Grendilton: Rise of the Shadows

8 | Chapter Eight

Rise of the shadows.

Like a diamond in the sun, a door glistened right before Connors eyes as he trudged towards Macey, who stood before the entrance. He expected her to look confused, perhaps even show a hint of fear. But, as she shuffled her fingers against each other with a cunning smile stretched across her face, this moon mage was everything but afraid.

She reached for the handle, prompting him to stride long and fast before gripping onto her arm. "Are you mad?" he hissed, pulling her away from the door.

"Mad? No," she replied, prying away from his vice like grip. "Curious? Oh, one hundred percent."

Pushing Connor out of the way, she then stood in front of the entrance again and sighed. For such a large structure, the door didn't creek nor thudded against the brick wall behind it. He stared down the narrow dark passage before them, glaring at the dim light that seemed to be at the end of the tunnel. None of this felt right to him, motioning a sense of unease in the pit of his stomach and along the back of his neck.

"You coming?" she asked, gesturing her hand at him.

Connor rolled his eyes and shook his head. "This is an absolute waste of time," he groaned, heading back to the front of the library in a hurry.

"Suit yourself," said Macey, disappearing in the black corridor with haste.

For a brief moment, uncertainty crossed his mind. He stroked at his chin and creased his entire face, looking over his shoulder at the mysterious glowing door. This is ridiculous, said a harsh stern voice in his head. She isn't worth the time. You need to focus on what's good for the citadel. His brothers voice was a cold reminder of his purpose at the institute. He was there to become the next overseer. One who led with an iron heart and an icy personality. Just like his father and the rest of his ancestors.

However, deep down — this was not Connor.

Connor spun around and briskly walking towards the entrance. "Please for the love of everything joyful, don't be in danger."

________

The burnt stained walls were riddled with green glowing runes, ones that were faded and lacked a certain magical essence. The corridor was dark as Connor used the wall to guide him through it, feeling a sort of murky eerie breeze down his neck.

He clenched his teeth and sneered. "Macey?"

A dim figure was in the distance, causing him to narrow his eyes at it. The sounds of crunching resonated in his ear, as he quietly tiptoed up to her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, lowering his face down to her shoulder.

Again, the faint noise of chomping tickled in his ear, his face ridged in confusion. He then lifted his hand, conjuring a small fire spell to see what this irritating noise was.

Light spluttered onto Macey's back, as he let the small flame float into the air.

He shook his head in bewilderment. "What are you doing?" he asked, watching this woman bite away at cookies in the murky darkness before them.

"What?" she replied, slowly turning her head. "I get hungry when I'm nervous. Don't judge me."

"Judgement isn't the word I'm looking for," he replied. His gaze lingered over her, watching her take a large bite of the sweet goodness. The light that hovered above them danced along her, bathing her in this sunset like shine to ignite her features.