The Light Shatters - 5

Ya'shiie took my hand and let me to a small room. The room had a window that looked over the entire city. "Wait here Kyra. Lahuir will be here shortly."
I stopped him before he could leave the room. "What am I here for Ya'shiie? How can I save these great realms if I remain in this room?"
Ya'shiie gently patted my hand, "These two realms must unite and become one. To do that you, the only human left still fighting for your realm, must unite yourself with the greatest fighter of our realm. Together, the two of you will be unstoppable. It will create renewed hope and vigor in those still able to fight. You will become a great light, one that will push away the Kaifuri and their dark world."
"And who must I unite with?" I whispered, knowing that I needed the information, but also knowing that I wouldn't like the answer.
The old sage smiled softly, "Lahuir. He has done more to keep this war at bay than any man in our realm. He has risen through the ranks and become our greatest military commander. He is the man you will unite with."
I nodded and turned away. Ya'shiie quietly left the room. I felt like I was in a nightmare. How had this happened? Why was I the only one that could save our worlds? I stared out the window, seeing nothing but darkness through the fog in my mind. One face flashed repeatedly in my thoughts: Caden. I couldn't help but see his smile and hear the memory of his heart beating as he held me next to him.
I suddenly wanted to cry. I never cried. I never wanted to cry. This was new to me. But the sage was right. I was in love. Caden had managed, quite by accident I was sure, to break through all my carefully built walls and find the path to my heart.
But I had to bind myself to Lahuir. He was to be my mate.
The thought sickened me.
I heard footsteps outside the room and quickly pushed away my new emotions. If joining with Lahuir saved my world than that's what I would do. I had been fighting for it since before I could stand. I couldn't give up on it now.
Lahuir entered the room, followed closely by Ya'shiie. I remained where I was, by the window. I wanted to see life outside the prison walls I was about to drop on myself.
Lahuir crossed the room and slipped his hand into mine. "Kyra. We belong together. You know that." He said soothingly. He glanced slyly at Ya'shiie.
I couldn't look at his face. I fought the urge to tear my hand from his and flee from the temple. My hand jerked, but he grasped it tighter and pulled my body next to his.
A stab of fire shot through my stomach. Lahuir held me so tightly against him I couldn't move. But I could feel pain coursing through my stomach. I looked into his face. His eyes were changed. They glowered at me. His mouth was twisted in a malicious grin. "Everything will be just fine Kyra." He whispered. He shoved me away. I stumbled against the window, clutching my stomach. Blood oozed between my fingers and dripped to the floor. Lahuir held a bloodied dagger firmly in his hand.
"Kyra!" I heard someone cry my name, but I didn't know where they were calling from. I couldn't focus on them.
"Lahuir, what have you done!" Ya'shiie cried.
Lahuir turned to him, laughing, "I've destroyed the world. She was the only piece I was waiting for. It's finished now!" He grabbed the tip of the knife and flung it across the room. It buried itself deep in Ya'shiie's chest. He groaned and crumpled to the ground.
I clutched the windowsill, determined to fight Lahuir. I would not lose this way. I'd fought too long to die like this. I stood upright, bracing myself against the wall. I slipped my knife from its sheath and held it as tight as I was able.
Lahuir glanced at me. A wicked grimace filled his features. "You were supposed to die." He muttered.
"I won't die so easily." I gasped. "You can't take the world from me."
He laughed, "I can. I already have. Why do you think the Kaifuri are coming? I led them here."
I gripped the knife more tightly. "Traitor."
His eyes flashed fire. "Traitor?!" He screamed, "You think I'm the traitor? Look at you! You fight for something you cannot achieve. Everyone you have ever known has died because of your fight. You are responsible for the death of thousands of people. You are the traitor here. All I have done is chosen the winning side."
He yanked the dagger from Ya'shiie's chest and slowly sauntered toward me. "And now, I'm just speeding up the victory. Once you are dead there will be no hope for the rest of them."
I felt a moment of fear. I was going to die. I could see my fate as clearly as I could see him. This was not how I had planned on dying. I was always going to die in battle, taking down hundreds of the enemy before they took me. This was wrong.
And then I realized I could kill him. He would die with me.
My fear vanished.
Lahuir advanced, clearly choosing a point of attack. Suddenly, he shot toward me. I could barely follow the movement. I responded swiftly, blindly, throwing the knife in front of me where I knew he was coming. I heard it cut into his flesh moments before I felt his dagger plunge into my chest.
He crashed against me, knocking me to the ground. I saw the hilt of my knife. The blade was buried in his stomach.
He yanked it from his body and threw it out the window. "You think I'm that easy to kill?" He cried. "This is nothing." He pointed to his stomach. "But you. You were easier than I expected. I had planned on fighting an equal." He laughed, "You were no more than a child."
I couldn't focus on him any longer. My chest felt like fire was ripping through it. His voice sounded as loud as thunder one moment and as quiet as a whisper of wind the next. I was fading in and out of consciousness, trying to keep my grasp on reality.
"Kyra no!" Caden's voice blasted in my ears. His face flashed in my vision, and then disappeared. I heard the sounds of a scuffle, but the noise was far off, miles away. Blessed blackness finally took over and enveloped me in its calm grasp.

