Extinguished

Rabbits can run but can not hide

Darkness surrounded me. Darkness suffocated me. It is what I breathe, what I see, what I hear. Funny to say you can hear darkness but it was so infused with my being that it invaded all my senses.

In reality, the small inn room that I occupied was provided with light from both a lantern and the rays of moon floating in from the open window on the far side of the room. I walked slowly over to the cracked mirror by the basin and peered at my reflection. My thick black hair fell in greasy clumps just past my shoulder blades and my eyes, the color of tarnished gold stared back at me without a hint of warmth or recognition. Was it in there? I couldn't see it. I stared into the mirror with the same expression that always showed on my pale face every night when I checked.

What was I looking for? In short I was looking for my soul. Most people could not see their souls or the souls of others but that was my little trick. I could see into the eyes of others and examine their inner fire, the spark that drove their actions and intent. It came in handy when finding out who to trust as I always knew how their personal fire burned and danced with their emotions. I could not read their minds or know their next action per say but I know if their intentions are pure or tainted. That is what I am now. Tainted. Burned out. I could no longer see any flames in my eyes, see my soul dance the way it use to.

Magic fills my world, some people did not possess any talents but those that did were normally held in high regard. Those with particularly good skills were recruited into the kings court or in rare cases are asked to be an Adviser to the king himself and by asked I mean you WILL become his pawn or you will die. That is the way the kings regime worked. You conform or you die. I guess that Is how I got myself into this mess.

I hear a loud crash and shouting from downstairs, I listen closely but I can not distinguish any words. This is probably my que to leave. I slung the leather straps of my black pack over my shoulders and walk towards the first floor window in hopes of climbing out and escaping. No such luck. A guard is stationed outside my room and has spotted me before I saw him. Just as he registers in my vision be runs at the window and barrels through, heading straight for me. Before I can think about what I am doing I grab the lantern on the table besides me and smash it over his head. He falls to the ground unconscious. Without stopping to think of what I have done I run out into the hall and down the stairs, taking them two at a time. When I finally reach the landing leading into the common room I see what all the fuss had been about. Two guards were stationed at the door, their eyes scanning the crowd and another, appearing to be the man in charge was speaking in hushed tones with the owner of the Inn.

I melt into the crowd hoping to be inconspicuous, after all the may not even be looking for me.

"There!" One of the door guards shout. He is very tall with dirty blonde hair. He looks very capable of taking out anyone he needed to and his finger was pointed straight at me.

"Fuck" I mutter as the crowd parts as if my outlaw status was contagious and both guards charge me.

I have a split second to think. There is nothing around me that can be used as a weapon other than my own body which was luckily quite flexible and strong from my years of dancing. I make my decision.

I propel myself off a nearby table and grab the strong wooden beams above me pulling my body up underneath me. I push off using the momentum to smash my feet and hardened leather boots into the guards jaw. He flies back with a much better result than I had predicted when the other guard reaches me. I pull myself back on the beam and crouch there staring at him, my teeth bared. I knew that to the people around me I more than likely looked like a feral animal but I could not let them catch me. They catch me and it is all over. Seeing the still moving guard reach for his sword I make my move. I drop down from the rafters right on top of him. We tumble to the ground and with my advantage of a soft landing, I recover first. Moving into a crouched position I make contact with his chin using my knee. I hear a loud crack before he stops moving. I can see the soft glow of life around him, assuring me that I did not need to bear the guilt of his death.

With no time to waste I spring to my feet and launch myself through the door into the frigid night air. The shining full moon my only light. I run, past shops and late night walkers, I keep running while straining to hear for any sign of pursuit. The world streak arounds me and my lungs constrict in my chest, giving me the feeling of inhaling glass. Black spots dance in my vision but I refuse to stop. I could not be caught.

Rabbits always run when frightened. Even when abandoning their kin

I hear Devlen's voice sneer in my head and I almost stop, I fear that he was close to me. But no, that is impossible. He would not stray so far from the Citadel. I listen now as I run but the only sound filling the night sky was my own gasping breath. I run for a small while longer until I spot a clearing. I stop to catch my breath. I had been stupid. That had been my third night at the Inn, I should have kept moving. It was my own fault that I had almost been caught. I sigh and walk around the clearing until I find a small patch of bush that would cover me as I slept. And god did I need to sleep. I nestled into the clearing and closed my eyes. It was not long before I feel into a deep sleep.

The darkness always beckons.

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Fire. It lapped at my skin and clothes, it weaved through my hair and out of my mouth but it did not burn me. It can't burn me, I control it. I dance with it. I am twirling and leaping, breathing in the audience as they Ooooh and Ahhhhh. I execute a final flip and as I sore through the air I truly believe that I may never come down. The air is buzzing with energy and it fills my soul with joy. As I land the crowd start cheering and give a thundering applause. In this moment, I am the centre of their world, I can see it in their eyes, I can see it in their souls. I call back the flames moving against my skin, back into the place inside my heart where I kept them safe. Where they burned for me until I called them to dance again.

As I am bowing I see him in the crowd. His dark eyes boring into me, his radiant smile making my heart skip a beat. His blonde hair circling his face to meet at a small, well-groomed tufted of hair on his chin. He is beautiful and he is smiling at Me.

Little did I know that he would put out my flames.

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I wake up, covered in sweat. I never use to sweat, with fire running through my veins I never worried about the heat. But now my flames are gone along with my soul. My every thought these days where on survival. I no longer had to worry about anyone. Just as the thought enters my head I see her face. Extraordinarily close to my own, her rosy cheeks were slightly rounder then mine, and her lips were always curled into a bright smile. Her eyes, were mine are the colour of rising sun through dirty glass her eyes reflected the moon, the colour of a glacier. Her eyes, though the perfect depiction of cold, winter water, always held warmth and happiness.

I quickly shake her image from my mind, fearing that I would shatter. I sit up and physically shake the thoughts from my mind. I sigh, not wanting to think of the time when things were better, when things were simple. Reaching into my bag and pull out some dried meat from my pack of travel rations, noting that I would need to stock up soon. I munch on my food when I hear a rustling in the tree canopy above me.

I had been stupid. I had been so lost in my thought that I had let someone breach my barrier without scanning the area for life. I glance into the trees above me and see nothing. The morning sun shines through the leaving and I have to shield my eyes for a moment. Maybe I am wrong? Perhaps I am just being paranoid. I feel a bug bite my neck and slap at it, only for my fingers to come back with a small green dart. The sharp spiked tip had a small drop of red on the end. Blood. My blood. I look back into the trees just in time to see sharp green eyes staring back at me before the darkness welcomes me back into its cold embrace.