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Post by Razgat on Jun 7, 2009 1:00:14 GMT -5
Even the brightest light cannot destroy the smallest darkness.
The trees swayed back and forth as the prevailing winds tossed them with their strong arms, nearly breaking them before catching them and tossing them the other way. They came dangerously close to all those watching from their windows, but their vision was blocked from the sheets of rain slanting down at them. It filled the streets with buckets of water and mixed with the dirt creating paths of mud that seeped into the cracks of the stone pathways. Lightning flashed above them starting rolling tremors that sounded like an avalanche. They shook the ground and sent the thick, black clouds rolling, mixing, stirring. They filled the skies and let no light penetrate their thick skin. They blocked the view to the biggest storm in all of Altriach. It had all started so suddenly, almost out of the blue, and sent everyone indoors. They couldn’t tell if it was still the afternoon or if the sun had set, but it didn’t matter now. Now, everyone just waited or slept. Mrs. Capper was one of the sleepers.
The rumbling thunder and flashes of lightning had kept her up, but hours of laundry, cleaning, and inn keeping had exhausted her. She fell asleep after a few minutes. She hoped her suns had done the same. They worked just as hard as she did to run this inn. They had to. It was their home. They were only lucky that it was so popular or they wouldn’t be able to make repairs. That reminded her of the loose floor board on the stairs…..
Knock Knock Knock
Mrs. Capper heard what sounded like someone knocking on the wood, but the whole inn was made out of wood. It could easily be someone walking around in the middle of the night.
Bang Bang Bang
No, it was coming from downstairs. Someone must be outside, but who? Who could possibly manage to walk out in this weather? Mrs. Capper thought no more of it as she heard more knocks on the doors. She immediately got out of bed and reached for her robe to wrap around her nightgown. She had no time to slip on her slippers since the knocking had continues. She knew that it would wake her customers, if they had managed to sleep, and she couldn’t have that.
She rushed down the stairs, stepping over the loose board, to quickly run to the double doors at the front of the inn. They were large wooden doors with stainglass windows on the front, but she couldn’t see out of them. It was too dark, and the rain was too heavy. Without another thought, Mrs. Capper slightly opened one of the doors to peek outside. She saw no one at first outside of the door, but then she heard a feint cough. She looked down to see a little girl wrapped in a cloak standing there. “My Goodness, what are you doing out here? Come in quickly!”
She opened the doors and nudged the girl inside. Mrs. Capper quickly closed the doors behind her as wind and rain poured in, lightly soaking her. She turned around, gripping the collar of her robe to bring it closer to her. The girl was standing behind her, peeking up at her with her big, violet eyes. Her long, light brown hair was soaked and clung to her wet, rosy cheeks. Water was dripping all over her round, little face, and her bottom lip stuck out as if she were about to cry, Mrs. Capper smiled sweetly at her and began to undue the knot on her heavy, wet cloak. “Now, deary, would you like to tell me what you were doing out there?”
The little girl only sniffled and looked down at her feet. Mrs. Capper finished undueing the cloak and hung it on one of the hooks by the door. She turned back to see that underneath the cloak, the girl had been wearing a dark blue, silk dress with light blue hemming and a golden belt encrusted with jewels. Two strands of hair hung in front of her ears wrapped with copper wires to hold their shape. She also wore a necklace made up of a golden chain and a glass bead. Mrs. Capper had never seen anyone dressed this way before, especially so young. She was dumbstruck.
The little girl sniffled and wiped her nose with her hand. “I feel cold….and wet.”
Mrs. Capper shook her head to get herself out of the daze and patted the girl’s cheek. “Oh, we’ll fix that, sweetheart. Come this way.”
Mrs. Capper lead her through a door to a hallway leading to the kitchen. Inside was a large stove and many cuboards and crates filled with food for the guests. Even after doing several loads of dishes, the sink was still filled with pots and pans from the dinner. At the far end of the room, just in front of the stove, was a small table with four chairs. Mrs. Capper lead the girl there and sat her in the chair in front of the stove to dry her off and warm her up. Mrs. Capper sat in the chair in front of her and waited to see if she needed anything else. She still didn’t know why the girl was here or if she even had any parents looking for her. “Are you lost, sweetheart?”
The girl shook her head and looked at the fire in the stove. She seemed almost enchanted by it. “Who sent you here?”
The girl looked up at Mrs. Capper as her bottom lip stuck out again. A small tear fell from her eyes, or a water drop. It was hard to tell since she was still so wet. Mrs. Capper immediately left her seat and went around to her. “Oh, sweety, it’s alright. We’ll keep you safe here until you want to leave. How does that sound?”
The little girl smiled and looked up at Mrs. Capper. “My name is Carlienda.”
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Post by Razgat on Jun 7, 2009 1:00:36 GMT -5
(This is the new one. I'll erase the old one later.)
