Descriptive Writing

My feet felt like they were turning to stone. At the other end of the room, there was a stone fireplace with a brick mantle. The flames burned blue, just barely illuminating the room. The shadows danced on walls that were lined with shelves. 

Looking around, I saw that each shelf had several polished, wooden sculptures of animals. There was everything: dogs, cats, boars, squirrels, you name it. A cold breeze washed over us, parting my hair down the middle.

 The fire roared, blinding us momentarily. 

He had materialized in front of us, an old man hunched over a work bench that I was certain hadn’t been there before. 

He had a clean-shaven, grey beard, and goggles that looked like the kind that would be used over a furnace. On the top of his head sat a large top hat that was two sizes too big. 

I was expecting him to be wearing the same white linen outfit that the rest of us had. Instead, he was dressed in all black robes. Looking too closely at them almost drove me insane. I rubbed my eyes. I swore I could see animal faces, silently shifting over the fabric, like they were trying to get out of the cloth. I focused in on his hands to keep myself from going crazy. 

He was holding an animal statue, polishing it with a rag. 

“Well, come in.” He rasped. His voice was a whisper, but it spoke with such power that it rattled the glass windows. 

"I aim only to please, my Lord." Even though she had no face, she was still smiling with her wicked grin. 

"I will show you how loyalty is rewarded, Serte. Continue to be faithful and more gifts shall be yours."

"My Lord?" she asked.

Before she could utter another word, Lord Laucian outstretched his hands and Serte was bathed in a purple glow. She began to contort and convulse as the violet energy penetrated her body. 

Cracks appeared in the floor around her as she stood up on powerful legs. She sprouted a second pair of wings, each that were barbed at the tip with a scythe-like claw. Her veins began to pulse with the same energy as Laucian. 

She rose from the ground and cracked a toothy smile. She radiated such energy now that I could swear, I could feel it, even in my dream. 

"Now go..." Laucian waved his hand dismissively. "...ready the surprise. We want to make sure that it goes according to plan. No mistakes Serte."

"...but of course, my Lord..." Serte laughed. "...I wouldn't dream of disappointing you." 

With that, Lady Serte beat her powerful wings and soared out of view. 

"Look through the reflection." She whispered. "See what is to come."

I did as I was asked...and I regretted it. 

At first, all I saw was the beautiful village around the great tree that I remembered. The glistening fountain with the stag statue gurgled happily. Kids were playing in the streets and singing in the trees while they picked their fruit. 

All of a sudden, the scene shifted, and the tree was in flames. The marble statue in the square was split in two. Kids were screaming and running for their lives as murders of crows descended upon their heads.

 A single figure rose out of the dark. His head was composed of a pillar of smoke. Bird-claws sharper than a double-edged sword rose from the smog. Black wings stretched on either side as blue flames swirled around the being in an infernal twister. Lord Talon. 

I stumbled backward, not knowing what to think.

"What is all this?" I asked. 

"You see?" The woman asked gently. "There isn't going to be a Veil much longer...Lord Talon has already begun his hostile takeover. He will not stop until he takes Lord Rowans' home."

"...but the protective barrier..." I started to argue. "...I thought Lords weren't able to enter another's domain?"

She nodded. "This is true, but Lord Rowan has gone missing. He has ascended into the stars in order for his strength to return. When he leaves his realm, so does his power. That includes the magic surrounding the Veil." 

She paused a moment to make sure I was on track with what she was telling me. She made direct eye contact. 

"With no Lord to govern, Talon is free to step inside."

"So... you’re saying there's no hope..." I said. 

She laughed. When she smiled, every single one of her pearly-white teeth dazzled. She was so radiant...and somehow so familiar.

"My boy...there is always hope." She nodded.