Hello, readers! I am terribly sorry it has been so long since I last posted, these past few weeks I had huge projects out the expletive. College sucks sometimes.
This chapter is kinda short, but I dun care. I'm going to go get some ice cream now. Yay!
Chapter 9
Shadelight
The lone figure of a woman floating peacefully through space cast dancing shadows against the moonbeams in the water. She drifted tranquilly with the waves, so unmoving that fish would swim around her, encompassing her in a swarm of life. Her eyes were closed, her lips parted, but no air was there to escape. She was calm, the life within her drifting away with the surf.
A sudden burst of blinding light erupted from her skin, and she jerked violently as it shook her. The fish panicked and rushed away in chaotic flight as she tossed around, the lost life forcing its way back into her. Her lungs burned, searching for air, and the light carried her back to the surface where the moon watched her breathe life into herself again.
Mara awoke to the sound of seagulls and crashing waves, and the warmth of the sun beaming on her face. A cold tongue brushed across her nose and she opened her eyes to see her loyal companion frantically trying to wake her. Aldous whined with excitement as she stirred, and she combed her fingers through his damp fur as he continued to kiss her face.
"Hello, boy," she muttered, and she squinted her eyes against the bright sun as she tried to take in her surroundings. Her exhausted eyes blurred as the landscape came into view; she was on a sandy beach, and debris from the shipwreck surrounded her. Jutting rocks towered over her from behind, and she could see a sharp cliffside above. She groaned as she pulled herself to her feet, and a voice echoed wearily from across the beach.
"Ben!" the voice called, gravelly and exhausted, "Ben!"
Mara could see Walter trudging through the sand, searching the debris for signs of life. She called to him, and he smiled in relief when he saw her.
"Oh, Princess, thank heavens you're alright!"
She walked to him, glancing over the broken pieces of the ship. "Ben's not here?"
Walter dropped his head. "…No. Looks like…we didn't all make it."
Mara's heart jumped into her throat, and she felt an intense dizziness overcome her as the sun beat down on them. Ben…dead? No, it wasn't possible. Ben was strong, a shipwreck wasn't enough to kill him, she was sure. The thought of him gone frightened her. She had already lost Elliot, if she lost Ben too…
Walter saw the Princess start to panic and shook his head. "No, maybe he washed up somewhere else. I'm sure that's it." Mara nodded, though she was afraid to believe the possibility, and tears formed in her eyes. Walter put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry just yet, Princess. I'm sure he's fine, I was jumping to conclusions. Anyway, for now we need to move forward."
Mara nodded again, and forced herself to follow Walter and Aldous across the beach. They came to the massive mouth of a cavern, and Walter sighed as they looked inside.
"Well, the only way forward seems to be through a rather ominous cave. Perfect." Mara grabbed his hand knowing his fear for caves and beckoned him inside as Aldous curiously led the way. "So this is what Aurora is like. I was hoping it would be less…cavey."
"It will be alright, Walter," Mara assured, "It doesn't look dark in there."
Walter growled with frustration as he looked frantically from the beach to the caverns. He knew they had to go through the cave, but his phobia was just too strong for him to do so with dignity. He took a deep breath and hurled his voice angrily into the air. "BALLS!"
Mara let the echoes of Walter's outcry bounce against the walls of the cave until they dissipated, and began again. Walter unwillingly followed as Aldous hopped ahead, barking at some sleeping bats on the walls above. The caverns narrowed as they went deeper, and the air became cooler.
"Dammit," Walter sighed. "I bet Ben is on some sandy beach somewhere with palm trees, beautiful women, coconut cocktails. Jammy bastard."
Mara snorted at Walter's discomfort, and continued on without a word.
The deeper they went into the caverns, the darker and colder it got. Mara could see remnants of stone architecture lining the walls, and the further they went, the more the cave seemed to become an ancient temple. Walter groaned when the light was finally depleted, and a long, black corridor lay before them. Aldous barked behind them, and they turned to see that the dog had found a torch.
"You little genius!" Walter exclaimed, swiping the torch and lighting it in a hurry. "Good boy, good boy!" He sighed with relief as they were engulfed in a circle of light. "Ah, that's better."
As they walked, Walter swung the torch around to examine the corridor. Tall stone pillars with strange markings lined the walls, and odd sculptures that resembled large, deformed birds stood at attention every few steps. "What do you suppose this place is?" Walter mused, "A temple of some sort? What could anyone possibly worship in here?"
