Darkness, Scene v1

“Father?”

The castle seemed empty, without a soul in sight. The tapestries and paintings hung from the walls, as they always have, but they seemed to weep from loneliness. The heels of her diamond-studded shoes echoed against the stone floor, an echo that gave her chills.

“Kismet?”

Delphi rounded the corner into the hall leading to the courtyard. The empty hall’s doors all hung open, the rooms within also empty. Was there some sort of event? She wondered. Only the faint thumps of her footsteps upon the long crimson rug sounded through the hall.

“Is anyone there?”

The young princess winced at the blinding sun when she stepped into the courtyard. A throng of people ran back and forth, calling and crying to each other. The ill and unconscious littered the floor and walls, groaning and moaning with anguish. Vomiting and coughing up blood, they rose to their feet and all turned to her.

“Help us,” they wailed. “Please save us. It hurts.”

Terror crept up her spine as they lumbered toward her like zombies from Karen’s spook stories. She fled toward the garden, where the horde disappeared and the sky grew dark. Thunder roared, and rain poured from the sky, none of which seemed to hit her. In the center of the garden were a pair of guardsmen, dragging her father to the greenhouse.

“Father!” she cried, chasing after them.

Darkness filled the greenhouse, so thick she could hardly see where to step. The rain continued to fall through, despite the glass ceiling. Cautiously, she crept forward, maneuvering by the flash of lightning that filled the sky. Ascending a short set of steps, she came to the raised center of the greenhouse. At the gazebo in the center stood a shadow hunched over the table. Creeping closer, she recognized the large pointed ears and long tail.

“Kismet?”

A hideous ripping noise plagued her ears. She edged closer to Kismet, who seemed to pay her no notice. Her furry friend worked vigorously with her hands, stuffing meat in her mouth like the young pages after a hard day’s work. Delphi froze when her eyes found her dear friend’s feast. Kismet tore away at her father’s face, which stared at her lifelessly, missing half of its flesh and an eye.


Delphi bolted up, screaming with tears streaming down her face. Surrounded by darkness, she glanced around in a panic. The chill of the cave sent shivers through her dampened body. Kismet’s warm arms embraced her tightly, but she pushed and struggled against her in terror.

“Calm down, Delphi. It’s me, Kismet. It was just a bad dream.”

After a bit of struggle, she returned to her senses. The dream felt so real, and the perpetual darkness didn’t help. Sobs shook the young princess’ body as she cried in her friend’s arms. She was hungry, thirsty, and cold. Her body, covered in dirt and sweat, ached from sleeping on the floor, and more than a day had passed since she last bathed. Her feet had blisters and her beautiful hair undoubtedly a mess.

Kismet handed her three pieces of jerky and the canteen of water, which was no more than a quarter full. “Here, eat this. You must be hungry.”

Delphi nibbled on the stiff piece of meat. Looking around, she could see nothing. She hated being lost in the cave. The darkness seemed to stretch on forever. It reminded her of the stories of Gauden the Speaker, when he journeyed into the void to confront the Shadow Goddess Umbra in order to end The Seven Nights. But being in a cave was far from glorious. It was absolutely miserable.




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Tears (Part 2), Scene v1

She climbed to her feet and dragged herself to the horse she left over night. She climbed onto her horse, sitting there for a moment in a daze before setting off down the road back to Rokan. She didn’t want to see Lucas again, never again like that. The monster had to pay for what it did. To betray the Empire by killing Lucas, the person she loved…the Catheran had to pay.

The road was lonely and deserted. Or perhaps there were people, but she did not notice. The first time she rode to Lucas’ home was six months ago, on the first warm day of spring. He shared with her stories of his family, such as the time when Isella first tried to make beef and wine soup. They all loved it and had several servings, but she mixed in the wine too late, so they all grew less sober than they hoped. Another story involved Isella finding a young rabbit huddled between the stack of towels just outside the bathing room. She cared for it for three months, until it left one afternoon. Amazingly, it kept going back to visit her. Lucas shared many other stories with her, but they were usually about Isella. If she really loved him back, why did she abandon him? Why did she run away, and conspire against the Empire? How could she try to kill the person she supposedly loved? Because of her, Lucas grew sad and depressed in his final days, but at least she paid for what she did. The beast still had to answer for her actions.

Sunset was approaching by the time Sara arrived at the capital. She rode to the rear gate of the castle to avoid as many people as possible. Her face was undoubtedly a mess, and blood covered her clothes. From the outside, all looked normal enough, but inside was completely different. Soldiers were rushing this way and that. Everyone had a panicked look on their face as they ran through rooms. Had they heard of Lucas’ death? Of the furlicker’s betrayal? Whatever it was, it was enough for them to go about without noticing Sara. She spotted General Devin issuing commands to a squad of soldiers. “Sara? What happened to you?” he asked, as soon as he caught sight of her.

“Lucas…” Her voice was weak, and the words caught in her throat. She let out a trembling breath to try to compose herself. “That furlicker, she—she murdered Lucas!”

She struggled to fight back the sobs that crept up on her. General Devin looked at her, his brows furrowed in disbelief. “What? Are you sure? She murdered Lucas? No…it’s going to have to wait. You’ll have to give me details about it later. We have a bigger problem to deal with right now.” A bigger problem? Lucas was murdered by the damned Catheran! How could anything possibly be more important than that? “Hundreds of people were poisoned this morning, likely by the food that was served for breakfast. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem lethal, and was probably used to create a distraction.”

