Children of Light

Grayson looked at her and saw the desperation he felt mirrored in her posture. He could not see her eyes, for the protective cloaks they both wore which shielded their Light, also obscured her eyes. Without these cloaks, which were gifts from the Eleos, they would glow in the eyes of Shadow-Landers, their Light a dead give-away of their location in a land shrouded in Shadow and Darkness. He and Emma hadn’t wanted to use Light as a defensive measure, as they feared it would trigger a greater awareness of their position, but there seemed to be no other alternative.

He hung his head in desperation, trying to think of another option. Rubbing his palms against his thighs, he felt his Light imploring to break out. Resigned, he looked up at the oncoming enemy Shadow Warriors. The ever-present dust swirled in the air, stirred up even more by Emma’s pushes. The dust combined with the constant darkness of the Shadow-Lands made the air thick and difficult to breathe. He was grateful the masks they wore helped reduce the dust from getting into their lungs. Despite that, he heard Emma cough a few times already. She was bent at the waist, resting her arms on her knees. He could see her strength was waning, her breathing labored.

“We have no choice. Help me and use your Light, or we won’t be able to get away.” Emma insisted as she pushed yet another transport away. It did not reach the rocks, just crashed and rolled into them. Both of them were at the edge of exhaustion, the last few weeks having drained them of strength even before the battle they fought now.

Grayson nodded and began throwing his Light at the oncoming forces. The impact lit the sky, even to his eyes. He well knew such a display would be evident for miles for any Shadows. Emma focused on the transports and tried to push them, but he could see that each push was weaker, with less impact. His own Light was not as effective as it would have been a few weeks ago. He turned to face Emma. Her shoulders were hunched, head hung low as she leaned over to rest her arms on her knees once more. Then, shaking her head as if she decided something, she stood, generated a brilliant white globe, and threw it at Grayson.

“No, Emma, don’t!” He screamed. “That’s what he wants! We cannot!” He let the globe fly past him, only for it to dissipate into thin air. Without his intervention, without him accepting the globe and throwing it at the enemy, it could not be a weapon. Her Light needed a Light-Warrior to weaponize it.

“We have no choice! If you don’t use my Light, we are done for.” She folded her arms across her chest. Her posture was defiant. “Your choice,” she said with a steady defiance.