Read Online Of Light and Darkness by Shayne Leighton - Free Book Online
Authors: Shayne Leighton
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They’re just waitin’ for something delicious like you. Why, you don’t even have a sweater,” he observed.
Charlotte stopped again and frowned up at him. It was hard to see through the heavy gusts. “I have to go for him! He can’t go on his own! It’s against the Regime law!” she called over the wind.
The man with the eight appendages thought for a moment. “Those awful Wizards. I have no idea how they’re able to keep the power over some er’ these other Occult people. Especially Vampires. Vampires are very powerful, too, ya know,” he mused. “Why, they’re just a bunch of wisecrackin’ old Elves is all those Wizards are.” His mustache ruffled again.
Charlotte blinked up at him. She hadn’t really thought about that before. What kind of creatures were the Wizards exactly? “Are they really Elves?”
“Yes’um.” He grumbled. “Wisecrackin’ ones. Thinkin’ they're so great just ‘cause they’re all so book smart.”
Charlotte had to chuckle.
“Anyway, I think maybe you should be gettin’ home. There are Lycans and Fairies about in weather like this. Why, you could catch a serious cold, too.” He adjusted the aviator’s goggles on the bridge of his nose.
“What are you doing out here, then?” Charlotte asked, amused now.
“Where there are Fairies about, there are arachnids about.” He winked at her.
That made sense. He was a spider. Spiders eat flies. Well, technically the Fae weren’t flies but they were close enough, she decided. She cringed and grimaced as she pictured the strange man chomping down on one.
“A delicacy!” He licked his chops.
Thunder sounded over them again and a single drop of rain splattered on her nose and then another on her cheek.
“Come!” the man said, gesturing to himself. “Hop on. If you don’t want to go home now, I’ll get ya somewhere safe at least. Maybe not dry, but safe.”
“How do I know you won’t eat me?” Charlotte crossed her arms, half-joking.
He put his two front hands on his hips. “You don’t look like a Fairy to me!” He chuckled.
She laughed, too.
“Besides, I don't have a taste for humans. Too mealy.”
The ground disappeared beneath Charlotte’s feet as one of his large hands grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her onto his back. She marveled at how high up she was. His limbs seemed to be twice the size of his body.
“Ready?” He beamed at her through one, goggled, red eye.
She sucked in a breath of the balmy air through her nose. “Ready.” She gulped and gripped both hands around the scarlet material of his scarf.
They were off. She crouched, keeping her head low, grasping even tighter to him. He moved like lightning through the alleyways of the town, up on the rooftops and down over the cobblestone streets. She shut her eyes against the tunnel of cold rain and the fear of being thrown off.
He was much faster than Aiden’s horse, and a lot scarier. She hardly recognized the city that should have been too familiar to her as it flew by. Everything was a dark, gray blur, once in a while illuminated by the glow of a passing streetlight. She could hardly tell what direction they were going in, but there was something about this Phaser she truly trusted. She kept her face hidden in his back until she felt the large spider lurch to a stop.
“Here we are,” he said confidently. One of his enormously long arms helped her onto the ground. She felt slightly disoriented, but she smiled politely at him and nodded once.
She looked to see that they weren’t in front of her house, but rather just beyond her house, at the start of the dense forest. She could see the top of the mansion behind the trees. All of the lights were on inside, making her little castle glow. It looked so welcoming in comparison to the stormy witching hour.
However, in front of her was a rather large, dirt mound like that of a giant anthill—a very dark hole as the entrance to this strange abode.
“Okay, well…thank you for
Charlotte stopped again and frowned up at him. It was hard to see through the heavy gusts. “I have to go for him! He can’t go on his own! It’s against the Regime law!” she called over the wind.
The man with the eight appendages thought for a moment. “Those awful Wizards. I have no idea how they’re able to keep the power over some er’ these other Occult people. Especially Vampires. Vampires are very powerful, too, ya know,” he mused. “Why, they’re just a bunch of wisecrackin’ old Elves is all those Wizards are.” His mustache ruffled again.
Charlotte blinked up at him. She hadn’t really thought about that before. What kind of creatures were the Wizards exactly? “Are they really Elves?”
“Yes’um.” He grumbled. “Wisecrackin’ ones. Thinkin’ they're so great just ‘cause they’re all so book smart.”
Charlotte had to chuckle.
“Anyway, I think maybe you should be gettin’ home. There are Lycans and Fairies about in weather like this. Why, you could catch a serious cold, too.” He adjusted the aviator’s goggles on the bridge of his nose.
“What are you doing out here, then?” Charlotte asked, amused now.
“Where there are Fairies about, there are arachnids about.” He winked at her.
That made sense. He was a spider. Spiders eat flies. Well, technically the Fae weren’t flies but they were close enough, she decided. She cringed and grimaced as she pictured the strange man chomping down on one.
“A delicacy!” He licked his chops.
Thunder sounded over them again and a single drop of rain splattered on her nose and then another on her cheek.
“Come!” the man said, gesturing to himself. “Hop on. If you don’t want to go home now, I’ll get ya somewhere safe at least. Maybe not dry, but safe.”
“How do I know you won’t eat me?” Charlotte crossed her arms, half-joking.
He put his two front hands on his hips. “You don’t look like a Fairy to me!” He chuckled.
She laughed, too.
“Besides, I don't have a taste for humans. Too mealy.”
The ground disappeared beneath Charlotte’s feet as one of his large hands grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her onto his back. She marveled at how high up she was. His limbs seemed to be twice the size of his body.
“Ready?” He beamed at her through one, goggled, red eye.
She sucked in a breath of the balmy air through her nose. “Ready.” She gulped and gripped both hands around the scarlet material of his scarf.
They were off. She crouched, keeping her head low, grasping even tighter to him. He moved like lightning through the alleyways of the town, up on the rooftops and down over the cobblestone streets. She shut her eyes against the tunnel of cold rain and the fear of being thrown off.
He was much faster than Aiden’s horse, and a lot scarier. She hardly recognized the city that should have been too familiar to her as it flew by. Everything was a dark, gray blur, once in a while illuminated by the glow of a passing streetlight. She could hardly tell what direction they were going in, but there was something about this Phaser she truly trusted. She kept her face hidden in his back until she felt the large spider lurch to a stop.
“Here we are,” he said confidently. One of his enormously long arms helped her onto the ground. She felt slightly disoriented, but she smiled politely at him and nodded once.
She looked to see that they weren’t in front of her house, but rather just beyond her house, at the start of the dense forest. She could see the top of the mansion behind the trees. All of the lights were on inside, making her little castle glow. It looked so welcoming in comparison to the stormy witching hour.
However, in front of her was a rather large, dirt mound like that of a giant anthill—a very dark hole as the entrance to this strange abode.
“Okay, well…thank you for
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