The world shifted, spinning like a leaf in a hurricane and her stomach rose rebelliously. She fell to her knees retching into the dead coals of the fire as the torivor ran onwards to Felrook.

When next she opened her eyes the blinding eye of the sun frowned down at her. Sharp pain shot her temples as she stared, bleary-eyed, at the remains of her campsite. A vile stench rose from the remains of the fire - the smell of wet ash and vomit mixing to form an ungodly odor. She sat up on her heels, wiping her lips with the ragged corner of her sleeve and focused on her breathing.

In. Out. In. Out. Every breath cut deeper. She shivered as she remembered Maldor's message, shivered as she remembered the way dreams and reality had slipped together when she half-woke. Her hands trembled, but her legs were steady when she stood. A warm, dry breeze flitted across the campsite, carrying with it the sweet scent of over-ripe bubblefruit. 

It sickened her.

In a few minutes she had gathered everything she needed. Her blades glittered dangerously at her hip, her coat rippling like waves of shadow in the breeze. She held the leather satchel loosely in one hand. It held everything she owned, but there was nothing in it she wanted. Everything was replaceable. Everyone was replaceable.

Even her.

~~o~~

The girl ate as she walked, mind empty, the crust of bread turning to dust in her mouth. Ruined structures rose and fell around her, their pale yellow stones cracked and overgrown. Even the road - what till recently had been major artery for trade - showed signs of disrepair. The hills wept. The emptiness sang. The girl was silent.

Where is the Lurker? The entirety of her life had been spent in its presence and though its absence should have been a relief it  . . . worried her. There was a sort of security for those who the Emperor always tracked. It meant he wouldn't suspect them of treason. But when you were free, when he wasn't watching . . .

That was when suspicion was born. That was when the danger grew. 

She turned, orphan's braid whipping her face as she stared across the ruined land. The forest still lingered on the horizon, a stain of grey-green. Everything close by was painted in shades of pale yellow and grey. Brittle yellow grass, cracked yellow stone, blinding yellow sun. Sweat soaked her tunic, but the coat kept it from evaporating to cool her. She ignored it and stared into the shadows.

Are you there?

It was the first time she'd tried to speak to it, the first time she'd opened up the mental walls she'd constructed so carefully. Ice crept down her spine despite the heat, shadows swarmed her mind despite the brightness. She bent her knees slightly as vertigo threatened to sweep her off her feet, and shifted her eyes to the sandstone bricks beneath her feet. The world swam before her eyes.

And then . . .

I AM HERE. 

She looked up, breath catching in her throat as shadow filled her vision. The torivor stood less than a pace away, its stance almost defensive. The smooth pane of its face tilted towards her.

I am here.

Good. She closed her mental barriers and the world steadied. Like coming to land after months at sea, her legs wobbled momentarily. She locked her knees, breathing deeply until the second bout of dizziness passed. "What are my orders?"

The torivor extended one black hand, a scroll of crisp white paper held between two ebony digits. She took it, tearing off the seal irreverently and throwing it to the ground. The scroll unrolled obligingly, the solid black letters looking malevolently upward.

The book has been opened.

The eye still sees.

Find him.

The letter burned away in her fingers, but the words were already burned into her mind.

______________

A/N: So, what do you guys think of this letter? Also, any thoughts on the heroine? (Anti-heroine??) She's an odd one, but she's also really fun to write. Comment what you think, and don't forget to vote :)

~GingerFlame