May Writing Prompt Contest

Winner is Ferra_Dubrinsky

Night Shadows: The Thirteenth Hour
by
Ferra_Dubrinksy aka Christine Alexander

Earth, Present Day

“Screw this! I am sick of hiding in the light!” Veronica Verona rose from the window seat overlooking the rose garden. There were no comforts in her world. Nothing but a constant, twenty-four hour brightness that threatened to drive her insane. Her cream satin robe trailed behind her as she paced the floor to her room. She picked up a vase in a corner table and threw it against the wall, shattering the fragile Schwarztky crystal.

Her world was made of glass, crystal, and light... and how she loathed it. Deciding she could take no more she stormed out of the room. Turning left in the corridor, she marched to the doors that could free her from this hell made of cold, harsh light. How many times had she went down this path only to turn away?

Well, not this time. This time I will face my fears. Miles Verona, her father, had warned her never to step into the shadows, never stray outside the light. Demons lurked in the dark places, waiting for her to fall into their grasp. Twenty-six years ago, her mother had not heeded his warning, and died at the hands of those demons. It was the very night she was born.

Veronica's father made her memorize the story and made her afraid of the outside world. Had it not been for the books she bought off the Internet, she would have gone mad long ago. They told of wonders she could only imagine, the one blessing her father had relented to her.

Gathering up the courage to take the last step, Veronica placed her hand on the golden handles of the French doors. The door knob shook in her hand. Or was it her hand that shook the knob? She wasn’t sure. Taking a deep breath, she twisted the handle to the gilded cage that had kept her prisoner for the past twenty-six years.

The doors swung wide, the cool night air rushed to greet her, licking her skin with its cool, invisible tendrils. The balcony exploded with illumination as the light flooded the dark night. Her eyes strained to define shapes in the dark of the night. Her father ordered special contact lens so that the bright lights would not damage her retinas.

She let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding. Her heart pounded in her chest as she leaned over to peer out the doors. Not finding any evil boogeymen hiding in the shadows, waiting with swords at the ready to slay her at her first step out of the safety of the mansion, her foot graced to cold stone of the balcony.

A breath of wind welcomed her with open arms to survey the night at her whim. Her long brown hair drifted on the breeze as, for the first time she glanced at her father’s grand estate by moonlight. Oh, she had been outside by the daylight, but only in the glass garden, and only with her father there to guard her.

Clouds gathered overhead, a mist formed over the garden, casting an eerie half glow to the wonders she saw. She lifted her fingers to her eyes taking out the contacts to see better.

THONG! Veronica jumped out of her skin as the crystal grandfather clock chimed the hour. Placing her hands on the railing, she closed her eyes, counting the rings of the clock, trying to calm her frayed nerves. Ten... Eleven... Twelve... Thirteen...

“It can’t be.” Veronica felt a knot form in the back of her throat, making it hard to swallow the fear growing inside her. On shaky legs she stumbled back inside to investigate. “I must have miscounted. The clock is broken. There is no thirteenth hour.”

But you know the truth, don’t you. You were born in the thirteenth hour.

*******

The Shadow Realm.

Dareth stood before the portal, his green eyes glowing in the waning light of the abyss that was his world. He could feel the power swirl around him, dancing just beneath the surface of his skin. The air hummed as a core of white glowing plasma slowly expanded between the two pillars, marking the entrance to his realm.

“Sire, will you bring her back with you this time?” A man to his left spoke.

“Yes Argorn, we will not survive to the next opening if she fails to answer my call.” Dareth turned to his second in command. He knew Argorn was aware of what it meant if he failed to bring Veronica back from the Mortal Realm.

Every thirteen years the portal was opened, this rift in time-space allowed enough light into his realm to sustain it for the next thirteen. Thousands of years ago, the anomaly opened for the full night. It allowed Dareth’s people, his warriors, entry to the Mortal Realm to hunt down the soulless creatures, called Daragna, who escaped onto the mortal plane.

