Dark Light

by Bernard, Bonnie; Ellery, Stefan; Hansen, John; Browning, Amanda R. ; Thomas, S. J. ; Barrett, Ruth; Sharpe, Dennis; Parker, Megan J. ; Purdy, Alexia

  “But isn’t a member of our family supposed to be the protector that rises up out of the volcano? If we are good people then why would our souls be in the volcano?” Gretah asked worry showing in her innocent green eyes.

  “Gretah,” Tanya said as she turned on her side to look at her sister’s innocent face. “The person who is to be the protector must be a good person of our line. That is what the promise says but, they must go into the volcano while they are still alive.” She said trying not to let the doubt show in her voice. Tanya just didn’t know what she believed in anymore.

  “Well that would hurt!” Gretah said her green eyes big with wonder. “What is the protector anyway?”

  “I don’t know the last protector was about two hundred years ago, all the priests know is that it is some kind of fire beast.” Tanya answered her sister and then lay back on the grass hoping that her sister had run out of questions.

  “But Tanya…” Gretah started to ask but stopped and the two of them simultaneously turned to the sound of a struggle.

  “Wraith,” Tanya said with fear in her eyes. “Run back to the house and tell Uncle!”

  “But what about you?” Gretah said with tears of dread filling her eyes.

  “I have to help him.” she said desperately. Not really knowing what she could do but feeling that she couldn’t leave this man to be killed by the wraith. “Come on.”

  Tanya jumped up grabbing her sister’s hand and ran to the site of the struggle. Not sure what to do she let go of her sisters hand, gave her a shove toward the house and yelled “Run get Uncle”

  Tanya jumped on the beast and wrapped her arms around it pinning its wings to its back and screamed, “Gretah run!”

  The wraith was only momentarily surprised by Tanya jumping on its back, but recovered quickly as it cast the broken body of the guard aside. The creature then heaved and pushed its bat like wings out shoving Tanya off causing her to fall back wards hitting a tree.

  “What have we here?” The wraiths voice grumbled low in its large chest as it turned to look at Gretah who stood still paralyzed with fear. “Green eyes, I thought my mistress got rid of your family already.”

  “No, leave her alone.” Tanya said weakly as she tried to hang on to conscious thought. “FireLords!” She cried out to the Gods as she lost her fight to stay conscious, but instead of darkness taking her thoughts she saw brilliant green and yellow flames behind her eyes.

  “Touch the flames child.” Was the command of a multitude of high and low voices. “You called to us and we have answered.”

  “Help me save her,” Tanya begged. “Gretah is the last of the green eyes.”

  “Have faith child, take the flaming vengeance.”

  Tanya hesitated only for a moment then reached out to the flames desperate for anything that might help save her sister.

  The searing pain of the fire licked her fingers as the heat absorbed into her hands then spread to her whole being. The burning pain jarred her back into consciousness.

  Tanya lay on her stomach next to the tree with her arms reaching out in front of her but was startled at the sight of yellow and green flames emanating from her hands. Without any further thought she got quickly to her feet and jumped once again on the beast that was now attacking her little sister. “Get your hands off my sister.” Tanya commanded as she wrapped her arms around the wraith and planted her flaming hands on its large chest.

  Tanya quickly let go as she felt the wraith fall to its knees squealing in pain. The yellow-green fire consumed the wraith, then it quickly collapsed into ashes as the flames finished its judgment on the evil creature.

  “Gretah!” Tanya cried once the wraith was out of the way.

  Tanya scrambled to her sisters side and reached out for her sisters still form but quickly with-drew her hands seeing that they still had flames skimming around her fingers. “Stop it.” She cried and oddly the fire obeyed her and retreaded to her hands then deeper into her body.

  She carefully reached down and gathered her small sister’s broken body into her arms. “Hang on baby girl. I will take you to Uncle, hang on.”

  Gretah began to heave, coughing blood onto her lips. “Your eyes.” She gasped as the light that was in her own eyes went out.

  Chapter 3

  Tanya came home carrying her sister’s body. The entire royal household exploded in upheaval with the death of the duchess as well as the death of the loyal guard. No one noticed the change in Tanya’s eyes, nor the fact that she quietly slipped away and locked herself in her room for the full night and all the next day.

  The young duchess sat huddled in a corner of her room crying. “I should have died, I am not the one. I have brown eyes.” She wept.

  Standing on shaky legs Tanya went to the mirror afraid to see the truth the image would show her and yet she was compelled to look anyway. She gazed into the lovely dark wood framed mirror that hung on the wall above the matching dresser. She saw her heart shaped face, the same long dark hair but her eyes, they were not her eyes. Instead of the dark brown like her mother had she saw eyes that were a flaming green.

  Tanya looked down at her gloved hands, scared of the flames that she knew would flicker on her fingertips. Even though she knew what was under the gloves she stripped them off anyway dropping them on the dresser. She held her hands that were flickering softly green and yellow up by her face further illuminating her now green eyes.

  Hot tears began to fall from her eyes again. When she saw the image in the mirror, all she could think of was how much she looked like her younger sister.

  “I am not the one, it should have been her.” She yelled at her reflection. “I should have been the one to die!” She screamed to her image.

