Loonglight Legacy #1: Dirt Eaters

Chapter 13: The Forgotten

Chapter 13: The Forgotten.

Imagine the unthinkable, said Roan
of the Parting, but no one could. The
Devastation will come, he warned.
But no one listened. No one believed.
No one but for a very few, who
became the keepers of the light.
—the Book of Longlight

Roan awakes, bathed in a dazzlingly bright light. An angel holds his head, putting a glass of water to his lips.

"Sip," she says. "A little at a time."

Roan sips. The water tastes sweet, ambrosia to his parched mouth.

"Why is it so bright?"

"Amplified sunlight."

"What's—where's my friend?"

"You'll see him soon."

"What is this place?"

"Oasis."

"A refuge in the desert."

She nods.

Roan notices that he's wearing a clean white robe, and that the cricket is sitting beside him on his pillow.

"I thought you were angels."

"We are the Forgotten."

She has strong hands, like Roan's mother. He struggles not to be lulled, remembering the false image of his mother in one of his dreams.

"I'm Sari."

Roan hesitates, wondering how much he should reveal to this stranger. But Sari does not wait on his decision.

"Rest. Your body needs to heal."

She guides Roan's head back to the pillow. He drifts, questions floating like dust.

When Roan next awakes, Sari is there again, this time with a bowl of yogurt. Roan can't help but grin when he tastes it.

"You like it?" she asks.

"Much better than termites," Roan replies.

"You're feeling stronger. Are you up to meeting the others?"

Suddenly a wild, angry cry rips through the air. Lumpy.

"Easy on your feet!" warns Sari, but Roan jumps off the soft bed and runs out, stumbling as he reaches the doorway. He feels Sari's strong hands steady him as he peers across a large cavern to see Lumpy atop a large rock, brandishing a stone.

"Get back! Back! Murderers!" Lumpy warns the mass of people who surround him. But they don't appear very threatening. Most of them look old, hair turning white, garbed in robes.

"You're alive, aren't you?" says one of them mildly.

"Well...You kept changing the tunnels on us...You forced us into the cave with your other victims."

The man nods. He's tall, straight-backed, with deep-set eyes. "You entered our defense system."

"What are your plans for us?" demands Lumpy, slowly lowering the stone.

"My name is Haron. You're free to leave now if you wish," the man says. "We offer our regrets for any discomfort you may have suffered. You're welcome to stay as long as you want. With winter coming, you might find things more comfortable here."

Lumpy eyes him suspiciously. "Where's my friend?"

"Here I am, Lumpy!" Roan calls out from the other side of the cave.

"Let me through," Lumpy says, and the crowd parts, giving him free passage to Roan. Sari respectfully steps away, as do the others, giving Roan and Lumpy a wide berth.