The Lightest Dark (The Dark series Book 1)

by Sweet, Avery

  I heard Dark sigh, "I just know, Arie. She... She's not like that. She's not like them. I would trust Calista with my life. Besides, from what I've seen watching her this past week, I think Tristan may not be the best person for her to be around. He’s gotten worse since I left."

  "Oh? And you are? Correct me if I'm wrong, but you did just kidnap the girl. She has to be having some serious mental issues as far as you’re concerned. What makes you the lesser of two evils?"

  I'm pretty sure I just heard Dark growl after that statement. "You're trying my patience Arie. I will not be spoken to like one of your soldiers. It would do you well to remember your place." I guess she was just like that to everyone.

  Good to know I won't have to take it personally. Or at least I was pretty sure. I might if she decided she wanted to push my buttons the way she was pushing Dark’s. That’s if she even knows what buttons to push.

  Honestly, I hope that I never have to find out. She seems like one of those people who have to be mean no matter the situation and I didn’t do well around people like that. Or I should say I usually won’t stick around to be spoken to like I’m an idiot who has no idea what’s going on. It wouldn’t matter if I did, or not. It’s the principle.

  "Oh, hit a sore spot have I? What's the matter? Scared she might pick him over you? We all know she's the same girl, Dark. You're fooling yourself if you thought you could keep that to yourself. You look at her as if the sun rises and sets on her and only her. Everyone else could jump off a bridge for as much as you care with her in the vicinity."

  I could hear the mocking in her tone and I sort of cringed inside. From what I remember of Dark, he's never reacted well to mocking, but maybe he'd learned to deal with it?

  Then again, maybe not.

  The next second there was a huge crash that had me shooting off the couch and scrambling toward the open door as fast as my bound hands would let me. I tripped over the blanket I'd had covering me in my panic, but soon my feet were under me and I was running faster than I'd ever run in my life.

  On my way out my eyes caught a glimpse of Dark standing over a smashed pool table that had two slender legs peeking out at the end as his beautiful black wings unfurled and twitched in agitation. The vines -that I now saw we’re on his back as well - seemed to pulse with his anger and had turned more silver than black.

  I made mental note that he had definitely not learned to deal with mocking and his anger was ten times worse than before as my feet took me back out the way I'd been carried in. Soon I was out the door, running through a field of wildflowers with no idea where the heck I was going.

  I didn’t care either.

  My goal at the moment was to at least make it into the cover of trees at the end of the flowery field, about a mile from the front door. I knew from flying over it with Dark that it stretched out at least ten miles in every direction and would give me plenty of places to hide no matter how good Dark’s hearing is.

  The sounds of animals and other things should hopefully give me all the cover I need. At least I was assuming. I didn’t exactly have the time to plan this out so I was running on pure instinct… literally.

  I'd made it two steps from the forest when I heard my name being yelled from the house. I didn't think. I didn't stop. I just kept running. My feet felt like they knew where they were going even if I didn't and as scared as I felt, I was inclined to listen. Your instincts usually know more about what’s going on than you do.

  Sure enough, I found myself winding around trees, jumping over roots, twisting and turning like some kind of forest nymph at one with the earth. It wasn't until I was halfway into the forest that I realized I had somehow untied my hands, the rope dangling from my left wrist like a cuff from an escaped prisoner.

  Hearing nothing but the sound of my own feet softly gliding along the dirt as if they were old friends, I figured at this point it was safe to stop running. My lungs burned as I slowed to a walk, taking in my surroundings.

  There were trees, strange exotic flowers, and bushes that seemed to have some kind of berries. As I looked around me, I felt like I'd been here before. It felt like coming home and yet I knew I hadn't ever been here before.

  I continued walking, allowing my heart to return to a normal pace as I looked around. The further I go the more familiar things seem. I let my feet take the lead as random thoughts and facts float into my mind.

  I know that the glossy purple red berries on a small group of shrubs up ahead aren't edible, but the ones in front of me are. I know that there's a small stream about ten minutes’ walk from where I am and the water is clean and crisp, not to mention the hollow tree that serves as a great place to sleep.

  My stomach chose that moment to growl. I stopped in front of the edible berries. Blueberries came into my mind. Looking around I saw that I was still alone and decided to change a few branches into a small basket to carry the berries.

  I hooked it over my arm and filled it with maybe two handfuls worth. That done I started off in the direction of the stream. As I passed the poisonous berries the name poke berry popped into my head.

  I kept moving forward, my eyes taking in little things here and there while names popped into my head left and right. After about five minutes into my walk I came upon a tree and the word almonds popped into my head. Check the fruit. Okay freaky, but I did look up into the tree feeling like a crazy person. I’m sure I looked it too for the way I’d run earlier, but that was neither here nor there.

  My eyes took in what I assumed was the fruit of the tree. The hulls of most were cracked and separating from the shell. Ripe. Taste to be sure.

  That's great, but how do I get up there? The tree was maybe twenty-five feet tall and I'm only 5'5 on a good day. Shake it. I wrapped my hands around the trunk and shook for all I was worth. I was rewarded with a bunch of almond fruit hitting me in the head.

