by K. Lew
Epilogue: The End is Nigh
It was early in the morning and the sun was only beginning to rise. A small, diminutive figure walked the nearly empty streets of the fruit market. He was wearing a black mad hatter to match his black suit that was worse of wear. His large, light brown eyes were empty, void of any emotion. His long curved mustache was sticking out in every direction. Only a few fruit vendors were setting up their carts for the long day ahead of them. Lombras tipped his black mad hatter at a fruit vendor who called his name as Lombras walked passed him. Lombras walked through the city square where he passed many granite benches. Lombras walked past the red marble platform where the city guards performed public beheadings on prisoners. Lombras slowed down as the sight of black glass building came to view. He stopped at the front of what used to be his auction house. He saw that someone removed the sign where it used to read: “Au Revre.” There were many yellow tapes covering over the main door. Lombras thought back on that fateful night when he found that unconscious man. It was too late to save him. By the time the Chemlord came, the unconscious man stopped breathing and didn’t have a pulse. When several, unsuccessful attempts to resuscitate him failed, the Chemlord declared the man to be dead. When Lombras tried to bring up the man’s weird wound, the Chemlord brushed him off. Twenty minutes later, a platoon of guards in white chainmail arrived and closed the auction house off. A guard in chainmail informed the people that man died from heart failure. The next day when Lombras went back to his auction house, he found yellow tapes covering the main door. A guard with white chainmail, who was standing outside, stopped him from entering his own business. When he asked why, the guard with white chainmail told this establishment now belonged to the Chemlam. When Lombras heard that, he almost threw himself into the sea. But Lila saved him. Ever since then, Lila took care of him in her small apartment. It was a far cry from his previous life, but he managed. But what hurt deeply was that they took the place that he built and worked into one of the most respected establishment in the city. Every morning he would take long walks to his old place and every night, he would have the same nightmares over and over again.
“Lombras, come home.” He ignored the unpleasant voice that only he could hear and continued walking. Lila told him the voices that only he could hear was his subconscious voice reaching out for him. He even went to the hospital and the Chemlord explained to him that sometimes when something you hold precious to your heart is taken from you, some people lose their mind. In other words, the Chemlord thought he was crazy. But deep down inside, he knew the Chemlam and the Council was trying to hide something from the people. And only he knew. Only he knew the truth and everyone else thought that he has gone mad over losing his beloved auction house. He will show them all. The unpleasant voice came back again. “Lombras, why did you let someone take me? Why?” The Chemlam ruined his life and he was going to get his revenge one way or another. The unpleasant voice spoke. “You a loser and a nobody.” Finally Lombras had it with the voice. Lombras shouted at the top of his lungs. “Shut up! Shut up or I will kill you!” Lombras tore his black mad hatter off his head. Lombras heard one of fruit vendors yelling. “Go find his wet nurse, that man is having one of those crazy fits again.” Lombras pulled at his hair, screaming and cursing. “I will kill you!” Suddenly a hand grabbed him from behind and picked him up as if he was a toy. Then Lombras felt himself being carried away. Lombras closed his eyes and waited for the nightmare to be over. Finally Lombras was placed gently down onto the floor. Then Lombras felt a something featherweight settle down onto the top of his head. Lombras reached for the top of his head and felt his black mad hatter. Lombras opened his eyes. He was in a dark alley, sandwiched between two brick buildings. There was barbed wire fence behind the tall man. The tall man towered over him, watching and observing him. The tall man was well over seven feet tall, a giant among men. A silver mask covered his face. The mask had two small holes where his dark piercing eyes stared back. There was a small molded nose with two smaller holes for his nostrils and molded mouth that curved upwards at either end into a smile. He wore a black suit with a strap across his chest that held a black umbrella sheath hanging by his side. Lombras shouted. “Who are you?” The man replied in a monotone. “My name is of no importance. What I can do is take care of your problem.” Lombras looked at him curiously. What did he say? Helios spoke again. “I was there that night when you lost your auction house. What happened to you is unfortunate, but it confirmed me of what was going to come next. That night that man died, he died not of a heart failure. He was attacked and killed by creatures of the night.”
Lombras spoke. “I know. But no one will listen to me. They won’t listen to me because they all think I’m crazy.”
Helios spoke. “I know because I myself am not quite human.” When Lombras heard that, he moved back. Lombras yelled. “Get away from me. I swear to all the Light Gods, get away from me, you abomination.” Helios moved back and held his hands out.
Helios spoke. “Listen, I don’t mean you harm. I have a proposition for you. You can accept or you can walk away. It is your choice.”
Lombras gave a small nod. Helios spoke. “My offer is simple. Help me reveal the monsters of the dark to the people and in return, I promise I will get your auction house back to you.”
Lombras spoke. “Why would you do that?”
Helios replied. “The blood running in my veins comes from the blood of Troshi raiders and humans. I can smell them, the creatures of the night. Some have already infested this city. But when they all come, night will fall on this city forever.”
Lombras spoke. “Okay, I agree to your terms.”
Lombras paused before speaking. “But how? If we raise our voice, we will both end up in the dungeon or worse, dead.”
Helios spoke. “Does this mean you are accepting my offer?”
Lombras replied. “Yes. But I can only see one way through this and we both die. Or we are sent to the dungeon to rot. Then how will you get back my auction house?”
Helios spoke. “There is another way, a journey to the heart of their homeland. I will warn you that if you do accept, I can not guarantee your safety.”
Lombras nodded and spoke. “I agree to the terms of your offer.” Lombras walked towards Helios and shook his hand. Helios spoke. “I will contact you later. I know where you live.”
Lombras spoke. “Wait. Before you go, tell me that this city can still be saved.”
Helios replied. “The end draws nigh for all of us. Nothing is certain except for death.”
Lombras was about to speak before closing his mouth. At this point he was grasping at straws. Lombras watched as Helios leaped over the barbed wire fence and took off running. My luck is starting to change. Then the unpleasant voice in his head spoke. “You will fail.”
Lombras replied. “Shut up. You are just a figment of my imagination.” And for once, the unpleasant voice did not have a clever response.
End of Book 1
Thank you for taking the time to read and purchasing this book. Your comments and feedbacks are greatly appreciated and I will do my best to read and answer each one. You can reach me by email: mailto:[email protected]. I will be posting updates on the Light Unknown Book 2 in my blog: https://klew22dotcom.wordpress.com/. I want to thank you all again for reading.
