Amarth

Chapter 16

The first thing I see when I awake is fire. Smoke fills my lungs and I cough as I stumble to my feet. My eyes begin to water as I try to figure out where I am.

I'm standing in the middle of a village, a burning village. My heart skips a beat and I stand frozen in shock. This isn't just any village, it's mine.

My first thought is that this is a dream, that I'm reliving the day of the attack. But if this is a dream then why does everything seem so real?

I can feel the ground under my feet and the heat of the flames as they rage around me. Another thing I wonder is; why am I the only one here?

A shape flickers behind the flames and I narrow my eyes as I try to make out what it is through the smoke.

An elf steps out of the flames, he almost looks like a shadow, barely moving as he walks towards me.

His hair is black, so are his clothes, he has two long swords strapped to his back and at first he doesn't seem to notice me.

"Who are you?"
I ask raising my voice over the roar of the flames. The elf looks up and I'm met with two piercing blue eyes, they almost look like they are glowing.

To my surprise he smiles at me. But it's a terrifying grin that sends ice shooting down my spine.

"I'm you Caran. I am what lives inside of you."
I take a step backwards.
No.
This can't be real.
The elf draws his swords and continues to advance.
"I'm Amarth."

This has to be a nightmare. It has to be.
"No."
I say continuing to back away. My throat is dry and the fire continues to grow more and more.
"You are not real."

The elf laughs spitefully as he spins his swords in his hands.
"I am very real Caran. You have seen me before, when you killed those men, every time you wished death upon someone, I was always there Caran. I am a part of you, I am you."

"No you're not!"
I scream.
The elf shrugs.
"Believe what you wish Caran, but we are the same being whether you choose to believe it or not."

I try to run for the forest but the moment I turn around flames suddenly burst from the ground and prevent me from escaping.

I spin back around to face the elf who claims to be me. There's a malicious glint in his eye that makes my skin crawl.

"Why am I here?"
I ask.
"It's simple Caran, you are here to release me."
I shake my head in confusion.
"Release you?"
"I am trapped inside you Caran. You must let me out in order to be free."

"Free from what?"
"Your pain, your fear, your grief, I can take it all away. You just have to release me."
This is madness.
All of this....
I cannot think clearly.

"What if I refuse to set you free?"
The elf pauses and gazes at the blades of his swords.
"Then I will kill you, and free myself."
He raises one of his swords and points it at my heart.

"What are you going to do Caran? Will you let me go or will I have to kill you?"
"What happens to me if I let you go?"
I have to stall for time. I'm weaponless, I can't fight this elf.

"You will be trapped here and I will be set free."
He narrows his eyes and his body becomes stiff with anger.
"For far too long you have walked free while I am forced to remain in this prison! I will not stay here any longer, whether willingly or not I am leaving!"

Without warning he attacks. I narrowly miss having my head cleaved off by one of his swords as I roll to safety. If I try to run fire appears and blocks my path. I have no choice but to stand and fight.

But all I can do is dodge his attacks, without a weapon there is nothing I can do. He swings one sword at my chest and the other one at my legs. I manage to avoid have my body cut open but one of my ankles is slashed by a sword.

I scream and collapse onto the ground. Blood is pouring from my right ankle and I can see the bone from under the skin. The elf moves in to attack again and I just manage to roll out of the way again.

Pain explodes up my leg and I scream again. One of the swords strikes the ground where my head just was. Another one goes through my left thigh, pinning me to the ground.

I try to remove the sword but the pain in my right leg is too much. There is nothing I can do.
He raises his other sword and prepares to bring it down.

"Goodbye Canar."
He sneers as he raises the sword.
No.
Not now.
Not like this.
My cry is so loud that I hurt my own ears, my throat become sore as the screams continue.

The elf stumbles backwards as he howls in pain. I had kicked him in the shin with my right leg, with my ankle that had been nearly sliced off.

The elf dropped his sword. I bite my tongue to stiffle my cries as I desperately reach for the sword. I grasp it in my hands just as the elf recovers.

I swing blindly at him and the sword barely scrapes his middle. He rips his other sword out from my thigh and tries to land a killing blow.

I manage to block attack after attack but my strength is failing. I strike him a few times but none of his wounds are deep enough to prevent him from fighting.

Black creeps on the edge of my vision. I know that I'm close to blacking out. Any minute now I will lose myself to unconciousness.

Then it will all be over.
Suddenly the elf ceases his attacks. He looks down at me in confusion and I barely notice him as he begins to fade.

And so does everything else.

////

I blink several times as I find myself once again lying on the stone table. My legs are no longer injured but the pain is still there.

I can still smell the smoke and feel the heat of the fire.
What happened?
"I see you are awake Canar."
I groan as Alatar's voice sounds from behind me.
"I thought that you would have lasted longer than that. Perhaps I overestimated you."

It takes all of my strength to turn my head to the side and look at him.
"What..."
"Save your strength Canar. You will need it for tomorow."

Tomorow?

"If you are wondering what I did to you I simply showed you a part of your mind. I showed you where your biggest fear dwells, the one you fear most."

He pauses for a moment and grins wickedly.
"Yourself."
I turn away from him and close my eyes. I want this nightmare to end, but there is something I learned about nightmares: no matter how much you want to wake up, you never do.

"You are afraid of what lives inside of you, what you could become of you let your anger take control of you."

Ignore him.
I have to ignore him.

"Yet that is what you truly are, you are not Caran, you are Amarth. You just need to-"
"SHUT UP!"
Dead silence fills the cavern. Neither of us speaks.
Finally Alatar sighs and begins removing the straps from my wrists and ankles.

"I guess we will have to keep trying now won't we?"
The same fogginess covers my mind and once again I am under Alatar's control.
"Enjoy your rest Caran, you will need all of your strength for tomorow."

I want to scream.
That is all I want to do, all that I can think of doing.
But there is nothing I can do.
I am completely helpless.

And that is why I want to scream.