Dark Elf's Chosen: Season 1 Episode 5

Chapter 1 - SAVANNAH

Iam absolutely terrified. My trembling hand, held steady by Julius, is my only hope right now. Knowing that he is beside me is the only thing that is preventing me from fainting.

I feel Julius squeeze my hand, “That’s Bernad, the one who healed me,” he whispers.

I look at the large and down rightly gross and horrific figure that is Bernad, and my hand begins to shake even more. I watch as the hulking figure turns and begins to walk slowly. I feel a shove on my back, an order to follow.

The drum beat continues as we walk slowly in procession out from the square and up the lane that leads to the woods. I glance behind me to see the villagers follow, now with lit torches and glee on their faces.

The drum beat continues. My heart mirrors its savage beat, echoing the uncertainty that gnaws at my insides.

The woods swallow us whole, and the torches flicker like the dying breath of day. Bernad walks steadily and slowly. A spectral figure in green, his face a testament to the ancient oak, lips stained with the promise of blood magic.

'Keep close,' Julius murmurs, his voice a rope in the darkness. I nod, not trusting my voice, my hand finding him and gripping it like a lifeline.

The path twists like a serpent beneath our feet. Shadows dance in grotesque shapes, foretelling omens I dare not decipher. The air is thick with the scent of pine and something else I cannot describe.

The trees seem alive and dance around us. The sky is now forgotten to the darkness above us.

We weave our way up a hill that leads to a clearing and the entrance to a cave. Bernad positions himself at the entrance, Taran pushes us forward, and Julius and I take the position before him. The villagers, one by one, gather before us.

“The names of those that the gods wish to witness their glory have been revealed to me,” Bernard announces. A gasp ripples through the villagers.

As he reads the names, I watch the excitement of those few who have been chosen and equally the disappointment of those who have not. They hurry to the front, eagerly awaiting Bernad’s next command.

“Strip!” Bernard commands as he points his staff toward the chosen villagers, who quickly oblige, tearing off their clothes. Their pasty, rough, distorted bodies disgust me, and I can tell Julius as well by the look on his face.

'Be strong, my dear,' Julius whispers to me.

Bernad leads us into the cave. The damp, earthy breath of the cavern wraps around me, a whispering shroud from the past. I step forward into the darkness, the soles of my feet pressing against the cold stone of the cave floor.

The inner entrance is adorned with strange symbols and markings I do not understand. With the flickering light of the torches, they seem to jump from the walls and dance around us.

We journey deeper, the passageway constricting until we shuffle shoulder to shoulder. The air thickens, heavy with the musk of antiquity and a tang of iron that tugs at my insides.

Our path spirals downward, a descent into the bowels of the world, every step an invitation to unseen watchers lurking in the shadows. The marks on the wall grow denser, a tapestry of arcane knowledge that draws my eyes despite my fear. Their meaning eludes me, but instinct screams they portend a fate I am not prepared to embrace.

Julius squeezes my hand, a silent caution. I swallow the bile of fear, forcing my mind to brace against the oppressive energy that seeks to engulf us.

'Whatever happens,' he tells me, 'We’re not going down without a fight.'

A chamber unfurls before us like the mouth of some primordial beast, yawning wide with hunger. Moonlight filters through a hole in the ceiling, and a bonfire crackles and hisses, its flames lapping at the air.

I am glad of its warmth.

We stand encircled by the naked forms of the villagers, their bodies etched with the light of the fire. They are motionless statues carved from flesh and bone, eyes gleaming with anticipation. Their nakedness is not shameful as I first thought, not here in the claashing moonlight and firelight of the cave. Instead, it seems powerful—a surrender to whatever awaits us.

I’m terrified.

My heart pounds against my chest. Bernad steps forward, his green robes now discarded, his huge flabby body bouncing with his movements. Yet, his presence commands the space, the embodiment of the ceremony's gravity.

'Silence!' Bernad’s voice booms, bouncing off the cavern walls, and the villagers respond with a collective inhalation, their chests rising in unison.

I squeeze Julius' hand tighter still. He rubs his thumb across the back of my hand, a silent comfort that does more than I could ever tell him.

I wonder what will become of us and if we will ever lie together, safe under the nighttime sky again.

Bernad's gaze locks onto mine, and for a moment, time stretches thin. His blood-red lips curl into a smirk as if he could smell the tempest within me.

I feel sick, and I want to go home.

Bernad's shadow looms over the intricately carved stone floor, stretching toward us like an omen. The air hums, charged as if by a storm yet unborn, vibrating against my skin.

'Gods of old, Gods of the other,' Bernad's voice booms. His words rise—and bounce off the cavern walls, each syllable threading through the thrum of power building in the room.

The villagers seem to sway, their eyes closed. One I notice has an erection, from which I quickly avert my eyes.

“We stand before you and ask for a sign,” Bernad continues. Some of the villagers mouth and murmur his words.

I feel Julius squeeze my hand. I look at him, and he holds my gaze steadily as he murmurs, “I’m right here.”

“I am glad of that, and never you forget, I am here for you as well. Remember the orcs?” I ask, my lips twisting into a slight smile.

“Ah, those orcs, we certainly put them in their place,” Julius tells me.

“Together,” I add.

“Yes, together,” Julius replies.

With a flick, Bernad holds his staff with both hands high in the air, his eyes wide and mouth open.

I look up through the hole in the room to see lightning crack in the sky above us, and suddenly, the room is filled with brilliant light.

A light brighter than I have ever known before.