Forsaken Path

Chapter Two

All she could hear was screaming. Agonized cries that cut through the darkness of the room, and pierced her ears until she felt as though they would bleed. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest with such intensity as she tried to cover her ears to block out the horrid noise. Until one word, or rather name was shrieked by that tortured voice.

"MAZDELINE"

She knew that voice. That was the voice of...

"MAYZRA" Mazdeline cried out, and broke into a sprint. Her feet pounded on the floor, and her blood raced as she sprinted blindly through the darkness. She couldn't see a damn thing, but she needed to help her sister. She stumbled, and collided with what felt like...wood? The screaming of her little sister was so very loud, coming from the other side. She ignored the pain blossoming through her face, and felt around the wooden flat surface. Her hand bumped something, and she grabbed it. It was a doorknob.  She tried to turn it, but it wouldn't budge.

"Dammit!!" She swore, and pounded her fist on the door. She heaved against it. The screaming and sobbing was intensifying in agony. "I'm coming Mayzra!!!" She pushed and shoved, and slammed her body against it, but the damn thing didn't even creak under the pressure.

She slammed her body against it once more, until abrutply, the screaming stopped. Mazdeline paused. "Mayzra...?" She called out hesitantly.

"She's gone." Mazdeline whirled around at the sound of that quiet voice. She bared her teeth at the shadows.

"What do you mean she's gone." She snarled. The voice chuckled, that laugh full of sinister calculation.

"You couldn't save her." The voice stated, humming to itself. A thud sounded to Mazdeline's left, and her head snapped to the direction of the noise. As soon as her eyes landed on the shadowy lump illuminated by a single spot of light, she let out a choked cry.

"No.." Blood was pooling beneath the battered body of her little sister. Mazdeline stumbled towards her, falling on her knees in the pool of blood, taking Mayzra's head in her lap. Mayzra's hair was ripped out in clumps, small yet deep cuts covering her face. Mazdeline tried to ignore the other things she noticed was done to her. She let out a strangled scream.

"In the end, there is nothing you could've done to save them"

~

Mazdeline awoke, her sleeping gown sticking to her body from sweat, and reached beside her bed to turn on the lamp. Light illuminated the space of her bedroom, and she put her head in her hands. Her mouth was dry, and she tried to swallow back her sobs, but the tears could not be stopped. She let out little hiccups as sobs racked her body. She had never had nightmares that bad before. And a small part of her in the back of her head was telling her.. it wasn't just a dream. No, it meant something, and she dreaded what it could mean.

A knock sounded on her door, and Mazdeline jumped slightly. She quickly dried her tears, and called out as calmly as she could manage; "Come in."

Mayzra opened the door slightly and poked her head through the crack. "Are you okay, Maz?" She asked, "I could hear you crying through the wall."

Mazdeline paused for only 2 seconds, contemplating. Should she tell her sister about the dream? "I'm.. fine." She said hesitantly. "It was just a nightmare." Mayzra nodded, although her expression said that she knew there was more to it, yet she let it go. That  was the thing between them. They would not force each other to tell them something that they wanted to keep to themselves. And Mazdeline was never more grateful for it as she was at that particular moment.

"Want to go for an early morning walk?" Mayzra asked. "The sun should be coming up in about an hour or so." Mazdeline nodded, and Mayzra beamed at her before closing the door. She peeled the blanket off her sweaty legs, and got up to grab clothes and hop into the bath. Just for five minutes, She thought to herself, and quickly jot down a note to her father of where she would be before she forgot, and opened her door to go down the hallway towards the bathing room.

~

After a little more than five minutes, Mazdeline was dressed and ready to go. Mayzra was at the front door, her foot tapping as she waited. When she spotted Mazdeline, she put her hand on the door knob, as if eager to leave. "Ready to go?" She asked, and Mazdeline nodded. They exited their cabin, and followed the path that lead out of the village into the forest. There were a few other Elves awake early as well, hanging freshly washed clothes on a line, or chattering to their neighbours about whatever the main village gossip would be about. A cool morning breeze ruffled the kingdom's flag at the entrance of the village as Mayzra and Mazdeline turned to the left and hopped the fence into the forest.

Birds were chirping in the trees overhead, their songs and calls merry and light. Occasionally the chirping was interrupted by the call of a raven, or the screech of an owl. The grass just beside the forest path rustled as mice clambered through it. The forests of their planet were always full of life, it was one of the greenest planets in their galaxy. Mazdeline had been to another planet once in her teen years when she accompanied father on a trip, because she had absolutely begged him to go. Which, after a sigh of defeat and a muttered "fine.  You can come." Mazdeline was more than excited about. Mayzra, on the other hand, was only still in her teen years, and she was much more content at their planet without ever having thoughts of traveling in her youth. "I'll be ready to do that when I am full grown" Mayzra had stated when Mazdeline and their father had asked out of curiosity.

After about an hour of walking, they came upon the ruins of the old kingdom castle. The sun was just starting to shine through the trees, the two moons long gone by now. Mayzra hopped gracefully onto a large piece of stone that was jutting out of the ground, and peered through the trees. "I see a deer over there" She whispered as loudly as she could to Mazdeline. Mazdeline looked in the direction of where her sister was pointing and spotted it. "I see it too." She whispered back. It was a graceful beast, with two large antlers atop of its head and a tawny pelt. Mayzra pulled her bow from where it was slung over her back, and took an arrow from her quiver. She silently nocked the arrow, and drew the drawstring, taking aim before letting the arrow fly. The deer died instantly, not even letting out a cry as it fell to the ground with a thump. Mayzra pumped her fist in the air, letting out a loud "Yes!". Mazdeline eagerly hurried over to the kill, and looked at where it had been shot.

"Clean through the throat." Mazdeline said, impressed. "You've been practicing."

"Well, duh!" Mayzra said, coming over an observing. "You're not the only one tryi-"

"Mayzra, Mazdeline!" Both sisters whirled around at the sound of their names, spotting a frantic elven villager coming towards them. Upon the fearful expression on his face, worry flooded through Mazdeline.

"What's wrong??" Mayzra beat her to asking. She pulled her arrow from where it had been sticking out of a tree that it struck after going through the deer.

"The village is under attack!!" The fellow Elf said. Mayzra let out a strangled gasp at what he had said, and with that, Mazdeline and Mayzra started sprinting through the trees, the villager following close behind.