Crest

Running through the forest her legs began to give out, Selene however had to continue. The sounds of horse hooves hitting the ground filled her ears along with the sound of her own heartbeat. It was as if they were one and the same, trying to catch something that had slipped through their fingers. For her it was freedom, and for the beasts coming for her it was the child growing within her. Coming to a brook she ran through hoping to not only get rid of her scent but to cross and find a place to hide. Tears began to fall down her face as she ran frantically hearing the horses coming to the water the shouts of men filling her ears. In the distance, she saw a cave but knew if she were to run into it they would search there for her first, instead she ran past it into a dense forest. The forest gave her an advantage as the night covered her, her dark skin almost undetectable through the tall trees and vines hanging from them. As she heard them coming closer she sank back into the trees finding one with a small hollow opening. Her fear had turned into adrenaline and she climbed into the tree, hoping there was no animals in here waiting to capture her. The dank smell of moss filled her nostrils and she fought the urge to gag as it wrapped itself around her shoulders. Holding her hand across her mouth she heard the horses and men approach. “She went that way I’m certain of it.” Spoke one of the guards, anger laced his voice. She knew it was due to the way she’d tricked him into freeing her. She flinched as one of the horses walked right up to where she crouched, her heartbeat louder than anything she’d ever heard. As they continued past her she let out the breath she didn’t realize she was holding. When she attempted to step out of the tree however the moss that had caught on to her held tight. Pushing against it, the moss behaved like a Boa Constrictor tightening itself against her skin making her feel as if she would die. Finally, she heard a crack and believing it to be her ribs she let out a low shriek afraid the guards would return if she were too loud. When she wriggled slowly however she felt no pain as she expected and she continued to hear cracking, not realizing it was the tree. The tree began to splinter, some of the wood prodding her in the side. To anyone looking at the scene it appeared as if the tree were attempting to invert itself and as it continued to change Selene’s screams began to increase. At this moment, she no longer cared if the guards came back she would gladly go with them if it meant she wouldn’t die this odd death. The sound of the tree turned into a sickening groan and it sounded as if it were too crying out in pain and it continued its transition swallowing her whole. Selene continued to scream hoping someone would come and free her from the clutches of the moss and branches that held her down. After what seemed like hours however it became apparent to her no one would be coming and she became quiet allowing the tree to do with her as it pleased. It cocooned her and she suddenly felt warmth fill her body. It gently began to sway her and she felt herself being lolled to sleep. Having given up fighting she gently heard what sounded like the sea in the distance and even only vaguely knowing the land she knew there was no water near the kingdom she had been brought too. The tree seemed to sway quicker and it began to fill with a liquid that Selene quickly recognized as ocean water. Her fear came back tenfold as she began to realize she would die. In the back part of her brain though she laughed, death by drowning… inside of a tree. When the water reached her neck, she took one more big gulp of the musty air before letting the water flow over her face and closing her eyes she let the water take her. Seconds passed… minutes…hours? Yet she felt no constricting if anything Selene breathed more easily than she had her entire life. Opening her eyes, she saw that the tree had disappeared and in its place, was a vast ocean, her body floated gracefully underneath the surface. The sun rays playing across her face and the small fish swimming in schools past her only turning to see her for a moment before continuing. In seconds, she felt her body being pulled and not knowing whether to fight or to let it take her. Thinking through the possibilities she concluded that nothing could be worse than the predicament she already found herself in and allowed it to take her away. As she was pulled she realized that she was going toward the surface and she felt inexplicable joy take over her body. When she breached the surface, she realized she was tangled within a net along with fish and as they wriggled around fighting to reenter the water she simply lay there not knowing what to do. The net landed with a loud “plop”, and her body hit the wood of an unknown surface roughly. Opening her eyes, she expected to see clear blue skies, however she was greeted with the faces of men, men she did not recognize. The fear she felt was mirrored in their eyes and no one spoke a word. They continued to speak in an unknown language and one man prodded her with a stick causing her to glare at him. He jumped back in