Lorelei

 

Here i will post up my novel as i write it. It will be revised and edited and i will try to keep it as up to date as i can.

 

Note: All writing is mine and i wish not to be plagarised, please do not copy any of my work. 

 

 

Prologue - Power

 

 

In a candlelit cell, Lorelei knelt surrounded by crystals of many varieties. An icy breeze weaved its fingers through her golden hair and gently swayed it, releasing it from the ribbon which held it up. From her side she picked up an amethyst, and a rose quartz, and placed them in front of her. Hesitantly she stopped before putting her delicate hands on the rough crystals. 'I hope this works,' she thought to herself. 'I don't want to die here.'

In the sky a dark cloud loomed over the place where Lorelei was imprisoned; slowly a golden ball of light exited from the roof and found its way into the cloud. It started dissipating and fading from view.

Inside Lorelei collapsed onto the floor, drained of power. “It worked!” she whispered happily as she lost conciousness.

 

When she awoke hunger gnawed at her begging her for food. Reaching over to the plate she picked up the chunk of stale bread, breaking in half she spotted something in the middle. There soaked into the bread was a milky white poison dribbling out. Angry and annoyed she threw it across the room. After a few minutes she glanced over at it again hungrily, wanting it so badly.

 

Furious, a woman entered the cell, slamming open the large wooden door. She pointed her finger at Lorelei “You have some explaining to do!” she roared.

 

“Why should i explain anything? He is trying to poison me!”

She laughed madly, “He didn't try to poison you, i did.” She grinned down at Lorelei, and started to leave, she looked down and saw the chunk of poisoned bread and kicked it across the dirty floor towards Lorelei, “Enjoy your meal.” She said whilst watching the hunger in Lorelei's eyes follow the bread's movement closer to her. And with that she left.

 

 

Chapter 1 – The ceremony

 

 

In an open clearing, surrounded by towering trees, sparred two young men. Both weapons were branches, crudely shaped into a blade. “One day we'll be able to stop playing with these twigs and fight with proper blades. If only my father would return” moaned the younger of the two; his light brown hair blowing across their locked gaze.

“He'll be back soon, he has only been gone a day.” Laughed the other.

“Well how long does it take to find traders willing to trade ore?”

“Days, months, seasons even.”

“It never took that long before,”

“That is because the Pure's traded with us. If you want to blame anyone, blame them.” he sighed 'Grathni is too damn impatient sometimes' he thought, hiding behind his dark hair.

“Well it wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for the person who turned that woman. And i heard it was Lorelei.” he retorted annoyed at the situation.

The man dropped his weapon and left brusquely. Left standing alone, Grathni went in the opposite direction, towards the nearest building; fortunately it was an inn. “What do you want, young man?” the man asked as he sat down by the door. “Whatever you've got.” He replied grumpily. 'Why is Lethio so protective over that woman? Yes she is beautiful, bit too tall for my liking though' Grathni sighed and tried to forget about it. A young lady appeared at his side, and sat beside him. “Here you go,” she said handing him a wooden cup “you look like you need it. What happened?”

“Lethio,” he quickly said, then gulped down the strong berry drink “he is too protective over that girl. I only said that Lorelei was the one who changed that strange Pure woman.”

“You have to be careful with him, i think he may have feelings for her. Anyway, i haven't seen her lately, nor the crowd that seems to follow her every move... That poor girl. Anyway, i have to go and make more juice, I'll talk to you later.” The woman smiled and got up; heading towards the door across the hut.

 

*

 

Lethio walked further and further away from the village, not seeing that every step he took, the darker it became. Lost in his thoughts, Lethio stumbled down a small hill, landing face first in warm fur; he jumped up quickly scared what he landed in. A wounded deer lay struggling to get up, her legs weak from a hunters chase. Bite marks covered her neck, some bleeding; Lethio wanted to free the deer of pain, but it was panicking, if he got too close she could hurt him. A howl behind him startled Lethio, and the deer's eyes widened as she realised that the hunter had returned. Wildly looking about for the wolf, Lethio scanned for an escape route, “Damn!” He swore angrily, he was trapped in a grassy ditch. Surrounded by trees and steep hills, and somewhere a wolf. He hoped that the wolf was alone, he was defenceless and if it was full grown, he would stand no chance of survival.

