Chapter 8 - Night and Rain [1/5]

Arken turned around and set out to climb the hill again. He would definitely keep an eye on the woman. Perhaps it was possible to complete the spell.

"Here you are again! Where have you been?"

Vex shielded his eyes from the low sun. Leysha approached him between the trees of the apple grove. Her blond curls were radiant and wafted around her slender figure in a gentle breeze. Her absent facial expression did not escape Vex, although she quickly put on a smile when she saw him.

"Nowhere, I was just…" Shaking my head, she broke off.

"It's not that important. Before Vex could disagree, she snuggled up to him, drove her fingers through his hair, and kissed him. Enjoying, he closed his eyes and inhaled her wonderful scent. Pure happiness flowed through him. It was a beautiful late summer day, he stood here with his beloved wife in his arms, while the wind let the grass wave around her and rushed through the leaves of the trees.

In their small village of Kors they had a nice little house and there was peace and quiet, so that he had nothing more to do as a city guard than to prevent a brawl between drunks from time to time. Could life be more beautiful?

Leysha broke away from him and looked at him with her deep blue eyes.

"It's getting late. Let's go home."

He tenderly stroked her hair and nodded. "Good idea. I'm tired. Suppressing a yawn reflex, he made his way back to Kors arm in arm with Leysha. He didn't want to think about what had made him sleep the last few nights.

It was always the same terrible dream that scared him up in a sweat. Vex stretched his head and enjoyed the last rays of sunshine on his skin. After such a beautiful day, he would certainly not let it spoil the night. This thought could not dispel the oppressive feeling that seized him when he thought only of going to sleep.

"Are you okay, honey?" Leysha looked at him with a frowned forehead.

Vex tried to push back the burgeoning unrest, forcing himself to smile. "All right." Bestial

rotting stench climbed into his nose. Blinking, Vex opened his eyes. Not much has changed about the darkness around him. Only through a gap in the

Cave wall penetrated a dull light.

No! Not again. His heart started racing. He looked around frantically, but he couldn't see anything in the blackness of the cave. Sitting one foot in front of the other, he stepped towards the gap.

Every single fiber of his body screamed for escape, even though he knew it was a hopeless endeavor. He had tried it often enough. Something cracked under his shoe. Vex froze instantly. With his breath stopped, he listened to the darkness.

Nothing.

Only his heartbeat pulsed loudly in his body, so he almost wondered why the sound didn't echo on the rock walls. Could it be …? Would he manage to escape this time? There was a glimmer of hope in him. He just had to get to the glow of the incoming sunlight. There the creature of the night could not harm him. It wasn't far.

He took a step forward and it cracked under his foot again. At the thought of what broke under his weight, a shiver ran down his spine. The pale bones of the dead seemed to be trying to prevent him from making his own.

Hopefully the monster in the shadows did not notice his attempt to escape before he reached the light. For not a blink of an eye did he let the gap out of his eyes. With each step, he felt more free-as if he were a bird running toward his open cage door.

Finally, panting violently, as if he had run the course, he reached the cave exit. Unbelieving, Vex stared at the sun's rays at his feet. One step further and they reached his knees. He did it. He had escaped the darkness. The creature of the night would not be able to follow him here.

An air breeze swept over his neck and brought him together. He wanted to make a move forward, further into the redeeming light, but his body no longer obeyed him. A wave of panic seized him. He stood there frozen, unable to make even a sound.

"Did you think you could escape me in the light?" sounded a squeaky voice right at his ear. Vex was gasping for air. His throat felt constricted. He trembled uncontrollably all over his body. How could that be? He had come so far, so far as never before, and yet he was at the mercy of the monster. Ice-cold fingers touched him on the cheek and turned his head to the side. The shivers ran down his back.

"You little fool. Without my will no one escapes me." The fingers almost lovingly stroked Vex over his neck. Then pointed teeth dug into his flesh.

Panting, Vex drove out of his sleep. Cold sweat made him glue the shirt to his skin. The wind howled around the house and whipped raindrops against the windows. For a moment, a flash of lightning lit up the room, followed by a roaring thunder. The dying embers of the fireplace dipped the room in a soft red. Slowly Vex's wild beating heart calmed down. He was in his bedroom. Nowhere else. Not in a cave, not in the cold embrace of a monster…