Atop the hill they could see the crumbling stone walls of what was once a cottage.  In another light Kat would have found the ruins to be foreboding, but in the bright silver glow it seemed actually cozy and inviting.

“Come,” Celine said, starting to walk up the hill.  Kat hurried her steps to match stride with Celine.

At the top of the hill the wind blew a little more intently, bringing more of the night’s chill to them.  But the walls, despite no longer supporting a roof, were still rather tall in most places and made an effective wind break.  Kat pulled her cloak around her tighter regardless.

“Still rather cold,” Kat said.  “Looks like people have made campfires here before.  It will get colder.”

“It won’t bother me much, but then I’m a little less affected by things like that than you.  It will be hard to get a fire going, the wind pierces in here just enough to be a problem even with the walls around us,” Celine pondered.

“Oh!  You could do that trick you showed me once,” Kat said suddenly.

“It’s not really a trick…”

“But we could use the fire.  I’m sure it’s okay to use it for that.”

“Well, I can handle magic as simple as that,” Celine said.  “Let’s gather some sticks.”

It wasn’t long before the two were able to get a sizable pile of kindling together.  As Kat had pointed out there had been campfires there before so they made a small pile in the center of the shallow depression that someone else had dug long before.  Celine then sat cross-legged in front of the pile and closed her eyes to focus her mind for a moment.  She sat still for a long time before her eyes suddenly popped open and she exhaled sharply.  A spark popped in the middle of the small firepit and the stick caught a blaze.

Kat gave a little clap.  “See?  It wasn’t a big deal,” she said cheerfully.

Celine relaxed a little and took a few deep breaths, as if recovering from a sudden jog.  “Well, what good is magic if it can’t help now and then?” she said smiling at Kat.

“Nice trick,” came a voice behind Celine, causing her to jump to her feet and whirl around.  When she saw who it was she cursed herself inwardly.

The elf man from the inn earlier sat crouched on his haunches atop one of the ruined walls, his cloak gently flapping without any noise at all in the breeze.  He was looking sideways down at her.  Kat stood up as well and came to stand just behind Celine.  The two eyed him suspiciously.

“I didn’t even hear you,” Celine said.

“I know,” he responded.

“So?  What do you want?”

He jumped down from the wall.  “Who trained you?”

“What is it to you?”

“City elves don’t learn magic anymore, not that kind at least.”

“So I learned from a human, what is it to you?”

“I doubt that.  And it means plenty to me.  Found an old book, did you?”

“I was apprenticed.”

“Liar.  You’re breathing was wrong.  You barely had control.”

“I did so,” Celine said, her anger rising.

“That wasn’t control.  This is,” he said as the campfire behind her exploded into a column of fire that shot upwards of around twenty feet into the air.  Kat gave a little scream and clung tight to Celine as she she watched the spectacle silent but with wide eyes.  Despite the incredible heat, the violence of the flame, and how close they were to it they were unharmed by it, not even the slightest bit singed.  The inferno ended as soon as it began.

The story posts are roughs although I hardly think that would be in doubt.  And I don’t write with a thought of this is the beginning of a post and this is an end.  It’s not episodic in that regard, more of parts of a larger whole.  So some of my posts my seem to end abruptly.  Probably not best for what can only be called episodic consumption but there it is.

I originally used these characters, funnily enough, back in my high school days.  Having grown, realized the story I wrote was shit, I decided to write a new one that will be a much more mature piece of shit.  Really I just need the practice.  I don’t hate my old story.  If I did I wouldn’t bother with it at all.  I’m of a mind I could do better.

As for my writing style, I tend to keep it all very simple.  I prefer a more minimalist approach, giving a reader just enough to use their own imagination to draw a picture in their head.  My time is hectic right now as it is, so minimalism is as much a necessity as it is a preference.  I do enjoy the much more descriptive writing styles of the old masters but my prose is miles away from Dickens.  Also I’m not in possession of the sheer amount of idleness required to invest the time into such word crafting, heh.

I don’t take any of this very seriously.  I’m serious about writing my story, but not serious about its content I should say.  Say whatever you want to about it, I’m sure I’ve said worse.  I’m not writing the Great American Novel or expanding the craft or anything like that.  I’m just writing something that I hope people have fun with.

Peace.

“Pretty late right now,” Kat began.

“Hmm,” Celine returned simply.  They walked on for a moment.