 

 

His surroundings now changed, and the sunny afternoon which he had left the village, had now turned into a dark and misty evening. As he searched for the wolf he could see many eyes looking at him; as they came closer he saw that there was not one wolf, but a whole pack. Even the cubs looked at him as prey and stood eager to taste flesh. They closed in on him and blocked any escape, there was no escape for him or the wounded deer. The wolf directly in front of him snarled and called for the others to attack, they now ran at him, but Lethio stood still, unable to move. He put his arms protectively in front of his face as one leapt for him. “Ahhhh!” He screamed out.

 

 

Hesitantly, Lethio put down his arms and wondered what had just happened. All around him were charred remains of the wolves, and unfortunately the deer he tried to protect. Something caught his eye and he looked down to see a white orb, which was pulsating energy; it had created a shield around Lethio and the animals had been burnt by the energy itself. He bent down next to the orb and pressed against it's side, as his finger lifted away from he, he found that his finger did not follow and was stuck to the orb. Holding it with his other hand, he pulled his finger away, but it was no use. Moving his other hand, he realised his naïvety, he now had his hand and the finger stuck to the orb “How stupid can i get?!” He asked himself. Desperately trying to be free of the orb, he pulled away, gripping the ground with his feet. Moist dirt and grass seeped between his toes and tickled at his skin “Ah!” He laughed and kicked out the dirt from his feet, jumping about with his hands attached to the orb, which he found was impossible to lift. Suddenly his hands started getting deeper into the surface. Now really worried, Lethio pulled back trying to release himself. His hands were now inside, and his body was following. “Help me!” He screamed out, “Help me quickly! I'm going to die!” He stopped calling out when he found himself staring right at it, the light it emitted shone to brightly for his eyes, so he closed them as the rest of him got sucked in.

 

 

*

 

 

Grathni had left the inn many hours ago, and was now worried about Lethio. He hadn't arrived at the festival yet, and if he didn't arrive soon he'd miss the ceremony too; if he got caught missing it, he would be in trouble. The lady from the inn walked up to Grathni, “still not arrived?” She asked.

“Not yet, but he knows what will happen if he misses this ceremony.”

“I'm sure he'll appear, he is probably getting ready for the choosing, the protector needs a partner after all. Although i hope he doesn't get picked, he does like that girl... I wonder if she will show up too?”

“Hmm... Maybe,” nearby a drum started a rhythm “and so it has started.” Grathni simply stated “I'll see you later Vaia.”

As he left she looked at him and smiled, then proceeded to sit in front of the dais. The woman sat to the left, whilst men were on the right. When the protector had been chosen they would kneel down and be bled out, to become the forest's blood. Vaia was lucky, she had almost been chosen last time. She thought back to that day, when her luck and life had changed drastically.

 

“Today we choose who will sacrifice their life to the forest, who will protect us with their blood, and shall fight with the weather, to ensure our prosperity.” The man called out, scanning everyone's face. “Vaia, you are to be our protector.” He said, looking at her with his bright green eyes, he watched her very closely as she stepped up to the platform and knelt down. By her sides were wooden poles to support her arms, and as she lay them down they were strapped in place by vines; two women stood on either side of her and washed her skin with a sweet smelling fragrance. Once the women were done, one placed four pots on the floor, 'to catch the blood' she thought.

 

The man knelt down beside her, and cleared the patches on her arms where he was going to cut. Slowly he placed the blade of his knife on her wrist, and drew back. Confused, the man pressed harder and drew back again, leaving a larger cut than before, but she did not bleed. “How can this be? Why does she not bleed?” She heard the man said worriedly, “My people, it seems that i have chosen the wrong protector, she does not bleed.” All around people were in turmoil, never had the chosen protector not bled. “I shall consult with the spirits tonight, and see what is to happen.” He left hurriedly, leaving Vaia still strapped to the wooden poles.

 

As Vaia snapped back to reality she shuddered, she had been left on those poles for days, all alone. Behind her the drums stopped and everyone was silent.

 

Chapter 2 – Spare that soft skin

 

 

Laying on the floor Lethio lifted his head slightly, cautiously he looked about searching for any threat. Finding none he slowly stood up to find himself in what he thought was a cavern of light, it was spacious yet bright with a pale white light. Suddenly all around him, the walls changed into a dreary black stone, barely lit by the few candles in each corner. Vile smells drifted pass his nose, making his eyes water and his hands clasp his face to block it. He looked around for the source, eagerly wanting to move away from it; then he spotted someone, and he stared in disbelief.

