The Burning Light with Shadows (A SOTAM Fan Fiction)

Mystery (Sophie's PoV)

Just when I thought things couldn't get worse, they did. Tam was gravely injured, and most of the Councillors had fled due to wounds, and the only elves left in the cave were myself, Tam, Linh, Marella (who was now using her pyrokinesis now that the Councillors had left), Wylie, Dex, Biana, and Keefe. Against the remaining three baby trolls.

But that's when I noticed the boy in black that we'd seen in the tent last time. He had a black sword and was slashing one of the three baby trolls from behind.

At first, it didn't seem very off to me until a sudden thought shot into my brain. Elves can't handle violence. And elves don't have swords. Which meant... whoever this boy was, they probably weren't an elf, unless they were an elf that could handle violence.

But still... with only a handful of elves and a random boy against three rage-filled baby trolls, our situation was looking pretty gloomy.

Then a dark shadow spread across the facility, and our mysterious cloaked ally joined the fight with their shining jade sword. Honestly, I think I was so astonished that I didn't do anything and stared at them fighting two of the baby trolls. They leaped, dodged, sliced, swiped, and stabbed at beasts gracefully, as if dancing. Their boots barely made a sound on the ground, their cloak swishing in the air and the jade blade wickedly sharp and making scratches across the trolls' hides.

"Who are you?" Linh asked quietly, so quiet I thought that the cloaked figure wouldn't hear. That's when I realized that the boy with the black sword had disappeared.

Our cloaked ally stabbed the two baby trolls in the eyes and dropped their sword, and it shimmered into gold dust and disappeared. I gaped. "How-" I started, but instead, they gave me a sort of waving motion and slipped into the shadows.

"Someone explain to me who these sword fighting people are!" I yelled. My voice echoed throughout the facility.

I saw a sparkle out of the corner of my eyes, and I realized what it was. Tears were streaming down Linh's cheeks. I raced over to her, almost tripping over my own feet.

Tam was a bloody mess (Keefe, if you say 'bloody? Again? Why must you use that word?' one more time, I will make sure that the next time your hair is dyed silver, it stays that way). He had devastating red angry scratches all over him, and his tunic was practically strands of rags. But the scratches weren't what caught my attention.

A black knife was stabbed into his side near his hip, with a Neverseen eye symbol on the hilt. Pinned to it was a note:

This is not the end.

I almost covered my eyes from the ugly wound. If I had noticed the wound before, I would have probably screamed, grabbed him, and brought him to Elwin as soon as possible. But now... his breathing was haggard, and blood leaked down from his knife wound. "W- we need to get him to Elwin. Now," I ordered.

Linh choked on a sob. We both lifted him up with telekinesis and bolted down the tunnel to where Elwin was treating mildly injured recruits. When he saw Tam, he ran into a freaked out flurry.

Bullhorn (Elwin had brought him just in case) laid next to Tam in a shuddering pile of fur. I felt a sob in the back of my throat, and a tear slipped down my cheek. I sat in a chair next to his cot, holding his increasingly cold hand and whispering in his ear.

"Don't die on me Tam. Please. Please. Please." It became a chant that I continued for seconds, which became minutes, which became hours. This must be what it's like for people who watch me nearly die, I thought. It was a terrible feeling that washed over me like a tsunami.

Elwin gave me a glance that seemed to say, I don't think he's going to make it. I kept whispering in his ear nonetheless. "Please Tam. Please. I- I can't lose you. Not after everything. Please. I... I... I love you." The words burst out of me, but I knew they were true.

In a normal happy ending fairytale, that would have been the moment that the gravely injured person would wake up, and they'd survive, and tell me that they loved me as well.

But life wasn't always a happy ending.