Into the Dark (Light Chaser Book 2)

by J B Cantwell

  "We have to go!" Kaelin yelled.

  I looked around and realized that the entire cave was lit by my knives and the others who had wands. Suddenly, I panicked. I didn't see Connell's staff. It should’ve been even brighter than my knives, but it was absent.

  A horrible realization overtook me.

  "He's out there!" I shouted. "Connell!"

  "We don't have time! We have to move if we want to survive!"

  "No!"

  The rocks began to shift, and I saw the first of the Wicks as they bashed their way through the stones. I sliced at them, hoping that my magic would outweigh their own.

  "We have to leave him!” Kaelin yelled.

  I ignored him, and I stepped closer to the barrier I’d created. The only way for me to get to Connell was to break through it; that would give him a chance to get inside, and I could seal off the opening after.

  When the Wicks started to back off, I approached the wall of boulders and began to climb. But it was only moments before more of them appeared, and I felt Kaelin's giant hands on my back as he lifted me away.

  "There’s no one else!" he yelled. "The others have already fled!"

  "What?"

  Disappointment and fear wrestled within me. How could they have left? I looked back up at the wall, at the Wicks who were starting to make their way through the crevices.

  Somewhere on the other side of that wall, Connell was fighting for his life. I couldn't leave him like the others had left me. I wondered where they were. Probably down deep somewhere already, running away from the battle.

  Then, out of nowhere, Duna appeared, raising her wand and blasting the wicks one by one.

  I wanted to cry out with joy, but instead, I swallowed the lump in my throat, grateful for her help.

  "We have to get to him!" I yelled. But soon, I heard the cry of a Howler, and my blood went cold. Though I hoped beyond hope that Connell would be able to make his way through, nobody came.

  Duna raised her wand and sealed off the wall for good.

  "No!" I yelled. But it was too late. We were safe, and Connell, if he wasn't dead already, would soon be.

  Not for the first time that night, I felt the hands of giants, of great arms encircling me, forcing me to flee. But all it took for me to escape those arms was to lay my hands upon them and burn whomever they belonged to.

  I heard Kaelin shout into my ear, and I knew it was him I had injured. I jumped down from him and ran back to the wall, knives out. If I couldn't get Connell back, I’d be forced to fight every battle alone.

  You won't be alone.

  Wouldn't I be? My supposed army had already deserted me, leaving only Duna and Kaelin to help secure our escape. I wondered how far away they were, whether they had continued running, or if perhaps they were waiting for us on the other side of the rock face.

  I made another attempt to bash through the walls, but it was pointless. Duna turned out to be more powerful than I could've imagined. Amid the noise, she knelt before me and put her hands on my shoulders.

  "He's gone," she said into my ear, and her voice was calm and soft, an attempt to heal not just my body but my soul. "We have to go."

  I slumped, suddenly unwilling to do anything but crumble into a crying mess.

  This time when I felt hands around my waist, I didn’t fight them. Duna carried me to the back of the cave where I was relieved to find the entire village waiting for us.

  At least there was that.

  Duna put me on my feet, carefully helping me stand upright and away from the edge of the path.

  The light from my knives was enough for all of us to see the cave around us. The path was surrounded by great precipices, and while it was easily wide enough for me, it would be harder for the giants to cross.

  I fell to my knees, letting my knives clatter upon the stone.

  Tosia quickly knelt down, catching one of them just before it fell over the side. They’d gone black as they'd fallen away from my hands, but with her touch, they glowed again. She took them and put them into her belt, looking at me tentatively.

  "Are you okay?" she asked.

  I couldn't answer; my throat felt constricted. It couldn't be real. This couldn't be happening. After all he'd gone through, everything he'd done to snatch back his magic from one of Torin's sons, now it was all lost.

  "Can you walk?" she asked.

  I looked up at her, tears in my eyes, and I realized the significance of the fact that I hadn't been abandoned by the tribe as I’d thought. They were frightened, yes, but they had waited, too.

