"Ugh," Neeva groaned as she straightened her back. She had been up in the mountains all morning, and still hadn't had much luck of finding anything. "We should have just stayed home and snuggled with Kavi." Enki, who was perched on Neeva's shoulder, nodded in agreement. Sighing, she wiped her dusty hands onto the front of her jeans and turned around to start heading home when suddenly something hard and blunt hit her on the back of her head. The last thing she remembered before passing out was hearing a clio's laughter, and then everything went black.
---
"Neeva, wake up."
A voice that she did not recognize was prompting her to wake up, but she was tired, and her head hurt. Gods her head hurt so badly.
“WAKE UP!” Kole shouted, getting sick of waiting for her to open her eyes. Neeva opened her eyes, blinked then squinted against the bright light. It took her a moment, but finally the clio standing before her came into focus. She was tied to a chair before a man that she didn’t recognize, and instantly her stomach twisted into a knot. She took a second to look around, and saw that the only light in the room was the one above her and the mystery man. Everything else was as black as night.
“Finally,” Kole sneered. “I couldn't wait all day you know.” Then his sneer turned into a twisted smile. “Let me introduce myself,” he said. “My name is Kole Roden, I am the Overloridian of Deilig.”
Neeva had heard of this man before, through Arizona and her boyfriend Joel. She knew he wasn't a good clio, but what did he want with her? Then her heart sank. He must know about her and Kavi.
“What do you want?” She asked as steadily as she could. Maybe if she played his game, he'd let her go.
“Your eilemaiden,” Kole answered simply. “And you’re going to help me get it.” He smiled at her shocked expression and pulled out a pad of paper and a pen from his pocket. “To the adviser of Adhbhar,” he said aloud while writing simultaneously. “It may have come to your attention that I have something that is yours.” He gestured toward Neeva, just in case she didn’t figure out that it was her that he was speaking of. “But you my friend, also have something that belongs to me!” He looked away from his letter and winked at the woman tied to the chair. “If you want your fiance back alive, you will bring me the starpiece of Adhbhar, you have twenty four hours to bring it to me, so use your time wisely.” He stopped writing for a moment and tapped his chin with his pen thoughtfully. “If you bring anybody with you, she will be killed on the spot, best regards, Kole Roden.” He started to fold up the piece of paper, before deciding to add one last thing. “Ps,” he said aloud. “Congratulations on your recent engagement.”
Finally satisfied, he smiled at Neeva while he folded up the letter and slipped it into an envelope, he held it out and a man came out from behind Neeva and took it from him, most likely the man who'd be delivering the message.
“Please,” Neeva finally spoke. “Please don't hurt him.”
“Oh don't worry my dear,” Kole replied boredly. “I'm only going to rough him up a little, the real pain he’s going to experience is when he finds out that his beloved fiance is dead.”
The tears started pouring out of Neeva’s eyes now. She was going to die today, never to see her friends and family ever again, never to be held in Kavi’s arms, or to feel his lips brush against her skin. “Please,” she whispered through her tears. “You can’t…please!” She started to sob now. “Cut off my legs, paralyze me from the neck down, rip out my eyeballs, but please don't hurt him like this!” She couldn't bare to think about how Kavi would react when he found out she was dead. He would be so heartbroken, she couldn't handle that thought. She wanted him to be happy forever, she didn't want to break him like this.
Kole interrupted her thoughts with a hearty laugh. “The girl is about to die and she’s more worried about how her boyfriend is going to react!” He laughed even harder for a little while, before finally wiping a tear from his eye. “So noble, it’s…it’s too much, you’re too much!” He chuckled before running a hand through his hair and shaking his head. His playful face turned serious, and then he said, “Now it’s time to die.”
Kole held up a hand before the terrified girl and shadows began to creep up upon her body. All Neeva could do was watch in horror as the tendrils creeped up her legs, arms, stomach and chest until finally they reached her face. Kole closed his fist, and the tendrils snaked their way into every opening they could find, her mouth, her nostrils, her eyes and ears. Neeva started to suffocate, as if the shadows were actually Kole choking her to death. The last thing she saw before she died was Kole’s face, a wicked grin planted on it.