  The green flames in her hand began to grow in reaction to the pain in her heart. “No more.” She cried and curled up her fire-shrouded fist and smashed it into the mirror, but instead of the mirror shattering, the glass warped and melted from the heat in her fist.

  Tanya pulled her hands toward her body in shock at how powerful the flaming vengeance was. “Please stop.” She begged the flames but this time the large flames did not respond. Still looking down at her hands that were flickering green she saw her long glossy hair that hung down over her shoulder and could not help but think about how much it looked like Gretah’s and her mother’s hair.

  She could no longer stand the sight of it. Her flaming green hands shook and she reached up and grabbed the dark locks instantly setting her hair on fire. Tanya closed her eyes as her hot tears evaporated on her face while the green and yellow flames quickly burned off her hair.

  Tanya knew what she needed to do, even though she didn’t understand why the Gods gave her the flaming vengeance. She had to kill the creatures that took her family and took the chances that this planet had for the protector.

  Without looking up at the warped mirror she took her gloves from the dresser top and put them back on commanding the flames to stay safely hidden under the layer of dark leather. She reached up with her gloved hand and started to pull off the silver and gold weaved necklace that marked her as a member of the royal family but stopped, instead she brushed the ashes of her once lovely hair from her now balled head. She pulled a hooded cloak on then packed a small knapsack with the essential things she would need on her quest.

  Tanya looked to the shuttered window as she thought about how she was going to leave her uncle’s house unseen, but a sharp knock at her door shook her out of her thoughts.

  “Tanya,” call Queen Drea from the other side of the door. “Please open the door my dear. It is almost time for your sister’s pyre service.”

  Tanya could not bear the thought of going to the traditional pyre service. To see her sisters body burned so her soul could be lifted up to the particle rings with the smoke, made her feel sick.

  Without a word Tanya pulled the hood of the cloak low down over her face not just hiding her lack of hair but the green fire that burned in her eyes. She quickly unlock
ed the door and yanked it open keeping her head low. “I am not going to the service Aunt Drea.” She declared as she tried to push past her adoptive aunt.

  “What are you doing?” The queen asked blocking her way. “Why are you dressed in travel clothing and not mourning clothes?”

  “Because I’m not going to Gretah’s service” She said with a determined sound in her voice. “I am leaving.”

  “Leaving? Leaving where?” Drea said with panic in her voice. “You can’t go. The wraith is out there and they still want to kill you.”

  “That is why I am leaving Aunt Drea.” Tanya said looking up into her aunt’s lovely face. She always thought that the queen and her mother could have been sisters. She had the same big dark eyes and the sweet freckles that were sprinkled across her nose like nutmeg.

  “Tanya your eyes!” Drea gasped.

  “I have to go.” Tanya said as she hurriedly looked down and forcefully pushed passed her adoptive aunt.

  “Tanya wait, your eyes are green. Does this mean that the fire gods chose you to be the protector?” The queen pursued her down the hallway as she headed to the busy main staircase.

  “No it doesn’t” Tanya said as she quickly descended the stairs. “The one who should have been the protector is dead.”

  “Tanya wait you can’t leave.” Her aunt gasped as she hurried down the stairs toward the front door. “Austin, come here quick Tanya is leaving.” The queen called when she spotted her husband by the door.

  “You are not leaving young lady. You are a duchess in my household. It is your duty to be at your sister’s pyre service.” The king firmly told her trying to block her path.

  Tanya lifted her now glowing green eyes to his and could see shock when he saw the new color that blazed powerfully in her eyes. “Uncle I don’t know why the gods have given me the flaming vengeance. In spite of the way my eyes look now I am not the protector, but I will do whatever it take to be sure that you and your family are safe. Even if that means I have to leave you.” She said as she reached past the stunned king and opened the door. She quickly left the people who had become her family.

  After closing the door firmly behind her she quickly removed the glove from her right hand and placed her palm on the wooden door. She surrendered to the flames in her body but at the same time controlled the flow of it to her hand and released it gently on the door. “No wraith will ever enter here.” She said as the green flames quickly spread over the large home like a protective green shield.

  Tanya took her hand off the door, turned and walked way without looking back. Leaving a measure of protection on the home as well as a swirling green mark on the door where her hand had been.

  Chapter 4

  Tanya stalked another wraith. This time it was an ugly and fierce female. She knew that she was close. She could smell the wraiths repulsive odor above the usual smells of the city that she now lived in. “If you could call it living.” She thought.

  She still had plenty of money left that she had brought with her from the kings home, but she could never stay in one place for too long if she hoped to kill the wraith without getting killed herself. Tanya lifted her sleeve and saw many the scars on her arm. She wasn’t angry that the wraith had given her those scars. In fact she smiled when she saw them on her arms, because she knew that the many wraiths that gave those healed wounds were now dead. She knew that she probably would get another one today but she didn’t care, she knew that she was going to kill another wraith female tonight. The males were good to kill but it was the females that could produce thousands of eggs that would turn into a killing horde in a short period of time. So taking one of them out made her smile.

