Dark Dominion

1. A Moment in the Sun

Dark Dominion

Book I

"Jun! Jun, come back! We're going to be in so much trouble!"

The six-year-old boy ran, heedless of the panicked words from his elder brother. Juniper ran while soaking up all the sensations that he could - the crisp grass beneath his bare feet, the breeze filtering through his hair, and the warm sun upon his deprived skin. His brother, Cypress, ran after him, desperate to get Juniper back in the house.

The boys' parents had left with their younger brother to get him fitted for his first collar. They'd given Cypress the responsibility of looking after Jun while away at the overseers' building. He had to follow the most important rule. The rule meant to keep them alive. At the age of nine, perhaps he didn't fully understand why it was so dire, but his parents were stern and relentless in their warnings. The rule that loomed darkly over the family - keep Juniper hidden.

Juniper was different from the rest of the family. He was different from all the other slaves. His eyes could not see.

Mother and Father had explained that because he was born this way, the masters would want him killed. His parents loved him so much, even with his disability, that they hid him away. The boys had been told that if Jun were ever discovered, they could all be executed. The masters did not take disobedience lightly.

Those thoughts weighed heavily on the older boy, but the younger was much too caught up in this rare outside moment to care.

Jun kept running. Despite his inability to see the vast Kansas countryside, joy shone on his face. It was a warm day in late summer. The wheat fields swayed in the breeze, creating golden ripples over the prairie. Jun didn't mind that he couldn't see his home. He still felt it. His other senses made up for the lack of sight.

Oh, how exhilarating it felt to be outside! He was free of his chilly room in the dark cellar. Though blind, his eyes still distinguished light and shadows, and he hated the darkness of that cellar.

The young boy knew he was breaking the rules. He knew this bound him for a punishment. He simply could not help it. His legs carried him onward. The child was determined to squeeze out every sensation of this moment to last him until his next excursion, which he knew would not be for a very, very long time.

Then the inevitable happened. Jun's feet caught on an uneven patch of earth, and his body tumbled down, rolling on the sun-yellowed grass. The older boy finally caught up to him.

"Jun, are you alright?" Cypress breathlessly asked with a worried tone. He was understandably overprotective of his younger brother, who had always been frail and small.

Jun's unbridled laughter reached the older boy, and he let out a sigh of relief. With a smile, Cypress plopped down on the grass beside him. The joy was infectious. He couldn't help lightening up when he saw how happy his little brother was at this moment. Life wasn't fair to the child. He wished he could see this expression on Jun's face more often.

The laughter settled as both boys relaxed on their backs. Cypress knew they needed to get back in the house, but what could it hurt to allow the boy a little more time in the sun?

Jun took off the protective cloth sash, revealing his pale, ice-blue eyes. Though the rest of the family also had blue eyes, his were the lightest. Mother would often say they were the most beautiful eyes in the world. Beautiful, but useless, he always thought.

Right now, Juniper wanted to see the daylight. In his world of dark, light, and shadows, the daylight was his favorite. It was glowy and warm. A contented smile etched upon his delicate face. The moment wouldn't last, but the boy had learned to savor these times and pocket them in his mind to use when the cold darkness took him back.