Blaze in the Darkness | ✔

Chapter Twenty-nine

A cheer erupted from the crowd, the large group of people that had come with Oscen following suit. The noise must've gotten through to Sila, because the werewolf opened her eyes.

She took in the crowd gathered around her, gaze resting on my momma and me for a moment before moving on. "We won." Mild surprise was present in her voice. Shaking her head, she stood up.

Oscen supported her, but let her move on her own. The moment she was up, the other werewolves pushed closer, trying to touch her for comfort. Raset looked at my momma and Thoysal before walking away, back into the town. My eyes widened as I realised her destination.

A squeal escaped my throat as my momma picked me up with her jaws, my paws now in the air. The ground moved beneath me as she carried me, following Raset. To the side, Thoysal walked, keeping some distance between the flame-covered body of my momma and himself.

My eyes widened as I saw the mauled wolf bodies on either side of the safehouse's entrance, blood splattered everywhere. Splintered pieces of wood were all that remained of the door. The thick smell of blood wafted up from the stairwell, making me want to turn around. Ambertail blood could be mixed with it.

Thoysal put his hand on Raset's shoulder, preventing her from entering. "I'll go first," he said grimly. An orb of light appeared on the palm of his other hand.

The spirit frowned at being held back, but didn't try to fight him. One by one, we moved down the stairs. Orange light from my momma's flames cast deep shadows on the walls, more radiant than Thoysal's orb. Black pools of liquid coated the floor. I had to do my best not to gag at the scent of blood.

Raset's breath hitched as she stopped at the door opening. A whine escaped my throat. I wanted to know what she was seeing. When my momma gently nudged Raset aside and walked into the safe house, I wished I had never looked.

All of the wolves I had seen enter the safehouse with me - the weak, the elderly, the sickly - lay dead on the ground. My momma's tail illuminated them all eerily, their dead eyes reflecting the orange light. The floor was more blackish red than gray stone.

My ears perked up when I heard chirping, only to realise the sound was coming from Raset. The spirit was walking around the room, careful to avoid the mauled bodies, her constant stream of chirps met with silence. Her eyes were trained on the floor.

Thoysal was next to her, looking around without uttering a word. After a moment, he said, "Are you sure they can have survived this?"

"Yes. I taught them a little trick. Look." She pointed to two small bodies against the wall, their orange-white feathers and fur covered in blood. The small light inside of their tails had gone out. Seeing the dull gray orbs instead of the usual amber-colored ones made my stomach twist.

Raset gently chirped at them. A bright blue eye opened, broken wings twitched. Then, the entire image distorted, and two perfectly fine ambertails were huddled against the wall. They chirped frantically back at Raset, rushing to cower against her legs.

"Shh, it's okay," she murmured, stroking their backs. Although their tails burned weaker than usual, I was glad to see them burning at all.

The vampire cleared his throat. His eyes swept across the room as he asked, "Where is the third?"

Raset and the ambertails chirped at one another. With every passing second, the spirit's face became grimmer. "They don't know. It ran away as the werewolves entered the safehouse."

"I cannot track it, either. The scent of blood is too potent." Thoysal moved around the bodies as he searched the chamber. Wanting to follow him, but also not at the same time, I squirmed weakly.

My momma gave a soft growl. 'I'm not letting you go here. You'll get your fur all dirty.'

'But I wanna be with Thoysal! What if something leaps out of the dark and attacks him?' I asked.

'He can hold his own. And you're safe with me, just as he is safe with himself,' she stated. With a huff, I accepted it. I didn't really want to go into the dark, even if Thoysal was there. Too many bodies I could step on littered the ground. A shudder passed through me as I imagined touching them.

The soft chirps of Raset and the ambertails filled my ears. It was the only sound to distract me. I wanted nothing more than to leave this room, go back into the sunlight, but I knew I couldn't ask my momma. The only reason one of the little creatures was missing was me.

After what seemed like an eternity, Thoysal's voice echoed through the chamber. "Found it."

The tone of his voice made me squirm in my momma's grip. Raset picked up the two in her arms, shoulders tensing. She walked towards the vampire, holding the ambertails close. My momma followed suit.

Thoysal raised his hands a little to show what he was holding, though he was turned away so that I couldn't see it. From Raset's complete silence, I knew it couldn't be good. A soft whine escaped my throat.

The spirit started muttering in the Divine Language. My chest tightened as I recognized them as the first few words of the hymns and prayers of death. My momma had taught me each of them long ago, and I knew them by heart.

Silent as a statue, Thoysal stood there, watching. My momma didn't move either, and even I tried not to make a sound. I didn't want to ruin Raset's last few moments with a close friend.

A close friend now dead because of you, a voice whispered in my head. I lowered my eyes to the ground, not able to deny it. Guilt washed over me. It took all I had not to whine again.

The seconds stretched on to eternity as Raset continued to sing.