Snippet #1339360

Rishi awoke when the sunlight hit her eyelids. She hadn’t planned on sleeping in for that long. She rolled over gently and stretched, tensing up each muscle before relaxing again. She looked over to the other side of the bed. Byron was breathing softly. Gingerly, she rose from the mattress and began to gather her things.

Her pack was easy to get together. There wasn’t much of a need for unpacking these days. Her clothes however, were strewn about the hut in a pattern of passion and lust. She was missing a boot, and she located it on the side of the bed where Byron was sleeping. Carefully, she tried to gather it without waking him.

She heard his breathing stop, and looked up.

“Where are you going?”

Rishi sighed, “You know I can’t stay. This was only temporary.”

Byron rubbed his eyes and let out a groan. “Until what? They all just forget about you and leave you alone?” he touched her arm tenderly, the healing pattern she had tattooed still fresh on his wrist, “Stay with me, you can forget about all of this. You’re safe here.”

Rishi shook her head. “They’ll find you, and me.” She turned away and stood up, “It’s not safe. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Byron leapt out of bed to grab her by the hip. He pulled Rishi in close to him and kissed her gently.

“Stop it.” She said, “I have to go.” Rishi picked up her pack, taking one last glance at Byron. He had his sad pup face on, one that he never seemed to grow out of. “Goodbye Byron. Perhaps we’ll meet again.” And she was gone into the woods.

Rishi liked to run. It was always so freeing to her, a good way to clear her head. She ran away from the hut and the guilt of leaving Byron behind. But it wasn’t safe for him. She couldn’t stay any more than he couldn’t come with her either. She just had to move on.Trees blurred passed her vision as she ran with the fullest of her ability. Running to get her energy up, running to get away from danger. Her long auburn hair billowed out behind her, keeping the sweat from it's heavy weight out of he way. Suddenly, she came across a tomb. She stopped her running to catch her breath. Around her the jungle was alive with the sounds of waking. Beside the tomb grew a berry bush, and Rishi’s stomach was growling with hunger. Perhaps she shouldn’t have left Byron’s hut before grabbing bread. The berries would suffice. As she grabbed them though, a jolt went through her body that caused her to sieze with surprise.

This place had known magic.

Forgetting her hunger, she placed a bare hand on the stone of the tomb. It was coming from beneath the ground. The magic was obscured by the stone encasing it. Perhaps this is where one of the artifacts is for the Gauntlet. She reached into her bag for one of her candles. “Levis.” She whispered, and a flame leapt green and bright from the wick. She turned into the darkness of the tomb.

The tomb was simple, but to hold a magical object, there must be traps within to deter robbers. “Ostendo sum vestri.” She heard a rustle from beyond, and increased the size of her flame.

A devil dog stepped from the shadows.

Rishi wasn’t the least bit frightened. She had dealt with the beasts before, the trick was to keep them from changing into their hellish form and to make them feel that they had nothing left to protect, then they will disappear into smoke.

“Bonus canis.” She spoke softly, “vos tutis is peteus.” (you’ve protected this well)

The dog bowed and whimpered. “Vos palpo mihi, tamen ego no retineo vos obduco.” (you flatter me madam, but I cannot let you pass

“Quis es vos tutela?” she asked, the magic seeping through her clothes as she knelt on the tomb’s floor.

The dog gestured towards the sarcophagus, “My mistress’s headdress that she wears upon her death.”

“Might I see?”

The dog’s heckles raised.

“I have no means to take it; I just mean to have a look.” The magic of this place was intoxicating, she feared that the dog had sensed her desire.

But she realized that the hellhound was not growling at her. It had sensed the presence of another animal, she stood suddenly and turned towards the entrance. Only to see a young man in front of her, with eyes of intent and aggression.