Chapter 24~

For the next few days, Eris said nothing more about what she planned to do with the stone. She continued learning what she could from Theckry, and though she mentioned nothing, she was decided in what she had to do. 

One night, late after everyone had fallen asleep, Eris got quietly out of her bed. This was the night. 

Careful not to squeak any floorboards, she gathered her things together and stepped out into the night. Her hand involuntarily went to the pouch at her side. The familiar pulse was steady. It was hard to believe she was actually doing this. Just a few days ago, she had shuddered at the thought. In fact, Eris had thought it impossible. Maybe she still did. But she had given it a lot of thought, and she knew she had to try. 

It was the hardest decision of her life. 

Eris wanted more than anything for life to go back to the way it was. Even if it could never be the same as it once was, she would have been happy living with the elves in Thraenen, or staying with the shapeshifters longer, or going back to Endell. She didn't want the stone anymore, however it made her feel. 

And now that she was going, she knew the only thing that would make it bearable would be her friends at her side. 

But it wouldn't work. 

It would be too dangerous, and Eris couldn't put them in anymore danger on her behalf. 

This was something she'd have to do alone. 

She felt like crying but the tears wouldn't come. She had already cried herself to sleep nearly every night since the day she had talked to Rohir about her plans. 

Eris sighed and hiked her pack up higher on her back. It would take her maybe five days travel on foot to reach the other side of the island. She had found out that there was a tiny village there, right on the ocean. She had hoped she could hire someone to take her to the mainland, or at least the next island. 

Just before she entered the deeper forest, Eris turned for one last look at the secret city. She would miss her friends unbearably badly, she knew. She would miss the shapeshifters, too. Even Korr. For all she knew, she'd never see them again. She figured it was probable that she  wouldn't make it back if it she even made it to her destination. 

She pushed past the thicket of brambles and into the wood. Thankfully, tonight was a bright full moon, exactly as she had planned, so she had plenty of light. She knew she'd have to leave at night. 

Admittedly, the wood was thick, and Eris had quite a few stumbles before she finally gave in and sat down on a log to rest. Now that she was still, she could hear all sorts of noises around her. Strange and quiet noises that you had to strain to hear. 

One of the louder noises was faint, but prominent, and it sounded like leaves crunching. As it got louder, Eris realized it was leaves crunching. And crunching beneath feet, no less. Someone was coming. 

She stood and strained to see in the direction of the noise. A dark form came into shape.

“Finn?” Eris whispered. “What are you doing here?” 

“I could ask the same,” he replied. “But I already know.”

“How?” 

“I know you better than anyone, Eris. I could tell something was up, and besides, I overheard you talking to Rohir about the stone. You said you knew what you had to do.”

She sighed. “Finn. You can't come with me. Go back. I have to do this alone.”

“Eris, you know I would follow you to the end. And you know talking me out of it won't work.” He smiled. “And don't say you have to do this alone, because you don't. I'm the one who spoke the incantation that started these wheels turning in the first place, so it's I that should set things right. In fact, this should be my task more than yours. I wish I could do it for you. But you already know why that can't work.”

Eris knew it was no use trying to talk him out of it. And she desparately wanted him to come. But she had to warn him anyway. 

“I know. But it's going to be very dangerous. I don't expect to come back. But you could stay here! You still have a long life ahead of you. You'll meet a nice, beautiful girl someday and start a family--,”

Finn cut her off, grabbing her hands. “Stop. You think I don't know all the risks? I've always known. I'd far rather die with you than spend a thousand lifetimes without you.”

Eris looked down. There was something strange in the way that he looked at her, a seriousness she had never seen in him before. She swallowed, unsure of what to say. She had never felt awkward or uncomfortable around Finn before. But suddenly she had awful feeling that things were about to change between them. It was only a flash, and she tried not to think about it. 

“We should go,” Eris said finally. “There's no time to waste. It'll take at least five days to reach the island’s edge on foot.”

When they figured they had travelled far enough, Eris and Finn camped for what was left of the night. It rained all the next day as they travelled through the wood until it ended and became a long strip of grassy field. The first three days of travel passed uneventfully. 

On the morning of their fourth day on the road, the rain still had not subsided. Eris had given up on attempting to stay awhile ago. She was soaked to the bone: the way she had been for three and a half days, and the way she would most likely remain until the joirney’s end. Her legs ached as she trudged on through the long, soggy grass, her feet squelching with every step. Her wet hair and clothes clung to her scalp even as the wind tried to blow them back from her. Finn walked a few strides ahead of her, just as soggy, and just as unhappy. His pack bounced against his back with every step, causing droplets of water to drip from his shirt. The packs, just like everything else, were wet, as were their contents. They had nearly run out of food, and Eris wished for more, no matter how soggy. 

