Shadow Cursed

Chapter 35: The Shadow Army is Coming

I had all my belongings packed in my satchel, and some rations of food for on the way. Mumbling to myself I pulled my boots onto my feet and stood up. While fixing my cloak I stood in front of an old mirror, covered in dirt and cobwebs and cracked but still in one piece.

Cerin knocked at the door and let himself in, "Ready to leave?" Taking one last look around the room I nodded. "Good, prepare yourself."

Leaving the house wasn't too hard, Cerin knew where he was going. The problem was going to be walking in the darkness when the sun set.

"Cerin?" An hour into the walk and I was tired already. I tried to catch up to him, as he was far ahead of me.

He waited for me as I stopped in front of him breathless, "Yeah."

"Why did you never tell me who you were?" I looked over the cliff and at the sky, then back at him, "It never would of changed my opinion of you."

His hands were in his jeans pockets, like any other teenager. "I guess I didn't want to scare you away. Sorry about how hostile I was when I met you."

"It's okay, I just. I've lost track of time now since this all started, and I don't know if it will ever end." My voice faded to silence.

"I was only 4 when my mother left me, I never found out what happened to her." He looked into the distant sky, lost in the colors. "That was when it all started, the voices, strange incidents, the shadows. I thought I was going crazy until I met a stranger. He told me of my destined fate and the prophecy. Stupidly enough I fell for all of it." He cursed at himself, I was unable to make out what he said.

I stood there looking out at the sky watching the birds flying. They were free, not bound in some kind of prophecy. I longed to taste was freedom was. By instinct my wings opened up and the wind blew at my feathers. I stood on my tippy toes taking in the view and the sunlight shining through the darkness.

I turned around to see Cerin with wings. Our eyes met for a few seconds, "Sorry." He looked guiltily at the ground.

I didn't say anything back, I took in everything about his eyes in wonder. They were beautiful, but had darkness hidden behind them. And loneliness, he must of been on the run for years without a friend. I must of been staring at him still when I snapped out of it. I mumbled, "Sorry."

"Don't worry, you aren't that ugly to look at." He chuckled to himself.

"Hey!" Without thinking I pushed him and he slipped off the cliff. I didn't have time to panic as he reappeared a few second later floating with wings. I picked up a rock from the ground and threw it at him, "You scared me!" He dodged it and stayed there floating.

"Our wings are meant to fly." His feet landed back onto the ground with a solid thud. "I can show you how."

"I've only had my wings for a few days. And I'm not too confident yet." I told him in a low whisper as I looked down at the ground.

I turned my back to the cliff, and sat next to a tree watching the sunset. I didn't notice when he sat down next to me. He was paying attention to the sunset also. My right hand reached for his left hand, but he moved it quickly as soon as they made contact. He looked at me and I noticed something unique about his eyes, they were different colors. His left eye was brown, and his right eye was a green. I became memorized in the mysteries of Cerin, I wanted him for myself.

Galloping horse sounds came closer, bringing us back to reality. "Oh shit! How could they find us so fast." He gathered all of our belongings and we ran from the horses as fast as our lives depended on it.

"I don't think we're gonna make it!" We stopped at a dead end. A stone wall stood in front of us. "What now?"

By then we had been surrounded, there was no escape. Horses with armor and their riders armed, we couldn't fight back. I was panicking in my mind, while being perfectly still.

"We have orders to bring you back to the castle alive," The guard member spoke.

Cerin had been silent the entire time. But he suddenly reacted and spooked a horse by setting a bush near it on fire. The other horses freaked out as he made a run for it. I followed behind him without success.

Something had hit me in the leg and it felt numb and heavy. "No no!" I screamed at the top of my lungs but I was stuck.

Up ahead guards were struggling to restrain Cerin from hurting them and winning the battle. He fell limp to the ground seconds later.

Captured by the enemy, this was the worst day ever. There wouldn't be escape once they brought us to the castle, we were doomed. I felt a pain in the back of my head and fell unconscious.