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“Farewell. May we meet again one day.” I move back, waiting for the inevitable. A minute passes before the man’s body begins the final stages of life. His body begins to shudder and shake before it lifts into the air like a weightless feather floating softly. Small shimmers begin to cover his whole body, turning it into a constellation of twinkling stars. They hover there for a moment before bursting high up into the sky and dissolving into sparkling dust.
“May the light guide you, the darkness lead you, and the night welcome you a safe passage home.”
I look down at my hand, seeing or feeling nothing unusual and wondering if I should be worried of any lingering effects.
A rattle startles me out of my somber mood, back to the present. Pulling my hood back in place, I check around for any prying eyes.
Finding no one but the unconscious Caligo guards, I join the darkness once more.
CHAPTER 5
After last night’s encounter with the strange orb, I inspect my body in the small mirror beside my bed, looking for anything out of the ordinary. After a few minutes of not finding anything unusual, I look inward, exploring my powers.
The cool, dark tendrils of my shadows bend and curl inside me, trying to reach out to my surroundings. I pull them back, turning to the light. Its warm glow flickers, a deceiving ember ready to ignite and burn like wildfire. I push it down, glancing back at my hand, thinking it will hold an answer.
What did the Sidus man mean about protecting the orb, and from who, the guards?
If he didn’t want it to fall into the wrong hands, why then pass it to a stranger? One who might very well have destroyed it merely by touch. And if by some miracle it still exists, hidden somewhere deep within, how will I go about accessing and releasing it? I don’t need the added complication to my already precarious abilities, but if it is inside me, I need to remove it in case it causes havoc.
Another thing to worry about but something that will have to wait for now.
Quickly changing into my dark clothes and long boots and strapping my daggers to my side, I throw on my hooded cloak before heading out, shadowing through the void to a building near the edges of the Sidus town.
It doesn’t take me long to find them, even in the darkness of night.
Ryuu, my mother, and their close friends and allies Theon and Warrick are spread out among the small bushes and trees that sit before the forest-covered wall and shield.
Silently, they all watch and wait.
Theon is about the same height as Ryuu, his thin frame and build a deception many would look upon as weak. I would have assumed the same had I not seen him fight with such raw power and strength. Warrick is a half a head shorter than him, though his build is much bulkier and strong. I’ve seen him take out a man with one punch.
As if sensing the incoming creature, my mother shoots forward, Ryuu a half a second behind her, as they rush toward the wisps of dark creatures forming.
My eyes widen as I watch five—no, six—dark creatures nearly fully form. Twice as quickly as they did the other night with me.
It seems not only are they growing in numbers but strength too.
My mother attacks the nearest creature in swift, sharp movements while Ryuu covers her with brutal attacks only meant to kill. Theon and Warrick come up behind them to attack the two rushing toward them.
But unlike any other dark creatures I’ve seen, these seem to fight with a purpose. Their movements aren’t as sloppy, and they look to one another every now and again as if they can communicate with one another.
It is as if they are starting to grow an awareness of themselves and their surroundings.
My theory seems to be proven when a dark creature that stayed at the back of the group moves forward and, in the blink of an eye, attacks with purpose. Its movements mimic Ryuu’s brutal attack as it attempts to claw down Theon’s back.
A light flashes from the corner of my eye; it’s there and gone before I know it. But my attention is quickly brought to the flicker of shadows growing in the darkness, the others unaware of it as they still fight the dark creatures around them.
Without a second thought, I’m on my feet, swiftly moving toward my mother and Ryuu just as a half dozen more dark creatures show up.
Still too far away, I reach down and grab one of my daggers on my thigh to fling it forward. It lands directly in the center of a creature’s head and quickly brings my presence to the attention of the others.
Ryuu’s head whips in my direction, his eyes narrowing as he gives me a sharp look but says no more, continuing to fight as the dark creatures surround them all.
Once I’m close enough, I attack the dark creatures, my blades slicing through their limbs easily.
“Keep one alive,” my mother shouts over to me.
I frown but do as she says, helping them until there’s all but one creature left. Stabbing my long blade into its strange clawed foot, I pin it to the ground as Ryuu comes up beside me and whips out chains. Theon walks up beside him and shakes off his dark robe.
