The Descendant Of Light | Original Story

01.

Iris

      Rain crashed down, splattering onto the cobblestone ground. As the water in the cracks overflowed, puddles were being made. In the distance, one would see a strike of lightning, followed by a loud roar of thunder. Stars were scattered across the pitch-black sky. The only light found in the streets of Mauvers was being emitted by small lanterns that hung on doorways. The town was eerily silent. 
      Nothing was open, other than the local tavern, The Silver Flame. Best known for its delicious ales, The Silver Flame was the most famous tavern within all of the Gelowyn region. Not even the taverns in the kingdom of Elwood could compete with The Silver Flame. At least, that's what people liked to believe. Many customers came and went to The Silver Flame, but it was very few that were frequent customers. One person in particular, had been coming longer than most. 
     Iris Marie Lycan sat at the bar table, on her stool. Her hood had been pulled up to shadow her face from others. She listened to the conversations that took place, even having ones of her own with the bartender. 
     The Silver Flame was a fairly large building. Tables and chairs filled up almost every aspect of the room. In the corner was a small stage where a piano was placed. There were drunken men and women on it, singing various songs. There were even some people who sang with them. The place was a safe haven for Iris. Most of the time at least.
     “You do realize this will be going on your tab, correct?” The bartender asked, cleaning out a glass before filling it up with ale. The bartender was the twin of the town baker, Finn. The only difference between the two boys was the bartender’s glasses.
    “You tell me this every time Sam,” Iris said, a smirk playing at her lips as she lifted her glass to them. She couldn’t even take a sip before a man came stumbling over.
   The man slammed his glass onto the table, startling both Iris and Sam. “Get me another,” he demanded. 
     “Sir, are you sure? You’ve had quite a bit already. I could fetch a guard to take you home safely,” Sam offered, keeping his voice calm, although Iris could see the fear in his gray eyes. 
     “Are you deaf?” Sam’s eyes narrowed. “I said get me another you moron.” The man demanded, his lips curling into a snarl. 
     Iris gripped onto her glass, knuckles turning white
    “Sir I think you should leave,” Sam said. He hesitantly took the glass from the man, beginning to clean it out. 
     “Don’t tell me what to do!” The man slammed his hand down onto the table.
    “Sir please leave,” Sam’s voice was more stern this time. 
    Taking slow, deep breaths, Iris quickly finished the contents in her glass. The fact that she had a slight buzz going for her already, didn’t help her anger. It was a very rare occurrence that someone talked to Sam the way this man was doing. In the tavern, Sam was a sacred man. 
    “Or what?” The man challenged. 
    “Or I’ll have to call for guards.” 
     “No need,” Iris cut in, slowly turning in her seat. She began to remove her hood, letting it fall onto her shoulders. Her auburn hair spilled out, just barely falling in front of her pale, freckled face. The light from the tavern gave her green eyes a dim glow. “I can take care of him, Sammie.”
      The man scoffed, glancing at Iris up and down. She wasn’t much shorter than the man, but as Iris assessed him, he did seem to have the upper hand. 
     “Stay out of this sweetheart. This isn’t a place for a child.”
      Iris’s hands curled at her side. If there was one thing Iris was certain she hated being called, it was being called a child. Iris tossed a brief glance to Sam. He pursed his lips and pretended to preoccupy himself with the empty glass. Iris looked back at the man. 
     "What did you just call me?" Iris asked carefully. The man looked at Iris, his eyes staring deep into her soul. A chill ran up Iris's spine.
    "You heard me, sweetheart," the man repeated. "Now run along and stay out of this." He waved a hand in her direction, dismissing her. 
Iris's mouth hung open slightly. She forced it closed and let out a low chuckle, earning the man's attention yet again.
     She stepped forward, looking up at the man. He's quite ugly, Iris thought to herself, barely hiding her cringe. 
     "Now I know, you did not just call me sweetheart," Iris said, forcing out a laugh. The man crossed his hairy arms over his chest. "Because if you did then–"
     "Then what?" The man demanded.
Iris raised an eyebrow, her hands balling into fists.
     "Then I'd have to do this." She drew her arm back and swung, her fist flying across the man’s nose. Pain raked up through Iris's hands, but instead of wincing, she grinned. Her heart pounded and a rush of adrenaline went through her. 
     The man drew back, clutching his nose. Blood began to stain not only his face but his fingers too.
     He swore under his breath. "You'll regret that." 
     Iris smirked. "Will I?" She teased. 
     The man charged at her. Iris's eyes went wide and she quickly ducked under as the man swung. She hooked her foot around his ankle and pulled, causing the man to stumble back. He let out a groan as he twisted his entire body, falling face-first onto the wooden floors. Iris scrambled to get up, as the man slowly brought himself up. He began to come after Iris again.
      "I'll pay you later Sam!" Iris called as she began to make a beeline for the tavern doors. She slid and jumped over tables, her feet already screaming in pain.
