the guards begin to lock the gate. A simple glance towards Anna B'heas great tree reveals Sasha and her Shadowhounds. She is massive towering the top of the tree like a star, her white fur glinting moonlight exposing the amorphous shapes of dark hounds blending into the tree branches. She rears her head back and howls into the moon sending hundreds of shadowhounds raining down apoun the city causing havoc wherever the blend of shadows can be.

Sasha bends her back and leaps off the tree snapping it in half, her fierce yellow eyes stare right at me. Each step creating holes in the roofs of the marbled city and more screaming. I wish they would stop screaming. They do. Sasha is now in front of Anna B'hea her face as long as Anna's body, my heart be still. Anna B'hea locks her eyes on Sasha taking in her features her stares make Sasha snarl causing the crowd to move back. I begin to wonder why none of them are trying to save her. Sasha sniffs Anna, who in returns sniffs Sasha and a short moment later she is jumping once more.

Sasha lands next to my statue and opens her maw, a vortex of teeth and darkness exposed for all to behold, and deep inside that darkness is a marbled head slowly retching forth. As my head tumbles onto my neck I can almost feel sensations returning, just one more piece and I can make her whole. I lift my ring out from Anna B'hea's chest a simple thing that no one notices. The beating of the ring begins, it knows we are close, so close, and with a final flurry of rapid beats, I place the ring into the center of my statues chest.

Pure ecstasy rushes through my body while a shockwave of light rushes through the city sending the crowd flying back, shattering windows and expelling all but one of the shadow hounds. I take in the sight of Anna 'Bhea now that I am in flesh again, her beautiful eyes never leave mine, I reach out to touch her but the lack of limbs prevents me.

"Well that is sure to be an entrance for the ages," I say while looking at the stunned crowd, wide smile exposing my jade teeth.