Night Children: Secrets are only secrets for so long

Night Children: Secrets are only secrets for so long Five: Death

The days went by so fast, so similar. A routine of eating (or trying to) picking out some other snack for Viktor, and burying the poor girl, seeing my mother for an hour, bathing, and coming back to the chambers, sleeping at night knowing that Garrett was strong, and had nearly no weakness with the sun gone from the sky.

Viktor's birthday would be tomorrow night. The stars were fading from the sky, Garrett and I were tense. Both armoured, swords at the ready. We weren't alone either, there was Griever vicious member of the Blood Brigade, and Asher, a fellow Daylight Guardian. The windows were boarded up heavily, the door barricaded, more guards outside. My father, Lucid and my trainer Hunter a young but incredible fighter all were guarding King Vincent.

My body was tense, we all knew the daylight was coming, it was only a matter of minutes. Silence in the usually busy, rowdy castle. I could hear my heart thumping, my shallow breaths, I swallowed trying to calm my self I focussed on my breathing. Deep breaths, hold, exhale slowly, controlled; repeat.

I looked over my shoulder at the bed, Viktor was sitting cross legged, he wasn't trained to fight, he was trained to rule. He looked at me, his eyes boring into me, I turned away from his black eyes, my breathing jagged now.

I heard the steel gate bash in on the village wall, I couldn't hear everything like I was sure that the Night Children were doing with their sensitive hearing, but I heard the front gates to the castle bash open too. A howl that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up straight. I had never been in a real fight before. Training only.

A female cry of anguish made the breath get caught in my throat, fears black wings wrapped around me. I wanted to run, to hide, to hope for some sort of salvation from the slaughter going on, on the lower floor. My mother was on the lower floor.

Cries ripped through the night, as much as I wished to flee my feet stayed planted where they were. I looked back at Viktor, his eyes were shut, my heart fluttered, he was my reason for living. Also the reason I was upstairs pretending to be a boy. I wondered if I were killed, would they give me a proper burial? Or would I be thrown into a huge pile of other villagers. I looked back to the door as I heard a cry of horror; Jordan- a man I trained with, a fellow Daylight Guardian, I knew with a cry like that he was dead.

The door smashed open and a Moon Child was in front of us, bright blue eyes, short brown fur, blood soaked fangs and paws. I took a step back, it wasn't alone. Five more came in, similar in stature all of them came up higher than my hip, walking on all fours, different colours of fur. I had to remind myself to breathe.

One lunged for the door and I jumped in front of it slashing my sword ripping through fur, flesh and muscle of its one arm, it fell to the floor and rolled to it's feet. It was paying attention solely to me, Griever grabbed it's tail and whipped the great beast into the wall.

One lunged at Griever, another at Garrett, one at Asher. I couldn't pay any attention to them, the fourth of the remaining beasts was growling at me, advancing slowly looking for a weak point. It decided on my leg lunging low, I dodged and stabbed downward into the torso of the wolf. It howled and fell down leaving a bloody streak on the blade. Griever was busy with both the one that lunged at him, Garrett busy fighting the biggest of the wolves. Asher! Lying in a pool of blood, his face scratched with teeth so much he was unrecognisable. His insides were on the outside, I took a step back fear rippling through me, "Asher," I whispered.

In my peripheral vision I seen a blur of movement and I didn't think. I lunged at the beast with rubble in it's fur, the one that was thrown against the wall, as it pounced at Viktor. The beast and I hit the floor hard, me on top, it's heavy paw scratched my chest plate as it pushed me off. I hit the bed post and flopped to the floor. I pulled out a dagger but felt the fear and also the overwhelming need to protect Viktor. He was the prince, my friend, and I wasn't about to let him die.