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"You are tempted by dark powers?"
"Aye"
"But why?"
He shook his head "In here," he placed his hand over his heart, "I know that good is more powerful than evil, but still the darkness calls to h the power of darkness, to rise up and unleash the full poithin me, the consequences to others be dae with the wave of my hand, enslave its people, cause faed his hand over his face as if to block out the ies his words had conjured "I have ever usedBut there is another power, a dark power that tempts oodness lies weak and vulnerable within ht"
"Virtue and vice," she said "Truth and error &039;Tis a choice we all must make"
"Aye"
"You ive in to it, else you be lost"
He thought of her words later that day as they left the valley behind and entered a stand of thick ti but little of hier that lay before hi hi The darkness More and ht of the sun le oddly; soing; where once he had preferred hiswith blood
The leafy branches overhead grew thick, so thick in soht of the sun The shade was a welcome break from the touch of the sun The sounds of their horses&039; hooves were round Here and there he saw the glow of slanted yellow eyes observing their passing
He watched Channa Leigh Blessed with sight for this day, she looked at everything carefully, exclai bound across their path She remarked on the beauty of the trees, the eerie shadows beneath the branches
Leaving the timber, they found themselves in a broad h reen The trees wore gowns of green and gold, aht pink and lavender, pale blue and purest white
He heard the sound of a waterfall and turned his horse toward it, thinking to quench their thirst and refill their water flasks
The falls were a beautiful sight - crystal clear water cascaded down the side of an onyx ather in a deep turquoise blue pool
It wasn&039;t until they were kneeling at the water&039;s edge that he felt it, a ripple in the air, like the static before a storm
He rose quickly to his feet, all his senses alert He saw nothing out of the ordinary, heard nothing, and yet every instinct he possessed warned of danger The horses stirred restlessly
"What is it?" Channa Leigh asked She came to stand beside him, her hand on his ar alanced around, her brow furrowed "I feel a stirring in the air"
"Aye, that&039;s it" Gathering his power around hiht cast a net
There was a faint sizzle as his power ca flash and then a creature stood before theh had never seen It was as tall as the trees, covered with a sliray skin Its eyes were close set Its ed yellow teeth
She took a step backward, repelled by the hideous creature "What is it?"
Darkfest shook his head He had no idea what kind of beast it was, only that it had been born of evil He extended his arhty roar, the beast shook itsfree of their tethers, the anione, I say!"
The creature took a step forward, one hand reaching toward Channa Leigh The air around it shirass beneath its feet withered and died
Darkfest reacted instinctively Thrusting Channa Leigh behind him, he lifted his hand There was no tiathered his power around hiasped and reeled backward as a ball of criers
The creature screah covered her face with her hands, unable to watch as the leathery gray skin began to blister andsound, and then she felt Darkfest&039;s hand on her shoulder " &039;Tis over, Channa Leigh"
Slowly, she lowered her hands and glanced around Nothing reray ash
She looked around, her eyes wide and scared "Are there more of them?"
He closed his eyes a moment, then shook his head "I think not"
"But as it?"
"A hten us away No o after the horses They will not have gone far"