Unblemished Rose (unfinished)

In a small town where every building sagged weakly to one side and was filled with the stench of poverty, greedy beggars and people covered in filth looked up at the dark clouds swirling ominously above them. The air crackled with tension, forcing the onlookers to cower and scurry into their meager houses, whimpering but it was not the oncoming store they hid from. Everyone, adult and child both, recognized the tall and curly black haired man, dressed in red and gold silk robes that had just entered town, as the most powerful sorcerer in the world.
The Sorcerer, Talon sneered in contempt as he made his way to the middle of the steadily collapsing tow, drawn by a faint but intriguing power that had beckoned him here during his travels. He glanced at the sickly townsfolk, peering at him from the shadows and his chilling blue eyes narrowed irritably. A second later the onlookers vanished. They knew death when they saw it!
After a few moments of walking through ground so dry that large cracks spider webbed throughout the town, he came across an old rundown shop, squeezed in-between the town's only church and an out of business bakery with broken windows. There was no longer a sign for the shop or a door to knock on, just a large gash in one wall just big enough to walk in.
The Sorcerer paused, staring down at an ancient woman with long silver hair, loose skin that looked like tree bark from an oak, and perfectly white orbs for eyes. She wore an old forest green silk dress with pocket watches printed in faded gold on what remained of the hem and cuffs. Talon could only guess that even though they were mere rags now, the dress had once been fashionable. He looked around the shop and grimaced, reluctant to take another step.
A thick coat of dust lay in every corner and every crack that could be filled, the tattered cloth hanging for the ripped holes in the small square of a space, served as windows and the women's table laden odd and ends was in fact half of a bathing tub turned upside-down. For a man of his wealth, it was sheer chaos!
The ancient woman turned to him, her ligaments snapping with the movement. Talon's lip curled in disgust, but he could sense the power that had drawn him here, in her. The woman blinked an eyes that looked like they had seen everything since the beginning itself, pierced what he thought might be his very soul. He watched as she slowly got up, standing on bowed legs that shook as she made her way to one of the two chairs of the room. The room was filled with more snapping tendons as she settled in a rotting rocking chair, before motioning for him to take a seat.
"I will have to burn these later." Talon muttered as he took off his outer robe and placed it on his chair before sitting. His eyes watered with the stench of rot and piss, making him cough lightly before he looked up at the restless sky. He watched as thunder echoed above and purple lightning branched throughout the clouds in several tendrils
before fading.
"Your hand." The woman wheezed after a while.Talon reluctantly stretched out his hand, his eyes narrowed at the order. She traced the soft lines on his flesh,her long fingers biting into his palm, before she looked back up. The Sorcerer stiffened slightly and frowned. Her white orbs had gone cloudy, as if she reflected the oncoming storm itself.
"A man of power and riches," she murmured in a smooth voice that felt like ice. The woman smiled darkly, mirroring Talon's own usual expression. "Anything can be bought with money...everything has a price." She sneered in Talon's own voice. The Sorcerer nodded slowly. As annoying as the woman was, it was evident she was a real seer. He had killed many of the fakes in irritation at their weak trickery. The air around them buzzed with power, making the hair's on Talon's skin stand up on and the woman's eyes darkened, the center now a faintly glowing spiral of darkness. "Soon, you will meet the one who will teach you that not everything has a price." The woman announced coldly. "One who will kill and transform you." The Sorcerer laughed and rose to his feet, towering over the woman who shrunk under his shadow,
"How absurd," he murmured coolly as he turned to leave. "A weak insect like you, dares to insult me?" The woman stood, her body squeaking in protest and stretched her hand out, fingers curved expectantly, her white eyes bulging. He realized she wanted money and laughed, tossing a few gold coins at her feet. He watched her for a few seconds as the woman frantically knelt to retrieve the rolling coins, wheezing and cackling in desperate glee, before making his way back out of the town.
"Filthy dog!" Talon muttered irritably as he cast the impossible fortune aside. The wind whipped by him, letting his robes billow out in a graceful arch before fading away. Talon looked up at the sky tainted with the hue of the setting sun and sneered as he raised his left arm above his head. The thunder bellowed above and the air around him thickened as more lightning started to branch out. Talon's sneer widened, his eyes aglow with malice as he let his arm drop to his side, followed closely by a flash of purple.
"The townspeople who had begun to creep out of their shelters when the Sorcerer left, screamed, hurling themselves from the lightning that had just struck the seer's house. The wind picked up from the storm, spiraling over the sparks and seconds later the house burst into purple tinted flames, greedily devouring wood, cloth and rotting flesh.

