Devouring Darkness

by Bradley Counter

I hate boring days like this.

  Temin stared out over the thick wall at the open countryside. From up in the branches of one of the many giant fauns that grew within the temple walls, he could see for miles. To the north lay Aevea, the largest city in The World of Light, but he had no interest in paved streets, cathedrals, and ignorant bliss. He looked to the west, where a great chasm split the land and lead to the world of demons, The Nightlands.

  Temin absentmindedly spun a glowing dagger by the tip on his finger while he stared out at the darkest part of the known world. Though the knife could easily cut steel or stone, he hadn't the slightest concern of it hurting him, he had created it after all. Despite only being eleven years old, he possessed innate powers that lightwielders normally trained for years to achieve. He had been born with the ability to manifest weapons into a physical form of light.

  He didn't understand why he had the ability nor did he necessarily know how to control it, but for most of his life he had hated himself for it. Memories rose unbidden into his mind's eye and he still felt the sting of rejection despite the passage of several years.

  He had only been four when his powers had first begun to manifest. While playing with his father, he'd formed a knife similar to the one that he absentmindedly spun on his finger. His father had been grievously wounded, and though he survived, both of Temin's parents grew fearful of him. Without a second thought, they practically threw him to the disciples of Anedae and disappeared from his life forever.

  I don't need them anyway.

  The dagger faltered and vanished mid-spin as his concentration wavered. He wiped at the small tears that had welled up in his eyes with the sleeve of his robe. Resting his head back against the tree's smooth trunk, he closed his eyes and let the cool breeze wash over him. The wind whispered to him as if it had some great secret it needed to share and if he could just understand the words. He let the soothing wind calm his troubled thoughts and felt as if he were separate from the world and all its troubles.

  The deep toll of a bell shattered the peaceful serenity and Temin opened his eyes to turn and look. The bell had come from the large stone gatehouse that served as the only way in or out of the temple grounds. It was sounded by disciples at the gate to announce the arrival of formal guests. Visitors to the temple were somewhat common as it was situated close to the largest city in the world, but the sounding of the bell was rare because it was only sounded for nobility.

  I didn't know anyone important was going to show up today; that sort of gossip spreads like wildfire.

  The temple had been built long before the city of Aevea and was fortified to withstand demonic attacks that had been frequent centuries ago. The gatehouse was two-stories high and made of stone thicker than Temin was tall and the surrounding wall was even thicker. Despite its impressive size, however, the giant fauns that grew within the temple grounds were larger and Temin couldn't see past them to the gatehouse from his current perch. Only a few glimpses of the rough, sandy stone could be seen through the huge, silken leaves that were each wider than his head.

  He leaped down from the branch onto another one without the slightest hint of fear. He loved being up in the trees and after years of climbing them, he had become somewhat of an expert at moving around in them. With agility rivaling any form of tree-dwelling animal, he swiftly descended down through the branches. At the last branch, he simply stepped off and landed quietly on the ground in a crouch.

  As long as I'm not caught, no one's gonna care if I see who's here.

  A pair of disciples was already walking swiftly from the temple along the main thoroughfare to the gatehouse. Making sure to stay out of sight, Temin followed them to the gatehouse keeping low and using the hedges that lined the thoroughfare for cover. Temin was nearly as good at sneaking as he was at climbing, so it was not difficult for him to avoid being detected.

  The disciples came to the heavy, iron-banded, wooden door that led into the gatehouse and the door was thrown wide for them. From behind the hedges, Temin couldn't see anything, but he could make out some of the words being said.

  “... were not expecting... arrival... ”

  “... Rin... here... We need... urgent... ”

  Rin? Orlon Rin? Why would nobles want to meet with him? Oh-no, if they're headed toward Master Rin, I need to get back right now. This isn't going to be easy.

  Temin abandoned his eavesdropping and quickly headed back to the temple trying his hardest to stay out of sight. The hedges ran the entire length of the thoroughfare with only the occasional small opening leading to the grounds, but once the disciples turned around, he would only be partially concealed by the hedges' short height.

