ShadeRaven's Valley of Shrouds
VoS: Prologue
The day began like any other for Dae. Here she was, once again, toiling at the earth in hopes that it will net at least a meager harvest come late summer, early fall. Oh, why couldn’t I have been the daughter of a tailor or tinkerer, she lamented as always. They get to sleep in and even when they have to work, they get to do so in the warm comfort of the town cave. Life just wasn’t fair!
She stood up from kneeling, arching her back to work out an achy kink, and let out a big sigh that puffed out like escaping steam in the crisp spring air. Despite the chill, though, Dae had worked up a sweat. Absently, she swiped at the perspiration on her brow with the back of her wrist only to immediately regret it when she saw the muddy smear across the back of her hand that would be mirrored across her forehead. She could already hear some of her teenage friends snickering when they would see her later. She knew how she looked. Dirt under her fingers, dirt at the knees, in her hair, on her face, in her life. While other girls dabbled in powders and perfumes, Dae was tinted with soil and smelled of dusty loam. Frustrated, she kicked at a clump of earth and let out another billowing sigh.
Nearby, she heard her father grunt and dared a quick glance his direction. Just as she suspected. The disapproving arched eyebrow and piercing look. She loved her father, but he was way too practical and old. He just didn’t understand how boring and unfair life was for her. Still, she didn’t want to disappoint him so she stifled another sigh, turned her frown away, and got back down to work. The last thing she wanted was another lecture on how important it was for everyone to do their part for the betterment of Estela. Dae knew very well how hard everyone’s life was, how tenuous the townfolks clung to their little piece of the world against all the hatred and evil that surrounded them. Even in that, though, some had it less worse than others.
Her father was right, though. It was important work she was doing, even if it was dirty and unladylike. So Dae stowed away her discontent and put her mind to the chore of tilling another furrow where she planned to plant some carrot seeds that should mature by early summer and allow her to plant another crop come fall.
“Help me…”
Dae sat up rigidly on her heels, her head popping up suddenly like a prairie dog scouting for danger. The voice had been raspy and distant, but Dae was sure she had heard it. She glanced quickly about, first to her father (who was humming softly as he fertilized a patch of newly planted corn seeds), then to the cave opening that lead into Estela proper, before coming around to scan the edges of the farming plateau where she worked. She didn’t notice anything initially, but then she spotted a smattering of out-of-place colors and a dark huddled shape to the east, within the shade of the trees that bordered the rise.
Clambering to her feet, Dae began walking cautiously towards the obscured object at first, but the twist in her stomach and voice in the back of her head urged her to move quickly. She wasn’t sure why, but she was certain that there wasn’t much time to act. Her walk became a trot which then increased to a full out run as she darted between the newly planted fields towards what appeared to be a fallen body as she drew near. She could hear her father calling her in the distance behind her, but it wasn’t until she reached the tattered and battered form that she skidded to a stop, her hand coming to her mouth in dismay.
“Don’t move,” Dae whispered her heart in her throat at the visible blood and bruises that marred what might have once been a strong, handsome face. “I’ll be back with someone…”
“Stay with me,” he asked, pushing himself up with one arm and reaching out to grab her hand with his other. “I don’t have long.”
She opened her mouth to tell him he was wrong, that she could find people who would make it all better, but the words died in the back of her throat. His grip was weak, but it was like the touch of someone who had warmed too close too the fire – far too warm and unnaturally dry. What parts of his skin that showed through the wounds or ragged clothing was a frightful blend of tanned skinned gone pasty pale and from him arose the smell of festering wounds, though she couldn’t see any visible signs of infected injuries.
“They’ve got to know,” he said, pulling her down to her knees as he collapsed again, flat on his back. He stared at the sky, or perhaps to something only he could see, his eyes wild, haunted, frightened.
“Got to know what? Who’s got to know?”
“Tell them, tell them…” His voice was barely above a whisper now and she leaned closer to hear, tilting her head slightly. She gagged at the odor of his breath, the smell of dark, dank places of cloying earth and death (it reminded her, she would later say, of the caverns beneath Estela where she and her friends had once stumbled upon some giant rats gnawing away at the carcass of some other unfortunate creature – oh how that had fled back to the relative safety of the townships connecting caves thereafter).
