"I-I nn-never forget a voice, girl. You can't escape me. Give up before you get yourself killed."
The plague and rot Arken stammered out, his footfalls drawing closer and closer to where she hid.
Darcie held her breath, her hands holding firmly to her dagger as she braced herself against the wall. Her knuckles turning white as her grip tightened as she heard the footfalls fall quiet. Slowly she pushed off the wall, and lurched out into the open, letting out a battle cry that was essentially a jumble of words in D'Ithanie.
Swinging upward with her dagger, she clenched her eyes tightly as she heard metal hit metal and felt clear resistance as her hand fell away. Her eyes opened and she stared up into the face of what appeared to be some sort metal mask. Stumbling back, she brandished her dagger again, letting out a hiss.
"Stay back."
Only silence and the black holes of the mask stared back at her. No response from the hulking, armored figure.
Gritting her teeth, the woman began to backpedal, dagger out in front of her as a sort of repellent. Her eyes shifting back and forth with her whole body tense as if she were some sort of cornered animal.
The armored figure stepped closer, their head never shifting from its slightly elevated position of staring at her. Metal clinking against metal followed the figure, with each boot step, they drew closer to the dagger wielding noblewoman.
"I SAID, STAY BACK!"
She shouted, brandishing her dagger further as a sharp clawed gauntlet reaches out for her.
Darcie rubbed her hands over her eyes, being weary not to the bandages upon her head and cheek.
The floorboards creaked and her eyes drifted to the door, which slowly opened.
A young girl peered into the room as Darcie awoke, her gaze worried and eventually she crept into the dark room. She paced quietly across the room to the woman's side, lifting her hands to rest them on the waking woman's own.
"Auntie," the young girl whispered to Darcie with a faint frown. Her gaze dropped finally to the girl and Darcie released a small sigh, pulling the girl up onto the bed besides her and holding her close.
"Why are you awake, little Ellie?" She finally asked after a long pause of silence as Darcie found comfort in the embrace her niece returned.
"I heard you screaming, I got scared," Ellora murmured to her aunt, the twelve year old curling up against Darcie. The woman grimaced at the girl's soft tone, hearing the worry laced into her words and she held the girl closer, lying back against the bed with a sigh that rustled the brown locks that had fallen against her face.
Ellora sat up a bit, looking over Darcie's face and asked after a minute, "Do you want me to get you some water, auntie?" She shook her head towards the girl's question and lifting her arms to pull her quilts back up over herself and her niece.
"No, just stay with me for now, my dearest," she finally replied to Ellora, shifting a bit to give the child more room to rest besides her.
They settled further into the bed, Darcie holding Ellora close and leaning her chin gently upon the young girl's head. That's how the pair remained, both eventually falling into a deep slumber, comforted by the others presence.
