The Shadow of Death

by Timothy Smith

  The soldier with wicked intentions was inching ever closer to her, with every passing second. It wasn't much longer until Cherise's arm was grabbed forcefully, pulling her back as she cried out.

  Cherise: "No! Let me go!" Here pleas and struggling were only met with more force from her assailant, as he yanked at her arm, throwing her to the ground.

  Letting out a cruel laughter, the man stood above Cherise before saying, "Keep struggling. It'll make it more interesting for me." He said as he leaned over her.

  Outstretching his grubby hands towards her, he grabbed ahold of Cherise’s robe. Ignoring her pleas, with a disgusting smile, he started pulling and yanking back, ripping and tearing the cloth apart.

  Uneasy about the whole situation that was unfolding, the other soldier had enough of the sight, as he exclaimed, "Wait! We shouldn't be doing this!"

  Also completely ignoring the other soldiers protest behind him, the wicked man was unrelenting in his assault on the young woman. The harder Cherise fought and struggled, the more delighted the twisted man became. She desperately continued her pleading, exclaiming aloud.

  Cherise: "Please don't do this!" Her cries, her pleas, her struggle, all of them were ignored.

  The Aelaan soldier who had stood by was becoming more unnerved by the second at what was taking place. Deciding he could spectate no longer, the Aelaan finally decided to intervene.

  Squeamishly approaching the two, he said to the assailant, "This isn't part of our orders. We have a job to do here!" He said nervously, before grabbing and pulling the assailant’s shoulder back, slightly away from Cherise.

  The assailant exclaimed back, "Huh, what's the matter with you?! This isn't any of your business! Stay out of my way!" He said threateningly to the other, before turning his attention back to Cherise.

  Although scared, Cherise had her hands defensively in front of herself. It did little to deter the man. Her attacker came at her again, forcing her hands aside, and reaching for her clothes to rip them further. Through crying eyes, desperation crept into her voice as Cherise pleaded.

  Cherise: "Please, don't make me do this!" Her cries were only met with more cruel laughter from her attacker, who was about to rip her clothing much further.

  The other soldier intervened yet again, grabbing the assailant, and roughly pulling him back. After he was interrupted a second time, the assailant responded with a fierce anger.

  Raising his blade towards his comrade in arms, the wicked man said threateningly, "I'm losing my patience with you! I haven't felt a woman’s touch in some time, and I'm not going to let you take that from me!" He said with a vile expression.

  Nearly touching his chest, the wicked man’s blade was far too uncomfortably close for the other solder’s liking. Having made his point abundantly clear, the other man nervously gave him the space he demanded, as he walked back.

  Please, no more! Stay away from me! Don’t do this…

  Seeing the matter was settled, the assailant turned his attention once more towards Cherise, who had closed her teary eyes. Feeling the returned pressure of his body on her, her mind frantically raced.

  No, not again!... No more!

  It was in that moment, when her assailant was momentarily distracted by the other soldier, that Cherise had taken the chance to reach behind her, grabbing hold of the dagger Ira had gifted her. With a quick striking motion, Cherise swung blindly, stabbing her assailant on the side of his head.

  What did I…?

  Cherise opened her eyes to see it was a direct hit. And slower than she would’ve imagined, she saw the life fading from the man eyes.

  Is he dying because of me?...

  Did I just kill someone?...

  I never wanted it to come to this. I never wanted this! But what choice did he give me? What other option did I have?

  Her expression was varied, although in self-defense, she was terrified yet saddened to see that it was a fatal blow had struck by her own hands.

  The assailant started mumbling nonsensically, as he somehow found the strength to stand upright. As he stood up, his eyes rolled around, only to be shortly followed by him falling sideways to the ground, dead.

  Now the last living of the four Aelaan soldiers who had pursued Cherise, looked on in shock. He was at a loss for words at what had just transpired.

  Never wanting to ever harm anyone, in the moment, Cherise was lost in her grief. Getting to her knees, she wept.

  Having an expression of uncertainty over his face, the Aelaan soldier started approaching Cherise. Standing just before her, he did something she would never have expected. After getting Cherise’s attention, he extended his hand out to her, offering to help her stand.