Dareth knew there are four realms in the universe: Light, Mortal, Shadow and the Abyss. The Abyss was one realm he never wanted to think about for this place was cold and dark. He knew only the Daragna, the Sadoen's slaves, live in that nightmarish realm.

The Daragna were once humans who by some form or fashion, found themselves in the Shadow realm. Humans, wonderfully misguided creatures they are, exist in a realm of half light. Their souls were made from light, and to the light they will return. Just as their bodies return to the dust they are made from.

The Shadow Realm produces no true light of it’s own, because it separates the Mortal Realm from the Abyss. If a human were caught in the Shadow Realm unprotected, the Shadow Realm would syphon off the light until there was nothing left but a dark soulless being, a shell of what once was, but now is lost.

Dareth hung his head at the last thought knowing his realm was responsible for the plight of those hapless human souls. Placing his hand on Argorn’s shoulder he looked into his second’s glowing blue eyes. “There can be no mistakes this time. No one is to pass into the Mortal Realm. I need you and Gaharis to stand at the gate. Should anyone even attempt to enter, kill them.”

The humming grew in volume. Dareth could feel the strength of the light seep from the orb into his world. It’s resonance coursed through him like liquid fire, giving him strength only known to the warriors of his race. They were born to traverse the planes of existence, destroying the Daragna, making sure that the creatures of the Abyss never fully took over the realm of the humans.

A spark from the orb shot into the air. Dareth’s eyes were drawn away from Argorn, to the little radiate that defied the few laws of his realm. Another little spark was spat out of the orb. It began to shrink in on itself. Spitting out sparks as it compacted in the dark realm. A brilliant explosion of light flooded the cavern. Chasing the darkness away with the warming rays of life. The light blinded both the men standing on the dais.

Dareth let the light seep into his pours, filling his essence with a strength only known to the warriors of old. His thoughts wandered to the first time he saw his future bride. How he had held the tiny infant in his arms, amazed that his people’s diligence at protecting the Mortal Realm had paid off. She would be a woman grown, where he had not aged at all. His thoughts wandered to Gaharis, he should be here by now. Gaharis was his first officer in charge of security. He was also in charge of overseeing Veronica’s honeymoon preparations.

Gaharis was one of the few warriors who had survived the nights in the Mortal Realm. He knew what would make Veronica feel at home here. Since she would not be able to cross over into the Mortal Realm for another thirteen years, it was of the upmost importance that she felt comfortable.

Gaharis entered the cavern, approaching the dais. “Sire, all preparations have been completed. It is time.”

Dareth turned from Gaharis to the glowing rift in time-space. The umbilical cord joining the realms, the thread that would see his people survived, and brought his wife home. He glanced at Argorn and Gaharis, “Should anything happen . . . ”

Argorn placed his hand Dareth’s shoulder, “We will take care of here, you just bring our princess home. May the one bless you with safe passage.”

Dareth acknowledged Argorn then stepped into the shining portal.

*****

Earth

Dareth’s body was ripped from him as he was thrust into the Mortal Realm. His soul bonded with the shadows of the night. He could feel the pulse of this new universe beat through his essence like a drum, slowly waking his senses. Weaving ethereal tendrils around the earth, he searched for Veronica, it wouldn’t be hard to find her, she was the other half of his dark soul. Using shadow-time, he circled the earth.

Shadow-time was the speed at which darkness traveled. If you went to Alpha-Centauri using light speed, you would reach the star in four hundred years. But if you used Shadow-time, you would be there before you could blink.

Dareth heard the ring of a clock. Striking once, twice, three times. It continued on the night wind to thirteen. There were only two clocks in this realm that rang out the thirteenth hour, and two had been destroyed twenty-six years ago. He knew he had found her. He raced the darkness, and found himself in a gazebo in the middle of a rose garden, he surveyed his surroundings.