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Post by Razgat on Jun 25, 2009 20:47:56 GMT -5
Two blue birds flew by the inn, singing their afternoon tunes as they fluttered about. It was a beautiful day in Beldom, and many of the townsfolk had come out to enjoy the blue skies and fresh air. The market was filled with tradesmen and farmers, hoping to earn their pay for their hard work. Mrs. Capper was among them. She carried her basket filled with goods as she went from stall to stall, admiring the merchandise. She sighed as she put a piece of her graying hair behind her ear. The joints in her fingers ached from the weight of the basket, and she fought the urge to put it down to rest. She had to pick up the things she needed for the kitchen at the Capper Inn. They were running low on flour and a few vegetables, but she wasn’t worried. Those things were easy to find in a farmer’s town.
Beldom was surrounded by vast fields and farms filled with livestock and gardens. Everything was always fresh there, and everyone knew the different tastes and textures that each farmer brought. Some specialized with tomatoes, growing them sweet and plump, while others were the ones to buy your cabbage from. Over the years Mrs. Capper had learned to be quite the shopper and knew just who to buy from. She stopped by a grocer’s cart to admire the celery they displayed. “It’s pretty sturdy, but not too soft. How much are you selling it for?”
The farmer glanced over at her as he carved a potato. “Three shackles per bundle.”
Mrs. Capper smiled and reached into her basket to pull out nine shackles and handed it to the farmer. “Thank’ee for your service, ma’am. Aye…isn’t that your son over yonder?”
Mrs. Capper looked down the road to where he was pointing. Indeed, there he was sprinting down the pathway. His shaggy blonde hair flew behind him along with his untucked shirt. He jumped over a small cart and nearly fell over as he ran on. Mrs. Capper squinted to get a look at his face. She saw that he was upset and called over to him. He glanced at her, but quickly looked away as he ran into a cart, knocking over all of the farmer’s cabbages. “My cabbages!” he screamed as the boy ran on.
Mrs. Capper was furious as he ran by, and she tried to shout at him. “Timothy!? You get back here right this instant!”
He ignored her and kept running. He ran straight out of the market and out the gate. She sighed and shook her head. What am I going to do with you?
She looked up as she heard a young girl call to her. It was Carlienda, running in her blue silk dress, trying to catch up. She was gasping for air and lagging behind. “I’m sorry, mother. I’ll go get him.”
Mrs. Capper sighed as she watched the young girl run off. Ten years had gone by, and she still called her “mother”.
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Post by Razgat on Jun 25, 2009 21:13:14 GMT -5
Carlienda followed Tim out of the town and through the gate. He was much faster than she was, but she managed to keep an eye on him. She watched him as he began to slow and stop. She paused in her running to watch him and saw him turn to the river trickling to the right. He sat on the edge, folded his legs, and rested his head on them. Carlienda stopped running and began walking very quietly, watching him. He had ran off earlier after school, but she didn’t know why. She knew he was upset about something, and she thought that if she watched him she might find out what.
He sat there, watching the water flow by with the vast fields of the Farmer’s Land around them. You could hear the cows crunching on their hay and calling to each other not far off, and it made everything seem peaceful. But he was still upset. She came up behind him and lightly tapped him on the shoulder. He immediately jumped and cried out. Carlienda giggled at his response as eh turned around to look at her. “Oh, it’s you Carlienda. Don’t do that again!”
She sat down next to him and looked him in the eye. “Why were you running? You know I can’t catch you.”
Tim frowned and looked back at the river. “I need a reason to run?”
Carlienda looked worriedly at him. “No, but….you seemed pretty upset. You sure you don’t want to tell me?”
Tim stood up and looked down at her. “I’m going back to the inn.”
He began to walk off and Carlienda sighed as she stood up. They used to be so close, like siblings, but now he seemed to drift away from her. They didn’t talk like they used to, and he almost seemed to avoid her during the day. Is there something wrong with me?
She ran after him as he headed for their home. He was at the door already, and she tried to catch up. “Hey, wait up!” He didn’t stop.
She grew frustrated and sprinted forward, trying to catch up. She called to him again and saw him stop at the door. She smiled and slowed her pace again. “You should slow down when I’m with you.” He didn’t respond. He was looking through the doorway at something.
Carlienda stepped up to the door behind him and peeked inside when he didn’t notice her. Inside she saw four figures dressed in black cloaks standing at the desk inside. They were checking in apparently. Carlienda looked up at Tim to see why he had stopped and saw that he was staring at someone who wasn’t one of the four. She followed his gaze to see a tall man with spiky black hair standing in the corner, smoking a cigar. He was dressed in a black cloak as well, but you could clearly see his face. He seemed to notice them staring, and he looked up at them. He inhaled from his cigar then smiled at them, blowing out thick black smoke from his nostrils.