It was so wet, and the ground already so soft, that Finn didn't notice at first that the ground was beginning to crumble away at his feet. His boots were simply sinking lower in the mud. But then, all of a sudden, the ground gave way and caved in. Finn let out a low yelp as he tried to scramble up the bank, but balls of wet earth rolled away wherever he tried to get a foothold. Eris yelped, holding out a hand to pull him up. 

“Here! Here! Take my hand!” 

As she stepped closer, the ground began to crumble underneath her feet as well, sending her sliding. All of the dirt around them was suddenly careening down the bank, and they tumbled down the hole with it. 

Eris hit the dirt at the bottom first. 

Looking up, she could see that the opening of the hole wasn't big at all, but the pit they were in now gaped in all directions. There had been huge hole down here that they hadn't even known about, but of course, as soon as they stepped on the softened earth, it caved in. 

Eris stood and dusted herself off. Unlike aboveground, down here it was cool and dry. The dirt wasn't wet, but dusty. A steady trickle of rain poured from the opening above, leaving tiny splotches of wet dirt on the ground below. The only light in the dim place was from the hole as well. She could see that the hole they had fallen into was too far up to climb out of, so they'd have to find another way out. 

“Ugh. Great.” Finn said standing up and walking over to Eris to look at the opening. 

“I'm sure we'll find another way,” Eris said, in attempt to make him feel better, even though she wasn't sure. 

For a moment, they were quiet. Eris thought she heard a very faint noise, but wasn't sure. Finn sighed and went to go sit down, but Eris held his wrist, stopping him. 

“Wait,” she whispered, tilting her head toward a back wall. “Did you hear that?”

Finn shook his head. Eris listened again. The noise was there again, a speck louder this time. It was a low noise, like a hoofbeat, or a drumbeat, or a footstep, or maybe a horn call. 

Finn’s eyebrows went up. “I heard it,” he hissed. 

Still holding onto his wrist, Eris walked slowly to the opposite wall and pressed her ear against it. It was a steady noise, but very faint. She let go of Finn and knocked lightly on the wall with her fist. It echoed around the cave when she did, in the way that it would if something were hollow. 

“There's a tunnel on the other side of this wall,” she said, looking around for a way in. “But I don't know how to get there.”

She continued to examine the wall, feeling for anything that might be an entrance. She suddenly noticed a very faint glow coming from a tiny slit in the wall. The light was so faint that if it hadn't been dark, it would not have been visible. Eris knocked on the wall here, out of curiosity, but to both of their surprise, the wall slid to the side slowly with a scraping noise. On the other side was a dark passage. Two torches hung on the walls. Quickly, Eris and Finn entered, each taking one. The noise was louder here, and instead of the steady beats, it had changed. It had taken on a more musical element, a low tune that floated through the passage. 

Silently, they walked down the dark tunnel, following the sound. The chambers twisted and turned, getting darker as they went. After awhile more walking, the tunnel opened up into a wider area. Seated around a table were four strange creatures. They were tall and thin and had a sort of bluey-purpley glow to their dark skin. Their hair was silver and short, with various intricate twists and braids intertwined. Their eyes were gold and indigo, but seemed to shift between shades. They wore lots of jewelry and armor over their simple tunics. They seemed to have been playing music on small stringed instruments, but stopped when Eris and Finn appeared. The smell of delicious food drifted up from their table, making Eris even hungrier. One of the females got to her feet.

“Greetings. What brings such fair beings to the Underealm?” 

Eris and Finn exchanged glances. 

“We were traveling, and while passing through a field, we fell into a pit,” Eris started. “We heard a sound, and followed through the tunnels that led us here.”

“And who are you, if I might ask?” Finn said. 

“I am Olinda. I am a citizen of this realm. These are my friends,” Olinda motioned to the others at the table. “I think it would be best if you came with us.” 

Olinda turned and began walking down the passage. Eris trotted to catch up with her. 

“Wait!” She said. “Where are we?” 

“This is the Underealm,” she explained without thought, eyes ahead. 

“Well, we have to--“ Before Eris could finish, Olinda interrupted. 

Olinda stopped suddenly and turned. “You must come to our city and stay, at least for the night.”

Before Eris could say more, the strange woman turned a bend, leading Eris and Finn into a huge open area. She spread her arms wide, saying, “Welcome to the Underealm, the city of the great race of Kiir, the children of the earth, the ground-dwellers.”

