Conquest

Shadow - Part Four

The strong gale hit Thearia's back and blew her hair across her face, yet she didn't bother looking behind. She knew what she'll find there.

Now her attention was all on Solomon, who covered his eyes with a shivering hand and looked at her through half-closed eyelids, his battered armor glinting orange in the light of the flames.

Her heart pounded in her ears. Her breath was shallow, and her hands trembled. She didn't dare take her eyes off the soldier who stood in front of her. She didn't dare to blink.

When the torches had been extinguished earlier, it was not her doing. And when he spoke to her, it was not Solomon who talked, even if he did sound like him. In his eyes she saw abysmal, infinite fury. She could see in his eyes how Solomon pictured her burning, and for one dreadful moment, Thearia could feel her skin searing beneath her clothes.

But what frightened her even more so was the look in Savage's eyes, that insatiable hunger for death, so eager to consume everything, and the horrible thirst to test the man standing before him, so he could provide for even a single moment of entertainment. And it so horrified her, because the one thing that's more dangerous than Savage in this world, is Savage acknowledging a challenge, and the only ones in this world that could provide such a challenge were Thearia and her likes. And now in this moment, in some impossible way, Solomon the human, was one such thing.

Already she could barely restrain Savage, and she knew that, should he take even one step toward Solomon, there would be nothing she could do. Nothing but watching her world burn.

She had to stop the two, whatever way necessary. And she would have to kill Solomon, even with all the risks involved. She can't let this thing, this monster, exist.

Her shadows began teeming and crawling, ready to swarm everything and anything on her command, devouring everything in sight.

But she risked one last look at him, and when their eyes met one final time, thearia saw fear in them. Pure terror.

With a quick wave of her hand the tower of flames died, and the vale fell to darkness. Deathly silent reigned, no one dared making a sound. The terrified soldiers looked behind her at the now empty heavens, their weapons shaking in their hands. Thearia heard running waters as the river that crossed the valley hurried to fill the crater that was once the city. The burning torches' light was pale and weak compared to the pillar of fire, but it lit the place enough to see that she hadn't imagined.

His eyes wide, his lip trembling. Solomon did fear.

But the shadows still whispered, dancing under the flames. Green, empty eyes glinted from each crack, every cranny, every dark corner. Thearia was determined to kill Solomon, to unleash her children at him and watch them tearing his flesh from his bones and slaughtering his men and burning every last living thing in this valley, just to make sure that the thing that was present here no longer did, that her world was once again safe.

Solomon eyes didn't move from hers, and even through the fear in his eyes he seemed determined to continue, to start his fight. She gave a sad sigh, for she knew Solomon was a good man. But whatever resided within him was not of her world and could not exist and shall not be allowed to, so it must be eradicated.

Her children's deep growls reached her ears, hungry for blood and flesh, eager to pounce with teeth and claws-

Solomon's sword fell to the ground suddenly, his arms dropped to his sides. Thearia blinked at him with surprise, the shades still bellowing at her ears. He stared at the blade at his feet in failure then raised his head to meet Thearia's eyes. His eyes didn't say fear now, only fathomless exhaustion, as if he held the weight of the world on his shoulders, and his back finally began to crack. The confused and scared soldiers looked at their defeated commander and at each other, then lowered their weapons as well, shame on their faces.