Dareth stared at the mansion. Light poured from the interior. The wind stirred, creating a waving haze. He saw a movement behind the doors of the third story balcony.

“Veronica...” He pushed a whisper into the gentle night breeze, allowing it to carry his voice to her.

Veronica stared at the strange clock. The gold face turned to pewter. The Roman numerals went from black to gold before her eyes. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She stepped back from the clock half in denial, half in horrific wonder. This can’t be happening...

“Veronica...” The wind whispered her name in the trees, her head turned so fast to the door, her neck popped. She half-expected demons at the door, but nothing out of the ordinary appeared. She could have sworn she heard a voice.

Tentatively Veronica approached the passage to the outside world. The low mist swirled, revealing the top of the gazebo. It rose and fell like the sea.

Her eyes, unused to the darkness, strained to make out a faint image just inside the shadows of the gazebo. She watched the figure move slowly into the open. It had long dark wavy hair, flowing unbound from a handsome face. It turned its glowing green eyes to her. No not it, him...

His eyes met her and she was instantly mesmerized. Her heart slammed inside her chest. Her breath caught in her throat. She knew this man. Her dreams were filled with those green, glowing eyes. She knew him as if he were her very soul.

“Veronica, I need you...” She heard his voice in her mind and felt his breath caressing her. An ache grew inside her, making her realize she needed him. She broke contact with her dream lover and quickly dashed inside.

Dareth waited in the gazebo until he was sure she was outside. His eyes glowed a rich green color, as the thickness of the Mortal Realm filled his essence with solidity. His features became more substantial with each passing second, until he was sure she could see him. He stepped from the gazebo, feeling their strong connection. He saved her life long ago by giving half of his essence to replenish her soul.

It was a bond that defied space and time. Night after night, he had been there with her in her dreams, been there when she was a child, when her dreams had changed from that of a fanciful child to those of a woman grown. He watched the ground door open as Veronica tried to make her way in the mist. Dareth raised his hands clasping them together in a vice-like grip. As he slowly parted them, the mist dew out and away from him, making a tunnel of clarity between him and his mate.

He could not help but raise a slight smile at Veronica’s amazement. He held his hand toward her in silent invitation.

Veronica felt like she stood on the brink of a whole new world. He was real, and he was standing just twenty feet in front of her. Her body ached, torrid emotions swept through her as, for the first time in her life, she saw color outside the world in her dreams. The roses dotting the walls of mist were blood red, the grass was a dark forest of green, and it was all because he was here. How many times had he told her he would come for her when the time was right?

“Dareth?” Her voice was soft as a feather. “You are real?” She wanted to believe her eyes were deceptive, that he couldn’t be here with her tonight. But she knew he was real, staring at the six foot seven giant standing before her like a dark knight.

She watched with hazy eyes as he came to her, she could feel tears fall from her cheeks as he stopped at three paces in front of her. Again he raised his hand.

“I cannot take the last steps, those are for you. You must come to me willingly.” his voice was liquid amber, rich and dark. Those emerald eyes bore into hers, searching her heart, her soul.

“What do you want from me?” Veronica was shaking from his distant nearness. She could feel the power seep from him like an intoxicating elixir.

“You know the answer to that, come to me Veronica.”

“I can not, my father said you were a dream. A demon..” Her voice shook out of fear, out of a life time of longing.

Dareth knew he would kill her father the next time his eyes fell upon that miserable excuse for a life form. “But is that what you think of me? If you honestly believe that then look me in the eye and tell me now, and I will go. I will leave you in peace.”

Dareth wasn’t sure if he had the strength to leave her, even if he tried. His feet were glued to the soft earth. The seconds ticked by like centuries as he awaited Veronica’s answer. She took his outstretched hand. Her feet lifted from the ground, bringing her into the folds of his arms.

