“Vul, no—”
The door swung open, and Eref stood still, trapped between the chair and the table.
Vul screamed.
Chapter Three
The Pyre
Balor crept through Dark World. He hid in the revolting shade of the trees. Nothing could stop him from hunting Eref down. Not even this horrible place could dissuade him, though it came close.
When Eref had disappeared so mysteriously, suspicion had turned to Balor. Nothing he said had convinced the Light People that he had no part in freeing Eref.
“You were working with him!” they had insisted.
“No! I’m eighteen! I’m eighteen!”
But they’d hurled stones at him anyway. People had shouted and cursed and even beaten him with their own fists until Headmaster Lesur had come to stop them.
“What are you doing? This student of mine was misled by the criminal Eref, but he has been saved by his age. His is no longer capable of following evil. Leave him alone.”
The people had retreated, but the look in their eyes told Balor he was a dead man. One of these days, when he let his guard down…
Balor had heard the whispers. Eref had escaped. He’d planned this all along. He was living as a king in Dark World, building an army. Waiting to take over Light World.
So Balor knew he had to prove himself. The Governors would thank him. All of Light World would thank him. When he returned victorious with Eref’s head, things would be good again. He could live a happy, normal life. The hero of Light World.
He had sneaked into Headmaster Lesur’s office, stolen the rare dark-vision glasses they used to study shadows in class, and hurried to the End. It didn’t take much to get past the lazy soldiers guarding the area. Those idiots believed everyone was too afraid to come near.
But not Balor. He wasn’t afraid of Eref. He would kill him with his bare hands.
And then, with a deep breath, he had dropped down through the hole.
The fall was long, and it had dropped him into the blackest, ugliest world he’d ever imagined. Even as a child, Balor hadn’t thought of Dark World like….
What had he thought?
On the ground, Balor scratched an itch at the back of his head and adjusted the glasses. Moist, mossy trees spread their branches low all around him. When he moved, their slimy vines slid across his shoulders. When he stepped, the swampy earth squished beneath his feet.
The air blew warm, clammy breezes that made Balor feel as though he were breathing underwater. And the smell. Revolting. Flowers, thick with water and the scent of tangy mint, oozed odors by his nose. Nausea threatened at his throat.
But Balor was stronger than that. He thought of home. He focused on the bright, dry light that kept everyone healthy and safe. He remembered the logical structure of his world, so unlike what appeared to be a vague, circular layout in Dark World.
Balor’s homeland made sense. Clay homes atop tall, dry, sturdy stones in the Northeast and Southeast. In the Northwest stood the Lightcare, where the sick or elderly went to die in peace.
Three essential structures made up the middle of Light World: the Light, on the west end, where everyone worshipped twice a week; the Learning, their school on the east end; and in between, the largest, most impressive building in Light World. The Center.
The Center, to which all roads in Light World ran. No one could reach any destination without first traveling to the massive white structure at the heart of their world. It stood so high that only the Governors who lived there knew how many stories tall it was.
From the Center, the Governors sent forth new decrees, lesson plans, and laws. They blessed gems. And, of course, the Eighteener Entrance took place there.
Balor scratched his head.
Dark World disgusted him. From what he had seen in the past two and a half days, it was a jumbled mass of dumpy little homes in the darkest places possible, all surrounding one large tree in the center of the world. That tree had great roots that, in some places, rose high enough out of the ground to create an enormous pavilion beneath them.
Dark People clambered to the awkward pavilion throughout the day, not marching in an orderly line as Light People did, but scrambling over one another like fire dogs for a treat.
Something fuzzy scurried past Balor’s leg, and he jerked away. Through the bushes, a long, thin creature slipped away, its green fur blending in with the swampy growth of the land.
“This way,” a man’s voice spoke, just a few yards from where Balor stood. “We need more men at the Pyre.”
“I’m coming, I’m coming.”
Balor ducked under a large, red flower that spiked out of a thorny, green branch. He peered at the men who walked by.
One was a tall man in a black uniform with silver buttons on his breast. The other was smaller, much younger, in a gray uniform with no buttons. Both men were shorter than Balor by a foot and covered in thin hair. Their complexion was an unhealthy chalk white.
“Did an invader really come through?” the younger man called out, tripping over vines and roots. He kept falling behind the taller man.
“Two.”
“But how can that be?”
“No idea. We’re setting up guards at the Shade and at the Pyre.”
“Man. Why can’t we be stationed at the Shade? It’s so much nicer th—”
“They have plenty of people already. Come on.” The older man pressed through branches without looking back at his young companion.
“But what if one of the invaders finds us?”
The taller man stopped. He didn’t turn around but faced the vines as he spoke. “We kill him.”
“But what if—”
“Before he kills us.”
The smaller man gulped and shuddered but didn’t say anything else. They moved on through the brush.
Balor followed at a safe distance. If they were on the guard to capture Balor and Eref, then Balor was at an advantage if he could listen to their plans unobserved.
He didn’t have far to go. Within five minutes, the men stopped. They had brought him back to the place where he landed in Dark World: a large tree that stank of burned wood and bodies.
So this was what they called the Pyre.
