The Pain of Knowing

The low rhythmic drum beat vibrated through every elven cell in Pandora's body. Even with her eyes closed, she could sense the sway of the dancers bodies on the floor as they preformed to the hypnotizing pound that echoed thought the dining hall. Stuffy spiced oxygen filled Pandora's lungs as she began to calm herself preparing her mind, body and soul for reciting the traditional thanks to Gaea. The repetitive thrum of 300 drums around the prodigious cave drowned the petty gossip her surrounding siblings murmured to each other, giving her the peace she wanted. Her small delicate hands were pressed firmly to the rough bench under her body, stabilizing herself as she felt the continuous throb of synchronized echos around the colossal sub-terrain pocket. The beat shook the very foundations of her city as it spread through the mountain range in northern Kellsa.

Instantly, Pandora felt the deep spellbinding tempo quicken. The sudden and obvious shift in the beating pulse of the drums coiled a shiver up her lengthy spine. The elven woman felt a warming smile stretch at her plump lips as her heartbeat began to match the rising speed of the hard pounding in the air. Although her mind was always alert; highly aware of everything around her, the 36th daughter of King Dantos felt her mind become consumed by the intoxicating music. Slowly she drifted, submerged and was engulfed deep into the dazed unknown. Pandora's soft untouched skin began to prickle as waves of goosebumps flooded her naturally tanned skin. Her hairless body became hypersensitive as though she could feel every living being as if they were an extension of herself. Pandora felt her fathers servants that were scurrying about the long ebony tables dropping hundreds and thousands of plates over the miles of tables set for the people of Idon; felt the heat of the 40 ft bonfire in the centre of the cavern sear and cackle with destructive intent; felt her people's hearts thump under each chest adding to the united vibrations in the air.

Blood furiously pumped though the Da'shhan's body as her strong heart aimed to keep up with the quick ascending rhythm around her. Pandora's breathing began to stagger as the merciless force in her veins demanded more oxygen. Her admirably curvaceous body felt heated from deep within her core; burning caused by the lava boiling from her disoriented mind. She felt her skin move over the intense full body pulsations in time with the powerful and now erratic echos of the drums. Pandora's naturally keen mind swirled uncoordinated, devoured by the magical essence the beat of the drums possessed.

Faster and faster the beat went: pushing, dragging, forcing her mind to fall deeper and deeper...

until complete silence.

The eerie silence shocked Pandora, jolting her from the darkened unresponsive state she was immersed in. Bright lavender eyes flashed open to stare at an unfocused scene. Her hands gripped the bench under her thighs to steady herself from being forcefully ripped back into reality. Interrupting her light panting, Pandora inhaled a sharp gust of damp air before releasing it slowly when her surroundings began to shift back into place. Blinking her focus back into her eyes, the 820 year old woman released her vice grip of the bench as she looked around gathering her senses.

As the abrupt silence filled the gargantuan cave, not one Da'shhan spoke, coughed, sneezed, even breathed loudly. It was dizzying to Pandora who glanced down and out toward the masses of elven people. Her own family, consisting of 92 siblings and her father, sat in a bleacher formation on stretches of oak tables spanning in a “V-shape” with her father at the focal point. The seated crowd of royal blood sat higher than the rest of the masses, giving Pandora miles of unrecognizable faces to stare at.

Gaea, please keep my people safe during these times of war.

Pandora spoke internally though her private words were brief, feeling even those could be heard by the thousands of Da'shhan gathered.

“My people,” Pandora's father's booming voice rumbled from behind her vision.

Her small frame jerked, caught off guard by the rich, soothing voice she had learned to cherish over the years. Her head turned, as did most of her siblings, toward the King who stood behind his private table. Pandora couldn't help but smile as she watched her father address the frightened Da'shhan's of Idon. Even in this stressful time of war, King Dantos held his arms out stretched with a friendly smile spread over his pudgy grey bearded face.

“These day's of torment, of War are painful to bare. Each of us are mated to sorrow and pain as the destruction and chaos of the world above slowly filters down to our own hearts. But, our struggles have not gone unnoticed! Gaea, our humble Mother replenishes our bravery, feeds our courage and secures our determination to LIVE!” Pandora watched as his marooned eyes slid up and down the acres of dimly lit tables. Her loving smile grew hearing the echoed cheers behind her, admiring her fathers ability to lead an entire race of men and women.

“Together, let us give thanks to our Goddess...” And from the King's invite, thousands of voices rose from the solid silence filling the dining area.

Pandora felt her voice push from her plump lips as she joined in the prayer her people recited before any feast. She could not hear herself over the beautifully harmonic voices floating through the cool damp air. The synchronized and united appreciation for all the wondrous gifts from the Mother Gaea made another ripple wreathe up her body.

After another few words of encouragement, the King gave his people permission to eat. Pandora let her almond eyes fall to the delicious food in front of her; overflowing platters she seemed to have missed until now. The mouthwatering honeyed assortment of meat, steamed vegetables and mixed fruit dishes teased at the elven's senses making her toned stomach groan to be filled. Before Pandora even touched any of the torturous food, she noticed 3 seats empty on the far side of the raised plateau.