 

*

 

Leant against a wall, Lorelei felt a faint shift in the air, somewhere close there was magic. 'Please be him. I need help' she thought, whilst trying to keep her mind off the nagging hunger inside her. Her thoughts raced through many subjects, but each time it ending with thinking of food. “NO!” She screamed out wanting to tear the thought out of her head. She started pacing up and down the room like a caged animal, trying to think straight. She barely heard the door open, as she was deep in thought, but when she heard his voice, all thoughts stopped and her body shuddered with fear. Every fibre in her body told her not to turn around, but she didn't want him to torture her even more. Bravely she slowly turned around, almost incapable because her body did not want to allow it. When she faced him, she did not dare look at his face and looked at the ground instead, her head pounded with each heartbeat, wanting him to leave her alone. “Look at my face, my dear.” The voice called, sounding smooth and calm. From the small stone which she had examined she looked up until she met his gaze. His eyes were so dark that she could easily get lost in them, and that would be the end of her, lost in the black abyss... Always running , trying to break free... “Now that wasn't so hard was it?” He smirked. Lorelei snapped back to reality, glad to be in her own body. “Will you not speak to me? Or will i have to have to teach you proper manners that you are lacking?”

“No!” She cried out, not wanting him to touch her, not again.

“Well then, talk to me and i shall spare that soft skin of yours”

Spare that soft skin. Those words echoed in her mind, reviving the memories that she pushed away with all her force. Each slash of his knife leaked back into her mind, he bound her wrists and ankles, and made her watch him slice her; blood trickling down her pale skin. She winced remembering how he had cut deeper and deeper, watching the agony upon her face. When she opened her eyes again she was met by those black eyes, the hawk like eyes that pierced deep and opened you up. “Well then, speak woman!” He impatiently called to her. “Ok...” She simply stated, not knowing what to say, or wanting to say anything. “Do you know the reason why i am here?” He approached her talking casually “I am here because Zritha has informed me about your eating... Issue.” He circled her keeping his eyes fixated on hers, “so seeing as you refuse the kind offering that i have given you,” he eyed the bread on the floor, which was now covered in dirt “I will have to make you eat it,” his hands grabbed her throat as she struggled to release his grip, but he held tight. “I need you alive.” He hissed in her ear. She continued to fight his grip, but the more she struggled the tighter his grip got. Slowly her head went light and her body felt heavy as she slipped into unconsciousness. Still holding her neck Salmenih gently lowered her to the floor, and once she was down, he lifted her up and carried her out of the room. Across the hall was another room, it too had black stone walls, it was cramped, big enough for three people to move about. On one side of the room there were iron bindings, which he placed Lorelei's wrists and ankles into so she could not move. And on the other side of the room a small forge roared and flared, tools were hung on the wall beside it, and nearby sat an anvil. Salmenih walked to the forge and stuck a poker into it, the forge crackled and seemed excited that it had something to heat. As he walked out the door he stopped, neglecting any second thoughts he went to find Zritha.

 

Zritha lay asleep, her mind racing with past memories. 'How could she do this to us?' Her mind hissed at her, wanting revenge. 'Corruption. You made me feel horrible things... But now i am free! And you shall pay...'

“Zritha?” Salmenih called, watching over her carefully. He knew what she was thinking, as she had been dreaming the same dream for many nights. 'She is too unstable.' He thought as he gently shook her awake. As her eyes opened he jumped back in surprised, “Your eyes...” he managed to say weakly. Zritha stood, and stared at Salmenih confused at his reaction “Where is she?” She hissed, almost unable to hold the power that seemed to flow through her. Instead of speaking, Salmenih just pointed down the hall to the room Lorelei was in. As she left brusquely, he stood up and brushed himself off. He had no idea what he could do with Zritha, and soon she would break from stability and then there would be little he could so to stop her madness. A painful cry awoke him from his thoughts, and again another one was heard, Salmenih winced each time a scream was heard. Even he thought she was taking it too far, but then he dare not speak it aloud, he didn't want to provoke the anger. Sighing, he left her room and decided to start heating some water for when Zritha had finished her game.

 

*

 

Lethio watched in horror as Lorelei was being burnt by the poker. Her skin, normally slightly tanned, was now red and blotchy from the heat. The woman had pushed the poker into her wounds, cauterising them and causing her more pain. He had had enough of watching her suffer, so he ran. Not knowing how to escape wherever he was, he ended up running but not getting anywhere, wherever he ran the screams followed. “I will save you!” He shouted out, not knowing whether she heard him or not. Exhausted he sat on the floor and cradled himself trying to block out the screaming; each scream pierced straight through him, sending shudders down his spine.

