Elan World - part 4 of 8

We peered inside no one was there and so we climbed on in.
An icy zephyr in the air made goosebumps on my skin.
Our hearts were pounding as we slowly inched toward the door;
wings aflutter, quiet movements, feet not touching floor.

Suddenly, a shriek so loud we nearly lost our will.
What godless doings in this place could cause a sound so shrill?
We froze in place and waited as the screams trailed off to naught,
then said a silent prayer so we would not become distraught.

"Listen child," she whispered as our strength became renewed,
"The evil wench that lives here at one time was surely good.
What once was pure and holy has now turned away from light.
The challenge thus before us is to change the wrong to right."

We walked a winding staircase that I thought would never end,
down into the lower bowels of darkness we did wend.
When we finally reached the crypt we found a darkened room,
a door ajar with slits of light now lit our way through gloom.

I sobbed, "Oh mother, are there horrors waiting there for me?
Let us return from whence we came, please harken to my plea."
She touched my hand, I felt her warmth, it made me reassured.
We headed slowly toward the door now strong and undeterred.

What we saw upon our entry caused us both to gasp.
Lined against each dungeon wall were people held by clasps-
Elanites, whose only crime was was living bold and free.
Their bloody wounds bore witness now for all the world to see.

"Shhh," she whispered in my ear as footsteps could be heard.
The menace that had caused such woe was nearing, "Not a word."
No breeze to lift our wings in flight, we shuddered at our fate.
We'd really hoped to free these ones, yet were we now too late?

Voices muttered incoherent words we could not hear.
Footfalls ever nearer, I could not hold back my tears.
When all seemed lost a voice was heard from far across the room.
A little boy called out to us, "Look up, you'll see the moon."

Sure enough, an open window could be seen on high.
But how to get there with no wind just left us wondering, why?
An unexpected answer came that caused our hearts to swell.
The wounded ones inhaled as one and then as one exhaled.

We rose on high and exited that dank and dusty place.
We left the castle grounds and headed south without a trace.
It now was quite apparent what was needed, what was due.
The friends we'd left behind us must be rescued from this shrew.

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