It was imperative they train me this way—I couldn’t read the thoughts of darklings, couldn’t use my Nous abilities as a crutch.
My body tensed as I heard the mud squelch under Barrett’s boots when he made the first move. I spun around to face him. His arm swung just above my head as I dodged his swing, and I slammed the hilt of my dagger into his gut. He grunted, stumbling back, and I prepped to defend my back for where Zephyr or Vincent would attack next.
A blood curdling scream assaulted my ears, and I whipped around.
Night descended around me, smoke burning my lungs as I gasped for air. The sounds of chaos and the roar of fire filled my ears. My chest heaved as a shroud of unfamiliarity fell, and I took in the strange surroundings. Burning buildings crumbled and screams pierced the night air as people ran in every direction, panic clear on their faces.
My throat went dry as darklings emerged from the shadows in droves. So many darklings... more than I’d ever seen. Their slender, pale bodies crouched low as they stalked their prey, hollow, sunken stomachs and exposed ribs silhouetted in the firelight. Shadowy black mist danced off their skin, slipping from their black hair that hung in tendrils around their faces.
It wasn’t the soulless black eyes or the terrible claws that could shred a person to pieces that terrified me. What frightened me the most were those jagged, razor-sharp teeth, skin ripping around them as their jaws spread from ear to ear, snapping and gnawing. Cursed to an eternity of endless hunger and greed, never satisfied, no matter how much blood they spilled, how many souls they devoured.
The fleeing civilians were defenseless against the demons hunting them, unable to fight back. Bile rose in my throat. I watched helplessly as they were slaughtered in the most brutal ways. I wanted to help them, but my body felt oddly weak, as if I’d used up all my energy, my knees quivering beneath my weight.
My braided blonde hair was a mess as it hung over my shoulder, my Elythian leather armor soaked through and stained with a mix of dirt, sweat, and blood—darkling blood. The oily substance stuck to me, the foul stench was enough to make my nose wrinkle. How many had I killed?
“Damien!” I searched the burning rubble around me, but there was no sign of him, no sign of the brothers of The Order.
I was alone.
The blood drained from my face when a child’s scream cut through the chaos. I twisted around, our eyes meeting as she ran toward me, as fast as her little legs could carry her. She was so small; she couldn’t have been older than four or five. Darklings pursued her, not far behind. Gods, they’d tear her apart. Their jaws snapped at her heels, and I ran forward at the sight of them closing in on her.
I reached out, grabbed her hand, and pulled her behind me as I drew my short sword from my side. My feet slid apart as I stabilized myself, and I took my stance as the darklings skidded to a halt, hissing and snapping at me as they maintained a cautious distance.
Her tiny hands gripped my armor as she shook in terror. Her voice was but a whisper of fear as she breathed my name. “Lady Elena, what’s gonna happen to us?”
My gaze tracked the darklings as they prowled around us, crouched on all fours, their black claws slicing into the dirt. “It’s going to be ok. Do you know where your parents are?”
She didn’t answer. The only sounds she uttered were sobs she struggled to hold back. She didn’t have to explain; her silence was enough to twist my gut. Her parents must have fallen protecting her, and my heart ached for the horrors she must have witnessed.
The air was molten, the smoke so thick that it was difficult to breathe. A cough broke from my throat, and I shielded my face from the immense heat pressing into my skin.
A nearby building collapsed, sending plumes of fire and embers into the air. We shrank away from it, but I jerked my sword in front of me the moment the darklings tried to advance.
I reached my free hand back to grip the child’s shoulder, holding her close as we side stepped. “Stay close to me. I’ll get you to safety.”
It was easier said than done, though. I searched for any means of escape. How would I get her to safety? I didn’t even know where safety was. Were there any buildings left standing? How far had they reached? Had the fort fallen to the darklings’ attack?
Had Moonhaven, the home I’d known for so many years... fallen? This couldn’t be the end. I refused to accept it without a fight.
The hair stood up on the back of my neck as the sound of the darklings’ clicks echoed from the darkness behind us. It was faint, but enough to alert me of what was stalking us, and I jerked my gaze over my shoulder. We were surrounded, with no way out. My mind raced, knowing what the outcome would be.
Not her. Not like this.
No matter what, I needed to give this child a chance to escape, to get to safety. She needed to live, no matter the cost. I whipped around, crouching before her, my hands bracing on her small shoulders. “You’re going to run. Run as fast as you can. Find Lord Damien. He will protect you.”
Her pale eyes widened. “What about you, Lady Elena?”
“I’m going to draw their attention. As soon as I give you the signal, you run. Run like you’ve never run,mikros.” I kissed her forehead and stood, turning from her as I gripped the hilt of my sword, eyes following the movements of the darklings prowling around us.
“I can’t leave you, Lady Elena,” she whimpered.
“I’ll be right behind you, as soon as I finish these off.” The lie was like ash on my tongue, but she needed hope. I forced a smile as I gestured to her. “Hide,mikros. Wait for my signal.”
Her hesitation was almost tangible as her tiny, quivering hands gripped my sleeve, but she released me. I tracked her out of the corner of my eye as she stepped back cautiously, hiding amidst the rubble of a cart that hadn’t yet caught fire. It became clear the darklings were not interested in her, their abysmal eyes settling on me. They’d never acted this way, had never acted in cooperation with each other. What had changed?
Their foul stench burned my nose as more surrounded me. I cursed under my breath. I was cut off from her.
My gaze drifted over them, counting thirteen, but the number continued to grow as others emerged from the shadows. I knew more lurked, hidden from view by the burning rubble. More would continue to come with each passing second.
