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The night sky was clear, but moonless, and the flickering stars offered little in the way of illumination. Normally the deep darkness would be troublesome, but tonight it was a blessing. The cave entrance was obscure and would be especially difficult to find. At least it would be difficult to find if the kids would keep quiet.
“Can’t catch me,” taunted Fletch. The young boy was trying to avoid his twin sister as they both raced around their mother.
“Fletch, you and Kara be quiet now!” Silph’s voice was soft, but tinged with an air of danger that led both children to stop instantly. She looked at her children and regretted having to be severe when they only wanted to play, but all of their lives depended on not being discovered by the creature.
She felt her full, rounded belly and knew her third child would be born soon. If she couldn’t get them all to safety on the other side of the mountains before then, it would be too late.
“Be very quiet and still,” she ordered as she walked–it felt like waddling to her–over to the cave entrance. She cautiously stepped outside and searched for any evidence of the creature being nearby—an odd sound, strange print, weird smell in the air—but she discovered nothing. Feeling a little more relaxed, she returned to the cave and sat on the floor with her back against the curved wall. The rough stone felt good beneath her, tangible and solid, unlike the surreal events of the last few days.
A very small fire in the back corner of the cave provided dim light as she watched her two children play quietly. She didn’t want the fire at first, but after double, then triple, checking she was convinced it couldn’t be seen from outside, and she knew how much the darkness bothered the kids. The flickering shadows on the wall danced across her vision as she felt sleep approaching. It had been an arduous day, and tomorrow promised no relief as they continued their journey.
Her mind drifted back several weeks to a more peaceful time when the family was whole and danger was only found in a bedtime story. It had been a beautiful morning and she had risen early, feeling refreshed and excited about the day ahead. A smile crossed her face as she fell asleep remembering …..
Read the rest of “Dark Times” in Dragons Composed, available directly from Kerlak, or Amazon, or Barnes & Noble.
