Where the Sun Meets the Shore

Raih is the Language of Death

The darkness has never intimidated me, but when the cruel taste of fear and suspense hung beside it, I had to admit: I was mildly terrified. There was no light save for the flickering candle in my hands, growing weaker by the second. As I ran through the thick silence, my cloak billowing behind me, I clenched the large jewel in my hands tightly. I tried my best to cover it with cloth, a sheer cotton coating.

The shine was still visible. To whom was it not?

I ducked beneath a low arching, and was unprepared to meet a body hard as stone. The candle fell to the ground, fire scuffing against the grains. I scrambled, concealing my treasure and glancing up into eyes the color of a glittering, polished emerald. The finest of all, a diamond in the mist.

“Finnleigh,” I mustered, my heart speeding in my chest as I slowed. I swallowed, staring up at him for a moment before beginning to take a step backwards. A hand pressed against my back, preventing me from moving. It was cold, and brought a shudder through my spine. I went still, as I knew moving would promise myself death. A frigid, sharp blade pressed against the back of my neck. It was shimmering cruelly, the icy coating lining the dagger with sharp precision along the ridges.

This wasn’t Finnleigh.

I refused to admit I knew, though.

I could feel his other arm brushing against mine before the gem in my hands disappeared. I didn’t have enough time to grab onto it. I gritted my teeth, jaw aching as my limbs went numb. Frost formed itself along my eyelashes, making it impossible to keep my eyes open. This situation was unprecedented.

I opened my eyes slowly, only a peek. Swirls of smoke floated above the air, revealing the truth of the monster behind the disguise. The demon had ashen, grayed skin, and the eyes that had once been beautiful were now a curse. His eyes were full of an inky black that spread through like a paint splatter.

I couldn’t stare at him, it only weakened me. I bore my eyes away, towards the stone walls with inexplicable markings.

Three long tendrils grew from each of its claws like fingers, but that wasn’t much as ugly as its weak frame. His build was curved and grotesque, yellowed teeth growing from its shallow mouth.

I suddenly felt like I was about to vomit. Gagging, I held my breath until I was well again, enough to momentarily regain my strength.

“Don’t say a word,” The rough voice rasped. “Or I’ll come back and slit your throat.”

I balled my fists underneath the long sleeves of my oversized cloak that covered my body. They didn’t know who I was, the hood that shadowed my face from any onlookers, or God forbid, demons, made sure of that.

I remained quiet according to his instructions.

“And when I do,” he continued, a sly smile forcing him to widen his mouth and bare those talons once more. “I’ll feed your pieces to my children.”

Sucking in a breath, I tried to ignore it when they came in shivers. I wasn’t scared, I was only cold.

The monster laughed, a joyous sound turned cold and bitter. “I see the game you're playing.” The knife pressed further, and I could feel a trail of blood run down my neck and to my back.

“What? You told me not to say anything,” I sneered, a frown on my face as I tried to look horribly oblivious to the fact I was probably about to die. I shouldn’t have tempted the enemy.

It growled, a ferocious sound. “Don’t try me.” The demon spoke in Raih, a dragon tongue.

I felt their arms loosen as it started to creep away, but I would never give a demon the chance to do so. That was my job, after all. I sucked in a long breath, lunging forwards and catching its arms as I rolled over. The demon latched onto whatever it could, but in not enough time. It flipped backwards with overwhelming force, colliding into the hard walls with a thud. Vibrations were sent in waves through its body. I didn’t have to do anything as the demon fell to the side, losing its balance. It stuck out its long arms, bracing itself as it toppled forward on the desert sand.

Demons were the weakest creature ever known to planet Earth. Except for humans, of course. But that was a given. As for the strongest, one could argue. I stared at the body on the floor, pressing my two fingers to its forehead with a silent prayer. Then I wrapped my hand around the hem of my hoodie and pulled it higher above my head.

A small light loomed in from the end of the tunnel. As I approached it, I grew even more tense. In the darkness, I could already expect what would happen inside of it. But in the light, it was even more dangerous, because you could never think something so sorrowful could take place.

As I emerged into the silky sunlight, I watched as it fell down on me, warming my cheeks and face. The weapons strapped against my belt glinted. Despite the sun, the biting cold thrashed at me like blades, striking me when I least expected it. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to bring back any warmth I could. The secret passageway beneath the ground proved not to be very secret at all. The monsters that roamed around were only further proof of that statement.

Water rushed like an ocean behind me, salty currents hitting shore. Not far in my vision were large mountains that towered into the sky like a giant. They were covered in snowy caps. Small flakes drifted from the sky. I held out my hand, and when they fell to my palm, it melted into a small droplet of water.

I sighed, sitting as the water washed next to me. It didn’t go far, touching the tips of my toes before falling back again. Stuck in the sand was a small fragment of reflective glass. I looked at myself in it. I don’t know how bad I looked, but I was sure I looked presentable. My cropped hair was combed and neat, but small scratches and dirt were engraved on my face. I wiped my cheeks with the back of my hand, throwing the glass deep. I watched as it arced through the air, peeking through low clouds that threaded against the still blue sky. It made its way down, falling into the large ocean mutely.

When I gathered my thoughts, I dove into the water.

It served as a shock enough to my system as I continued my journey through the sea. If I was going to make it to the Nevermallow Mountains before sun fall, I had to be fast and swift. My arms ached as I waved them frantically, acting as a source to push me forward.

When I emerged from the rocking water, it fell over my shoulders and doused my skin. I wrung my hair, sucking in a deep breath before falling back beneath. After my arms were tired and my skin was scrubbed raw, I finally arrived on land. The boating gate had just closed, shipments and boxes piled atop the sea rider.

My shirt brought a trail of water through the cold dirt, leaving muddy footprints. I felt something brush my shoulder, and I went rigid. Without a second thought, I spun around, hand latching onto the hilt of my knife and holstering it out of my belt, bracing it against the heart of my attacker. My knuckles were white as I gripped it. For a second I had to force myself to remain calm, before I realized who it was.

I still remained in my defensive stance. Demons have tricked me once, so who’s to say they couldn’t a second time? As everyone always says and I go by, fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

“Woah, woah, chill out.” Finnleigh said, holding both hands up in surrender. “It's just me.”

My eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Prove it.”

A grin spread across his lips. “How am I supposed to do that?” He ran his hand through his red hair, flashing me a sly smile.

I rolled my eyes, dropping my guard. This was definitely him. No matter what species he was, no one gave me the annoyance that he could. And, no matter how much I tried to stress it, that was not a compliment.

“Anything new happen when I was gone?” He leaned against the trunk of a tall oak tree that shrouded me from any surroundings. The long branches stuck out high, blocking the sky from us and containing privacy. It wasn’t safe as long as we were on Dragonish territory, though.

I nodded. “This freakish demon came up to me. Weird, he looked just like you. Oh, and then he tried to kill me. Nothing that bad, though. Took them out with a single kick.”

He held his hand up, wanting a high-five. “Nice job. I taught you well.”