“A distraction? For what?”

“His Majesty, Princess Delphi, General Raze, and Kismet are all missing. We believe whatever group poisoned the residents abducted them during the chaos.” Sara was in disbelief. For everything to happen at once, it couldn’t have been coincidence. “Not too long after, there was a collapse in part of the castle’s foundation, probably to seal whatever route they took.”

The general was right. Something terrible had happened. General Razelin Viselle Atraea, who some consider a prodigy of Rokan, and Sara’s idle for four years, was abducted along with two members of the royal family. “Wait…The furlicker was here this morning? Lucas was murdered just last night. Do you think she might’ve been involved in this?”

“If what you say is true, it’s a possibility. Go write a report of everything that happened last night. I’ll be questioning everyone in my office, so just bring it to me as soon as you finish.”

Everyone rushed back and forth, as Sara walked back to her quarters. Many were panicking with their friends, most of which accused the Kival. Are the Kival really capable of abducting not only two members of the royal family, but also the Silver Guard? No, it’s impossible. The Kival are nothing but second-class citizens of Lokem, exiled from their homes. They would need to know how the castle life works and it’s layout to be able to do something like this, both of which the beast is more than familiar with. Lucas must’ve discovered something to make him a threat, or maybe it’s because he was a candidate for becoming Delphi’s Guardian, an obstacle. But if that’s true…then will she go after me next? She’s probably figured out that I was the one who saw her, and I’m also an obstacle to her, but she hasn’t attacked me yet. Why didn’t she try to kill me so I wouldn’t be able to tell anyone about her murdering Lucas? Since she’s missing, and arrived in time for everything that happened here, she must’ve rushed over here and was involved in the abduction. Either way, that damned monster will never get away with what it did. Lucas didn’t deserve to die, and I’ll kill it myself if I have to.




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Tears, Scene v1

The sun was blinding when Sara finally awoke. She sat up on the boulder under the willow, her entire boy aching, and her eyes undoubtedly puffed. Rays of light streamed between the hanging leaves of the willow, pouring over the red and yellow leaf-covered ground. Normally she would find it quite pretty, but she saw no beauty in it now. Looking to her left, she saw his corpse still lying there, covered in dry blood. Her eyes ached, and would’ve shed tears if they had not run dry the night before.

She rose to her feet, feeling weak and aged, slinging her quiver over her shoulder and picking her bow up off the floor. She lumbered back toward Luin, every step feeling heavier than the last. It all seemed surreal, like some horrendous nightmare that wouldn’t end. On her sixteenth birthday, a year and seven months after enrolling in elite training, Lucas was her hand-to-hand sparring partner. She always struggled with hand-to-hand combat, but Lucas offered to help teach her outside of training. Accepting his offer, she was humbled every day by the clear difference in their skill in fighting close quarters, but he never belittled her, and always kept a smile. For an entire year, she trained with him almost every day, until she passed the close quarter examinations. Throughout the year, she couldn’t help but fall for him. His lean body, his smooth dark hair, his bright smile, his contagious laugh, his caring nature, and how he always manages to cheer people up.

All of that was gone now—stolen by the traitor of a Catheran. If only I had gotten there a little sooner...then I could’ve stopped her and he would still be alive. Her mind almost felt as heavy as her body, drowning in a sea of questions. She never trusted the beast, but she never believed it would murder Lucas. Lucas was the kindest person she knew. Everybody loved him. If only she weren’t in such shock, she could’ve killed the monster.

The village was already busy by the time Sara reached the square. Everyone stared at her, exchanging whispers or asking her what happened, but she ignored them and walked straight toward the Lucas’ home. She stood in front of the tailor shop, peering at his mother through the window. The times she visited Lucas at home, his mother was always smiling and cheerful, much like him. But not today. Mrs. Damire seemed fine enough last night, but she the worry was clear in her voice when she told Sara that Lucas had gone out to the willow. And of course, he didn’t come back.

Sara wanted nothing more than to turn around and wander down the road, but Mrs. Damire was his mother, and she deserved to know what happened to her son. Or maybe Sara just wanted someone else to share in her pain. She wiped her face with her hands, caring little for the dried blood that covered them. Fighting back the anxiety that plagued her, she pulled the handle. The bell jingled as the door opened, but Sara stood there hesitantly. “Welcome! Please have a look around, I’ll be right with you in a moment,” called out Lucas’ mother.

Holly, a painter who lived in Luin, stood at the counter, talking to Maria. Sara could not bring herself to step into the shop. She stood just out of sight of the counter, her body trembling uncontrollably, her mouth quivering. “Just a minute, Holly,” came Mrs. Damire’s voice. With each of her footsteps, Sara’s heart wrenched. She wanted to run away, to keep running until she woke up from the nightmare, but it was too late. “Sara…?”

Sara’s eyes met hers. Her eyes grew wide with fear. It were as though she understood everything from looking at Sara. Her face contorted with terror, sadness, and confusion. She shook her head in disbelief as tears escaped her eyes. Covering her mouth with her hands, she choked on a sob. “Lucas,” she cried, shoving Sara aside and running out the door with Holly chasing after her.

“Lucas,” Sara heard her cry, again and again, as she ran north toward the willow. Sara felt what little strength she had left drain from her. She collapsed onto her knees and cried until the tears stopped again.



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