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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