  Yes. I could walk.

  I stood up and held out my hands for the knives. She looked at me sideways for a moment as if she were trying to decide whether or not to trust me. In the end, she retrieved them from her belt, handing them back to me.

  There was no time to wait. I looked over and saw Kaelin; he was gripping his arm in pain, and I realized it was the wound I, myself, had caused him.

  "Duna?” I searched around, but I didn't see her. "Where is she?"

  There wasn't much room on the ledge, but I was able to sneak through the giants' great bodies, and soon enough, I came to her.

  It wasn’t good news. She sat back against the ledge, gripping her hand close to her chest.

  "What happened?" I asked urgently, but I already knew.

  Creeper.

  Immediately I put my hands on hers. She snatched it away.

  "Let me have it," I insisted. I held up my hands until she finally let go, her hand shaking as she put it into mine. Just the effort of moving it seemed to cause her unbearable pain. I supposed that life in the village was relatively quiet, aside from hiding from the Howlers. Dangerous wounds like these were not usually seen. And I was willing to bet that she, herself, would've been the one called to heal it.

  And now?

  She only had me.

  I had to be careful. I couldn't let her have all my magic, couldn't let myself come close to death. Not again. Though, I supposed a giant could carry me for part of the journey without thinking much of it at all. This eased my mind, and, holding her hand in mine, I let my healing energy burst forth until it was coursing through her. I sat with her for several long moments, waiting, hoping. Gradually, the wound began to close.

  "You have to stop," she said through her tears. "You know you do."

  I shook my head.

  "Have Kaelin carry me." I continued to fill her with healing magic, drawing out the venom and replacing it with the type of light only a sorcerer could conjure. Without Duna, we’d be lost.

  Not for the first time that night, I felt myself slipping away. This was okay with me; it meant I got to hear the voices, voices of those both living and dead.

  A lullaby.

  Chapter 21

  Daylight.

  He was watching me with those violet eyes. Eyes like mine.

  Torin.

  I don't know how I knew it was him. Maybe it was because he seemed so friendly. But his smile was full of jagged teeth that looked like they’d been filed down until his whole mouth was full of fangs.

  And yet his eyes smiled, and I didn't see malice there.

  I was confused. Where were the others?

  He walked up to me and held out his hand. It was then that I realized I was sprawled across the grass, the same grass I had dreamt of so often, though usually there was an army around me.

  Not this time. Torin didn't need an army. He was enough all by himself.

  But was that true? If it was, then why bother creating the Wicks? The Howlers? The Creepers?

  No. I wouldn't touch his hand, not out of fear, but out of revulsion. I climbed to my feet, careful to keep my eyes upon him, but he didn't advance on me. Instead, he took a couple of steps back, allowing me space without the threat of attack.

  "What do you want with me?" I asked once I was on my feet. I felt for my knives, but my belt was empty.

  "Looking for these?"

  He held them up, then tossed them to me, I thi
nk to show his strength, to show he didn't need weapons to defeat me. I didn't catch them, and they fell to the ground.

  Maybe I didn't need weapons, either.

  He smiled again, flashing those teeth. They were the only weapons he needed, at least if he intended to devour me. I wouldn't have put it past him to consume his enemies, disgusting as that may be.

  "I'm here to ask you something," he said. "Now, hear me out before you make your decision. I will only ask this question once."

  I looked around, hoping to find someone, anyone, who might be on my side. But there was nobody—just me. I turned back to him, scowling. Something told me whatever was about to come out of his mouth was going to be something I didn't want to hear.

  He tilted his head back, opening his mouth, and from it, a huge bolt of power sprang up into the sky as though he were a dragon breathing flame. Then, as quickly as it had appeared, it vanished. His gaze fell upon me again.

