Chapter 1: of the hidden city

Authors note: so this isn't really chapter 1 of the story of Ellaway, but this is chapter 1 of the part of the story about the hidden city.

That afternoon Ripple and Ellaway walked silently, through the forest, eating juicy berries they had picked earlier. Ellaway broke the quite through a mouthful of berries, “Jerrt said that there is a creature that lives here called Bolbart. He said that he runs about sucking people’s blood.”

Ripple laughed, “I wouldn’t worry too much about Bolbart, I have never seen any thing of the like. I would worry more about the Kin, you heard of the bounty on your head and they would do any thing for money.”

Ellaway gave Ripple a sarcastic look of alarm, “Dear, every ones out for me.”

Ripple smirked, but in spite of themselves, both jumped at a noise behind them. They turned and peered in to the dense trees. Ellaway whispered in a mocking voice, “Bolbart’s come to suck your blood.”

“Sh. I hear something.” Ripple unsheathed his sword and Ellaway did the same. From what they saw, everything was still. All Ripple could hear was the leaves rustling in the trees, but felt no breeze. He looked up and there staring back at him was hundreds of Kin faces. They were all crouched on branches like jag wires ready to bounce.

Ellaway let out a gasp of surprise. Their cat like eyes turned on her and with a sly grin, they started to crawl towards her. Ellaway heard a hiss and the Kin jumped simultaneously to the ground, landing soundlessly on all fours. Then they rose to stand to their full height. Each Kin soared a foot above Ellaway and Ripple. All of them wore a strap around their huge muscular chest and pants of soft leather. Their angled eyes with cat shaped pupils warily watched the pair. Every flatten nose, quietly sniffed the air and snarling mouths revealed fang like teeth. One of the men growled, “Catch them both, but leave them alive, especially the female.”

Ripple made ready and growled, “See? I knew Bolbart was the last of our worries.”

The Kin waited for the signal of their leader, another Kin grimaced, “This is going to be too easy.”

Ellaway turned to who had said this, she broadened her stance and glared at the Kin, “You’re mine, come kitty cat, come meet your doom. Come on! Let’s see how easy it is!” The Kin growled and charged at her without command, the others stayed in position. With one swish of Ellaway’s sword the Kin was flung to one side and laid up against a tree in a heap. Ellaway turned to face the rest. The leader hissed again and they moved in on Ellaway and Ripple.

Ellaway lost sight of Ripple, as his fight drew him farther and farther away from her. She fought nonchalantly with warrior after warrior, but the army seemed to continuously grow. Ellaway’s glass blade sung as she waved left and right. She was nothing but a streak of light, dancing gracefully under the trees leaving a trail of fallen Kin. Suddenly a massive man taller than the rest stood bravely in front of her with no weapon, as though challenging her to a fight him. As she moved toward him he made no move in defense until she was a foot away. Then he clenched his hands together like a club and smashed her in the chest, throwing her off her feet.

She lay a while catching her breath, but merely grimaced and stood up. The man had a stupefied look as she stood up ready to fight back, he clench his hands again. This time Ellaway was ready. When he came down on her she moved to the right and he stumbled into a tree. When he turned, Ellaway swiped at his chest, but the giant shielded himself with his arms, leaving a gash across his forearm. The kin stammered backward holding his wounded arm, unready to sword fight.

Sternly, he griped the sword of the man next to him and ripped it out of his unwilling hands. With new determination he swung the blade at Ellaway’s chest. Awkwardly, Ellaway tried to block his attack, raising her blade above her head thrusting downward on his sword. As Ellaway forced him downward, his sword grazed against her leg, leaving a wound. She hollered in pain and doubled over.

Her attacker made ready to strike a blow at her in her weakened state. With out a second to loose Ellaway blinked herself behind him and stabbed him in the back with her whole swords length. Pushing him forward, Ellaway pulled out her sword, letting him fall to the ground.

