Astartion Short Stories

How can it be!!? (Part 1)

Context: It's been a million years since Astarion killed Cazador and his beloved partner died. Magic in the word has disappeared for the most part. (Wanted to do something set more in the modern world.)

I sigh as I shut the door to my empty fridge. "Fuck, that was all of my backstock. I thought I had another month." I grumble to myself. Looks like I will be going out tonight. I think to myself as I make my way upstairs. I move the bookshelf back hearing the faint click of the locks engaging.

As I step out my backdoor, the cold night air hits my face with a swift smell of blood. I grin thinking I got lucky with an already injured animal. I quickly start running, following the scent of blood. With every step I take the smell getting stronger and stronger, leaves and branches russle as I pass them. Twigs snap beneath my feet, I feel my feet sink into mud every couple of steps. I don't recall it saying it was going to rain today.

I find a fawn with a broken back leg, shivering as it has been there for hours waiting for death. It looks at me as I approach not making a single sound, welcoming me to it. I bend down about to bite down on it when my feet start to feel numb, my body quickly getting heavy. I have no energy to brace myself as I fall half on the tree next to the fawn and on the wet ground. My eyes start to roll back as I notice a figure in the distance.

My head pounds as the morning light wakes me up. I stir around, looking, unfamiliar with where I am. I sit up in the bed, sinking into it a bit. The room empty for the most part only a bed, nightstand and a few plants on the windowsill, the walls bare colored an earthy green. I quickly snap out of my thoughts hearing a melodic voice. I quietly leave the room, disregarding things that seem of no use looking for a weapon as I follow the singing down the hallway.

I reach the end of the hallway, seeing a mirror reflecting the whereabouts of the person. The women's back faces the mirror showing she is in the kitchen. She is humming a new tune, as she chops away at something. She looks easy enough to kill, she wouldn't even know I left if I spare her life. As I start to head back to the room to escape out of the window, she catches me off guard by saying, "I know you are there. Care to join me for tea? As you are in no shape to leave." She points the knife upwards in a twirling motion like she is asking the question with the knife.

I stand frozen, surprised she noticed. She sets the knife down and picks up a tray, walking out of the view of the mirror. "Choosing not to talk? Don't believe I know where you are, standing there, at the edge of the hallway. Most people wouldn't have even noticed. Probably could of been out the front door by now."

I clear my throat, "Why yes. How did you know?" I ask wall walking into the living room, seeing her already sitting down on a chair, holding a cup. Another cup is sitting on the table in front of the couch.

She gestures me to sit. "I have lived here for many years, I notice even the slightest of change." She takes a sip of tea before continuing, "I'm surprised you are able to move as well as you can. You seemed quite gone when I stumbled upon you and the fawn in the forest. Luckily, I was out picking some herbs."

"Thank you, I'm not sure what happened." I say threw gritted teeth as the pounding of my head comes flowing back tenfold.

"The tea will help with your head. There is a herb in that part of the forest you where in that can cause paralyzing effects upon contact. Not many know about it as that part of the forest normally reminds untouched."

I pick up the tea cup, not sensing any dishonesty. I don't notice anything off about the tea other than a sweet blood smell mixed in with the aroma of the tea. I look over to her seeing one of her fingers bleeding. The blood slightly dripping down the mainly white cup. The blood deep in color, contrasting with the cup in a beautiful way. My stomach grows in hunger. I quickly drink the tea the few drops of blood quenching the hunger slightly.

She chuckles "I've never had anyone down my tea like that. Would you like another cup? I also made some tomato soup."

"No, I'm good. I must be leaving now."

"I'm not taking no for an answer. I heard your stomach." She quickly gets up and leaves for the kitchen. I quickly wip off the blood on the cup and drink it. I could easily leave, but her kindness reminds me of Tav. I softly sigh, even though it's been millions of years since they left this world. No one has compared to them. A soft ache arises in my heart. I look around wanting to distract myself from the feeling that will never fully go away. I notice her bookshelf is filled with all sorts of books with no order of what they contain. A black bound book catches my eye. It seems like it was once a different color. I pick it up, it feeling very fragile some pages fall out, they are very yellow and hard to make out the words on them.

"Oh I see you found my new project." I turn around as she sets down the refilled cup and a bowl of soup down on the table.

"Project? What could you be doing with a book this old. It looks as if it is almost of no use."

"Bring it over here, and I will show you." She takes the book from me, sitting it down in a way we both can see it. "I found this book in the attic, and I have been trying to transcribe it to a new book." She lays out some pages she already transcribed. Most of them seem to be recipes with some journal entries.

"This seems like a lot." I flip threw the pages some more easy to read than others. "They mainly just seem like old recipes."

"Most are. It seems whoever owned the original book might of been a doctor of some kind."

"Original? Is this not the original?"

"I don't believe so. My great grandma told me about a book that has been passed down my family and rewrote as time went on. She said it was lost long ago before she was able to get it. I think this might be the book."

"That is some commitment if it is." I flip to a page that isn't in English, but looks formiler the words bleeding together isn't helping.

"That part isn't English or any other language I can find. I think that might be a long and dead language. There is quite a few pages like that."

Dead language, this can't be a dead language. I try to find any word that I can decider. This page almost to brittle to touch, the words hard to see with the discoloring of the page and inked used. Only one word at the bottom seems to be easier to read as it is the only word at the bottom quarter of the page. I look it over trying my hardest on where I know this language before it clicks. "Shadowheart" I almost drop everything in my hands at the disbelief of what I am seeing. Shadowheart I look over the page again able to read some of it. This, this is, how is this possible!? A common language not so common anymore.