*Note* This is the story I have been working on for the longest time, and the reason I haven't been posting on here for a while. It is my best story. If you want to read the rest of it, PM me! And happy 1000 views on my blog!!! *End Note* 

 

Lightchosen

Prologue

The Light was gone

 

That was the worst thing about this Saints-Forsaken prison. Kasse couldn’t feel the light anymore. Everything was numb. At the start, it had ached, a pain that she couldn’t quell, but now… now there was nothing. That was almost worse. 

Why, why did it have to be her? 

She stretched out a shaking hand, wishing with all her soul that the light would return. Her chains clanked when she moved, an eerie, hollow sound that reverberated through her.  Everything was louder when the light was gone, Kasse noticed. 

She hated it. 

She could hear the guards when they passed, their feet pounding against the rocks and their keys jingling with each step, taunting her with how close they were. 

She could handle being chained up, she could live with the sounds, the horrible stench was tolerable, and she could even deal with the stupid, scratchy jumpsuit they made her wear, but not being able to feel the light… that killed her. 

Maybe… maybe she should just give up. She was so close to breaking. She just. Wanted. It. To. End. 

“You ready to give up yet?” Kasse jerked violently at the sudden sound, images flashing through her head. The voice… it wasn’t one she knew. That meant…No. No. NO! She couldn't go back, no, she couldn’t. She trembled, knowing and hating what she knew. Why did it have to be her?

Someone was screaming. 

Who was that? 

Kasse was trembling, her hands shaking, rattling her chains. That voice… that was her, wasn’t it? 

“Stop that!” the man cried out, then paused, dropped his voice down an octave, and repeated it. “Stop that right now, Prisoner.” 

She snapped her mouth shut, and the scream cut off.

“Who are you?” Kasse croaked, trying desperately to keep herself from breaking down again. She rubbed at the scar on her forearm over and over, the repetitive action somewhat soothing to her. 

“I’m your worst nightmare,” the man said in a comically high pitched voice, trying to sound threatening, but failing miserably at it. If Kasse wasn’t so terrified, maybe she would have laughed. “Now come with me.” 

“Where are the normal guards?” There came only laughs in return. 

There was a tug on her chains, forcing her to her feet. From the sounds, the man walked over and unhooked them from the wall. In the process, he freed the rock she had kept stashed on top of them to keep track of the days- or try to, at least. It was so hard to tell when days started and ended without the light. Eventually, Kasse had resigned to making a mark every time the guards came to clean out her chamber pot. It wasn’t like she had anything else to do. There were about two hundred of those small marks carved into the wall- thick enough that she could feel each individual one with her fingers. 

Stumbling, Kasse tried to keep her balance as the man forced her out into the hall which was, of course, still dark. “Where are we going?” she asked, trying to feel out with her hands to keep herself from falling over. 

“Where do you think?” the man said, shoving her forward. It took Kasse a moment to realize it was an answer to her question. 

“To my death?” she whispered hopefully. The man snorted, clearly amused. 

“No, no, no. You’re far too useful for that. We have something better in mind for you. For now, at least.” 

Kasse knew he was waiting for her to ask what they had planned for her, but instead she remained silent. If she wasn’t going to be killed, then she was going to the Place. 

She would rather have been killed. 

“Hurry up,” the man said finally. “I mean, surely it can’t be-” his voice cut off, almost as if it was squeezed from his throat. 

“Excuse me?” Kasse said, momentarily intrigued. The man didn’t respond, however, and Kasse found herself wondering about her future. 

“We’re almost there,”  the man said, still trying to sound intimidating and doing it extremely poorly. 

“How do you know where we are? We can’t see anything.” 

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” the man said evasively, then stepped forward. 

The man slowly pulled on her chains, opened the door in front of them, and everything changed. 

Kasse skidded to a stop, her feet scraping on the rough stones, sending phantom memories of pain through her. 

But it didn’t matter. 

She couldn’t see anything, but this wasn't like the darkness before. This was a white blankness. Her eyes stung and watered, but everything was right again. Everything was perfect. 

Then the whiteness blurred, and shapes formed in front of her, indistinct and fuzzy. 

But Kasse could feel the light again. For the first time in an eternity, she was whole. Senses that had been numb now flared with life, and the pain evaporated. 

