The Unmentioned

I gagged. "Lady Rena, please."

She sat in my lap and constricted me with her arms. Earlier, I'd foolishly agreed to give her and Lady Rowe a tour of the estate, and now I didn't have the energy to pry her off of me.

My chambers were nothing more than a series of cluttered rooms that brimmed with stacks of dusty tomes, maps, and other relics of the ancient world, none of which seemed to interest Rena. She wanted to interrogate me about all the things she'd seen during the tour. Why were there so many books here? What sort of things did we eat for supper? Were there any other children living in the estate? Which room was to be her room? Did we have any pets? Of course, answering her only made her even more curious, and brought more questions.

Part of me was relieved that she already seemed fond of me, as I'd never had much experience at all with children. But the other part of me was uncomfortable and worried about what it might mean. Would I be forced to endure her constant attention for the entirety of her stay at the estate? I wasn't sure I could last that long against her painfully vibrant enthusiasm.

Thankfully, Lady Rowe--who had proven somewhat less affectionate of me so far--decided to step in this time and show me some mercy. She yanked the girl away with one arm and growled at her.

"Rena, behave yourself! Master Ahn is your tutor, not a playmate."

Rena sighed. Her tiny mouth puckered and she resigned herself to silent contemplation while Lady Rowe bent to fix the frills of the girl's dress.

"I'm still not sure I understand what I'm supposed to teach her," I said. "The things a sage studies have little practical application for a child of the nobility. Theories of lost magic and the histories of ancient civilizations. Shouldn't she be learning about proper etiquette and courtly law?"

Rena poked her finger through a hole she'd discovered in the shoulder of her dress and earned a quick reprimand from Lady Rowe before she answered me.

"I don't know. Her Majesty wasn't very specific about it. Her orders were for the chosen sage to tutor Rena, nothing more."

I couldn't understand why the queen had picked me for the role. As far as I knew, nothing I had ever done could have made me stand out as a candidate.

Lady Rowe read my mind and answered my next question. "I was told your name, but no one ever mentioned why you were chosen. I never would have guessed Her Majesty would pick someone my age. I guess I expected you to be an old, wrinkled man."

"Why is that?" I said.

"Well, I always thought that's what sages were like. You're the first I've met."

"Most sages, once anointed, never leave the estate. It's not surprising you've never met one before. I suspect the same could be said for nearly everyone outside these walls," I said. "Which reminds me. Rena, you mentioned earlier that you'd seen a picture of me somewhere?"

Rena's eyes lit up. "Yeah. My mother had it. She said she knew you when you were little like me. She said you were a nice boy, but very serious." Rena fidgeted while Lady Rowe's fingers combed her hair. "Do you remember her?"

"I remember very little about my life before coming here. It's a common problem for sages, I've heard, though I'm not sure why." I tried to think back to my years spent in the capital, but the veil of time seemed a thick haze that concealed my memories. "The only people I remember meeting before coming here are the queen and a woman named Nora who accompanied me on my journey from the capital to the estate. I haven't seen either of them since."

Rena sighed. "Well, Mother said you probably wouldn't remember her, because she didn't get to see you often."

Lady Rowe had left Rena's side and made her way over to the door. She already had it open and was halfway out into the hall. "Master Ahn, I hate to interrupt, but I think it is time Rena began her lessons for the day. I'll leave her in your care for the morning, and return when it is time for lunch. If Rena gives you any trouble, send one of the attendants to fetch me. I'll be in my quarters."

She turned and left us alone, quite abruptly. I was a little glad that she wasn't staying to supervise our first lesson--I had no idea what I was going to do--but at the same time, her warning about Rena worried me. Could she really prove to be too much for me to handle alone?

Rena had already broken the graceful stance she'd assumed after Lady Rowe scolded her and she'd started to explore my chambers.

I sighed and slumped in my chair. Now what?

While I pondered the challenges of teaching a child magical theory, there was a soft knock at the door accompanied by a familiar voice.

"Ahn? May I come in?"

It was Troyen, a sage like myself. We spoke often, as we had similar opinions on a number of things, though there were some we'd probably never share.

"Yes, come in. What do you need?"

He opened the door just enough to squeeze his head into the room. "Is she here?"

I blinked. "Who?"

"The lovely dame from the capital, of course!"

"Oh, no. She's retired to her chambers. You just missed her."

Troyen's pale features drooped. "Too bad. I wanted to introduce myself. How's it going, anyways?"

Rena dashed across the room, between us. She was carrying something, but flew too fast for me to see it. Another moment, and she had disappeared again.

