The Forgotten Light

39. Fairlight

She heard someone's voice. For the silence there, it was far too loud. No doubt it attracted the attention of the creatures of darkness, which some time before had been pounding on metal, barking and howling shrilly. Only now did she remembered it. It was then, that she had pulled the small pebble from her pocket to chase away the darkness. She lay powerless and stared at it. The gleaming rock was all she had left, and its light calmed her.

Now she didn't even have the strength to look at it.

She heard a loud, terrified sigh. However, she couldn't recognize the voices, which seemed to be coming at her from very far away.

Someone's warm hands touched her neck.

A lower voice said something loudly, and a moment later a sudden gust of wind hit her right in the face. She heard someone running down the corridor and suddenly disappeared.

Fairlight's heart froze with fear. She would be left there alone again. She would stay there until the darkness consumed her.

With an effort, she lifted her eyelids and looked straight into the black eyes that were illuminated by the glow in her hand. A panicky dread overcame her.

It was him. He came. First he killed Harlyn, now he would kill her. He had every reason to do so. From the beginning she gave him a hard time and caused him problems, and they even whipped him so that all his bedding was covered with blood. And it was because of her. Because of her, everyone suffered, both her friends and her enemies.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry... Please, don't send anyone after me again."

She didn't recognize her own voice. It frightened her.

Darksen said something, but her vision blurred again and nothing reached her. She only felt a strange pressure growing in her chest, and a fire seemed to ignite in her lungs.

"I can't breathe," she said so quietly that she feared he hadn't heard her, even though he was so close, and she was running out of breath to get even one more word out.

His hands gripped her firmly and she suddenly found herself upright, feeling extremely dizzy. She groaned quietly as Darksen put his arm around her, helping her stay straight. Her stomach got tied up in knots. She was in pain all over her body, everywhere.

But since the Being had no deadly intentions toward her, Fairlight allowed herself to stand beside him for a moment, her heavy head resting on his chest. At least her breath returned, and the stupor disappeared, making her feel normal at last. She pushed his hands away and stepped back from him.

The bad emotions began to escape from her, she suddenly forgot who she was around, and craved to be feisty.

"What the hell was that?" she croaked out quietly, reproachfully.

"Wow. Truly, that's the best "thank you" I ever got," he snorted.

"Should I thank you for attacking me? Do you even know what 'thank you' means?"

Her head spun around again, she leaned against the wall.

"We have to get you out of here, you're not well," he said.

A howl rang in her ears, as if one of those creatures of darkness had gotten in there.

"I'm fine," she lied.

"Oh, really? In that case, how many fingers do you see?"

Despite the fact that she was barely alive and ignoring the fact that she was seeing double and as if through a fog, and her eyes were starting to get heavy again, she tried her best to send him the most threatening look.