Ellaway gritted her teeth in pain as she turned to face another charging Kin, but as he charged, he fell to an arrow from behind. Ellaway searched for the source of the arrow and saw a steed caring a large rider. Behind him, more riders in sliver armor joined in the fight. In awe she watched the strange warriors come in from every direction. She looked around and saw Ripple fighting. With her head pulsating from the pain in her leg, Ellaway walked towards him in a daze, but lost sight of him and stood, unsure of what to do.

Ripple fought hard against the never ending wave of soldiers; throwing his weight skillfully so each blow of his blade had full power. He leaned his back up on a tree using it to help give him better balance while waving his sword left and right in defense. Meanwhile he scanned the scene for any sign of Ellaway. Suddenly he felt a powerful force[E1] to the back of his head. Ripple lost his footing and fell to the roots of the tree.

Slowly, he shook off the pain in his head and started to stand up, but in a flash he saw a Kin bearing down on him with his sword. Ripple rolled away from the tree as his attacker hit the ground with his weapon. Quickly Ripple scrambled to his feet. Without hesitation the the gaint kin lifted his sword and swung it at him with all his muscle only to wedge it in a tree. The giant went to pull the sword out of the tree, to find his blade stuck. Ripple made a rapid strike at the beast’s back and the man slanted backward and fell with a thud.

Ripple smiled cockily down at the corpse with admiration at his work, but a raging cry from behind him awoke him from his delight. He turned and lifted his sword ready to strike. The aggressor thrust his sword towards Ripple’s chest, but Ripple blocked the blow.

Both Ripple and his attacker stopped as the leader of the Kin jumped up into the trees and yelled “Gazanyn, Gazanyn! Gazanyn!”

With the command, the Kin started to take to the trees in a mad dash. In one bound the Kin in front of Ripple jumped onto the branches above and started scurrying from tree to tree. With grace and style the Kin flew threw the air looking more and more like jaguars. Their nibble feet always landed on the next branch which they leapt from to the next. Ripple looked around in search for the cause of retreat and saw sliver figures skillfully fighting on horse. The silver warriors! Why had they come to fight? He looked for Ellaway to make a run for it in the chaos. He rasped out Ellaway’s name, but no reply came. He ran in the crowd of fleeing Kin and hoofs and caught sight of her looking confused, but a sudden rush of Kin threw themselves on Ripple. In disarray the invaders grabbed for Ripple’s flinging limbs. Ripple scuffled as he tried to set himself free screaming Ellaway’s name all along.

Ellaway found herself unable to stand, she sank to her knees, as the commotion of the battle whorled around her. She heard her name being hysterically called from some where but it seemed from a far distance. Her eyes were covered in a mist and everything seemed to be a smear of color.

In a moment of panic she realized that it was Ripple’s voice calling her, but he was getting farther and farther. She turned this way and that, searching desperately for the location of his voice. But there was so much noise about her it seemed that Ripple was every where screaming for her, all she saw was a blur of silver armor. She tried to stand, but a surge of pain ran through her leg. She fell face down in the blood soaked mud. She raised her head in one last effort to find Ripple and saw him far from her, being dragged away. Her voice was able to whisper his name, but not loud enough for even her to hear. A last flow of pain ran up her wounded leg, her eyes rolled in the back of her head. Everything became dark and Ellaway felt blackness pulling around her, she tried hard to find her way out, but let go and an inky black covered her eyes.

Ripple kicked at any Kin that he could reach. Then in front of him he saw Ellaway face down in the mud, “NOOOOOOOO! NOOOOOOO! ELLAWAY, GET UP! DON’T BE DEAD! WAKE UP!” Ripple fought harder against his captors[E2] trying to get to Ellaway. Her body lied lifeless on the forest floor, and despite Ripple’s determined yelling, she never moved. She seemed to be miles away from him and getting farther away. He lashed out as hard as he could, but he was overcome with Kin, and finally he gave up and relaxed murmuring, “Don’t be dead, please, just don’t be dead.”

In the rush of Kin scrambling away from the sliver riders, Ripple found tears cleansing his filthy face. He closed his eyes in distress, stammering along with the pull of his enemies. Time seemed to quicken its pace as he got farther away from Ellaway. The Kin ran in a panic as the silver riders pursued them, hustling Ripple along with them. One of the Kin threw Ripple to his back [E3] and jumped into a tree along with the rest of the Kin darting over the forest floor.