“Why?” she whispered. When the man didn’t respond, she turned towards him, the shapes solidifying. Starting, she realized she was seeing him for the first time. He wore a fancy sports jacket and jeans, and his face was sort of squarish, but in a handsome way. His inky black hair was styled in a short swoop just above his eyebrows. He was about her age, she thought. He looked sort of awkwardly at her, and she realized she was gaping. 

“Why?” she asked again, meeting his eyes. 

“Well,” he started, blushing slightly. “I went into one of the other cells. One like yours. You see, I was one of the guards who was taking care of you, and you seemed so miserable. So, I decided to see how it was.”

“And?” Kasse prodded when he didn’t continue. “How was it?” Kasse took a seat on the ground, feeling the glorious light on her skin, enveloping her. 

“It was awful,” the man confessed. “I couldn’t feel the light at all, and everything… Everything was just wrong. The smell alone…” Kasse peered at him. “So?” 

“So, I decided that what they were doing to you was too much, that the way they were treating you was too harsh. I can’t do much, but I was able to do enough to get you here.” 

Kasse nodded towards him gratefully. “Thank you.” 

“It’s only artificial light. There was no way I had enough influence to get you out in the sunlight, but-” 

“No,” Kasse said, grabbing his hands. Her chains clanked uneasily, but she was able to ignore it.  “This is perfect. Thank you.” They stayed there a while longer. The man simply watched, and Kasse felt the light. No, it wasn’t the sunlight. May the Saints come if she was ever able to see that again. 

But it was enough. 

She would not give in. She was stronger than that. 

After what felt like an all too short time, the man took her by the arm and slowly guided her to the Place. The awful Place, where nightmares and pain collided in a horrible mix, and Kasse was pushed to her breaking point. 

But she would resist. 

Chapter 1

It was raining. 

Of course, it was always raining in Batak. 

This fact did not stop Mashae from muttering a quiet curse to the One Who Changes The Land. Slowly, she began packing up her estate- a single flat sheet of metal that she wedged between the two sides of the alleyway she slept in, her raincloak, and her satchel. 

The metal sheet went behind a few sodden cardboard boxes, tucked away where Mashae hoped it wouldn’t get stolen. It did its job poorly, at best, but it was better than nothing. 

Her raincloak was damp, as always. She slept on it, trying to give herself a little padding. Not that it stopped her from aching. Or from getting wet, for that matter. 

Her satchel was, for the most part, empty. She packed what few items she had in it-most of them her carvings-, hoping the waterproof leather would keep them from getting ruined. 

Pulling the hood of her raincloak higher, Mashae set out, her bare feet splashing in the shallow pools of water that formed before the irrigation canals could drain them down. 

As she crossed the street, Mashae was nearly hit by a few kaars- the three wheeled transporters were hard to control, making them unpredictable- but she was able to weave around them. She still didn’t understand why people liked those things. 

The streets were crowded, despite the early hour. Mashae wasn’t sure why- there was nothing all that special coming up, as far as she knew. Still, the amount of umbrellas that were out made it harder to navigate. 

“Mashae?” Mashae turned, starting. She knew that voice… didn’t she? Blinking away the rain that collected on her eyelashes, she peered at the person running up to her. No… It couldn’t be. But no one else had that strange, devilish smile and that confident swagger. 

“Cahe? Is that you?” Cahe ran up to her, grabbing her hands. 

“Mashae!” he laughed. 

“Cahe!” she giggled back, wrapping him in a hug. “It’s been too long.” 

“Yes,” he said, pulling back an arm's length to look at her. “You’ve changed.” His eyes fixed on her Marker, narrowing slightly. 

“You have too,” Mashae said pointedly, tugging at the sleeve of his raincloak, which was, shockingly, brand new. “Want to give an explanation for this?” 

“Aren’t you going to ask what I’m doing here?” Cahe asked, avoiding eye contact. 

Mashae frowned, but obliged him. “Fine. What are you doing here? You haven’t contacted me for almost two months, and now you just show up? Why are you here?” 

“I came to talk to you!” Cahe said, checking over his shoulder in both directions. There were people nearby, which clearly gave him pause. What do you want, Cahe? Mashae wondered silently. And why don’t you want other people to hear it? 

“Let’s walk and talk,” Mashae said, offering him her arm. He took it with a smile, and Mashae continued her stroll towards the market. They walked for a minute in silence, the only sounds coming from the rain and the people around them. 