~Chapter 26~

A few minutes later, they had gathered their packs and were walking silently through the city. 

They couldn't go back the way the had fallen in; the crevice was far to deep to climb up, and even if they managed to steal a rope, there would be no way to secure it at the top of the hole that would allow them to climb out. But Eris was convinced there was another way out. It was obvious that these people were keeping many secrets, and the exit (or exits) were just another item on the list. 

So the two walked along quickly but silently in the opposite direction of the tunnel that had led into the city. They used the little light the stone gave off to light their way. It was just bright enough that they could barely see where they were stepping, but not so bright that it would attract any unwanted eyes. Eris knew where most of the night guards were positioned, so she made sure to avoid them, walking in the shadows instead of on the paths that wound through the underground city. 

The city was nearly pitch black at night, with only a few lights glowing here and there, the rest having been put out. 

Before long, the huge, cavernous space in which the city was located began to narrow into a wide tunnel. There was a tiny indent in the wall, just beside Finn. His arm brushed up against it, but he wouldn't have noticed it, had a sharp sound, like something small falling a long distance in an otherwise quiet environment, sounded, startling Eris, who (jumpy, as most are when on high alert) jumped, and grabbed Finn by the arm, causing him to misstep and bump lightly against the wall. Eris pulled away. 

“Sorry,” she whispered sheepishly, and took a few steps. She turned around when she saw that Finn wasn't following. “Come on,” she hissed. 

When he had bumped against the wall, he had felt something that made him stop. He now stood and examined it more carefully, running his fingers down it. It was a long groove in the wall, that could have easily passed as a simply indention in the hard dirt, but when it had received pressure, it widened. It was now a crack. 

“Wait,” Finn replied, squinting. He slipped his fingers in the crack. It opened a bit more. Quite smoothly, he slid it open, creating a narrow doorway. Eris gasped softly and hurried back down the tunnel. But before she could enter the passage, Finn paced his hand on her shoulder. 

“Shh. Listen.”

To her horror, Eris heard, very faintly, a light tapping, like the footsteps of someone being very quiet. She immediately turned to run into the opening in the wall and up the passage, but Finn’s grip tightened on her arm. Their eyes met for a moment, and there was a pained look in Finn’s, as if he felt very bad about something he was about to do. 

“Finn!” Eris whispered angrily, trying to pull away from him. 

He broke his gaze and pulled her in the other direction. Toward the footsteps Eris continued to struggle as she made out dark figures coming their way. Finn pulled her harder, out into the open. She pulled her arm as hard as she could, but Finn was stronger than her. “What are you doing?” Eris whisper-yelled, desperation and fear tainting her voice. 

The Kiir hadn't spotted them yet, but they would soon. Eris struggled in vain. When they were nearly out of the tunnel, Finn twisted her around and began pushing her into the open. She gasped and fought with him. 

“Stop it, Finn!” She was frantic now. Tears sprang to her eyes. Then Finn shoved her with all his might out into the clearing. 

Eris stumbled out into the light of the Kiir lanterns as Finn retreated in the darkness. She gasped and nearly went sprawling onto the ground, but caught herself. She looked up into the eyes of the Kiir leader, cold and emotionless. 

“Mmm.” She raised her eyebrows at Eris and shook her head. “I thought you might be here tonight. I decided to come and meet you, but it seems you've decided to meet me. I thought you'd be with your friend, but I suppose he was smarter than some.” 

The woman leaned forward and blew something from her hand into Eris’s face. Eris flinched and blinked, coughing. Then her vision blurred and she became dizzy all at once. She felt like she was going to fall over if she didn't lie down. Then the world was spinning, and spinning, and Eris felt like she was falling...falling...and then her world went black. 

•       •       •       

A ways under the ground lies the Underealm. When one finds oneself here, they usually feel very far underground, for it's the farthest under that most have ever been and most ever will be. 

But there are places far, far deeper than that. Tunnels and caverns that no light will ever come close to reaching stretch down, down. There it is dark. Very dark. And there is only the darkness. 

Or so it often seems. 

For most, there would be only darkness, and it would drive them to the edge of madness and beyond, while they lost the,selves in the farthest reaches of their mind. 

In reality there is much, much, more. 

There are many inhabitants of these places, some large, some small. None the likes of anything that the aboveground folk have ever seen. And deep down in the hollow darkness, there are hills and mountains, rivers and lakes. Strange creatures peer out from their dark crevices and watch the other creatures with huge, round, milky eyes that have grown accustomed to the darkness, and need no light to see. 