“The moon is out, so we can still see at least.  Sort of,” Kat said.

“Do you find it hard to?” Celine asked.

“Oh, it must not be very dark for you.”

“No,” Celine agreed, her quiet cheerfulness doing little to sedate Kat’s growing anxiety.

“It is dark though,” Kat said again after the silence once again stretched out longer than she could bare.  Celine stopped.

“Have you traveled much?” she asked the girl.

“Um, not really.  I’ve heard stories, you know.  From the customers.  About the dangers.”

“Exaggerated bar tales,” Celine said smiling.  “It is mostly just tiring and dull.”

“Speaking of tiring,” Kat said, weariness in her voice.

Celine smiled again softly and Kat brightened a little.  “There is a hill not far from here.  Some ruins of an old house are there and can break the wind for us.  I have a small tent with me from my traveling days that will keep any rain off us if we need it.  Our travel cloaks should keep us warm and dry enough I think.  Don’t worry, it’s not far and we’ll get plenty of rest.”

“Where will we go after tonight?” Kat asked.

“Wherever.  I’ve spent years traveling just like this.  And I have enough money saved up for us to eat and sleep for nearly a year.  We’ll be fine.”

Kat’s eyes went wide.  “How do you have that much?”

“It’s not that much,” Celine said with a little laugh.  “And I don’t spend my money like you do.”  She reached over gave the elaborate shawl around Kat’s shoulders a little tug.

“It was my color,” Kat said defensively.

Celine laughed.  “Let’s keep moving.”

“Kennet,” Tarl began at the young man.  “I figured you’d be out with the others searchin’ for whatever caused all that racket.”

“No,” Kennet said distantly.  “I’m not with them, so I came here.”

“Well that’s plain,” Tarl grumbled.  “Come over here and have a drink, lad.”

Kennet seemed to ignore him however and made his way over to where Celine was half-heartedly sweeping the floor.  He stood before her with an odd look, bordering on happy and delirious.  Celine looked at him uncertainly.

“Could you get me a drink?  And, and one for yourself?  Let’s sit together for a while.”

“Kennet,” Celine said with some concern.  “You okay?”

“I’m fine, that’s silly.  Don’t be silly.  Let’s sit together, Celine.  We never have.”

“I don’t think I want to,” Celine said.  His words did not perturb her but the manner in which he said them.  Something was wrong.

“Why not?  Am I not good enough?”  The distant look of vacancy began to melt away from his face, gradually being replaced with a rejected look before becoming a look of anger.  “You never sit with anyone, why not me?  Is it because I am a man?”

“Ken, really, I-”

“What must I do for you notice me!?” he shouted and grabbed her arm.  The broom she held clattered to the ground and she gave a small shriek.

“Now really, Ken!” Tarl thundered from across the bar, beginning to move towards them.  “It seems as though you’ve hit the bottle enough now!”

“Stay back!” Kennet shouted, punctuated by an odd gust of sudden air that hit Tarl full in the face sending him staggering backwards onto a table.

“Tarl!” Celine shouted.  The door from the kitchen burst open as Kat ran in.

“What’s going-” Kat began before giving a start of terror.  Celine’s eyes followed Kat’s from Tarl picking himself off the floor to Kennet’s face beside her.  His eyes glowed red and his face was contorted into a hideous mask of rage.

“The elf is too good for me!” Kennet roared in an unnatural voice.  “I’m too plain, too rough, too human for her!”

“Ken, something has a hold of you, you need to calm yourself,” Celine said hoping to reach him.

“What I need is you!” he shrieked and pulled her closer to him, grabbing at her dress his with his free hand and beginning to tug at it.

The hesitant Kat rushed forward.  “Stop!” she cried.

“Excuse me,” came a voice behind Kennet.

As Kennet’s head turned to look the elfman, having come up besides them without being noticed, slapped the open-palm of his hand onto Kennet’s forehead and began to pull at something.  A strange shape, almost like a shadow, seemed to be pulled away from Kennet’s head.

“Come on now, this boy is no good for you,” the elfman continued.  “The crack in his heart isn’t big enough for you to hide in.  It’s lust, unrequited love from afar at best.  That’s not enough to fully hide yourself, to keep yourself from spilling over into him and causing this.  Let him go and I’ll send you back where you belong.”