“Tell them what?”
“The vacant horde is rising,” he said softly, turning and looking at her directly, the spark of life fading quickly from his dark brown eyes. “Beware the children of Rawd…”
She stood up from kneeling, arching her back to work out an achy kink, and let out a big sigh that puffed out like escaping steam in the crisp spring air. Despite the chill, though, Dae had worked up a sweat. Absently, she swiped at the perspiration on her brow with the back of her wrist only to immediately regret it when she saw the muddy smear across the back of her hand that would be mirrored across her forehead. She could already hear some of her teenage friends snickering when they would see her later. She knew how she looked. Dirt under her fingers, dirt at the knees, in her hair, on her face, in her life. While other girls dabbled in powders and perfumes, Dae was tinted with soil and smelled of dusty loam. Frustrated, she kicked at a clump of earth and let out another billowing sigh.
Nearby, she heard her father grunt and dared a quick glance his direction. Just as she suspected. The disapproving arched eyebrow and piercing look. She loved her father, but he was way too practical and old. He just didn’t understand how boring and unfair life was for her. Still, she didn’t want to disappoint him so she stifled another sigh, turned her frown away, and got back down to work. The last thing she wanted was another lecture on how important it was for everyone to do their part for the betterment of Estela. Dae knew very well how hard everyone’s life was, how tenuous the townfolks clung to their little piece of the world against all the hatred and evil that surrounded them. Even in that, though, some had it less worse than others.
Her father was right, though. It was important work she was doing, even if it was dirty and unladylike. So Dae stowed away her discontent and put her mind to the chore of tilling another furrow where she planned to plant some carrot seeds that should mature by early summer and allow her to plant another crop come fall.
“Help me…”
Dae sat up rigidly on her heels, her head popping up suddenly like a prairie dog scouting for danger. The voice had been raspy and distant, but Dae was sure she had heard it. She glanced quickly about, first to her father (who was humming softly as he fertilized a patch of newly planted corn seeds), then to the cave opening that lead into Estela proper, before coming around to scan the edges of the farming plateau where she worked. She didn’t notice anything initially, but then she spotted a smattering of out-of-place colors and a dark huddled shape to the east, within the shade of the trees that bordered the rise.
Clambering to her feet, Dae began walking cautiously towards the obscured object at first, but the twist in her stomach and voice in the back of her head urged her to move quickly. She wasn’t sure why, but she was certain that there wasn’t much time to act. Her walk became a trot which then increased to a full out run as she darted between the newly planted fields towards what appeared to be a fallen body as she drew near. She could hear her father calling her in the distance behind her, but it wasn’t until she reached the tattered and battered form that she skidded to a stop, her hand coming to her mouth in dismay.
“Don’t move,” Dae whispered her heart in her throat at the visible blood and bruises that marred what might have once been a strong, handsome face. “I’ll be back with someone…”
“Stay with me,” he asked, pushing himself up with one arm and reaching out to grab her hand with his other. “I don’t have long.”
She opened her mouth to tell him he was wrong, that she could find people who would make it all better, but the words died in the back of her throat. His grip was weak, but it was like the touch of someone who had warmed too close too the fire – far too warm and unnaturally dry. What parts of his skin that showed through the wounds or ragged clothing was a frightful blend of tanned skinned gone pasty pale and from him arose the smell of festering wounds, though she couldn’t see any visible signs of infected injuries.
“They’ve got to know,” he said, pulling her down to her knees as he collapsed again, flat on his back. He stared at the sky, or perhaps to something only he could see, his eyes wild, haunted, frightened.
“Got to know what? Who’s got to know?”
“Tell them, tell them…” His voice was barely above a whisper now and she leaned closer to hear, tilting her head slightly. She gagged at the odor of his breath, the smell of dark, dank places of cloying earth and death (it reminded her, she would later say, of the caverns beneath Estela where she and her friends had once stumbled upon some giant rats gnawing away at the carcass of some other unfortunate creature – oh how that had fled back to the relative safety of the townships connecting caves thereafter).
“Tell them what?”
“The vacant horde is rising,” he said softly, turning and looking at her directly, the spark of life fading quickly from his dark brown eyes. “Beware the children of Rawd…”
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