Chapter Nine
"An Adnakian boy, you say?" a gravelly voice asked from the darkness.
"Yes, my lord," came the reply. A high-pitched squeak of a response, coming from a small, meek-looking man with a thin body and sunken cheeks and eyes. His back curved forward and his hair was thin and greasy. He looked like he had just crawled out of the sewers, and his teeth stuck out over his bottom lip like a rat.
"Who is it, then?" the low, rough voice demanded. A shadow moved in the darkness and the weaker man stepped back, ducking his head nervously.
"A boy by the name of Rril, your highness," the squeaky voice continued, the bony fingers of the man's hands fumbling in fear with the ragged hem of his tunic. "He entered the forest and I fear that he may find the princess before we do."
The darkness rumbled with a heavy laugh. "Oh, you fool," growled the other creature, hidden in the black of the cave. "My pet will find the boy, and my pet will kill the boy."
"Yes, my lord. Of course." The scrawny figure shook nervously, his words dripping with doubt, and his eyes wide as the shadow grew closer.
"You doubt me? You doubt me?" The laughter echoed through the cave again, causing the fearful man to shake uncontrollably and he tightened his grip on his tunic.
"N-no, my lord. Never would I doubt you, the more powerful in the world," he said, lying through his teeth, but too fearful to say anything else.
"Good," the shadowed creature said flatly, falling back from the man and studying him thoughtfully. "And what of the prince?"
"Prince Alrom is taken care of, my lord. Gone to the Deep, he has. I doubt he'll find himself able to get out of that," replied the other, trying to cheer up with a fake, lopsided smirk.
"That's wonderful," the gravelly voice said, then leaned in close to his fearful servant. "And if he does escape, then you know who will be sent there next, don't you?"
The man's Adam apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed nervously, nodding his head slowly, then fervently. "Y-yes, my lord. I assure you, he won't escape."
"Good." The flat response made the rat-like man shudder. "Leave me," the shadowed creature growled, a dark movement like the wave of a hand excusing the weaker man. He backed from the cave, bowing excessively, and hurried away to the safety of his tree.
Somewhere far from the shadowed lord and the scrawny, rat-like man, a beast roamed the Yek-On Shriken, prowling close behind a frightened boy in simple attire. The beast licked its teeth with a dark, purple tongue, creeping silently closer to Rril. As it moved in close enough to strike, a twig snapped behind him, causing Rril to spin around and stare closely in the direction of the sound. A large buck bounded into sight, its large, dark eyes turning to take in both the beast and Rril. Large ears twitched, and long, thin legs took the buck two steps closer as he sniffed the air. Rril moved to suddenly, and the buck spun around, gliding away gracefully and without a sound.
Once the animal was out of sight, Rril turned back to the path he was following, become uncomfortably conscience of the fact that the sun was disappearing. He hadn't seen the beast, but he felt a presence nearby, and it sent shivers up his spine and stood the hair on the back of his neck on end. His skin dotted with goosebumps as a breeze blew between the tree trunks.
He walked along, cracking sticks and crushing leaves beneath his heavy steps. With heavy breathing and the quick, hard thud of his heartbeat, the boy looked around nervously, uncertainly. Where was that creature giving him such a strange feeling. Why couldn't he see it? He knew it was close. Very close.
A shadow moved nearby, quickly darting between the trees. Rril stopped in his tracks, looking where the shadow had been, straining to see anything in the gathering darkness. Nothing was there. Nothing but the dim glowing of lightning bugs and the faint sliver of light beyond the forest.
The creature licked its lips eagerly, the small, dark eyes slitting evilly. It collected its body into a compact form, tensing for the right moment to pounce. Waiting and watching.
