The Darkness of Dawn

by Braden Michael

  Alexey picked up a nearby unlit torch, reached into Anton’s pocket to take his flintstone, carefully stepped over Viktor, and started towards the cavern entrance. As he stepped into the now dark cavern, he noted how the air was sharp with cold and then he lit the torch. He covered as much of himself as he could, and kept his body moving to prevent the cold from taking him. The orange glow from the torch gave him ample sight of the area surrounding him as he ventured deeper into the cavern. The sounds of the water flowing were muffled since most of the river was frozen solid.

  Alexey continued into the cavern. Every step was a step further away from the pressures of the Winterguard. He was no longer marching through the Forest with Poznan, Petrand, and the other scum: he was by himself in the soothing dark of the cavern.

  Alexey lost track of time as he ventured through the abyss. Towards the bottom of the slope, he happened upon yet another corridor, one with a strange light emanating from within. As he stepped towards the entry, an unfamiliar soft hum buzzed through his ears. The hum was grating yet soothing at the same time. He could not explain it, but he felt drawn to the light and the hum. I—I need to s—see what it is. The hum grew louder as he walked farther into the corridor.

  The corridor began to curve left, and he moved deeper inside. After walking another fifty feet, he happened upon the end of the corridor and the beginning of a chamber. A source of light shined brilliantly atop a neatly carved rectangular platform that rose from a pit of black water. Unnaturally smooth and wide stone steps led up to the top of the platform, and Alexey immediately ascended them. As he got closer to the glowing light, the cold air released its grip on his throat, and he felt encased by a secure warmth. He dropped his torch into the black water, not noticing he had done so until after he did. The hum was now louder than an Abomination’s snarl, but it maintained its strange soothing-yet-grating timbre.

  Alexey stared at the light with wonder as he carefully inched towards it. Slowly, the light dimmed and allowed him a clear view of the terrain before him. He began to make out the sight of a smoothly polished and chest-high black pillar rising from the platform in the same rectangular shape. The light originated from just above this pillar and, as Alexey approached, the light began to dim, allowing a clear view of the object. It can’t be…

  Alexey looked at the object in absolute disbelief and amazement. It had the shape of two mirrored pyramids, with a hypnotic metallic texture, and a white light aura. The object could not have been any larger than his palm, yet the hum fully conquered all that his ears could perceive. It’s… an Artifact! he realized. He had heard legends about the mysterious Artifacts: strange devices with a mystic and undecipherable origin, objects that created volatile and unpredictable reactions to anyone who did not respect their capabilities. They endowed those who properly respected their capabilities with higher knowledge that could not otherwise be comprehended.

  Alexey felt an unknowable connection to the Artifact as he stared at it, entranced by its static-yet-fluid texture. The strange hum continued, unyielding. He held out his hand to touch the divine Artifact, but before his finger massaged the surface, fragments of an unknown material flew in from nowhere and encased it in a black cocoon. The light was snuffed out and the hum dissipated. When the Artifact was encased by darkness, the entire chamber joined it. Alexey had been returned to a cold and dreary reality. His feelings of wonder and euphoria returned to the dreadful isolation he was experiencing just before.

  Once Alexey returned his hand to its resting place, the black cocoon released the Artifact from confinement, and the chamber once again returned to light and warmth, which resumed Alexey’s strange euphoria. What’s the meaning of this? As his hand moved for the Artifact, the black cocoon reemerged with the darkness, and when his hand returned to his side, the cocoon vanished as light was cast over the chamber. He continued to shift his hand, and the cocoon appeared accordingly dozens of times. Finally, when the cocoon appeared yet again, he did not move his hand back to his side: instead, he reached for the cocooned Artifact and grabbed it in one hand. It is scalding hot and frigid cold, he thought. In absolute darkness, he thrust the hidden Artifact into his pocket and strained his eyes to try and find his exit. If only I hadn’t dropped that torch.

  Alexey began to carefully crawl, using his hands to feel the ground in front of him. The cold resumed its unforgiving grip on his throat and his breath shortened. With each inch he clambered forward, he felt closer to death. I won’t die in this place, he reassured himself. He maintained his struggled and desperate crawl until his hands felt the edge of the platform. The murky sound of the black water below taunted him as his breath grew even more desperate and rushed. His hands shook violently as he felt around for steps. He descended one step at a time, growing increasingly fearful as the black water taunted him louder, and louder, and louder.

