The Fight
The sun was high and bright and no whisper of the wind or cloud in the sky. We were on the trail not far north of Westbridge, Elelor ahead and the two of us taking in the day, joking and laughing, without a care in the world.
The next few moments seemed to slow.
Elelor stopped to investigate, noticing a as a flock of birds, startled, took flight from the forest to our west. As they did, four orcs came out of the woods, full speed and shouting, with their weapons raised. (Elelor told me later they were scouting ahead for the larger group, with orders to take out any elves along the way.)
Rae and I had never fought anything before - our only experience was the sparring training Ryo and Ardreth had put us through back home. Ryo had recently started working with Rae on fighting back to back, covering each other in the process. Problem was, we had only practiced a handful of times. Very quickly, we were separated, an orc after each of us and two against Elelor.
I lost track of all else, except the one I was facing - well, avoiding really. Far from strong enough to fight him, I barely parried the blows, and hadn't done more than a couple scratches to the huge orc. At some point (I never noticed when) one of the two Elelor was fighting broke off, snuck up behind me, and stabbed me from behind, driving their sword through me from back to front. The pain was like nothing I had ever known, nearly blinding me as I looked down and saw the blade through my shirt. The world had slowed down...then cruelly sped back up. Too fast... The orc I was struggling against was also caught off guard by his compatriot, and in the next moment he fell next to me. In a similar fashion, Rae had snuck up behind him and managed to drop the monster where I had not. The one behind me roughly yanked the sword from me, preparing to finish the job. As the sword was pulled free, I locked eyes with Rae, who had raised his own to attack, and instead watched as an arrow sprouted from his neck, and then his side, then watched as he fell. In that moment, even with my senses fading, I could hear Elelor finishing of the one behind me. The last one had come running into my view...the one who took my Rae. A burning rage flared in my chest and I tried to get up, to fight, to hurt the savage brute that had ended such a bright light, but I was struggling against my body. Determined to get to my feet, to find my balance, I tried to stand, but ended up collapsing to the ground, hard. The last thing I saw was my friend, my everything, unmoving and staring at the sky, before losing consciousness.
The next few moments seemed to slow.
Elelor stopped to investigate, noticing a as a flock of birds, startled, took flight from the forest to our west. As they did, four orcs came out of the woods, full speed and shouting, with their weapons raised. (Elelor told me later they were scouting ahead for the larger group, with orders to take out any elves along the way.)
Rae and I had never fought anything before - our only experience was the sparring training Ryo and Ardreth had put us through back home. Ryo had recently started working with Rae on fighting back to back, covering each other in the process. Problem was, we had only practiced a handful of times. Very quickly, we were separated, an orc after each of us and two against Elelor.
I lost track of all else, except the one I was facing - well, avoiding really. Far from strong enough to fight him, I barely parried the blows, and hadn't done more than a couple scratches to the huge orc. At some point (I never noticed when) one of the two Elelor was fighting broke off, snuck up behind me, and stabbed me from behind, driving their sword through me from back to front. The pain was like nothing I had ever known, nearly blinding me as I looked down and saw the blade through my shirt. The world had slowed down...then cruelly sped back up. Too fast... The orc I was struggling against was also caught off guard by his compatriot, and in the next moment he fell next to me. In a similar fashion, Rae had snuck up behind him and managed to drop the monster where I had not. The one behind me roughly yanked the sword from me, preparing to finish the job. As the sword was pulled free, I locked eyes with Rae, who had raised his own to attack, and instead watched as an arrow sprouted from his neck, and then his side, then watched as he fell. In that moment, even with my senses fading, I could hear Elelor finishing of the one behind me. The last one had come running into my view...the one who took my Rae. A burning rage flared in my chest and I tried to get up, to fight, to hurt the savage brute that had ended such a bright light, but I was struggling against my body. Determined to get to my feet, to find my balance, I tried to stand, but ended up collapsing to the ground, hard. The last thing I saw was my friend, my everything, unmoving and staring at the sky, before losing consciousness.
Purpose
Writing this down, as with many other memories, became an act of healing for Anya. She would go on to journal many other incidents from before and after the Drawing of the Veil occurred for her.
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