Dark Offering Read online

  Dark Offering

  Elizabeth James

  Copyright © 2019 Thrall of Darkness

  All rights reserved.

  Dark Offering was published serially on thrallofdarkness.com in 2019.

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  About the Author

  Thrall of Darkness

  Other Thrall of Darkness Novels

  Chapter 1

  The sun glimmered on the metallic spires of the colony, starting its slow rise into the sky. Jarl glanced up briefly, but the splendor of the scene was lost on him. The days were short this time of year, though they were starting to get longer, but tonight, nightfall would hold no danger. Normally, the darkness unleashed the hidden creatures of the night who devoured any humans foolish enough to wander about. For a brief time in the spring, however, the creatures were docile. It was as though the planet were trying to apologize for its harshness, and it was a glimpse of what life could be like if the planet would only accept humans into its ecosystem.

  It wasn’t the humans’ fault that the planet rejected them, Jarl thought bitterly. When human colonists had first found the planet, they had thought it a second Earth. They had left their home planet seeking a place to grow without making the mistakes that had led to the destruction of original Earth, and they thought they had found it here. And the truth wasn’t apparent for some time, because at first the native creatures stayed away. So the colonists broke their landing ship into components to build their housing, and soon the ability to leave the surface was lost. It was then that they realized the planet was just waiting to strike.

  Jarl sighed. This sweet peace in the spring held so much promise. The original colonists had thought it would always be like this, but now, people knew better. In a few short days, the nights would once again hold terror as anything with human consciousness became warped by nightmares that led humans straight into the mouths of the creatures outside.

  He was headed into the wilderness for the annual harvest which took advantage of the planet’s brief peace. There were plants deep in the woods of Ylse that provided the perfect nutritional balance for humans and remained fresh for years, and because it was so difficult growing anything in the protected colony where humans were trapped, they were a vital supplement to the colony’s diet. This was the only time of year when it was safe enough to travel into the woods to gather them, and he had been doing it for three years now. The old timers said they sometimes ran into the creatures of the planet during these harvests, but Jarl never had. The planet left him alone, as it left all humans alone during this single moment in the spring.

  It had to do with the moon, Jarl knew. Something about how it neutralized the waves that filtered into human consciousness. He wasn’t sure, but he was grateful. He hefted his empty bags and adjusted his mask. It was said that once a creature saw your face, they could haunt your dreams until you willingly went to your death as the siren’s wail of the planet’s odd emanations manipulated your desires.

  By the time the sun sank, the colony was out of sight and he was surrounded by the woods. There were no humans within miles of him and he shivered in fear. Even though he knew he was safe, it was unnerving being outside of the colony’s protection as it grew dark and the sun slipped below the treeline.

  Every time he did this, he was amazed at the silence of the night. Normally, there was a low hum that translated into nightmares. When the nightmares were too strong, they manifested into action as the person tried to leave the colony and go to their death. Guards were stationed at every exit to protect people, but there were still casualties almost every night. On Earth, nightmares were passive, he knew. They were frightening, but couldn’t kill you. He envied the original colonists their innocence, and he envied the people of original Earth for the ability to sleep without fear. He had heard it was even possible to sleep without nightmares, though the concept was utterly alien to him. Even when he slept during the day, there were nightmares. They just weren’t strong enough to kill.

  When his legs started to tire, he came to a stop. It was nearly pitch black but he could see clearly with his night vision goggles that sat above his mask. The silence was unnerving as he considered resting. It was important to get to the plants quickly and return before the planet roared back to life, but he would need to rest eventually. He had five days to get there and back, and while he needed to rush, he shouldn’t push himself past his limits. He looked around. This was a good place to rest. The trees were a little farther apart and the undergrowth formed a protective barrier where he could sleep. Yes, he would take a rest here. He knelt in the hollow on the ground and heard a sound behind him.

  Jarl drew in a sharp breath and whirled, whipping up his gun even though he knew the weapon wouldn’t help him against most creatures that came out at night. The power of the moon helped them heal too quickly. Only in the daylight could they be killed, and they had long ago learned that and hid when the sunlight’s rays weakened them.

  There was nothing. Nothing behind him, only the trees. He ought to be able to see any heat nearby but nothing was showing up. He scanned the area completely. Maybe he had misheard it, or maybe it was just a natural sound of the woods that was exaggerated in the silence of the spring night.

  He cautiously knelt on the ground and looked around again, and then lay down. He curled up protectively and fell into sleep, his mind swirling into nightmares of sharp teeth piercing his veins and wispy shapes draining him of life. A peaceful sleep, compared to most, and when he awoke he felt rested. It was still dark as he got to his feet and looked around. The sun was about to rise and he needed to keep going. Four days left.

