Dusty Red ~ Part 6

We have come to the 6th instalment of Dusty Red. My apologies for the slight shortcomings it contains as it was all whipped up literally in a few hours before lunch today. It took me ages to decide what should actually happen..but I have now so that's all good. I also apologise for the lateness in the day....

Well, it's ANZAC Day tomorrow and since I'm in the town band I'll be doing the main march, I wasn't brave enough to do the dawn service at 4 in the morning, scorn me if you like but I'm not doing it. But the march should be interesting, there may be a post about it on Monday, it depends how interesting it actually turns out to be.

Now that I've finally got around to writing I hope you enjoy and, as always, I'm looking forward to your comments. Number one it is! Yes...The random misty rocks...and guess what! My characters have finally found the Misty Mountains!

They were surrounded by huge blocks of stone, looming out of a cloudy wet substance that obscured anything further than a few meters away.

Flicks walked to one stone and placed her hand on the rough surface. A soft murmuring began, seeming to come from all around her. Flicks jerked back her hand and the chilling sound stopped, echoing into stillness. She looked over her shoulder, Ron looked rather green in the face and Kendal’s expression was one of fury, or was it fear?

Flicks walked slowly around the stone. It was grey like any other rock, but the size was impossible, like a giant’s debodied leg. She reached out towards the stone once more, but she stopped, frowning, her hand just centimeters from the stone. A whistling sound came faintly to her, at first distant but getting steadily closer.

Somehow it reminded Flicks of herself.

Flicks peered through the shadowy mist and caught sight of a bobbing light coming nearer. She glanced at the others again, her heart beating faster, Ron was now slumped against a tree stump and Kendal just stood staring at the stone closest to him as if it would eat him alive at any moment.

The light was even closer and Flicks pressed against the stone for shelter. She jumped back again as the whispers began. The light abruptly stopped moving, Flicks could now see the dark shadow of the person holding it, “Who’s there?’ a voice called, strong and clear. Flicks shivered, the voice also sounded strangely familiar.

The figure came closer again until they were only a meter a way from Flicks, who’s heart was beating so fast now she felt it would just stop.

It was a girl standing in front of her, about the same age and size as Flicks. The girl looked Flicks up and down for a few seconds before she spoke again, “And who might you be?”

Flicks stared back, “I…I’m…Flicks Tiller…I suppose…”

The girl raised her eyebrows, using the exact expression Flicks had when Ron was talking about his magic potion. “You suppose? Have you forgotten your own name?”

Flicks shook her head, ‘No, I haven’t, it’s just I’m a little confused right now,” she hesitated. “Where are we?”

“We are in the middle of the night, in the middle of the mist, in the middle of the stone circle, which happens to be in the middle of Rocos,” the stranger said. “My name is Skilf.”

“I see…” Flicks said, her thoughts whirling so much that her mind was fit to burst.

“How and why did you come here at this time of night?” Skilf asked, her green eyes curious.

“We…well, I’m not entirely sure, you see, we just kind of  appeared here, through that hut thing,” Flicks stumbled over her explanation, knowing how bizarre it would sound. 

Skilf looked at the old stone hut thoughtfully, “I see,” she murmured mostly to herself, repeating exactly what Flicks had said just before.

Ron had regained his feet and approached them, “Who do this be Flicks?” he asked with a sniff, wiping a tear from his eye. 

“Her name is Skilf,” Flicks answered, still half in a daze.

Ron surveyed Skilf then he frowned, “Excuse me, but do I be knowin’ ye? Ye look a bit familiar some’ow.”

Skilf shrugged, “Beats me, ‘cause I don’t know you.”

Ron’s eyes suddenly widened, “That’s ‘o ye be like! Ye look like Flicks!” 

He was right.

Flicks stared at Skilf who stared back, the expressions on their faces identical. But so was every other feature. “How?” Flicks shook her head in wonder, what in the world was going on?

