Dark burst from the forest, breaking over the village like a wave over a drowning man.

　　Talon felt it hit the edge of his light, but the circle held. He nodded to those just outside the door who tended the cooking fires. Nervously, they continued to stir the pots.

　　No Sosa?` Dorrel asked.

　　Talon shook his head but didn`t take his gaze away from the dark. He stood, the butt of the spear that had been left planted firmly in the ground, and watched. He should be out there, not stood here guarding his families executioners.

　　The dark rippled. Talon felt rather than saw it, felt the way it jostled his light. He braced lifting the spear, expecting something to come. The village was devoid of bodaki.

　　It rippled again.

　　It was something, much more distant. He could feel them when they were close, but this, this was different.

　　Everything fell silent.

　　Behind him, the villagers continued, oblivious. Out there, everything stopped. The bodaki, the insects and night creatures, the wind, it all stopped.

　　Talon gripped the spear.

　　Did you finish blocking the other door?` he asked Dorrel.

　　She nodded. Sosa did most of it. This is the only way in.`

　　Someone screamed and he span around. Inside, people carried on as if they hadn`t heard. He turned back, it must be outside.

　　The cooks dropped their implements and fled indoors.

　　Someone was out there. Could it be Kala or Sosa? He wanted to run from his post, but the dark was all around. Although there were no bodaki in it, if he left now, they`d come soon enough.

　　The scream came again, this time a word. Perhaps a name. The fleeing cooks had caused a commotion and people clamoured to the door behind him. The dark pressed close around the council building and Talon could see not more than a few paces out from the door. His light held back the tide, but beyond that the black fog swirled thick and deadly.

　　It swirled as things within once more began to move. Whatever had caused the silence has passed by and now the forest crept back to life.

　　A young boy was dumped just within his circle of light, right before the doorway, just at the edge of the dark..

　　The boy looked up at Talon. Only his shoulders were out, the rest was obscured behind the dark curtain. He was one of the villagers taken the night before. One not thought to be dead

　　Mmawe?` he asked.

　　There was squealing from behind Talon at the door. Jommy?` came a woman`s voice.

　　Mmawe!` The boy`s hand shot out.

　　Talon leapt forwards reaching for the boy. His leg was still invisible, shrouded in the veil of darkness. Within, something held the boys ankle and squeezed. Talon heard it snap with the wet thunk of a rotted branch and the boy screamed. Talon thrust the light forwards and it was the exposed bodaki`s turn to scream.

　　No! No! Mmawe!`

　　Talon landed on the ground missing the boys outstretched hand.

　　A woman ran from behind, Jommy! Jommy!`

　　Before Talon even thought that he should stop her, she was gone.

　　There was a heavy thud and someone gave a heavy, wet wheeze.

　　Jommy,` the woman gasped from the dark. A sharp sound, like an axe striking wood turned her voice into a second thin scream.

　　Talon sat in the mud, dazed.

　　A man darted from the doorway, screaming his wife`s name. Talon grasped at him, but the man shoved Talon aside. Then he too was gone.

　　They would not be seen again, but they would be heard for hours.

　　Talon fought the urge to give chase and returned to the doorway.

　　Go inside,` he yelled at those who stood in the way, check everything is secure.`

　　A woman looked at him and screamed. Talon searched behind her, fearing the bodaki had found a way inside, but she was looking at something over his shoulder, through the doorway. Talon span around, but whatever the dark had revealed to her was gone. When he turned back, she`d fainted and someone was lowering her to the ground.

　　There was a heavy thud and everyone in the chamber fell silent and looked up. There was something on the roof. They watched waited, but nothing tore at the roof timbers trying to get in. Talon`s eyes darted to every part of the ceiling.

　　There were footsteps, muffled scraping, and then a sharp cry. Something trickled between the timbers. The first drop landed on a woman who swatted at it then looked at the stain on her fingers. It was red. A second drop hit her shoulder and the third her face. She made no sound, simply walked back, swiping at herself as if flicking at biting insects and smeared the blood around her skin. Blood spread across the roof and dripped onto others who were not so silent.

　　Talon stared at the ceiling, spear poised, waiting. Around him they jostled and fought against each other to get away from the spot. He waited.

　　Nothing came through.

　　Something touched him on the shoulder and he span around. Behind him was a young woman, tears streaming from bloodshot eyes, covered in cuts. Blood ran from a slash across her face. If she had not been dressed in the armour he might not have recognised her at all.