Finally, Mashae spoke. “So? What did you want to talk to me about?” she prompted. 

“My employers,” Cahe said. 

“Is that where you got this?” Mashae said, pointing to his raincloak. 

“That’s not the point,” Cahe said, his words cut off slightly by a crash of water from the irrigation canals. 

“Then what is the point?” Mashae said, pulling to a stop and looking him in the eye. 

“My employers had a recent job opening. I suggested you for it. You have everything they’re looking for, even if you have changed.” Cahe tugged on her arm, and they continued walking, Mashae checking to make sure they were still on course for the Market. 

“What job is it?” Mashae asked. “I won’t do anything illegal, no matter what you say. I won’t.” 

“I know,” Cahe said patronizingly. “I know. I promise. I won’t make you go back. This is practically one hundred percent legal. We just need someone like you to finish the team. Besides, it will be good for you. The money we make from this could be enough for you to move out of the streets! You could get your own house!” 

Mashae paused, stopping in the street and mulling things over for a moment before saying, “No, Cahe. I won’t do it. The fact that you have to say that tells me all I need. Besides, I’m fine with how I am right now. So please, leave me out of it.” 

Cahe unlooped his arm from hers, peering at her. “You’ve changed more than I thought,” he said softly. “I won’t give this up, Mashae. I talked you up to them. I swore you’d be all in.” 

“Well then,” Mashae said, taking a step back. “I guess you’ll have to tell them you were wrong. Leave me out of this, Cahe. I want no part. You know why I won’t.” 

“I won’t give this up,” Cahe repeated. “Look in your satchel.” 

“What?” Mashae flipped open the flap of her satchel, peering inside. There was a small brown bag inside that Mashae had not packed. About a hands-length, it was square and thin, with a single black string to tie it shut. 

Mashae opened it, and found a single sheet of bekwood- the water resistant kind that was much too expensive to buy for most people- with strange instructions carved into the surface. It was hard to make out in the rain, but she thought the first word was “Follow”. 

“Cahe,” Mashae said slowly. “What is this?” She turned it over, but found nothing more. “Cahe?” When he didn’t respond, she looked up. 

Cahe was gone.

___

Cahe watched Mashae for as long as he could spare. She was still standing there, water pouring down the front of her raincloak, as she read the instructions Cahe had painstakingly etched into the bekwood. The sheet was clamped tightly in her hands, as if Mashae expected it to disappear when she wasn’t looking. He hoped she would listen. For his sake, if not her own. 

After a minute, Mashae seemed to come to a decision. Stowing the bekwood in her satchel, she strode in the direction of the market, likely to sell her carvings. They were nice, but they wouldn’t be enough to do more than pay for a few meals. She did glance back once in the direction of Cahe. His heart leapt, but she couldn’t see him. He wished he could go with her, but had something else he needed to do. 

Striding away in the opposite direction, Cahe followed the path carved onto his own sheet of bekwood. Cutting through a few alleys to make up for the time he had spent watching Mashae, Cahe arrived at the meeting place.The tall, run-down building was in a rougher part of town, which suited the crew’s needs perfectly. Cahe made sure to head to the back door, as the front was blocked off, and he tapped out the secret knock. After a few moments, the door cracked open, and Cahe muttered the password. “I’ve been out searching,” Cahe whispered. 

“What could you be searching for on such a fine day?” came the reply. 

“Life,” Cahe said. The door swung open fully as they finished exchanging the codes. He made sure to close the door as he walked inside, grateful for the reprieve from the rain. Despite being indoors, however, he pulled up the hood of his raincloak even farther. Until the crew was determined completely, no one wanted their identity revealed. 

In the room itself, there were already a few people inside, faces obscured with raincloaks. Cahe walked up to the tallest out of the group, then dropped to one knee and began to mutter the Praises, as was customary when you met those high above you. 

“Thank the Saints for-”

“Stop that, child,” the Master rumbled. He placed a hand on Cahe’s shoulder, seeming almost paternal. The Master did take Cahe in, after all. Still, after all these months, Cahe didn’t know his real name. “Where is the girl?” 

