Shards of darkness (watty awards 2012)

Escape and capture

When Ana had delved into his mind before, she had stolen more than just his name, she had taken with her a whole encyclopaedia of facts that only he knew; one of which was how to escape, and now that he was dead, his wards gone, she could do just that. It would be difficult, granted, but if there was any chance that she could escape then she would take it.

She got up then walked into the pool of water. She forced her self to place one hand on Thiorah’s brow and draw any last drop of energy that may be nestled inside his form. While there she decided to keep tabs on the development of his powers. Loathed to though she was, she pushed her mind against his. At first there was nothing and just when she began to think she had killed him, she was ambushed. A torrent of emotions flowed into her mind. They took her in their grasp and refused to let go. She sensed by his power that he could slay her where she stood if he chose it. She had underestimated him and that could well be her fatal mistake. Trying to graph the true scale of his anger was impossible. He was in the sort of rage for tearing mountains apart, burning villages. Ana decided there and then that if she was to die, she would rather it was quick. Enraging him would be dangerous especially now he was so inflamed… He sensed her intentions at once.

Don’t He said with another part of his mind not burning with hatred. Instead it was fuelled with a grudging respect for what she had done, and something else…

I will not be able to hold myself back if you deliberately aggravate me..

And why would you want to do that?

He laughed in her head but his reply was without humour: Because I enjoy the hunt. He withdrew his hold on her mind but not before she heard his last words fading as their contact loosened. So run little girl, run like the wind…

Ana didn’t hesitate. She ran further into the pool. It wasn’t large nor was it very deep, coming only up to her knees in the most part but, in its furthest reaches, an under water chasm yawned. Though it was only just big enough for her to fit through, there would be no telling as to how deep it was until she was inside. She paused for a brief moment to gather her wits and turned, just for a second to look at Thiorah. To her surprise and horror, smoke began to flood from his open mouth. She took one last draft of air then pushed herself into the chasm and under water. The cave she entered was black as pitch and claustrophobically tight. There was no air here, and if she became stuck… well it didn’t bare thinking about. She had gone foot first down the cave, an option she now regretted for it made it twice as difficult to squeeze through. The passage she had entered had at first been leading down hill, now it twisted at the bottom then snaked upwards to where Ana could see was considerably lighter. Relief flooded through her and she began her ascent. She had not been worried about running out of air for she had drawn energy of Thiorah’s corpse that would sustain her for a few minuets. Now however, she was relying solely on her lung composite as she didn’t dare use up his energy just yet, there would be no telling if she would need it again.

Her chest was just beginning to burn before she surfaced, gulping mammoth gulps of sweet air. Air like this did not exist on Earth. That alone confirmed her suspicions that she had left her planet far behind her. She was on another world! Above her holes in the cave roof provided light from the stars. And so big they were! Obviously much closer to this planet than the ones back home were to Earth. She had little to wonder before the water she had just left, began to bubble and steam. Quickly, she surveyed her surroundings. The cave she was in now was almost a duplicate of the one she had left. He was a mere wall away. She shivered and this was NOT from the cold. Unlike her former prison however, this cave lead to others by a networking series of passages at the far end. Which should she choose?  Suddenly out from the foaming maw a body rose to the surface of the water. Almost unrecognisable as the man only fifteen minuets before she had been kissing.  Points of bone jutted out of his steaming carcase as his flesh rotted away, his mouth forced in to a grin. Booming laughter filled the cavern.