Inducet Noctum

Prologue

Charred debris and blackened rubble crackled under the soldier’s heavy boots with each wary step. He couldn’t help but shiver in his thick winter coat, tightening his grip on the spear in his right hand. Whether it be the cold or his own failing nerve, he did not know. What he did know was that he missed the sky, the sun, the moon. How long had it been since he had seen the stars or felt the cold crisp mountain air, not laden with ash and sulfur? The thought of his home atop the mountain formed a sickening knot in his stomach. Better to not focus on it.

It was late in the afternoon, yet, as always, the Great Cloud cast a shadow so thick it may as well have been the darkest night of a new moon. The only illumination was the flickering shine of the soldier’s torch and the devilish mass of burning embers that had once been the thriving town of Kjordan. The bustling urban town center now lay in flaming desolation. Houses and markets were reduced to burning rubble, the streets littered with the smashed skeletons of wagons and carriages… and them. They were strewn everywhere, torn, shredded, smoldering. It was the Festival of Found Light, a time of joy and hope. The populace had been out, crowded together. No way to escape.

Poor bastards. The thought flashed through his mind. He tried his best not to look at them, to pretend they weren’t there. He’d seen death before, but never like this. This was different. This was just so… messy? No that wasn’t it. Killing was always messy. There was just something so wrong about this.

He nearly slipped on something soft and squishy, a child’s toy doll. It smiled smugly at him from empty button eyes and patched lips, as if to taunt him. You’re not going to go home. You‘ll never see them again. Why even bother?

“Shut up.” He snarled aloud without even realizing it.

A timid whisper drifted out from behind him. “What was that?”

He glanced behind him at the rest of his lance, a group of about twenty or so men. Soldiers such as himself, most not older than twenty winters, armed with torches, spears, and a scattered few of those new breech loading rifles. In the center of the formation was their officer, clad in plate armor, sword, and shield. The officer conversed quietly with his Signals Sergeant, scanning about to keep track of his spacing with the other lances as they swept through the town on-line. His plate armor glinted a bloody crimson as it reflected the burning landscape of death. The word ‘hellish’ squeezed its way into his crowded mind.

“It’s nothing. Keep your eyes peeled. I don’t trust those Cozies one bit. Cleared my ass.” He whispered back.

There was really no need to whisper. If any of those things remained it would be practically impossible to conceal yourself from them in a place like this. But still, it didn’t feel right to speak out loud. There was something about the ashy atmosphere, quiet and suspenseful, taut with violent tension. One didn’t dare rupture the thin veil of silence, lest the horrors underneath be revealed.

Something snapped to his right, and the curtain was torn away. He spun, leveling his spear and extending his torch with a shaky arm. His heart pumping, he tried to control his breath as he scanned the destroyed structures before him. The whole lance halted.

“You see something?” The man behind him said, again whispering.

But the soldier didn’t reply. He remained fixated on the thin small alleyway between two smashed market buildings. The fire had died down, leaving dull embers, and the top structures of the buildings had mostly collapsed. Surprisingly, the lower support beams that raised the main buildings above street level remained intact. Normally these spaces would be well lit, a place for merchants to flaunt their goods and ware. Now, however, they were glazed in darkness, shattered shelves and cracked counters were surrounded by heaps of abandoned pottery and rotting food. Several days of fighting had taken its toll, and the stench of rotting biology permeated the cold, ash laden air.

The soldier peered intently into the midday darkness, searching for anything that might betray movement or life. Well, if you could call the Schatten alive that is. They weren’t dead, but they weren’t quite alive either.

He had never come face to face with a real shadow before, but he’d heard the stories. The thought sent goosebumps down his spine. He couldn’t believe he was actually here, that he was actually fighting the Schatten. This wasn’t supposed to happen. This was supposed to be the Cozies’ job right? How had it come to this? How had they made it past the Coalition patrols? How had they made it through the town’s barrier? Why attack this town in the first place? None of it made sense, but then, one shouldn’t expect logic from an entity who’s very act of living was a contradiction.

What was that? Something small shimmered in the dark alleyway, a twirling wisp of smoke. The men behind him tensed and he held his breath. A figure limped out of the darkness, a young girl, and a small child beside her. Her long brown hair was knotted and matted with dried blood, her pale face streaked crimson. She wore a knee length blue skirt and a torn white lace blouse with bare feet and no coat or cloak. Her lips were blue and a deadly violet black crept from the tips of her fingers and toes under her knails. She shook uncontrollably, her arms wrapped tightly about herself. The little boy beside her was dressed more appropriately, with a coat and trousers. Still, his teeth chattered, and he clung tightly to the girl's skirt with his right hand, he sucked fervently on his left hand. He couldn’t have been more than six years old.

No, they weren’t supposed to be here. They were supposed to escape… If the Shadows fund out… Oh no…

“Survivors! Quickly, get the medic up here!” He lowered his spear and rushed forward, catching the little girl as she collapsed into his open arms. He thought his day couldn’t get any more confusing. He was wrong. There was no way to survive, what with the town on fire and the Schatten prowling about. If she was here, that meant Jarol’s squad was… was…Don’t think about it.

He knelt, shoving down his urge to vomit as he lay her gently on the ground with her head propped against his lap. Her eyes flickered open and closed as the freezing air puffed mist around her shaking lips. Was she trying to say something? He leaned in closer, as a dozen heavy boots crunched through the wreckage behind him. The little boy whimpered and backed away, shivering.

“The.. wi.. You need…” The girl’s voice was a faint whisper, barely a blade of grass caught in the currents of a maelstrom.