  I shook it off then gathered as much as I could in the basket and proceeded on figuring I could taste the almonds when I reach my destination.

  From what knew of almonds, they were supposed to have a milky taste. At the compound we usually roasted them so they'd keep longer. I figured that would be a good idea now.

  No telling how long I'd be out here and it was better to have something just in case. The sight of the stream just in front of me was both a relief and disturbing. One side of the coin is that it really is here. That lets me know that I'm not crazy.

  The other side of that coin is that I now had random information about a forest swimming around in my head with no idea where it's coming from. That in itself is worrisome, but add in the fact that I was now hiding from Dark and I had a new list of problems.

  It made me kind of homesick for the compound. There my biggest problem was trying to keep Ryan out of trouble and convincing a bunch of stubborn elders that my premonitions were real. Out here was kind of an unknown. Then again if what Dark said proved to be true, I may be better off out here.

  I settled myself in the hollow tree after I checked to be sure it was free of animals and insects. The name sycamore came to mind and judging by the green brown and white coloring, not to mention the large size, I believed it. They're a lot bigger in person than they are in pictures.

  The hole leading into the tree was about the same height as me, give or take an inch. The base had about two feet of roots and bark rising up from the ground and its width inside could sleep at least four of me comfortably. I was happy for that because it smelled like it might rain.

  For those of you who have no idea what that means, it’s a bit like smelling the ocean in the air when you know there isn’t one for at least fifty miles.

  I settled myself inside and started to prep the almonds. After separating them, I took the remains of the fruit and shells, changing them into a soft, makeshift bed that covered the bottom of inside the hollow tree and would prevent water from seeping through. After I did that, I started a small fire enough to roast the almonds.

  I didn’t want it so big tha
t you could see the smoke. I’d be found too quickly. As it stood, I was taking a chance with roasting them in the first place. Dark might pick up on the smell. With any luck there will be too many other smells blending since I was making it so small.

  I changed the shape of a few stones into a small stone skillet and started to roast them up placing them in the basket when they were finished and put the fire out. I also change the ground to look like the fire had never been there as an afterthought before heading into the tree with my small meal and the stone pan.

  I was grateful I'd ran into the forest, however impulsively it may have been. It was honestly a lot easier to change organic things in transmutation. I also never felt as drained as I do with metals and other inorganic materials, so being surrounded by nature made me feel a bit better about things.

  After making the bed and eating some food, I decided to gather some leaves and sticks to make a blanket and pillow as well as a kind of door for the opening to block sunlight so I could finally take that nap.

  It took me about ten minutes, but I soon had a nice light blanket, a soft comfortable pillow and a door that latched on the inside. I also had the added benefit that to anyone passing by it would look like it was part of the tree.

  I changed a few small parts of the inside to hooks and placed the basket on one and the small stone skillet on another. I started to settle in feeling a lot safer than I had earlier. With my stomach full and after everything in the last few hours my body just wanted sleep.

  Seeing nothing else that needed my immediate attention, I lay down and feel myself being pulled into the land of dreams.

  Chapter Seven

  It was sometime later that I was pulled out of a strange dream about two ethereal beings telling me they were glad to have me home. One had hair that seemed as though it had been spun from gold. The other had hair that seemed as if it had been dipped in the night sky.

  I lay there, contemplating why that might be for a moment. It wasn't until I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes that I realized what it was that had pulled me from the dream. I could hear footsteps and the sound of voices as they moved closer to where I was. It took a few minutes, but they were soon close enough for me to hear.

  "Explain it to me again. I still don't understand how you could have lost her. She was sleeping on the couch one minute and the next she's on the edge of the forest? I don't buy it. She doesn't have speed. You should have been able to catch her the second she was off the couch. You had to have been distracted by something, or someone."

  "Like I said before. My back was to her and she made no sound. Before you ask again, I have no idea how she made no sound. Nor do I know how she made it to the edge of the fae lands in a matter of seconds. I just know that she did. Now enough talking and more looking."

  Dark and another man. From the sound of things, I think Dark might be in trouble, but I wasn't about to leave the safety of my hiding spot to find out if that was the case. Not after seeing what happened when he was irritated.

  Who knows how he'd react in actual anger. No, I was definitely going to stay in this forest, in my tree and eat berries and nuts for as long as I could get away with it. I knew I'd eventually have to make my way back to the compound to get Ryan, but for now he was safer than me. At least I assumed so.

  "Huh. That's strange. “A shot of terror ran down my spine at his voice so close. I shut my eyes, pulled my knees to my chest and tried to breathe as quietly as possible as I waited for them to pass.

  "What's strange?"

  "Does the stream look bigger to you?"

  I heard a rustling and then the crunching of footfall headed in my direction. "Yeah. Now that you mention it, it looks about a foot wider. What's that to do with your girl?"

  "Nothing, I just thought it was a bit strange is all. Maybe something opened up and it’s got a better water supply now." He paused and I could see him in my mind’s eye standing next to the stream with a guarded look on his face, his eyes scanning the area for anything out of place.