  I just hope their talk takes a little bit longer: I don't really feel like getting another lecture today.

  As soon as he reached the end of the hedge, Temin shot out from his cover and raced around the side of the giant, stone temple. As a temple dedicated to Anedae, the goddess of light, it thankfully had many windows. They all stood side-by-side over six feet off the ground and when he came to the one that he'd left open, he had to jump up in order to reach it. When his fingers found purchase on the warm stone, he scrambled like mad and pulled himself into the slightly dimmer room.

  The temple was seated atop a massive stone slab and sat higher than the ground outside. From inside the window was only twelve inches from the floor and it rose all the way up to the twelve-foot-high ceiling. Rows of such windows lined the entire outside of the temple making it naturally as bright as the open sky outside.

  Temin jumped to his feet and swiftly reached back to close the lower part of the window. Window latched, he raced from the room through the narrow corridors brushing twigs, leaves, and dirt from his hair and robe. He slowed as he came to the room he sought. He stopped and finished brushing himself off and got his breathing to slow down.

  There's no way that he could know this time; not a single person could've seen me.

  Confident that he'd remained undetected, Temin gently opened the tall double-doors to the secluded suite of small rooms that he shared with the master he was apprentice to. The doors opened onto the largest of the three rooms which served as a study and common room. Doors on either side of the sizable room led to Temin's and his master's small rooms. Seated on the floor at the center of the room with his back to the doors was Temin's master. All around, the rest of the room was filled with rough clay vases of different shapes and sizes, some even having been attached to the walls and ceiling. The room was also used for lightwielder training which Temin's master tended to spend most of his time doing.

  Despite long, silvery hair and a composed demeanor, his master appeared to be in his early twenties. His highly toned body was bared to the waist and not a single scar, blemish, or wrinkle could be seen anywhere on it. Other than a simple pair of loose white trousers, the only clothing the man wore was a wide, black bandana that circled his head covering his eyes. From brow to mid-nose, the man's face was a mystery few could claim to have ever seen.

  “Master Rin?” Temin asked as he nervously ran a hand through his own shock of light, brown hair.

  Orlon Rin didn't answer. Instead, he held out his left hand and formed a ball of light in his palm. Slowly, he rose to his feet making no move to ever look at Temin.

  “Oh, not this again, last time you nearly took my head off.”

  “Don't move,” Orlon said quietly but with an authority Temin dared not question.

  In a whirlwind of motion, Orlon turned and the ball of light transformed fluidly into a variety of weapons ranging from sword to spear to whip. In each form the weapon of light struck a different vase around the room shattering them one by one. As he continued his flurry of attacks, Orlon never slowed or hesitated, and he lashed out with the confidence of a surgeon. The final vase hung from a rope that dangled just above Temin's head and when all of the others had been destroyed, Orlon turned towards him and his weapon shifted into a bow. Temin yelped as, in a flash, an arrow of light pa
ssed over his head like lightning and blasted a hole in the wall on the far side of the hallway behind him.

  All of the vases destroyed, Orlon's weapon vanished and he relaxed slightly. He made no move to remove the bandana from across his eyes, but the lower half of his face became a huge grin.

  “You know I hate it when you do that,” Temin said brushing chunks of pottery from his hair and shoulders. “And Master Lulod hates when you do that,” he gestured to the hole in the wall behind him, “to the temple!”

  “It's easy enough to fix, I'll repair it later. But do you want to know what I hate,” Orlon said with just enough humor in his voice to sound playful. “I hate when my pupils abandon their training to go play in the trees, again.”

  Temin looked away from Orlon sheepishly. Despite the fact that his master was blind, he seemed to see and know everything that occured around him.

  “I was doing my training,” protested Temin half-heartedly. “I was practicing manifesting light weapons.”

  “You hardly need practice manifesting them. You need to learn to focus your mind in order to control them once they are manifested. Don't worry, it normally takes a decade or more for a lightwielder to reach the point you're at now. For eleven years old you're quite powerful, but we still need to work on honing that power.”

