A Spark In The Shadow

CHAPTER - TWENTY SIX

The village was pure chaos. Fire was burning from wrecked buildings, making shadows dance like scary monsters. The air was filled with the hissing of vampire assassins, the sound of silver hitting dark armor, and the desperate shouts of the Dawn Watch hunters.

Duskiel was moving super fast in the middle of it all. He shot dark energy from his hands, pushing back the black-clothed figures. But the pain, the constant hurt from Brianna's light being so close, was like a burning line through his head. The Shadescore in his pocket pulsed wildly, tearing at him even as it gave him power.

"Hold the line! Protect the church!" Commander Valerius yelled, his voice rough, trying to keep his few fighters together.

Duskiel fought for Brianna. He fought for Thomas. He fought for the confused villagers trying to run to the church. He saw them, small figures rushing towards the stone church, pushed by Commander Valerius's serious orders.

Kael was a silver blur nearby, his dagger flashing, cutting through the King's best assassins.

"These aren't just wild vampires!" he yelled to another hunter, blocking a strong blow.

"They are Rowen's own! Trained killers!" he fought with grim purpose, his face set hard. But even as he fought, Kael's green eyes kept looking back at Duskiel. He watched Duskiel move incredibly fast, saw the dark power coming from him, noticed how the assassins pulled back, not just from the silver, but from Duskiel’s strong force.

Kael's suspicion, which was already there, became a terrible, solid certainty. He's one of them. He has to be. That power... it's too familiar.

A very big vampire assassin, a huge brute with glowing red eyes, jumped at Commander Valerius. The Commander roared, blocking with his shield,

"Get back, beast!" but the brute was too strong, pushing him back towards a falling market stand.

Duskiel saw it.

"Commander!" he unleashed a powerful burst of dark energy, blasting the huge assassin away from the Commander. The creature slammed into the stone wall of the blacksmith's shop, groaning, stunned for a moment. Duskiel, breathing hard, felt the Shadescore roar in his pocket, draining him more, but he couldn't stop. He couldn't let them die.

"Stay down!" he snarled at the disappearing form.

As Duskiel turned to face another assassin, focusing on the immediate danger, a shadow fell over him. It wasn't one of Rowen's creatures. It was Kael. He moved silently, his face grim, his eyes cold and hard.

Duskiel felt a sudden, sharp sting in his back. It wasn't a punch, or a vampire's claw. It was cold. Burning. A searing pain, unlike any he had ever felt, ripped through him, tearing at his very core.

He gasped, a choked sound, and stumbled forward, falling to one knee. He twisted his head, looking back. Kael stood over him, his face grim, his eyes cold and hard. In his hand, a silver dagger. Its blade, still shining faintly, was stuck in Duskiel's back, just below his shoulder.

"Traitor!" Duskiel coughed out, the word tasting like ash, the betrayal hurting more than the blade itself.

"Why, Kael? Why?!"

"You are a threat," Kael said, his voice flat, showing no feeling, his eyes fixed on Duskiel's twisted face.

"A monster. A danger to her. To everyone. I saw your power. I saw your kind."

He pulled the dagger out with a sickening, wet tearing sound. The pain was blinding. Duskiel fell completely, onto the cold, rough stones. His arms and legs felt like lead, his body wouldn't obey him. The Shadescore, no longer roaring, vibrated wildly, its power flickering, dying. The familiar dull ache from Brianna being close was a thousand times worse now, a burning agony that washed over him, making him dizzy.