“Where's Alayca, Naomi and Evelyn?” Pandora asked leaning to her right toward Zaphor one of her elder brothers. Her calculating stare lingered over the empty space before her eyes slid to her brothers face.

Her sibling shrugged and looked up from his pile of steamed carrots, “Last I heard they were in the gardens picking kiwiberries. Must have missed the summons.” And with no further interest, he grabbed a spiced leg of lamb from a serving platter.

Annoyance intermingled with panic flooded Pandora's thoughts, overpowering her hunger for the time being. Without even a thought of reconsideration, she stood and excused herself from her spot on the lengthy bench. With her staff closely drifting behind her quick paced form, Pandora snaked her way through the open cave toward one of many exits. The tunnel was lightly lit with branches of luminescent fungi that grew over the walls and ceilings through the mazes of Idon.

The low hum of quiet conversation could still be heard when Pandora hurried down a wide abandoned tunnel leading to the gardens. Her mind mulled over the strict lecture she would be presenting to the young Da'shhan ladies. None of them were over 400 years of age, but that was not an excuse to evade the opening preparations for the feast. Pandora's focused mind dipped into punishment ideas when the ground around her began to shake. Her feet dug into the smooth rock stopping her momentum instantly. Soft streams of sand drifted down from the ceiling as she turned her head toward the dining area she just exited from. Thunderous explosions rumbled far off in another section of Idon, one after another each time getting dangerously closer to Pandora's current location along with every other Da'shhan in existence. Her jaw hung slack and her eyes went large, her elven body froze in fear as she just waited alone, unsure of what to do. She felt her heart bang painfully in her chest, pounding in her ears and throbbing against her skull. Pandora dared not even breathe regardless of the natural intense burn that quickly exploded in her chest. Her round terrified eyes continuously scanned the tunnel she was in, going over the cracks that were forming over the walls and ground.

Then suddenly the earth beneath her feet shook violently, throwing the young woman off balance causing her to stumble forward onto her hands and knees. Loud crashing was heard, booming from the tunnel in front of her. As though the goddess herself was ripping at the stone walls the Da'shhan's called home.

Screaming: hundreds of thousands of scared panicked people cried at the top of their lungs as the ground under them gave way.

From the ground, Pandora's head whipped up as the wave of agonized cries came flooding down the darkening tunnel. She tried to scream out, but no words of horror found their way to her lips. Pandora launched to her feet and propelled herself at top speed back down the caving tunnel. The sand and small pebbles that fell freely from her surroundings blinded her as she ran. Her violet eyes burned against the grinding of dirt under her lids.

But the pain only made her run faster.

Pandora's thoughts were a searing determination to save anyone she can. She coughed powerfully as her harsh inhales were laced with falling debris. She could not just leave, she would not. Those were her people dying and it was her duty to give her life for theirs.

But as soon as Pandora's trembling form raced past the last bend, she skidded to a halt, her feet slid forward causing her to fall back onto her hands. Her eyes widened further at the overwhelming scene of death before her. Dividing herself from the rest of her people was a bottomless canyon that ripped through the acres of tables and people. She wished she could look away...save herself from the tragedy of watching people try and climb up the sides of the wide divider to only fall, screaming into the darkness. Pandora's petrified stare flickered from the rip in the ground to the raised platform where her family was sitting. A coarse cry rasped from her dry throat and her watery eyes blurred completely as she stared unbelievably at the boulders that now sat comfortably where she was once seated moments before.

The ground under her body shook again causing tones of rock to fall from the hand carved ceiling. Pandora just blinked in traumatized awe as the cries of her people were drowned out by the crashing of rubble. Her tears freely streamed down her soot covered face as her home, her family and her life was being taken from her before her blurred eyes. Pandora’s heart broke inside her chest as it raced with no purpose. She had nothing to live for. The helplessness and loneliness clawed at her empty body, gashing unhealable wounds through her voided shell.

Get up Pandora. Run. RUN!

She refused to move even when her mind pushed her to. Her limbs were numb, weighed down by sorrow and desperation. Pandora wanted to die...to stand and take the small step into the darkness in the ground and be with her people in the presence of Gaea. She wanted nothing more than to be washed of the memory; of the burden she would be forced to carry throughout her life.

Just as her mind solidified her want for death, a several toned monstrous boulder crashed down directly in front of Pandora jolting her out of her thoughts. Upon impact, it sent several smaller projectiles her way. She scrambled to her feet and scurried away as the walls around her were blasted with rocks. Her vision was completely obscured by tears and she ran only by memory.

As she ran, all Pandora could think of was the screaming...the raw dark death that swallowed her people..the cries for help... the screamed prayers...

Pandora awoke suddenly in a sea of regret. She stared blindly up at the leaves that rustled above her head in the cool nights breeze. Her heart throbbed with pain as the memory of losing everything she had resurfaced during the night. Pandora let out a loud, painful sob closing her eyes and curling over as her body jerked with each strong jolt of desperate loneliness.

The freshness of the air did nothing to the searing jolts of despair that ran up her body. She was alone. Forever to be known as the last of the Da'shhan...the only survivor of her peoples tragic end.