  “What in the world happened to the wall?” called a stunned voice from the hallway. “Anedae be merciful, what could've done that to solid stone?”

  Orlon's smile took on a more refined than playful aspect and he started toward the door. Temin quickly gathered his master's discarded robe from the floor against the wall and held it up.

  “Well, gentleman,” explained an unhappy voice from the hallway, “that would be the man you are looking for in action.”

  “Master Rin, your robe,” Temin whispered.

  Orlon moved to Temin and quickly shrugged into his white linen robe. He tied it just as he walked out of the door. Jagged, razor-sharp bits of pottery crunched beneath his bare feet as he walked, but he continued smiling appearing not to notice.

  “There he is now,” continued the unhappy voice. “Gentleman, may I present Master Orlon Rin, Immortal Lightwielder, Disciple of Anedae, and maker of holes.”

  The man paused to take a breath. His disdain for Orlon practically oozed out of him and Temin couldn't help laughing softly.

  “Master Rin, I present Lords Ulgren Sleef and Faris Briar, respectively.”

  “Thank you, Master Lulod, for the introduction; I quite loved the part about making holes.”

  Temin could imagine the venomous look Lulod gave Master Rin as the man began muttering loudly about self-control. Temin continued laughing softly as he listened to Lulod's retreating footsteps. Orlon and the others waited for a few moments for the master's angry muttering to fade before continuing.

  “I apologize for my friend; he can be very protective of his temple at times. Now, what brings you gentlemen out to see an old man like me?”

  “Aren't you going to remove the blindfold, so we can speak properly?” one of the strangers demanded in a tone of utter indignation. “And I hope you have better accommodations for us while we discuss the reason as to why we are here.”

  “Actually, I'm blind,” Orlon said firmly.

  From where he was standing Temin saw Master Rin instinctively raise a hand and touch his right eye through the bandana. He'd noticed that his master tended to do that from time to time.

  “As to the accommodations, this is only a temple, so we don't have any formal sitting areas. I would let you into my common room, but at the moment,” he nudged a piece of smashed pottery with his foot, “it's kind of a mess. Let's just talk out here in the hall. This is a secluded part of the temple so our talk will be private enough.”

  “That's fine, Master Rin,” answered a second, nervous voice. “It doesn't matter where we talk.”

  The first man sounded as if he was about to protest, but he was interrupted by the second noble. Unlike the composed and yet demeaning manner of the first man, the second noble sounded young and spoke as if on the verge of a panic attack.

  “You have to help us!” the fearful noble suddenly blurted out.

  “Get a hold of yourself, Faris, really. Master Rin, The young lord Briar and I are both prosperous landowners from the region around Fellwater Valley. In the past few months, we have suffered heavy losses in both coin and citizenry to a series of brutal attacks. The attacks are said to be the work of-”

  “Monsters,” Lord Briar all but shouted.

  “-Some sort of demons,” finished Lord Sleef sounding thoroughly annoyed. “The sheer number of attacks and the amount of people that have gone missing is beyond anything bandits would dare to do. And the state of the victims that we've found-”

  Temin dared a glance around the door and saw Lord Briar turn pale. The man looked ill. He had apparently witnessed something grim and bloody, and he apparently wasn't accustomed to seeing such savagery.

  He could never be a lightwielder.

  “-let's just say that nothing human would do that to another person. I've no doubt that we are being attacked by demons. There is, however, no record of such a large number of attacks, save one.”

  Master Rin's smile vanished. His face became a stoic mask, as if he was trying to conceal his true emotions.

  Lord Sleef appeared not to notice and continued, “of course you know I'm speaking of the demon raids of 200 years ago. You, yourself, put an end to the demon and saved countless lives and that is why we have come before you.”

  “That was a long time ago. Back then, I could still see what it was that I was fighting.”

  “Please, Master Rin, you must help us,” begged Lord Briar desperately.

  “Find someone else,” Orlon said calmly. “There are other lightwielders in the world besides me.”

  “But not a single one of them is nearly as powerful as the Immortal Orlon Rin; surely you must realize this?”

