The Rise of the Dark Sun

Introduction

Fear is a tricky thing. It's more controlling than we give it credit for. I tried not to be afraid of the world. I liked to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. I didn't look at strangers and think they were dangerous. I liked to think that they all had stories that were desperate to be told. Maybe that made me naive, but I believed that if we were constantly fearing the evil, we were letting them win. I wasn't comfortable with that. Admittedly, this philosophy got me into trouble, and I felt it so deeply when I was finally captured.

I sat deep in thought. I tried not to think of my predicament, but it was impossible. My clothes were damper from blood than they were from sweat. I had broken ribs, deep stabs in my stomach, and scratches and scrapes all over my body. Instead of being sent to a healer, I was strapped to a chair in an abandoned room, and I had assumed it was abandoned for good purposes. I knew that if I didn't get help, I would eventually bleed to death. Dark thought, I suppose, but true nonetheless. I'd continue to endure the pain as I refused to answer the questions the Mazmurox threw my way. I refused to let evil win; not that what I wanted really mattered. I'd be dead soon enough. My thoughts went back to Ava now. How I felt guilty for abandoning her. Did she make it? Did she escape? I was haunted by the thought that she could be dead right now, and it was truly me to blame. I let out a frustrated sigh. Stop thinking about it.

My thoughts were distracted as the head mistress of the Mazmurox burst through the wooden doors. The metal handles hit the wall, sounding almost as disturbing as nails on a chalkboard, or a whip slashed across a child's back. My mind was fuzzy, and I was trying to forget everything that happened. I was trying not to keep track of names, but I knew her name was Xeta. She was small, but something about her made her intimidating. I thought it may be the eyes, but I didn't dare to look into them. I wasn't necessarily scared, just anxious for what was to come. Would they have killed me right there? Right that moment? I believed it was true when a wicked smile appeared on her face as she pulled out a dagger. But in a flash, the dagger sprung from her hand and stabbed the nearest wall. A man walked into the room.

"Enough, Xeta. I told you the plan. Stop trying to ruin it," he said. He crossed the room over to me. He opened his hand and the dagger came to it immediately. He cut me loose. I sighed with slight relief. My body sagged, perhaps hoping that the worst was over; a foolish dream.

"My stomach..." I was muttering.

"Silence!" the man bellowed as he took a swing at my face. I soon found the floor, hearing my heart stuttering in my ears.

"What are you suggesting we do, Magnus?" Xeta snapped.

I wiped the blood off of my face.

"Get her to a healer or something. She's disgusting to look at."

My eyes were starting to get too heavy.

"When she's okay, send her to her cell."

The blood in my mouth was starting to lose its taste.

"Keep an eye on the boy, and try to get answers out of him. Do whatever it takes."

The boy? Who could he mean? I was growing impatient. I didn't want to imagine hurting any of them. I couldn't. Breath after breath, I couldn't hear anything. There was so much blood. My eyes were getting fuzzy. I could faintly hear Xeta and Magnus arguing. Slowly, I slipped into unconsciousness...