The Last Light of Eden (Sky Children of the Light)

Chapter Five: Talia

The young elders stared silently down at the child. The faint golden light that seemed to radiate from its body reflected off falling raindrops and cast a wavering glow around the small crater. The manta--who had floated up beside them--gave a soft call, bowing its golden plated head to peer beneath the charred roots.

After a long moment of silence, Tun lifted his head and glanced around. "Well, that. . ." he paused, trailing off.

Tor looked up, finishing the thought. "Was unexpected."

Tun gave a small uncertain laugh and ran his fingers through his hair. "You can say that again. . ." he turned back to the glowing child's limp form and winced. A question pushed at the edges of his mind, but he didn't want to ask it. . . If the answer was no. . . He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, stepping forward and crouching down at the edge of the crater, peering down the muddy sloped sides at the child below. He had to know if they were alive.

"What are you doing!?" Tor hissed, reaching out and catching the back of his shirt in one hand. "You can't go down there!"

Tun shrugged off her grip, still staring down at the child's limp, glowing form. "Relax! I'm just going to take a look! Besides, investigating small glowing children that fall from the sky is part of the elder job description, right?"

Tor crossed her arms and paused for a moment, her expression unreadable. Finally she sighed and took a step back, slowly shaking her head. "You're going to get yourself killed, one of these days. . ."

"Only if you nag me to death!" Tun called back, and before his sister could respond, he dug his feet into the sides of the crater, sliding the few feet to the bottom. Muddy water sloshed up around his feet, a few inches deep, at least. He winced as he knelt down, gently grabbing the child by the shoulders and lifting their face from the water. If they had stayed there much longer, they probably would have drowned. . . If they hadn't already.

"So?" Tor asked, and Tun glanced up to see her leading the hesitant manta to the edge of the pit. "They alive, or not?"

Tun paused for a moment and looked back down at the limp child in his arms. The faint, warm glow that they gave off shimmered across the surface of the puddle they sat in and painted Tun's wet arms gold. He hesitated for a moment, watching the flickering glow bounce across the falling raindrops, afraid of what he would find when he flipped the child over. Tun closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again, taking a long deep breath. Slowly, he tilted the child over on its side, revealing its face.

"What in Eden!?" Tun cried, the child sliding from his arms and falling back down into the puddle with a splash. He leaped to his feet and instinctively took a step back, nearly backing into Tor who had slid down into the crater, blade drawn.

"What is it!?" she hissed, blade pointed down at the child whose face was once again turned away. "What's wrong!?"

Tun took a moment to steady his breathing, pressing a hand over his heart. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to understand what he'd just seen. Finally, he responded. "Eyes. . ." he muttered, nervously running a hand through his sopping white hair. "There's something seriously wrong with its eyes. . ."

Tor gave him a quick glance, then turned back to the child. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

Tun paused, staring down at the child's shimmering body. "They were. . ." he shook his head, shivering slightly. "Missing? I don't know. . ." he glanced over at Tor who was watching him carefully.

"So. . ." she said slowly, failing to hide the disgust creeping into her voice. "They're missing their eyes? Like. . . They were, poked out?"