Forums → Art, Music, and Writing → 'The Raven's Serenade' by Devoidless

First two parts of a short little tale I am writing. Well post in two parts sections until finished.
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The Raven's Serenade


"If this it what is required to save her, to change it all..."


Part One: Awakening


Dark. Quiet. Still. Empty.

That was how the room Demodocus awoke in was, and had that way for nearly a week now. A week since his lover Kalika had mysteriously vanished. Still partially in the world of dreams, Demodocus rolled over to kiss Kalika.

"Morning, my rosebud." he murmured as he rolled. When he was met with nothing but bedding, his thoughts were once again clear.

Cursing the gods for not answering his prayers, he silently got dressed. Another day was ahead of him. Another day devoted to find his missing love. And, like every other day before, he prayed that today was the day he would find her. Little did he know how that prayer was to answered, and how swiftly.

Demodocus wandered the streets which were dull, dark and empty this early in the morning. He had no idea what or who he was looking for much like every day which came before. Kalika had vanished with no trace. Not a living soul in his town had seen or heard from her. It all stank of evil spirits to Demodocus. People did not just leave without notice, vanish without any signs. Especially not Kalika. She was loving and faithful to him, the perfect wife-to-be....

Lost in his thoughts, Demodocus had lost track of where he was. At some point he seemed to have wandered off of the main street. Quite far off it. The buildings around him seemed old and in ill upkeep. Wild grasses were growing in the street, stones were crumbling from their buildings. It did not resemble anywhere that he knew of in his town. Looking around to regain his sense of direction, something gleamed in the newly arisen sun. There was a clearing in the grass not far from him. Nearing closer to it, he quickly recognized it.

"It's...no, it can't be...Yet it is! It's..Kalika's ring."

There lay his lover's ring. Simple and silver, yet shining brighter than the finest gold, it was all Demodocus could afford. Surrounding it was, oddly enough, several large ebony feathers.

"She never took off her ring, She loved it so!" Demodocus said aloud while he bent down to pick it up.
"I'll give this back to her when I fi---" was all he could manage to say before a sharp blow struck him in the back of his head.

He attempted to turn around to see his assailant. His vision blurry from the pain, he could only make out a large black shape before one more swift blow rendered him unconscious.

Part Two: Findings

Demodocus awoke, once again, thanks to a gentle rain. The water was blessedly cool to his pain racked body. Sitting up a bit too quickly, the world around him began to spin wildly out of control. Gingerly rubbing the back of his head which still dully throbbed, Demodocus slowly stood up. Quickly checking himself over, he noticed that his cheek was gashed and bleeding slightly.

"God's below...what happened. Why would someone attack me?" he mumbled while looking around.

His surroundings had somehow become worse. The buildings were now all but destroyed by age, the grasses given way to small bushes and trees. The sky was dark, far darker than it had been when he was attacked.

"How long have I been unconscious? Twas early morning before." he wondered to himself silently.

Out of the corner of his eye, Demodocus noticed someone. He whirled around, expecting it to be his assailant once again.

"Morning, stranger." said a dull and raspy voice from the shadows.
"Show yourself, for I do not like being spoken to or speaking to shadows and darkness." demanded Demodocus.

The voice did obey. Out forth from the shadows stepped a rather slender and pale skinned man. His clothes were in tatters and caked in mud, his face gaunt and angular. Demodocus caught a foul odor on the air which smelled of death. Whether it came from the man or elsewhere he could not tell.

"That better, stranger?" said the pale man.
"Demodocus."
"Hmm?"
"That is my name. Demodocus. Not what be yours, pale one?"
"That's a good question, stra---I mean, Demodocus. Hmmm...I believe it was Soterious at one point or another."

Ignoring Soterious' odd answer, Demodocus asked "You said it was morning when you first spoke. Yet is was clear and barely dawn before I was struck down by an unknown attacker."
"It still is morning. It's always like this here. Dark skied and forever maddeningly raining ever so lightly. You must be new here." replied Soterious.

"Here? New? I've lived here the whole of my life. It is you who is new here."
Laughing ever so slightly, Soterious retorted "Ha, maybe in your world Demodocus. Yet this is not your world, this is our world. The realm between the living and the dead. Every so often one of you living beings end up here one way or another. Come to think of it...the last one was just about a week ago."

Not his world, not his town? How did he get here? Why was he here? These thoughts and many more were racing through his mind until he heard Soterious; last remark.

"A week ago? Did you say a week? Did you happen to see what they looked like?" leaped the words from Demodocus' lips.
"Indeed I did."
"Then tell me, damn you! Tell me!"
"No need to be rude. Yet I shall let is pass. From what I recall, she had flowing brown hair, radiant tanned skin and the body that even Aphrodite would be envious of. Glorious women."

Demodocus felt like he was struck with the mightiest blow a God could muster. That was his Kalika. The hair, the skin, the body, the timing...all matched up. There was no one else who it could be, he was sure of it.

"That's...that's my Kalika!" Demodocus finally managed to force out. "Do you know where she is? Take me to her, or Gods help you, I will kill you where you stand."
"No need to resort to violence. If you wish to see her, I know where she is."
"Then let us wait no longer! Please, forgive my anger. I have been looking for her nonstop since she vanished."
Giving a sly smile, Soterious said "Then follow me, Demodocus. I'm sure she's dieing to see you."

And with that, they were off. Demodocus could not believe his luck in finding someone who knew where his Kalika was. He did not care how she got there, nor how he got there even. All that mattered to him was that she was near and that he would finally be able to see her, embrace her, love her.
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Feedback maybe would be nice? Kthnx.