     A cold wind rushed past as Iris swung open the doors. Rain still was pouring down, much to Iris's dismay. She glanced over her shoulder and watched as the man charged for her, his nose still dripping with blood and his face void of anything but anger. Iris ran out into the streets before making a sharp turn into the nearest alleyway. 
      "Get back here!" The man barked.
      "Come get me!" Iris taunted, turning down an alleyway. Her boots became more and more soaked with each step she took. Her heart pounded in her ears and she began to feel her breath get short. 
     Iris rounded a corner and glanced over her shoulder. The man was gaining speed on her. Iris swore under her breath and looked ahead. Her eyes grew wide and she quickly tried to skid to a stop. A dead end. Iris whipped around to see the man slow himself to a walk. 
      “How unfortunate,” the man taunted. He walked closer to Iris, eyeing her as if she was prey. 
     Iris kept stepping back until her back pressed against the stone wall. She gently shook her arm until she felt the leather sheath fall into the palm of her hand. Iris watched as the man's eyes darted to her hand. With a wicked grin, Iris discarded the cover. The blade glinted in the moonlight. 
     “For who?” Iris asked innocently, forcing herself to step forward. “Me? Or you?” 
    Iris lunged first this time. But much to her surprise, the man dodged. He grabbed Iris’s arm and yanked her back, slamming her against a building. A sharp pain raked not only through her spine but through her head as well. Iris let out a gasp and sliced at the man, making a deep cut on his cheek. The man groaned and pulled back, a hand going to his cheek. Iris staggered, her breathing ragged. She could feel the handle of her dagger slipping out of her hand. 
The world seemed to spin. There was a ringing in Iris’s ear. She blinked rapidly, trying to regain some sort of focus. But by the time she did, the man was already running for her, tackling her to the ground. The dagger Iris once held, flew out of her hand. Iris let out a cry as the man dug his knee into her stomach. Iris tried to scratch at him. But to no avail. The man pinned her arms above her head, his yellowed nails digging into her skin. Iris could feel the moment his nails pierced through her. 
    “It seems very unfortunate for you, sweetheart,” the man purred.
Iris continued to struggle, her entire body screaming in pain. She watched with wide eyes as the man reached into his pocket. Breath caught in Iris’s throat as the man pulled out a pocket knife.
     He traced the blade on her cheek, just barely putting pressure. Iris licked at her chapped lips, trying not to move her head. 
     “Maybe I should return the favor.” Iris let out a mix of a cry and a scream as the man applied pressure, making a nice incision on Iris’s cheek. 
     Iris kicked her legs up, her feet pressing hard on the man’s stomach as she pushed him off. He let out a gasp, rolling off of Iris. Tears well in Iris’s eyes as the rain fell onto her cut. A stinging sensation was all she could feel. Iris’s vision grew hazy, but she made a beeline for her dagger, quickly scooping it up. She turned to the man who laid on the ground, groaning in pain as he clutched his stomach. Iris towered over him, her eyes blazing. 
     The man looked up at Iris, pain etched all over his face. “Just kill me,” he grumbled. 
     “I’ll give you another option instead,” Iris said. She crouched down, her knees emitting an unsatisfying crack. Iris let her dagger hand loosely in her hand, watching as it glinted under the dim lighting of the moon. “Option one, you leave and never come back to this tavern.”
     “What's in it for me?” the man was quick to interrupt. 
     Iris smirked. “I don’t kill you.” 
     It was a fair deal. And frankly, Iris truly didn’t want to kill anyone tonight. Especially when she knew that her sister would be waiting for her at home. 
     “Do we have a deal?” Iris asked. The man quickly nodded, slowly getting to his feet. “Good. Do keep this in mind though,” the man looked at Iris as she stood up. “The next time I see you at this tavern, I will kill you.” A bluff. Iris knew she was bluffing. But she loved the flash of fear that went through the man's eyes. 
     He nodded again before stumbling his way out of the alley. Once he was out of sight, Iris let out a soft sigh. She walked over to one of the building walls and sat against it, her arm draped over her torso. Her clothes and hair clung to her skin. She was beginning to grow numb to the stinging sensation on her cheek. With shaky fingers, Iris gently touched the cut, hissing as the pain became worse. 
     Cassie’s going to throw a fit, Iris thought to herself.  She stared at the blood on her hand. The rain was beginning to clear up, and all that was left was a cold wind, and big puddles. 
Iris stared up at the sky. Her eyes felt as if large weights had been placed on them. She knew she’d have to go home soon. But even the thought of standing sounded horrible to her. The fact that she was hurt, and drunk, would only mean certain death at Cassie’s hands.
     “I have to get up at some point,” Iris said to herself, her words slurred. Her head began to loll to the side, and her eyes began to close. 
     Just before sleep took her, Iris heard footsteps. She let out a small wince as someone scooped her into their arms.
     “You idiot.” 