 

Slowly the screams faded, and Lethio was able to uncover his ears. As he looked up he saw all colours fading away, and found himself sat in the forest once more. All that was left of the orb was his memories and a stone with a roughly drawn mountain on it. As he studied it, he saw that the mountain glistened silver; pocketing it he headed back to the village.

 

As Lethio entered the village, he noticed how quiet it was. Nobody was around, and few torches were lit ready for the night. Walking further in, he saw no-one working in the workshops, “strange,” he thought “people only stop for the night and for... Oh!” he gulped as he realised today was the ceremonial day. Hoping he hadn't missed it, Lethio ran towards the ceremonial platform as fast as his legs would allow.

 

*

 

Arlen, the village leader, stood in front of the village, which was split into female and male groups. The males sat on his left, whilst the females, on his right. He addressed them carefully, as their faith in him had diminished after the incident with Vaia. He trembled, and tried not to be sick as the knots in his stomach tightened. Hopeful that this time he had chosen the right protector, he waited until each face tried picking the information from him, before saying the name. “Our protector is to be,” he swallowed, “Lethio.” All around him were sighs, mutters and questions. People were glad it wasn't them to be sacrificed, but muttered as some thought Arlen had chosen badly. But what worried him most is why people were questioning where Lethio was, he hadn't stood up, and he knew the punishment for not attending. In a thunder of footsteps, Lethio rushed in panting, everyone looked at him with glassy eyes; before he could sit down though, he was escorted to the dais. “What? What are you doing?!” He cried out, Arlen spoke to him gently once he was close enough to hear. “You are our protector Lethio.” As his words were spoken, Lethio's face drained of colour. He was speechless and if it were not for the women guiding him to the wooden frame, he would have fallen down. “But... But... I can't be.. I,”

“You are the protector, and you shall be sacrificed. There is no choice for you.” Arlen spoke, glaring at him.

By the time Lethio had snapped from confusion, Arlen had the knife pressed to his wrist and proceeded to slice him. Lethio winced in pain as each slice shot pain through him, looking across he saw his scarlet blood dribble out then drip down into the pots beneath them. “Now we must leave,” Arlen called out, “tomorrow is the day of belief, do with it as you may, but do not come near Lethio.” He stood watch as everyone left, and only when everyone had returned home did he leave.

  Lethio didn't know whether to call out, scream, or cry. The vines held him tight, so there was no chance of him breaking free, and nobody would untie them; no-one wanted to feel the wrath of the spirit.

 

Deep into the evening he saw a light approaching, a voice said “I am here to feed you.” To Lethio her voice was like a melody being played, it was very soothing. It was Caula, one of the women who had strapped his arms down. She brought out some meat from her bag and held it in front of his face. He chomped on it thankful for the rich taste and said “why are you feeding me?”

“Because the protector needs strength, and you will not be sacrificed by starvation.” She put the bit of meat that was left in her bag, and brought out a knife. Bringing the torch closer to his wrists, she saw the dried blood and sliced it open, renewing the flow of blood. She did the same to his other wrist and fumbled about for something else. She lifted the lid and Lethio was overcome by the smell. She held a pot of oil, which had been mixed with other blood; she carefully tipped some in both of the pots, so that Lethio's blood mixed with it. “I shall see you tomorrow Lethio.” she

whispered, then left, taking the torch with her so he was left in darkness again.

 

*

 

In the torture room, Lorelei was still being burnt, her body was now covered in red blotches and her face covered in sweat and tears. Zritha looked at her and grinned, this was exactly what she wanted Lorelei to feel. Each scream of pain sent waves of pleasure throughout her, each one wanting to make her press harder so Lorelei screamed more. She placed the poker on the table and sat down, not saying anything she watched Lorelei compose herself, this time she took off her glove and reached for some scissors, and walked back over. “I think your hair needs a nice cut. It is far too long! Look at mine, the right length, as you see it barely passes my shoulders. That way it wont get in my way, but yours gets in my way.” She reached forward and grabbed a clump of Lorelei's hair, then proceeded to cut it at the top; once she had finished Lorelei had inch long hair that wasn't the same length all round. On the floor lay her once attached hair, before each strand fell to her ankle, but now the cold air gushed on her neck, chilling her.