The dark depths know no light. 

In that dark, damp place, time seems nonexistent. An hour feels the same as a minute. You wouldn't know the difference between a day and a month. You are simply lost to the ever-spiraling pit of darkness.

There is a waterfall there, one that starts nearer to the surface and runs down, collecting in pools on different shelves and then trickling down between the crevices and finally collecting in a lake as big as a sea far, far, below. In one of these smaller pools nearer the surface sat a creature.

It was a strange creature, small and thin, and very, very old. In fact, it may have been as old as the earth itself. No one knew its story, how it came to be, or how it came to be where it was. It sat the bottom of the still lake, with its large, translucent eyes shut. It hummed a tune, a very low song, lilting between hauntingly sweet and eerily sad. It carried through the water and up into the ground, so that it would have almost sounded like it was coming from the earth itself. 

The creature knew much, very much, and had been down in that place for so long, it was almost one with it. And it suddenly sensed a change in the air. 

One of its translucent eyes opened slowly. 

Someone was here. 

Someone different.

They weren't very close yet. No. 

But no one had been even as close as they for a very long time.

The creature changed its tune, just a bit. 

Yes. Yes, this would do. 

Now let her come. 

The Kiir had discovered the pit many years ago.

The opening was barely more than a crevice at first, but that had been fixed. It was now a much wider hole, dropping down into a very dark pit. It was usually used as a punishment, much like a dungeon would be. 

After the Great Lady had put Eris in a state of unconsciousness with her sleeping dust, her guards dragged Eris into the pit, planning to leave her there for a day or two. 

The Kiir didn't know anything about the dark depths, or that their pit was a way in. 

Eris blinked a few times before she realized that there was no difference with her eyes open or closed. Everything was still the same shade of black. 

She groped around for a few minutes, but there was nothing, not even a wall. There was only the ground under her feet and darkness. 

As she came to, Eris began to understand more and more the seriousness of her situation. Panic ensued as she realized she had no idea where she was or how to get out.

Why was she here? Eris realized she didn't remember what had happened. 

There had been a tunnel, and a door, and she had been with Finn...

They had been trying to escape. And then they had found a hidden door. And then there were footsteps, and Finn wouldn't let her get away, and then he pushed her....and they found her. And that was all she remembered. 

Eris sank to the ground and put her head in her hands. 

Why. 

Why had he done it?

Eris wanted so badly to believe that Finn was her friend, that he had a reason for doing what he did. But there was no question about it. He had grabbed her and forced her into the light. He turned her over and ran away to save himself. 

That was far worse than the capturing itself. 

Suddenly, Eris realized that she didn't feel the stone. Her hand shot to her side. There was nothing there. The pouch was gone, and the stone with it. She sighed in desperation and lied flat on the cold dirt.

Realizing she had to get out of wherever she was, she got to her feet and began walking in one direction. She didn't think about the fact that she would probably not remember how to get back to that same spot, and have no idea where she'd been and where she hadn't, and eventually get lost. She was desperate, and the darkness was clouding her brain. 

Little did Eris know that she had just passed through the only thing separating the underealm from the dark depths.

Suddenly, she stopped. Something was inside her head. It was a slow, lilting tune, hauntingly sweet tinged with sadness. It was so far away, and yet it almost seemed to come from the ground itself. Something about it called to her. Slowly, Eris stood. Even in the dark, she was able to follow the song. She walked in a straight line through the darkness, getting ever farther from where she had first found herself when she awoke. 

It took a long bit of following, and the hum barely grew any louder, so it was hard for Eris to tell if she was getting any closer. But she knew she had come a ways when ut was joined by another sound: that of running water. Eris didn't need to see to know that there was a waterfall nearby. She made her way closer, holding her hands out so she wouldn't stumble into the water.

Her hands met with cold stone, and she sat down. 

“Hello.”

Eris jumped back. The voice, scratchy and sibilant, had come from directly beside her. 

“W-who are you?” She said in a small voice. 

“I ams myself.” The voice answered. “Who is you?”

“That's--not your business.” Eris was quite flustered by this point. 

“Oh, not? I've beening here far longers than you.”

Eris frowned, then sighed. She might as well try to be friendly with whatever it was. Maybe it could help her. And even if it couldn't, she didn't want to be on it's bad side, not knowing what it was. “I'm...Eris.”

“Errrisssss...” it repeated slowly. “Errrrisssss.”

“And what about you?”

“Somes call myself Aiy.”

