Before the Flame: Syllé’s Untold Origins
I thought I would begin using Wednesdays for sharing something new. I’ve been writing (as I mentioned in a much earlier post) that I have been fleshing out the back history of Syllé and Falinor—when they met, how they got to Calarta, why he claimed her as his daughter, the fall of Glaucis and the rise of the Dréor… all that history. It’s been fun but also extremely difficult because of the time spans between various events. Trying to rope them all together and have them flow correctly has had me pulling my hair out (metaphorically and actually). Do I try to tell it as one long epic or do I break it up into different short stories? There are good parts to both, but I haven’t decided completely yet. I’m still experimenting. Anyway, here’s a short selection from what I’ve done so far. It’s a scene where Falinor and Syllé are being hunted by a basilisk as the two try desperately to navigate Calarta’s encompassing fog and find safety within the kingdom. See what you think.
“Sylémar had first thought of simply sliding into the fog and hiding from Falinor; but she was certain that if she tried that, she would have to answer to the high queen for her actions, which was something she tried to avoid at all costs. So, as tempting as it was to hide within the fog and then slip away from the elf and head south, Sylémar dutifully tailed along behind Falinor, smirking to herself at his failures. Her mocking obedience, however, was a good thing as Falinor was in no mood to deal with Sylémar’s antics, especially as he was yet again leading them back out from the fog bank into the forest.
Taking a deep breath and trying to calm himself, Falinor was about to pray to the high queen for guidance when he felt the hairs on the back of his neck start to stand up. Whirling towards Sylémar, he was just in time to catch a quick glimpse of the basilisk slinking through the fog perilously close to them. Obviously, the snake was still hunting them and tracking them well if it was this close. Swiftly, Falinor grabbed Sylémar and stepped back into the dense cover of Calarta’s fog. Falinor held the child tightly to him and slowed his breathing, hoping the child would follow suit. Any sound from them would have that worm immediately on them, and in this fog, Falinor knew he had zero chance of effectively battling that beast.
Standing frozen in the fog, Falinor tried to come up with an escape plan. The brief glimpse of the area beyond the fog he had gotten before being alerted to the basilisk’s presence wasn’t horrible—a small clearing backed up to a rather dense portion of the forest. If the snake went far enough past them, they could make a run for the cover of the trees and try to take refuge within what looked like an expanse of closely grown trees surrounded by thick, intertwined underbrush, which would slow them down but the snake as well.
Falinor’s planning was interrupted by the dangerously close soft, hissing breath of the basilisk. Unconsciously, Falinor drew Sylémar even closer to him. As he did, he could just discern the head of the massive snake gliding only a few feet from where they were standing. Thankfully, the snake could see through the fog even less than the elf; but that information didn’t stop Falinor’s heart from racing as the full length of the snake wended past them less than a body length away. Falinor remained holding tightly to Sylémar, who, surprisingly, hadn’t protested her confinement nor tried to confront the worm. Soon, however, Sylémar began to feel something was wrong—dangerously wrong.
“Fali—" Sylémar started to whisper.
“Shhh,” Falinor cut her off.
The snake. Coming fast from behind. We’ve got to move!! Sylémar almost screamed that last part causing Falinor to wince slightly.
The child’s voice in his head carried a surprising power, which was a good thing as it spurred Falinor into action in time. Falinor surged forward towards the treeline, hoping to make the thick brush before the basilisk reached them. He wasn’t fast enough. Only a few yards from his goal, the basilisk struck. Lightning fast, the snake cleared the fog and swung past its fleeing prey, blocking their escape. Before Falinor or Sylémar could react, it skewered Falinor through the back with its barbed tail while spreading its hood and rearing its head high above the ground.
Basilisks thrive on toying with their prey; so, as the worm began lifting its head, it was also slowly lifting the speared Falinor off the ground. As mortally wounded as he was, Falinor refused to give up and struggled to detach himself; but he couldn’t sever his connection with the snake. Falinor vaguely felt his feet lifting off the ground and continued to feebly fight to get loose. Even though his vision was becoming blurry, the elf could see he was rising towards the snake’s mouth. If he didn’t get free soon, he’d be torn off the barb by the teeth of the snake. Feeling his strength waning, Falinor apologized, I have failed you, my queen.
Suddenly, Falinor heard Sylémar’s childish battle cry and thought he saw her blurred form ricochet off the tail of the snake. He barely had time to wonder where Sylémar had gotten a sword before he heard a sharp clang and felt himself falling a short distance to the ground. He had just enough strength left to manage to land on his feet but quickly fell to his knees. He was aware that the child had landed near him and swiftly taken a protective stance between him and the snake, whose hissing had become louder and more enraged at the loss of his prey and part of his barb. He finally recognized that the sword she was raising defiantly at the basilisk was his. Falinor didn’t have time to wonder how she got it. With utter dread, he recognized that the infuriated worm was about to strike straight down at its tiny adversary as he saw it rise even higher above them and spread its great hood.
With the last of his strength, Falinor grabbed the child and tossed her towards the thicket. “Run! Don’t look back,” he managed to order her. His eye was caught by quick movement from the treeline just above the basilisk’s head. The last thing Falinor saw before the darkness filled his eyes was a slight figure leap from the trees and slam a sword through the basilisk’s brain.