//------------------------------// // Chapter 10: Enemies In the Dark // Story: Chimes In the Dark // by Faindragon //------------------------------// Chimes In the Dark - Chapter 10: Enemies In the Dark NOTE: Grammar not corrected The chime echoed once, and then it was no more. The throne room was quiet, the mare sitting on the throne; playing around with a translucent glowing orb. She spoke softly with her cold voice to the orb; it pulsed in a green glow, pulsing in beat with her voice. “Welcome Emerald, sacrifice number one in this round, number forty-seven total. I must say that you have a beautiful glow around you, even if you daughter had a more… complex scheme in the way her soul blended white with the green.” The green orb sparked darker. The mare tilted her head, as if she listened to something only she could hear; a smile on her muzzle, a smile that didn’t touch the ice-cold eyes. “Notharam never told you that he was the reason for you all being here? I’m not surprised, why would he tell you? After all, it would make him the bad one. Feather Quill would have made your proud for what she did in here, Emerald Scroll. She was close to survival, she was sacrificed only mere minutes before the sun raise; she had before that been holding the group together and meddle between them when anything went wrong. She was a kind-hearted pony; I almost regretted that I had to sacrifice her. After all, Notharam had saved her life only a year or two earlier, and that is the only reason that she died here; it’s the only reason that you died as a sacrifice here now.” The green orb started to pulse slower, a touch of blue in the green. The smile that touched the mares lips this time were a genuine smile, she didn’t like this part, it made her feel vulnerable. But the sacrifices had to know what awaited them, they had to be told the reasons. “Now now, don’t cry, she is in a better place and you will soon meet her again. Before that will I do the last thing I have done with every soul on its way from here; I will tell you the reason behind my actions.” It didn’t take long time for her to explain her reasons; she had after all done it forty-six times before, still it was as hard to do it now as it had been the first time she had explained it. She smiled as she moved her hoof against the little crystal that she had in a saddlebag next to herself, pushing the soul into it. The crystal was almost full. She lifted the quill with her magic, making the eight line. Eight chimes had already passed, now to let them know about the nightmare this was; it was time to send out him. ^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^ Notharam didn’t understand what just had happened. One second had Emerald been reading aloud the text from the stone tablet, the next had he and Mistrunner galloped forward to catch him as he fell to the stone floor; dead. Truth to be told, something had seemed wrong already when Emerald had started to read, his voice had been… different somehow. It had been a much darker voice, and every word had made it more and more hollow. His eyes had been clouded, but Notharam had seen his eyes flicker to a point above him, before they had widened in horror. He hoped that Mistrunner hadn’t noticed that, he had a feeling of knowing exactly what it was Emerald had seen those last second in his life, and it wasn’t anything he wanted Mistrunner to see. As they had reached Emerald and pulled him out had Mistrunner started to scream Emeralds name, hoping for a response. She hadn’t been given any; tears had started to shred from her eyes, making their ways down her cheek. As if a miracle had Zinky been sleeping through this, and she was still sleeping. They had lowered him to the ground, carefully so to not awaking the little filly in the saddlebag. Notharam had quickly moved his hoof to check for a pulse; that or anything that could tell him that Emerald was alive. However, he had quickly withdrawn his hand as he felt how Emeralds body was as cold as ice. It had only been taking seconds after they had lowered him to the ground, but he had already lost all his body warmth. Notharam had turned towards Mistrunner, sorrow thick in his throat. “He is dead, his body cold as ice already. I don’t know how or by whom, but he is as dead as you can be. I’m sorry, I should have been the one to read, not him. I should have done something!” He was angry at himself, the only pony who should die down here was he, not any else. Mistrunner trotted around Emeralds corpse, trotting to stand in front of Notharam. She looked at him; her eyes full with concern and sorrow. “Notharam, he is dead and there is nothing you could have done. Don’t blame yourself, you know as well as I that he would have moved you out of the way to read it. Besides, he wouldn’t want us to blame ourselves; nor would he want us to stay here. We must move Nohtaram, or else we will all end up like him. I know we will meet him again someday, but I don’t want that day to be today, nor would he want; that I know for sure. Don’t give up Notharam, we will survive this night. A