He leaned in closer. “Hang on, we’re getting you help. You can tell me after we get you a medic.”

“No!” She lurched forward with a gag, her whole body quivered and shook as if she was having a seizure. “Run!” She managed to croak through her wretches. “She’s… run…”

Heavy crunches announced the arrival of the rest of the lance. They formed a ring of security around him as the medic slid in beside him. The medic held a finger to the little girl’s neck as he glanced over her other wounds, probing with his other hand. He was a grizzled old vet with graying hair and a beard that was most definitely out of regulation. His decorated uniform kept the critics away.

“Seems most of the bleeding has stopped already, though she’s taken a bad head injury. Not much I can do, I’m afraid. Too weak. We can try to get her warm and to the rear, but she probably won’t make it.”

“No.” She whispered again, brown eyes snapping wide and dilating. “You have to run.”

“What’s this all about?” The officer knelt beside them, his plate armor clicking with every movement. He looked from the soldier to the little girl propped up on his knee. “We’re not here to evacuate civilians Corporal. We need to move on with the clear, or the company will leave us behind.”

“Sir!” The soldier’s jaw dropped. “Please sir, we can’t just leave them here.” He tried to suppress the anger that flared in his chest. The officer’s ignorance wasn’t his fault.

There was a swish of air, and a blast of wind and ash struck them from the darkness of the alleyways depths. The girl’s eyes widened again and the little boy whimpered with fright. “No…”

The soldier looked up as several of the other men shifted nervously, pointing their weapons towards the alley. Short crisp footsteps echoed from deep within the shaded corridor as the rest of the world became utterly silent. Nothing else moved or made a sound. A chill ran down his spine as figure emerged, that of a woman in a long black dress. Her skin was a stark bone white, with straight black hair and large sable lips. And those eyes… twin jet black marbles, empty voids with no white whatsoever. Her heels clicked primly as she moved towards them at a leisurely stroll. As she passed, the glowing embers scattered about her sizzled and extinguished. It was suddenly many times colder. This is wrong.

“Halt!” One of the guards up front called out. His voice quivered with fear. “Stop where you are! Identify yourse-aaaaghhhhh” He crumpled writhing to the ground, screaming a long and terrible scream. Steam wafted lazily about him… and the stench of burnt flesh.

The soldier beside him choked a cry in horror and took a step forward. Before he could make another move, the woman in black lifted a hand and he was flying sideways through the air. He hit a half collapsed stone wall with a sickening crunch. The other men gasped and backed away. The soldier was in such shock he didn’t even notice as the little girl stood up on her own, some deeper strength willing her on through her injuries.

“You’re too late.” The little girl croaked, causing hi to jump. She locked eyes with the woman in black, even as tears streamed unchecked down her pale cheeks, her expression that of unwavering resolve. The woman in black remained silent. She seemed to glide more than walk forward, always staring at the little girl. The world stood still.

“No! Leave her alone!” The little boy's shout snapped them out of the trance as he rushed towards the black eyed woman. She brushed him away with the flick of her finger, sending him flying into a nearby pile of rubble. Still, it got the others moving. The officer bolted upright as his Signals Sergeant fumbled through his shoulder sash to produce an emergency flare. The soldier watched as the other men leveled their weapons and charged with a halfhearted roar. He knew he should charge with them. They were his comrades, his brothers in arms. But he couldn’t. He just couldn’t. He froze in his place, shaking. He willed his legs to move, but they wouldn’t. This was wrong, it was all wrong. This isn’t what was supposed to happen. This isn’t what he was supposed to fight. He wasn’t supposed to be here. That thing wasn’t supposed to exist. But there it was, standing in all of its devilish glory. What fools the others were. Did they not realize they were outmatched?

There was a rustle of wind as the woman in black sucked in a small breath. The soldier found the air ripped from his lungs. He fell to the ground with the others, gasping, wheezing, and sucking to no avail. Clutching his throat, he looked up through his wriggling. The woman in black was standing directly in front of the little girl, their faces mere inches apart. The little girl hadn’t budged, though her face was starting to turn blue, and her body shook from lack of oxygen. The woman in black parted her sable lips into a toothy grin. Her teeth were unnaturally pure white. Now that she was closer, he could see the thin black veins laced beneath her pale skin.

She let her breath back out, and air returned to their lungs. Sweet, delightful, life giving oxygen. Suddenly the ash and rotting stench didn’t seem so bad. He coughed and wretched between long gasps for air as his lungs slowly reinflated. The two women seemed to be having a whispered conversation, but he was too busy trying to sift the oxygen out of the ashy mist that had settled near the ground. He could feel his consciousness slipping as the edges of his vision began to fade. He had air now, so why couldn’t he breath?

“You know nothing”

“You are a foolish one, aren’t you. I know everything, little one. Still, your courage is admirable. Make this easier on everyone, tell us where you hid it?” The woman in black had a sweet silky voice. Too sweet, as if her words were saturated in a secretion of an overripe fruit.

“I won’t…”

“Oh, but you will. You know we will find it eventually, no reason to get yourself killed over it. Or worse, someone else. Your sister? Or brother perhaps?”

The little girl glared up at her. Tears continued to stream down her face, but she sealed her lips, uncrossing her arms, her fists clenched tight. The woman in black suddenly stopped smiling, her grin turned to a frown.

“No, that’s right.” She said softly, and lifted her hand. “Death would be too easy for either of you. I have better uses…”

The little girl didn't so much as flinch as the woman wiped the tears from her cheeks, and then placed two fingers on the little girl’s forehead. There was a flash of light, and a freezing blast of air, and then all went black. Fools, all of you.