The Seer & the Dark Ones

I felt it first—the cold, chilling feeling that precedes the Dark Ones. I felt it once before when I was a youngling.

Usually, as a youngling, you are never allowed to be alone because the Dark Ones are drawn to innocence, to purity. We were all assigned Protectors, and mine had been considered one of the most prestigious of all the others—but I didn’t like being watched. Even being born into the knowledge of constant protection, as a child I still couldn’t help but lack the understanding of why I was being surrounded all the time. It didn’t help that I was protected more thoroughly than all other younglings.

My Protector, Fynn, had been watching the stars one night, telling me some ancient story about how the world used to be filled with light until the Dark Ones came to snuff out the light with a mighty iron fist. As he told me the story, obviously believing that I would be hanging on his every word, I slipped out of the gardens. The yellow and orange stars lit my path as I dared to go deeper into the plush grass—younglings were not allowed to venture out into it—the Protectors said that the grass was a tool of the Dark Ones to sense purity.

I remember not knowing what to do as I felt frozen to my spot, the once bright sky suddenly dimmed as if the light was even too afraid to shield me from my fate. I began to turn, trying to catch a glimpse of those whom my people feared so greatly, but Fynn came running towards me, throwing sparks from his hands all around me. Whatever almost had a grip on me quickly left with the sparkling light illuminating my confusion.

Now, as I stand in my artificial moonlight created from my golden heart-shaped locket, looking out towards the dark trees in front of me, I still feel the Dark Ones looking back at me hungrily. They’ve been waiting for me for fifteen years—since I was six years old and started letting them know I was not afraid.

I move back towards my village, and I lightly touched the gold-encrusted gate with my fingertips before it opens for me with a gentle tink-tink. I look out over the cobblestone streets below my feet and then notice dozens of people still outside even though curfew was hours ago. I looked up to see if I recognized the faces—the Protectors—and they were all focused on the distant horizon. I looked out to watch whatever they were seeing, but to me, I only saw the moon, though brighter than usual, it didn't seem out of the ordinary. But just as I went to walk away, I saw movement near the gate I’d just left. Without thinking, I moved towards the gate again--the first to move in a still photo of the city street.

I continued to feel called towards the movement at the golden gate as a few of the Protectors began conversing with each other with suspicion. I watched the gate with a transfixed gaze, and that’s when I saw him—a tall man with golden hair like the old sun pictured in the paintings of the past.

All the voices from the Protectors left my ears as I approached the gate without fear, my necklace glowing. It was as if this was the path I was always meant to take, but just as I approached the gate, my hand ready to unlatch the lock, the man looked different, and my hand hesitated.

“I hoped I’d meet you one day. I couldn’t just watch you from afar any longer, Lady Meora.” He said with a bow, his golden hair now tinted with shades of brown, and his eyes filled with dashes of gray-purple. Now he looked as if he blended in with the Darkness… he wasn’t bright at all, yet I felt pulled to him.

“I wasn’t aware anyone could see you as anything but blackness.” I murmured.

He shook his head with a laugh, “No, Meora, no one can see us. They can barely feel us. Even the precious Protectors are hardly aware of our existence. They need people like you.” He muttered quietly, leaning towards me with his handsome smile, though knowing he could not get through the gate, “Even now they are wondering about you. Wondering what on earth you are doing looking into the blackness.” He whispers almost mischievously.

“What is your name?” I dared to ask him.

He chuckled, “Is it your people’s custom to ask the name of your enemy?”

I considered the question with care, “No.” he nodded, “But I’ve never been one to follow the usual customs.” He laughed again—was this man truly a Dark One? Was he one of the things in the blackness that I was meant to fear? Because I did not fear this man in any manner, which might be even more reason for me to have feared him.

“My name is Liam.” He said politely back.

“Liam.” I repeated and he smiled gently at me, and then he stepped backward away from the gates, never taking his eyes off me until he blended in with the darkness.

When I turned around, the entire street was silent as everyone watched me with fascination—almost fear. No more words left my lips as I walked back towards my Protectors. Multiple Guardians came up to me then, grasping my arms, “You have to come with us…”

I followed after them in guarded silence… uncertain as we moved down a long hallway. We stopped in a large room filled with brilliant light that seemed to be illuminated from every surface of the room, and I almost had to cover my eyes from the pure brightness. “Come forward Meora Iliana.” A low voice said as it rang through the room. I continued forward, barely seeing where I was going.