Kennet struggled.  “No!” he shouted.  “She is mine!  I will have her!”

“Is that you or the boy talking?  Really now, this is just,” the elfman pulled at the shadow harder grunting with the effort, “this is just, really getting, silly.  Let him go!”

With a roar and a flash the elfman fell one way and Kennet the other, taking Celine down with him.

“Where did it go!” the elfman said sitting up suddenly.

“W-where did what?” a bewildered Kat begain.

“The shadow!  The spirit!  I yanked it out but couldn’t hold on!  Don’t tell me you didn’t pay attention to where it went?”

“I just saw a flash…” Kat said.

“C-Celine?” Kennet said.

“Are you okay?” she asked him.

“I, I don’t know.  I did, oh.  I didn’t mean to do anything!  I mean, oh no.” he seemed to deflate a bit where he sat.

“Yes yes, he was possessed.  Now help me find it!  It’s a shadow that moves on it’s own.  Keep your mind clear!  If you let your thoughts dwell on something like a regret or a painful memory it could slip into your heart like it did to this boy.”

“A regret?  I,” Kat began, still baffled.  The elfman stood up sharply and looked at her intensely.

“What?  You what?”  She just looked him, he moved right in front of her and she took an involuntary step back.  “Is there something you are hiding?  Hiding from yourself?  Or from someone?  Hmm?”

“No!”  Kat said weakly.

“What is it?  Love, perhaps?”  Kat blushed.  “Love!  Someone you care for?  Someone you want?  You can’t have them?”

“Why are you…?” Kat said frustrated as a shape suddenly streaked across the room.  The elfman grabbed her by the arm and yanked her to the side stepping between her and the shape.  Holding up his open hand, it began to glow and the shadow seemed to try and divert itself but he caught it at the last moment.

“There!  Thank you, girl.  You standing there stammering with uncertainty made me guess that you might be an ideal target for this spirit, so I had to goad you on a bit.  Sorry for the yelling at you and all that.” he moved over to the bar, pulling out a piece of chalk with his free hand while the small shadow continued to writhe snakelike in his hand.

“What in the hells is going on!” thundered Tarl, managing to his feet at last.  “Are you writing on my bar?”

“Yes, but it’s chalk.  You can wash it off later.”

People from outside were starting to gather in front and a few braver souls were venturing inside to see about the fuss.  When people saw the shadow many gasps could be heard.  Tarl clenched his teeth and moved to the elfman’s side.

“Get that thing out of here!” he hissed in a whisper.

“Isn’t that what I’m doing?  Done,” he said putting the chalk back in his pocket and slamming the spirit down onto the bar in the middle of a complex series of circles he’d just drawn.  It immediately tried to jump away but something held it in place.  “I need both hands free to send it home.”  He clapped his hands together and began chanting as energy filled the air.

Tarl moved away with disgust.  Magic.  The people were murmuring about it, and Tarl could feel business leaving his grasp as the seconds flowed by.  But the moment didn’t last long, a sudden loud CRACK! and the shadowy spirit disappeared with a wisp of smoke.

“Done.” the elfman said simply.  “Your troubles are over.  That thing gave me quite a fight earlier but as weak as it was it couldn’t manage to hang onto this realm.  Now if you don’t mind I’d like to finish my ale.”

“YOU’LL DO NOTHING OF THE SORT!” Tarl roared finally finding both his wits and his courage.  Money was on the line here.

“Come again?”

“GET OUT!”

“But I paid for this!”

“GET OUT!” Tarl’s face reddened to sickening color.

The elfman regarded the tavern owner for a moment.  “Fine.”  He picked up his cloak and was out the door without another word.  The people who had been milling around the front seemed to follow the odd elf.

“I guess we should clean up, eh Kat?” Celine began.

“You too,” Karl croaked in a horse voice.

“What?”

“I said you too!  Get out.”

“What!” Kat shrieked.  “She didn’t do anything!  What are you on about?!”

“I took pity on Celine so I let her stay.  Figure she’d bring in the curious.  But she brings in this!  And if it’s not spirits and other weirdness, its men who can’t keep their hands or take no for an answer causing problems!”  The quiet Kennet seemed to shrink a little more at that.

“You’re not worth the trouble, girl,” Tarl said.  “Get out.  Follow the other weird one back to wherever it is your kind comes from.”