Balor found it interesting that Dark People used fire in their world. He had always thought the cowards were afraid of it.
“Lieutenant Matboc and Ensign Higrads reporting.”
The two men saluted a female who wore several silver buttons on her black uniform.
“At ease.” The woman’s body hair was just as pasty white as theirs, and she was even shorter. More white hair grew from the top of her head, and it hung in a tight group at the back of her head, like a tail.
The taller man listened while the smaller man shifted from one foot to the other, glancing around him, apparently in a minor panic.
“We still haven’t located the invaders, Matboc,” said the woman, her voice quiet and icy. “They’ve asked me to set everyone up for a long-term watch in case one of the interlopers comes back here, intending to return home. Take these flamethrowers.”
She handed the men two weapons that looked like small cannons.
“Why here?”
“Put these on,” the woman said. She handed Matboc round glasses like Balor’s. But why would Matboc need special vision? From what Balor had observed, Dark People could see even in complete blackness.
Still, Matboc placed the glasses over his eyes and walked with the woman. They went closer to the burnt tree, and she pointed up at the sky. Balor leaned forward to see what they were looking at.
There, what seemed like miles above, in a tiny glimmer, the bright blaze of Light World peeked through. That must be the hole through which both Eref and Balor had fallen.
So Matboc’s glasses didn’t help him see in the dark. They protected his eyes from the light.
Balor spat. Imagine using special equipment to block out the beauty of Light World.
“That’s where t
hey came from?”
The woman nodded. “We can’t figure it out. It’s like… a tear between our worlds.”
“I was under the impression that the Governors kept Dark World and Light World separate with the dark energy of their Moonstone.”
“Of course. That’s what’s got everyone baffled. Admiral Goptod assured me this morning that all five Governors are in perfect health.”
“Um,” the small man said, skipping nervously up to the woman. “Lieutenant Commander Saabdas?” He saluted her again.
The woman turned. She sighed, and Balor thought he saw her roll her big, black eyes. “Yes, Higrads?”
“Are the invaders….” He cleared his throat. “Are they dangerous? Are they armed?”
“We don’t know. That’s why we have to be on guard at all times. For the safety of the civilians.”
“Lieutenant Commander! Lieutenant Commander!” Another young man with chalk-white hair rushed up to Saabdas and saluted. “We have a lead on one of the Light People.”
Balor’s heart quickened. Had someone seen him? He looked around for a tree to climb or a bush to cover him.
“Where? Show me,” she said, the ice in her voice even sharper.
“This way,” said the man. He motioned for them to follow into the brush, right toward Balor.
Balor ducked under a large palm leaf and held his breath. He couldn’t get caught now. Not before he found Eref. Not before he made the traitor pay.
But the three men and Saabdas stormed right past him. They didn’t even look down.
“A Dark Person took him in.”
“A civilian?” Saabdas’s voice grew colder with every word.
“That’s what we think. There were footprints. Looks like the invader was dragged to an apartment.”
“Is he injured, then?”
“Maybe. We can’t be sure until we get there.”
“Wait,” Saabdas said. Everyone stopped.
“Lieutenant Commander?”
“It’s been days since this Light Person landed. His wounds could easily have been healed by now. We need backup before we alert them that we have their location. What’s the name of the Dark Person suspected of helping him?”
“Caer. She lives about ten hundred yards directly north of here.”
“Is she underage?”
“Yes.”
“Of course,” Saabdas said. It sounded as if chips of ice could shoot from her lips. “Children.”
“She’s seventeen, Lieutenant Commander.”
“Anyone under eighteen is a child and should be considered both stupid and dangerous. Come back to camp. We’ll gather forces.”
Balor watched from beneath his palm leaf as the four hurried back to the Pyre. Once they had gone, he stood, brushed his legs, and grinned.
Ten hundred yards to go.
He turned north and started walking.
Chapter Four
Dark Meets Light
Eref wished Vul would listen to Caer. But she wouldn’t. She paced the room, cursing and shouting, the sound of her feet stomping back and forth past him.
“A Light Person. In your house! His skin is so…dark. Caer, he’s almost blue! And look how tall he is! Get him out of here!”
Eref wondered how close the other houses were, and whether anyone might be able to hear Vul’s shrieks.
Caer’s voice trembled. “Vul, please stop. Haven’t you ever thought it might be all lies they tell us about Light World? And Light People hear lies about Dark World, too. He told me. He’s not evil. He’s just like us.”
The sound of Vul’s panicked pacing halted. Her voice rose another angry octave. “‘Just like us?’ Caer, how can you say that? Look at his bald body! Look at his clear eyes! That’s a monster!”
Though Eref couldn’t see anything, he heard her spit, and tiny droplets of saliva stuck on his neck. They slid down his chest. He didn’t move.
“How dare you?” Caer spoke in a furious whisper. “Vul, he’s blind. Don’t treat him like that.” Her fuzzy fingers dabbed at his chest.
“Don’t touch him!” Vul shrieked.
“I’ll do whatever I want. I found him, and I’m going to protect him.”
“Excuse me,” Eref said, unsure of how to proceed.
