The Light in the Dark ✓

Prologue

He could not recall how the light looked or how beams of the rising sun felt on his face. How long had he been in this gods' forsaken place? A week? A month? A year? He could not say. The time passed differently here. The man listened intently, but the only thing he could hear was the howling wind. He carefully leaned out of his hideout and looked around. There was no trace of his pursuers. The shadows were dead and unmoving. 

Holding his breath, the man sneaked out into the narrow alleyway leading to a half-collapsed building. This place used to be the City Guard's barracks a long time ago. Maybe it was his lucky day. He reached the remaining wall without making a sound. A memory of a small garden surrounding the building popped up in his mind. In springtime, it would overflow with beautiful flowers blooming with all the colours of the rainbow. All that remained were ruins. He turned to the only window with the glass still intact. 

The world got brighter, and the man looked up into the steel grey sky. Heavy clouds hadn't disappeared, but they seemed more distant, less tangible. The faint glow from the window caught his attention. Not wasting a second, he clung to the glass. Not much could be seen at first, just the faintest of lights. But it was getting bigger and brighter, slowly revealing a room filled with long tables.

A fire in the hearth burned with a creak of the wood. Real fire! When was the last time he'd seen one? A few people sat at the tables, still in their guard's uniforms. His eyes found her and his heart skipped a beat. She was alone in the corner, and instead of eating, she moved the food around the plate, deep in thought. The woman's fair hair plaited in a thick braid hung from her shoulder. She looked sad and tired. Dark circles were visible under her blue eyes, usually filled with glee but now empty and dim. For him, she never looked more beautiful.

The man knocked on the glass. It rang too loud at his side, but in the room, no one noticed. He cursed and started pounding at the window, but no one looked toward him, even with all the racket he made. A terrible shriek broke the silence not far from where he stood. All the hair stood up, and a primal fear flooded his body. He clenched his teeth and kept hammering at the window. 

But to no avail.

Some wicked creature shrieked again, even louder this time. It was coming closer, so he had barely seconds left. 

He put his mouth to the glass and cried, 'Nightingale!'

The woman in the corner flinched and pulled her head up, looking around.

'Nightingale!' he called again. All his muscles were tense, ready to jump and flee any second. Please, my love. Just one look is all I need. Look at me! he pleaded in his mind, shouting her name repeatedly. 

And then, unexpectedly, Nightingale's gaze went straight to the window. The spoon fell out of her fingers, and her face paled. She covered her mouth as if she tried to suppress a scream and jumped up from her seat, eyes wide.  

A rasping breath was almost at him. The time was up. Looking into her eyes, the man put a hand on his heart. Nightingale ran to the window, but he could not stay any longer. He pushed off the wall and dashed away.

An ear-splitting howl pierced the air.

The man delayed far too long, and he barely got out alive. But it was all worth it in the end. His lips curved into a smile. For the first time, he succeeded! Nightingale saw him. 

Not all hope was lost. 

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Photo by Bertsz from Pixabay

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Author's note:

Thank you for reading! Let me know what you think and if you like it don't forget to vote. 

In a header, I added the song In Twilight Hours by Kamelot, as this song inspired me many years ago to write a story, which ended up here :)