Flash Fiction: Ferne (Endlessness)

And here we are, the last song off Nightwish's new(ish) album Human Nature. I know there is another CD which has some very nice instrumental tracks but for me, this adventure was just for the songs off the first disk. You can listen to the song here. With that, please enjoy!

Ferne

Year 6524 AC
City of Nolian, Kingdom of Traemid
The Molten Tusk Inn

A dark, black shape moved through the night. Nothing but mist. She effortlessly slipped past the laughing drunkards. Men who were so deep in their flagons she could've walked right past them with nary a second glance.

Still, she would rather not take any chances. She had one shot at getting this right or waking up tomorrow at the mercy of the shadowy benefactors.

Ferne transformed out of the mist once she reached the inn's backroom where the prize was. Tonight it was a red ruby about the size of a toddler's fist. With a win like this, she'd be leading the competition. Adriel would have a hard time killing her then.

She knew she didn't have much time to find this gem before the others caught up. Or, worse, the owner of this establishment would come back from his -most likely- disgusting trip from the bathroom.

She had overheard Maia discussing her plan to poison the owner earlier in the day with Adriel. She was getting permission to cause damage. Of course, the sick bastard had loved the idea. When Amsden had pointed out that killing the owner would cause more problems, Adriel conceded that Maia could only make him temporarily ill.

The lock on the door clicked and Ferne whirled around. She hadn't gotten the gem yet, the locks on the drawers proving challenging to open. Rage and panic welled up in her chest and she prepared to turn back into the black mist and disappear before her failure could end in a short, sharp drop.

Just as the door opened, she tapped into her magic and transformed.

"Ferne?" came the soft call from the doorway.

She immediately shifted back and trained her glowing red eyes on the man stepping through the door.

"Amsden," she felt her panic decrease just slightly. He wouldn't kill her, but he could still take the prize, which may doom her anyway.

"I'm impressed you got in here so quickly," his voice had just a hint of taunting to it, "Have you found it yet?"

Ferne tilted up her chin and let a mask of arrogance find its home on her face. "I wouldn't tell you either way."

"That's a no, then?" He seemed to hear something behind him, but in a split second, his attention had turned back to her. "Maia is almost inside. You should work with me. We'll find it and get out quick."

"There's no sharing the glory with Adriel. Only one of us will win," Ferne pointed out. It was true. Working together only benefited the one who would hand the gem over to the enigmatic man.

The corners of Amsden's lips quirked up. "You're right, so I guess I'll just take it and be on my way."

Ferne found the panic swelling inside her once again. She was talented at infiltration, a specialty she had honed over years of practice with her magic, but she was, admittedly, a poor fighter.

Amsden however, what he lacked in subtlety, he made up for with sheer ruthlessness.

She'd been competing alongside him for months now. Watching as he systematically wiped out every other challenger in this repulsive game. She was loath to admit she'd leaned on him once or twice. When the competition's stress became too much, when she missed home, missed feeling secure, she'd taken him up on a tempting offer. One which she knew the moment she said yes was going to regret. That hadn't stopped her.

Amsden had crossed the room and was easily breaking open the locks only moments ago she had been trying to unlock with her inadequate tools.

"Amsden," she tried to get his attention, "If I don't win, I'm out. Maia won last night, so I'm behind both of you now."

He grunted in triumph as he found the ruby and showed it to her, nestled in his palm. "That's a win for me."

"Please," she hated the lack of strength in her voice, "Just this once. I-I don't want to die."

He caught her eyes, an inscrutable look crossing his face for an instant. "You'll have to take it from me."

Ferne wasted no time. She immediately shifted into mist and flowed around his body. He was stronger, so the only chance she had of winning was to catch him off guard.

Barely a movement and he had pulled a small dagger from his belt and swiped at her. It went straight through the mist and Ferne felt herself shudder. It hadn't hurt, but it was an odd feeling nonetheless.

She made one more loop around his body and then shifted back. She lashed out with her thin dagger, aiming straight for his hand which clutched the ruby.

Her ribs exploded in pain.

Ferne looked down to see his dagger lodged in her side. She tried to open her mouth but no sound came out.

A glance at his face revealed nothing. No thoughts or feelings. No remorse, no joy.

Impassive, Amsden turned away and headed toward the door. "It was a good try, Ferne," his voice was flat. The door clicked shut.

She felt numb and her legs gave out. She hit the wooden floor with a loud noise as her head cracked against the ground.

Every breath was a sharp, jagged pain tearing through her chest. Black spots clouded her vision, and she wondered for a moment if she rested briefly, if she could still catch up to him after.

The world went dark just as she heard the door crash back open.

*artwork made using Artbreeder*