▪︎▪︎▪︎

     Iris awoke hours later, in deep, tremendous pain. There was something wet and rough touching her face. Iris’s eyes snapped open and she quickly tried to swat away whatever was touching her.
     “Calm down!” A voice exclaimed. 
     Iris’s vision came into focus, and she stared up at a girl. Cassie, Iris realized. With a small groan, Iris turned on her side. Her groan turned into a cry of pain as she moved.
     "What were you thinking Iris?" Cassie growled. 
     Cassie was Iris's older sister. She had long brown hair that was always pulled into a low side braid that rested on her shoulder. Little wisps of hair were pulled out to frame her light brown skin and sharp features. She was always found wearing long dresses that always had off the shoulder sleeves. 
     "What do you mean?" Iris's words were slurred. 
     "What do I mean?" Cassie asked incredulously. "Iris, Sam carried you home last night. You were passed out and bleeding."
     "It was just a fight. You don't need to be so angry," Iris grumbled. 
     Cassie scoffed. "I don't need to be angry? Iris, fights aren't a normal thing to get into! Going to bars under the drinking age isn't the normal thing to do! It's illegal!"
     "Do you think I care?"
     "You have to Iris! What if you aren't armed one day? You could be killed!" Cassie threw her hands up in the air. "You need to start caring about yourself Iris! You aren't a child anymore!" 
     "Then why do you treat me like one?" Iris snapped.
     Cassie's eyes grew wide. She dropped the wet rag back into the bowl of water. Water splashed onto the table. 
     "Why do I treat you like one?" Cassie asked carefully. "I treat you like one because you act like one! It feels like I have to keep an eye on you twenty-four-seven just to make sure you don't do anything stupid!" 
     Iris rolled her eyes and tore her gaze away from her sister. "You worry too much. I know how to take care of myself." 
     "Do you? Because the cut on your face tells me otherwise," Cassie said, crossing her arms over her chest. Iris narrowed her eyes, but she said nothing. Cassie sighed. "I just don't want to lose you."
     "For Adrians sake Cas, you won't!" Iris exclaimed. "I’m an adult. I can take care of myself and make my own choices. I don't need you breathing down my neck all the time!" 
     "You're nineteen Iris. You're just barely an adult. It's not like you're my age where you can actually be considered one. And with the way you act, I don't know if people will ever take you seriously." Cassie was only five years older than Iris. But that always seemed to give Cassie a sense of superiority over Iris. 
     "You can be the first," Iris suggested. She forced herself to sit up, tears welling in her eyes as pain raked through her. "But first, you need to stop acting like you're my mother! Need I remind you, Cassie, we aren't blood-related. You guys took me in. You and I have no connections other than that."
     "When you start acting like an adult, then I'll treat you like one. I know very well we are not related. But we grew up together. You are my sister, blood-related or not. Now," Cassie stood up, grabbing the bowl of water. She began to head towards the door and she stopped underneath it, turning back to Iris. "Go wash up. You smell horrid." Then she walked out. 
     Iris scowled. "So do you."