They wandered further, the light casting ominous shadows on the walls as they moved. Mara felt an inexplicable sense of dread the further they went, but she hid any discomfort from Walter as she knew he had a fear for dark places. The corridor was so silent, not even the sound of their breathing was audible. Aldous whined suddenly and backed into Mara, and she looked down to see the dog with his tail tucked tightly between his legs. The sense of dread was then too strong to hide, and she looked back up, unable to blink, searching for whatever it was that had frightened her dog.
A sudden rush of wind sent her reeling, but her bones stiffened and her blood turned cold when a low voice rumbled through her head.
The Light you bring will die. The Light inside you will die.
Walter swung the torch wildly around. "Who—who's there?!" Mara gulped as her heart pounded so hard that she was sure it would tear right through her chest.
Everything that you are will die.
Mara had never felt fear like this before. She was paralyzed with terror. When the voice faded, hundreds of pairs of glowing eyes appeared in the darkness, and she blinked to make sure she wasn't hallucinating.
"This isn't good," Walter muttered. The voice laughed, a dreadful, blood-curdling sound that roared through the air and rumbled the stones.
The Children are here to play.
In an instant, the eyes took form. Dark, ghostly apparitions that seemed to appear as human but no more than shadows. They charged Mara, and she unsheathed her sword and swung it furiously around, though it met nothing. The shadows disappeared in the air when she hit them, and though she did not feel any pain when they attacked her, she felt as if her very life force was being sucked away.
Mara shouted as the voice laughed again. What were these creatures? What kind of hellish magic was this?
Almost as soon as the fight began, it ended. Mara's breath turned into whimpers as she and Walter pressed forward, praying that this was nothing more than a nightmare. Soon, she would wake, and Ben's arms would be around her to comfort her.
You are tainted. The stain will never wash out. The sun will never shine upon you again. Tainted, broken little toys.
"We're alright," Walter muttered. "We just need to go forward, that's all. We're going to be al—alright."
They inched forward, every shadow an enemy to their sanity. Mara could feel tears welling in her eyes as she accepted this fear that she never knew was possible. Ben, she prayed, Elliot. I'm afraid.
They came to the end of the corridor and saw a large triangular doorway before them. Aldous ran and cowered behind Mara, trembling with terror. Walter stepped cautiously in front of the doorway, and as soon as he did, a mighty wind burst through the opening, knocking him to his feet and extinguishing the torch.
"No!" he bellowed, "Not the light! Not the bloody light!"
Mara saw sparks fly from his flint as he desperately tried to reignite the flame. "Come on, come on!" He cried, his hands shaking as he tried again and again. Finally, the flame took, and he sighed with relief as the torch was alight again. Walter rose, and turned to Mara, the light illuminating her petrified face. She was looking past him, her eyes locked on something just beyond him, and she was frozen with fear. Walter swung the torch around, and what he found himself face to face with sent a wave of paralyzing dread through his veins.
It was hideous. It was huge. It towered above even Walter, and its head featured three tentacled faces, all of its cold eyes set on the frozen knight. It breathed huskily, raising a sharp clawed hand to Walter's face, and opened its mouth.
The light in your eyes offends us. Let it go out!
Walter cried out in pain as the creature grabbed his head, and in an instant disappeared. Mara jumped to him as he fell to his knees, holding his face in his hands.
You shall be sightless, for that is the most blessed state of being. It is our gift to you.
Walter's hands fell limply to his side as Mara grabbed him by the shoulders. She gasped at the sight of his face; black bruises surrounded his eyes, and they were crusted over with a dark sludge. He moaned desperately, shaking with panic. "It—It's blinded me, Mara! I can't see!"
Aldous yelped as the voice let out another chilling laugh. Mara looked around frantically as Walter groaned in desperation. Whatever this thing was, it wanted them dead.
A rumble rippled over the ground, and Mara rose cautiously to her feet.
Petals, falling into the river. You are the flowers the children will pick and cast into dead water.
Mara took a step forward, and she could see a hundred more pairs of glowing eyes open in the darkness, and their shadowy forms danced tauntingly beyond the reach of the torch's light. She conjured a fireball, and hurled it toward them. In the light of the flame, she saw a statue, a tall hooded figure wielding a hammer, wings sprouting out of its back. It stood like a sentinel, ready to attack, and as the dark shadows dodged her flame, they gathered around it and disappeared. A mighty red glow emerged from the statue's eyes, and with a crack, it jerked to life.
The children hide in their shells. They have bodies now. Bodies can tear you asunder!