Veronica buried her fingers into his thick black hair. He bent his head to her. Clouds filled the night, lightning flashed across the skies, mimicking the jolts of electricity passing between them. His hand buried itself into her silken strands, his arms surrounded her, dragging her body the last few inches to his. He needed her like the Sahara needed the rains. The darkness inside him demanded he claim her now to quench the desert of his soul. But his heart wanted to love her slowly, as she was meant to be. As she needed, as she deserved.

Her lips were soft as the petals of the roses. His lips brushed across her forehead, tracing an outline down her cheeks, her jaw. Finding her mouth he shed a tear of joy. His kiss was gentle, slow. Droplets of water drizzled down from the clouds above. Tears from heaven. Her arms wrapped around his neck in response to his touch. He felt as if he had died and entered the Realm of Light. Her hands cradled his face as if he were made of the most delicate porcelain.

He broke the kiss and gazed into her eyes. So full of trust, so full of need for him, he could never let her go. “Khanaesentarah, Imespesenth devoteina, veresentac te noctreis spreti unis.” Lightning split the sky as he recited the ritual words for soul sharing. He whispered them into her ear, his warm breath fell onto her cooled skin, causing her skin to prickle at its heat. Invisible threads wound themselves around them. Drawing their hearts together to beat as one. He pressed his mouth to hers, her body clutched tightly to his, he drew her breath from her, then gave it back.

At the strange words, she felt her heart jump in her chest, she could feel its rhythm change, matching the beat she felt from his. His hands slid down her body, ripples of desire tore through her. A dizzy sensation swept over her as he lifted her into his arms. Cradling her to his chest, he carried her to the shelter of the gazebo.

No words needed to be said. No endearments spoken. She belonged to him, solely, and he to her. He sat down on a bench, his hands wandering the small expanse of her waist. She cradled his head to her as his lips massaged her neck, nuzzling her. His hands slid up to her shoulders and pushed back the robe. His fingers hooked the straps of her shift, his nails lightly scraped her exposed flesh as he drew the flimsy material down her body. Veronica never felt so alive in all her life as she did in this moment. Liquid fire pulsed through her body as his mouth closed over an exposed nipple. She moaned as she struggled to breathe. She drowned in a sea of ecstasy.

His arm wrapped around her as she arched her back, his free hand slid down her waist to her thighs. His warm touch sent shivers down her spine. Veronica’s hands slid down the massive wall of his chest, parting the vest that covered nothing. He lifted his head, claiming her lips as she pushed it off his body. Her nails raked his back as his thumb found the most sensitive part of her. Through the satin he massaged her hidden pearl. Her hips bucked against him as waves of pleasure crashed inside her.

Veronica whimpered into his mouth. Her hands grew desperate to touch him. Every part of him. She ground her hips against the swell he kept hidden from her. She broke off the kiss when he pulled his hand from that secret part of her. “Please,” she begged burying her face into his shoulder, “don’t stop.”

The feel of her breath on his skin set Dareth on fire. Kissing his neck, down his chest and grabbing at his arms made him panting with need. Her nails dug into his shoulders, needing him desperately to quench the fire he started in her soul. An ache, a flame built inside her, flickering in her lowest region. He needed and wanted to be inside her. With a thought, his clothes disappeared.

Lifting her arms up, he slid the shift over her head, discarding it without any further thought. He pulled her down to him, his hand finding the velvet folds of her womanhood. He slid one finger into her. Liquid silk greeted him.

Veronica cried out at the intimate invasion. His nimble finger teased and twisted inside her, finding that special place where the energy kept building. She was held immobile by the force of her need for something more. Her head rested in the crook of his neck.

“Did I hurt you?” Dareth’s warm breath teased her neck.

“No. I feel wonderful.” Her hand rubbed against his chest lazily. Veronica lifted her head, meeting his gaze. “Why?”

“Now I am going to make love to you.”

*****

Somewhere in the village, thirty miles from the estate.

