Epilogue
She was sitting on the banks of the river, skipping stones across the gently flowing surface. She’d passed many hours on the riverbank in her childhood, watching the three suns chase each other across the sky.
How did I get here?she asked herself in confusion.The last thing I remember, I was in a strange land.
She stood up suddenly. “No. Oh, no! I fell asleep.”
Without warning, the sky around her darkened. She fled the riverbank, heading for the village that was her home. But she knew that no matter how fast she ran, he would find her.
I tried so hard not to fall asleep. The Vartik men had brought her home to their world, reminding her of her purpose as a Guardian of the twin children of light. On the third day, she’d begun nodding off. She’d tried everything not to succumb to sleep because she knew that he would be waiting.
Rushing through the village, she slammed her way into the cottage she called home. She scrambled up the stairs and into her room, flinging herself onto her bed. The room was dark, and she tried to turn on the lamp beside her bed, but it wouldn’t function.
There was a creak, and she turned her head, watching the closet where she’d kept her toys and games. Slowly, so slowly, the door crept open. She buried her face in her hands, terrified.
Through the cracks between her fingers, she saw the door open wide. A shadowy figure stepped out into the dimness of her room. He moved toward her bed, his yellow eyes glowing with a sinister light.
“You tried to escape me, didn’t you?” his voice rasped, and she felt like her heart would beat its way out of her chest. “But you will never escape me, little one. Not ever.”
The hands covering her eyes were shaking, cracking open to reveal a handsome face with even white teeth, two of which were pointed into fangs. He reached the bed and bent toward her, his smile wide.
“You belong to me.”
The End