The sentinel jerked forward, crunching the ground beneath its massive stone feet. Mara frantically unsheathed her sword, unsure how she was supposed to fight this adversary. It moved like a machine, powered by the shadows, the "children." As she hurried to assess her opponent, it lifted its mighty hammer above its head and brought it down to the ground in front of it, the resulting quake sending Mara to her knees. The ground cracked beneath the hammer that now shone with a blinding light, and the fracture reached toward her, releasing a blackness that engulfed her before she could scramble to her feet. In an instant, the blackness took form, and a swarm of ravens flew around her, pecking and biting at her with beaks that stung like fire. Mara screamed and covered herself with her arms, and as soon as they had appeared, they were gone.
Did the blind seer not tell you about us? Did she not warn you?
The sentinel raised its hammer again, and Mara jumped to her feet, sending a fireball at it before it could bring the weapon down again. The creature fell back at the force, and Mara unstrapped her rifle from her back to pound it with bullets as it was down.
You've brought hurt! The children are angry!
With a mighty rumble, the sentinel rose to its feet, and swung its hammer around. Mara rolled to dodge the attack, and sent another fire ball toward it, using the time it took for it to recover to reload her rifle.
Darkness will swallow you whole!
"SHUT UP!" Mara screamed, and she felt the power of the will inside her flow through her veins and out her fingertips, enveloping her rifle. The weapon shone brightly like her will lines, and the sheer power she felt surge through her made her shout in rage. She fired, and the bullet left a blazing trail through the air as it pierced the sentinel's head, and it shattered to pieces.
The resulting silence was almost as terrifying as the battle had been.
Mara took a moment to gather her bearings before she turned and rushed back to Walter. Aldous crouched next to him, whimpering as he writhed in desperation. The sludge was gone, but his eyes were sunken into deep black circles.
"Walter?" She asked, putting her hand on his shoulder.
"Mara," he choked, searching for her with his hands. "Mara, I can't see. It's so dark. Please, take me to the light."
She nodded, though he couldn't see her, and she pulled him to his feet, wrapping his arm around her shoulders to support him. They walked, his labored breath echoing throughout the tunnels, and his hand outstretched helplessly before him.
They wandered aimlessly for what seemed like hours before Mara saw what she thought was a light. Aldous barked and ran ahead, and Mara pulled Walter forward toward the gleam. Her heart leaped when she saw that it was indeed a light, and she watched with joy as it got bigger and bigger with their approach. As they neared, she could see that it was an opening to the outside, and the sunlight was spilling into the chamber.
"Almost there, Walter," she assured, "We're almost there."
The warm sun bathed them with hope as they emerged from the hellish temple, and Mara squinted against the light.
"Are we out? Did we get away?" Walter breathed.
"Yes, we're safe now." Mara answered, but she wasn't sure of the fact. As the sun's beams showed her the world in front of her, her heart sank once more. Stretched out before her, stretching for miles and miles, was an endless desert, dotted with jutting cliffs but no signs of civilization.
Walter coughed as the wind blew sand into their faces, stinging them as they continued down a long stretch of stone steps. Mara knew that they had no choice but to carry on into the desert, though she had no way of knowing which way to go. The paralyzing fear she had experienced in the temple was far behind her, and before her stretched an endless expanse of desperation.
Hours had passed since they began their journey across the desert. Mara turned back and saw that the temple was no longer in sight, and a wave of relief overcame her exhausted body. The sun was beating down mercilessly on them, and her clothes were drenched with sweat. Aldous panted so deeply that his tongue nearly dragged on the sand below him.
Walter groaned and fell to his knees, and Mara tried desperately to bring him back to his feet. "Come on, Walter, we must keep going!"
The old knight panted, hardly able to form coherent words as his strength depleted. "I can't…I…I can't."
Mara pushed past her own exhaustion to pull at him, but he couldn't move. "Walter, I will not leave you here."
"You have to," he protested weakly, without the strength to even lift his head. Mara looked into his eyes though she knew he could not see her, his face covered in a black darkness that blinded him still. "It's alright," he whispered, letting his arm fall from her shoulders. "It's going to be alright, my girl. I know you'll do me proud."
Mara jumped to her feet, determined to save her knight. "I'll come back for you, I promise. I'll go find help!" She used the strength she knew she didn't have to sprint further into the desert, with Aldous following dutifully beside.
Ben, Elliot…Father, she prayed as her legs protested angrily against her steps. Give me strength.