When Neeva finally died Kole relaxed and clapped his hands together as if he was dusting them off. Then his eye caught the ring on her left hand and he lifted the finger to study it more. “How lovely,” he murmured. He gestured to somebody in the darkness until a different man came into the light. “Cut this finger off, but be careful not to harm the ring, I’m sure her fiance would like to have this back.” He then straightened up his back and casually shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants, and strolled out of the room, a light tune humming from his lips.
---
"Neeva, wake up."
A voice that she did not recognize was prompting her to wake up, but she was tired, and her head hurt. Gods her head hurt so badly.
“WAKE UP!” Kole shouted, getting sick of waiting for her to open her eyes. Neeva opened her eyes, blinked then squinted against the bright light. It took her a moment, but finally the clio standing before her came into focus. She was tied to a chair before a man that she didn’t recognize, and instantly her stomach twisted into a knot. She took a second to look around, and saw that the only light in the room was the one above her and the mystery man. Everything else was as black as night.
“Finally,” Kole sneered. “I couldn't wait all day you know.” Then his sneer turned into a twisted smile. “Let me introduce myself,” he said. “My name is Kole Roden, I am the Overloridian of Deilig.”
Neeva had heard of this man before, through Arizona and her boyfriend Joel. She knew he wasn't a good clio, but what did he want with her? Then her heart sank. He must know about her and Kavi.
“What do you want?” She asked as steadily as she could. Maybe if she played his game, he'd let her go.
“Your eilemaiden,” Kole answered simply. “And you’re going to help me get it.” He smiled at her shocked expression and pulled out a pad of paper and a pen from his pocket. “To the adviser of Adhbhar,” he said aloud while writing simultaneously. “It may have come to your attention that I have something that is yours.” He gestured toward Neeva, just in case she didn’t figure out that it was her that he was speaking of. “But you my friend, also have something that belongs to me!” He looked away from his letter and winked at the woman tied to the chair. “If you want your fiance back alive, you will bring me the starpiece of Adhbhar, you have twenty four hours to bring it to me, so use your time wisely.” He stopped writing for a moment and tapped his chin with his pen thoughtfully. “If you bring anybody with you, she will be killed on the spot, best regards, Kole Roden.” He started to fold up the piece of paper, before deciding to add one last thing. “Ps,” he said aloud. “Congratulations on your recent engagement.”
Finally satisfied, he smiled at Neeva while he folded up the letter and slipped it into an envelope, he held it out and a man came out from behind Neeva and took it from him, most likely the man who'd be delivering the message.
“Please,” Neeva finally spoke. “Please don't hurt him.”
“Oh don't worry my dear,” Kole replied boredly. “I'm only going to rough him up a little, the real pain he’s going to experience is when he finds out that his beloved fiance is dead.”
The tears started pouring out of Neeva’s eyes now. She was going to die today, never to see her friends and family ever again, never to be held in Kavi’s arms, or to feel his lips brush against her skin. “Please,” she whispered through her tears. “You can’t…please!” She started to sob now. “Cut off my legs, paralyze me from the neck down, rip out my eyeballs, but please don't hurt him like this!” She couldn't bare to think about how Kavi would react when he found out she was dead. He would be so heartbroken, she couldn't handle that thought. She wanted him to be happy forever, she didn't want to break him like this.
Kole interrupted her thoughts with a hearty laugh. “The girl is about to die and she’s more worried about how her boyfriend is going to react!” He laughed even harder for a little while, before finally wiping a tear from his eye. “So noble, it’s…it’s too much, you’re too much!” He chuckled before running a hand through his hair and shaking his head. His playful face turned serious, and then he said, “Now it’s time to die.”
Kole held up a hand before the terrified girl and shadows began to creep up upon her body. All Neeva could do was watch in horror as the tendrils creeped up her legs, arms, stomach and chest until finally they reached her face. Kole closed his fist, and the tendrils snaked their way into every opening they could find, her mouth, her nostrils, her eyes and ears. Neeva started to suffocate, as if the shadows were actually Kole choking her to death. The last thing she saw before she died was Kole’s face, a wicked grin planted on it.
When Neeva finally died Kole relaxed and clapped his hands together as if he was dusting them off. Then his eye caught the ring on her left hand and he lifted the finger to study it more. “How lovely,” he murmured. He gestured to somebody in the darkness until a different man came into the light. “Cut this finger off, but be careful not to harm the ring, I’m sure her fiance would like to have this back.” He then straightened up his back and casually shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants, and strolled out of the room, a light tune humming from his lips.
