The Shattered Night

45| Mary

Being a practical sister who had to look out for a family of three others, Mary knew trouble when it came knocking at her door. From the moment India and her mother had got into a fight, she had sensed that a terrible problem was about to head towards all of them. Then when India finally lost control of her magic, the prison had come tumbling down, and that told Mary even more chaos was about to stir up. Towards the ending curve of the road, it turned out all her emotions were correct, for her mother had died and some suspicious looking lady had decided to strike a deal with them.

Mary had thought that this was the worst that could happen to her. There possibly couldn't be anything more terrifying than being trapped in an underground cave with a bunch of strangers. But then, when the sound of rising horse hooves pounded from the outside world, Mary knew immediately that she would have to act fast. Frantic shouting came from the other borders of the cavern walls as vibration could be felt echoing off each plate of stone. It could only mean one thing, after all, and Mary was not happy about the realization.

The king's court would give no mercy.

The sister took a shaky breath and all her instincts kicked in like a flying hurricane. She tried to keep her voice steady as she spoke, though each word took every ounce of energy to muster. "Darien, take your friends away and hide as far as you can from me."

Mary knew this was a giant risk to take, for being separated was no easy thing to do. After all, she and her older brother had just been reunited, and Mary didn't want to lose anymore people. But through all the rising turmoil, she knew that the workers of the king were looking for the escaped prisoners, and if they saw anyone near Mary and her family, everyone would then be forced into interrogation.

"You're insane right?" Darien's high pitched voice flew like a rushing waterfall out of his mouth. "I'm not leaving you here. Not after everything that has happened."

Mary sucked in her breath and tried not to lose her patience. Couldn't her brother see that each coming second was only threatening everyone's safety? "You have to leave me here. There is no other choice. If the king's court finds out that you and the others are with me, do you not have any idea of the punishments that will come?"

Mary's voice raised higher with each new word as she pushed Darien out of the way. Her brother's eyes widened in shock and response as he realized what he would have to do.

"I can't lose you, we're so close to-"

"You won't lose me." Mary squeezed her older brother desperately as the echo of voices neared them and grew louder with each ticking of time. She smiled sadly at Darien while a small crystal tear threatened to spill out of her eyes. "I promise you that. We're siblings until the very end." She pushed him gently to the opening of the cavern path. "Now go."

Her brother's eyes hardened in determination as he started to step away and cut ties with Mary's own string. Each pulse of adrenaline could be felt in both hearts as the siblings split roads. "We will see each other again. I'm making sure of it."

There was a slight pause in between the two as Mary locked fingers and formed an unbreakable bond with Darien. And then with one last glance at her brother, she saw the rest of them slowly slipping away from her, along with the woman who called herself The Lady of Darkness.

Mary sighed and closed her eyes in weariness. Beside her, she felt India slip deeper within her welcoming arms and Dennis pressing closer together. Who would have ever known that convincing an unrelenting sibling would be so hard to do? Out of all the times she had known Darien, he had never been an assertive person to his own will. Maybe the royal court did have a big impact on him. After all, he would have to learn to move on. In the very end, people always disappear, and if all you have are the memories of them, those memories become treasures.