Kin flew among the tree tops scattering away from the riders and even though the kin were fast they were no match for the riders aim with a bow and arrow. Ripple watched as Kin fell to the ground from the shots of the riders. Suddenly he noticed how exposed he must be to any arrows, but Ripple did not care. He had given up. He only wanted sleep. Ripple closed his eyes and muttered silent prayers to every god he had heard of, hoping against all hope that some how Ellaway was alright,free [E4] and safe.

As Ripple jostled along, an arrow whizzed by his ear, and caught in the Kin’s back that was caring him. The Kin stumbled as he climbed from branch to branch, but he did not falter. But as they flew threw the air another arrow priced the Kin in his gut. He grasped for the next branch, but it slipped threw his nimble hands. Ripple tumbled to the ground and laid in a heap. Helplessly, he stood.

But just as he did so, a hand grabbed the rough of his shirt, and slung him over a horse. Ripple went limb once more wishing it was over, he closed his eyes and knew no more…

Every thing hurt from head to toe, especially her throbbing leg, as Ellaway dazed out of sleep she laid on the rough forest floor. Her whole body ached and a ruthless something was continuously poking at Ellaway’s side. She feebly groaned and brushed away the nuisance when a quite raspy voice spoke to no one in particular, “Oh, the thing lives! We will not eat it then, no no she will do us no good alive.” The raspy voice growled in reply, “No, but we could kill it. We are so hungry and need food, she is so fresh,” A longing desire creped in to the voice, “we have not had fresh meat for so long… so long. I say we kill it, and eat now!”

The raspy voice brought Ellaway to consciousness, but she kept quiet. Her breathing was slow and unsteady. She squeezed her eyes shut too scared to see what thing she was to encounter next in her never ending nightmare.

“Bolbart, Bolbart, now, we do not kill no no. We are too old for that sort of thing, and we do not kill, not even in our younger years. We feed off the victims of others,” but Bolbart was cut off by none other but himself, “No! That’s not true why lie to our selves?,” His voice changed in and out from a murderous mood to a poor weary old man, “[E5] We know of the others we have mercilessly killed for our pleasure, why lie now? Why change now when we have already been so bad?”

He slowly scuttled toward Ellaway, seeming to have made up his mind that he was to make her his lunch. Ellaway was ready. As he nervously stretched out his hand toward her, Ellaway slit open her eyes to see what resembled a black hand more like a claw creeping to her neck. Slowly, she took out her dagger from her belt. Ellaway calmed her breathing as best she could, pretending to still be asleep. When the claw brushed against her cheek, she snatched it and held out her dagger to ward off farther attacks.

Ellaway repulsed back at the sight before her. The figure scarcely resembled any human body, it was no taller then past Ellaway’s knees, and had a mangled black body with a shell on its back, that was blacker still. His arms were long, thin and frail ending with sharp lobster-like claws. It looked like a turtle on its hind legs. Its thick neck arched out from its shell, which abruptly ended with a snake like head. The only features on its face were two pale blue, glowing eyes.

Its skeleton thin arm writhed in Ellaway’s grip as he tried to free himself her grasp. Ellaway, completely unready for such a sight, could only stare in surprise holding out her weapon.

A completely overpowered Bolbart, lowered his head and whimpered, sobbing like a lost child. The only sign of a mouth was a thick bright red tongue slithering as he spoke, “Please, we- we meant- we meant no harm to you. No harm, no, no harm. Only- we only try to wake you up.” He collapsed totally. Bolbart bent his short thick legs and thumped down on the ground. He rested his free elbow on his knee and covered his eyes to have a good long wail.

Ellaway was shocked and a little more than unsettled. She thought to herself ‘This could be a trick, a way for me to feel sorry for him and let go.’ But his stammering breath seemed quite sincere to Ellaway. However she did not let go, but said in a soothing yet stern voice, “I’m sorry to have startled you, but you did say you planed to eat me.”