Celine seemed to be carved from marble for all the emotion she showed then.  She regarded him very calmly, almost puzzled.  “Okay,” was all she said before moving to gather her things.

“You, boy.  You help clean up the mess you made.  Kat, get to it,” Tarl barked.

“Do it yourself!” Kat said obstinately and dashed off behind Celine.

“Maybe he’ll calm down?” Kat asked Celine when they were in their room.

“I don’t think so.  I’m ready to leave anyway,” Celine said.

“Well, I’m going with you!”

Celine looked up from her things at the young girl.  “You have no idea where I’m going.”

“I don’t care.  It will be better than here, I know that.  All I can look forward to at this place is maybe finding some farm boy who’ll be so enamoured with me that he’ll make me a farm wife.  Or I just end up like some of those other girls and hoping to get enough money opening up my legs to whoever that I can live without starving when I get old and my looks go.  I’d rather go with you.”

“When you put it like that,” Celine said with a slight smile.

“Then I’m going!” Kat said happily and began to put her things into a duffel.

When the two came back down they found Tarl grumbling while scrubbing at the chalk lines in the bar and Kennet had turned the tables back right and had taken up Celine’s broom.  Tarl looked up, face filled with scorn.

“Told you to get to work, Kat!” he barked at her.

“And I told you to stick it, you impotent old fool!” she shouted back.  Tarl began to growl and move towards her, obviously bent on giving her a backhand across the face.  Kennet held up the broom and blocked Tarl’s way.

“Go on you two, I’ve got everything here,” Kennet said.

Kat dashed out the front door, like a kid who had been caught doing something wrong.  Celine instead paused for a moment and regarded Kennet.

“This is who you are, Kennet.  Not the thing that came out of you before.” she said with a soft smile before turning and gliding out the door.

Inside the inn the young men had left, presumably to join the other men who were doing informal patrols of the town.  The innkeeper, Tarl, had been pulled away from wherever it was he had been holed up by the ruckus.  He was at the bar grumbling about the odd happenings in usual grumpy manner.  Celine told Kat to go ahead and go to bed and let her finish the night as thank you for dealing with the young men earlier.  Shortly after Kat’s departure up the stairs to the room the two shared, a man came in through the front door.

“Welcome,” Tarl said in his rough voice with his usual lack of personal warmth.  He looked sideways at Celine who gave a soft sigh and put down her broom to move over to the table the stranger was sitting down at.

“Welcome,” she began, “we have some leftover stew, bread, and cheese and we only have ale available right now unless…” was as far as she got before catching her breath.

The man had pulled his hood down an looked up at her from his seat.  She cursed herself silently, she should have known.  He was tall, slender, and seemed graceful.  Nothing out of the ordinary in that but with the hood down it was plain to see, he was an elf like her.

“The bread, cheese, and ale will do,” he said simply.  She simply nodded and moved quickly back into the kitchen.

As she assembled the meal her mind raced.  Was he after her?  Did he have any clue who she was or why she was here?  His hair was dark and skin more brownish, he was probably one of her wilder cousins, not like her of whose people the men sometimes referred to as “city elves.”  He didn’t seem like he thought her anything special, plus he knew she was there.  No point in trying to hide or run off.  No, it was more important to know if he was in fact here for her.  It was unlikely he’d try to kidnap her with Tarl in the room and all those men walking around outside.  He knew she was there but she was safe for now.

She took the tray with the food and drink and returned.  As she passed by Tarl grumbled “Took long enough” under his breath at her.  She moved to the table and began to set the items down.

“What brings you to these parts?” she asked conversationally.

“Hunting,” was all he said, gazing at the fire.  She didn’t like that response.  He shifted his gaze up at her.  “You’re awfully far north.”

“So I am,” she set his drink down.

“I didn’t know city elves ever came this far.”

“It seems we do.  And you?”

“As I said, hunting.  Anyway I live around here though I’m just passing through.”  With that he took his eyes off of her and began tearing into the bread.  Seeing as the conversation was over, Celine went back to her broom.  If he lived near, she thought, he probably had no clue that anyone would be looking for her.  She let herself relax a little.

The only thing unique about it was Celine, who went wearily about her task of cleaning up the dining room after the dinner crowd had dissipated. It was a small country inn that also served as the area’s only restaurant and was a popular place for the local farm folk and workers from the nearby village to meet in the evenings to socialize and discuss the day and hear the news.  Still others came to see her.

