A/N: I'm SO sorry it took so long to update. My laptop got hit with a really nasty virus and I couldn't write for a while. My laptop still isn't quite right so I'm using my computer at home to finish writing this chapter. Hopefully I can get my laptop fixed soon :-/

Again, I just want to thank you all for the lovely reviews. They really encourage me because this is the first fanfiction I've written in quite a few years and it's nice to receive feedback. Also, I'm sorry if I'm not replying to reviews. When I used to write for this site (about 5 or so years ago) we didn't have the option to reply to reviews. So, I tend to forget about that part. I just don't want you guys to think I'm ungrateful lol. I'll try to reply to more of them, I promise!

This story should contain quite a few more chapters (I'm thinking it will have 10 in all, but that could change).

On with the story!

Heart of a King: Chapter 5

It had been five days since Logan had left Bowerstone, and already Sylvia was feeling restless. She knew she was acting foolish, but she could not help herself. The man she loved was across the sea in some barren land that no one knew much about. And of course, her nightmares consisted of Logan's ship sinking deep into the ocean and of him loosing himself in the vast deserts of Aurora. Sylvia had to taken to pacing about her home in a manner that was most exasperating (at least according to her mother). Her mother had said that if she did not calm her nerves, she would be likely to toss Sylvia outside with the family dog to sleep for the night.

To calm herself, Sylvia would glance at the engagement ring fit securely on her left ring finger. It was truly a gorgeous piece of jewelry. It consisted of a solid gold band with three large gems placed in a row (A deep purple amethyst with diamonds on either side). It was most definitely a royal looking ring (1). Agnes had almost fainted when Sylvia showed her the ring for the first time.

As the day wore on, Sylvia began to wonder more and more what Aurora was like. The previous day, she had traveled to the bookshop at Bowerstone Market and could not find a single book about Auroran culture. The book seller there was of no help, for he could not recall a single book written about Aurora. She was even tempted to travel to the Brightwall Academy. She had traveled there with Logan when she was a girl and was overwhelmed by the vast amounts of books. There had to be something about Aurora among the academy's volumes.

Logan and his guard stood before the foreboding cave, all at high alert. As they made their way further and further into the cave, the darkness became a hindrance. Logan could not even see his hand in front of his face. He instructed one of the guards to start a fire anyway he could and make a torch. A few moments later, the guard was successful and the cave was illuminated in warm, orange light.

The men traveled deeper and deeper into the cave, aided by the firelight of the newly made torches. After a short walk, they found themselves in a large chamber with a spiral staircase (2) which Logan assumed would lead them deeper into the cave. It appeared to have once been a great temple. Then, at the very top of the spiral stairs, Logan spotted the dead body of one of the archaeologists. Almost immediately, Logan's men were at the ready and began scouting the area. Logan cautiously approached the body and found that it was eerily similar to the woman they had buried earlier. The man's clothes were torn and covered in blood. His eyes, like the woman's, were black as night. Lying next to the man's cold hand was an unlit torch and a small notebook with words scribbled furiously on its pages. One of the guards picked up the notebook, his faced paled as he read the words:

I'm safe in the light. As long as my torch is still lit I will be fine…but it is almost out. Once this fire is out I will die. They killed Garret and Belle. Jane ran ahead of me and I cannot find her. Our entire crew is dead.

I can hear its voice now. It's calling me…telling me I'm going to die. It says its children will feast on me…that I will be blinded by darkness.

I cannot get out…I cannot get out of here.

They are coming for me.

Logan could only imagine the fear this man had experienced before his untimely death. After reading the note, Logan gathered that Jane must have been the woman they buried. He began to wonder if this man and Jane had families…and what their families would do if they found out about their loved ones deaths. Logan thought of his own death and of Sylvia…what would she do if he were to perish here? He quickly pushed the thought from his mind; he could not dwell on death now.

"Your Majesty," said one of the guardsmen. "What are your orders? Shall we continue into the cave?"

"We must press forward," Logan said firmly. "We will face this threat resolutely."

Logan again questioned his own decisions. Was he making the right choice for Albion…and for his men? Was he leading them to the slaughter or to victory? He knew his men were skilled and intelligent warriors. But the images from his nightmare returned to him once again…could they face this threat?

