The Descent
The cloudless night sky made Clara
Farmer's heart pound in anticipation. The stars overhead, millions decorating
the velvet sky invited her, called her to come out and dance with them. So she
did, heedless to the warnings thrown at her about wandering alone at night. She
ran out into the unknown to dance with the stars.
She felt free under the dark blue sky.
Here, anything was possible. She ran, power strengthening her stride, making
her run faster, faster until the city lights were a hazy dream, and there was
no one in sight. Here, she decided, was a good place to think. Clara Farmer was
one of the sister sects that dedicated their lives to healing and guarding the
light. Most of them drew their strength from the sun, she had always had
difficulty in harnessing the light, there was too much of it for her to focus.
She had always been the weak chink in the otherwise impenetrable armour of the
sisters, that is, until she found the stars…
She drew bolts of energy towards her
from the stars above. She unleashed one into the sparse vegetation that the
land offered and watched it sizzle before sputtering out leaving behind the
acrid stench of smoke. Her new source was stronger than the last.
It wasn’t long before Clara’s musings
were interrupted by a soft voice. “Hello Guardian sister. I am pleased to see
you like your new powers.” Startled, she threw an orb of white starlight in the
general direction of the voice. It hovered in the air for a second, useless;
and then as if pulled by an invisible string it was sucked into a dark figure
and smothered into oblivion.
“Shadow, Why am I not surprised?” She said, her gaze fixed on the place
where all light seemed to end.
“I make it my business to know those that walk the night, like I do”
“Need I remind you to whom my allegiance belongs? You have no dominion
over me.”
“Is that so, Guardian sister? Then why do you walk the land at night,
last time I checked, it is my domain.” Shadow said. At Clara's silent reply he
continued, “I have a proposition for you Clara, your particular talent could
help me greatly.” This time the voice came from somewhere behind her. She wheeled
around. He paused, head cocked slightly to the left, "I want you to join
me."
Clara couldn't believe her ears. "You, want me, to join you?” She burst
into laughter, derision coating her voice, "If I didn't know better, I
would have thought you were joking."
“I am darkness Clara, a consuming void. You may be stronger, your powers
superior but I am old. I was there when the laws were written. Do not think
that you can outsmart me. I know you Clara, and you belong with me.”
“I may walk the night, but I belong to the day. The stars, shine during
the day too. Leave, you will find no sympathy from me.”
Shadow refused to be dismissed, “With
you by my side we could rule the world in darkness. You cannot escape the truth,
your heart lies with the night no matter how much you pretend. You want more
than the hard rules that your sisters follow. This life of routine and
confinement, it isn't yours, Why else would run away into the night? You feel the
most liberated here don’t you? It’s because you are not bound by their rules.
You are outside their law.”
“You think you know me so well, I have heard the stories Shadow, your
powers of deception are beyond compare. Arguments are obscured in the darkness;
want and desire take on different appearances in the light of day."
“And yet you cannot even summon the light to even see my face. Do not fool
yourself child. You were meant for the darkness, in your bones, you know it.” His
onslaught continued. “Why do you deny what is in your nature? I can understand
your pain, your humiliation. Your sisters draw light from the sun, yet you are
strongest under the stars. They ridicule you, you don’t belong with them Clara.
Come join me. Stop running away from it.”
“Enough,” she said, “be off with you.” Clara then shimmered into light,
lighting up the barren landscape as bright as the day. There was too much
radiance for any shadows to exist. “I will return Clara, you may feel this way
now, but one day you will join me.”
As the glow faded and the light
dissipated, Shadow’s last words echoed in the night.
*
The brush thicket that had once been burned
by an otherworldly radiance now lay again in full bloom. A silent figure
dressed in white picked at it, one leaf at a time. It was Clara Farmer. Her
hair that was once bright gold now was lustreless. A quiet sob escaped from her
every now and then.
"My my, how the mighty have fallen. And we have fallen far haven't
we?" She wasn't surprised. She should have expected an audience.
"Leave me alone Shadow. I have nothing you want," Clara said
as she bowed her head.
"What is it Child, what has made you so unhappy? I rather miss that
arrogant spittle from you," he said. "Is it because you have no power
now?"
Fresh tears began to fall across her
cheeks as she looked up at her aggressor. "You already knew I have lost my
power. Why then have you come? What is it that you want; do you wish to mock me
in my shame, my disgrace?"
Shadow let out a little chuckle.
"I consider myself above such things. Many of your kind have faced these
situations before you, I am sure there will be more after you."
"Then why?"
"I have come to offer you a solution. After all, a Guardian without
her power is a disgrace indeed. Tell me dear, what is his name?"
Clara bristled, her grieving
demeanour instantly replaced by something more aggressive, "whose
name?"
"Don't play coy girl. Must I spell it out for you? There are two
ways a guardian can lose her light. One is if she disavows the Guild and the
other, when she loses her virtue."
Clara couldn't look at Shadow
anymore. He continued to speak, "From your righteous sermon the last time,
it does not seem likely that you left your sisters, no matter how painful their
treatment. It then falls to reason that you are no longer virtuous. Would you
like me to explain exactly how one looses their virtue? It begins with a
man," he cocked his head at the last statement.
His words pierced her heart; she
couldn't believe it could be twisted anymore. Under Shadow's knowing gaze, she
drew her garments more closely around her, a shield against his brutal words
"I do not judge your actions Clara; I have not come to belittle you
or to lord over you in your shame as you seem to believe. No, I have come to
offer you a solution." He began to pace, a displacement of shadows marking
the movement. How appropriate that they call him Shadow, Clara found herself
thinking.
When he spoke again, his voice was
uncharacteristically gentle. "All is not lost yet child, tell me how this
came about, tell me about this guy."
"His name is Aiden. He was kind to me when no one was."
"Now that wasn't so hard was it? What, if you could keep your power
and your man? You could have both."
"It isn't possible. The sisters taught the rules to me as a child.
They say that -"
"And how irresponsible and foolish of you to lose your pure nature
when you clearly knew what was in stake?"
That shut her up. She looked at him reproachfully,
"Before you crudely interrupted me, I was going to tell you those rules
only applied as long as your allegiance lay with the light."
All the breath in Clara's body left
her at once. She couldn't believe her ears.
"Join me, and I will give you all that
you seek. You shall have your man and I will give you power from the stars
again. Your world will be as it once was, perhaps even better than before. You
need only say yes."
Her mind was spinning, could she do
it? Abandon her beliefs, ones she kept to, her entire lifetime. She felt as if
someone had slipped the rug from under her and the world was now upside down.
The thought was both forbidden and strangely exhilarating at the same time.
"You could have it all Clara, just think about it. No more
impossible rules, no more jeers. You would fit right in with the rest of us. It
is not so bad here. You could be happy, I'm sure of it. In fact you would want
for nothing."
"I… I couldn't possibly…," She stood still a while, before
sitting down on the big rock behind her.
"Think about it, you and dear old Aiden,
together forever." She let out a deep breath. Steeling her nerves, she was
at rock bottom and there was only one way up.
"Very well, you have it, my allegiance."
With that, Shadow swooped over
dragging her soul into the abyss, a guardian the crown piece of his collection.
*
"You called for me sire?" His faithful servant entered bowing
before his master.
"Aiden, you have done your job well," Shadow replied. "Clara
Farmer's soul is now mine."
With that, his servant's visage
brightened. Shadow continued, "I think it calls for a celebration; don't
you?"