  Alexey had no idea if he was approaching the final step, and the sharp coldness of the air tightened around his throat and his body grew numb. If he was still breathing, he could not feel it. If he was still on the steps, he could not feel it. If he had taken a plunge into the black water, he could not feel it.

  Just as the darkness was sure to claim him, the faint sounds of shouts echoed from deep in the corridor. Could it be… Alexey’s mind started to freeze alongside his body and tongue, and just as his mind began to dry, a flicker of orange light teased the corridor wall in front of him. The shouts were now audible.

  “Alexey!”

  Mom? The flicker of light was enough to jumpstart his mind. The orange light got brighter and the sound of faint footsteps following one another in quick succession echoed at him.

  “I—” Alexey choked, still unable to speak.

  “Alexey!?” Just as the shout reverberated through the corridor, the bright orange light came into view.

  Fire! A man was holding a torch where the corridor met the chamber, and that man stopped in his tracks. Alexey could not see anything past the glaring orange blaze, but whoever wielded the fire must have been looking down at him as he knelt half-dead at the foot of the stone steps.

  “Holy shit is he dead?”

  “No! He’s looking at us!”

  Two voices? Anton and Viktor? Alexey used every ounce of energy that remained in him to extend his left arm outward towards the light and grunt.

  “Help him!”

  Alexey began to fade in and out of consciousness, but the flames were directly in front of him as he was hoisted by his shoulders and dragged through the corridor. He felt soothed by the warmth. His concept of time and all his perceptions were scrambled, but he found himself carried up the large cavern beside the riverbed and back towards the camp that had been placed in the entrance corridor.

  Alexey snapped back to consciousness, wrapped in his blanket, lying down in the same uncomfortable spot he was in before he left. Anton, Viktor, and Casmir both loomed over him with heavy concern on their faces.

  “Is he awake?” Casmir murmured.

  “Is he even alive?” Anton responded in a similarly hushed tone.

  “What the hell was he even doing down there?” Viktor contributed.

  They are all whispering, Alexey noticed. Is the rest of the group asleep nearby? What’s going on? Under the cover of his thick blanket, he began to fondle the inside of his pocket, feeling the shape of the black cocoon he had snatched from the chamber deep in the cavern. Should I tell them? Should I tell anyone?

  “I’m here,” Alexey coughed, speaking with an exhausted voice.

  Viktor and Anton both appeared relieved, but Casmir simply looked puzzled.

  “What were you thinking?” Casmir questioned.

  “I n—needed to go f—for a walk,” said Alexey.

  Casmir scoffed, but was quickly hushed by Anton, who motioned his hands downward while gazing back to the rest of the camp. Alexey turned his head but could not get a clear view. The others must be asleep.

  “You unified the entirety of this group on the very idea that we
do not go anywhere alone in this Forest,” Viktor calmly explained.

  Most of the group prefers that asshole cannibal Poznan. Alexey thought the words but chose not to speak them aloud.

  “I w—wasn’t thinking cl—clearly,” Alexey muttered, shivering softly.

  “Clearly.” Anton’s tone was uncharacteristically dry. Even still, he managed a grin.

  “Are you going to start thinking clearly then?” Viktor chastised.

  Alexey nodded, his shivering beginning to wane. Viktor patted him on the shoulder, then began to lie down. “Get some rest, tough guy. You’ll need it.” Anton and Casmir quietly went back to lie down as Viktor did.

  Alexey clutched the Artifact. The black cocoon still had the same scalding hot and frigidly cold feeling, but there was something oddly soothing about it. Alexey shut his eyes, Artifact still in his hands, and drifted off to sleep.