Again they moved onward, slowly descending the spiral staircase. They seemed to descend for an eternity, the air becoming more stale and dingy the further they went. The air smelled sour, with a faint hint of blood. When they finally reached the bottom, they encountered their third dead body. Another man with bloodied clothes and blackened eyes lay before them, fear frozen into his face. They did not stop to look at him…they could not. They had to continue forward.

They came to another chamber with a large bridge leading to the other side. As they crossed, Logan felt the air grow colder. A strange breeze sailed over them as they approached the entrance at the other side of the chamber. This disturbed Logan; how could a breeze that strong occur when they were so far underground? A second breeze, more powerful than the first nearly blew out the fire from their torches. It was almost as though something was…trying to put out the lights.

"My Lord…I see something," said one of the guardsmen.

Logan gazed down the empty corridor. It was so dark he could barely see ahead of him. Suddenly, the air around him grew even colder than it was before. As Logan moved further into the corridor, he felt as though he were being watched. A chill ran up his spine and goose bumps covered his flesh. He was being watched by something…yet he could not see who or what it was. As he walked further, he felt a presence behind him. Slowly, and almost reluctantly, he turned and was faced the most terrifying, grotesque beast he had ever seen.

The beast before him was unlike anything he had have seen before. It was like a ghost but with no legs and very small arms. Its fingers were long and clawed. Its body was small and thin in comparison to its head, which was rather large and oddly shaped. It had large eyes, spikes protruding from the top of its pale head, and a large, serrated looking mouth that stretched across all of the width of the head. Logan counted six cold, black eyes looking back at him. But as quickly as the beast appeared, it disappeared back into the shadows. Logan's men must have seen it as well because they ran full speed in order to protect him.

"What was that?" said one of the soldiers.

"I…I'm not sure," said Logan, trying desperately to keep his fear hidden. "Be on guard, it might return."

"More victims for my children to consume!"

The dark voice echoed all around the men, screaming at them in anger. Logan raised his sword, ready to defend himself.

"For too long we have waited. For too long we have sat in the void, deprived of death and blood. My children and I thirst for it!"

"Who are you?" Logan yelled back. "Why do you attack these lands?"

A cold laugh was the only reply. Suddenly, dozens of small yellow lights surrounded them. It took only seconds for Logan and his men to realize that the yellow lights were in fact eyes. More and more of them began to appear and the cold, evil laughter grew louder and louder. It felt as though some how the laugh had gotten into Logan's head, making his head pound with each one.

"This land is ours! We will put out every light! Destroy every life! Give in to the darkness now!"

The yellow eyes surrounding them began to take a shape. Dozens of shadow, humanoid shaped figures appeared, each with their own sword or gun. Logan clutched the hilt of his sword tightly and reached for his pistol as well. He was an accomplished swordsman and was a decent shot, but he did not know he and his men were going to fight against the shadows.

A soon at the shadows appeared they rushed forward and began attacking Logan and his guards. Logan found that individually they were easy enough to kill, but in groups it was much more difficult. No matter how many times he slashed through them with his sword or shot at them, more shadows emerged in their place.

The men worked together to protect one another. They fought back to back so as not to be overwhelmed by the shadow warriors. As they fought, Logan caught glimpses of the creature from time to time. It seemed to be looming over them, waiting for its children to kill them all.

"Give in to the darkness!" it bellowed. "The children must feed!"

After many more heated moments of battle, the shadows began to dwindle in numbers. A lone shadow warrior appeared before Logan, ready to cut him down with its sword. Logan blocked the blow expertly before slicing his sword through the final shadow. It made a frail sound before dispersing into smoke. Some of the men began to celebrate their victory, but Logan continued to stand on guard. He knew this was just the beginning.

"Do not think you have won so easily. More of my children wait for you. Do not think of turning back, for they wait for you there as well. You are trapped within the darkness!"

Logan could tell his men grew more confident after defeating the first wave of shadows. But he knew they were not safe. He had put all of his men in grave danger and the guilt began to swell inside of him. He regretted coming to Aurora and wished desperately for a safe way back to the ship and back to Albion. The expedition had been a fatal mistake.

