In the Shadows of Light

By Captain of the Guard

Prologue

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            Save me from my rage

            And my humanity

            I’m more nothing than being

            Is this my legacy?

            Feel it eating me away

                        – “Eating me Away” by Skillet

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            The child was no more than five… only five. A mere toddler – and to have such a burden placed upon him. It was unfair, but still, it had to be done. The law made that quite clear. The Council members worried for the boy, but not because of his youth – they worried because the boy’s spirit was adventuresome, his heart untamed and his imagination wild. These were not the traits of The Devine. Things such as this must be remedied…

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            Black silk draped the body – it was custom. The boy had to fight his longing to lift the fabric and look upon the handsome, seemingly ageless face, the striking brown eyes, the dark blond hair of the man beneath – not out of curiosity, but out of longing to see the only father he had ever known, just one last time. A lone tear trickled down the youth’s cheek, dropping off his chin and soaking into the midnight dark fabric. He sniffled, wiping his luminous blue eyes with the sleeve of his tunic. He did not understand why this had happened – things such as death were beyond the grasp of a five-year-old.

            A large, battle-roughened hand rested on the boy’s shoulder, and he looked upward to see who it was. As his blue eyes met the pine green ones of the towering man, the boy allowed himself a weak, fleeting smile at the sight of a familiar face. The man returned the gesture, but it soon faded when he remembered his reasoning for being in the room. “It’s time to go,” he said, his voice ringing of authority, sadness and wisdom all at once.

            The boy did not want to leave. He wanted to stay and watch over his fallen friend and mentor. “Why?” the boy asked suddenly, his voice small and weighted with grief. “Why did Davidian leave me?” Fresh tears welled in the boy’s eyes. He tuned back to the silk-draped body of Davidian.

            “I… I don’t know…” The boy’s innocence and sadness wrenched his heart. He squeezed the boy’s shoulder, his own eyes becoming wet with tears.

            It was then that the seven members of the Council came sweeping into the room like a dark cloud on a forbidding wind. They demanded the boy come with them, and took him away – forever changing his life…

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