Scroll of the Hunted

The Fourth Scroll of Lylanth: Hunted

	Sumeria, 2 Millennium BCE.
	o she has the ability to corrupt the thoughts of men?” I interrupted yet again. I remembered how strangely my father acted only days before my village was destroyed.
	“Yes she does,” the strangers gaze passed through me as if I wasn’t there. “Just as she distorted the mind of that poor victim at those ruins, she was able to twist the minds of the villagers of your home.”
	It was clear to me that this stranger was still reliving the moment at the old ruins, and he was unwilling to let go just yet. He proceeded to continue with the story and the soft, melodic tones of his voice soon drew me back into the story. His words so vivid that I could almost smell the dark ichor of the insane man’s blood as it dried on his hands. I could feel the intense weariness and sorrow that followed him as he traversed the desert wastelands into Sumeria.

	As I hurriedly traveled day and night, I could not keep my thoughts from the crazed man I had just encountered. I felt nothing but pity for him. She had twisted and distorted his soul for reasons I could not yet fathom. In the end all that was left was an empty husk; nothing remained of what might have been someone’s father, son or lover. All I could glean from the last fractured moments of his life was information about her.
	“At least you did not die in vein,” I thought to myself. “I now know where I will find her. If only I can get there in time.”
	My journey to the heralded city of Ur was arduous. I traveled without rest or sustenance for many weeks in the hope that I would catch up with her. As I approached the bustling city, I had a need to camouflage my grizzled appearance from the probing eyes of strangers. Even while in good health, I seemed a bit too tall and deformed to pass as a typical man. As anonymity was useful to my purposes, I concealed myself under the tattered robes of a peasant. I still seemed quite tall but could pass myself off as a hunch-backed beggar. The city itself was a marvel to behold. The technology and culture in this ancient town was remarkable considering this was one of the first cities on earth. The streets were lined with merchants selling everything from pottery to food to weapons. As I wound my way past clay huts and buildings, I wondered how I would find her amid all this bustle and chaos. My question was answered soon enough when I glimpsed a shadowed person dart across my peripheral vision. The movement was so fast that I don’t believe anyone other than myself would have noticed.
	“It must be her!” I thought to myself. “No other could move in such a manner.”
	I followed the darting, mysterious figure along the adobe walls of the city. The sun was beginning to set and I feared I might loose her among the ever-growing shadows. Just then I saw the figure slip into a large house near the edge of the city. I felt lucky to have cornered her before she could escape into the darkness of night. I would soon realize this encounter wasn’t just mere coincidence. It was a trap.
	“Hello dear friend.” She said sarcastically. Her appearance was quite different from the twisted and tortured visage I’d seen back at the village. Her soft marbled skin extruded a coldness that was both frightening and blissful. It was hard like stone, but yielded forgivingly as she moved. If she hadn’t spoken to me as I entered the room, I could have easily mistaken her for a statue.
	“I’ve come to help you Lylanth,” I spoke in a calm and assuring tone, much like a person who was trying to coax an animal out of hiding.
	“Oh sweet thing,” Her voice felt like daggers caressing my skin. “I think you are the one who needs saving.”
	She moved closer to me. As she did so her bat-like wings stretched out above me, blocking out the last remnants of sunlight shining trough the windows. All I could see now were those eyes. They were ablaze with a surreal and unnatural flame. The iridescent glow licked at her pupils in a hypnotic orgy of pain and ecstasy. I sensed real danger in those eyes and, for the first time, feared that I could not resist her powerful will. I turned to flee, to regroup my thoughts only to find I could not move. I was still there gazing into those malevolent eyes. The world around me no longer existed. I felt as if I was a helpless marionette and Lylanth was the puppeteer.
	“You want me to help you.. Don’t you?” She said sardonically; knowing full well I could no longer speak. Then she moved closer, so close that I could feel her cold breath on my face. My hearts were beating faster. I tried desperately to free myself from this spell, but to no avail. She was just too strong. After what seemed an eternity I found my resolve crumbling until I could resist no more. She tugged at some primordial urge hidden deep within me and released it. I knew that to succumb would mean certain death and yet I no longer cared. Her touch was like that of silk upon granite; Her embrace was malignant sweetness. Then, and only then; after I’d surrendered to the moment did the pain come. A pain beyond all compare...
	The stranger paused as the campfire suddenly died down. It was as if the flames were responding to the story itself and retreated from his voice as he spoke of her. I grabbed another tree branch and placed it on the fire. The flames responded eagerly by crackling and licking at the new, savory wood. The stranger remained silent.

	“Obviously you didn’t die,” I said impatiently. “So what happened to you?”
	“What she did was far worse than death. She took something from me.”
	“What?”
	“She stole my ability to transform.”
	“You mean into rocks and stuff?”
	“Yes.”
	“How could she do that?”
	“I’m not entirely certain. But as sure as the sun shines every day, when I recovered from that encounter I could no longer transform my shape or color. It’s a bit like loosing your sight or hearing. I felt vulnerable and naked.”
	“So what did you do?”
	“Well, it took me a long time to recover from her torture. By the time I was able, she had long since vanished. It would be many centuries before we met face to face again.”
	“If she was more powerful than you, why did you continue looking for her?”
	“If she was more powerful than you, why did you continue looking for her?”
	“What do you mean?”
	“At that point, I did not want to destroy her. I simply wanted to save her from the evil that had gripped her. As such, she was able to twist my love into a weapon to render me helpless.”
	“So if she beat you with your own weakness, how could you hope to defeat her the next time?”
	“A excellent question. And one I will be happy to answer shortly. But now it grows late and I fear I need the rest. We will continue this conversation in the morning.”
	Reluctantly I slipped into a more comfortable position and prepared to sleep. I could hardly wait to hear more of the story in the morning.