on her arm, making her wrist scream in protest. “Dylan?”
They turned down a dark alleyway and waited until Soap slipped in with them. There they kept their eyes on the opening and heard a loud explosion in the distance.
“What was that?” Brisa peeled her eyes at the noise, stepping closer to Shade and grabbing her other arm. “What was chasing us?” Screams filtered down from the direction they had come and the crowd just outside the alley began moving faster, some running around like a chaotic mess.
“A darkling spotted us. He must’ve set off the explosion to clear his way.” He turned toward Camulus and nodded. “The chaos probably wasn’t what he expected. Take us to the Glass Castle, quickly!” They all grabbed onto the elven-pixie and the sway of the land had just begun when, at the mouth of the alley, Shade saw the darkling, a shadow with searing white eyes. It screamed as it watched them about to disappear and catapulted toward them as they began their jaunt away. In a split second, one cold black finger grazed her arm before it disappeared from her vision and the world swirled away.
Shade’s ears rang from the darkling’s screech, and she had the sudden urge to let go of Camulus and Brisa to cover them to make the shearing noise go away. She resisted, afraid she’d end up in some weird teleporting limbo if she dared disconnect from Camulus now. She endured the pain and felt Brisa trying to tug away from her too, probably also in torturous pain. Digging her nails into her friend’s arm to keep her from letting go, she prayed for the end to come. The trip could not have ended sooner, and she found the entire bunch writhing on the floor from the darkling’s searing call.
Shade followed suit, collapsing to the ground and grabbing at her ears. Moments passed before the relentless ringing faded away, leaving them all breathing hard and sweating buckets. Shade pulled her hand away from her ear to grasp her other arm, which was now throbbing with a searing pain. Slowly opening her eyes as she breathed deeply in and out, she saw why her arm was hurting so much. A black spot where the darkling had touched her right before they had teleported away stood stark against the pale skin of her forearm. It sent spikes of pain radiating up her arm and through her elbow, across her shoulder and into her chest. She gasped, gritting her teeth from the agony.
The others were now finally getting to their feet, some still dazed from the deafening screech. Dylan held his hands on his knees, crouched down as he shook it off his senses. Noticing that Shade was still on the ground, he hurried toward her and knelt down, lifting her up into his arms. She was grabbing her left arm and shaking uncontrollably. Tears leaked from both her eyes, and her face was screwed up in pain.
“Shade?” He pulled her up to sit against him, but she could barely open her eyes to register him.
“It’s burning!” She gasped, clutching her arm against her chest, cradling it softy.
“What happened?”
“The darkling, it touched me before…before we left.” Shade tried to breathe the pain away, but it was winning and she wasn’t sure how long she would stay conscious. “What is this?”
“A darkling’s kiss.” Soap slid down to check out the wound. It was hot around the edges, but the black spot wasn’t growing. Still, Shade grunted through the torturous agony. “When a darkling marks you, it dies. In death, its touch poisons your blood slowly until all of your blood turns black and you either become a darkling or…” he cleared his throat, looking solemn. “Or, you die. It takes just a few days.”
Brisa was shifting between her feet, nervously listening to what they were telling Shade. At Soap’s statement, she huffed away and ran through the gates of the glass Castle, screaming for help. Dylan nodded toward Soap to follow her as he picked up Shade. Cradling her close to his chest, he felt her body convulsing against
They turned down a dark alleyway and waited until Soap slipped in with them. There they kept their eyes on the opening and heard a loud explosion in the distance.
“What was that?” Brisa peeled her eyes at the noise, stepping closer to Shade and grabbing her other arm. “What was chasing us?” Screams filtered down from the direction they had come and the crowd just outside the alley began moving faster, some running around like a chaotic mess.
“A darkling spotted us. He must’ve set off the explosion to clear his way.” He turned toward Camulus and nodded. “The chaos probably wasn’t what he expected. Take us to the Glass Castle, quickly!” They all grabbed onto the elven-pixie and the sway of the land had just begun when, at the mouth of the alley, Shade saw the darkling, a shadow with searing white eyes. It screamed as it watched them about to disappear and catapulted toward them as they began their jaunt away. In a split second, one cold black finger grazed her arm before it disappeared from her vision and the world swirled away.
Shade’s ears rang from the darkling’s screech, and she had the sudden urge to let go of Camulus and Brisa to cover them to make the shearing noise go away. She resisted, afraid she’d end up in some weird teleporting limbo if she dared disconnect from Camulus now. She endured the pain and felt Brisa trying to tug away from her too, probably also in torturous pain. Digging her nails into her friend’s arm to keep her from letting go, she prayed for the end to come. The trip could not have ended sooner, and she found the entire bunch writhing on the floor from the darkling’s searing call.
Shade followed suit, collapsing to the ground and grabbing at her ears. Moments passed before the relentless ringing faded away, leaving them all breathing hard and sweating buckets. Shade pulled her hand away from her ear to grasp her other arm, which was now throbbing with a searing pain. Slowly opening her eyes as she breathed deeply in and out, she saw why her arm was hurting so much. A black spot where the darkling had touched her right before they had teleported away stood stark against the pale skin of her forearm. It sent spikes of pain radiating up her arm and through her elbow, across her shoulder and into her chest. She gasped, gritting her teeth from the agony.
The others were now finally getting to their feet, some still dazed from the deafening screech. Dylan held his hands on his knees, crouched down as he shook it off his senses. Noticing that Shade was still on the ground, he hurried toward her and knelt down, lifting her up into his arms. She was grabbing her left arm and shaking uncontrollably. Tears leaked from both her eyes, and her face was screwed up in pain.
“Shade?” He pulled her up to sit against him, but she could barely open her eyes to register him.
“It’s burning!” She gasped, clutching her arm against her chest, cradling it softy.
“What happened?”
“The darkling, it touched me before…before we left.” Shade tried to breathe the pain away, but it was winning and she wasn’t sure how long she would stay conscious. “What is this?”
“A darkling’s kiss.” Soap slid down to check out the wound. It was hot around the edges, but the black spot wasn’t growing. Still, Shade grunted through the torturous agony. “When a darkling marks you, it dies. In death, its touch poisons your blood slowly until all of your blood turns black and you either become a darkling or…” he cleared his throat, looking solemn. “Or, you die. It takes just a few days.”
Brisa was shifting between her feet, nervously listening to what they were telling Shade. At Soap’s statement, she huffed away and ran through the gates of the glass Castle, screaming for help. Dylan nodded toward Soap to follow her as he picked up Shade. Cradling her close to his chest, he felt her body convulsing against
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