Chapter 12 (Luka)

                                    

                                          
12
                          
Luka
                          
I had known it would not be an easy task. The pools were not a poison to the body, but the soul. Grandmother’s memories had shown me how to get here and what I might see. But still I stood at the top of the pyramid, staring down into the changing pool. Did I want to know what the people I loved the most thought of me?
                          
I woke with to the taste of metal in my mouth and a throbbing in my head. I cracked my eyes open, a stream of sunlight came through the trees above and blurred my sight. The only sounds I heard was a rushing river nearby and my heartbeat.
                          
The last thing I remember was looking down into the orange pool, then the color changed to a dark blue. It cleared to reveal a medallion on a long gold chain, a horn stamped into it. Putting its heavy weight around my neck before the world went black.
                          
A hand covered my mouth.
                          
“Do not make a sound.” Nyght whispered next to my ear.
                          
I nodded.
                          
Nyght removed his hand and I took a gulp of air. He smelt like dirt and sweat. What had he been doing? He motioned for me to follow. My legs shook when I tried to stand. So I crawled to the tree line where Nyght crouched.
                          
A dark haired woman was on her knees, trees streaming down her dirt covered cheeks. The black hood of Dusk stood over her. A single word escaped her sobs “please.” The Dusk moved closer. Did she not know that pleading with a monster was a waste of breath? I tugged on Nyght’s sleeve, we needed to leave before it noticed us.
                          
He stared at the Dusk that had removed its hood it must have once been a man. It had scarlet red hair like Myra’s. The scarlet hair was a Kane trait and I had never known of anyone with hair like my sister. Mother never mentioned anything about any of the family being taken by the Dusk and this thing had once been family.
                          
The scarlet haired Dusk placed both hands on the sobbing women face and he stared into her eyes, similar to the way Grandmother had me. It may have been the poison but I saw a dark cloud emerge from the women’s eyes, traveling to the Dusks tethering them together.
                          
The women screamed and I wanted to scream with her. I squeezed my eyes shut and covered my ears to block out her pained screams. I don’t know how I knew, but everything that made her a person had been taken away. When the screaming stopped I looked into the clearing again. There was nothing left, a body with blank eyes. A husk of the person she once was.
                          
“Boys you may as well come out,” it said.
                          
Was it talking to us or was the woman traveling with others? I did not want to find out. I tried to stand, but Nyght pulled me to the ground.
                          
“Don’t tell me that you are afraid of me now,” it snickered. “I thought after our time together with that we would be such friends.”
                          
Nyght turned to me with his eyebrows raised. I had meant to tell him about what had happened in Kade’s village, but I didn’t know how. How do you tell your best friend that you stood by and watched two people he cared for die? He would never forgive me. He already hated me for the way I treated Myra.
                          
I didn’t know if Kade was dead, but he was as good as, and I was sure it was my fault. Even if it wasn’t, Nyght would blame me. I couldn’t deal with that.
                          
“You can come out or I can come and get you.” He looked into the bushes that we were hiding in. “Your choice, but know this, you have something I want and I will not be leaving here without it.”
                          
Yanking my arm free from Nyght I left our hiding place. The beating of my heart in my ears, combined with the effects of the poison in my system, caused me to stumble. I almost fell into that river below. I didn’t know Nyght had not followed until he caught me.
                          
The Dusk spoke. “How nice to see you child. I do not think we have been introduced, I’m Drake, Andurai forgot to introduce use,” it smiled. “And you are?”
                          
I didn’t want to tell him, but it rumbled out of me “Luka.”
                          
“Glad to see you no longer keep your mark covered.” Drake motioned to my wrist “The blue dragon how  interesting, I had not realized. Have you met the red?”
                          
I must have given something away in my eyes because, he said, “You have, and let me guess, she is lovely, even greater than the goddess Fallon. I can’t wait to meet her.”
                          
Nyght spoke for the first time through clenched teeth. “Over my dead body.” He drew two swords from behind his back. I had not seen the Dusk that stood as statutes behind Drake until one advanced a battle ax in its hand.
                          
I moved away from Nyght catching his eye and mouthed Follow my lead.
                          
“DRAKE,” I yelled. “I believe this what you are looking for.” I pulled the golden horn from around my neck and dangled it over the raging water.
                          
Nyght tuned his blades on me. “That’s what you risked our lives for? A necklace.” He growled, “If they don’t kill you, I will.”
                          
At that moment I wasn’t sure he had seen me, his eyes glowed with anger. I wobbled a bit before putting the necklace back around my neck. Then I drew my own sword and prepared for Nyght’s attack. Maybe I would pass out before he could kill me.
                          
“You drag me all over, never telling me why or what we are looking for, only that without it Myr… my bride will die.”  Nyght put his swords back in their sheaths. “So I break her heart, because you need a new piece of jewelry.” He punched me in the jaw.
                          
I had never been so happy to be punched in my life. He saw. It was the only explanation on why I wasn’t lying on the ground with a hole in my side. But what was he doing?
                          
I stood, leaving my weapon in the dirt and roared “I didn’t ask you to come. If you remember, I told you I didn’t need your help.” I spat blood on the ground between us. “Why would you believe me? I am just a dumb kid. Right?”
                          
Drake clapped his hands together. “Enough.” He waved to the Dusk that stood near us. “Grab them both we will sort this out at the castle.”
                          
They never got close to me. Nyght pushed me into the depths of the river. The water crashed around me, dragging me down. I fought my topside, my lungs burned with their search for air. When I broke the surface of the water and looked to the shoreline Drake had both hands on Night’s face and a dark cloud had begun to form.
                          
 Nyght’s screams where the last thing I heard before the river swept me away.