  "Let's go check the caves, man. She has to be somewhere and that’s the only place left that I can think of."

  Dark was silent for a moment. In my mind’s eye he had a contemplative look. I had to wonder if maybe I was really seeing him somehow, but shook it off. That was strange even for me. I didn’t even want to think about the ramifications of seeing people in my minds’ eye.

  While it would probably be a useful skill, it felt too much like invading someone’s privacy. If you don’t see it that way, think about this. Would you really want to spy on someone, only to find them in the bathroom?

  “Yeah, okay. Sounds like as good a place as any for her to stop and we’re running out of places she can hide."

  "True. Although to be honest, I'm surprised your girl has lasted this long in here on her own. The fae don't usually take kindly to outsiders. They barely tolerate the rest of us half breeds. You seem to be the only exception. At least that I know of."

  My ears perked as I listened to their voices fading. Fae? I heard Dark refer to this place as fae lands earlier, but I'd thought it was just a name. A fitting name, but a name all the same.

  Did the Fae really live here, or was it just a name like I’d first thought? From the sound of it and how I’d felt since I stepped foot in here, I was incline to believe that they did. But if that was the case, where exactly did they live? I hadn’t seen a soul since I’d ran in here.

  I knew nothing of the fae and from what I had read about them, neither did anyone else. I'd read everything from them being nymphs and forest spirits, to them descending from the Fallen and everything in between. I guess the only ones who might know the answers were the fae themselves.

  If this is a fae dwelling, it could explain the random voices telling me the secrets of the forest. But if that's the case then why would they be favoring me?

  As far as I knew, the statement about them being cruel to outsiders -humans especially- was about as close to the truth as you could get with the fae. I sat contemplating that in my tree for about another hour, or at least what felt like it. I half listened to the sounds outside as I did.

  Hearing nothing out of the ordinary, I decided it was finally safe to leave its shelter. I was starting to go a little stir-crazy with all of the thoughts in my head. A fresh drink of water and a bit splashed in my face might help with that.

  One moment I'm opening the latch on the door I'd made, the next I'm flat on my back with Dark pinning me down to the makeshift bed. A healthy dose of fear and something I didn't want to name shot down my spine at how angry he appeared.

  His amethyst eyes seemed to glow with his anger. I shut my own, a small whimper escaping my lips of its own accord. "Tell me something, Candy." His voice was whisper soft with a sprinkling of malice. "How is it you were able to run faster than me from the house making no sound?"

  What?

  I opened my eyes. His face held no hint of humor, while I was sure mine had confusion written all over it. I’d heard him say it to that guy earlier, but I thought he was saying it just to cover up the fact he’d been distracted by that other girl. I didn’t realize he’d been serious.

  "What are you talking about? I don't have speed. Ryan does. As for the sound thing, I’m pretty sure me tripping over that blanket made some sound." At least I was pretty sure. It sounded loud to me, but things like that tend to be louder in your own ears. Especially when you’re trying to be quiet.

  “I will concede that I might not have been paying attention to the sounds in the room given my agitation at that time, but I am not a fool and I know what I saw. You went much faster than your brother in that field. So how about we try this again. This time don't lie to me!"

  I wanted to sink into the floor to get away from how much anger he was projecting. Honestly I hadn’t that much focus to do it at the moment, or I really would have. "I'm not. I- did I really run that fast?" I felt the same fear that had sent me into fight-or-flight mode earlier, but now I was also feeli
ng a bit of shock to numb the impulse.

  He searched my face. I guess he found whatever he was looking for because the anger started to subside. He took a deep breath, "Okay.” His eyes narrowed, “Let's try a different one. Why did you run?"

  I had to be careful with how I answered this. I didn't want him to know I'd been awake the whole time. A piece of advice my mother gave me a long time ago popped into my head. I hadn't understood at the time, but it seemed relevant now.

  If you need to lie, it's always best to stick as close to the truth as possible. That way if they say something later, you'll know what the heck they're talking about instead of getting caught red-handed.

  "If you'd heard a sudden crash and saw a man with silver vines pulsing as if they were veins on the outside of his body, along with a pair of intimidating wings standing over a pair of slender legs sticking out from a smashed table, how would you react? You would run in fear that that same man might turn that anger on you."

  He raised an eyebrow, but didn't contradict me. Instead he took a moment to look around him. Shock lit up his face, momentarily distracting him. Had I not been so scared of this man a moment before, I might have laughed. "Where did those hooks and this bedding come from?"

  I said nothing, although I wasn't sure if he was actually expecting a response. It sounded rhetorical. He looked me over, a heat in his eyes that had been absent before. Or maybe I’d just been ignoring it. Denial is a powerful thing after all.

  I was kind of grateful for the shirt I was wearing, not to mention the one he was wearing now. The question of how he got it on was enough to distract me, even if I knew what was under it.

  “I’m guessing there's quite a bit more to you than you let be seen. More than you showed me when we were together, that’s for sure. I find myself with an urge to go exploring. What other interesting things have you been hiding from me?”