Jewels from the Dark

Laoise placed another bundle near the base of a tree and said a silent prayer for the one who may find it. Something felt different as she stood and looked cautiously around. Coolness filled the air; shadows moved in the corner of her vision.

She tried to melt into her own shadows, as she had seen the Nefas do many times before. Yet she did not have the ability of those sworn to serve the Void. Instead, she pulled the dark fabric of the cloak tighter around her, covering her head and draping it across her face.

She worked to slow her breathing, becoming as still as she possibly could. Perhaps it was another Lost One, but they were usually alone. This was more than one, but she could not yet tell how many.

The shadows moved past, soft light coming from three forms. Odd… She thought. The Nefas don’t carry light. Like her, the Nefas were able to see in the dark, though for very different reasons. Hers had come as a gift from Light itself while Nefas folk had the gift from the Void – a gift they paid for dearly.

Just as she was about to step forward and follow, she felt the Umbra Nihili. Then she saw darker shadows move after the three with light. Foreboding itself moved with those deep shadows, and Laoise’s heartbeat quickened. This was all wrong. She had never encountered a rescue party this far into the Wood and the lights were moving straight for the Waste, as if compelled by the Umbra Nihili.

Fear and memory gripped her throat as she flashed back to the time she had felt compelled into the arms of the Waste Wind. Laoise felt the heat of her inner light ignite, grappling with the fingers of terror that tugged at her heart. She took several breaths, steadying against the panic.

She had to be smart. She had, somehow, outwitted the Nefas before. She didn’t understand how though. Many times after her encounter in the Waste, Laoise had come close to being found by the leaders of the Nefas folk. And each time, she had felt the Umbra Nihili wrap around her at the last moment, shielding her from discovery.

The first time it happened, it startled her. The next time, it made her curious. Now, it made her grateful. She did not understand it. She tried to summon it at will, but it only seemed to happen when the folk were near – not during any other danger. It was another layer of thanking both the Shadow and the Light. Both had saved her in the Wood and Waste.

After several heartbeats, she ensured no other shadows moved after the ones with light and began to follow at a careful distance.