Troyen watched her go and grinned. "Ah, that must be your new charge. You know, she might be easier to instruct if she were tied down."

I sighed and massaged my forehead between my index finger and thumb. "What should I do? I can't do this, I don't know how to teach."

Troyen chuckled. "Maybe you should start by asking her what she wants to learn." He stepped into the room, his appearance as unkempt as ever: tufts of his shaggy blonde hair curled and stretched in every direction as if trying to escape from his scalp, and the fabric of his sage's robes was worn and speckled with old stains in several places.

Rena passed again, without her cargo this time, and she came to a full stop when she noticed Troyen standing there. He was much taller than I was and towered over her while she peered up at him, like a squirrel contemplating how to climb a colossal tree.

"Hi. Are you Mr. Ahn's friend?" she said.

"Yes I am, and who are you, darling?"

I couldn't stop myself from smiling. Rena giggled and told him her name.

He knelt beside her. "I'm Troyen. I have to say, I don't think I've ever met such a pretty young lady." He glanced in my direction and winked. "I'm jealous, now. Ahn gets to spend his time with two cuties. Wish I had that kind of luck."

My eye twitched. "If it weren't for Her Majesty's orders, they'd be all yours."

Rena beamed. "Do you really think I'm pretty?"

"Of course." Troyen said.

She looked him over. "You look like you just woke up, Mr. Troyen. Were you taking a nap?"

I smiled. "No, Rena, he always looks that way."

Troyen feigned a look of hurt. "Not true. I always get cleaned up for the service on the holy day." A sly grin crept across his face. "Of course, now that we have the voluptuous Lady Rowe staying with us, I'll have to start keeping up my appearance all the time. Just in case."

Rena was combing her fingers through Troyen's knotted hair. "What's vool-up-to-us mean?"

Troyen laughed. "Why don't you ask your tutor? Sounds like a good first lesson." He pulled Rena's hands out of his hair and rose to his feet. "I'll leave you two alone, now, so you can get started. I need to take care of a few things. Later, Ahn." He slipped out the doorway, but poked his head back in for just a moment before he left. "Bye, Rena. Be a good girl for Ahn, okay?"

"I will. See you later," she called after him.

Rena turned and her eyes locked on me in expectation. "So what does it mean, Mr. Ahn?"

I sighed. Thanks a lot, Troyen.

Posted by ChrisU at 9:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

"Young love is a weak, brittle thing, child," the seer said. "It is a bond that must be tempered and renewed daily, else it will rust and crack with age. The heat of passion melts it into quicksilver, like flames in a furnace, and then it is up to those who share that bond to reshape it and make it stronger before it cools and hardens."

My hand twitched in nervous anticipation as I turned the page.

"How can an old crow such as you understand my heart? It flies like a robin through the heavens, at last freed from the cage in my breast. I have no need of your envious mutterings, the lonely song of a creature that has love for no other but itself!" the girl said. She turned then, from the old woman, and ran as fast as she could to meet her beloved at the appointed time and place.

"Master O'Dell?"

I stopped reading the tome in my lap and lifted my head just enough to make eye contact with my personal attendant, Jerof, the one who had disturbed me."Yes?"

"I apologize for interrupting your studies, sir, but we have a visitor."

My thoughts were still so affectionately tied to the story that a part of me wanted to make up an excuse and leave the pleasantries of greeting said visitor to the manor's other inhabitants.

Apparently, Jerof had anticipated my plot, though, because he spoke again before I had the chance to decline.

"Two visitors, actually, sir. They've asked to see you, specifically."

I sighed. Such was the life of a sage. Of course, I had little right to complain. The royals, my sponsors and foster family, saw to it that I was never wanting for anything, and all I had to do in return was decipher and study the ancient texts they provided. Though I shared the estate with twelve other sages, their attendants, the maids, and the cooks, it was spacious enough to accommodate us all quite comfortably; I was especially grateful for the relative privacy of my private chambers. My life was the sort of pleasant arrangement that I imagine most people could only hope for.

As I rose from my velvet chair and followed Jerof to the entrance of Sage's Hollow, my mind started to cycle through the possibilities. We had only a few visitors each year--usually magistrates sent to check in on us and ensure our safety and comfort--but they never came unannounced. I was certain that if this engagement had been planned, I would have heard about it already.

So who else but an official commanded by royal decree would visit the Hollow, an old estate tucked away in the corner of the kingdom, and for what purpose?

