Shadow & Light

Chapter 4

Monday morning came around with nothing interesting happening. With my gear hiked around my waist, and my many blades tucked safely on my back, I started the walk to the training grounds in the center of the kingdom. I didn't pay much attention to my surroundings–so focused on the reading I had done all weekend.

Glares and whispers greeted me as I entered the training grounds, with the trainees' hushed voices not really trying to hide their words of annoyance.

"What is her game? Is she trying to scare us?"

"Why is she using her powers?”

“Ew guys don't let it touch you!” I tried to ignore the confusion that the chorus of teenagers brought and instead focused on preparing myself for another day of combat training. I approached Michelle, the trainer who taught the introductory defence class to the teenage fae, but she had the same look on her face as everyone else, with a hint less disdain. Michelle and I had never been close. Though she tolerated my presence due to her respect for my exemplary fighting skill, she shared the majority of opinions as the rest of our land.

"What is going on Michelle?" I spoke in a somewhat hushed tone, confusion lacing my words as I leaned towards her slightly, away from the glares and whispers.

"I don't know, you tell me Alina. Why are you bringing out that horrid magic of yours?" I backed away at her harshly spoken words, though I was used to that language in relation to my powers, this time it wasn't even warranted. I had done nothing wrong to my knowledge.

"I'm not though I don't know-" My sentence cut off as I finally took a better look around the training arena that took up a big corner of the kingdom courtyard. Black tendrils like writhing snakes were slithering all over the stone floor. As I looked at the trainees, most were attempting to jump away from them, shooting daggers at me in the process. One look at the sky had confusion and wariness slithering up my spine as thick suffocating clouds of smoke rolled in overhead. The clouds blacked out the beaming sun and with them the temperature dropped several degrees. Everyone in the vicinity began to shiver. I stared at my breath, which could now be seen in the cold of the dimly lit area. I was grateful for the torches that lined the walls, as without them we would be plunged into total darkness. Darkness was never safe, no way to know where you were or where you were going, and it left you open to attack. But there was no one to attack us. As I thought that, the tendrils of black smoke slithered up the stone pillars in the training arena, surrounding each torch and smothering the last bit of light we had left. Luckily, some of the trainees had lighters which they used to make small flames, though it helped very little.

I stared in confusion at my hands, which I knew this strange darkness, so similar to my own, was not coming from. That didn't matter though, no other fae in our small kingdom possessed this ability, so all angry eyes were trained on me.

"Alina this isn't funny!"

"Yeah stop it!"

Everyone began to shout. I stood on a barrel and addressed everyone, "I understand you don't believe me, but this darkness is not my own. Please everyone grab a sword from the walls, I don't know what is going on but it is better to have something to defend yourself." My fighting students rushed for something to defend themselves. Some of the merchants in the stalls around the courtyard huddled in the training arena, choosing safety in numbers.

I leapt from the barrel, searching for the king in the ever-crowding courtyard, hoping he could shed some light on this strange occurrence. Not that he would be able to, that man was about as helpful as a toad.

The training grounds were in the courtyard of the massive castle where the king and queen lived with their brat of a son Matthias, a man-child who I would slice in half like a piece of meat if I had my way. I had been forced to train with him a year ago, and at every turn, he made the most snide and cruel jokes or would do his best to trip me up–anything to embarrass me. Things had escalated later on. It had been a while since he sought me out for fun, which I was grateful for. What's worse was that the jackass also made no attempt to train, no ambition of anything other than the status that came with the crown that would one day sit on his head. This kingdom was doomed.

The courtyard was arguably the safest place in the kingdom, since guards were stationed at every pillar, and there were weapons here in case the need ever arose to defend ourselves. Though many citizens argued over their tax cost, since there was no need to defend ourselves in this little country, why pay money to stock what we didn't need?

The courtyard had now begun to fill with anxious parents, clutching their children close, and searching for any of the trainees who were here and resided with them. Word spread fast. I spotted the king's short and corpulent body entering the grounds surrounded by three guards, his mop of greasy hair bouncing as he angrily stomped towards me, his own torch lighting the way as he walked. The queen and prince were most likely tucked somewhere safe inside the castle.

"Alina ... so help me you better stop this at once. I have tolerated your existence solely on the fact that you never caused problems, but this is absolutely unacceptable." The king shouted at me, words flying my way with many droplets of spittle that had me discreetly wiping my face in disgust.

"Your highness this isn't me I swear! What reason would I possibly have?!" I spoke back, barely containing my urges to punt his short body over the castle walls, instead imagining it in my head to lessen my anger.

"Then who do you think-" His angry words cut off when dark laughter rang through the little arena, making us all whip around in search of the sound. It cut through the air sharp as glass. The fine hairs on my arm stood at attention, and every muscle in my body tensed. The next events happened in a blur, as the sounds of countless running feet entered the courtyard. Unknown assailants jumped from the tops of the courtyard walls, and all at once the bodies of our soldiers began dropping. Screams echoed everywhere, as panicked individuals fled to any hiding spot they could, while the brave few who weren't running picked up swords from the weapons rack and ran to defend the helpless.

I yanked the poison-dipped sword from my back holster that I saved in case of emergencies and ran into the fray, despite every fiber of my being screaming at me to get far away. I ran towards a mother, crouched over her young faelings, sobbing as a masked assailant was storming towards her, with her husband clutching a sword he clearly didn't know how to use, trying to protect his family.

With my speed and momentum, I leapt into the air, bringing my sword down and spearing through the assailant's flesh and bone with a sickening squelch. I watched as he cried out in agony and surprise, dropping off my blade and slumping to the ground in front of the woman. The woman whom I did not recognize finally opened her terrified eyes and the husband looked at me. I knew they were grateful though they did not show it, too stuck in their fear, just turning to embrace each other and their two little boys.

I finally stopped to examine everything. The majority of the soldiers were not attacking, at least not attacking the vulnerable. The ones cowering or fleeing were simply being caged in and lined up along the walls of the training ground. The men and women defending their families and posing a threat to the unknown assailants were being neutralized.

I was in the thick of the battle, dropping another dark armour-clad soldier who had come up behind me then running over to defend another family. My vision was pinhole thin, my focus laser sharp and all my experience coming to me in waves as I fought whomever I could. There were too many, there had to be over a hundred.

As blood thundered against my eardrums and my heart raced faster than any heart should I caught a gleam of metal from the corner of my eye. Barely visible, hunched in the corner was Judy Tillett, clutching her beautiful daughters, her husband knocked unconscious. The assailant approaching them looked different. Though the majority were not harming the women and children, this man's features were twisted into something predatory, like he had different plans for Mrs. Tillett. Blood lust radiated in his eyes so stark it made my stomach curdle. He meant harm. His sword was drawn as he took menacing steps towards Judy, and at that moment my feet moved before my brain caught up. I ran and I ran, dodging fallen bodies and leaping over huddled fae, my vision red and mind fogged, no coherent thought registering other than ‘save her’. A few enemies tried to stop me, swords swinging, and I could feel their blades grazing my skin, but I sliced and stabbed each one. My heart stuttered as I realized I had no time to fight that man, he was too close to them and if I tried to get him with my sword I risked injuring Judy or her daughters. No time. Too close. My brain chanted on a loop.

Approaching the people who had given so much to keep me happy, I decided my life was not worth more than the sweet woman who had two teenage daughters–daughters who had been ever so kind to me, who were the best this land had to offer. I squeezed my eyes shut, and with a cry I threw myself over Mrs. Tillett, shielding her hunched body with my own and bracing for the painful strike I knew would come.