When Darkness Falls

Chapter 1: MYSTERY IN A STONE

Chapter 1: MYSTERY IN A STONE
MYSTERY IN A STONE
Wind howled through the night as she crept from tree to tree peering through the haze and the mist in the dark forest light. 
“Ku ethgri deloi,” Arya whispered to herself raising her bow.  In front of her was a lone deer that she had been tracking through the forest.  Its herd had left it behind because it had a limp and couldn’t keep up.  Arya was waiting for the deer to come a bit closer to her hiding spot among the trees so she could shoot it to provide her with meat for the rest of the journey through the woods.
  Journey through the woods, she thought to herself.  It was some journey all right.  The whole King’s Court counted on her to fulfill her duty of safely getting the scroll through the woods to the Elves of the East.  She had often wondered what important information the scroll contained, as she had not been told herself.  All she had been told was to get this message to Commander Jerle Hanara as quickly as possible and to stop under no circumstances.  They seemed rather reluctant to send her by herself especially her father but she had insisted she would travel faster alone and so the matter had been settled. 
  Besides, no one in the kingdom knows this forest better than myself,   Arya thought silently to herself.
Suddenly, a twig snapped behind her and the deer dashed through the woods in the opposite direction.  Lunging forward and shouting in vain Arya shot at the deer missing it by a hair’s width and hit a tree instead.  She whipped around bow at the ready and anger flaring to see what had made the accursed twig snap at that precise moment, but to her astonishment saw nothing.
“Iet stenr?” Arya said tentatively to the emptiness around her.  No one answered. 
She walked slowly, careful not to ease the tension in her bow.  After thoroughly scanning the forest around her, she lowered the weapon holding it readily at her side and picked her way through brambles and branches heading back to camp.
Upon arriving at camp Arya glanced quickly around still feeling suspicious.  When she was satisfied she slung her bow across her back and knelt by the fire ring she had made earlier and started to strike the rocks over the wood.
Snap.  It was what she had been waiting for.  Swinging around she notched an arrow at almost superhuman speed and pointed toward the source of the sound.  But once again, to her bewilderment, the land was empty.  Straining her keen elf eyes, Arya looked through the shadows encircling her camp.
She tried to shake off the feeling of suspicion forcing herself think it was a slerriuq or an arofcie but curiosity had taken its hold on her, as it so often did, and she found herself creeping along through the forest.  Like a shadow she moved from tree to tree without a sound always, ever treading forward into the darkened depths of the forest.  She could sense, rather than see, someone or something getting closer as she went on.
Then Arya noticed a patch of light ahead where there must be a clearing.  She was getting closer. She stopped just outside the moon’s groping rays of white light as she watched a silent figure leaning over what might have been a stump apparently not aware of her presence.  Suddenly an irresistible urge pulled at her mind to run forward to the figure and the stump, to claim what was there for her own.  What ever it was it was important and the compelling force made her want it above all else.  Trying to fight this sudden urge Arya stood there shaking and sweating.  The power, for that was what she was sure it was, was incredibly strong, forcing her to take a step forward.  That had done it.  As soon as she started taking that step the trance was lifted but not soon enough.  The momentum of her step forced her foot to land on a small pile of leaves and the figure abruptly rose taking a quick glance at Arya and dashed off into the other trees on the other side of the clearing.
“Wyrda”, she yelled not knowing what language this unknown creature spoke.  “Wait!” 
Arya took after it with the speed of a deer gracefully jumping over logs and ducking under branches but the stranger always stayed a ways in front of her steadily getting farther and farther away.
Putting on a greater burst of speed she jumped over a high thorn bush but something caught her foot and she tumbled helplessly to the ground.  The moment her body had hit ground she painfully jerked herself up looking around but to her dismay the creature had disappeared entirely.  For a moment she thought of continuing in hope of finding the creature but quickly discarded the idea knowing that she would never catch up.
It’s impossible,   she thought to herself.   No creature, man or beast, in Alothmera can out-run an elf.
Frustrated, the young elf started back to camp when she remembered the clearing.  Her spirits lifted slightly.  Perhaps the stranger had left its precious possession behind when it took sudden flight at her appearance.  She started jogging then running to the clearing heart racing as she drew nearer.
Once the clearing came into sight she slowed down to a fast walk then ceased walking altogether as she came upon the stump.  Arya carefully approached, pulling the dagger out of her boot as she neared.  Sitting there alone and peaceful was what appeared to be a rock about the size of her fist and dazzling to the eye.  It had a dull glow of its own and was made of some form of rock or crystal unknown to Arya.  It reminded her of all things of nature: the trees, the fields, the streams, but most of all it reminded her of the wind with its swirled design making it take on the appearance of a gentle liquid breeze on a warm summer day.
Slowly she leaned forward and tapped the strange stone with the hilt of her dagger and listened.  As she was about to tap it again she heard a tap from within the stone.  Startled, Arya gasped and fell backwards.  Then, as she pushed herself back to her feet she realized what this strange stone actually was.
How could I have been so foolish as not to have realized what it was at once?  All of the legends of old talk about what they look like and that even inside the egg dragons are aware of everything taking place around them.  Then she looked back at egg wonderingly with a hint of fear.   Have I offended it any way?
Still slightly fearful, but amazed at finding such a treasure, Arya reached out to touch it but then withdrew her hand.
  Where did it come from, she wondered.  Why did the stranger have it and then so carelessly leave it behind?  Could it be a decoy…but then why did the egg respond when I tapped it? 
She crouched down pondering these questions.  Then a sudden iciness coursed through her body.   Where is its mother?  She could be looking for the egg right now and find me with it and…   She took in a sharp breath,   and think I stole the egg!
The elf jumped up looking wildly around as if expecting to see a giant dragon soaring down through the sky towards her, mouth open in flames.  Slowly, as she looked around her breathing started slowing down, returning too normal as her mind snapped back to reality.
The last of the dragons died centuries ago, she thought forcefully to herself.  But she couldn’t shake the feeling that this egg was genuine.
Then she started questioning the future of the egg.  If she left it here the stranger would probably come back for it (for who would be so stupid as not to?) or some other creature might get a hold of it first and that would be the end of the young dragonling or the beginning of a terrible war.  Then another idea came floating through her head.  If she took the egg she could guarantee the egg’s safety, but then...then the creature in whose possession the egg had been in might come back for it, discover Arya had it and track her down to get it back.  This idea terrified her greatly but she still felt a strange desire to protect the young dragon.
Arya could not leave it here.  She reached out to take the egg without a second thought.  As she touched the egg a light shone before her eyes.
There will be a great and mighty war,   a faint voice said in her head as she looked down viewing everything the voice said to her as if in a trance,   that will change the world forever.   Then Arya saw herself far above it all on a dragon racing from dawn…
As the vision died away Arya looked at the egg in awe.   Could it be? 
Carefully picking up the egg, she stowed it safely in her traveling cloak and walked back to camp.             
–End of Chapter 1-