  As the soldier had his hand outstretched to Cherise, Ira's voice could be heard from down the narrow road, yelling demandingly.

  Ira: "Get away from her!!" The sound of his voice immediately turned her gaze.

  He’s here! He finally come!

  Gifted with an unusually impressive speed in every aspect, Ira rapidly came sprinting closer to the two.

  And even though Ira had some fresh cuts across his arms and appeared tired, the soldier backed off nervously, saying in disbelief, "No way! You were one of those two at the gate!"

  As Ira drew near them both, he slowed to a walk, raising and pointing his blade threateningly at the soldier to keep his distance, as he neared Cherise. Although no words were exchanged, the message was heard loud and clear, as the soldier backed away from Cherise at the same rate as Ira came closer to her. Ira’s eyes were fixated on the soldier, as he kept walking sideways towards Cherise, before asking her.

  Ira: "Cherise, are you alright?" Cherise’s response to his question, was met with her hastily getting to her feet and hugging him tightly, now crying tears of relief.

  To the best of his abilities, he tried to console Cherise while keeping an ever vigilant eye focused on the nearby Aelaan soldier. Drawing back slightly from Ira, as she tried to contain her crying, she said her thanks.

  Cherise: "I knew it! I just knew you'd come for me!" She said gratefully, with a loving smile as she looked up to him, seeing his solemn smile in return.

  To give her at least a second of his undivided attention, he turned to her before saying.

  Ira: "Always…" He said with a comforting smile as he looked at Cherise, before his voice trailed off.

  He became wide eyed in shock, after seeing the upper portion of her robes were torn apart.

  And seeing that Ira's eyes were fixated on her ripped clothing, Cherise blushed, as she tried to cover herself fully, unaware of his true reaction upon seeing it.

  Something inside of Ira snapped. Nudging Cherise aside, he looked at the Aelaan with a fearsome bloodlust in his eyes. And with both of his black fangs to his sides at the ready, he steadily approached the soldier as he yelled out menacingly.

  Ira: "You're a dead man! You hear me! A DEAD MAN!!!!"

  The soldier walked hastily backward, away from Ira, in horror as he approached ever closer to him. With his attention fixated on Ira, the soldier lost his footing, falling backwards to the ground.

  Only a few feet away the soldier, Ira's wrath was about to be set upon the Aelaan.

  The Aelaan threw his sword to his side, and began pleading as he said, "It’s not what you think! Please spare me!" Unmoved by the soldier's pleas, Ira raised his blade, ready to strike him down.

  Cherise: "Ira, no!" She yelled out from behind him.

  Her words stopping Ira’s strike mid swing, as she continued to say.

  Cherise: "Please don't hurt him! He tried to stop that man from doing this to me!" With his sword still held high, Ira looked back to Cherise in disbelief, still fully prepared to cut down the soldier in a moment’s notice as he asked her.

  Ira: "Are you serious?-" He asked for verification before pausing only for a second, as he continued to say with a cold expression, "-Does it matter? He's an Aelaan, it's no less than what he deserves!"

  Wait, is he s
erious? Even after I explained what happened?... He holds that much resentment towards the Aelaans?

  Cherise: "Please Ira, he helped me! And he's too young to be one of those men responsible for what happened to your family! I know what happened to us earlier was terrible! And not a day goes by that I don’t think about it. But it isn't his fault! Please spare him!"

  After hearing her words, clenching his teeth in anger, Ira attempted to restrain himself. His hands were trembling, in a barely controlled fury. He was still hotly conflicted on whether to strike down the man, or relent on his wrath. And noticing this, Cherise was disheartened when she asked.

  Cherise: "Can you truly find no forgiveness in your heart for any of them? He may wear the Aelaans banner, but if he wasn't here, that man would've had his way with me." She said while pointing to the assailant’s dead body beside her, but Ira only glanced back.

  Her pleas seemed to be in vain, as Ira steadied his trembling hand before tightening his grip on the black fangs. He pulled his arm back, posing himself to land a devastating strike to finish the man off, once and for all. And as he did, Cherise cried out.