Miles Verona sat at the bar, his vision blurred from too much drink. He would finally be free of the wretched curse by the nights end. He never should have brokered the deal he made with that devil, Dareth. Miles Verona was not a man who gave up easily. That fateful night twenty-six years ago had changed his life.

The dark lords were not pleased that they did not receive their payment. Of this he was well aware. He could not afford another mistake. Dareth had appeared twice, both times when the gate was open. Both times ruining all that Miles had planned for his precious daughter.

“Precious! Ha!!” Miles spat into his ale. That bitch had nearly cost him his life. Well not this night. He would prevail where all other attempts had failed. But he must wait until the last few minutes before the portal closed to carry out his orders. Then he would rein supreme, he would have power unsurpassed, he would be immortal. He would have his revenge on Dareth, on all of them.

A twisted smile reflected in the mirror behind the bar. He kept Veronica in the light at all times. Dareth could not reach her in the light. It was why he could only traverse this world in the thirteenth hour. Bright light, even in the skin of a mortal, was lethal to a Sadoen. Their souls, or what ever their equivalent, could not tolerate even a light bulb for more than a few minutes. The skin they used when traversing the Mortal Realm would blister should a beam from a flashlight touch them.

He told Veronica frightening tales of the shadow demons, making her afraid of the dark. So trusting, his little innocent daughter. Thunder shook the small tavern. Impressive display of futility, Dareth. You will never find her. And if you do she would never leave the light.

His acute senses went up in alarm. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Quickly he reached into his coat pocket. Pulling out a small electronic device, he pressed the power button. The screen flashed to life.

“Damn, this thing is so slow.” he muttered under his breath as he waited for it to boot. He pressed the numbers on the keypad. His eyes grew large in horror. The small palm pilot fell from his hands hitting the bar with a thunk.

“She will ruin everything!” Falling off the bar stool he stumbled out of the tavern.

The barkeep picked up the discarded device and stared at the screen, wondering what sent the drunk stumbling out into the street. A door leading to a balcony of a was swinging open and closed. The barkeep snorted and shrugged, then turned the device off.

****

Veronica lay breathless in Dareth’s arms. Tears of joy fell from her cheeks. Tears of wonder. Tears that mingled with the sadness inside her heart. Dareth told her of the Shadow Realm, of the battles his people fought. Of the night he held her in his arms when she was an infant. Of how he had loved her from that moment on. Of the night her father tried to sacrifice her mother and the unborn child she carried to the dark ones. The night her mother died protecting her.

How could she have been so naive? How could she not see through her father’s lies? Dareth held her in her arms as she cried. With not even a conscious effort he had made clothing for them to wear after their joining. He had completed the ritual. Taking her breath and giving it back to her. The breath of the soul. The very essence of life itself. More intimate than lovemaking could ever be.

She had asked him about the words he had spoken. Words that stirred her soul as much as her curiosity. Khanaesetarah, Imespesenth devoteina, veresentac te noctreis sprecti unis. They meant ‘my soul, essence of my devotion, apart we are empty, together we are whole.’

“To give you a more direct translation of our language, you would need to learn it.” Dareth brushed the tears from her eyes with the pad of his thumb. He gave a simple smile. It could not be easy for her. To learn that everything she believed in was a lie, that the one she had trusted with her life was in truth, trying to kill her for some false belief. An illusion of power.

“It is not over yet? Is it?” Her body shuddered as she tried to suppress the sobs.

“No. It won’t be until we are in the relative safety of the Shadow Realm. Even then your father will hunt us. Choosing to turn into a Daragna for his lust of power.” Dareth had explained the Daragna were once mortals, who’s souls in one way or another chose to go to the dark side. Some were turned by accident, when they were sucked into the Shadow Realm. The word Daragna meant stolen essence. The Sadoen tried to return the mortals to their realm before the darkness ate their souls, but sometimes they were too late.