  Lord Briar has a point: no one is as powerful as Master Rin, but are they really expecting a blind man to go into The Nightlands alone.

  Lord Sleef suddenly sounded uncomfortable as he continued, “I'll admit, you are not the first that we've asked to go. A few months ago, after the first wave of attacks, we sent three lightwielders into The Nightlands, but we've heard nothing of them in all that time.”

  “And after they disappeared, the attacks just seemed to get worse. The demons killed them,” added Lord Briar hysterically. “They're all dead!”

  “We don't know that,” Sleef insisted, “Right now they're just missing.”

  “Over 380 people, including three lightwielders, don't just go missing, Lord Sleef,” Briar shot back. “They're all dead!”

  “It is possible, even likely, that they're already dead,” Orlon Rin said firmly, silencing both of the nobles. “But let's not give up hope just yet. If you've indeed sent three others before me and they've all vanished, then I am left with no choice but to go there myself.”

  Orlon Rin clenched his jaw tight for several seconds. It was obvious to Temin that his master was not pleased about the choice he had been forced to make. Orlon's face abruptly relaxed and an easy smile took the place of his solemn grimace.

  In a calm voice, Master Rin declared, “You have my word that I will journey to The Nightlands myself and put an end to this threat.”

  With obvious relief the nobles thanked him and quickly departed. As soon as they were out of sight, Master Rin smile faded back into his usual stoic expression.

  “Apparently I can no longer avoid my fate,” Orlon said softly to no one in particular.

  Temin continued to stare at his master unsure of what to do. Not a single person had ever come to visit Orlon Rin in the few years that Temin had been training under him and Temin got the feeling that there hadn't been too many before that either.

  Why is it that everyone avoids Master Rin? He single-handedly saved countless lives by slaying a powerful demon and his minions; he's a her
o.

  The conversation with the nobles continued to play through his mind. The nobles had made it clear that they were scared and desperate.

  Master Rin was obviously not their first choice, but why? He's the most powerful lightwielder in the world, right? I would come to him in a heartbeat if I were in some kind of danger.

  Orlon Rin casually slipped back out of his robe and let it fall to the floor. In a casual manner that seemed somewhat forced, Rin turned and walked past Temin toward the door to his private chambers. As he opened the door, he briefly paused and turned his head ever-so-slightly in Temin's direction.

  “Send for a carriage and gather a week's provisions from the kitchen; I will be leaving in an hour.”

  Without another word he disappeared into his room. The door closed softly behind him, but with a definitive meaning that Temin refused to accept. His Master had spent his life dedicated to protecting others in the name of Anedae, only to wind up alone in the temple.

  Master Rin is just like me: alone. He has outlived any family he ever had and has no friends I've ever seen. I can't let him go into The Nightlands by himself again. Last time he managed to come back, but he had been blinded. He may not want to admit it, but he needs help and I can take care of myself.

  Temin manifested a dagger of light in his hand and stared down at it. The bright, white-gold light stung his eyes and his gaze drifted back to the door Orlon Rin had passed through.

  I'm supposed to be some kind of prodigy, but what good does that do me? What's the point of having power if I don't use it to protect people; especially the ones that I care about?

  Willing away the dagger, which immediately faded away, Temin started for his own room. Once inside, he quickly packed his own bag of clothes and slung it over his shoulder. With a last look at his meager quarters: bed, dresser, and a small stand with an oil lamp, he turned away disgusted.

  Shutting the door quietly behind him, Temin gingerly crossed the common room, careful not to step on any of the jagged shards of broken pottery that littered the floor. He sped up as he neared the doorway and once he was in the hallway, he ran. Temin raced back through the corridors, passed other disciples busy with their own tasks, past the small prayer alcoves that dotted the walls, and paused only to open the heavy, front doors of the temple.

  Outside for the second time that day, he breathed in a deep breath of fresh air and then bolted down the short flight of stone stairs. He jumped the last two for good measure and dashed along the thoroughfare to the gatehouse. The paved road was much easier to run along than the grass on the other side of the hedges, so he made it to the gatehouse in less than a minute.