Celine didn’t like to stand out.  Rather she wanted to be unnoticed and avoid attention.  But it was hard for her not to.  Her people almost never came this far north into the lands of Men.  She needed shelter and money so here she was, cleaning tables and rooms and bringing people their food.

Taller than most girls, hair the color of bright gold, and skin pale and perfect, though it wasn’t her beauty alone that brought them.  She gave a side glance at the table of three young men trying not to look as though they were staring at her.  Celine had never seen them before and with a small inward sigh knew that she was the reason for them being there.  After all, she was most likely the only elf they’d ever see in their lives.

“Kat,” Celine called to the girl at the bar dusting off some bottles.  “Come help with this.”

Kat looked at Celine and smiled with the same sweet enthusiasm she always had when smiling at Celine.  Kat was a pretty girl in her own right, shorter than Celine with reddish hair and tan skin.  Kat’s curves also filled out her dress much more impressively than Celine’s slender figure did.  Though Celine still got all the attention Kat never seemed to show any sort of jealousy.  Kat always did seem to stare at Celine as much as the boys at the table did though, despite the fact the two had work alongside each other for several months.  The two cleared some empty mugs off a table and carried them off to the kitchen together.

“Kat,” Celine said softly to the girl when they’d left the dinning room.  “If those boys call for more can you tend them?  Their eyes won’t be so disappointed to have only you to feast on.”

Kat giggled a little.  “I suppose so.  The dark-haired one is handsome I think.”

“Thinking of entertaining him?” Celine said with a slight grin.

“Ah, I’m not sure.  Our room is small and I don’t want to bother you.”

“I can be elsewhere.”

“No!” Kat hissed, “You should not sleep in someone else’s bed!  You are too pretty for them!”

“I think you misunderstand,” Celine said.

“Good,” Kat replied.  “Their hands are too rough and dirty for you.”

“Hmm,” Celine mused “Mine are rough and dirty as well,” she said while holding them up.

“They are not!”

“I’m done here finally,” Celine says stretching her arms over her head.  “I need air.”

“I think those boys are calling,” Kat said.  “I will go!  You rest!”

Celine smiled as Kat departed, then stepped through the kitchen and out the back door to the yard facing the forest. It was a clear and crisp early autumn night, the quarter moon low in the starlight sky hanging above the tall unspoiled tree-tops. The smell of pine from the forest tickled her nose as a light breeze drifted through the forest to the inn. She sat down on the back steps of the doorway and inhaled the clean night air deeply. She slowly smiled in contentment, like a dozing cat in front of a fireplace, with her eyes closed. Suddenly she opened her eyes upon remembering that this would be the last time she could see the countryside for an hour or two, wanting to drink in the sight before more drudgery.

She was overcome by the desire to strip off all her clothes and run into the woods, dancing and bouncing about, like she’d heard that some of her wilder cousins would often do. She began to think seriously about doing exactly that during an hour in which most would be well asleep and unlikely to be startled by a vision of the local elfmaid dancing wildly in the forest immodestly.

In the distance came a sharp sound that startled her. It was an extraordinarily loud popping noise that seemed to echo through the vale. Not unlike the sound of a firework when they would explode in the sky. The unaccustomed noise disturbed a few sleeping birds in the distance who took wing with some complaint. Celine’s body tensed as she gazed in the direction of the noise, apprehension rising. What ever could it be?

Another noise came. This time low and pulsing. A deep sound that you felt in your bones before you could hear it with your ears. At the distance she and the town were at it was barely discernible but she wondered how bearable it would be if she were closer. A light blueish glow could now be seen in the direction of the sounds. The glow was pale and seemed to go just beyond the boundaries of the treetops. Some of the light filtered through the surrounding trees, giving the impression that it was coming from something remarkably luminescent on the level of the ground in that area. The forest grew still and the wind itself seemed to die. Suddenly the darkness of the forest around the inn gave an impression of something ominous. From windows on the back of the inn Celine could see faces of patrons in their rooms as others beside herself took notice of the strange occurrences. She became aware that some of the other maids were gathering behind her now, chatting quietly to each other in question of what they’d heard.

But almost as soon as it started it was over.  The sky grew dark again.  The noise of birds and nervous horses from the stable died down.  After a moment of silence it became apparent that whatever transpired had passed.