The Rift

3

       As we rode towards my burning village, I felt a pang of terror.  "Get everyone out of their homes. And kill anything that isn't human.", I commanded to the soldiers that King James sent with me including his son. I jumped from my horse and it continued running. "Castille!", I turned to see Vanessa rushing towards me. I looked for Isabelle and Charles, but they were not with her.

Her face was smothered with soot. "Where are the children, Vanessa?", I said, holding her by the sides of her arms.

"In the house. But it's a wall of fire Cas. No way in or out. Oh, my babies!", she broke down. But I needed her. "Nessa listen to me. I need you to stay strong. I need you to run and stay out of the way. Trust me, I'll get them out. Now run!", I pushed her towards the kingdom. She sobbed as I turned back to my burning town. I raced down the dirt paths when I was knocked off my feet and about to be dragged, when I held up my hands. The Shadows burned into nothing. I stood and continued towards Vanessa's house. When I got there, all I could feel was the heat. "Isabelle! Charles!", I yelled into the fire.

"Cas, help us please.", Isabelle called out in tears. My heart began to race, and I separated the fire and stepped over the threshold. There in a corner crying sat Isabelle and Charles. I held out my hand for them and just as the tips of our fingers brushed I was pulled from the house. "No!", Isabelle screamed crying. I was held against the wall and as a Shadow poured itself into me, I could feel everything burning. I couldn't breathe, and everything felt as if it was no use in fighting anymore. "You belong to me now." its rasped voice screamed in my head. I felt weak. A sword sliced through the air and the Shadow vanished into ashes. I gasped for air and looked up to see Daniel standing there with a hand stretched out to me. I took it and raced back into the house and brought out Isabelle and Charles.

     "Take them as far away as humanly possible.", I said to a soldier that rode up to me on a horse. Daniel put Charles and Isabelle on the back. Isabelle grabbed my hand and looked me in the eyes.

     "Promise you'll come back to us. Promise you'll give this back to me. And only you.", she cried. She pressed the crystal in my hand and they started away.

"I promise."

     Turning to Daniel, I nodded. "Thanks.", I said. He nodded back, "Any-"

    There was a cold roar into the night and Daniel and I both pulled our swords and readied ourselves for what was coming towards us. "Kneel or I will make you.", said the eerie voice of the Darkness. The voice from the dream.

  It appeared in the flames and its red eyes bored into mine. "I will never kneel to you. I was born to control you.", I said not backing down. His cold laugh rippled through the night.

       "Then prepare to die.", said the Darkness. It pulled out its sword and black smoke streamed from it. Daniel and I charged just to be thrown apart. Pain rippled through my back as I hit a beam. I cried out in pain and the Darkness's sword came down just as I rolled out of the way. I grabbed my sword and raced at him. He swung, and I slid between his legs, cutting his calf.

    I didn't waste any time that he gave me as he kneeled to heal himself. I drove my sword into his back and he roared in pain. He grabbed me and threw me into Daniel. We both hit a burning house and let out a groan.

   "What do we do?", I asked, out of breath, my body aching.

Daniel looked around for a minute and then his eyes landed on me. "You can control him. I've seen how you make the Shadows turned into dust. Maybe you need to use your powers full max. Attack him with all we have, and you throw in a little magic. We can get him.", he explained as we both stood.

"You make it sound easier than it actually is.", I said, picking up my sword.

"Never thought that for one minute. Think you can do it?", he questioned.

"I never said it was impossible.", I smiled at him.

We both went at him just as he said to. Cutting and getting thrown. When he was exhausted, I threw down my sword and lifted my hands. Control. You got this. I felt everything in me surge forward. The Darkness convulsed as the light worked at him. I screamed as I felt the burn in my palms. Blood began to trickle from my nose and I could feel myself getting weak as he pushed forward. "I won't let you hurt them! I won't let you take everything.", I yelled at him. The ground beneath his feet cracked and he grabbed me by the neck. I gasped for air looking into those empty red eyes.

"You can't stop me.", he said. "This is only the beginning."

I felt sharp pain in my stomach as he drove his sword into me. "Castille!", I heard Daniel scream my name as the Darkness pulled his sword out of me and vanished into thin air. I fell to the ground as black spots clouded my vision. Daniel raced over to me. He pressed against the wound and the world around me went black. The pain was gone and so was I.