  Cherise: "If you won't do it for him, do it for me!" Those last words from her made Ira stop once again in mid swing.

  Looking down at the soldier with contempt, Ira restrained his rage as much as he could. Under hushed breath, he spoke in a menacing voice to the soldier.

  Ira: "Leave!... Now!" As soon as he said this, the terrified Aelaan stumbled to his feet before running away.

  And as the soldier fled, Ira looked at him with a seething anger as he made further distance away. Besides his dagger like gaze, Ira was showing no other hint of emotion as the man ran out of sight. His frustration boiling over, Ira angrily swung his blades, slamming the ground repeatedly where the soldier once lied. Grunting in frustration as he continued banging his swords, until he found a large wooden beam of a house. After finding a target to vent out his frustration, and in his vexation, Ira started hacking at it, yelling out in fury until the wooden beam split in two. It was abundantly clear Ira was livid at the thought of just letting an Aelaan soldier simply leave, unopposed.

  Not wanting to dwell on Ira's anger, or encourage it by any means, Cherise approached him. He was still in a hot red frustration, when she came beside him. But concerned on another matter entirely at the moment, she had to ask.

  Cherise: "Where's Theo?" After hearing this, Ira was as still as a stone, his eyes were now wide open.

  He was so completely caught up in the moment that he had completely forgotten Theo was left behind. With a worried expression, Ira looked back down the road he just came from, saying ominously.

  Ira: "He's still back there. He was holding them off for us." After he’d said this, Cherise stepped forward, grabbing him by his shoulder as she said adamantly.

  Cherise: "We have to help him!" And not even giving a moment’s pause of thought, Ira grinned as he looked back at her, nodding in agreement.

  ────────

  Meanwhile Theo was alone, fighting off the Aelaans at the gate, surrounded on all sides. Bodies of his enemies laid scattered all around him, as the multitudes of the still standing Aelaan soldiers were encroaching on him warily from all sides. Like hungry vultures eyeing a dying animal, they circled him, waiting for an ideal moment to come at him.

  Theo's outward appearance mirrored how he felt inwardly. Sweat was dripping down his bloodied face to accompany his recent blood stained clothes by either piercing or slashing that failed to land a fatal blow on him. He had grown tired from all the continued fighting.

  Although worn out, it was clear to see that Theo had made quite the impression from his struggle so far. Striking fear into the hearts of his adversaries who surrounded him. And even in their great numbers, Theo’s foes approached him cautiously.

  One of the soldiers mustering the courage to challenge Theo, lunged at him from behind. His strike was deflected, as Theo followed through by cutting the man down. Even though he succeeded, Theo's movements were clearly slowing from the prolonged fighting. And in his beaten down state, it appeared that at this point, his own body had a will of its own to keep up the fight. But even still, after that last strike he’d made, Theo could barely stand upright. Almost nearing the verge of collapse, just to keep standing, he had to use his own sword to holster himself upright.

  Theo's current state emboldened the soldiers that encircled him, their fears of him were fading away after they noticed he was now even struggling to stand. Even in his present condition, the closest soldiers’ around Theo still thought it prudent to approach him cautiously, as each of them were preparing to strike.

  Looking up through sleepy eyes, Theo lost all hope. As his strength had finally failed him, Theo accepted his end was certain to come in the next few moments. He no longer had the strength to stand as his legs buckled, and he started falling forward.

  Before hitting the ground fully, Theo found an unknown strength rise up from within him. Catching himself before hitting the ground, Theo swung his great sword around him, cutting at the legs and heels of all the soldiers that had closed in around him.

  Theo’s eyes widened in amazement, realizing that the act of him falling towards the ground unintentionally helped him evade a fatal strike from one of the Aelaan’s. The timing was perfect, utterly flawless, as if there was something protecting him, watching over him.

  Now having a little strength returned to him, Theo had a renewed glimmer of hope, as he found the will to get to his feet again. Though some of his strength had returned, there wasn’t enough within him to continue fighting on. Even with the rekindled hope in this bleak situation, he couldn’t just will away his exhaustion. He was still desperately tired, but he refused to just simply wait, and die.