  That night, his dreams were nothing like the surreal dreams of his youth, but visceral, realistic, and vivid memories that burst back to life. He remembered the terrified and lifeless faces of the open-throated thieves from the first weeks of the march. That same terrified expression occupied Viktor’s face as Petrenko nearly choked him to death, screaming at and humiliating him. He saved my life by stopping me from confronting the Arch-Commander and suffered Petrenko’s wrath for it. The taste of human meat ravaged his taste buds as he looked upon Casmir’s dead brothers, and he revisited the pure agony the man had expressed as he sobbed and screamed over their bodies. Barrels of blood painted the floor beneath his feet as Abominations tore at the limbs of his friends.

  Alexey woke up violently, covered in sweat. He was liberated from the icy grip of the cold, but now oppressed by the frightening heat of his blanket. He quickly unwrapped himself from it while sitting up. He looked beside him to Viktor, Anton, and Casmir, all of whom began to rub their eyes as they woke. Off in the cavern, natural light began to shine through. Alexey stood up and walked to the cavern and peered inside, looking down at the shrub-covered and lively river. At least twenty recruits were already drinking from it or bathing downriver. They spotted Alexey as he shambled down to meet with them, and they looked at him disdainfully, but said nothing.

  Petrand was among the men by the river. He stood completely naked, splashing himself with the river-water, making no efforts to cover his manhood from view. When he glanced at Alexey, he looked at him with mocking scorn. “The boy wants to watch naked men bathe, eh?”

  “If I wanted to watch men, I’ve come to the wrong place,” Alexey retorted.

  A few chuckles were heard from the nearby recruits, but Petrand’s face turned red with rage. “What the fuck did you just say to me, little shit!?” He stormed at Alexey with a furious look on his face, the river splashing violently with each thunderous step.

  Alexey froze as Petrand’s face hovered just above his own. He could feel Petrand’s hot breath hitting his face. Poznan stood nearby, looking unimpressed.

  “Back off.” Viktor appeared next to Petrand, a dagger held to his neck.

  Petrand gasped. “What’re you—"

  Without hesitation, Poznan lurched at Viktor and kicked him to the ground. Petrand flinched, but focused his murderous glare straight at Alexey, grabbing him by the throat and slamming him into the river, choking him and keeping his head submerged. He struggled, fighting back as much as he could, occasionally sneaking his head back over the water and inhaling, but it was not enough; the darkness began to claim him.

  The pressure was instantly lifted as Petrand was thrown from him by an unidentifiable figure. Alexey sat up and breathed heavily and rapidly, the darkness evaporating. Just past his feet, Anton was choking and submerging Petrand. To the side, Poznan pinned Viktor to the ground and strained to shove a knife into his chest, but Viktor resisted. As Alexey tried to get up and help, he was kicked and thrown back into the river. Submerged yet again, the darkness returned.

  Alexey felt the Artifact speaking to him. It communicated to him far more quickly than he could consciously comprehend, but within a second, he intuitively knew what it wanted him to do. He pulled the Artifact out of his pocket and threw it into the air. Mid-flight, the black cocoon vanished just as it had in the chamber, and the entirety of the cavern was painted in its hypnotic white light. The light overwhelmed his eyes, preventing him from seeing anything, and the hum invaded his ears. He could scarcely make out the confused and pained grunts and screams of all the men surrounding him as he stood up.

  The Artifact hovered in the air just above Alexey’s head. The light was soft, and the humming even softer. The light shone for a few more seconds until the glaring intensity of the light dampened, and he could start to see his surroundings yet again. Viktor back-stepped carefully while looking around cautiously. Anton and Casmir started to stand up, carefully scanning their surroundings.

  Alexey studied the other recruits. They all stood still as statues, paying him no mind. Those who had wielded a weapon before now held them at rest. He gasped as he looked into their eyes: the pupils and irises had morphed into black pits, and the white areas were now a dark gray. Their black eyes stared off into nothing and were unfazed by anything. What’d I just do? he asked himself fearfully.

  Viktor kept his dagger poised as he carefully stepped away from Poznan, and Anton and Casmir darted their gaze all around themselves, until they fixed onto Alexey.

  “What’s happening?” Casmir asked.

  “What the fuck is wrong with them!?” Viktor exclaimed. He was now directly in front of Alexey.

  “I—I—don’t—” Alexey stammered as he failed to comprehend the situation. He was fixated on Poznan’s lifeless black eyes. How… could this be?

