Sacred

Chapter 18

   For another week, they followed the same routine of staying hidden and well lit. Alex was actually beginning to like it. She didn't mind that everyone was so cooped up together, but whenever they got the chance, her and Nick would enjoy each other, either by kissing or by making love. No one ever made them feel embarrassed, but she did see her mother's looks every time Nick gave her small kisses in public. Her mother had always been one to fall asleep late and so she always heard them in the tent nearby.

   As her and Nick sat on the stone beside the fire, wrapped in a thick blanket, Nick heard footsteps coming down the tunnel. His body didn't tense and the tingling didn't come like it normally did and so it couldn't be Darklens, but rumors spread of thieves who raided the castle through these tunnels. Nick stood and held his knife out in a defensive position. Suddenly, a small boy's head popped around the tunnel. He had fluffy brown hair and blue eyes, but his face was littered with scratches and bruises. He didn't look more than four years old. He slinked forward and stumbled on a rock, making him almost fall in the fire. He cupped his hands beside the flames and then looked over at them.

   "Hungry." He said pitifully.

   Alex felt pity wash over her and she broke off a piece of bread for the child. "Here you go."

   She tossed it to him and he quickly gobbled it up, looking up for more. Nick put a hand over hers and shook his head, knowing they couldn't waste food on beggars. "No more. We can't afford to lose anymore."

   "Good job. I thought our new leader would be an idiot, but this one's actually got some sense."

   Right then, a medium sized man stepped around the corner, followed by three others. They were all shorter than him, but much more built. They all had scars littering their faces and arms and they looked a bit ferocious. Alex whimpered and tugged the blanket closer. The guys saw her and dropped to one knee, bowing to her.

   The one who spoke first nodded his head. "Sorry to frighten you, your majesty. We're here to protect you."

   Nick looked them over from head to toe. "So you're the other Lights that dad summoned. I was expecting a lot more."

   The speaker nodded and sighed, standing and crossing his arms. "We were supposed to have a lot more, but Darklens managed to kill off about ten of us. There weren't any more that we knew of. Apparently the Lights weren't big on having children. Now sorry for my lack in manners. I'm Gabriel. You can call me Gabe though. The others are Peter, Louis, and Caine."

   The other three nodded to him in silence. Nick nodded back and then looked down at the four year old. "And…what about him?"

   Gabe glanced down and snapped his fingers. The little boy ran back to him and hid behind his leg. "That's some boy who followed us once we met up. All he would ever say was hungry or thirsty. We gave him what we could spare and he took that as a cue that he could tag along. He didn't say his name and so we just call him Stray."

   Just then, the king and queen stepped out of their tent, took one look at the strangers and Nick saw the fear cross their faces. "Don't worry. They're the other Lights."

   The instant calm that came over their faces made him relax a little, but as soon as the relaxation came, it was replaced by the tingling and tensing feeling. "Darklen."

   The other Lights paused before tensing up as well. They followed his example of lighting lanterns and keeping the fire blazing. Gabe grabbed for Alex, but she wrenched away and let Nick handle her. As Nick slid into the tent after her, he saw a look of anger cross over Gabe's face. He ignored it and closed up the tent flap.

   Alex shivered and slid under the blanket like Nick always told her to. Peter and Caine had volunteered to kill the beast once it was spotted and so he just had to wait. The tingling got stronger as the creature got closer until the endless feeling was beginning to make his head hurt. He heard the screeching roar come from across the tunnel and then he heard Caine give a yell of pain. Then, all was silent.

   Nick pushed the tent flap open and held his knife out as he crawled onto the floor. Caine stood over by the dead body of the Darklen, panting and shivering. Nick remembered that sort of thing. It had been how his father stood as he climbed out of the tunnel, wounded and exhilarated from the fight.

   That's when he turned and Nick saw that his eye had been gouged out of its socket.