“I didna recognise ye at first ‘cause o’ yer clothes and ye aint go no hat. But ye be as like as twins! Skilf my eyebrows, if I didna know better I’d think ye were Flicks!” Ron looked from one to the other in a mazement.

A growl came from behind them, “What’s this? Two Flicks? Well, isn’t that a prize,’ Kendal had recovered slightly from his shock and now his lip curled in a sneer. “Now since the ‘twins’ are reunited perhaps we should try get out of this godforsaken place.” He nearly shouted the last words.

Kendal stomped over to the hut and crashed through the hole in the wall, a frightened light came into Ron’s eyes again that had been dispelled by the surprise of their discovery, and he followed Kendal. Flicks shrugged at Skilf, and they both trailed after the others.

Inside the dust caught in their throats and in the hazy light they tripped over several times. Kendal reached were they’d come from first and looked around. A hole in the thatch roof showed the stars above them, faint through the thin fog, but all around there was nothing of interest, no doors or holes or anything. Kendal kicked the side of the hut in frustration sending splinters of thatch raining down from the roof. Flicks shook her head to get the bits of hay out of her red hair, her double mirrored the action.

“How about the roof?” Skilf suggested. She’d realised by now that these were no ordinary travellers, and the girl Flicks was looking anxious. Besides, she wanted to get rid of Kendal as fast as possible anyway, she didn’t like the man.

Kendal turned a sarcastic eye on her, “Young lady, you may not be aware but I don’t want to get to the stars.”

Ron shrugged, his face pale, “We can at least be tryin’ it oot.”

Kendal snorted, “Silly idea really, I suppose you’ll be wanting me to do it?”

Flicks pursed her lips, “Well, it shouldn’t be too hard, you should be able to jump and grab it.”

“But if it’s too tricky I’ll do it,” Skilf added.

“I’m everyone’s slave now am I?” Kendal growled, glaring at Skilf, but he jumped anyway, grasping the wooden support beams and pulling himself up. He balanced there and stuck his head out the roof.

His boots thumped on the ground as he jumped back down, “Nothing,” he said, “Just what we can see from here.” Kendal’s voice was dangerously low now. “Maybe the fool that got us here in the first place can get us back out again,” he glared at Ron who glared back, 

“I were tellin’ ye it be volatile but ye didna listen!”

Kendal narrowed his eyes, “Are you saying this is my fault?”

But before Ron could reply Flicks interrupted, “You said there was nothing? So there’s no way out?” Flicks stared at Ron and Kendal her eyes wide, already knowing the answer.

They were stuck, in the middle on the night when it was supposed to be day, in the middle of some strange cloudy, wet stuff, in the middle of a lot of massive rocks, which just happened to be in the middle of some place with some weird name that none of them had ever heard of before.

~

And the options...

1. Skilf blinked and then stuck out her bottom lip, lifting one shoulder, “Well, how about you all come with me to the town. It’s quite nice there and we can think about what to do then.”

2. Ron’s mouth opened and closed for a few seconds then he burst into tears again, “All my experiments were wasted! Now I’ll have to live out my days in a freezing place with rocks and clouds for company!” Flicks knelt beside him and patted his shoulder, Skilf stiffened, holding up a finger for silence, and everyone heard the scuffing, sniffling sound that came from outside the hut. Skilf bit her lip and when she spoke her voice was a hoarse whisper, “Wolves.”

3. A loud trumpeting call echoed around, Flicks winced at the amount of noise. A frown crossed Skilf’s face and then her eyes widened, “The invaders!”

~

I've been having a little trouble deciding what kind of world they've got themselves into so I'm leaving that up to you as well!

A. Science Fiction

B. Some random Fantasy realm

C. Medieval kingdom

~

So you have a great decision on your hands, you even get to decide what the world is like! Feel the power and don't let it go to waste. Comment and vote for your favourite options. Hope ya have a nice day!

~ Jane, Misty Maiden