Page 124 of Rising Out of the Darkness
Chapter 48
Elena
The dark hood of my cloak flapped as I zephyred through the castle. My pulse thrummed, echoing inside my ears as I approached the bridge where Clara and Nayla were already waiting.
So much was at stake for all of us tonight, but so much could be lost if we didn’t take this risk. Helping people should always take priority, something those in power had forgotten.
“Do we have everything we need?” Nerves bubbled underneath the surface as I checked over my shoulder one last time.
Clara opened her cloak, showing her satchel full of healing supplies underneath.
“I know you’re still working on your zephyring, Clara, so I’ll take you with me,” Nayla said. “Will you be okay on your own, Light Phoenix?”
“Hopefully. I’ve been practicing every night.”
“Alright then, ladies, let’s be swift. Silent as mice and stick to the shadows. We all know what’s at stake if we’re caught.”
Wrapping her arm around Clara, she took off into the night, the gust of her wind swishing the side of my hood. Swallowing down the fear, I followed.
A few moments later, we were outside the city’s walls. The farming village was only about a mile away from the capital, so we walked together through the thick, muddy forest that bordered the city walls.
The village consisted of six stone dwellings, each with a thatched roof. Nayla lowered her hood, and, after assessing our surroundings, motioned for us to do the same.
We made our way over to the largest dwelling, and Nayla knocked in a specific pattern. Two slow and three fast taps.
The door creaked open, and a frail woman with red-rimmed eyes peered through. When she saw Nayla’s familiar face, the door swung wide and the woman pulled her inside. Clara and I followed, closing the door behind us.
“Thank all five gods,” the woman gasped. “I’ve been praying for a miracle. My b-babes…I fear they may not make it through the night.” Her hands covered the sob that broke free. She fell to her knees, showing us all the same sign of respect as they had inside the city.
Clara bent down and placed a hand under her arm to help her up. “Helena, we’re here to help. Sorry it took me so long. Please show me to your sweet babes.”
Helena swept her ash-blonde hair away from her face and guided us to her children’s room. A boy and a girl huddled together, brows sweating and curious black tendrils climbing up the side of their necks.
Their heavy lids opened, and what I saw in their eyes made my breath hitch. Bright golden circles encased the irises of their eyes. The only visual difference between Elysians and humans were those golden rings. Shifting my glance back towards Helena, I saw the same golden glow in her brown eyes.
They were all humans.
Noticing my shock, Helena spoke softly. “The king gives us his grace, my lady, for the food that we produce for the kingdom. However, if he found out we’ve been plagued by the darkness…”
I nodded in understanding, rubbing her back as I stepped around to the other side of the bed. Clara peeled away the tunics from their tiny bodies. The blackness had spread all the way down their chests, almost like rotted roots growing underneath their skin.
She popped the corks of two vials, giving one to me and the other to Nayla. “When I tell you two, open their mouths and pour the contents into their mouths. Then help me hold them down. This is going to be painful for them.”
Worry prickled against the side of my cheek, and I looked to see Helena frozen in terror. I placed my hand in hers and guided it towards her daughter’s leg. “They need you. Squeeze their legs and let them know you’re here with them.”
She nodded absentmindedly and placed her hands around her son’s and daughter’s ankles.
“Here we go.” Clara took a deep steadying breath. “Now!”
We dumped the vials into their parched mouths and held their shoulders down.
Their eyes flung wide open and moans of agony tore out of them as they began to flail on the bed. Clara placed her palms on their chests, and their bodies began to convulse violently.
“Come on, babes, fight for me, loves,” she whispered. Her eyes remained sealed shut, the strain on her body evident by the creases on her face.
After a few long, stressful moments the babes’ movements began to slow to a roll. Their moans turned to a faint murmur.
Awestruck, I watched the blackness fade away from their bodies until only a few small strands were left behind. Clara’s face went pale and she rushed over to the wash basin to release the contents of her stomach.