“What is this place?” Eris asked. 

“This place haves no name. It is a solemn, lonesely, darkness place. Somes call it as the dark depths, but it's is not more than a simpler title for a less-than-that's-simple place.”

Eris pretended to understand what Aiy had said. 

“Is there a way out?”

Aiy didn't answer, and Eris got the feeling the creature didn't want her to leave. 

There was a pause, filled with Aiy’s wet breathing. 

“Aiy hases not talked to one such as yous for verrrrrrry longtime. Not many of them come to Aiy.”

“Were you the one singing that song?” Eris asked, changing the subject. 

“Ah. Yeses. Aiy were. You liking Aiy song?” 

“Yes...”

Suddenly, she felt a damp hand on her arm. She jumped.

“Errrrrissssss must leave now. Someone is wantinging her. I feel it's. They is needing her.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“I feel them. They search for you. They need you.” 

“Who?” 

“Aiy does not know. But you must go.”

“But I don't know the way.”

Aiy gave a wet breathy sound that must have been a sigh. “Then Aiy will show you.” 

The creature grabbed her hand with it's bony one, and pulled her to her feet. Without another word, it pulled her along very quickly for a ways. Then it stopped. 

“Errrrrisssssss stay here now.” With that, it turned and left her standing there. 

Eris sighed and sank to the ground. No one was looking for her. Aiy had lied, for some reason. The thing had probably just wanted her to stop pestering it. She sighed and wrapped her arms around her knees, taken by that awful empty hopelessness that comes after one has given up, while tears slid down her cheeks as she wondered why her best friend had betrayed her.

A very long time passed, and Eris thought the darkness must have been playing tricks on her eyes, because there was a spark of light that was slowly growing. She blinked, trying to clear her vision. But then a small beam of light made its way toward her from the opposite side of the pit. It was dim, but to her dark-accustomed eyes, it was blindingly bright. She stood and walked toward it. The source of the light was a door in the ground that stood at the top of a steep set if stairs that led dow into the pit. The door was opened the rest of the way, and a figure  ran quietly down toward her. At first she thought it was the Great Lady or maybe one of her guards coming to take her back to work, but to her surprise, it wasn't.

Finn ran straight to her without stopping and squeezed her in a tight hug before she could say anything. 

“I'm so sorry.”

I'm about to read more of your fantastic novel, and I was wondering if you would like some thoughts like what I did before. It is completely up to you! Let me know!

Chapter Six

ancient-looking instead of ancient looking

brushed her bangs away from her face/brow(to avoid repeating eyes)

Consider adding 'before saying' after "brushed her bangs away from her_____" to smooth together the paragraphs.

Add: as the sun faded, after a light lunch, as the hustle and bustle began to calm, or something similar to the sentence, "Eris and Tryss were at the top of one of the two towers inside of the fortress" to give a flow to the passage of time.

Maybe add a few more adjectives to the description of the Great Library. Just simple things, like colors or phrases describing where the light hits. I do love to describe cozy librarys, however, so that may just be me. XD

"Eris had lost her appetite." You said earlier that she wasn't hungry, so consider adding in a line prior to  this saying something about her smellng food and becoming hungry or something similar.

"Even the winds were changed." I personally would cut the were because it makes it sound like the winds were changed clearly and intentionally. 

If you capitalize the first 'Him", you need to capitalize all the other pronouns referring to Him.

Things I Loved

OOOOO, are Rohir and Eris going to be a thing?

Thraenen sounds amazing. You painted a very vivid picture! 

"Eris immediately fell in love with the Great Library." I did too! Your writing about the library gives off a safe and comforting vibe to me and the library seems perfect! Those overstuffed chairs? Yes, please!

The moon thing at the end of the chapter was perfect! I love it so much.

Chapter Seven 

"He smelled smoke. Thick, black smoke." I would add something about Finn seeing the smke/opening his eyes(Finn smelled smoke. Concerned, he opened his eyes to see thick, black smoke swirling in through the cracks of his room.) because you can't smell what color the smoke is. 

Personally, I would replaced the comma's in the sentence that starts,  "The man, Finn later learned"  with hyphens, but that is entirely personal preference.

"Things had een quite good for Finn before Fynnesse burned." To me, this sentence feels like it is referring to an event that happened months or years ago instead of one short day.

Loves

I kinda sorta love everything about Chapters Six and Seven?!? They are very well-written, in that beautiful, fantastical style of this work. There are several parts of these chapters that made me so happy because of how well written they were. Good luck on your revision! You've got this!