Soul Tear

A flash of tiny bright dots blinded Merryn from the spell rubbing her eyes, she stumbled onto a cobblestone walkway. The port and the book were at opposite ends of the city, the map should have a few shortcuts marked on it. Pulling it out from another pouch. Yes, it's off ahead; the northern district.

Paved jade streets and marble lined walls bled of status and wealth. Shaking her head. "Eh." There was no point bothering to try to fit in, no time. It was an elegant city at least by human standards. Such a stark change from a year ago. It would be a lie to say their disdainful looks didn't sting, as each face was etched with disdain.

The corners of her mouth drooped. It was bad enough having to learn the darker arts let alone be dumped into this human city. Couldn't blame the Elder Adapts, they were already pushed past their limit keeping everyone at home from succumbing to the dark ones.

Now wasn't the time to give in. Concentrate on the mission, need to hurry now. They didn't say how long the runes would hold. It was hard calling him, but had to be done.

"Feared Kage, pull the shadows and wrap them tight, with a kiss of the night," she whispered.

It took concentration to will the shadows to come. A coolness flowed over, starting at her feet. It spread from end to end.

Majestic trees dotted in the city, providing cool shade, she edged away into the shadows; avoiding the light, one touch would break the spell of hidden. She pressed to a house wall working her way forward.

Crouched down, she breathed slow and even. Soft pink petals floated down carpeting the streets. People sat under them, chatting; ignorant. The petals created a false sense of serenity to the city, it masked the evil here, contained in a fragile cage; its magics within weakening. It was already breaking out.

The shadows moved of their own, wavering up the sides up against the buildings. A thin tail lead back to the castle; it hugged the walls and buildings as it trickled back before sliding through a crack.

The humans couldn't see them. She shivered. It was awake. The other Adapts should never have agreed to let them guard it, hell they can't even see its spirit.

Can't just sit here. She worked her way towards the back-end of the city; the elite lived here in their white houses, decorated with paintings of the spirits. While most other houses had the spirit of water, this one had three fish heads encircling each other. Along the edges of the houses, the blue foamy waves crested over the doorway, offering peace and blessings to those who resided or visited.

Padding closer, her footsteps, but of a whisper; her outline, but a shadow. The spell absorbed the darkness around her, wrapping her form. Stopping she crouched near the high outer castle brick wall.

The old woman had lied! A seer still patrolled the castle. This could be a problem as some guards could detect fresh cast spells.

Prowling the alleyways through the large gardens she hid behind some small bushes and potted plants. There, it's clear now. Crouching low as possible, she sprinted to the house ahead.

A group of overdressed women walked past. How could they breathe in those tight-ribbed girdles? She pulled in a breath and forced her breathing to quiet while she crouched low. Come on, move your slow-moving butts. As soon as they passed, she tiptoed closer.

The magic shadow barrier was fragile; avoiding the shafts of light she darted to a thin shadow line along the wall behind the guard patrol path. The barrier ahead buzzed, where the light touched it had a faint opaline gleam.

Two guards stood in slick black armor; spears, they held were longer than even her own people's. Honed tips towered over their heads. Their jawlines next to their noses ended at a sharp angle, unlike their wit.

Silent footsteps as she slunk her way past them going around a corner. She slid her pack off under the window ledge. Opening it, she took out a rope tied to a grappling hook. She tossed the hook up, and it clanked on the edge.

Pulling the rope taut, she ascended the wall, and dropped in through. It was dark in here this activated her night vision. All object's borders stood out as bright gray lines.

She dropped to the floor crawling to the hallway. It's clear. She streaked through it while hugging the wall.

The patrolling guards had grown lazy as it had been here for decades. Slipping past them was the easy part. The cold wall cut through the leather armor as she pressed against it. Come on, hurry up.

A blondy guard played with a coin end over end on top of his knuckles, flipping it to the other. The other patrolling guard came up talking to the first. The discussion became heated, and he pushed the blondy, who dropped the coin, it bounced spinning on the marble flooring.

Moving forward, she half somersault backtracking away out of sight. The blondy guard doubled back to pick it up, leaving after and muttering.

Pulling out the map, it showed the room was close, its open archway entrance had four pillars, two near her and the other ones in the back of the room. It seemed too easy. There had to be a trap there always was.

