This is likely to be a vignette in several parts, the first part is for certain eyes only but this is Part 2.
The heart-thumping ride across the Black Moor had cleared her mind a little. Rohese had let Isilme run at full gallop for the best part of an hour, the thundering hooves matching the rumble of the incessant storm currently sweeping across Elanthia. Her filly had skilfully negotiated the heather and charred rocks covering the bleak landscape to reach the High Plains. The thick grey mists that swirled in the bone-chilling wind felt cleaner somehow than the sickly fog that shrouded Caligos Isle but they still had a portentous quality to them.
Rohese was soaked through to the skin from the relentless rain but she hadn’t let it deter her. She pressed on trying desperately to shrug off the sense of foreboding she had been carrying around with her lately. Just a glimpse of the night sky would help; she needed to see the stars but the dense cloud cover showed no signs of clearing. The icy wind whipped the filly’s flaxen mane into the air to blend with Rohese’s own rain-drenched hair as she bent over her horse for a momentary respite.
She was afraid but she didn’t want to face her fears and give them substance by dwelling on them. Thinking about it only brought tears to her eyes so she welcomed the distraction of this brief escape from everything and even took some perverse pleasure from the discomfort of being cold and wet.
At least the villagers had all managed to leave the troubled Isle and Omiko along with them. Rohese murmured a quiet prayer under her breath for their safe passage across the turbulent seas, her hand resting on the sea-glass beaded choker around her neck. At her touch, two faint points of indigo light brightened from beneath the strands of imflass and shone directly into her eyes. The indigo beams faded completely after a distant boom of thunder, startling her from her reverie. She shivered, whether from fear or the cold, she couldn’t tell.
Dawn had started to creep over the horizon, its muddied orange glow struggling to push back the gloom so she decided it was time to head back. Time to face reality again and work through the ever-growing list of things that were troubling her. Distractions didn’t really help after all; they merely delayed facing the inevitable.
>>https://gswiki.play.net/Rohese (prime)
CHIVERST
CHIVERST
Re: Distractions
11/21/2021 09:16 AM CST
The Songs of Glimae'den
Liabo was a gleaming silver orb hanging low in the sky, exceptionally large and pale. Beams of moonlight turned the pond aglow like molten metal; beguiling in its languid, silent beauty. Long, graceful branches of willow swayed gently back and forth on a barely palpable wind. Under the wavering light of the moon, they resembled ghosts dragging their distended arms along the ground. The silence was omnipresent, broken only by the lone hoot of a saw-whet owl.
Rohese paused for a moment before entering the hallowed space. Bathed in the ethereal light of the full moon, she turned her face upwards and closed her eyes. It was then that she heard the singing; soft and clear on the cool breeze.
She had spent the week wandering the beautiful town and ancient woodlands of Cysaegir with Mirkk; examining the ruins of long-abandoned elven dwellings and attempting to build trust with the trees. In the light of day, the air had been filled with so many distractions - the susurration of the leafy canopy and clamour of birdsong - but her commune with the willow had brought with it a sense of peace and a desire to return. Her intuition had told her that she needed to come back under the light of a full moon and she hadn't been disappointed.
Haunting the night air were beautiful, dulcet voices singing in perfect harmony. They sang of love and loss, of golden leaves falling in the wind and glimmering silver starlight. Sad strains of regret and grief blended into lullabies and choral chants.
Rohese wasn't sure how long she had stood there listening. The calm of the clear night had also brought with it a heavy dew and the hem of her robe was now sodden. Barely noticing, she stepped out of the moon-silhouetted stands of birch and willow and the lamentations ceased; all she could hear was the soothing, babbling rush of the nearby waterfall.
The collective endeavour of the trees had brought her here; they remembered! She made a silent promise to return and made her way back to the Naerine Hostelry.
Mirkk sat up to find Rohese standing at the foot of their bed. The hem of her robe was soaking wet and her feet were stained with mud and grass. She seemed to be oblivious to the fact that she was shivering from the cold. Grabbing one of the blankets, he quickly rose to wrap it around her shoulders.
Rohese awoke with a start.
>>https://gswiki.play.net/Rohese (prime)
Liabo was a gleaming silver orb hanging low in the sky, exceptionally large and pale. Beams of moonlight turned the pond aglow like molten metal; beguiling in its languid, silent beauty. Long, graceful branches of willow swayed gently back and forth on a barely palpable wind. Under the wavering light of the moon, they resembled ghosts dragging their distended arms along the ground. The silence was omnipresent, broken only by the lone hoot of a saw-whet owl.
Rohese paused for a moment before entering the hallowed space. Bathed in the ethereal light of the full moon, she turned her face upwards and closed her eyes. It was then that she heard the singing; soft and clear on the cool breeze.
She had spent the week wandering the beautiful town and ancient woodlands of Cysaegir with Mirkk; examining the ruins of long-abandoned elven dwellings and attempting to build trust with the trees. In the light of day, the air had been filled with so many distractions - the susurration of the leafy canopy and clamour of birdsong - but her commune with the willow had brought with it a sense of peace and a desire to return. Her intuition had told her that she needed to come back under the light of a full moon and she hadn't been disappointed.
Haunting the night air were beautiful, dulcet voices singing in perfect harmony. They sang of love and loss, of golden leaves falling in the wind and glimmering silver starlight. Sad strains of regret and grief blended into lullabies and choral chants.
Rohese wasn't sure how long she had stood there listening. The calm of the clear night had also brought with it a heavy dew and the hem of her robe was now sodden. Barely noticing, she stepped out of the moon-silhouetted stands of birch and willow and the lamentations ceased; all she could hear was the soothing, babbling rush of the nearby waterfall.
The collective endeavour of the trees had brought her here; they remembered! She made a silent promise to return and made her way back to the Naerine Hostelry.
Mirkk sat up to find Rohese standing at the foot of their bed. The hem of her robe was soaking wet and her feet were stained with mud and grass. She seemed to be oblivious to the fact that she was shivering from the cold. Grabbing one of the blankets, he quickly rose to wrap it around her shoulders.
Rohese awoke with a start.
>>https://gswiki.play.net/Rohese (prime)