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Post by Razgat on Jun 25, 2009 22:34:59 GMT -5
John skimmed through his book for the third...no…fourth time now. He had bought it off a beggar in the market, and had been reading it for hours. He adjusted his glasses and ran his fingers through his short, brown hair. “This book is ancient,” she had said, “You will discover many things.” So far, he had discovered nothing. It looked more like a story book to him. Some tale about an old civilization and the king’s daughters. It was interesting, really, but nothing special. I’ve been swindles out of ten shackles…
He snapped the book shut and a cloud of dust burst out from the pages. It fogged his glasses, and he paused to wipe them off with a handkerchief. “John, who are those people downstairs?”
John looked to see a blurry image of dark blues and light skin. He finished cleaning his glasses and slipped them on to see Carlienda. “Who?”
She rolled her eyes and nodded her head towards the stairs. “The ones who just checked in. The people in robes?”
John furrowed his brow and shrugged. He hadn’t been downstairs in a while. Carlienda sighed and John heard footsteps come from behind her. “He’s useless, Carlie. Don’t bother with him.”
John frowned as Tim, his younger brother, came up behind Carlie. His eyes looked dull, and he leaned against the door’s frame. John had noticed a lot of change in the young teen. He had become somewhat of a loner and didn’t talk as much. He usually spent his free time in the attic. Not like how he used to be…
“So there are new people checking in?” John placed the book on his desk and reclined in his chair.
Carlie nodded and went to sit on his bed. “Yes, just now. They look very…strange.”
Tim followed Carlie and sat beside her. John sat up and folded his arms. “Hmmm…they’re probably just here for the festival. A bunch of…interesting people come here around this time.”
“You mean freaks?” Tim fell back on the bed and placed his arms behind his head.
Carlie scowled at him before turning to John. “I’m sure they’re nice. I’m just a little curious, that’s all.” Carlie let her eyes roam around the room to look for something to change the subject. “Hey, is that a new book?”
John turned to look at the old book on his desk. “Oh, yes. I bought it this morning.”
Carlie’s violet eyes lit up as he picked it up and thumbed through the pages. “What’s it about?”
John smiled when he saw the excitement in her eyes. He still remembered when he would read to both of them. They would get so excited and sit and get into the story, but that was a long time ago. “It’s a story about an ancient kingdom. His people were being threatened by the Sinners, and they wanted help from their ancestors, the Dragonians. Unfortunately, there were none left to help, but there were decendants. These decendents were the King’s two daughters. The people wanted to sacrafice the daughters to reveal their Dragonian blood, but the ritual was interrupted by the Sinners. They tried to kidnap the daughters, but they got away. No one knows what happened after that. Some say the daughters survived, some say they didn’t, but there is a legend. It’s that one day, when they are needed most, one of the daughters will defeat the Sinners to rid the world of them. They never said which one, but most people believe it will be the eldest daughter. She was thought to have the most Dragonian influence.”
“Tch” Both Carlie and John turned to look at Tim, who had a face of disbelief. “What a bunch of--”
“Carlie, John, Tim! Could you come down here?” Mrs. Capper called from downstairs. It was time to prepare dinner.
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Post by Razgat on Jun 26, 2009 20:53:07 GMT -5
Carlienda sat on the little bench in front of her window and looked out at Beldom. There were ribbons tied around polls and columns and candles hanging from trees. Different bundles of flowers were placed in baskets and hung from the street lamps filling the air with their scents. Everyone was getting ready for the big Blue Moon Festival. It was the one night in spring that the moon overlooking Beldom glowed a bright blue. The inn had been decorated entirely especially for this event. I shouldn’t be slacking off now. I still have all that laundry to do, and I need to stop by a few rooms.
Carlie rose from her window seat and grabbed the laundry basket that she had placed on the floor beside her. She walked out of her bed room and headed for the rooms in the upper hall, the rooms where the people in cloaks were staying. During the past week, she had come to there rooms to clean them and collect laundry, but she would find the doors unlocked and the rooms empty. They were also totally clean. This wasn’t very abnormal, since some of the guests cleaned their own rooms, but the sheets looked untouched, and there was no laundry to be found. Even the small bowl of fruit looked exactly as it had been before. It looked as if no one had ever been there.
She approached there rooms now, and hesitated outside of the first door. She raised a hand to knock and waited for a response. She heard none and called out the resident’s name. “Ms. Cerise? Are you there?”
She thought she heard voices coming from inside, but she couldn’t make out what they were saying. She placed her ear to the door and called her again, but now she didn’t hear anything. She decided to open the door and peek inside. “Ms. Ceri---…….*gasp*”
Carlie quickly turned away from the door and shouted, “I’m sorry!” before slamming the door and running off. She darted towards the end of the hallway and quickly turned right, slamming her back against the wall. She was breathing heavily and she hugged the basket against her chest as it moved up and down with every breath. She couldn’t believe what she had just seen. She was horrified and embarrassed by it, but she couldn’t get rid of the image. It was burned into her mind.