In the middle of the room a glass case was surrounded by several locks on each side. It glowed with purple sealing runes. They hovered just above the glass; ancient words uncoiled as she neared:

"Turn back now! They who break the seal of these ancient texts will wish for a swift death and know only torment, their bodies know not decay nor know of release, the soul bound forever between both worlds."

What? Wasn't that curse lifted by the third Elder? She shrunk back. Just how old is their information? She wringed her wrist. It couldn't be helped, going back now would bring great shame. It couldn't be helped just have to suck it up. Hopefully the trap is the same, unless the whole report is wrong. Stop wasting time; there it is, the hidden the trap wasn't too hard to spot if you knew what to look for.

She rummaged through the many pouches strung on her belt and pulled the handkerchief out, leaned over, and dropped it in the case. Here goes ...

The handkerchief exploded into flames the moment it neared the runes!). The painful alarm was enough to drive anyone crazy. Were the guards coming?

As it stopped the building filled with another grating, high-pitched alarm. The case before her rattled from the impact when each ward exploded in turn.

"Uarrg!" She covered her ears.

Ignoring the alarm, she pulled several thieves' tools from another pouch. Five locks along the edge of the case surrounded its total. She picked the locks one at a time and held each one by its sides.

Her hands flew over the locks as footsteps echoed in the corridor. Oh gods!

Sweat trickled into an eye. Don't screw this up. A finger slipped over the seventh lock, and the pick almost dropped. Quit messing up. Arrg!

After opening the eighth lock, a hidden spring popped from within. A sharp hook brushed over a thumb. She whipped her hand away with a snapping motion. The hook dripped with a dull green liquid. The fumes puffed up, she backed away; dizzy. The lock clanged on the marble.

Damn it!

Her silver daggers rang out of their sheaths. They whirred them hilt side up and shattered the glass case in the middle.

The thick book flopped as she jostled it. She crammed it inside her leather vest; it was a tight fit. Thin wisps of the shadows now half solid slid down her chest, cold and wet as it dripped off the edge of the armor.

She shook, unable to stop, "Foul god! Should burn this right now," Her tone hushed. Over at the window ledge, she climbed and secured the grappling hook. She started to work her way down.

"Thief!"

Spinning around, a guard had entered and now was standing next to the broken case.

He seized the rope with a hand and yanked her back up. He leaned his face nearer, and his bushy eyebrows came up to her forehead.

"Um, hea-hi." She tugged on the rope, without looking away.

He growled, glaring at her, and hefted her closer. "Hand it over. It's pointless keeping it now."

Spittle flew from his mouth, it landed on her cheek. Humans were so disgusting.

She leaned back further pulling away, taking a peek it looked about ten feet down.

Should make it. She wiped the spittle off with a finger and flicked it back in his face, he ducked. Tich.

The other guards inched closer, she let go of the rope and balanced on the thin window ledge.

"I've got a better idea: I'll keep it while you go chew a mint leaf." She winked.

He dropped it, and sidestepped as a spear whizzed by his shoulder. "Get her, not me, you idiots!" He yelled at the others.

Yi! She ducked, just below the window was a pond with a tree beside it. Looks deep enough. Maybe.

Olenus, please let me make it to the water. She sprang off the wall diving toward the water.

A long tree branch brushed her head, she slipped in the muck almost turning her ankle, Ignore the stinging.

She hopped about a little finding her balance and footing, "swift of feet so death might pass by," she said, breathing a prayer to Aetae, the wind spirit.

He came seconds later, a sky blue wisp. His touch a frosty cloak rising from the tips of her toes extending into a fine spray as it climbed to the tips of her long ears.

He held four transparent fingers up.

She nodded. Yes, four more times. Her body vibrated with power. Ignore the pain, go! She went through the city streets, weaving about the busy people.

Rushing by them caused dresses to go over their heads and hats to fly off. As she swooshed past everything became long blurred lines.

Over fifty other guards came storming outside standing in front of the castle.

To the right a dead-end, she swerved into it, flattening against the wall as the guards ran past, their footfalls booming behind.

A little further down was a grime-encrusted sewer gate. Dropping through she just missed hitting her head on the bars as she squeaked through.

Thick stench of dead animals rotting assaulted her. She breathed through her mouth, but this only made her taste it.

Disgusting! Have to jump. After wading through the nasty water, she crawled onto dry dirt on the other side. Better check, don't want to go back with the wrong one.

Whispering a blessing to the light spirits, several came through another grate overhead, they stayed in the light shafts.