  The iron-banded, oak door looked strong enough to stop an army and was always kept locked from both sides, as it had been in the darker days of the temple's construction. His hand looked puny as he pounded on the thick, towering door and he doubted anyone could hear him through such a formidable barrier. To his surprise the door was quickly swung open nearly knocking him over. A tall, fat disciple smiled down at him with only a few teeth left in his mouth.

  “What can I do for you, Temin?”

  Temin recognized the man, but couldn’t remember his name. He, in fact, wasn’t sure he had ever known the man’s name, but everyone seemed to know his name. As a young, lightwielder prodigy and a rampant troublemaker, he was infamous within the temple walls.

  “Master Rin needs a carriage ready within the hour,” he explained to the familiar, nameless man. “He’s going to Fellwater Valley.”

  “Are you sure about that?” asked a voice from within the gatehouse.

  The man’s smile immediately disappeared and another man, this one lanky and bald, appeared beside him in the doorway. The two briefly exchanged glances before they turned back to Temin in unison. The bald man had a twitch in his left eye as he stared down at Temin and his voice was much less jovial than his fat companion.

  “Of course I’m sure,” Temin retorted. “Master Rin himself sent me down here to tell you. He’s planning to leave in less than an hour, so if you don’t have that carriage ready guess who gets to explain it to him.”

  Temin smiled slyly and watched the pair exchange another quick glance before they rushed back into the room. Still smiling to himself, he turned away from the gatehouse as the door slammed shut behind him and started back towards the temple. He was still moving quickly, but he no longer felt that he had to run: he only had one stop left before he was ready for their trip.

  An hour later, Temin stood in the common room of their suite waiting for Master Rin. He had quickly raided the kitchen and now had a large pack of food and several skins of water slung over his shoulders next to his own travel bag. He knew he probably looked silly standing around with loads of stuff strapped to his back and he imagined he looked like a miniature pack mule.

  I wonder what Master Rin will say when he sees me like this. Knowing him, he’ll probably tell me I still have some room left and throw another pack on me. Then, he'll say it's good training or something like that. Sometimes, I swear all he thinks about is training... but I guess that maybe now that's a good thing.

  Temin was slightly startled when Master Rin suddenly emerged from his room. He turned his face directly toward Temin for a moment as he walked past and beckoned for him to follow. Falling in beside Master Rin, he was once again surprised at the awareness the blind master displayed on a daily basis.

  For a blind man, he’s got an amazing sense of what's around him. Sometimes I think he can see better than anyone else, and they can still use their eyes.

  “Did you gather enough food for two, Temin?”

  The question caught him a little off balance and only fueled Temin’s belief that nothing slipped by Orlon Rin. He silently cursed himself for believing he could fool the man’s razor sharp senses. He refused to give Rin the satisfaction of being right and decided to feign ignorance.

  “Well, I guess, but I thought you might need some extra food on such a long journey.”

  “So you weren’t going to try and talk me into coming along or perhaps planning to try and follow me once I've gone?” He paused briefly and flashed Temin a knowing smile. “We both know that you want to go, and once I leave, none of the disciples here are strong enough to keep you from following me, so you may as well come along.”

  Temin’s lips curved up into a huge smile. He nearly lost hold of the food pack as he celebrated silently and almost tripped himself.

  “Alright, I finally get to use my powers for real,” Temin shouted and as his elation faded he added, “I don’t know how you always know, but I’m going to find a way to fool you one of these days.”

  “This is not a time for celebration, Temin. We're going to a world of darkness ruled by monstrous demons that have already claimed hundreds of lives including those of three of our fellow lightwielders. This is not some fantastical journey we're going on; very real danger and possibly death awaits us. Do you still wish to accompany me knowing this?”

  “Of course,” Temin said without hesitation. “That's our job as lightwielders, right?”

  “The folly of youth,” Orlon murmured softly.

  He smiled wanly and then turned to walk out of the room. Struggling under the weight of his various burdens, Temin hurried to keep up as they made their way to the waiting carriage.