Forbidden Darkness (Whispers Prequel #1)

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

After it had paused in the doorway for a heartbeat, it started to make its way towards Thyatira and the young Kitsune boy. Dark, wispy shadows seemed to ooze out of the Whisper’s skin, following his every movement. Curly black hair sprung from his head. His features were still a mystery to her as the shadows blocked her view.

“Stay away from us!” Thyatira shouted at him, moving herself in front of her little cousin. The other Kitsune boy darted out another door that led away from the Whisper. The Whisper ignored her request and kept coming closer and closer.

“I order you to leave!” She demanded, straightening her spine.

The Whisper paused for a few seconds as if it was considering her words, then it began proceeding towards them again. ‘It disobeyed me?’ The thought rattled her bones. ‘Whispers have never disobeyed me before.’

The Whisper quickly closed the gap between them; it appeared as if he glided across the floor. Kneeling in front of Thyatira and the injured Kitsune boy, the Whisper caught Thyatira’s fearful gaze with his piecing silver eyes. Holding her gaze for a few moments, Thyatira felt as if she was being hypnotised by his stare. Then the Whisper released her from his gaze and glanced at the Kitsune boy.

‘Don’t you dare go near him!’ Thyatira cried, seeing the Whispers intentions plastered over his face.

Fear gripped at her. ‘What does it want with him? Is it going to hurt him? He’s just a young boy!’ Once again, the Whisper ignored her request, stretching his shadowy arms out toward the Kitsune boy. Before Thyatira had the chance to move to stop him, the Whisper placed his hand on the boy’s bleeding knee.

Bright silver light the same shade as the Whisper’s eyes, shone from under his hand. ‘What magic is it using on him?’ Thyatira thought frighteningly. The Kitsune boy didn’t appear to be crying out in pain. Actually, his tears had stopped running down his cheeks altogether and he was looking at the Whispers hand on his knee in wander. ‘What is happening?’ Thyatira asked herself frustrated, feeling as if she was the only one left out of an inside joke.

As suddenly as the Whisper had appeared in the doorway, he removed his hand and the bright, silver light disappeared into his palm. Flicking her moss green eyes towards the Kitsune’s knee, Thyatira almost fainted at what she saw.

The skin over the boy’s knee, which had been covered with a bloody graze, was now as smooth and mark free. ’He’s healed!’ Thyatira cried joyously in her head. If it wasn’t for the blood that was crusted down her little cousin’s leg, then Thyatira would’ve sworn that she had hallucinated the whole scene.

‘Whisper’s possess the power to heal?’ Thyatira asked herself, confused. It was the first time that she had ever witnessed a glimpse of the Whisper’s abilities. Their whole species was foreign to her. Glancing at the Whisper that still knelt in front of her, the shadows quivered around him. Fear struck at her again as she examined his frightening appearance, she tried to inch away from him so the shadows wouldn’t touch her pearl white skin.

“Why did you heal his wound?” Thyatira demanded, gaining back the confidence that she was born with. This time, Thyatira sort out his unusual silver eyes and caught his gaze. The Whisper stared up at her knowingly, it gave her the chills.

Once again, the Whisper ignored her and pulled himself off the ground so he was standing above them. Frustration began chasing away the lingering traces of fear that still resonated within her. ‘Why didn’t he speak to me? Is he incapable of speech? No, that’s not it. I remember hearing him speak to father.’ Thyatira pondered the Whisper’s unusual behaviour. When Thyatira looked up from her spot on the floor, the Whisper was gone. A few shadows lingered at the door before melting away with their master. Clutching at the young Kitsune boy that was now healed, Thyatira felt moisture begin to pool in the corner of her eyes.

‘I will not cry!’ Thyatira yelled at herself, ‘I am not a little girl! I will soon be queen of this land; no one should be able to affect me in this way!’ Thyatira wasn’t even sure why she felt the need to cry, it came on unexpectedly. The little Kitsune squirmed in her arms and Thyatira released him, allowing him to scurry out of the room in the direction the other boy had left.

Trying to pull her confused thoughts together, Thyatira stayed sprawled across the cold cobblestone floor. Everything she’d learnt about the Whispers, she now questioned. Thyatira grew up to believe that they were creatures to be feared. The Whisper’s very appearance had frightened her. King Andric always told her to stay out of their so they wouldn’t bother her.

‘But what if they weren’t creatures of evil? An evil creature wouldn’t heal an injured child. Especially a Kitsune one. If they were as bad as father said they were then why did he heal him?’ The whole situation appeared puzzling to Thyatira. It felt like everything she’d believe had now been torn apart by one act of kindness.

“Thyatira!” A voice echoed down one of the many corridors.

‘The engagement announcement!’ Thyatira suddenly remembered. Scrambling to her feet, she did her best to straighten her emerald dress and quickly ran her fingers through her curls. The impending announcement of her engagement to Nadir had entirely slipped from her mind.

Footsteps echoed down the corridor, not far from her room. Doing her best to compose her expression, Thyatira pushed away all thought of the mysterious Whisper and patted to the door, her dress swished around her ankles at the movement. Glancing back into the room one last time, Thyatira couldn't cast the image of unusual, silver eyes out of mind.