  "You see what I can do," he said. "I daresay you are already familiar with my powers. Perhaps not directly, as I must preserve my strength, but those who follow me have also been following you. Yet, I don't think they are intent on killing you. That's the funny thing about Creepers and Wicks; they do have a certain amount of self-control. My relationship with them, while irritating, serves us both. But they sometimes have their own ideas."

  "You mean you don't possess them?" I couldn't help but ask the question. Now that I had him in front of me, I wanted to know everything.

  "Oh, child, I am well beyond the need to possess people or beasts," he said. "They ally with me on their own. My gifts can be… valuable. But let's not get off the subject. I'm not here to talk about those who serve me; I am here to talk about you."

  After the fire that had come from his mouth only moments before, tiny wisps of smoke escaped through his pointed nose.

  "You are powerful, are you not?" he asked.

  Suddenly, I felt inadequate. I’d let my weapons tumble to the ground like a fool.

  "I don't know that I am so powerful," I said.

  "And yet you are in possession of my book. I daresay you have seen it, perhaps even studied it. Now tell me, whose name lies within?”

  I took a couple of steps backward. Here I was, trying to lead an army to defeat him. But no army was with me now.

  "You are wild," he said. "Untrained. What could a little child like you possibly do to hurt me?"

  At this I bristled. I was starting to get mad. Yes, my magic was wild, and I was, in fact, mostly untrained. Still, I kept my eyes on those teeth as he spit forth his thoughts.

  Don't lose focus.

  "I've considered many things with regards to you," he said. “Punishments for your thievery of my book. There are all the usual suspects. A dungeon. Starvation. Torture. And yes, though I don't do it much anymore, possession. But with all of those options, I found I fell short. You wouldn't die, probably no matter what I did to you. A dungeon you could escape. Starvation you could prevent if you knew the right spells. Torture, well, I'm guessing you would be quite a handful to torture, and I don't think I would get very far that way.

  "So you see, my options are slim. And so we come to my final question: will you join me?"

  I might've been surprised by this question, but I wasn't. Somehow I'd known that he would try to sway me to his side. It was his only choice if he wanted to evade war.

  "I can see you thinking," he said. "But I suggest you don't attack me just yet. Please think about your answer. Take all the time you need. But understand this: you have spent many long years fighting to use your magic. People from all walks of life are frightened of you, and with good reason. Fire magic is not to be trifled with, at least not by the common man. With me, you can use your power indefinitely. You will not find that back in Eagleview."

  He paused, searching his robes for something, then held out his hand and a vial of red Light. It was the same type that Donovan had used against us in the Wild Lands. The same type that had killed Malcolm.

  "I won't," I said softly.

  "What was that?" he asked. He walked closer, then reached for my hand and placed the vial within it with his cold fingers.

  I recoiled. "I said I won't. I won't join you. You'll just have to wait until we meet on the battlefield." I threw the vial on the ground and took a few steps back.

  He grimaced, but maybe he wasn't as surprised by my answer as he was pretending to be. I could only guess what he’d do next, but I knew whatever it was, it would be painful.

  I turned and ran, leaving my knives behind, leaving my enemy behind. I looked back, trying to see if he was following me. But as my eyes fell on the field, I found it was now empty.

  Suddenly, I felt exhausted. I turned to continue running, certain that he was back there somewhere. Soon, though, the effort of running was too much for me. The world felt weighted, impossible to traverse, and it was only moments longer before I hit the ground, my body stuck to the earth as if it were a magnet upon metal.

  I rolled over, looking, waiting. I tried to sit up, to catch a glimpse of him, to prepare to fight him. But when I looked around at the tall blades of green grass, I found I was alone.

  He had disappeared.

  The weight of the dream followed me into waking, and I found myself in Kaelin's arms. When I turned my head to see the path ahead of us, I realized just how much danger we were in.

  There were no Wicks, no Creepers, but there was a long, slim path that led us through the heart of the mountain. If it were not for his balance and his strength in holding me, I felt certain he would fall. Giants didn't live forever, not when killed.

