The Emerald Obelisk: An Elf Story >>-->5

>>-->5< --<<

She was almost there. Just a few more minutes and Faye would be home.

A huge yawn forced itself out of her. She didn't bother to cover her gaping mouth - nobody was there to see anyway.

The stars were not as bright tonight. It was almost as if a haze was covering them, though Faye had no memory of any clouds while the sun was still out. It did not matter, however. The moonlight was enough to see by, and one of the men who had loaded the cart full of wood was kind enough to give Faye a lantern.

As the cart moved closer and closer to her village, Faye noticed a flickering orange glow. It darted across the ground in front of her. Could they still be celebrating? Maybe they were. Faye felt excitement build up in her.

All of the sudden, Grouch stopped. The mule refused to move any further, no matter what Faye did to persuade him.

"Ugh, you grumpy old mule," Faye muttered as she walked toward the village. Grouch still refused to move, even when she led him, so she gave up. She would wake up Gib and tell him to go fetch his finicky mule. "See if I clean your stall tomorrow. You can stand around in your own droppings for all the trouble you've given me."

She didn't even think twice about the smell of smoke. She didn't wonder why she could feel the warmth of a fire even though she was still a ways off from the village. As she got closer (but still not in view), she didn't notice that no celebration noises were coming from ahead of her. All she could think about was the excitement she felt. She would be able to celebrate after all!

She only started to suspect something was wrong when she was almost in view of the village. The smell of smoke was awfully strong - it was starting to make her cough. And the heat was quite intense. Could they have built the fire on the outskirts of town this year? She couldn't imagine why.

Faye stopped short when she came in view of her village. The entire town was afire. Orange and yellow flames reached toward the sky, crackling and hissing as they ate through the buildings. Shadows danced grotesquely across the ground as smoke rose into the air, partially obscuring the stars.

For a long time, Faye couldn't move. All she could do was stare in horror at the conflagration that was consuming her home.

She had never screamed louder in her life, and she didn't stop even as she tore through the town, dodging the hungry flames. Her family. Her family. She had seen no one outside of town. Had anybody escaped?

She did not notice the unbearable heat. She did not know that her hair was singeing, crinkling up and smoking. Her feet did not hurt, though somehow they had ended up bare. She was deaf to the roaring of the fire all around her. She was still screaming.

She reached what should have been her house and rushed in, not caring if it would collapse over her head. She was numb, not only in her senses but in her mind. Nothing penetrated until she saw them. Her family.

It did not look like they had even woken when the fire struck. They were still in what would have been their beds, skin charred black and cracking. The fire was hot, but not hot enough to have burnt them completely to ashes yet. There was still no doubt that they were dead.

Choked sobs ripped from Faye's throat, tears streamed down her face. She was still screaming.

Once again she could feel the heat, hear the fire, smell the smoke. And she didn't care. Her family was dead. The whole village must have been the same. She had seen nobody outside.

The smoke finally took over her lungs and she collapsed.

>>-->< --<<

"It is amazing she did not die in the fire," Alinair said quietly as he gazed at the young girl lying on the ground before him. It was Faye, the blacksmith's daughter. Most of her long hair had been burnt off in the fire - they'd had to cut it to her jaw. Her whole body was covered in ash. Only little trails down her cheeks showed what her skin color should have been. Her clothes were singed beyond recognition. Right now, they had her covered with a blanket.

The girl was lucky. She had only suffered mild burns. Orrin had found her before the fire could do much harm. None of the elves really understood how, but he had known exactly where she was and had retrieved her without hesitation. Orrin himself didn't seem to understand it.

The messy-haired elf sat near her now, constantly glancing her way. It had been two days since he took her out of the fire and she had still not awoken. To say he was worried was a vast understatement. If he could do it while still remaining near her, he would be pacing frantically. But that was not possible, so he sat at her side and worried.

"Orrin," Zaara said gently, trying to approach the topic carefully, "we cannot stay much longer. You must remember we are needed at home."

"I remember," Orrin said quietly, his voice low. He showed no sign of saying more.

A thick silence hung over the group. Orrin's words had dropped like stones onto grass, a sound that was hardly there in the first place and left even greater silence behind it.

Runehn was near the ends of his patience. Why was it so necessary to stay with the girl? Couldn't they just drop her off in another village and then be on their way? These matters could not wait. They needed to report to their king.

"Ihulde, there is no time for this," he finally stated.

"Give her one more day," Orrin said. "One more day, and then we will move on."

"You can't possibly-"

"Runehn, that is enough. We can wait one more day. Let it go," Zaara interrupted.

The elf glowered at her, but rested his case. There was no arguing with Zaara when she had made up her mind.

Alinair sent a glare after the impatient elf, seating himself next to Orrin. He bumped his shoulder against his friend and gave him his best sympathetic look. "She'll pull through," he said confidently. "She's probably just having fun dreaming in there and doesn't want to wake up yet."

This put a slight smile on Orrin's face. Faye was definitely a dreamer and he could easily imagine her having fun inside the safety of her mind. He only wished she was conscious so he could see for himself that she was fine.

He remained by her side for the rest of the day and night, not sleeping or eating. He only left to relieve himself, then came right back, hoping that she had awoken while he was gone, only to find that she hadn't.

Eventually he dozed off.

>>-->< --<<

The sun was just beginning to rise when the elf woke. He surveyed the camp to find that his companions were still sleeping. Good. He wanted Faye to have as much time as possible to come around.

Speaking of Faye, Orrin turned to look at the young human girl. His sharp eyes immediately noticed a fresh tearstain. Trying not to let himself hope too much, he reached out and gently ran the back of his finger along the stain.

The girl's eyelashes fluttered, then her eyes opened. She turned her head away from him, then to him. The elf was frozen in place - so many thoughts and emotions were going through his mind that he didn't trust himself to act on any of them just yet.

When she caught sight of him, her eyes filled with tears. She practically lunged at him, throwing her arms around him and sobbing into his chest. Her words were watery and choked, but Orrin could understand what she was saying. There was a fire. Everyone was dead. She had thought he and his companions had been killed in the blaze too.

He hugged her and rocked her back and forth. The poor thing. So young, and to lose not only all of her family, but everyone she knew in one night. It was too much even for someone of his age, who had seen more death than was adequate in a lifetime.

He was still holding her, rocking her, whispering to her when his party awoke. Her sobs had stopped and her tears had lessened, but she still clung to him as if he was the only thing keeping her from falling. Maybe he was.

"Faye!" Alinair said happily. "It's good to see you awake! I was hoping we wouldn't have to drop you off somewhere!"

Zaara elbowed the exuberant elf and shot him a glare before smiling gently at Faye. "I am pleased to see you awake as well."

Runehn said nothing. He was not pleased to see the girl awake. He had hoped they would be able to leave her in another village, but Orrin would be having none of that now. The elf had to fight to keep himself from glaring at the young human curled in Orrin's lap like some weak child, had to fight not to show his disgust at the concern (and maybe something more) that was so openly displayed on his fellow elf's face.

The young girl stared blankly from elf to elf. Her lip trembled. Her chin twitched. She swallowed. Then she broke into sobs again.