Jerof led me down the grand staircase that stretched from the balcony on the third floor to the entrance of the estate. The polished glass trinkets that decorated the room gleamed in the magical light of the sunspheres that floated high above our heads. They were simple in design--nothing more than transparent orbs that generated light like the sun's--but the forces that made them possible were incredibly complex. They were magical energies discovered centuries ago by some of the first sages in the early stages of the kingdom's life. Over time, sages like myself had used the knowledge found in the ancient texts to recreate one such miracle after another, wonders that had been lost to the world ages ago. Now the world was filled with them.

I could see the rest of the manor's residents gathered below as we approached the base of the staircase. I stopped, at last, when I reached the bottom, and searched the small crowd of faces for two I likely wouldn't recognize.

But before I could take them all in, there was a cry from someone in the front of the group, and something flew at my knees. It was a flurry of hair and lace.

I tried to take a step back, but whatever had come at me was now stuck to my legs and restricting my movement. I glanced down to see hair the color of hardened amber, and then a small hand that brushed it aside to reveal a pair of scarlet eyes.

The energy in the girl's voice was so unexpected it gave me a chill.

"Mr. Ahn? Oh, I'm so happy it's you!"

I noticed that everyone in the group was watching me squirm in the child's grip, curious, and managed an awkward smile.

"Excuse me," I said. "Have we met?"

The girl pulled away a bit. She was wearing an elaborate blue dress with lace around her neck and wrists, and a sparkling sapphire suspended from a thin silver chain that shook while she laughed and jostled me. "No, but I saw your picture once. They said it might be you, or it might be somebody else, but I really wanted it to be you!"

I didn't even know a picture of me existed. I tried to pry her off of me, but she had entangled herself with me like a monkey to a tree. "Oh."

I was about to ask her who had told her about me when another voice I'd never heard before broke into the conversation from somewhere in the crowd of tenants.

"Rena, please, don't cling to him like that. Where are your manners?"

A young woman pushed her way through to the front of the crowd, then, and dipped into a polite curtsy before I could catch a glimpse of her face.

"I'm sorry. Please, forgive Rena, she's just happy to be out of the transport. It was a very long journey from the capital."

The child--Rena, rather--finally released me. She took a full step backwards and then followed her companion's example and curtsied.

I decided I had better show the same respect and bowed in turn. As I rose to my full height again and met the young woman's gaze at last, I started to feel dizzy.

She was easily my equal in height, perhaps even a few inches taller. Her attire was different entirely from the frill-laden extravagance that Rena wore: a plain white robe that fit neatly to a lithe figure, and an accompanying cloak with a hood that lay bundled around her shoulders like a pillow for her silky black curls. Her skin was so pale and perfect it seemed quite possible she'd spent her whole life indoors doing very little, but her bright blue eyes betrayed a hidden, electric vitality.

No sooner had our eyes met before her smile soured. She looked me over once and groaned.

"You're the one they picked? You've got to be joking, Rena. He's no older than I am," she said. "I don't see why they even bothered to arrange this. You'd be better off with me looking after you."

I frowned. "What do you mean, exactly, miss...?"

"Oh, right, sorry. I am the Lady Successor of House Rowe, Aeri Ilya Rowe. You, of course, must be Ahn O'Dell."

The irritation from earlier was already starting to surface again. I was about to say something considerably unkind when Jerof interjected.

"Lady Rowe, you will address him as Master O'Dell. He is a sage fostered by the royal family of Orelia itself, as well as one of the official tenants of this estate."

I smiled when I saw my own opportunity to add to her lesson in humility. "Lady Rowe, was it? I'm sorry, but in all my years in service to the royal family, I've never heard your house mentioned before. Why are you here, exactly?"

The lady looked like she might squeal for a moment, but it didn't take long for her to regain her composure. She smiled and bowed her head slightly. "Actually, Master Sage, I've come to deliver a message to you from the queen herself, and observe your performance in regards to her personal request."

"What request?" I said.

Her smile widened. "Her Majesty has asked that you be placed in the role of tutor for her niece."

"Her niece?"

Lady Rowe stepped forward and placed her hand on Rena's shoulder. "Yes. Her niece."

Rena grinned. "Isn't this wonderful, Mr. Ahn?"

Posted by ChrisU at 11:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

This is a short story that I originally wrote for a literature course, which I recently revised. I was trying to experiment with a focus on irony and symbolism throughout this story, rather than realistic, highly-detailed characters. Any constructive criticism is more than welcome.

Timeless

He could hear her breathing. Her chest rose and fell with the rhythm of a deep, dreamless sleep. He crept a bit closer, peeling the silky sheets off of the bed with extreme care, revealing every inch of her bare body.

