Kaija: Queen of Stone

2

 Tranquility vanished. I stirred, opening my eyes to a strange and unknown place. The sun blinded me, blurring my vision. I grumbled, rolling with a wince. Sitting upward, a large scratch on my arm staunched over. My shoulders groaned as I stretched. I placed my hand below me, feeling water. I was in a river.

Looking upward, the sky was null of clouds, but lucent and blue like a dream. I grinned, content, until the contentment was replaced by bewilderment. I looked around, there was sand on both shores and two ways to go. Trees hung on either side, swaying.

My thoughts were interrupted by the unseen call of a bird. The stream babbled as trees rustled, creating together a song of nature.

I stood, stones pressing into my feet and raised a brow. My feet were still dirty, despite having them in the water, caked with muck and what looked like blood. On my body was an unflattering brown tattered dress. I wrinkled my nose, appalled by the attire.

As I lingered, my back tingled and so did the hairs of my neck. Sweat beaded from my brow and I realized... I was not alone.

A chilly breeze brushed the back of my skull then was replaced with warm breath hammering the back of my neck.

"Turn around," a harsh voice said in a different tongue. Despite this, I was able to comprehend it.

I obeyed the voice, scared of what was pressed to the back of my head. Turning, I met eyes with a dark-skinned man with long, black hair braided down to his muscular torso. His eyes were just as black as his hair. He held onto a spear, holding a snarl. I continued to look him over, noticing an inked tattoo on his calf, because of the way he was positioned, I wasn't able to see what it was.

"Intruder," he hissed.

The words I wished to say stayed dormant and wedged into my throat.

"You are stepping on sacred land," he spat, jabbing the spear toward my nose. "And those who do so, pay a mighty price."

My eyes hardened, not daring to let go of his. I didn't know what the man meant. "I am not an intruder," I voiced. Just in case I was intruding, I added, "I am just passing by." My voice was raspy and jarring, something I was not expecting to hear.

He kept his grasp on the spear and stared at me as if I'd lost touch with reality.

"I will just be on my way," I whispered, trying to step away, but he jabbed the spear once more.

"You aren't going anywhere."

I knelt, ready to flee. He drew back and swung the spear. I swerved around it and dashed down the river. My feet stung and slipped as I ran. Even if I fell, I knew the only thing that mattered at the time was staying alive.

The splash under my feet kept me moving. My stomach churned, and I thought he could still be there behind me. My lungs burned as my legs continued. I stopped a distance away from where I met the man, trying to catch my breath, and turned around fast, making sure I wasn't followed.

There was no one in sight.

My throat numbed as I breathed laboriously, sighing in relief in between each breath. My knees collapsed, but I was able to catch myself before I toppled. Despite my weariness, I was determined to discover who I was and where I was.

A braided, long object coiled around my legs, dragging me to the river floor. I screamed, falling hard, and landed on my side. Pain bloomed as I met the onyx eyes of the man once more. He was holding a rope in his hand, sporting a wicked smile. I clawed my way through the water, fighting the restraint on my legs.

It was either fight or flight, and I lacked the strength to fight. He yanked on the rope hard and dragged me toward him. As my arms skimmed the jagged rocks, I winced. He placed his hands on my calf and tugged me closer.