time for grieving will come, we can let go of our sorrow then. As it is now, keep it inside you.” Notharam looked up, tears dropping from his muzzle onto the cold stone floor. Something caught his eye; something was written at the wall above the staircase. He quickly looked at Mistrunner, his mind racing. “You are right Mistrunner, its time we get going onwards. We still have a long time before the night is over. Could you take the saddlebags with Zinky in? Thank Celestia that she is still asleep. I would have taken them, but my wings would be in the way.” As Mistrunner walked over to Emeralds body to take up the saddlebags did Notharam look up at the wall; tried to read what was written. It wasn’t very hard to read the blood-red letters. The curiosity won over the gemstone, the first sacrifice have been made. The innocent is next. ‘Both of them are innocent’ Notharam thought. ‘I am not. Who of them is it that is the one chosen for the sake of being sacrificed this time?’ He jerked his eyes away, trying to push the thoughts out of his mind. There was a more important matter to take care of right now. They would need light to keep going, with Emeralds death would they need to find another source of light. He let his eyes wander over the room, trying to find a solution to the problem. The torches drew his attention to them, but he quickly realized that wouldn’t work. They were placed to high up; he wouldn’t be able to reach them without the use of his wings and that was a thing he would wait to do for as long as possible. It was then something caught his eye, a strange metal item, partial hidden behind the statue. He slowly trotted forward to the statue, stopping to help Mistrunner take of the saddlebags from Emeralds body and putting them on her instead. The quiet snores from Zinky had a relaxing effect on him, it made him feel calm. He started to trot towards the metal item once more, now seeing the weak blue light that seemed to emerge from it. Mistrunner looked after him but she didn’t say anything. The item was a lantern, a small metal frame with glass. Inside did something blue floating around, the source of the light. He lowered his head to pick up the lantern. Mistrunner cried out behind of him, making him stop in the motion. “Notharam don’t, we doesn’t know if that item is cursed or something else like that. I don’t want you to face the same fate as Emerald.” He looked at her; he could feel the determination building up inside him. He was the one who was responsible for the rest of them to be there; he was the one who would make sure they came out of there alive. They had to use this lantern; it was the only light they could carry efficient. “Mistrunner, we must have the light up there, else we will run around in complete darkness up there; vulnerable for anypony or anything that wants to hurt us. No, we will need the light, I will not lead you up there without light, putting you in the mercy of the ones that might wait. You are carrying Zinky, and I have been rendered useless with my broken wing. Let me take the lantern, we must have the light that it gives us.” Mistrunner looked away; what she said was so low that he nearly couldn’t hear it. “Take it, but be careful; I don’t want to lose you as well.” Notharam carefully took the lanterns handle between his teeth. The lantern was lighter than he had expected; the blue glow that emanated from the inside of it flickered for a second before growing in size, now illuminate a few feet around him. No warmth emerged from thee lantern. He turned around and without a word did they went up for the staircase, once more entering the ground floor of the temple. At the top of the stairs did Notharam turn around once more, looking down the staircase. “Goodbye Emerald, may you find peace in the afterlife.” He said, paying the unicorn a last thought. He noticed something strange as he turned back to the room. One of the four torches on the wall was alit, illuminating a green light in the room. It was strange really, but he didn’t paid it a second thought. It was time to go on, time to leave this room behind them. He guessed that the maniac knew exactly where they were, it was a thought he stayed at. If she knew where they were then she would find them if they stayed. Best to keep the moving up to reduce the risk of getting cornered in a place; a risk they would take if they would stay in a place for too long. They walked in silence; the only thing that was heard in the hallway was the steady sound of their hooves hitting the stone floor and sometimes the snores of the filly. Notharam couldn’t help but let his mind wander. Emerald was dead, sacrificed only because that Notharam once had saved his daughter. And with him had he two others who would be sacrificed together with him; one who had fallen in love with him and one for being his daughter. He knew that he was the reason for them being here. He knew that he had to get them out of here; that, if not more, did he owe them. He knew that it would be a way to get them all out from this place; the problem would be to