Shadow Lights and the Forbidden Crossings

Chapter Five: The Missing Fruit

A faint light flickered through the beams from Argos' left. Illuminating the dark insides, his heart jumped.

"Prince Elijah!"

He started for the light promptly. The maze of rusty posts proved to be an obstacle, with too many to count and pass. However, his freshly medicated eyes saw everything crystal clear, performing like a pair of prescribed lenses, making it easier for him to evade. As he cruised through and around the row of posts with ease, the pathway became narrower as he continued. His wings got tangled here and there, and a handful of feathers got plucked out, trailing behind. Dotting the floor like breadcrumbs to follow back, he glanced back, still moving on. Not paying attention, looking at his feathers, he ran into a stud. It trembled while dust trickled on him, itchy to his scalp and face. Still, he persisted with a smile.

"It's reunion time!" His voice cracked in excitement, a lost feeling since sadness had become a City-transmitted feeling, like a virus. Now that Prince Elijah was found, they would surely be saved. Feeling hopeful, he imagined holding in his hands the Chronicles of Light. "Its pages are like the Balm of Gilead, healing the deepest wounds of the heart, mind, and soul." His eyes turned sentimental. "If only Mother could grab hold..."

The faint light turned solid as he closed in. His sad eyes twinkled. Already, he could imagine Prince Elijah waiting for him in the other room, ready for a heart-to-heart talk. There, they would share what happened, chat about what they missed, and in the end, Argos would have the Chronicles of Light, with Prince Elijah returning home with him, soaring through the skies to save Shadow Lights.

"How did you grow old so fast in this slow time?" Argos asked casually, yet with a mystified face. "Not that I'm interested in Evergreen! I mean, you left Shadow Lights my age, and now your daughter's older than me!"

Reaching the spot, he was greeted by the twinkles of the chandelier hanging over the dining table, the country-styled dining room empty. It held an oak table with eight chairs pushed in, the flooring like mismatched squares. A mistake by the builder, he deemed.

"Aren't you tired of playing hide-and-seek?" he ranted, rolling his eyes. "You're already a grandpa!"

Dark shadows flittered inside the living room.

Recognizing them as Prince Elijah's grandchildren, his eyes ran fast to them, racing along and pretending to be a good uncle. The idea made him feel iffy, so he dismissed it with a smack on his head. In his eyes, the dividing wall between the living room and the dining room disintegrated. He followed the silhouettes of the two boys as they ran back and forth aimlessly, as if lost in their own house, running over another odd type of flooring that seemed to be made of bristles and twine.

A cheer came from the little girl.

"Oh! There's your audience!" he ridiculed, pulling his head back in disbelief.

Their father let out a yawn.

Argos pulled his head at him, feeling the man's yawn was a dig at him over his contempt. "C-Can he hear me?" he stammered, only to shake his head, not wanting to encourage the thought. "No. You're just a human!"

There was a flight of stairs on the right side of the house facing the door, which took his disdain too. It was so little, compared to the stairs at the Omniscient Gate. "That would be my once-in-a-lifetime moment," he swore, referring to his time climbing it. "While you," his lips pointed to the stairs, "always use that."

The owl hooted from a distance.

His pulse quickened. "The sun's up in Shadow Lights! Come down now!" he demanded, shifting his face back to the stairs. "Bring the book!" He blinked repeatedly, bragging about his clear eyes. "We can read together!"