  Tanya listened closely to the quiet city street with ears that had been sharpened by the power of the flaming vengeance. At first she didn’t hear much of anything, just water dripping and the soft scampering sound of rodents.

  She strained harder and then she heard it, the deep huffing sound of a wraith looking around for the next human to make as its meal.

  “Oh, no you don’t.” She silently thought as she moved quickly through the streets toward the sound, but another startling sound hit her.

  “Looking for a fight, stinking she wraith?” Yelled a strong male voice.

  “No I am looking for a tasty human snack, but you will do.” The wraith growled at him.

  “Well come get me if you can.” He taunted the beast just as Tanya rounded the corner of a building and entered the ally that the sound of the confrontation was coming from.

  Tanya saw two very different creatures preparing for a vicious fight. The one that she expected to see was the ugly grey skinned female wraith. The other was a beautiful dark haired, dark eyed, young human man.

  She saw the female wraith pounce at the young man and felt her heart leap in fear, sure that she would see him killed, but he dodged with cat like reflexes while taking a precision slash with an odd dark bladed dagger at the wraiths midsection drawing a line of sick black blood.

  The wraith crouched low pressing a hand over its bleeding belly and growled in anger, “You will pay for that human.”

  “Sure I will.” He said his voice dripping with sarcasm, and also crouched low trying to anticipate the wraiths next attack.

  But the wraith did something that he did not anticipate. She deftly picked up a stone and quickly threw it at him hitting him in the center of his chest, knocking him back against the wall behind him. She quickly took advantage of this and leapt the distance between them but fell short of her mark, as he the young man skillfully threw one of his daggers in an attempt to keep her from falling on top of him. The deadly black blade sunk deep into her shoulder and she roared with rage and jumped once again at him taking a wild swing with her uninjured arm hitting him across the face knocking him off his feet. The wraith then descended upon him with a deadly glint in its ugly yellow eyes.

  Tanya had never seen anyone else hold off a wraith like that before and was mesmerized by the fight, but she shook herself when she saw the wraith take a vicious swing at him. She quickly stripped off her gloves, and with precise control called the yellow-green flames to flare up powerfully. She quietly ran the distance to the fighting pair.

  Using the element of surprise she barreled into the wraith knocking it off the dark haired man. The wraith was unprepared for Tanya’s attack landed on its back with Tanya on top of her.

  “You will not take another human soul!” Tanya declared as she placed her burning hands on the wraith face. The wraith screamed in pain and slashed wildly at her arms trying to remove the burning hands from her face.

  Tanya did not notice the gashes the wraith left on her arms but jumped off the beast once she saw the judgmental flames take hold of the beast. She stood back and watched the flames consumed yet another wraith, and then the screams of the beast stopped as the silent form collapsed into a pile of ash.

  “What…who are you?” the young man asked as he got to his feet.

  “I could ask you the same question.” Tanya responded quickly. “Calm.” She whispered to the flames and they obeyed her soft command retreating deep into her body. She bent down and picked up her gloves and put them back on then pulled the hood of her cloak over hear head that had just began to grow some hair.

  “What is your name?” She asked him once she finished with her gloves and cloak.

  “My name is SeanMarkus. I know who you are in spite of you missing hair.” He answered facing her. “You are King Austin’s missing niece.”

  “How would you know?” Tanya asked him with irritation in her voice.

  “You are still wearing the royal necklace your Grace.” He said reaching forward running his finger along the glinting chain that peaked above the neckline of her cloak.

  “Don’t call me that.” She said slapping his hand away, “and don’t touch me.”

  “Well if I can’t call you by your title then what shall I call you?” He asked with a hint of sassiness in his voice and a twinkle in his
dark eyes.

  “You may call me TanyaLynn.” She responded tartly.

  “Lynn? Where do you get that name from?” He asked “I thought the royal family didn’t take a surname.”

  “Not that it is any of your business SeanMarkus, but I took the name Lynn back when I left the kings house to hunt wraith.” She said with her gloved hands on her hips and a sour look on her face. “Besides I would like to know where you learned to fight like that. I have not seen anyone fight a wraith like that and live.”

  He ignored her question and asked one of his own, “How did you get the flaming vengeance?”

  She ignored his question as well, bent down and picked up the black bladed dagger from the pile of ash that was once a wraith female.

  “I will tell you my family secret if you tell me yours.” She answered him extending the blade to him handle first.

  He was quiet for a moment as he looked into her unnaturally green eyes, then took the dagger and flipped it expertly in his right hand and put the blade in a holster at his left hip.

  “I am from a long line of wraith hunters.” He admitted to her. “We train secretly from the time we are very young so the wraith don’t find out and try to kill us when we are still in training.”

  “Where did you get those daggers? I have never seen anything like them before.” She asked him intrigued by his story.

  “They were given to my earliest forefather. The blades themselves were blessed by the Gods.”

  “They look like volcanic glass.” She said gesturing to the second blade in his left hand.

  “They are.” He said simply as he flipped the blade in the air and quickly sheathed it in the holster on his right hip. “So, your Grace what it your secret.”

  “I told you not to call me that.” Tanya retorted angrily.

  “Sorry,” He said with a touch of laughter in his voice. “TanyaLynn.”