Shadows in the Dark
Water was dripping from the ceiling of the narrow cave as Arden carefully hid himself behind one of the large rocks, Berdine following his with the silent grace of a wild cat. Arden was so careful not to make a sound that it almost looked like he refused even to breathe gritting his white teeth with concentration. He watched the three light elves guarding the entrance to the gorge. The conversation they had buzzed in his ears, his daggers which he held tightly with both hands, were hungering for their blood.
''Stay here,'' he whispered to Berdine ''And don't act unless anything goes wrong.''
Berdine nodded silently and readied a dagger in her clawed hand just in case.
Both of them carefully examined the guards from afar, silently strategizing their attack and anticipating how the elven guards would react to them. One way or another, today Arden was going to finish them. Today his blades longed for Sergeant Atkins' blood. The three guards standing in his way were only mere disturbances. Soon the thin veil between the world of the living and the underworld would take them.
Narrowing his amber eyes, Arden threw one of his daggers in the air turning its pointy side to the guard on the left, and hurled it. The dagger soared at lightning speed and found its way into the meaty throat of the guard. The light elf's eyes came open with shock a second before they lost the touch of life and his limp body thudded on the cave floor.
Alerted to the attacker's presence now, the other two elves took up their shields raising them as they blinked into the darkness. Arden moved ever so silently from rock to rock, his menacing looks fixated on the two of them like a prowling predator.
One of the guards, a woman in leather armor, rushed to examine behind the rock Arden had been hiding, her shield ready to block any threat while the other searched into the cave. Like an adder darting for its prey, Arden shot for the woman, his blade finding a soft spot in her back. Her shrieking alarmed the other guard and the guarding soldier swiftly dropped his shield and readied his crossbow as the murdering dark elf crashed through the woman's lifeless body trampling it mercilessly right after yanking his blade out of the woman.
Terror overcame the soldier with the crossbow as he recognized the sharp embrace of death was coming for him. His hands holding the weapon trembled with dread as he tried to spot the ruthless monstrosity in the darkness. The tension it created tortured the soldier's soul to its every bit. The dark elf rushed for him, his bloody blade aiming for the guard's neck. In sheer panic, the guarding soldier stumbled back falling on his back with a loud grunt. Arden growled with annoyance as this clumsy fall resulted in missing his prey. Overwhelmed with horror, the soldier shot his crossbow with trembling hands. The arrow soared through the darkness and sank into Arden's chest making him howl like a wounded animal. The guard drew short breaths with panic as the form of the dark elf collapsed.
Berdine's eyes widened, her feline ears twitching at the sound of Arden falling. Her grip around her dagger tightened and she rushed out from her hiding spot. With swift, agile movements, she reached the remaining guard that was still on the floor. An easy kill for a wild cat. The soldier tried to raise his shield upon seeing her, but Berdine was too fast. Her dagger found its mark, slicing through the guard's throat, silencing him forever.
She turned to Arden, her heart pounding with fear and anger. He lay on the cave floor, clutching the arrow protruding from his chest. Blood seeped through his fingers, and his breaths were ragged and shallow. Berdine rushed to his side, her healing instincts taking over.
"Hold on, Arden," she whispered, her voice trembling slightly. "I'll get you out of this."
Arden's eyes flickered open, a weak smile forming on his lips. ''Be quick,'' he whispered between labored breaths. ''More of them might come.''
''Brace yourself, this will hurt,'' she said, and dropping her dagger she grabbed the arrow with both hands. ''Ready?''
''Yes… yes. Do it fast!''
Berdine took a deep breath, steadying herself. With a swift, practiced motion, she yanked the arrow out of Arden's chest. He gasped, his body tensing in pain, but he managed to stay still. Blood gushed from the wound, and Berdine immediately pressed her hands over it, murmuring an incantation. A faint, warm glow emanated from her hands as the healing magic took effect.
The wound began to close, the bleeding slowing to a trickle. Arden's breathing steadied, and some of the tension left his body. "Thank you," he whispered, his voice hoarse but grateful.
Berdine smiled, her pair of thin and sharp fangs showing. ''We have just started and you already need me.''
Arden pushed himself up, wincing as he did. "You will not tell about that to anyone," he said, snickering a bit, though his voice betrayed the lingering pain. He retrieved his daggers, their blades still slick with blood, and took a moment to catch his breath.
Berdine took a deep breath, steadying herself. With a swift, practiced motion, she yanked the arrow out of Arden's chest. He gasped, his body tensing in pain, but he managed to stay still. Blood gushed from the wound, and Berdine immediately pressed her hands over it, murmuring an incantation. A faint, warm glow emanated from her hands as the healing magic took effect.