It was the image of a young, pale woman with long, wavy, black hair clinging to the tall man with short, spiky hair that had smiled at her the other day. There bodies had been covered with a thick, sticky sweat that glowed with the sunlight that pierced through their curtains. Carlie’s cheeks still burned a bright red from the sight, but that wasn’t what had scared her. She could have sworn that she was Ms. Cerise biting the man. She remembered seeing the blood trickle from his neck and down his arm, and she remembered seeing the savage look in her eyes as Ms. Cerise slowly glided her tongue up the trail and sucked at the wound.
Carlie held her breath as she heard a door click open. She couldn’t peek around the corner, but she could see the reflection in the window in front of her. She watched as Ms. Cerise peeked out the door with the bed sheets clinging to her body. “She’s gone….but I can smell her…”
“Don’t worry about her, Cerise, she’s just a maid.” A man’s voice came from the bedroom. Carlie soon saw him walk up from behind Cerise and run his fingers through her hair. “Come back in.”
Cerise looked up at him and smiled, standing up straight to kiss him. She then slowly brought her head back and Carlie saw that his lower lip was bleeding. Cerise smiled and licked her lips, which were now a bright red. A drop of blood leaked from the corner of her mouth. Carlie couldn’t help gagging.
Both suddenly turned to look at the corner and saw the terrified face of Carlie’s reflection in the mirror. She ran off right after that, leaving the basket behind.
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Post by Razgat on Jul 3, 2009 22:33:19 GMT -5
John sat at the counter of the small tavern they managed at the inn. There weren’t too many people to serve at the moment. The only sound John heard was the clanking of glass as the group of travelers at one of the tables shouted “Cheers!” and chugged the contents of their glasses. John rolled his eyes as they chugged a second round and grabbed a rag from a basket to wipe the counter tops.
A young girl walked in and sat at a corner table, huffing as she sat. Her eyebrows were furrowed, and her lower lip stuck out in a pout. John couldn’t help but notice her. He stared at her brown curls and rosy cheeks. He noticed that she was wearing a black cloak over a dark green dress, and he realized that she was one of the guests that checked in days earlier. She was the first he had seen with their hood down. She seemed to notice his staring, and se immediately glanced up to glare at him. John jumped and stumbled to catch the glass he nearly knocked over. She giggled at the sight of it.
John glanced up and walked over to her table. “Is there anything I can get you, miss?”
She turned and looked at the table of drunken travelers. “They look like they’re having so much fun. I wish I could have fun.”
“Well, they won’t be having fun tomorrow morning, I can tell you that.” He watched as one of the men fell backwards out of his chair. His coat was stained with beer, and the others broke out into a loud laughter.
The young girl sighed. “They seem so happy, and so…carefree. I wish I could be carefree and happy, but they never let me have fun. But Cerise can have all the fun she wants. She would jump to join them if she were here.” Her voice quivered as her face slowly turned red. “I bet she would love to sink her teeth into…oops, I’ve said to much.” She smiled up at John and leaned closer to him. “Yes, there is something you can get me.” She folded her legs and slowly pulled her skirt up to show her lower leg. “You can get me some fun.”
John gaped at the young girl. Her expression had changed from anger to joy in a matter of seconds. John knew there must be something wrong with her, especially after hearing the way she talked, but he couldn’t stop staring at her eyes. Her big, green eyes. They were mesmerizing, dragging him in. He quickly shook his head and stumbled back to the counter. “Uh…fun? Sure, I’ll get you some fun.” He fumbled around with the different bottles under the counter. “What is that, a mixture of Brandy? Whiskey? Girl-er-Gin?”
He stared as she slowly stood from the table and walked up to the counter. Her eyes were transfixed on him, and he couldn’t look away. She folded her arms on the counter and looked straight into his eyes. “How about wine? Sweet, pure, fun wine?” Her eyes almost seemed to glow a bright green.
John immediately bent down to grab a bottle of wine, clumsily pouring it into a glass. It splashed onto the counter as he poured. “Uh, sure, wine, yeah. I can do that.”
“There’s not enough.” She stared at the glass he poured.
“Oh, you want more?” He began filling the glass to the brim.
She jumped to grab his hand. “No, there’s not enough glasses. Where’s yours?”
John gulped. “Mine?”
The girl looked at the hand she had grabbed and wrapped both her hands around it, massaging his palm. “Yes, yours. I want you to come with me. You don’t understand how much.” There was a slight hint of irritation in her voice, and her smile twitched.
As John stared down at her glowing, green eyes, eyes that almost acted like mirrors, reflecting his inner thoughts, he couldn’t resist.
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