Eyes Up, Guardian

Chapter 16

Tessa opened her eyes to darkness and claws. The darkness came first, all around her, physical, grabbing for her, pulling her deeper and deeper, like a siren, dragging her down into the depths to drown her. Then, came the claws, tearing through her armor, shredding through her skin. Thrall, she could recognize the feeling, but she couldn't see them, it was to dark. She felt them on all sides of her, clawing, shredding. A scream wrenched itself from her, and she heard it, distantly. She tried to raise her hands to defend herself, but she couldn't, her limbs were too heavy. It felt as if her entire body had been filled with water, or lead, so heavy she could hardly breathe. Even standing took almost all her energy. She tried to summon her light, but she felt nothing. Nothing would come to defend her. She tried to reach out, and this time, she did feel something, someone, but it wasn't her. It was someone else, someone familiar. And a rift, a shield. She had to get to it, but she couldn't move. Her limbs were too heavy, she couldn't even lift a finger.

Suddenly, there was a blinding light, too bright to see what it was coming from. The thrall to her right let out angry screeches, and when she opened her eyes again, she saw the rift was glowing, and she could see someone fighting within, a silhouette fighting back, shoving the thrall off, away, until they stopped and retreated just a bit. The thrall attacking her had stopped momentarily too, and as she glanced down, she saw she was glowing as well, but her glow... It was different. It wasn't right.

The thrall had moved away from her, but suddenly pain tore though her body again, much worse than before. It was as though she'd jumped into a pool of acid, her entire body was burning, she felt like her flesh was melting from her bones. She felt like she was breathing broken glass, tearing apart her throat, her lungs, her heart. Another scream came from her as she collapsed to the ground. But this scream was so much worse. It echoed in the space, a broken noise, she felt like she was breaking, shattering into a million pieces, like a crystal glass dropped on stone floors.

As if in response, a roar sounded, so loud it made her scream sound meek and small. She heard her ears ringing softly. The pain faded slowly, into a dull, pressing ache, but she didn't want to open her eyes, she didn't want to see the beast that had roared, likely coming to finish her off after what the thrall had done to her.

"Look at me!" The creature bellowed, and she raised her head, fear and weakness shaking her body as she did.

"Oryx." A whisper, but she couldn't feel it on her lips.

The monster loomed above them, his face contorted into a snarl as he glared down at them. They were in some sort of hive cavern, on a ledge, a solid wall behind them. Oryx was hovering beyond the ledge, out of reach, as if he were mocking them, telling them they'd never reach him, as if they could do anything to him.

"You are the last hope of the Light?" He roared, swooping closer, moving to her right. She couldn't raise her head to see who he was addressing. "You, a warlock, your past shredded by the claws of your enemies." She could have sworn he sneered, "The same claws you bear yourself."

"And you," he flew to her, snarling down at her as she shrank away. He was close enough now, close enough to kill, but she had no strength, and he'd rather drag her suffering out a bit longer. "A girl, despised by the light, no matter how hard she fights for it." He growled, drawing back an arm, his claws bright and sharp in the light. She gasped, barely managing to raise an arm to cover her face as she saw the claw fly for her.

"No!"

***

Damain awoke to his door, slamming open, hitting the wall with a hard smack. He heard himself gasping, repeatedly, air moving into his lungs only to be shoved straight out, though it felt lie there was no oxygen in the room.His light was panicking, pulling back, into him, hiding from the dark. He raised his head, seeing through the darkness just as a figure lunged at him, grappling at him. He threw out a field of void light, recognizing the figure just as the energy left his palm. He watched her shadowed figure hit the floor, crying out just as she had in his dream.