  Chapter 2

  The day went well, and as night started to fall again, he knew that if he pushed, he could reach the plants before he rested. He would get there, sleep, then collect the plants in the morning and start heading back. The plants grew in specific locations that the original colonists had mapped out carefully and the paths to them were well-known to the harvesters like Jarl. There were twelve patches where they grew within range of the colony and one harvester had set out for each one. Jarl’s patch was the farthest, but he had made good time.

  The woods were mostly silent during the day, but he kept hearing an unusual clopping sound. Every time he heard it, he looked around and saw nothing out of place. The creatures of the day were harmless but a few were curious about humans and sometimes followed them, so he assumed that was the sound. As the sun sank into the sky again and he put his night goggles on, he scanned the area. There were scattered patches of heat as the day creatures sank into their cold sleep and grew nearly invisible, and soon it was only him again. Only tonight, the silence was broken by the sound of wind.

  Jarl shivered every time the wind picked up, waiting for it to infiltrate his mind and lead him to death. His pace quickened. But nothing happened. His nerves were fraying, but he was safe. He tried to assure himself of that over and over again. He was safe. The planet didn’t kill during this single peace. He was safe.

  He came to the crest of a small hill and looked down into the valley below. The plants were straight ahead and he let out a sigh of relief. He had made it
. He took off his night goggles as the plants were phosphorescent and lit the area with a warm glow. He headed into the final stretch with a light heart and when he saw the dense foliage start to give way to the clearing where the enormous pod-like plants sprouted, the tension drained from his shoulders. Not even the wind bothered him. He grinned as he reached the first of the shoulder-height bloom, but when he stepped into the clearing, his smile slipped. Ice shot through his spine and his heart skidded into a frantic tattoo as his fight-or-flight instincts consumed him. A creature stood there, and it wasn’t human.

  Jarl dropped into a crouch and pointed his gun at the humanoid shape. He had never seen a creature of the night and was a little surprised at how human it looked. And it made no moves towards him, though it was looking at him. His hands trembled with adrenaline as he struggled to figure out what to do. If it were any other time of year, he would be dead right now. The creatures could move faster than humans and he wouldn’t stand a chance. But he was safe, and other humans had met these creatures during this brief period of safety and survived.

  He took a deep breath. Shooting the creature would do nothing and there was no point in running. He would stand his ground and hope that the creature left. In the meantime, he studied it curiously.

  It was human in form, and while it seemed to wear draping clothing of some sort, it appeared to be male. He wasn’t entirely human, but he was more beautiful than anything Jarl could have imagined. He was nearly a head taller than Jarl and his muscular body showed clearly under the cloth. His skin had a lovely bronze tint, as if he spent all his time in the sun, but his fingers seemed unnaturally long. He had a square jaw and strong nose, but his eyes were larger than they should be and entirely black, like an insect’s eyes. Still, he was lovely to look at and Jarl was startled that a creature of the night could be so beautiful. His hands were angled up as if to indicate peace. Or at least Jarl hoped it indicated peace. Then the creature smiled, exposing a full mouth of razor sharp fangs, and Jarl stepped back nervously. Every one of the creature’s teeth were at least two inches long and came to a severe point, curving slightly inward in a mockery of a smile.

  “I mean you no harm,” the creature said in perfect English. “Put down your gun.”

  Jarl lowered his gun, because he knew his gun was useless anyway.

  “My name is Arlen. What is yours?”

  Jarl licked his lips. He had never heard of a creature talking to a human before. They ate humans, not conversed with them. He wracked his brain for what the old timers had said about these encounters, but it seemed like they only glimpsed the creatures. He had never heard of anyone coming face to face with a creature like this and surviving. But the creature showed no animosity or aggression. If anything, the creature looked quite curious. And the smile, though threatening given his fangs, might be meant to reassure. But he remembered that once a creature saw your face, it could drag you to your death. His mask was still securely in place and he had to assume hearing a human’s voice had the same weakness. He would stay silent. The creature’s smile faded.

  “I mean you no harm,” he repeated. “You’ve come for these plants, haven’t you? I won’t stop you.”

  Jarl looked around, wondering if the creature would stay here while he harvested the plants. Would the creature stay until he left? He had been planning on sleeping here, but there was no way he could sleep with this thing nearby.

  Cautiously, he went to the first plant and ran his hand over the petals to spark the stamen to extend. It obeyed and he was aware of the creature watching him with that same curiosity. Carefully, Jarl harvested the pollen pods that provided much-needed nutrients and packed them into his bags. He took a bite of one to make sure it was ripe to eat and the honey-sweet taste flooded his senses as he couldn’t hold back a sigh of pleasure. Not only were the plants nutritious, they were absolutely delicious.

  He harvested the first plant completely and looked at the nearest plant. The creature was between him and the plant. He wasn’t going to get any closer, but he needed the pollen. The creature smiled again.

  “Aren’t you curious why such a perfect plant exists?” he asked. Jarl’s eyes narrowed. “It wasn’t here before you humans arrived. Aren’t you curious about it?”