“Excuse me, but why am I here?” I shouted back to the voice, and though I couldn’t see any people before me, I felt their eyes burning me with fire for speaking out of turn.

Then I heard footsteps as the light dimmed slightly and I saw an extraordinarily tall man approaching me. “You are here because you are not natural.” He said almost with disgust.

“Not natural?” I squeaked out.

He nodded, tilting his head at me curiously with his lips pursed, “Is it hard for you to see in this room, Meora?” I looked at him in surprise, and then started peering around, still squinting, and hardly making out the shapes of chairs or the distant window.

“Well, it isn’t easy. But I live in a world that’s brightest light is nowhere near as intense as the light in this room!” I replied defensively.

He smiled darkly, “Yes.” He nodded towards the door I had entered, and a boy was brought in. He had obviously been brought from slumber as he wiped his eyes from sleep. “Boy, how many chairs are behind me?”

The boy raised an eyebrow in confusion, but without another question, or even a hint of squinting, said, “There are nine seats, sir.”

The giant nodded with satisfaction, “And how many doors are in the room?” I watched the boy’s gaze, trying to understand what he was seeing.

The boy shrugged as he looked around the room briefly, “There are four in the back corner, two on the left wall, and one on the left front corner.”

The man nodded again, “Thank you, you may leave now.” The boy looked at me in confusion and back to the man before nodding and walking back out the door he came from.

I was floored. I didn’t understand… how could he see those doors? I couldn’t even make out a single door in the room. I barely recognized the direction I had come from.

“I don’t understand… so he sees better than me, what does that have to do with anything?” I asked, suddenly fidgety and nervous.

I saw the giant nod to a man behind me, and the room went pitch black, but suddenly I could see everything perfectly. I recognized every door, every window, even the chandeliers. I could even pick out the hidden servants concealed behind the large stairs behind the man. “How well can you see now?” he asked knowingly.

“I can see everything.” I muttered uncertainly, my eyes wide.

He smiled, and I could see his sparkling white teeth with ease, “How long have you been drawn to the Dark Ones, Meora?”

I felt confusion overwhelm me. I wasn’t drawn to them… I just wanted to prove I wasn’t afraid of them… at least, that’s what I always believed. “I was six when I first left the side of my Protector so I could understand what it was that made so many afraid.” I quietly offered.

He seemed slightly surprised, “I’ve never seen it happen so young…” he replied almost sadly.

“Seen what happen?” I demanded.

He sighed deeply, “It is common practice for us to leave the younglings in a dark room alone to see how they respond to it, to see how long they last without help.” I gaped at him, but he continued, “Usually a child screams quickly just from fear of the dark. You... never screamed, but once…” he suddenly seemed fearful as he looked into his memories, “You laughed… and started babbling to someone. We quickly entered and found that half a dozen Dark Ones had already come to seek you out. They entered my secure palace to get to you. You were only one.” His tone was hard, serious, “Needless to say, we never let you stay alone again. We knew you were special, and though you were odd to us, we had the feeling that you could one day be useful. We knew you must have been very valuable if the Dark Ones would reach out to you against so many odds, so we tried to protect you more than any youngling. We believe you are a Seer. This grants you the ability not only to see the true form of the Dark Ones, but to speak to them and understand what they say. I am aware that you spoke to one tonight, and I want to know what It said to you?” he ended with interest.

I thought about all he had said, and suddenly my past 21 years made more sense. I hesitated, suddenly more aware than ever how strange my encounter had been. I gulped in a breath, “He said he had hoped he would meet me. He knew my name.”

“He?” He asked in shock.

I nodded, unfazed, “Yes, he said his name was Liam.”

He sat back in his chair, his hand over his mouth. “You must leave…” he said fearfully. It seemed too bizarre to have such a giant of a man be so afraid of a 21-year-old girl that was short for her age. He wouldn’t meet my gaze, “Liam is the bringer of the Dark Ones. He fooled the leaders of the Light, and brought our world into disarray. If Liam is claiming you, then he will do whatever it takes to get to you, and I will not allow any of my people to be harmed because of your fascination with the Dark Ones.” He declared fiercely.

“What does he want with me?” I whispered with sudden terror.

He watched me with true worry, “You might be the key for him to completely destroy our entire world. They nearly removed all the light in the world once before… with a Seer like you? They will succeed this time…”

My heart raced as I stared back at him in horror.