Light in Her Darkness

Chapter 1

Bilba strode down the long hall, irritation rapidly mounting. Behind her she could hear the rapid sound of boots as the guards tried to keep up with her without entirely abandoning their dignity. She briefly considered breaking into a run, just to be contrary, but abandoned the idea. Given how much she'd already been aggravating them, they were liable to simply shoot her and be done with it.

Her eyes cast about, trying to find something that would identify the owner of the place she'd been forcibly dragged to. It was clear the mansion had been designed to impress, every inch given to loudly proclaiming the owner's wealth and prestige. The outside had been near palatial in size and layout, built from massive, sand colored blocks and boasting numerous towers and rotundas, the latter capped with cupolas laid out in glittering gold and red tile.

Given the empty halls she'd been marched through, and the heavy silence broken only by her own steps, she had to question how much of the estate was inhabited.

They'd brought her from the spaceport in a shuttle, a deliberate choice she imagined, to ensure she saw the splendor of the estate. The house was surrounded by enormous gardens, filled with exotic trees and plants; many she'd recognized, others she had not. A crystal-clear pool lay in the center of a complex looking hedge maze, bordered by what looked like gold-trimmed marble.

The interior, so far, was proving no less ostentatious. The halls were wide enough to march an army through, the floors polished marble and covered with thick rugs portraying Arkanian dragons. Alcoves had been built into the walls and housed statues of various creatures. Bilba recognized a Howler, Mantigrue and Krayt but couldn't identify some of the others. One was a massive statue depicting a strange worm-like creature with horns and multiple legs she was quite sure she never wished to meet.

The end of the hall loomed ahead of her, finally, dominated by an equally huge set of doors. They were made from some sort of wood and carved with still more images of reptilian creatures, many of them inlaid with jewels.

Bilba expected the doors to open before her with an all too familiar hiss and was startled to have to pull up just in front of them as they failed to do anything at all. She blinked in surprise. The door wasn't pneumatic? She looked closer but saw no signs of a shield or any other kind of technology.

It looked like it was just simply...a door.

Who wasted so many resources on showing off their wealth and then installed doors that had to be physically opened?

One of the guards that had been "escorting" her, stalked past her and pushed the doors open. Light spilled into the dim hallway and the sensors in her helmet adjusted, dimming the screen over her eyes before she could be momentarily blinded.

The light came from huge windows set in the wall on the opposite side of the room, overlooking the gardens outside. A large desk dominated the area in front of the windows. Bookcases lined the walls and a large rug, matching the ones from the hall, was spread out across the floor.

One of the guards pushed her and she barely resisted the urge to punch him. Her exoskeleton armor enhanced her strength, ensuring the experience would be decidedly unpleasant for him.

Lifting her chin, Bilba strode in and stopped in a wide stance, hands clasped behind her back. To anyone looking, she'd hopefully appear to be the very picture of nonchalance and disinterest. That was the nice thing about full body armor, it could be used to showcase her anger and nothing else. No sign of the way her hands were sweating under her gloves, no hint on her face of the fact that her gut was clenching, or her heart was currently racing in her chest.

The guards took up position behind her, one on either side, close enough to be annoying, not close enough for her to risk going for one of their blasters.