　　He grabbed Sosa and pulled her close, his relief almost too much.

　　Sosa, it`s okay, it`s okay, you`re safe now.` She sagged in his arms. What happened? Where`s your mother?`

　　She looked up at him through eyes drowning in tears and gave a single shake and she buried her face once more. His chest pulled so tight there was no room for breath, no room even for his heart to beat.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

　　Oh, no, Sosa, no,` he pulled her tight.

　　I`m& I`m sorry, I couldn`t save her. She`s, she`s& still out there.`

　　It`s okay,` he managed finally, You`re exhausted, I`ll go and&

　　You don`t understand.` She was brimmed with anger and frustration, but it was not for him. She pushed herself away from him, her hands curled into fists so tight her knuckles turned white. They won`t let you.`

　　He took her gently by the arms, but his hands landed on the armour plate Kala had been wearing. How did you&?`

　　She took them off and&` then Sosa broke down again.

　　Talon felt as if someone had pulled out his heart. She`d gone into the forest on purpose. He`d failed her. They should never have come back. Kala hadn`t wanted to and now she was& she was&

　　We`ll get her. Together.` Talon pulled at the armour on his wrist.

　　Sosa stopped him. No, we can`t leave them.`

　　Yes, we can.`

　　Sosa realised what he was doing and stopped him. I`ve got a lot more than you have. She slipped off the armlets her mother had left and turned. She handed them to a man but he shrank back as if they were hot or poisoned.

　　Right,` Sosa shouted, you.` She thrust the armlets at another man who took them on reflex then dropped them at her feet and backed away.

　　Someone unfolded at Talon`s side.

　　Give them me.` Dorrel held out her hands. Dorrel do it.`

　　Sosa threw her arms about the giant of a woman. Dorrel, thank you.` Dorrel slipped the armlets on. Despite her arms being twice as thick as Sosa`s and longer by some measure they fit her perfectly. Talon felt at his own wrist armour.

　　Listen Dorrel,` Sosa said, pulling the woman over to the door, all you have to do is stand here. Just stand in the doorway. You don`t need to control the light, it will throw a big enough pool by itself just to cover the door. It should be enough.`

　　Don`t let anyone out,` Talon told her. Not for any reason, no matter what they see outside. Whatever you do, don`t move from the door, not even to bring someone back inside, not for anything.`

　　Dorrel nodded intently.

　　If you think you can feel the light, you can try to make it bigger,` Sosa said. Dorrel looked a little doubtfully at her, but if you don`t, then don`t worry. It`s enough to just stand here, but you must, you must just stay here, okay? Don`t move for anyone.`

　　Dorrel makes a good door canvas.`

　　Thank you, Dorrel.`

　　The woman shrugged. Go save Kala.`

　　They stepped out and the bodaki thrust another face at them. A cut extended across its face and one of the eyes was a bloodied socket. Talon threw the spear at the space just behind it, then thrust his light forward, leapt and grabbed the spear, twisting it free. The bodaki exploded into smoke and the man collapsed to the floor. Sosa grabbed him and lifted him to his feet then sent him tumbling towards the doorway and Dorrel`s waiting hands.

　　That`s one.` Talon said.

　　I`d think they`ll have all the prisoners around the outside,` Sosa shouted. She was right, he could feel a ring of bodaki and hear the victims who mewled as they were needled and chewed.

　　Kala would be here somewhere.

　　They moved together, Sosa circled flushing another bodaki into Talon and the spear. It exploded into blackness which he cast away with a casual blast of the light. A child stopped screaming now that the claws in his arm were gone and Talon scooped him up.

　　A fresh scream sounded from near the door as some other child was presented as bait. The wailing panic inside rose again and a young girl from within shouted the name of her sibling. Dorrel shouted no!` but the small kid must have dodged past her.

　　Talon`s anger rose. He could not allow them to continue being played like this.

　　Sosa`s face came close to his. The fury on her face was not something he`d ever seen on his daughter Lets just kill as many as we can.`

　　Talon carried the boy in one arm, the spear pointed out towards the black. Something strayed close and he thrust his spear into it, feeling the rush of darkness as it died. He couldn`t see the girl or the child used to lure her out. No doubt their voices would be added to the choir.

　　He passed the boy to Dorrel who looked upset. You can`t do more than you can do, Dorrel, you`re doing well.`

　　She nodded, herded the boy inside and then turned and yelled at those who pressed behind her to back off. No one dared argue. He could hear Grammawe herding the youngsters well away from the door and scolding any that dared look.