Bolbart suddenly stopped crying and glared at Ellaway with now fire red eyes, “She eas drops on us, that is no good, no good at all. We no like eas droppers, but she is to strong to kill any how, to strong.” He stopped speaking and merely sat there.

Ellaway’s leg surged in pain, but she could not attend to the hurt now. “Listen,” Ellaway inquired, “I was walking through here with a friend when we were attacked. Did you happen to see any sign of where he might be? He is uh… tall…um brown hair with sharp green eyes, and very human looking.”

Bolbart seemed back to normal , “Ah, we saw battle here with kin yes and silver warrior, mmm I have not tasted their blood in many years, but no dead do they leave behind for poor hungry Bolbart.” His eyes glimmered a sad blue.

“Yes, well,” Ellaway stammered slightly uncomfortable, “did you see Rip- this man I mean?”

“The man yes, yes the kin got him. Took him to the trees and ran.”

Ellaway grew nervous, “The Kin have him?”

“No, no the Kin that carried him fell. We thought the man would be left for poor Bolbart to eat, but no, a silver warrior picked him up yes, yes, took him fast away, to city.”

Ellaway looked at him anxiously, the thought that Ripple was almost left as prey for this writhing creature made her stomach churn, she tried not to think of it, “What city was he taken to?”

Bolbart’s eyes turned a darker blue as he accounted the city Ripple had been flung to, “It is a hidden city, yes, yes, in the heart of the forest, the silver warriors live there, poor Bolbart haven’t tasted them in so long.”

Ellaway grew more excited with hope of finding Ripple, “How do I find this hidden city?”

Bolbart stood up on his stubby legs, “Oh Bolbart’s been there. Been there many times, used to steel babies in their sleep we eat good!” Bolbart’s eyes turned blood red, “Used to rip them up for our supper, the sweet raw fresh bloody meet.” Bolbart’s tongue curved around his lips in delight.

Ellaway let go of Bolbart’s hand and held her own to her mouth trying to keep her stomach settled, she made sure her knife was extended before her, when she felt able to open her mouth without puking, she continued to question Bolbart, “Can you take me to this city?”

Bolbart seemed to grow angry, “They put spell on Bolbart. If he come near city he dies, we hurts so much no more babies for breakfast he hurt to much.”

Ellaway suddenly started squirmy slightly on the ground as a sharp ache pulsed through her leg, “Take me to the city.”

Bolbart looked at her wide eyed, “Bolbart can’t go to city. It hurt to go to city, can’t do it.”

Ellaway rocked back and forth and started to breathe deeply, tears swelled in her eyes. Bolbart walked closer to her, “Is she hurt?”

Ellaway looked at his cold blue eyes, “My leg is wounded, but I will be fine. I need to heal it. I am going to put this dagger down to try and heal my leg but if you come near me you will regret it. Do you understand?”

Bolbart shook his head.

Ellaway moved back her ripped pant leg to reveal a bloody wound, it was pretty deep, but she thought she could heal in so at least it wasn’t in as much pain. Ellaway concentrate on her task, ignoring the staring Bolbart and the pain in her leg. She curved her hands around her leg inches away from the skin, but not touching it. Once she summoned enough energy, a blue glow illuminated from her hands toward her leg.

Slowly the cut started to heal together as she ran her bright hands up and down the lesion, until it was only a shallow cut. The blue glow dissipated from her hands and she leaned back closing her eyes, regaining her strength. As Ellaway took deep breathes she felt something brush the back of her neck.

With lighting reflexes, Ellaway turned and thrust her hand against Bolbart’s meshed stomach and a beam of red light burst from her hand flinging Bolbart back till he hit hard on a tree. He crumbled to the ground and laid there whimpering.

Ellaway calmly turned to her satchel that laid near her and rummaged through it till she found some bandaging cloth. She rapped her nearly healed leg and started to stand, testing its sturdiness. It was suitable enough, till she found a better fix. She picked up her bag and dagger, found and sheathed it back in her belt, and limbed over to Bolbart.

He lay rocking on the ground, weeping pathetically. He was not hurt but very frightened. As Ellaway stood tall above him, he looked up at her determined face, and if his skin could pale with fear he would have surely done so now, but his eyes certainly turned the palest blue with fright. She demanded, “Take me to the city.”

