The Lost Element

Chapter 21

Caught in an undertow of swirling black ink, Ardiel spun for what felt like a full minute. It was nauseating and disorienting, but she shut her eyes and talked herself through it without becoming ill. Her eyes were still shut when the spinning came to a halt, throwing her onto a cold hard floor and sending her tumbling. She opened her eyes and was thrown off by the amount of dizziness she experienced. She reached out for something to stabilize herself while it wore off, grabbing onto a stone table, more cold hardness. It was so dark in this room that it was difficult to tell if she had actually left the portal at all. A brief moment later and the spinning had mostly ended. 

She stood up straight and looked around, now that her eyes had adjusted somewhat. The skin on her arms prickled, the room made her hair stand on end. A large, circular room with no windows, it was completely barren. Nothing could grow in such a bleak place. Looking down at what her hand had rested on, she saw chains bolted into the stone, chains one might use to hold someone down. The stone tablet was long enough for a human to lay on, likely unwillingly. Ardiel's senses were heightened further, this place unsettled her to her very core. 

A loud creak scared her out of her wits. Her first instinct was to hide somewhere, but beyond the stone table and a few stones surrounding it, there was not much to hide behind. Deciding to stand her ground, she lifted her chin and and stared at the slowly opening doorway. A head poked in, long hair fell down beside it.

"Ardiel?"

Her heart leaped up. 

"Belynta? It's me."

"I can't believe you actually came."

She didn't go much past the doorway. A frail body, with a timid demeanor, Ardiel could tell she was afraid. 

"It's okay, Belynta, I'm here to bring you home." Ardiel started walking toward her, outstretching a hand.

Belynta looked behind her and whimpered.

"I can't do this."

A hand threw the door open, revealing a large and burly man. Clearly furious, he grabbed Belynta by the arm and ripped her out of the way, sending her off her feet and into the wall, causing her to welp in pain. 

"Hello Ardiel. I've been expecting you." His voice reverberated across the room, a primal growl emanating with it. "Did you really think you could write to my daughter without me knowing about it?"

He walked right at her, and he wasn't stopping. Ardiel knew there was no where to go, so she did the only thing that came to her mind. Focusing on the palm of her hand, she summoned a ball of electricity, hurling it at the behemoth of a man. He didn't even try to move, he stood still and let it fly toward him. Putting one hand forward, a shield formed in front of it, reflecting the electricity back toward Ardiel. She jumped out of the way, rolling to the right. Looking back at the portal she just came through, she threw her hand out, sending a shockwave of air and disrupting it, causing it to close.

He looked over at where the portal was. Sneering, he continued closing in on her, only a few feet from her now. Her instinct took over again, and she took a step forward, spinning her left leg back and around in a circle. Trying to connect with a roundhouse kick. He stepped out of reach, and took another step toward her. She tried to step back but she was against a wall. She leapt to the right again, but this time, he dashed and caught her by the neck. Throwing her against the wall with his hand still around her neck, she was dangling, her feet not even on the ground. 

As her vision clouded, she looked in his eyes. Black, there was nothing but hatred.

Before she went unconscious, she heard the muttered voice say "Nefalus, escort our guest to her quarters."