The Shadow

Chapter 23

"Wake up!" Theo whispered sharply, harsh voice slicing through the silence of the night. Kai was on his feet immediately, scanning his surroundings as his companions did the same.

There. Near the base of the hill, a group of shadows slipped their way between gnarled trees and broken boulders.

Had the hounds found them? Or perhaps wraiths? Or could it have been the dark soldiers themselves. Kai couldn't be sure of anything in such darkness. It seemed to wrap invisible arms around him, a cold kiss in an already chilly night.

"Friend or foe?" Leandro called.

"Who do you serve?" The reply came from below, beside the stump of a tree. It was an old voice, weary and suspicious. And a human voice.

Kai hesitated a moment before relenting. Lies would not keep them alive for long. "We serve Aria. And you?"

"We came from Damarel—you are friends, then."

The aged voice had an edge of relief as the tension in the air was cut like a warm knife through butter. Kai dropped the blade he had clutched in his hands as his companions did the same.

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"It must have been two months ago...no, not that long. Perhaps six weeks. They came in the night. Our defenses crumbled within minutes." The man shuddered, unkempt gray hair fluttering in the cold breeze. "Those giants, those beasts... They tore down our walls as if they were made of straw. Most of the city was hardly awake when the slaughter began." His deep voice dropped to a whimper, eyes glistening. "I got my family out, along with a few hundred others. The rest...well, I suppose you saw what came of them on your way here."

Kai's eyes widened at that. He hadn't expected so many survivors. Of course, the group before him counted less than a dozen—they must have been a scouting party, then.

The group sat around a small fire, faces grim as they shared bread. The man who had spoken seemed to be their leader. He must have been fifty years old, but his eyes were cold, voice hard.

The rest of the small group seemed to be half his age, though it was hard to make out their distinct features in the darkness. None of them wore armor, although they had crafted makeshift weapons from wood and rock. A thin, timid woman noticed Kai's expression.

"We got out through the sewers," she said. "Although our soldiers were decimated, the enemy's army was small, if it could even be called an army. They were too focused on killing to notice that some of us had gotten away." Her eyes burned red hot as she stared into the flickering fire. "The sewers lead to the woods...Once we had reached them, we simply ran. Luckily, no one caught us. If it could be called luck."

Someone close to her had died to the Dark Army. Kai could see it in her eyes, hear it in her voice. She must have wished that she had died with them, whoever they might have been. He watched as her face contorted in self-loathing. He did not know how to comfort her—did not know if he should comfort her. Not when death himself seemed to stir within her eyes. All he could do to relieve her pain was assist her in her vengeance. Luckily, the goals of everyone sitting around the flames seemed aligned. They all wished to see the Dark Army demolished.

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