Light of Stars [2]

Chapter Thirty-Three

♕ Rivera of Nightmares ♕

Light exploded out of her hands, bursting through the shadows who simply faded away and reattached themselves to one another. She could feel someone trying to get her to stand, could hear someone taunting her to dive deeper into the dark, to remain rooted in their grasp.

Aubrette blinked away the tears and pushed forward, Dorian had two sets of dagger in his hands, his eyes bright and glowing, a sort of glow she'd never seen before, beautifully deep and dark.

"Run" he said. Aubrette shook her head. She had ran once before. Had ran into the darkness. She needed to fight... she needed too. She tried to take a step froward, try to search for a weapon in her clothes that wouldn't be there. Aubrette felt their claws cutting through her legs, could smell the blood already running down her side towards the floor. Dorian cut through them before she had a chance to react. The point of his sword an inch away from her skin. "Run!" He yelled again, as Morte clapped his hands in the back, enjoying every second. Aubrette took a deep breath and muttered a sorry before running the other way, away form them, once more. Sobs rippling through her throat as she felt them coming closer. Not allowing herself to dwell on how she'd choose to loose. Again. For nothing more than a few shadows that looked pulled out of a kids nightmare.

But it was not possible. Not possible that they were here now. They had been Mason's. He had done... he had...

They were here for her. Because of her. Somehow she'd dragged them from the sea, somehow she'd managed to bring them here. Mason never had anything to do with it. Aubrette repressed the urge to stop and puke in between the moonstone cells. Around her Gloas seemed to tightened, seemed to close in on her. There was no light, no way up, and not a single thing she recognized from when they'd come in, she had not gone the right way, and it was too late. Aubrette pressed her hands across the dead-end. 

"Please" she spoke to the mountain. "Please"

She closed her eyes, felt them shine. "Open" she said again, and Gloas listened.

The mountain walls moved, opened for her, the river floating load and stronger than she'd ever seen before. Zander's warning echoed in her mind. But the shadow's eyes shined brighter, their claws felt closer than any fear she'd felt towards the river.

Hoping she would live to see the moon again, Aubrette pushed herself forward, and let the river drown her inside.

☆

The sword clashed against her right leg. Her mothers eyes darkening as she saw the dripping blood covering the hardwood floor. Aubrette moved, the pain rippling past every nerve on her leg all the way up her hip. She did not stop to dwell on how hard it would be to fix it. Her mother moved aside as Mason jumped over her, hitting her in the back with the pommel of his sword.

Aubrette yelled in pain, moving away and grabbing his neck, portaling with him near her mother, where she closed her hands around his throat. She could not let go. Not this time. Not when her hands had barely healed from last time, when her mother had almost cut through the flesh, when she could still feel the pain as she hit her, over and over. A fighter doesn't loose. So she would win. She would win. She would win. Aubrette let herself cry as she saw Mason struggle to breathe before her mother clapped, allowing her to release her grip on him.

Mason coughed for air. Aubrette sighed in relief as blood travelled back up his face.

"Better" her mother shrugged moving to the side. "I don't think we will test you again for a while, not until you find something better to show me than your skills in sword fight." Aubrette said nothing. "And daughter? Don't hold back next time. Mason might be too nice to hit you but people out there won't hesitate while you're crying because you're too scared to kill them" Her mother walked away, leaving them both laying on the hard floor beneath Exilium.