The men quickly made their way forward. Sure enough, in the next area more of the shadow warriors awaited them. The creature continued to taunt them, sending more of its children after them. Logan fought bravely, successfully slaying the shadows that stood in his way. Some of his men were not so fortunate. Logan witnessed two of his comrades fall to the shadows' blades. He and his men grew angry and battled the shadows wildly as a result. Logan and of the guard ran forward in order to attack the shadows that lay ahead. As they ran further into the sanctuary, Logan noticed strange pools of black sludge emerging from the ground. He saw that the pools seemed to dripping up toward the ceiling. As the pools grew larger, shadows began emerging from them. Multiple black pools formed around Logan, halting his movements.

More and more shadows attacked them relentlessly. Fatigued and drenched in sweat, Logan continued to fight the enemy. The pools of sludge grew larger, releasing more shadows. Logan saw more of his men die, inciting rage like he had never experienced. His whole body trembled in anger. He knew in battles it was expected for men to die…but not like this. This was supposed to be a routine expedition to a foreign land….not a battlefield. How could he have led his men to such a fate? How could he let them be slaughtered like animals?

One by one his men continued to fall to their deaths. Soon, it was only Logan and a handful of his guards left to fight against the deadly shadows. As more and more shadows appeared, Logan began to lose hope that he would ever make it out of the cave alive.

Logan heard a muffled scream to his right. Turning quickly, he saw one of his men being engulfed by the black sludge. It crept up the soldier's body, making it nearly impossible for him to move. Logan rushed toward him and gripped at his left hand, which had not been engulfed by the black liquid yet, and tried hastily to pull the soldier out of it. It was of no use. The sludge ascended higher up the man's body until it began pouring into his mouth. With the last ounce of strength he had, the soldier pushed the king away from him, trying to keep him safe. Logan watched as the guard fell to his knees and writhed on the ground in pain before he ceased moving all together.

Now only three of the men remained. Logan and the two remaining guards, one of whom was badly injured, knew that it was pointless to fight any longer. They were greatly outnumbered and would only tire themselves if they continued to fight. The only option was to find a way out of the cave as quickly as possible. Without a second thought, Logan and his remaining guardsman ran as quickly as their legs would carry them. He knew it was cowardly to flee from battle, but Logan did not want to die. He knew his two comrades felt the same, for they were running just as quickly as he was.

They eventually found themselves in a room lined with ominous looking statues. The statues were large and were depicted as hooded figures with large hammers. Logan knew that he had just led his remaining men into more danger.

"Why do you press on? Aren't you tired of fighting, of the cries of your needy, the screams of your dead?"

The creature finally appeared before them. Logan raised his pistol quickly and shot four consecutive shots at the beast, but it disappeared once more. Before any of the men could act, two shadows appeared behind them from a growing pool of sludge. With lightening speed, the shadows thrust their swords forward and into the backs of the last two soldiers. Blood splattered onto the floor as the swords broke through the men's chests. Both men fell to the floor and their bodies were quickly consumed by the black liquid. Logan did not have time to mourn his fallen guards…he was the only one left alive. He knew at any moment he would meet his end.

The inky liquid growing behind him suddenly began to move toward one of the statues. The shadows surrounding Logan backed away as though they were frightened of what was to come. The sludge traveled up the statue and slowly began to sink into it. The statue's eyes turned blood red, and Logan knew he was in trouble. He felt as though he were trapped in a nightmare that he could not wake himself from. Every possible moment just grew more and more terrifying. How could evil like this possibly exist?

"Are you thinking of your loved ones?" said the creature coldly. "Are you thinking about how you will never see them again?"

Logan readied himself as the statue began moving towards him.

He was prepared to die…

A/N: I really hope you all enjoy this, and again sorry it took so long. I really hope I can get my laptop fixed soon! Then I can start writing more often. I'll try to have chapter 6 up as asap. But, finals are coming up and I have a paper due soon as well. I'll see how it goes.

Please review!

(1): I was going to place a link here to show you what the ring looked like. But, for some reason I can't get it to work.

(2): In this story, the shields had not been placed yet.