Into the Darkness

Chapter 1

There wasn't much that I remembered about my older brother. Mostly just faint images. His dark hair, his icy eyes that were cold to anyone but me, the laughter that he brought to the cottage that our parents had built before they had passed away, the strength in his arms that always made me feel safe when the darkness crept into my bedroom. But there is one memory that I will not ever forget: The day that he left to fight in the war.

It was cold outside. Winter was fast approaching and rain had fallen the night before, leaving the air around the village crisp and clean. Fathers, brothers, and sons that were old enough, and willing to fight were gathering up their knapsacks and hugging their families goodbye before they left to fight in the war against the Shadows. My brother was among them. I remember crying and begging Nikola not to leave me alone. He leant down on one knee and gave me a bear hug.

"I will make the future safe for you." He had told me. "You will live without fear and not have to worry whether they will take you next. You will be safe. This I promise."

The next moment, he was on his horse riding away with the others. I was left with the crying families and Joana, Nikolas dear friend. His leg had been crushed during a small stampede of cattle that had been spooked by a Shadow. As he was unable to ride, he had been moved into the cottage to take care of me as I helped him heal. This was the last memory that I have of Nikola.

"Gwen!" A shout had brought me out of my day dreaming. Joana was yelling from the cottage door, a grumpy scowl decorating his face.

"What is it Joana?"

"Have you milked the cows yet this morning? Or gathered the eggs? Or- "

"If you give me more than a moment to do something then I would have them done." I replied sassily. Joana reminded me of an old woman sometimes, griping at anything that wasn't done to her standards. His scowl deepened.

"Talk to me like that again, girl, and I'll tan your hide." Although there was distinct frustration in his voice, a small smile pulled at his lips.

We had become very close in the 11 years that Nikola had been gone. Since I had been only 7 at the time that he had left, Joana took it upon himself to try to fill the positions of my mother, father, and brother. While his efforts were admirable, his leg posed a problem so we survived as well as we could. It had never fully healed after the stamped, leaving him with a noticeable limp. Because of this, it was difficult for him to find work in the village. He could no longer work in the fields because he could not ride and was considered weak because of his leg. This was the same at most of the shops in town. Thankfully, the town butcher had taken pity on us and provided us with an income that kept us alive.

I gave Joana a sly grin before heading toward the barn where our cow, Daisy, stayed. She had been providing the family with milk for a long time, and before her, her mother provided us with milk.

"Hey Daisy." I spoke to her softly, soothingly. "Ready to do your part today?" A soft "moo" was my answer before she went back to chewing her cud. I grinned softly before sitting down to work. I thought of the war again.

No one really knew how the war started, where the Shadows came from. All we knew was that they required two young women every spring, so that they would not come and kill off the livestock and take the daughters of the village. Their rules were very strict and were to be followed, else a disaster be let loose on the village, like the stamped that took Joana's leg. A man had spoken ill of the shadows and they spooked the cattle, creating a stamped that almost killed or injured many of the herders. After the cattle had run, many were slaughtered as a warning.

I could not describe the Shadows if I wanted to, hence why I haven't. Not because I do not want to, but because no one knew what they looked like. Much like their namesake, they stuck very close to the shadows and used them to their will. Many claimed that they could control the darkness and that is how they killed before the treaty was in place.