Spinning together, a luminous globe appeared between them. The small globe hovered in the air, casting a bright glow.

"My thanks."

They nodded and left.

After wrestling with it, she drew out the book from her vest. Licking her dry lips while thumbing the pages. Looks authentic enough. Holding it at eye level, the pages had an enchantment of some sort, as the words hovered above the pages.

Holding it, they become flat again. Curious. Was it still in here? She inspected its cover, tracing her fingers along the embedded runes in its leather cover. Could just leave it here and run and delay its coming. Better just get it to the other Adapts and let them take care of it. She huffed. Tiny runes glowed on the pages, she squinted reading them. Setting the ancient book on her lap, she started reading.

"What is light becomes of shadow," a soft voice said.

Closing it, she backed away from where it hovered. The illusion of safety fell away like stuck snow on her lashes, this wasn't just a simple pick up and deliver, it was awake!

The pages flipped on their own. She edged away. The book flipped its pages, threefold the speed of seconds before.

It stopped.

The remaining runes fragmented deteriorating into a pile of dust.

They said nothing about this! Merryn twisted and vaulted out through the cracked section of the wall, her heartbeat erratic and her palms sweating.

"Olenus, protect me." Am too late, far too late.

A shadow hard to see showed at the edges of the sparse light that streamed from cracks in the walls.

Squinting, it looked purplish. Parts of it wafted from the book's center and met with the rest. A face formed near the top, then a month.

"I'm free, and all shall suffer for my pain."

It- came at her and wrapped around. Gasping, she stumbled and fell.

She fell, landing on her side. It clung to her body and her face. With nothing to hold on to, her fingers passed, though.

She turned her head from side to side, but it followed her, curling around until it crept up over her face. She wanted to scream, to run to be anywhere, but here.

The shadow burned as it moved within her; she clawed at her throat with both hands.

An awful burning sensation spread throughout her. She fell, twisting in convulsions. Once they subsided, she stood up and leaned on the decaying brick wall.

This can't be right. They said it was weak and couldn't escape the book! She propped her hands on the wall. She slid down and sat trying to stop shaking.

The thunder of the city guards running overhead. Cripes, what if it's all of them?

Sweat trickled down her neck, and she rubbed it. Now, what to do? Stay here with it or go up there and-and ...

Leaning over, she drew in deep breaths her throat sore. It was all so surreal. The next thing she knew, she was deeper in the sewers.

Behind a ratty cloth mural of the city, a hidden stairwell leading back up. Cast the hidden again? No, it wasn't worth being aged a week.

Panting, she sprinted through several gardens. Following a wall, she stayed in the shadows. Running towards it, she skidded several feet from the exit. Was there a trap?

Turning around, she climbed up the side of a house near the wall, scampering off and jumping onto the edge.

A guard came patrolling from underneath where she knelt, she held her breath. Don't look up, don't look up, don't look up. The guard turned the corner out of sight.

Exhaling in gasps she jumped, then went into a roll before hitting the ground. A blinding beam shot out from the city's middle.

She ran and stumbled into a shallow slope, the hairs on her arms curling from the heat. Still too close.

After clawing up the loose soil, a finely pitched shrill hit as did a rush of air, turning back around, the beam widened and engulfed the city.

Shrieks and screams rang in her ears their faces locked on her, then they disappeared into the sky; within seconds the entire city melted to the ground.keep moving. She plopped to the hard ground at the top of the slope in a heap, next to the road.

She stared at where the city had been. Did they know this would happen? What have I done? Her body shook as she succumbed to the tears streaming down her cheeks. Her sobs and tears flowed free like the spirits. The last few souls rose from the city and vanished. The city swirled down into the gaping hole; the earth surrounding this turned an ash gray around it.

Behind was the clop of horses, a small group of soldiers on horseback. They stood, agape locked in place. The one in the lead spotted her. It was him! His features, contorted into a hard-lined hateful darkness. Her stomach filled with sour bile. His hate came just as quick as his love did.

"How could you? Betrayer!" he bellowed across the field pointing his spear her way, "Soulless Elfen I'll tear your life from you!

A stomp of hooves broke what little control was left, Merryn shivered.

Tears welled up blurring him, all except for his piercing eyes, the color of a rusty blade. She bolted away; her panic swelled and she ran.

They changed course, turned the horses, and took chase.