  “Snap them out of it!” Without thinking, Anton went over to the recruit nearest to him and began to shake him violently. “What the fuck is wrong with you!?” He grasped both shoulders and shook the man-statue with all his strength, to no effect.

  Alexey, Viktor, and Casmir observed the effects on the other recruits, abjectly terrified. Alexey began to regain comprehension of some of his thoughts, and he looked all around him to see the entire rest of the group in the same state. Why just us?

  “Alexey! What did you—” Viktor was interrupted by the distant sound of inhuman snarls. The four men perked up to listen.

  The snarls returned, louder this time. Abominations, Alexey realized. The sounds of snarls were met with thunderous footsteps that echoed violently through the cavern. There must be dozens!

  “There’s no time! We need to get out of here now!” Alexey shouted.

  Alexey reached for the Artifact. The cocoon reappeared around it as he grabbed it and the white light and strange humming disappeared. He turned around and started running back towards the corridor. The Abominations grew louder as they closed in on the group.

  Alexey shoved his way past dozens of enthralled recruits and desperately clambered up the jagged slope into the corridor. He tripped, hitting the ground violently, and screamed out in pain, but Anton and Viktor quickly pulled him up.

  The pack of Abominations had now reached them, and one snarled viciously and hungrily as it tried to force itself into the corridor. Luckily, the corridor was too small to allow such a large creature inside. Its pale white eyes glared directly at Alexey’s as its teeth flashed at him. It strained, and strained, and strained, until it gave up. The creature continued to stare him down as Viktor and Anton began to pull him back deeper into the corridor. A thunderous storm of Abominations flurried from the cavern. The sounds of flesh ripping roared through the air, but there were no screams to accompany them. Did I just kill everyone?

  “Where’s Casmir!?” Anton cried.

  Alexey looked away from the Abomination and around him. Surely enough, Casmir was not with them. They looked around frantically, shouting for him.

  “CASMIR!” Viktor shouted.

  They continued to look around, but they began to realize the truth.

  “He… He didn’t make it…” Ale
xey said somberly.

  “NONE OF THEM DID!” Viktor screamed. “What the fuck did you do to them!?”

  “Back off, Viktor!” Anton shouted.

  What did I do to them? Alexey thought. The sounds of Abominations stomping and snarling, ripping the others to pieces thundered through the corridor. He kept clutching the Artifact, taking in the same scalding and frigid sensation it provided.

  CH 24 – Black Eyes VII

  Once the Sapphire Prince’s tongue departed from his head, Black Eyes had to think of a quick way to stop the seemingly endless river of blood that flowed from the wound. There were plenty of active torches in the council chamber, so all he had to do was hold the blade of his dagger in the flames until the steel glowed red. The Sapphire Prince screamed even more as Black Eyes cauterized the wound where his tongue once was. Now he won’t be so damn chatty. If the man had no tongue, he could not speak to his own men and blow Black Eyes’ cover.

  The Sapphire Prince not only had the uniquely sapphire-lined armor, but his underclothes were also like none other: the shirt was linen with strips of fine blue silk, and his pants were a combination of linen, silk, and wool. No man wears this much fucking silk, Black Eyes thought.

  Black Eyes punched the Sapphire Prince in the head multiple times, cracked three of his ribs, and broke two fingers. “If you don’t want to be maimed hundreds of times again, I suggest you play along,” he threatened.

  Black Eyes forced the Sapphire Prince to switch clothing, and they were quickly wearing the other’s underclothes. The next step was to find a good way to cover both men’s faces. Black Eyes searched around him for a rag or cloth for the Sapphire Prince. Then, he retrieved a Headland helm from one of the dead soldiers just outside the door.

  Black Eyes took one last look at the Emberland corpses displayed on the ground. I’m sorry you’re all dead, I guess. He took another look at Troy’s lifeless face. You may have been a bloody fool, but you didn’t deserve this.

  Black Eyes went back into the council chamber to fetch the Sapphire Prince. He looked at his father’s dead body, clenched his fists furiously, then looked back at the Sapphire Prince. He was curled up into a pathetic ball, sobbing incoherently from his wounds. Far kinder than you deserve, Black Eyes thought.