fear and threw the stick to the ground. As the continued to mumble things to each other and stare at her a man appeared and pushed everyone to the side. The way he looked down at her in disgust scared her and he barked words at the men who quickly scrambled to various places. The only two who remained were the man and another one appeared who gave her a soft look before gently picking her up and cradling her in his arms. Selene felt her body jump as he held her closer to him and walked to a door that was locked. The man who clearly disliked her opened the door and pointed to a mat on the ground and the man laid her down on the mat before leaving. As the door closed she could hear them speaking to each other but what was being said remained a mystery. Selene’s fear once again reappeared and in that moment, she realized she was tired of being scared. Controlling her emotions, she pulled her legs up to her chest and closed her eyes awaiting whatever fate was before her. The door opened revealing a boy no older than twelve dressed in pants and a cotton shirt ripped in the sleeves. His feet were covered in shoes twice his size and his blonde hair was disheveled. He brought a bowl filled with what appeared to be broth, and a small brass cup of water. She smiled at the young boy and he kept his eyes down before giving her a small smile in return. As she ate the boy went around the room tidying up the best he knew how. The result was approximately what you’d expect from a toddler yet his effort was sweet in her eyes and she gestured for him to come and sit with her. He shook his head before leaving the room and Selene looked away sadly. Eating the rest of the warm broth she neatly put the bowl and cup by the door before lying down on the small mattress and covering herself with the thin sheet she’d been provided. Allowing sleep to consume her she hoped the following day would bring about clarity, yet the nagging feeling told her it would be no different. The sun of the new day shone brightly against Selene’s face and for a moment she didn’t feel so bad, yet the moment was over soon after it had started as the man who’d looked down on her appeared in the doorway. Anger brewing in his eyes, and he walked towards her grabbing her roughly by the arm. She felt tears fill her eyes as he squeezed tightly pulling her to her feet. “He pulled her behind him into what appeared to be a sitting room, she’ only been into one once before in her life as Dagrin forbade her to enter his at any time. He pushed her down into a chair and watched her through slits in his eyes. Malan had never been privy to folk lore, yet when the beautiful woman washed up in his nets he recalled the story of the Drius his mother would tell him as a boy. There was no other explanation as no human being would be able to survive being submerged in the water as she was. “Who are you and why have you come?” he spoke his voice laced with skepticism. She simply stared at him not speaking to him. Selene considered his face and began to speak frantically, attempting to tell him everything that had happened yet he shook his head. Malan did not understand what the woman was saying. They’d reached a dead end, but only for a moment as Malan rose and yelled out onto the deck. Moments passed before a man waddled into the room, he was stout and glasses perched on his nose threatening to fall off at any moment. Bowing slightly Malan instructed the man to translate what the woman was saying as he was gifted with the power of understanding. The man merely nodded before poking Selene hard in the side. “Why would you..?” The man’s eyes opened wide before making eye contact with his master and then looking back at Selene. He spoke to Selene, “How… How are you possible, the Liyats have been extinct for thousands of years? There are none of you left.” Selene stared at him incredulously before looking between him and the man, “That is impossible our people are alive and thriving I left my home not more than a fortnight ago.” The man shook his head incredulously before looking over at Master Malan who looked expectantly at him. “My lord, I’m not quite sure what is going on here. She claims to be of the Liyat people yet that is simply impossible.” Malan racked his brain for any mention of the Liyats in his education but could not recall any time he’d heard the name. “Who are they Uman? Why am I just now hearing of these people?” Uman looked at Master Malan in fear before looking down at his feet. “My lord I must not speak of it, it is forbidden amongst our people.” Malan’s questioning look soon turned into anger at being told no, “I wish to know everything of these people and you Uman, will tell me. Are we clear?” Uman nodded his head in the affirmative before stepping back. He gave a leveled gaze to Selene who looked skeptically between the two men, Malan grabbed her by the arm yet again before dragging her back to the room she’d been kept and locking the door behind him. Although she knew to expect the boy before sundown she felt her heart drop at the finality of the door being closed. Once again she found herself locked away and this time her child would be in the middle of it all.