  Without so much as a word, Theo then started dragging his great sword behind him, as he started walking back to where Cherise and Ira had gone off to. The soldiers’ looked at Theo in both astonishment and amazement. The Aelaans cleared a path for him out of a combination of either respect, or fear. In the moment, Theo honestly didn’t know why they did so, but he was too exhausted to care.

  Having walked through the last bit of soldiers that were once in front of him, Theo now found himself trudging slowly down the narrow main road of Kings Height. Their apparent deference would only go so far however, as the Aelaan soldiers’ trailed shortly behind Theo. Each of them, in their own way, were trying to muster up the nerve to be the first to attack their fearsome yet tired adversary.

  At this time, the buildings on the sides of the narrow road were all set aflame. The ancient city of stone and rotting wood, was slowly becoming a fiery inferno. The fires suffocating smoke rose into the air as it also gradually engulfed the entire corridors of the narrow road.

  Every step was a pain stricken struggle, and now with every exasperated gasp for air, Theo was even finding it even difficult to breathe. As much as the narrow road would allow, he was followed shortly behind by almost all the remaining Aelaan soldiers in Kings Height. And though he knew his enemies were following just behind him, his feet were unable to carry him any faster. As he slowly made his way, he was full of fear, fully expecting at any moment the Aelaans would cut him down.

  The captain of the Aelaans made his way through the front of his men. Irritated at the difficulties he’d faced in achieving his victory before having to return to the Chosen. He started to taunt the defiant young man that opposed them, as he proclaimed aloud.

  Khenir: "What do you think you've accomplished here?! Did you actually think you'd stopped us?!" Theo was too set on his path to look behind him, still struggling to trudge forward with what little remaining strength he had left as the captain continued harassing him.

  Khenir: "You've stopped nothing! The so called army of the Free Peoples’ that came in defense of this town have been cut off!... Undertrained and short on men, before the sun sets this day, like you, they will be cut down by the sword! So too shall this pathetic town fac
e a similar fate. Just look around you, and see it for yourself! This city will soon be razed to the ground, and in due time its inhabitants will also be put to the blade!" The captain outstretched his hands to the surrounding town aflame, as if revealing the truth in his following words before he proclaimed further.

  Khenir: "What you've done here is meaningless. Your death here will mean nothing! You've lost!!" Hearing every word with clenched teeth, Theo stopped walking.

  The cruel words Khenir spoke seemed to have rung true, piercing his heart. And Theo started giving way to an all too familiar acquaintance of his, despair.

  Seeing Theo's reaction to his taunts, the captain laughed before stepping ever closer to the lone warrior. So as to deliver the finishing blow himself, Khenir walked in front of his army’s ranks. Khenir was almost upon the young man, who didn't react to his presence, as Theo was looking skyward in agony.

  Similar as the time before, a great light shined on Theo, this time from above. The brightness of the light covering Theo’s face forced him to cover his eyes.

  The light was once again accompanied by the familiar booming voice, coming from every direction, proclaiming.

  The Entity: "THEO, I STILL HAVE PLANS FOR YOU."

  The unnatural light and the voice were not seen or heard by the Aelaans, as the captain was prepared to deliver a killing blow. The voice continued speaking to Theo, renewing his hope as it proclaimed further.

  The Entity: "YOUR TIME HAS NOT YET COME."

  As soon as Theo heard these words, he found that same unknown strength rise up again from inside of him once more. He now also noticed the Aelaan captain was right behind him.

  Turning around, Theo deflected Khenir’s strike with his gauntlet before slamming the captain against a wooden support beam of a nearby building. As Khenir was lying up against the beam, Theo swung his sword at him, which he somehow narrowly managed to dodge by jumping to his side, nearing the safety of his men.

  Although the strike had missed its intended target, the support beam the captain was up against was cut deep. With both the structural damage of the fire accompanied by the shoddy state of the town itself, it proved to be too much for the building to handle. And under the pressure of its own weight, the structure started giving way.