SWNOVELS Chapter 2: Arinella
“Did you do what I asked?” the ancient elf woman turned slowly to Arinella.
The old woman lived in a small house deep in the woods, far enough from the road that it was hard to see the smoke coming out of the chimney… She was standing by a large cauldron and stirring the potion.
“Yes, mistress,” the arqilunian replied, lowering her eyes, and holding out a lock of hair, “the hair of a mighty snunorf, as you have asked.”
The mistress grabbed the warrior’s hair with bony fingers, and then threw it into the cauldron and continued to stir.
The old elf woman belonged to the oldenmesser race. That was the name of the ancient elves, so ancient that the time of their appearance is shrouded in mystery. The oldenmessers were hunched, covered with grey hair and wrinkles, with bony hands, old women and old men, each of whom lived a life of solitude, but sometimes they’ve gathered to teach each other the wisdom of the world. The ancient elves did not have families, offspring, and, even though that they were mortal, the lifespan of the “eternal elders” was millions of years. No one knows there are they come from and how many of them in the whole Ermir.
The arqilun race (or arqilunians, which is more commonly used), the forest elves lived an average of about four hundred years. The snunorfs, like the isterses and the azdairiks, lived about a hundred years.
Arinella was ashamed, she didn’t want to accept her feelings, and to admit the deception, but the damned northerner did not leave her mind.
“Cran Detz Kul Hong!” The old woman cried out. The boiling mixture released a strong stream of steam. The old woman looked reproachfully at Arinella. “It doesn’t fit!”
“But, mistress, he was strong, and he was…” Arinella hesitated.
“It Doesn’t fit!” The old woman repeated.
“Mistress Rzalu, you must give me one more chance.”
“One last chance!” with these words Rzalu Ksogol pointed to the exit with her eyes.
Arinella left. The fresh air of tall and beautiful shullebaches trees filled her lungs. After inhaling several times, she felt a distinct, resinous, bittersweet aftertaste in her mouth. Ninety-foot shullebaches protected the surface from light, keeping the light-loving plants from neighboring the tall trees. Carved, patterned leaves fell to the ground, as if it was autumn, but shullebaches were like larch earth tree with a huge difference, now they would drop their carved leaves and grow needles, and then, even before winter arrives, they will once again rustle with green-brown leaves streaked with orange spots.
Arinella walked along a winding path in the direction of the road to Järvanhogen, the city of northerners, in the castle of which she visited as a representative of the Ardolavlak company.
Running away from her thoughts didn’t help. The elf-woman could not cope with the flow of emotions. The scattered truth of feelings, the taste of a warrior’s lips, his gloomy but deep gaze she recalled with a strong feeling of thirst and injustice. But she has a task, she can’t be distracted...