The wound began to close, the bleeding slowing to a trickle. Arden's breathing steadied, and some of the tension left his body. "Thank you," he whispered, his voice hoarse but grateful.
Berdine nodded, her eyes scanning the cave entrance. "We need to move," she said, her voice urgent. "More of them will be here soon, and we can't afford to be trapped."
Arden pushed himself up, wincing as he did. "I'm ready," he said, though his voice betrayed the lingering pain. He retrieved his daggers, their blades still slick with blood, and took a moment to catch his breath.
They moved swiftly through the cave, their steps silent and purposeful. The path ahead was narrow and winding, but Berdine's keen senses and Arden's intimate knowledge of the terrain guided them safely. The echoes of distant voices reached them, and they knew the reinforcements were not far behind.
As they reached a wider chamber, they stopped to catch their breath. Arden leaned against a rock, his face pale but determined. "We need to find Atkins," he said, his voice low. "He's the key to ending this."
Berdine nodded, her eyes sharp and focused. "We'll find him. But you need to conserve your strength."
Arden's eyes met hers, and he gave a brief nod. They continued their journey through the cave, their senses alert for any sign of the enemy. The air grew colder as they delved deeper, and the cave darker. Yet Berdine has a wild cat's sight and dark elves were native to the caves, their eyes were made for darkness. So they had no trouble navigating deeper into the cave.
Finally, they reached a large, open cavern. In the center, surrounded by more light elf guards, stood Sergeant Atkins. He was in a heated discussion with a tall, regal-looking light elf, clearly someone of high rank.
Arden's eyes narrowed, his grip tightening on his daggers. "That's him," he whispered, his voice filled with venom. "That's Atkins."
Berdine placed a calming hand on his arm. "Remember, we need at least one of them alive. We can't afford to lose the information they hold."
Arden moved on and silently crouched towards a large rock, hiding himself behind it. Berdine joined him shortly, carefully examining the four elven guards pacing around Atkins and the high-rank elf.
''What's our plan?'' Berdine whispered without moving her gaze from the guards. ''One of them looks like a mage.''
''I have a plan but you won't like it,'' Arden whispered back.
''Don't tell me it involves shadow magic!'' the feline lady protested keeping her voice low.
Arden scoffed. ''We don't have room for your righteousness,'' he muttered through gritted teeth. ''There are six of them. One we need to capture. How else do you plan to do it?''
Berdine's face darkened. She seemed to consider the idea for a moment. She wanted to find another way, any way but she couldn't think of any and they had no time to stall there. Giving up, she sighed. ''Okay, but only for stealth.'' Her expression changed to a worried one. ''You know, it corrupts you.''
Arden couldn't care less about this so said corruption. Shadow magic was useful and it was a gift of his kind. He had dealt with countless missions using it and he doubted he would be alive now unless it was for shadow magic.
''What's our plan then?'' Berdine repeated the question.
Arden's jaw clenched. ''We will approach them under stealth. I will take care of the three guards and you take out the mage. Be as fast as possible. We cannot let Atkins and the important-looking light elf escape. Once you are done with the mage, go for the light elf. I will finish Atkins. Understood?''
Berdine gave him a short nod. She readied her blade and let out a deep breath. ''I am ready.''
''Good.'' Arden said. ''Now I will go in stealth. Grab my shoulder and do not let go until I drop it. Also keep your focus on me, under stealth we will be in the veil between life and death. You might hear spirits calling for you. Don't listen to them.''
Berdine nodded again, her expression looking determined but an uneasy feeling nibbled at her mind.
Arden closed his eyes and murmured an incantation in a foreign language that Berdine recognized as the forbidden language of High Nixyian. An ancient language of dark elves who followed an evil goddess.
Once the incantation finished, they vanished out of sight. Now they weren't standing only in a damp cavern. An eerie green fog enveloped them making Berdine blink in fear, to her left, and to her right, she thought she could see remnants of transparent entities in the green fog, trying to reach her. She tensed and tried to stay away from them by creeping closer to Arden who seemed to be unbothered by neither the fog nor the entities.
''Berdine…'' whispered a shapeless figure from the fog. ''Berdine… help us!''
Arden started to move slowly towards the elven guards which he could clearly see through the fog. Holding his shoulder Berdine followed him but unable to take her eyes from the entities. A smaller figure appeared to her right in the fog, trying to reach out to her.
''Mother…'' the figure begged with the voice of a small boy. ''Mother… you came to save me. Help me!''
Berdine's eyes opened with shock and she immediately looked at the figure. ''Kieran?''
''Mother… Please, mother! Save us!''