　　The same tactic rescued several more injured villagers, all hurt, but very much alive. Realising it had been flanked, a bodaki abandoned its victim to flee, trying to jump through Sosa`s light, but the light flared strongly, driving it back in a scrabble of black limbs and pained shrieks onto the point of Talon`s spear. He grabbed the child; they were almost all children.

　　What better to use as bait?

　　Grammawe!` Sosa yelled. Talon turned to see his mother ambling slowly towards them. Get back inside!`

　　Oh hush,` said Grammawe, scooping the child from Talon`s arms. There was a little pool of light from the glinting armour that followed her, wide enough to stop anything getting too close. Go get another one.` She waddled back, the child cradled to her shoulder. They dove back into the dark, feeling for the first time like they were saving more than they were losing.

　　Another figure was being presented to the doorway, but Dorrel`s stern voice was calling, Get back! Go away!` He wasn`t sure if she was shouting at those inside or out.

　　Sosa tried to circle around another, but the bodaki drew away before she could. This one was determined not to be cornered. Sosa ran to overtake it and it finally abandoned its victim in order to flee.

　　Grammawe appeared again apparently untroubled by the dark or the bodaki. Her own bit of armour cast enough of a glow to keep her safe. She took the man`s weight and helped him hobble back to safety.

　　There was a voice from the dark and Sosa stopped dead.

　　Mmawe.`

　　She was near, but the monsters were holding her further out of reach. Sosa nodded a direction and they both ran at once, automatically cutting to either side to surround the monster that had her.

　　Sosa broke right around a hut while Talon dodged left. Something lunged at him from the darkness. It didn`t try to break into his light, but pushed the dark into it. Foolish, he thought and lunged with the spear, but hit nothing. He turned away to continue ahead, but the dark moved again. He raised his spear a second time, but&

　　Kala!`

　　Her head appeared out of the darkness, held from behind. It sagged, but when he called her name, she looked up. He could only see her face and shoulders, but even they were covered in slashes that oozed with blood. Were they trying to get him to accidentally kill his own wife? It wouldn`t work.

　　He burst forwards, thrusting with the spear just past her to catch whatever held her from behind, but the thing was faster and snatched her away. It didn`t matter. There were two of them now. They had tormented Sosa when they had her alone, but the two of them were unstoppable.

　　Sosa, she`s here!` he called.

　　I see her!` Sosa shouted from somewhere around the hut. She was faster than him, he did not want to risk waiting. He could follow Kala, Sosa would catch up and then surround their prey. He`d enjoy killing this one.

　　Parts of Kala came into view, her body bouncing like knotted rope over the forest floor as she was dragged, then was pulled ahead behind the curtain of darkness. He didn`t need to see her, he only needed to follow the noise. He ran hard to keep up. The footsteps behind reassured him. They would catch this thing and he would plunge his spear into it and pin it painfully to the floor while it evaporated into dust. He would watch it turn to smoke and scream while it died. Perhaps if he harried it long enough it would drop her out of desperation to escape as the others had.

　　He reached the trees. All around him, the bodaki bounded along, keeping pace while avoiding the light that shone from him. There were many and he could no longer distinguish Sosa`s footsteps in the dark, but she was there, somewhere. He knew it. And when she caught up with him, these things would all pay. Ahead the grunting of the thing that dragged his wife sounded increasingly desperate, but it was the muffled human noises that drove him on. His concentration narrowed like a razor sharp spear to the one creature who had his wife. Its thundering gallop grew closer. He pushed harder, running on some final reserve of strength. He was gaining. He almost had her. His breath and blood was so loud in his ears.

　　He ran hard, flexing his grip on the spear, ready to thrust it when Kala and the thing came back into view. He could hear it, feel it, right ahead. He shifted his grip on the spear so he could throw it and gathered the light about him, ready to send it flowing ahead. He heard its grunting, Kala`s pained breathing.

　　Then nothing.

　　Just for a moment, it was as if the thing wasn`t touching the floor.

　　No! If this thing used the trees to move around as another had done when it chased them to the ruins, he might lose Kala. With a yell he lifted the spear to throw and sent a wave of light out ahead to illuminate his target and lunged forwards.

　　His foot hit nothing but air. The other foot came, but there was nothing to land on, nothing to push off. His legs still ran, winding in long bounds against only empty darkness.

　　Talon fell until he struck the far wall of the great pit the bodaki had dug for him, then tumbled down to its bottom.