Tales of Darkness and Light (Book 1 Complete)

Chapter 9: Of Lunaris and Infestations

Chapter 9: Of Lunaris and Infestations

    After a few more days of travelling through the dense undergrowth of the woods, the trees at last cleared. Sunlight beamed down from the sky, striking Addy's face in an almost gentle caress. She wondered if, despite all that she had done, Diamara, the goddess of light, was watching over her now.

As they moved forward, Addy noticed that the dirt path, at last, seemed clearly defined, no longer covered in plants and holes. It expanded, as well, as it reached up a hill and past stone walls. It appeared as if they were near a town!
    "It'll be nice to sleep in a bed again," said Lillian, who had reached the same conclusion as Addy.

Addy smiled. "I agree. Though I'm not sure if I have enough money to afford a room at an inn."

"Don't worry - I'll hide you in my closet."

Addy snorted at that, and the two girls lapsed into a comfortable silence, occasionally nudging the half-asleep Hayden to keep him from falling off his horse.

As they approached the settlement, a sharp, high-pitched sound rang through the air. Addy's hands shot up to cover her ears on instinct. She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that her sword was strapped to her belt - the last thing she needed was it falling to the ground and impaling poor Apple.

Her horse had been with her since the early days of her travels. If the fact that an animal had been her only constant companion over the past few years was depressing, then it fit in with the way the rest of her life had been going.

Though it wasn't as if she didn't deserve it. Loneliness was a small price to pay for what her actions had cost her family. She would uphold the oath she made on her father's deathbed, even if the cost was her own life.

Especially then.

"What is that?" Hayden brought his hands down from his ears as the noise stopped.

"Wait." Lillian brought her horse to a grinding halt. "I've been here before. This is Lunaris. They're known for their state of the art..." her face paled. "Distress signals."

Had the Watch gotten here too? Addy had no idea, but she knew that their group could only get lucky and escape unscathed so many times.

"We have to help them," Addy said.

She brought Apple into a trot as they neared the great stone walls. With every step closer, the screams of the townspeople inside became more and more apparent. The part of Addy with some sense of self-preservation wanted to turn tail and run. However, she knew that she could rely on her allies now, and besides, they had faced Mordan's Watch twice and remained unscathed.

It was with this newfound determination that Addy marched up to the gates, companions behind her. As soon as they reached them, a seemingly invisible force yanked the metal doors wide open. Addy winced at the harsh sound the metal made. It was like the universe was conspiring to make her ears bleed.

"Let's hope this visit goes better than the last time," Lillian said.

As they entered the town, Addy thought that she'd prepared herself for a variety of situations, from the bad to the truly terrible. She had been expecting to see the Watch, or perhaps the Watch's infernal benefactors. But she never would have expected this.

People were shrieking and running, and houses and fields of crops were aflame. It was utter pandemonium. Addy glimpsed an old man in priest robes, who descended the steps of the temple in the middle of the town, swinging a stick wildly in the air.  And the cause of this chaos was... rats?

"Are you two seeing what I think I'm seeing?" Hayden said, echoing the disbelief that Addy felt.

They made their way up the stone path through the town, watching as one of the rat's ran across the path a bit ahead. It was a pale white thing, with beady eyes and a plump stomach. Addy suppressed a shiver. As harmless as the thing looked, it was obvious it was demonic in nature.