Legends of Belariath
Syll
Syll skulked through the hidden forest on the border of Clirth. She had be told by Father Lacour to leave the village, flee, run, as fast as she can before they came for her. They, with their torches and pitchforks, would not listen to reason. They, with their swords and bows, would torture and rape her. They, with their hatred and prejudice, would kill her. Eight people lay dead. Innocent or not, the villagers would have their pound of flesh. He told her to seek out her family, her clan. Her mother had died at the temple, but she had a father; he who had passed the curse on to her. Maybe she had brothers and sisters too? He had no knowledge of the ways of the goblins, but she would surely not survive if she stayed here.
Syll smelled their scents first, but the two figures soon heard the angry villagers approach with their dogs. “There! Go” Father Lacour pointed into the thick fog. “Through the mist is a forest, and beyond that, I don't know? That is where your father had come with his horde eighteen years ago. That is where you must return to now, little one.” He touched her cheek tenderly, looking at her sadly as a father to a daughter. “Do not be afraid. I know you, little one. You will survive. Go, find that which you seek. Find that which you desire. “ She wanted to cry. She wanted to stay and hug him. She had so much to say, so many more questions to ask, but the villagers with their dogs were nearly upon them. “Go!” He said one final time, and without looking back, she bolted into the fog.
Following her nose and ears only, the mists soon parted, and she was in the hidden forest. The smells and sounds of her persecutors were left behind, and she was alone in the gloom with just the call of night children. These woods were strange to her, yet she felt disturbingly at ease. Her dainty bare feet silently fell upon a path, as if the trees themselves parted, beckoning her deeper into their realm. The night seemed to last forever, but the forest gave way to plains, plains gave way to hills, hills gave way to mountains, and soon she was in another land. Beyond lie a grand house, an inn. Warm orange glows emanated from the windows of the lower floors, and in the distance she could hear the sounds of laughter and the clinking of glasses. She knew she was far away from the village she grew up in, but something inside, something primitive, something feral, told her that this was now home.