The Darkness in the Light

Chapter Nine

When we came out of the darkness, it stayed hovering around us like a cloud. I went to step away from Jax, but he tightened his grip on my waist and I realized we hovered in the darkest corners of a roof, high above the scene below. I clung a bit tighter, suddenly aware of the drop beneath me. I wrapped one arm around his neck, darkness supporting most my weight but it still felt wrong hovering above the world. A little more comfortable that I wouldn't fall to my death, I managed to look around.

Below us cowered a monster, a mass of rich, damp fur and sharp teeth.

"This is the monster that has taken what is ours!" a man cried, poking the end of a long, sharp stick into the beast's side.

Its hoarse cries echoed around the room. I blinked, taking everything in. A dirty brown mass of fur snarled and tried to bat the sharpened stick out of the man's hand. Despite the thickness of the chains and rope that restrained it, the beast pulled against them, fighting to get free. It stood well over the men, reaching easily twice their height. When it pulled its lips back over its teeth in a snarl, I realized it was a giant wolf.

Surrounding it were many men, all armed with various weapons. There was easily two dozen packed into the small space of the shed, pressing together to stay out of the monster's reach. They laughed and sneered and cheered as the monster squirmed and struggled in its chains.

"Kill him!" someone yelled over the ruckus. Other men echoed his words in support.

Why are they killing him? I asked. I saw that he was a monster, but the men's laughter and joking seemed cruel. If they were to kill him properly, they should have done it long before they let the chains burying themselves in his skin.

They think he is the one that is stealing everyone. They are wrong. He is probably the only monster not preying on the weak. Jax growled in my mind, upset by what was below us.

I looked down, my eyes filled with tears as the monster roared in pain, a spear stabbing into its leg. It was breathing heavily, and it refused to sink to the ground, instead lifting the now injured paw off the cold floor. Another strike and it staggered. I pushed off of Jax and slipped out of his grasp. He caught me with his darkness, but I pushed it away with my hands. It obeyed and I fell to the ground. Clambering to my feet and brushing myself off I pushed through the crowd of men. They were so drunk on the monster's pain they didn't notice that it was a young woman pushing through their midst.

As I reached the edge of the crowd I saw the man raise his spear a third time, aiming for the

monster's other leg. I stepped, using the motion to burst into a sprint. Just as the man went to throw the spear I reached him, pushing him to the ground. Together we slid dangerously close to the monster.

He cursed and rolled away, out of reach once again. Murmurs went through the crowd as cries of outrage turned to realization that I was just a girl. I stood tall and proud in front of the beast, glaring at every man that dared meet my eye.

"Goodweather?" a familiar voice cut through the sudden silence. I snapped my head around to see my father. I silently cursed. He was not meant to know that I was alive.

"Have you seriously resorted to torturing innocent animals?" I asked him, outraged. Everyone else was silent.

"Goodweather, is that really you?"

Ignoring him, I turned and picked up the spear. The monster cringed away from it and I met his eye, knowing I probably shouldn't.

It's okay. I'm not one of them. I whispered into its thoughts, not sure if it could understand me.