The Light in the Dark ✓

Chapter 28 Last Stand

The metal door opened with a loud screech echoing through the dark chamber. The Rebels hesitantly ventured in, keeping their weapons ready. Sam waved his hands, sending bright light spheres around the room, chasing away the shadows. The room was large and circular, with two smaller doors opposite the entrance. The air was heavy and felt oppressive. The stench of old blood and death filled the place with soundless pleads for mercy that was never given. But what captured the attention immediately was in the very centre of the room. The air flickered and glimmered as if something hung there, suspended halfway between the ground and the ceiling. Iris felt the cold sweat pearling at her back. The hair on her body stood up, and a nameless dread engulfed her. Something was lurking there, something ancient and malicious, looking right back at them.

'Isss it feeding time?' a voice hissed. It seemed that a chorus of tormented voices fused into one as it came from all around them.

Few people gasped in surprise, looking around the seemingly empty chamber.

'Do not fear,' Myrica said in a loud and assuring voice. 'It can't hurt you, not yet. Light up the torches. Set up fires. We'll need all the light we can get.'

Faced with her confident and resolute command, everyone moved. Mages lit up the torches on the walls, while others carried pieces of wood, they made by chopping down the table from the hall to start a fire.

Iris looked at the hustle, fidgeting with her fingers nervously. Far fewer Mages than they expected remained. From around twenty prisoners, only fifteen were well enough to fight. They left the rest back in the cell block. Few of them were too weak even to stand, and there was one other child except Cody, a girl no more than five. Iris closed her eyes and felt a throbbing pain in her heart at the thought that she had to leave her little brother behind again. He protested fiercely, saying he could fight. But he was so incredibly young and what they were going to do was too dangerous. Iris wouldn't focus, knowing Cody was right in the centre of this. He still wouldn't let it go, and only when Myr looked him in the eye and with a solemn voice asked him to protect those weak ones left behind did he agree to stay there.

'You...' hissed the voice again. 'You are one of the people.'

Myrica's head snapped in the direction of the tear, her golden eyes narrowed. 'That should make no difference to you, creature.'

'Oh, but it doesss. My feassst will be ssso much sssweeter when I devour your ignorant and foolish sssoul.'

'We'll see how you sing while we slay you, monster.'

The room suddenly burst with hysterical laughter, startling everyone and stopping them in their tracks. It sounded as if someone was scratching nails on the walls. 'You think you can ssslay me? I'm older than anything you can even imagine. I fed on the power of your god. Do you really think you can even ssscratch me?'

'Watch us,' said Jayden loudly, throwing more planks to the growing fire.

But then the smaller doors burst open with a loud thud revealing figures clad in black. They threw something inside the room, unsheathed the weapons, and rushed inside.

'Gas grenades! Melt them before they release the poison!' Jayden shouted over the commotion of clashing steel and fearful shouts. His hands were already moving to send the light at the small metal spheres that started leaking green smoke. Iris squared her shoulders, even though her legs felt wobbly with the fear rising inside. She raised her hands and joined Jayden in disabling the harmful devices. They couldn't let them dampen their magic, not when it was their only real weapon against Brath.

But there was simply too many Mage Hunters. They moved with terrifying efficiency, extinguishing torches and going right at Mages before they even managed to raise their defences. Even though they realised they walked right into the trap, the Mages and their allies fought on, knowing that right here was their last stand.