Beyond Immortality

CHAPTER ELEVEN

UNKNOWN POV*

The room was dark. The only light comes from candles set on a small table. At the corner of the room was a lit fireplace. Standing next to it was a woman who stared down the flame sipping a drink from her goblet.

"All this....y..ye...years..." she says her speech heightened, "then centuries later-" she says furiously throwing the goblet into the fire making it lit up more for a few seconds.

"the incubation period has taken place." another lady says standing in the darkness at a corner. "The question is, why wait this long?"

"I don't care, I want it found." She spits commandingly.

"inform the king."

"yes, my lady."

***

I fell from the sky in the middle of the day, stark naked after the shell I was in exploded. Skillfully I landed on the ground. My body emitted steam you'd think I fell straight out of the fire. I was still in the same place I last recall being at but the circle was gone.

So much happened while I was inside the realm I sensed it in my gut. I was far from whom I knew a while back. Speaking of a while back, I barely knew how long I was gone. I staggered back to the cave unwell. My body burnt from within especially the area my spine ran through. Resting would make everything fine.

The sky was cloudless. The layer covering the atmosphere had an aura of brighten as the light flickered through it to reach the surface of the earth much to its disappointment as parts of the ground did not receive it since
the tree canopies blocked the rays.

The forest was limitless, compact, and blooming. Its canopy was monopolized by hickory, poplar, and fir, which let through enough dancing beams of sunshine for all sorts of shrubs to use the crunchy layer of leaves below. A variety of noises, belonging mostly to vermin, filled the air, and were out of sync with the occasional roar of a large animal trying to scare away predators. PERFECT! I armed myself before leaving my cave. The forest was a no-dwelling place for anyone, especially women. I strolled through the bushes and thickets of the forest. My heart gladdens at the sound of splashing water. My visit here lessened my troubled thoughts. My feet glazed the shore of the plunge having my strip as I set my arms aside at a safe distance and dived. The sun had heated it warm enough for a good afternoon bath. Once, twice I climbed up the rock to take a heightened dive. My thinking of someone walking up to the waters to find a bare woman climbing up rocks had me amused. I relaxed, floating in the water swimming from one side to the other. I kept in mind that I had supplies to gather.

"AAA!" thought I heard a yell I dismissed the thought mistaking it for overthinking. I dwell in the wild things like this are not a surprise.

"AAAA" It came again making me jerk while in the water. I switch my position so I have my ears above the water. A shriek throws me off as I hear more growling and wailing. An individual is in trouble. I swim to the shore putting on a long shirt and grabbing a sword. The shrieking continues. Using it as a directive I head back into the woods. I encounter a mortally wounded soldier. He retched up blood his hand covering the supposedly injured area.

"What happened?" I ask trying to hold him up. He struggled to speak but only blood sprouted out as he breathed his last. Up ahead I saw more dead soldiers. I trailed up distressed at the sight. Another shriek rented the air too strong to be made by man. A pained grunt caught my ear. Stealthily, I crawled up to the little hill. Below, I saw an Oriondoth soldier struggle to scoot away from- I trailed off my attention looking at what was chasing him. It had the ears and light-blue eyes not to mention the face of a....a person? An enormous body of a lion. Its skin was as red as a cinnabar but the head was covered by golden hair with several spikes scattered around it too. A soldier appeared out of nowhere standing between the creature and the man on the ground. Well, that was either the bravest or the stupendously stupid thing to set my eyes on. His pursuit causes the beast to spray its stings like arrows in all directions. My shoulder misses one in a whisker as it flies past me. The spikes resembling those of porcupine pierce a man sending him to his grave. These spikes, however, are foot long their thickness like that of a bulrush. A beast such as this unleashed on the human population can slaughter hundreds in seconds. A different soldier takes this as an opportunity to attack as the beast is still distracted, creeping behind it. He does manage to snip its leg. The beast groans opening its mouth wide exposing its three rows of teeth. I am still in my hiding fossilized as I observe the events unfolding frontwards. Without turning to him, it stretches its tail to its full length attacking the soldier. The curved tip sinks inside the man's chest killing him instantly as he tries escaping.