The Dark of Night - 1

I felt the dark around me, like a thick fog. I couldn't seem to escape it. I ran blindly, afraid if I stopped running my living nightmares would catch up with me. I could hear their labored breathing all around me. Their feet pounded on the pavement and echoed of the rough stone walls.
They were behind me for now, but I knew their strategy. They would break off and follow different paths through the maze that somebody dared call a city until they had me surrounded.
Then they would take me.
I knew they would kill me as surely as I knew I was breathing now. But it wouldn't be a swift death. I knew too much. They wanted what I had, what was in my mind. They would make sure they got that first.
I raced around a corner and saw one of them cross the street in front of me. He looked straight at me. I shivered, feeling goosebumps raise on my arms. His was a look that came straight from hell.
This one had been young. He was probably new. He didn't recognize me. I shied away from him, rushing down a familiar alley, one that would take me out of the city. It would be safer for me now to face the creatures that lived outside the city than to spend another moment fighting the darker creatures that lived in the city. The creatures that had once been human, that had the minds of humans, that strategized like humans, but that I was sure were not human any longer. They couldn't be.
"Stop!" A voice cried. The voice was demanding, but it wasn't hard like the voices I was used to.
I spun around, facing the intruder. He was just a phantom in the shadows. His dark silhouette was barely visible against the stone structure.
"Who are you?" I demanded.
"You don't need to know."
"Why are you here? Everybody knows the city isn't safe." I tried to keep my voice firm, but I was panting so heavily the words came out in broken gasps.
"Why are you here?" The man said calmly.
"That's my business."
"And you are mine."
I froze. "What?"
"You are my business. That's why I'm here. I came for you."
I gaped at him. For me? Nobody came for me. Nobody even knew I existed, except the ex-humans that pursued me.
The sound of heavy footsteps broke through my thoughts and pounded in my ears.
"Come on." The stranger said. "Let's go."
I stood in indecision just long enough to hear the shouts of recognition, then sprinted after the stranger. I would take my chances with him.
He waited for me at the end of the alley. As soon as he saw me again he took off. I followed closely. He raced down the back alleys, toward the north entrance. I knew this city like the back of my hand. We could not get out that way.
"Where are you going?" I panted, "We'll be trapped if you go that way."
"Are you sure about that?"
"Of course I'm sure! There's nothing there but guards and more guards. Do you want to die?"
"I'm not going to die."
"Who are you?" I demanded. It was a trap, following him. I was running willingly into a trap. I knew it now. My mind told me to run the other way, but my body wouldn't listen. I had to follow him. There was no turning back. It was like I had made an unconscious choice and could not turn from that, no matter the outcome.
Suddenly, the man was gone. I stopped short, glancing wildly around. He had been in front of me two seconds ago. He couldn't have just disappeared.
I knew where I was. There was no where to hide even a small leaf in this part of the city, let alone a man. I took two steps forward. Maybe he had slipped into a new hole in the ground.
Suddenly he was in front of me again, inches from my face, appearing literally out of thin air.
My heart stopped. I stared into his cold eyes, fear freezing the blood in my veins. What have you done? I thought, What fate have you brought on yourself by following this man? My mind screamed the words, but the rest of me didn't move. The man was, as I had originally suspected, a phantom. He was one of the creatures that had created the horror I was now living in. His kind had turned my once beautiful city into the crumbling heap that existed now.
"What do you want?" I whispered, knowing it was futile to run.
"I told you," He said. "You."

Here goes!

All right all. So it begins. My first blog. I have recently discovered that I absolutely love writing, and am on my way to becoming a published author. At least, almost. My first novel is almost finished. To keep the creative thoughts flowing and the motivation to write strong, I thought it might be fun to create a short story blog. Basically, whenever I think of a great idea or get a spare moment I will be writing short stories, chapters in novels, sneak peeks of what I am working on, etc. The stories will hopefully be diverse, anything from romance to fantasty, suspense, to chick lit. Whatever I am feeling for that day. It's going to be an interesting undertaking! I have one request, and that is that anybody choosing to read this will respect the fact that the stories will be copyrighted. Please do not re-post without contacting me first. But on a lighter note, I hope this turns out to be great for all! Enjoy!