“Eref, I’m so sorry. Vul isn’t really like this.” Caer’s gentle palm rested on his shoulder, and her voice softened as if she were speaking to a baby.
Caer provided a source of soothing calm, but Eref forced himself to focus on Vul right now. He wondered how he would have felt, back in his own world, if Balor had hidden a Dark Person in his bedroom. How would he have reacted? Vul had been taught fear here just as he had been taught fear in Light World.
He inched forward, feeling lightly with his feet for objects in his way. Caer’s hand fell off his shoulder.
“Vul,” he said.
“Get away from me, monster,” Vul said in a low growl. He wondered what she looked like.
Eref moved toward her voice. “Please. I came to this place by accident. I’m not a monster. I’ve gone blind, so I can’t see any of you, but I know I must look very different from the people in your world.” He hung his head. “I probably do look like a monster. Maybe you would look that way to me. But you’ve got to understand—we’ve been misled.”
“You don’t know the truth any more than anyone else! Don’t lecture me.” Vul had moved to another part of the room, and Eref turned in her direction.
“You’re right. I don’t know the whole truth. But I think you know something that can help me. The guards. The Pyre.”
“I won’t help you!” Vul said from what sounded like the door. Was she leaving? Would she tell the guards where to find him?
Eref turned again and bumped into a soft piece of furniture. He spoke from there. “I need to hear what you know, Vul. If there really are guards looking for me, Caer might be in danger, too. I’m not familiar with Dark World, but in my world the police never stop searching until they find their suspect.”
“They…,” Vul said in a nervous tone. She hadn’t moved this time.
“And I don’t know if it’s the same here,” he said, maneuvering around the chair and stepping close enough to feel the slight chill that came from her cool body. She didn’t back away this time. “But in my world, the police are always looking for as many people to blame as possible. They love to make examples of bad people.”
He fumbled around and finally found her fuzzy hands. He took them in his. She tensed but let him touch her. Her hands were a little stronger than Caer’s, but still cool and delicate, with the same smooth hair on them. He took a moment and tried to imagine how this creature must look. “Where I come from, bad people get either the End or the Eighteener Entrance.”
Her fingers twitched.
“What happens here, Vul?”
She trembled more, but Eref held her steady. He hoped his grip felt reassuring and not constricting. He loosened just a little, but she left her hands in his.
“Our people,” Vul began in a tiny voice, “get the Pyre or the Eighteener Entrance.”
“Am I in danger, Vul?”
Her whole body moved as she nodded. “Yes.”
“Does that put Caer in danger, too?”
Vul sniffed. “Yes.”
Eref let go of Vul’s hands and reached out for her face. He found it at his chest level. He wiped little tears from her fuzzy cheeks, and she sniffled.
“Please help,” he said. “Caer saved me, and now she’s at risk. Tell us what you know about the guards. How can we escape them? Where can I go to be safe without bringing you any more trouble?”
“I…I don’t know much,” she said.
“Vul,” Caer said from behind them. Eref hadn’t forgotten she was there. He had given Vul his full attention but had felt Caer’s eyes on him the whole time.
“Caer,” Vul said. “I’m sorry. I was so scared when I saw him here. I didn’t know what to think.”
Caer stepped in front of Er
ef. He heard soft rustling sounds, and had a sense the two girls were embracing. He felt their chilly bodies in front of him, and the tension in the room lessened.
“I’m sorry, too, Vul,” Caer said. “I should have told you. Please help us if you can?”
“The guards are everywhere. All over Dark World. I heard they’re setting up mostly at the Shade and the Pyre.”
Eref stood next to Caer and tried to face Vul. He felt deeply self-conscious every time he spoke because he knew he wasn’t meeting her eyes. At a time like this, he needed to be confident and in control. Instead, he was helpless.
“What’s the Shade?”
Caer answered. “It’s the heart of our world. A huge tree with great roots.”
“What is there?”
“Everything,” Vul said.
Caer added, “Our Governors live there. We go there to worship. It has a hospital for the sick. We get our lessons in the Shade, too, up until we turn eighteen. Then we go there for the Eighteener Entrance.”
“In Light World,” Eref said, “we have a place like that. It’s called the Center. Our Governors live there, and our Eighteener Entrance is held there, too. But it has roads that lead to everything else, like our hospital and our school.”
“Then you can see why they’ve put so many guards at The Shade,” Vul said. “It’s the most important place in our world. They feel they need to protect it from….”
“From me.”
“Yes.”
“And there are guards at the Pyre?”
“Yes, but not as many. They’re armed, though.”
“That’s where I found Eref,” Caer said.
“The opening to my world is above the Pyre,” he said. “That means your execution area is right below ours.”
Vul’s voice grew tense again. “What were you doing at the execution area of your world?”
Caer touched Eref’s side, and he knew to let her talk.
“He could see past their lies, Vul.”
“They were putting him to death?”
“Well—”
“You’re a criminal?”
“Vul,” Caer said, still touching Eref’s side to keep him quiet. “When I found him, he had been beaten. His ribs were crushed. His skin was bleeding. He was going to die.”
From Light to Dark Page 3