  I opened my mouth. "I'm sorry about your arm," I croaked.

  "That's okay," he said. "Duna will fix me up when we get somewhere safe."

  "But why are you carrying me? Why couldn't another, someone uninjured…"

  "I'm a traveler. I've been inside these caves before. The others, they struggle to make their way across these difficult paths, but I’m used to them. So I thought it best that I be the one to carry you."

  "So we escaped?" I asked. And then I remembered. "Connell?"

  "Trapped."

  I buried my face in his chest, too weak to cry and too broken to think about what might come next. I imagined Connell on the other side of that wall, still worried about his magic, unsure of himself and his abilities. Certainly, the enemy would figure this out and use it to their advantage.

  He must be dead by now.

  The memory of the dream came back, and it made me wonder if it had been a dream or an actual meeting. A vision. Was the Torin I had met, in fact, the real man, himself? If one could call him a man. Had what he'd said been true? That he didn't possess his enemies any longer? It was hard to imagine, though it was possible he’d been telling me the truth. If so, Connell wasn't just fighting Torin, but he was also fighting beasts who had minds of their own. Inherently evil beasts. Possibly, they had been created by Torin, but they also had minds of their own. I imagined them, bloodthirsty, terrible. I thought of Connell fighting them all by himself, his magic slipping away.

  "I want to go back," I said pathetically. "He can't do it on his own."

  Kaelin's arms tightened around me, preparing for me to struggle. But I knew something he didn't, and that was that there was no way I would've been able to struggle even if I tried.

  I laid my head back and looked up at the ceiling of the cave above. It was lit up by Duna's wand, beautiful in a way. With the light exposing its hidden features, I could understand why people had wanted to live in this place. Maybe not inside, but alongside the mountains. What I didn't understand was why the giants had stayed for so long. Home was important. But a home that's been destroyed?

  Maybe that was what had happened to Arte. He wasn't able to rip himself away from his home, and so he lived his life in sadness and always in the dark.

  I felt myself drift away in Kaelin's strong arms, his movements like a swaying ship. I would rest, but only for a little while.
>
  As the hours went by, I faded in and out of consciousness. Each time I opened my eyes, I saw the line of Kaelin's jaw, felt the strength of his arms as he held me fast. I needed to wake up. I knew this, but I just couldn't do it.

  Connell. Gone.

  I couldn't take it.

  Someone was spooning something into my mouth, and I was confused. A moment later, I opened my eyes and recognized it as gyvu.

  "Ah, there she is again." It was Duna who held the spoon, and Tosia stood behind her, looking at me anxiously. Her face broke into a smile as she realized my eyes were open once more.

  "How long?"

  "A day," Tosia said. "We're just getting to the center of the mountain now. We should be there within an hour. At least that's what Kaelin says."

  "Kaelin. Is he okay?"

  "Yeah, he'll survive," Duna said.

  "Where is he?"

  "He's off scouting," Tosia said. "Whenever we stop, he and some of the other giants spread out to keep the rest of us safe."

  He was taking care of so many, myself included.

  "Has anybody slept?" I asked.

  "Not really," Tosia said. "I mean, we've tried to, but I don't think many have actually drifted off. But forget that now. You've had your jaws clenched shut this entire time. We tried to force-feed you Light, but you kept spitting it out. Take some now."

  She pulled out a small vial from her robes. I took it from her with a shaking hand, double-checked that it was, in fact, blue, and put it to my lips, draining it. Soon I was sitting up, feeling the healing power pulsing through my body. I shook my head, trying to forget the dream I'd had. It was still with me as if I'd just awakened from it. I understood why my jaws had been clenched shut as I remembered the exchange with Torin.

  The red Light, poison to all. And he had offered it to me. Why? As some sort of prize?

  I stood up and brushed myself off. Tosia handed me my pack, and I strapped it onto my back.