She was asleep. She was vulnerable.

His raptor gaze became lost in a moment of uncertainty. Could he really do this? Once she woke up, it would become difficult. She would not accept it willingly.

Her frail arms sought out a pillow and curled around it.

He felt a sudden surge of anger. He remembered all the times she had dissuaded him somehow, all the times she had managed to escape his intentions. This time he would do it, and he would not let compassion hold him back.

She stirred and her eyes fluttered open. She sat up against the headboard, apparently overlooking his presence in the darkness. She parted her lips, opened her mouth wide, and yawned sleepily.

That was when he made up his mind.

Her eyes adjusted to the absence of light almost instinctively, her gaze becoming frozen with fear as soon as she noticed him. She began to tremble.

“W-What are you doing here?” she whimpered.

“You know what I’m here for,” he replied coolly.

She was now fully awake, and sprang from the bed, still holding onto the covers. She slowly began to circle around him, staying close to the edges and corners of the room. He didn’t move towards her at first; he merely stood between her and the door.

As she neared one of the windows, however, he immediately bolted across the carpet. He stood dangerously close to her, his shadow seeming to swallow her whole in its embrace.

“Please, Dayton,” she gasped, clutching the sheets, keeping them wound tightly around her shapely form. “Please don’t…”

The young man’s unshaven face twisted into a scowl as he loomed over her. He suddenly lurched forward, gripping her arms with both hands and slamming her backwards against a wall of cold stone.

She cried out in pain as his nails dug into her unnaturally pale, smooth skin, nearly drawing blood.

“Ungh… L-Let go of me!” she squealed, squirming and struggling against his powerful arms. “Please, I beg you! Leave me alone!”
Dayton frowned in disgust, quickly snapping one of her weakened limbs with a forceful, fluid motion. He didn’t even blink as she screamed in agony, writhing back and forth as she tried to escape. Now that one of her arms was useless, he would have little trouble.

“Agh! No! Please, no!” she wailed as she felt his hand leave her broken arm and slide effortlessly across her chest, coming to rest over her heart. It nearly threatened to burst right out of her. She delivered a swift kick to his groin, only to be rewarded with even more pain as her foot connected with a hidden layer of solid iron plating.

“Not a very wise move, my love,” he hissed. “Stop fighting me. You know you can’t stop me; you are only making things worse.”

Her eyes seemed to plead with him, begging him for mercy.

"Please, don't do this," she whispered.

"I'm sorry, but you have left me no choice."

He pressed tightly against her, moving his hand to the middle of her chest in order to hold her steady. Her quivering gaze followed his other hand as it withdrew from her good arm, reaching for something at his waist. She wanted to move, to fight back, but she was already weak from exhaustion. She desperately tried to control her breathing, her mind frantically looking for a way to stall him.

But it was too late.

She felt a sudden pressure surge through her body, her mouth opening to let loose another scream, but it never reached her lips. Tears flooded her vision, distorting the image of the man who held her. He looked like he was splitting in half.

Dayton took a step back, releasing her, and watched, somehow satisfied, as she slumped to the floor. The once flawless curves of her hips shriveled up and her slick, sweaty breasts melted away as her entire body became nothing more than a violet vapor.

He struggled to hold back a flood of tears as he knelt down to collect the wooden stake he had used to slay her. He walked over to one of the nearby windows and thrust it open, allowing the mist to escape into the biting winds of the night.

Turning to survey the mess of sheets that remained on the bed, he sighed heavily and crossed the room to stand beside it. A thin candle resting on the nightstand flickered, and the dying flame atop the wick disappeared. It left behind a thin, wispy trail of smoke.

Perhaps now we can both rest in peace, he thought.

With that, he threw himself onto the mattress and stuffed a pillow beneath his head, quickly making his way into a dreamland where Anna was ready to greet him with a smile that bore no fangs.

Posted by ChrisU at 1:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

This is the second installment in the "War Within" series that I began under the heading Short Stories 2.

Continue reading "Short Stories: The War Within - Chapter 2" »

Posted by ChrisU at 3:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This is the first installment in a series of fantasy short stories that I wrote, based upon material from the ADnD roleplaying genre (Forgotten Realms).

Check it out even if you have no idea what that means, it's nice.

Continue reading "Short Stories: The War Within - Chapter 1" »

Posted by ChrisU at 3:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here is a short story that I wrote for my high school Creative Writing course. I got a lot of good feedback on it, so I thought I would share it with you all, too.

Continue reading "Short Stories: Karen" »

Posted by ChrisU at 8:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)