A young woman named Meira sighed tiredly as she looked up at the rapidly sinking sun, watching as the town she had just left was blanketed by the night's shadows. She nervously ran her elegant fingers through her soft hair and groaned. She was late again! Her master had sent her to deliver important documents to the emperor's messenger, but even so she would be in trouble if she didn't hurry! Thunder rumbled in the sky, a sign that it was about to rain.

"Oh no!" Meira exclaimed as she threw herself in a run. She ran faster, her legs already feeling heavy. Her lungs burned as she raced over barren land, sometimes leaping over scattered branches in her way, remnants of the last storm. Her long hair streamed behind her as she sped up, her face flushed. As soon as she thought about the oncoming rain however, cold drops fell onto her flesh. "Not now!" She cried as her clothes were instantly soaked through by the relentless downpour.

Rather than slow down, Meira sped up. "If I can't beat the rain than I will most certainly beat the night!" She defiantly shouted through gasping breaths. The shadows lengthened. The orange light of the sun faded into dusk and then black. Soon, she could see nothing, not even her own hand she waved back and forth in front of her face!

Meira shivered from the cold, her teeth chattering. Even her jacket had been thoroughly soaked through, a useless shield from the harsh elements. After a while of stumbling blindly in the dark, Meira realized that she now stood in front of a huge wall that was blacker than the night around her.Having nowhere else to go, she staggered forward; half crawling over what she hoped was muddy sand. Finally, Meira stood in front of the door of what she belatedly realized was an old castle made of black obsidian. Her palms stung from hitting jagged rocks on the way here and she hastily rubbed the blood and dirt from on the inside of her jacket before knocking on the large oak door. She would beg for her master's pardon tomorrow. Hopefully he will understand! She thought to herself.

She knocked again and then again, the sound reverberating around her, but there was no answer. Halfheartedly, she tried once more before forcing herself to turn away with a heavy sigh. I hope I can get back before this storm gets worse! She thought. Meira had been caught in several storms because she always seemed to get in trouble on the longer errands, but it looked like this one would be worse. Of course it didn't help that her master had given her an errand in a location far from his estates. He didn't usually send her too far but the previous messenger had been ill.

There was an ugly sound of metal screeching as the door was yanked open by a handsome wearing an expensive silk red nightshirt and black pants. His black hair framed his face, accenting his frost blue eyes which were staring daggers at her. Once her eyes had adjusted to the lantern he was holding, she realized with a start that his cheeks were flushed with anger.

"Who the hell are you?" He demanded. Meira's eyes widened and she took a step back from his vehement tone.

"My name is Meira." She finally said.

"What do you want?" He snapped. Meira glanced at the violent storm behind her and shuddered.

"I just want shelter!" She exclaimed as she pointed behind her. "Please! Let me stay here! Just one night!" The man looked behind her for a moment, wondering if it would be easier to dispel the storm and then sighed.

"Fine!" He muttered. "Get in." He wrenched the sopping wet Meira into his home, closing the heavy oak door behind him.

Meira cautiously took a step forward and warm air rushed over her from the large fireplace crackling in one corner of the chamber the man had led her to. She looked around amazed at all the strange instruments displayed on the tables and shelves in a scattered disarray.