The Eternal Dreams Trilogy (Most Imaginative Setting Winner 2012)

Chapter Five: Introductions (Part 2)

The air around me became heavy and cold. I looked to the sky and saw darkness brewing. Tiny bits of rock and debris rose off the ground and remained suspended in the air. The villager’s blank eyes opened and turned upwards. Something was coming. I looked to my friends and saw fear on their faces and decided it was time to take the old man’s advice and run for the trees.

“Guys I think we should go,” I said. At first nobody moved, paralyzed by the incoming threat. I raised my voice to overcome their shock. “Like right now!”

My voice broke their concentration and they began to move out of the village and into the protection of the thick forest. I hid behind a rather large tree, hoping that its trunk would cover me sufficiently. Unfortunately, our proximity to the village was rather unnerving; I could still easily see all the villagers, who were still kneeling and looking to the sky. If we could see them, whatever was coming was going to be able to see us if they tried.

Although we were all scared, none of us dared to hide too far into the forest. There was something very important about to happen and I, as well as the rest of the group, was not going to miss it. The dark clouds in the sky began funnelling downwards like a tornado. It barrelled down towards the ground with an impossible precision, as if being directed by the heavens themselves. The tornado touched down in the very centre of the village, but not even the fragile straw roofs were harmed. The tornado then started to fade away, starting at the top and working its way to the ground. The dark veil completely blew away and revealed something I had not been expecting. Standing exactly where the twister had touched down was a woman. It hadn’t been weather at all; it was merely a form of transportation.

“Did you all just see that?” Osias whispered, amazed by the woman’s entrance. He was answered with many shushes.

The woman stood tall and majestic, yet eerily ashen and ominous. Her skin was pale, eyes dark and piercing. Her white hair flowed off her head like icicles, striking out in all directions. Her lips were painted dark as her eyes. Despite her foreboding nature, it was impossible to deny her ethereal beauty and grace. A silver tiara floated above her head, bright clear diamonds spinning slowly on its frame. She wore a bright white gown that cut deeply in the front, with black hearts embroidered all the way around the fringes of the gown. She carried no weapon, but a dark orb protruded from her chest just below her neck, its surface swirling with mist. It was a part of her just as my hand was attached to me. Although she remained bound to the ground, her clothes and hair resisted all demands of gravity, hanging in the air effortlessly. Her presence was draining and overwhelming; she was the type of sight that made you wake up from a dream gasping for air.

“Why do you all kneel?” She asked.

Her voice was serene, yet filled with sorrow and pain. Malice stung her every syllable yet tenderness rang throughout. She looked around at each villager carefully and then at each hut. She stopped before a villager and waited patiently. Slowly, each villager stood up uniformly, all facing the woman submissively. She had some resounding power over them.

“I am sorry your highness,” the villager spoke; apparent apprehension wavered within his voice. I could see him shaking in place, his knees ready to buckle at any moment. The woman stared at him, a smile stretching across her face.

“You didn’t answer my question peasant,” she said, elegant, yet the threat was still there. “Why were you all kneeling before I came?”

The villager looked around nervously at his community, all trying their best not to flinch. The woman tilted her head, her eyes searing into his skull. He cleared his throat and stammered his response. “There is no reason your highness.”

“No reason you say,” she responded, pouncing onto his words like a predator on its prey. I looked at my friends, wondering why they wouldn’t just tell her that we had come by. “I don’t like liars peasant. Must I remind you what happens when a village displeases me?”