Incorrect intervals of episodes of excruciating pain followed by a blissfully unconscious state. Sometimes in that unconscious state I would be aware of some distant parts of my mind. In the moments of awareness and horror that accompanied those moments, I could more and more clearly recognize my surroundings. The light was still changing colors, still and distant. Voices less and less present.
Until one moment, suddenly as I was floating in the dark vacuum of nothing far away from me, a spot began to light up. A torch, a star. Something great. So bright that I couldn't even direct my fictitious eyes toward that phenomenon. I tried to retreat and escape, but of course my attempt was completely in vain. I did not have a body, and my consciousness was quite clear and it was not completely mine. It was getting closer and closer, until in a moment it enveloped me, and I became that light.
I woke up to the burned-out remnant of last night's fire. I knew, somehow, all this was just a memory. I was aware of it, aware that I survived it... somehow. So long ago, it seems to me that it was in another completely different life and also that it happened to another completely different person.
I looked around, and saw that my guard companions were still sleeping. The birds were announcing the arrival of another warm spring day. However, there was no difference between the seasons here anyway. This far south of the Cloud Empire all days were the same regardless of the season. The three carts of a local liquor dealer we kept on this trip from our town, Mirsa, to the capital, were a little farther down the road near large stones lined with some strange shapes. It has always been said that these stones have existed from the moment the world came into being, and are intended for travelers with pure hearts.
I have been in this watch, a caravan for three years. Everyone in our city thought it was the best overture and a life that could at least prepare you for a soldier's life. And so, three years later, with thousands and thousands of miles at my feet and various wonders seen, I found myself near the end of my contract with an guild of merchants.
The place we were was the last mile belonging to our Duchy, and was near a mountain range called the Tooth Mountains. This mountain range was a kind of border between our Duchy and the Central Duchy, and all the roads to the capital ran this way. Which meant only one, ahead of us is the hardest and toughest part of the road through one of the trails through the ravines of the Tooth Mountains.
Soon the rest of them woke up, so our guard leader, Krirel, went to the caravan leader to consult about the further route. This was necessary because there were several roads through the mountains, each carrying more or less danger.
Within two hours, I could already feel the cold mountain air on my face, and the cold was slowly getting colder. The only things I was looking forward to on this trip were the springs of clear mountain water that springs up here every step of the way. The trader chose the most commonly used road that ran under the largest peak of this mountain range. The trip was too long for us to cross with a carriage for a day, and we quickly set up camp again in the evening. I was assigned to the first internship, and had fun reading some of the old scriptures I brought with me, under the light of fire. Everyone fell asleep, and the moon rose high in the sky, full.
The fire crackled and seemed to throw my light hundreds of steps away. She played on the stone covered with frost, making it alive. Suddenly, the crackling intensified and came from several different sides at the same time. Instinct was telling me something was wrong and the moment I quietly withdrew from my seat to wake the other soldiers up, the scream broke. Dealers. A general madness has arisen. The women the merchant took with him ran out and started running headlessly in all directions. With the horror on his face, the dealer ran out of the car with some weapon in his hands. By then, all the guards had woken up and accepted the spear or the sword. All this light, however, did not allow me to see our enemy.
I was running back to face the attackers when something came off my back. The pressure quickly disappeared when the leader of our group entered the fight with my attacker. I got up quickly, and remained insecure. We were struggling with beings, some kind of decency actually. More than a man with a feather head where people had their hair. No weapons, but instead of fists, they had claws with blades as long as a hunting knife. I looked around and the horror was growing all around. Half our guard was on the ground, dead or unconscious. Women, too, and there was no sign or voice from the merchant.
I attacked the closest creature and my spear went through his chest. I immediately turned to face the next and then saw only the blades and felt the pain. Breaking the pain, as if the soul was splitting. My eyes were clouded with blood. I fell, but I was still aware and I could see the surroundings. Neither my hands nor my feet listened to me, I couldn't move them a step. There were blood streams all around me. The stones were bloodstained.
And then salvation in the form of darkness came.
And then the light disappeared, separated from me. And again I was sent to consciousness. In agony. To the Dungeons.
Wow, this chapter got really intense! What frightening creatures! Those claws like knives! How terrifying. There is some truly beautiful prose in this story, @stormlight! You have a wonderful writing voice.
Thank you very much @jayna. It is so nice to hear such words from you! I am very glad you like it, also I hope that next parts of this story of mine will be interesting for you and of course, I would like to hear your opinion for them as well. :)
I am savoring them, in installments! :-)