Bolbart dared not argue.

Ellaway had seemed to be following Bolbart through the woods for a life time. As he lead, Bolbart’s manner changed, he grew bitter, continually muttering atrocities under his breathe assuming his follower could not hear him.

Many times Ellaway couldn’t tell if he remembered she was even there and often called out asking, “Are we getting any closer?”

Bolbart would reply fearfully, “Yes, yes almost there, I feel it.” Then he went on cursing her for forcing him to take her to the city.

Ellaway started to get frustrated, feeling like Bolbart was taking her in circles trying to get her thoroughly lost. The sun started to drip closer to the horizon getting dangerously dark, but Ellaway didn’t want to stop to camp with this deranged creature, no less sleep with him near. She ached for Ripple to be near her again, he would have known what to do. Finally Bolbarts stopped a little ways in front of her.

He bent down leaning against something she could not see because of the darkness. As she got closer though she realized he was leaning on air. She studied him closer and indeed there was nothing there for him to rest on. Bolbart pointed to the air he was supposedly leaning on and said, “You go in there.”

Ellaway looked at him puzzled, “I don’t see anything.”

Then Bolbarts did something that irked her more than any thing he had yet done. He smiled. Sharp red teeth lined his mouth and lead to a dark hollow, his tongue lolled slightly out of his mouth and he chortled, “Bolbart so clever. Bolbart found way to hidden city and the fool can not even see it.” He looked at her with his dazzling blue eyes, “Bend down here,”

Ellaway bent down and cocked her head to look where he had pointed. Amazingly enough there was a tunnel made of woven branches tangled into an arch that rose two or three feet above the ground. It was wide enough for both Bolbart and Ellaway to kneel side by side in. She stood back up to look for the out side of the tunnel, but couldn’t see anything except for the ground and rotting leaves. She squatted back down, looking clearly impressed.

Bolbarts looked at her happily, “See, this is way to hidden city.”

Ellaway looked at it cautiously thinking this tiny hole could be a trap, she didn’t want to act to hastily, she nodded her head toward Bolbart, “You go first.”

Bolbart quivered with fear and he frantically shook his head, “No! No! Silver riders promise we die if go through tunnel. Can’t go Bolbart can’t go.” He slumped down and started wailing again, “Don’t make Bolbart go. We die.”

Ellaway would hate to get caught in the small crawl space with Bolbart following her to kill , but it might be a risk she had to take. Crawling anxiously toward the magical tunnel, she kept a wary eye on Bolbart. On all fours, she stuck her head in the cave, dirt and undergrowth stuck to her hands and knees as she inched forward. With only her head extended in, she already felt claustrophobic in the tight dark area, it was stuffy and smelled strongly of rot. She popped back out from the hole and asked, “How far do I have to go till the city?”

Bolbart shrugged his shoulders moving his hole shell and hissed, “Bolbart there in no time, but we very fast in short tunnel, yes very fast.”

Ellaway took a deep breathe, taking in the clean fresh air before plunging in the tunnel again. But as she slowly crawled on hands and knees into the tunnel, Bolbarts dived in after her, jumping on her back and started clawing madly at her, looking frenetically for her neck. His claws ripped at Ellaway’s back making it burn. She panicked and started racing down the tunnel hoping the spell Bolbart feared so much was real. She finally turned on her back and tried to fight off his attack, holding back his flimsy, but surprisingly strong arms.

Ellaway kept crawling crab walk on her back, when Bolbart started to cough, sounding like a cat hurling a hairball. He backed away from Ellaway and held his hands up to his throat as though he was choking. His coughing and sputtering grew worse and he started scarping at his neck to fend off some unseen hand squeezing on his wind pipes. Bolbart finally paced backward out of the tunnel, back into the open.

All Ellaway could see of him was his dark shadow and glaring red blood eye. She shivered openly from the irksome sight, and hastily turned around. Looking down the straight tunnel that curved with the forest floor, she sighed.

Taking a deep breathe that smelled of wet ground and earth, she started her way down the dim, wearisome path.

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