The Srewn

Ok This one takes a little bit of explanation. To start with a Sloon is a lizard creature from the D&D campaign Land of Ruin, created by Josh Sterns. They were a super advanced society with magic and psionics to rival the most advanced races. I thought it would be fun to have a call forward to Persephone's adventures in Ya. 

This is one of my favorite stories I've written I would mostly write it by hand before class it took a while to finish it.

“Give it back!” Persephone lunged at her sister grabbing at the small doll that she had carried with her since it was given to her by a soothsayer in sigil.

            “You don’t even know what it is” replied Florentine, jumping lithely away from her sister’s grasp. She looked at the strange lizard creature. It didn’t look like anything she had seen in the plains.

            “Yes I do! It’s a Srewn and it’s mine. Give it back!” Persephone jumped at ther sister and the two rolled back and forth trying to grab the doll. Persephone was bigger but Florentine was better at dodging out of the way and quicker with her hands.

            After about five minutes of this Cyrus, their father, stepped in. “You two stop now!” he grabbed both his daughters and lifted them from the ground. “You are going to give away our position.” He grabbed the doll and handed it to Persephone. Then he turned a reproachful eye on Florentine. “There isn’t much point in taking something if they can tell you took it right away. I expect better of you.”

            “Cyrus get back here,” Shir’tha, the girls’ mother, hissed. “There is a cave down that way I think that looks like a good place. I need you to look for me.”

            Cyrus rolled his eyes but quickly set to work almost entirely disappearing before their eyes. Florentine watched in awe as her father moved out of sight, completely silent. He could still always catch her when she tried it.

            “What is a srewn then?” She asked her sister as if they had not been interrupted by either the fight or the scolding.

            Persephone looked at her sister warily as she clutched the doll to her chest. She didn’t answer but squeezed up closer to the rock at her back and just stared suspiciously at her sister.

            “I bet you don’t know.” Florentine said teasing. “You say you know all these things but you don’t.” She crawled a little closer, whispering in order to avoid being told off again. “You don’t know anything. I bet you made up the word. Srewn doesn’t even sound like a real thing. I bet the magic lady didn’t even give it to you it looks like something you found in the dirt.”

            Persephone threw her precious toy to the ground and launched at her sister. This time the fight lasted barely a minute as Cyrus deftly picked them both up. Holding the two struggling girls by the waist one in each hand he looked at his wife. “The cave is clear and I found a good path that is hidden in shadows.”

            Shir’tha looked at the two squirming masses her husband was holding. “Then we better get going soon before the sparks start flying.” She grabbed her older daughter and said to her “if you are going to start fights you are going to have to learn to do it properly.”

            Persephone calmed down enough to walk on her own. “Can I have a sword momma?” a gleam entered her eye at the thought of a big beautiful sword like her mother’s.

            “Well you obviously can’t have one right now. Now be quiet until we get to the cave.” Shir’tha took her daughter’s hand as they walked down the path following Cyrus.

********

“Daddy my Srewn!” Persephone was inconsolable. It had been a good three hours since they had arrived in the cave and she had discovered her most treasured possession was missing. Cyrus looked outside worriedly. The path they had taken had become much better lit since they had travelled it.

            “Dearest I would gladly go and get your doll but I can’t hide in shadows that aren’t there.” Cyrus tried to calm his daughter.

            “No daddy now!” Persephone stamped her foot and Cyrus nervously looked around for any fires that could be amplified by her abilities.

            Shir’tha looked at her husband. “How long until you can?”

            Cyrus looked at the entrance trying to judge the strange sun. “Three hours, maybe four.” He looked at his daughter who was on the verge of another fit then said quietly to his wife “are you sure we must? She has to learn about loss sometime.”

            Shir’tha looked at her husband. They normally were in accord on how to raise the children despite different upbringings but sometimes he just didn’t understand. “It’s all she has. She can’t steal whatever she wants like you and Florentine. She has no hoard of trinkets like you two.  No wonder she clings to it. With as much as you speak of wealth she thinks she is the poorest of all of us.”

            Cyrus pondered for a moment. “Well I suppose if our pursuers had seen her with it it may lead them here.” He knelt down and looked his eldest daughter in the eye. “I can’t go now but as soon as I am able I will fetch your doll. For now you two should have supper and try to sleep.”

            Persephone sniffed and nodded. As her father went to take watch her mother unpacked rations for dinner. Within an hour both of the girls were fast asleep.

********

            Later that night the menacing form of Cyrus made his way back into the cave. Checking to make sure the girls were asleep he looked at his wife and shook his head. “It wasn’t there” he said with a look of apprehension.

            Shir’tha looked at her husband quizzically. “Someone took it? Even if we are still being followed why take a ragged childs doll?”

            “No one took it.” Cyrus shook his head. “No one had been there.” He looked at his wife. “You never sensed any magics about it did you?”

            “No I’d have said.” Shir’tha matched her husband’s confused look. “Why?”

            Cyrus sat down next to the entrance looking out. “Well the gods know I haven’t your expertise in spell types. But when I looked where it should have been I could sense something. It felt like it had just disappeared.” He looked over where the bedrolls were laid out. “If you can cast a guardian perhaps we can both get some sleep. It’s been a long day.”

********

            Sometime later Florentine woke to hear quiet crying from her sister. She turned over and saw Persephone was awake trying to hide her tears. “What’s wrong Pers?” she asked with genuine concern.

            “It’s gone. Daddy came back but he didn’t give it to me.” She spoke with the voice of a child trying to be brave.

            “Maybe he just didn’t want to wake you.” Florentine tried to reassure her sister.

            Persephone shook her head. “I can feel it. It’s not here. It’s not anywhere.” Her mournful tone struck through Florentine.

            They lay in silence for some time though Florentine knew her sister didn’t sleep. Florentine stared at the ceiling. She knew the desire to posses things but there was nothing she owned that meant so much to her. She rolled over onto her side. “Persephone, what’s a srewn?” All mocking had left her voice.

            Persephone looked at her sister suspiciously then smiled. “They were lizard men but they were more like dragons. But instead of breathing acid or fire or lightning they were so powerful they could breathe magic…”