find that way. The hallway was dark and silent; the blue glow of the lantern was the only light to guide their way. Notharam felt observed. Something, or somepony, was watching them from the shadows; traced their every move. He could feel hate and anger, as well as excitement, in the gaze that emerged from the darkness just outside the lanterns glowing radius. He shuddered at the feel of that gaze; shuddered at the raw emotions that emerged from it. And as suddenly as it had arrived did it disappear; merged together with the shadows around them. “You are weak, Notharam. One is already dead because of your weakness; will the rest die for the same reason?” a soft voice from the shadows whispered in Notharam’s ear. The sudden sound startled Notharam. “Who goes there?” He called out, head turning from side to side. “Show yourself.” Mistrunner was soon by his side, looking worriedly between him and the shadows around. “What is it Notharam, what did you hear?” she said, the anxious thick in her voice. Notharam stopped his head turning, he had not even caught a glimpse of the things in the shadows. “I thought I heard something. But it is nothing around us; it must have been my mind that played tricks on me.” They continued their slowly trotting in the hallway. The hallway turned more than once; Notharam didn’t even try to keep the number of times in his head. But in every dark shadow was something waiting, following him with that gaze; a gaze full of raw emotions. He still couldn’t place where the gaze came from, and he didn’t want to worry Mistrunner. It was after one of those turns that he turned around to look at Mistrunner as he saw something in the corner of his eyes. He saw a pair of golden-yellow eyes reflecting the glow from the lantern. Then they disappeared into the shadows again. “Would you really let her die, Notharam?” the soft voice was back. “Die in this place? Do you know who I am Notharam? Do you remember me? You killed my other part, the only one I loved. But SHE gave me a new chance, a chance of revenge; a chance to redeem the death of my other half. Brace yourself Notharam; I will be your undoing.” The voice disappeared once more, leaving Notharam standing in place, confused and afraid. He didn’t have any idea how long time that had passed, nor did he care. He only knew that the only thing that was of matter where to get out of here alive, and that wouldn’t be archived before the clock had chimed five more times. He was determined to stay alive for the time; he should find a way to save himself, Mistrunner and Zinky. He wouldn’t let anypony else die. “Don’t you remember me, Notharam? We meet in the north, not even two years ago. You killed the only one I have ever loved that day, you and Thunder both. I have gotten half of my revenge; SHE gave me Thunder to kill. And now SHE will give me you to feast upon.” The soft voice spoke to him, chilling his bone. Then it disappeared once more, but this time did Notharam have the time to see something; a patch of white fur that disappeared into the darkness with the voice. He found himself in a room, Mistrunner at his heels. It was a circular room, what it once had been used for he didn’t understand. In the middle of the room stood the being; a creature he recognized, a creature he had fought once in the cold north. A wolf, fur white as the snow it hunted in, eyes yellow as the moon their kind howled against; railed around. And in front of the wolf lay the little filly; Zinky. Mistrunner span around at the sight, tossing the saddlebags of her self with a speed he was surprised to see in the earth pony. The saddlebags made a loud thump as they hit the stone floor. Mistrunner opened the saddlebag where the filly had been laying and slept; the bag was empty, nothing was in them at all. The wolf laughed; a soft laugh from a heart that had lost everything it cherished. “Finally will my revenge be complete. Do you remember my name, Notharam? Or have you forgotten it just like you have forgotten HERS?” The wolf spoke with the same soft voice that Notharam had heard from the shadows. He looked at the little filly on the floor, his filly. A memory arose in his mind; giving him the name of the wolf in front of him. A memory of snow and blood, of fighting and death; a memory of a cold winter night in the harsh north where he had fought for his life. “I remember you, Snowfang. I was the one who killed your mate after she had attacked Thunder.” Snowfang chuckled, turning those yellow eyes towards Notharam. Notharam could feel the hate and anger in that gaze; together with the excitement for blood. “So you remember then. SHE will not be happy with that you know. Notharam, I am here to kill you, SHE sent me here; I owe it to HER after SHE saved my life. Prepare yourself Notharam, I will have my revenge; you will pay for the death of my beloved one. First I will take something from you. SHE wanted this one; SHE will get it. Prepare yourself!” The wolf lifted his paw and the little filly in front of him disappeared; faded away in front of their eyes. And the clock chimed.