 

Zritha leant the scissors in the fire, but not too far so she could reach them. Sliding the dirty glove back on her slender hand, Zritha paced the room, waiting for the metal to heat. Out of boredom she grabbed the sack in front of her and started to fiddle. She could see in Lorelei's eyes that she was scared, not knowing what was to happen, or when exactly. To frighten her more, Zritha sat in front of her and stared at her, grinning like usual. To try and harden herself, Lorelei stared back, but deep down Zritha could feel her fear. How could anyone not fear the unknown?

 

Chapter 3

 

Lethio woke to see the sun rise, rays of golden light burst through the canopy and bathed him in warmth. He slowly moved his neck, which now was sore from sleeping awkwardly. He went to rub the sleep from his eyes, but found himself unable to do so. As he realised, he sighed heavily “that's right, i can't move my arms... I'm being bled to death!” He started to laugh, each laugh slowly turned into a sob, and soon he was crying. 'I don't want to die here, not here being bled to death strapped to poles... I need to get free, i need to stop those who are torturing Lorelei... I NEED TO ESCAPE!' In a burst of energy he pulled against the strong force holding him down, he used his whole body to try and free the poles, but there was no movement. Feeling had now left most of his legs and he longed to be free, even though he hadn't even been strapped there a day. “At least i have you, dear sun.” He called out facing the sun, which still hid behind the trees. He watched the rays pierce through the gaps and give him it's welcoming hands for support. Smiling at the hands, he faced his at them as much as the vines would allow, and tried holding onto them. His mind floated for the second where he held the sun's hands, he felt free, he could do what he liked, he could fly high up and chase the other birds in the sky. 'The other birds?' he thought, worried at what was going on. He snapped out of whatever he had just experienced, the worry and panic had dropped him to the ground, and now, he was just a forest dweller, strapped to the dais and waiting for death.

 

*

 

Vaia had been worried about Grathni since Lethio's name had been called out at the ceremony. He rarely spoke more than a few words and barely ate much, his eyes now looked old and worn, as if the wind had carved away the life inside of him. Vaia decided he needed looking after a lot, so after gathering many of her belongings, she headed to his hut. His hut was slightly away from the main cluster, the huts around him had been burnt when a foul illness had spread, Grathni's family had been taken by it, and many others had families taken by it. Only now could the village start replenishing, those who survived were mainly children, most of which were adults now.

  Vaia knocked gently on the outside door, and hoped Grathni would open it, it usually took her a few knocks for him to answer, and even then he would close the door saying he was fine. She was about to knock again, when the door opened slightly and Grathni poked his head out “Yes?” He said impatiently.

“I'm moving in. You need to look after yourself, which you don't seem capable of, so i will look after you.” She winced waiting for him to either shout at her, or slam the door. He just looked at her, no expression showed on his face. Faintly he said “Fine.” and walked back inside.

  She took a deep breath and exhaled the wonderful afternoon breeze, then entered carefully. Inside it was musty, the air was hot and stale, the light barely penetrated the room, and any food that was around was off, it smelt rotten. Grathni pointed towards a small doorway across the room, then walked off into another. Vaia cautiously walked over the the door he pointed at and entered. It was a small room, and was filled only by a bed and a shelf. The window had been shut and as Vaia tried opening it, she realised he didn't want for it to be open. She examined the latches and pulled on the handle again, the wood creaked and then gave way. As she pulled down the shutter a blast of cool air entered, and she was thankful for the breeze today. Leaving her stuff on the bed, she left that room and went in search for Grathni. In the dark this was hard, and she decided that more windows needed opening, so fumbling around for more handles she went to open more windows.

 

From his room, Grathni heard Vaia's fumbling and crashing about. He breathed in the lovely warm air that enveloped him, from the main room now came an icy cold breeze that was almost foreign to him. So many days he had spent inside his barrier of warmth and darkness, and only now was it deteriorating. She thought it was about Lethio, but it was mostly not. 'Deep in my dark warm barrier nothing can harm me, nothing can break in and disturb my peaceful rest... Yet as this cold air surrounds it, and she knocks at the door, i feel it washing away. No-one is to enter my peaceful domain. Yet she persists and has broken my defences. I have been cast alone in a sea of loneliness. So many people...'

“Here you are then. I have opened the windows to bring air in, it's so stuffy in here.”

Grathni gave her a piercing glance, she stood her ground and looked back, she did not falter her stare, even in the darkness he could see it.