  Jarl was tempted to say the plant must have been here before, since plants couldn’t have evolved since human arrived over a hundred years ago. Not a plant this large and elaborate. But he wondered at those words, and at the plant itself. It didn’t make sense that there was a plant perfectly catered to human needs on such an inhospitable planet.

  “Aren’t you curious why we give you time to reach the plants every year?”

  Jarl hesitated.

  “What do you mean?” he asked, then bit his tongue. He had spoken. He braced himself, but there was no siren wail to go to his death. He was safe, for the time being. The creature’s smile widened into a grin.

  “So you are curious. We’re curious, too. About you. Humans. You’re alien to us and we’ve tried to adapt, but your minds are toxic to us. We want to assimilate you, but we can’t.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Your dreams,” the creature said. “Our planet has tried to communicate to you, but you’re numb to her. Why can’t you hear her? Why does her voice drive you insane?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jarl said nervously, not liking the fact that they were talking about the dreams that might lead him to his death when the planet’s viciousness returned.

  “Do you know why I’m here?”

  “No.”

  “What’s your name?”

  Jarl edged backwards. Was there some power in knowing his name? Well, he was likely going to die anyway. The creature had heard his voice. Was there a reason why he should hold back his name?

  “Why do you want to know?”

  “You’re intended for me,” the creature said, and Jarl shivered and took several steps backwards. So it was too late. He would be devoured by this creature as soon as the darkness regained its power.

  “I hope you survive,” the creature added. “We keep hoping for a human to survive. None ever has, but we thought perhaps if we spoke to you first, got to know you a little, you might survive. I’ve told you my name. It’s only fair for you to do the same.”

  “Jarl,” he whispered.

  “Pleasure to meet you, Jarl,” the creature said, looking pleased.

  “When will you kill me? Will you let me bring these plants back to the colony first?”

  “If you return before the night regains her power, then you’ll be safe,” he said. “But once she does, you’ll be drawn to me. It’s inevitable. They can stop you for a day, maybe a week, but eventually you’ll find me. And I hope you survive.”

  “Why do you want me to survive? Don’t you want to feed on me?”

  “We want to learn to feed without killing,” the creature said. “Wouldn’t you prefer that? If humans could live in harmony with our planet? That’s all we want.”

  Jarl considered. He did want humans to live in harmony, but he didn’t want them to be fed on. Couldn’t the planet just leave them alone? He glanced at the plant behind the creature. The creature moved out of his way as if he knew what Jarl wanted, and gestured to it.

  “You should harvest all of them,” the creature said. Very warily, Jarl moved to the plant and stroked the petals. He tasted the pollen to make sure it was ripe, then began filling his bag again. When he finished, the creature moved so that he could access another.

  “Aren’t you tired?” the creature asked as he finished the third plant. He was tired. He had planned on getting here, sleeping, and then harvesting in the morning. But there was no way he was sleeping with this creature around. “You should rest. Your kind aren’t used to the nights.”

  “I’m fine,” he said.

  The creature took a step towards him and he flinched back. The creature raised his arms as if to indicate that he meant no harm.

&nbs
p; “You should rest. If I didn’t hurt you last night, I’m not going to tonight.”

  “You’ve been following me?” he asked nervously, remembering the sounds he had been hearing. But there had been nothing in his goggles. Nothing alive had been near him.

  “Look at me with those goggles,” the creature said, gesturing to the night goggles hanging at his neck. Cautiously, he put them on over his mask. And was stunned. There was nothing in front of him. The plants glowed red, but there no creature standing in front of him. It wasn’t even that the creature was cold, because otherwise he would see it outlined against the hot plants. There was no trace of him. He lowered the goggles quickly, wondering if the creature had left. He was still there, smiling. A chill went down Jarl’s spine. No one had ever suspected that the creatures of the night could hide from their goggles.

  “You see?” the creature said. “I won’t hurt you. But you should rest before you continue. You’ll have plenty of time to harvest the rest of these tomorrow and you’ll be able to return with time to spare. You shouldn’t push yourself.”

  “Why should you care? You’re just going to eat me when the darkness returns.”

  “I told you, I want you to survive,” the creature said. “You can’t survive if you die on the way back. And your people depend on this harvest.”

  Jarl looked at the plants, then at the ground. He had slept here before when he came to harvest. He had always assumed it was safe. And he did need rest. But how could he possibly rest with a creature like this nearby?

  “Would you prefer if I left?” the creature asked. “I won’t go far, but perhaps you would prefer privacy.”

  “Yes,” he said, though he wasn’t sure he would trust any privacy he got. If he couldn’t see the creature, how could he know he had privacy? Normally he slept on the outskirts of this clearing so the light from the plants was dimmer. This time he would have to sleep in the middle of them to feel safe and he didn’t now if their light would interfere with his sleep.