That was what happened to her father thirty-nine years ago. Dareth’s father tried to save Miles’ life. Miles repaid his debt to Aragorn by trapping him in the Mortal Realm, killing him. Dareth had waited thirty-nine years to settle the score. The dark side was very deceitful. Using her father to start growing it’s roots in the Mortal Realm.

The sound of a car pulling into the driveway tore them both away from their thoughts. “You are of the Shadow Realm now, Veronica. I have explained to you your abilities, when he comes I will need you to join with the shadows. Shedding your mortal skin is the only way he can not hurt you.”

“You mean to kill him, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Veronica, get away from him, NOW! He is a demon!!!” Miles Verona burst through the garden gate, almost losing his balance when he slipped in a mud puddle.

Dareth stood quickly, placing himself in front of Veronica, his stance defensive. “She knows the truth, Miles.” Dareth’s tone was flat. Devoid of all emotion. His eye’s spotted the flashlight in Miles’ hand. Foolish mortal. Now that he had joined with Veronica, he was of the Mortal Realm as well. Light could no longer effect him the way it had his father.

“So the little whelp thinks she knows the truth...” Miles’ features contorted. He no longer resembled the man he once was, but a dark twisted form. Something not quite human. “You think you can ruin my plans? You have no idea the power I have been given. I can call the lightning should I feel like it.”

The storm that had dissipated after Dareth claimed Veronica began to gather force once more. Building behind Miles swiftly. He drew on his gift the dark lords had given to him.

“Veronica, go to the shadows, now!” Dareth felt Veronica dissolve behind him. He built a mist around them. A thick fog to aid Veronica in hiding. Then he too drew on the powers granted him in this world. Calling his own storm he sent lightning bolts to split the heavens.

Miles appeared mildly shaken as the thunder rippled through the night sky. The clouds blocked out the moonlight. A sea of moisture surrounded him. He screamed his rage as the clouds above clashed in a battle that rivaled the titans. Miles sent lightning bolt after lightning bolt to the ground to help him see his way through the pea soup.

If he could just get the demon to show himself he could use his flashlight to weaken him enough to kill him. A movement in his peripheral vision caught his attention a moment to late. Hands surrounded his chest. His arms were pinned to his sides. He felt a hand on the side of his face, heard a voice in his ear.

“May you find the peace in death that you were denied in life.”

Miles felt his head twisted to the side, then he felt no more.

****

The Shadow Realm
Thirteen years later

The orb burned brightly reflecting off the gemstones in the cavern. Since Veronica had come into Dareth’s realm nothing had been the same. The portal remained open through out the thirteen year span. His people had a permanent bond to the Mortal Realm. The light it gave off saturated everything. It had torn through his realm the moment he stepped through the brilliantly shining gate way with his wife. It was darker than the mortal realm, but bright enough to keep the darkness from stealing a hapless mortal’s essence.

Dareth sat at the foot of his son’s bed telling stories of the great wars of his realm. Veronica was in the living area with the women discussing the weather. They actually had weather now. Something he believed only the mortals could enjoy. Dareth thought to himself for a moment then looked over to his son. Asleep. How could his son go to sleep when he was just getting to the good part. Dareth felt a warm hand rest on his shoulder.

“Love, he is only eighteen months,” Veronica’s airy voice was music to his ears. His heart’s desire. “You cannot expect him to be enthralled with a war that lasted over two millennia. He must sleep sometime.”

Dareth turned to his mate, his wife, his queen. He never forgot to thank the One for making her his own. For giving his people the salvation they needed to stay alive. Dareth looking into her honey brown eyes. With out saying a word he swept her off her feet and down to their chamber. “Have I told you lately how much I love you?”

Veronica inclined her head. “Not in the past twenty minutes.. No, I don’t think you have.”

“Well, allow me to show you how much I worship the ground you...” He was cut off as Veronica pressed her mouth to his. The only sound to be heard was their chamber door sliding shut.

The End

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