Narim watched his breath plume like smoke each time his lungs struggled to keep up with his heartbeat. His arms ached, his eyes stung. Something in the haze of this darkness was very wrong. Something warm trailed down his cheek.
"So how does it feel to be bathed in the blood of so many?" a familiar voice called out from behind him. Nassai materialized from the haze and placed a careful hand on his shoulder, a gesture that seemed much more afraid of him than her voice sounded.
"Blood?" Narim rasped. Where was he? Something about Nassai seemed different. She was taller, her rail thin figure filling out just slightly at the hips. He brought his free hand close to his face. As he suspected, he too had grown.
"Nassai..." He began walking unsteadily in the dim corridor. "How old am I?" Nassai stopped, the hand on his shoulder tightening. She fiercely swung him to face her, it was only then did Narim caught the fuzzy outline of her face. Since when did Nassai become so striking, he wondered. He wanted to lie down, He wanted someone to explain what was going on. Sidgal would know.
"I must find Sidgal. I am having trouble with my eyes, however. Can you please take me to --" He was met with a sharp slap across the face.
"Do you find humor in toying with me? I swore allegiance to you before I knew what you truly were. I should have known. Narim, in Mafaeri means "beast". You were well named." He could hear her voice breaking as she spoke. Something terrible had taken place.
"I don't know what's going on, that's why I must find Sidgal."
"Sidgal has gone to Auraach." Nassai said flatly.
"How long ago was this?"
"Yesterday."
" Yester... How was this done? Slain?"
Nassai gave an affirmative grunt began walking ahead of him.
"I will avenge his death. His enemy will pay with his own life."
" You play games. You would be committing suicide."
"Are you saying his enemy was so strong?"
"I'm saying his enemy was YOU!"
Narim sat hard on his heels, tears welling in his eyes. His vision was clearing enough for him to see a little further. Even with his limited vision, he could see pools of blood, even a severed hand at his feet.
"I Don't understand..." He picked up the hand, holding it close to his eyes so he could inspect it properly. An ornate sapphire ring winked at him as he dropped the hand in revulsion. "I did this?"
"The keep is silent, no one was spared. You slept for 5 years without nourishment and woke in a rage like none that has ever been seen in my eyes. They're all gone. You are a demon, something evil." Nassai kept a distance from him, just close enough for him to hear her clearly echoing through the silent corridor, not near enough for him to see her.
"You have pledged allegiance to me?" Narim searched his mind in a futile effort to make sense of everything.
"For saving me from starvation. You surely must remember that at least. That was before... before you went to sleep."
He could remember her, her peculiar behavior with him.
"And you are under my every command?"
Another affirmative grunt.
"Then I command you to get as far away from me as you possibly can. Do not return."
Nassai did not reply. Something metal dropped to the stone floor and Narim listened to the sound of delicate footsteps running away from him.
Narim didn't want to rise from where he sat right then. If what Nassai said was true, he had just slaughtered nearly 200 people after a 5 winter nap. How did he do this?
Narim, In Mafaeri it means "beast"
He had become a monster. What would Mallora think of him? Mallora... Narim suddenly remembered her, the way in which she'd been so savagely torn apart. Sleep kept his emotions from escaping and doing harm. He didn't even bother searching for a good place to lie down, he simply spread himself across the cold stone, eye level with the severed hand, the sapphire winking at him though his heavy eyelashes.
"So how does it feel to be bathed in the blood of so many?" a familiar voice called out from behind him. Nassai materialized from the haze and placed a careful hand on his shoulder, a gesture that seemed much more afraid of him than her voice sounded.
"Blood?" Narim rasped. Where was he? Something about Nassai seemed different. She was taller, her rail thin figure filling out just slightly at the hips. He brought his free hand close to his face. As he suspected, he too had grown.
"Nassai..." He began walking unsteadily in the dim corridor. "How old am I?" Nassai stopped, the hand on his shoulder tightening. She fiercely swung him to face her, it was only then did Narim caught the fuzzy outline of her face. Since when did Nassai become so striking, he wondered. He wanted to lie down, He wanted someone to explain what was going on. Sidgal would know.
"I must find Sidgal. I am having trouble with my eyes, however. Can you please take me to --" He was met with a sharp slap across the face.
"Do you find humor in toying with me? I swore allegiance to you before I knew what you truly were. I should have known. Narim, in Mafaeri means "beast". You were well named." He could hear her voice breaking as she spoke. Something terrible had taken place.
"I don't know what's going on, that's why I must find Sidgal."
"Sidgal has gone to Auraach." Nassai said flatly.
"How long ago was this?"
"Yesterday."
" Yester... How was this done? Slain?"
Nassai gave an affirmative grunt began walking ahead of him.
"I will avenge his death. His enemy will pay with his own life."
" You play games. You would be committing suicide."
"Are you saying his enemy was so strong?"
"I'm saying his enemy was YOU!"
Narim sat hard on his heels, tears welling in his eyes. His vision was clearing enough for him to see a little further. Even with his limited vision, he could see pools of blood, even a severed hand at his feet.
"I Don't understand..." He picked up the hand, holding it close to his eyes so he could inspect it properly. An ornate sapphire ring winked at him as he dropped the hand in revulsion. "I did this?"
"The keep is silent, no one was spared. You slept for 5 years without nourishment and woke in a rage like none that has ever been seen in my eyes. They're all gone. You are a demon, something evil." Nassai kept a distance from him, just close enough for him to hear her clearly echoing through the silent corridor, not near enough for him to see her.
"You have pledged allegiance to me?" Narim searched his mind in a futile effort to make sense of everything.
"For saving me from starvation. You surely must remember that at least. That was before... before you went to sleep."
He could remember her, her peculiar behavior with him.
"And you are under my every command?"
Another affirmative grunt.
"Then I command you to get as far away from me as you possibly can. Do not return."
Nassai did not reply. Something metal dropped to the stone floor and Narim listened to the sound of delicate footsteps running away from him.
Narim didn't want to rise from where he sat right then. If what Nassai said was true, he had just slaughtered nearly 200 people after a 5 winter nap. How did he do this?
Narim, In Mafaeri it means "beast"
He had become a monster. What would Mallora think of him? Mallora... Narim suddenly remembered her, the way in which she'd been so savagely torn apart. Sleep kept his emotions from escaping and doing harm. He didn't even bother searching for a good place to lie down, he simply spread himself across the cold stone, eye level with the severed hand, the sapphire winking at him though his heavy eyelashes.