Cahe clambered to his feet, nodding dutifully to the other members who, despite growing used to his devout practice of the Saint’s Guides, looked at him strangely. “I was… somewhat successful,” Cahe said. “She has changed more in the past few months than I thought. She has also dropped to Candlerank, though that is not truly the problem.”

“A problem?” The Master removed his hand from Cahe’s shoulder, instead clasping it in front of him. “You promised us the girl would come, Cahe. You swore it.” His voice dropped low, dangerous. “If she is not coming, then you wasted our time. Is that what you are saying?”

Cahe read between the lines. Despite being chosen by the Master himself, Cahe’s position in the group was flimsy. It all hinged upon whether or not Mashae agreed. 

“She will come,” Cahe said, trying to convince himself as much as the Master. “She refuses to do anything illegal and is far warier than I remember. She tries to hide it, but she fears going back more than anything. Still, I know her. Better than she knows herself, I believe. She will be here. Trust me.” 

The Master peered at Cahe- or so Cahe thought. It was hard to tell with the raincloak. “Very well,” the Master said finally. “You have two hours. Is that clear?” 

“Yes,” Cahe said, nodding. He turned and began to walk out of the room. The other people in the room, who had, for the most part, remained silent throughout the discussion, began to talk animatedly. Still, Cahe did not look back. 

He had somewhere to be.

------

The instructions were strange, as far as Mashae could read. After looking around for Cahe for a short while to no avail, Mashae had returned her attention to the sheet of bekwood. She thought she could make out the first line, despite the rain blurring the words. 

“Follow the path of the Saints to the-” and then what was that word? Hard? Stars?

“Shard!” Mashae shouted, the pieces of the puzzle falling into place. A few people on the increasingly crowded streets gave her a weird look, but she ignored them. “It must be the Shard of the Saints!” 

The Shard of the Saints was an old statue that had been broken by the twenty-fourth Changing. All that remained was a single, tall, almost pyramid shaped piece, It was only about a five minute walk from the Market. She could go to it, figure out the rest of the clues and- no, what was she thinking? She had already decided against it, hadn’t she? 

A cold gust of wind slammed against her, driving more rain into her already soaked clothes. Mashae shivered, wishing not for the first time that the rain would end. For a moment, she entertained the thought of joining Cahe. He had said that they would make enough money to move out of the alleys…

I can’t live like this forever, a part of her whispered. Something has to change…

Before she could change her mind, Mashae stuffed the sheet of bekwood into her satchel and continued in the direction of the Market. She was only a short distance away, and- despite the uncharacteristically large amount of people on the streets- it was easy to find her way there. 

Strolling inside the fancy gold and white building, Mashae flipped back the hood of her raincloak and made her way to where the tables were set up. The market always had them for people to use, free of charge. It was just first come, first served. Thankfully, it was early enough in the day that, despite her delay with Cahe, Mashae was able to get one, even if it was near the back. 

Once that was taken care of, she quickly removed her raincloak and set out the carvings. There were about ten of them altogether, each in the shape of the mythological creatures of the Saints. Lion, tiger, bear, otter, owl, orca, cobra, wolf, komodo dragon, and eagle. The animals represented the different attributes of the Saints.

Once everything was ready, Mashae started to call out loudly, “Carvings of the Saints’ attributes! Become one with the Saints as you hold these carvings!” When she had first come to the Market, she had resisted using the cheesy catchphrases, but they did draw peoples’ attention. 

A few people wandered towards her table, but none gave it more than a glance. Part of her was hoping that it would stay this way.  She had worked hard on these carvings, and to give them away crushed her. Still, she needed the money, so she pasted on a smile and tried to get them sold. 

After a short while, a slender, dark-haired woman sauntered up to Mashae’s table. She was wearing a bright red raincloak and had several pieces of jewelry on each hand. A rich person, then. 

“What are these?” the woman asked, poking one with a heavily ringed finger. 

“Carvings of the Saints’ attributes!” Mashae said brightly. “Each one in great detail that would please the Saints themselves! These-”

“Shut it girl,” the woman snapped. “I don’t need the whole advertisement, just a short description.” Mashae fell silent. The woman wasn’t expecting a response- she just wanted something to criticize. 

Finally, the woman said, “How much?” 

“I, uh, what?” Mashae said. She hadn’t actually expected the woman to buy anything. 

“Are you stupid, girl? I said, how much?” the woman said slowly, drumming her fingers on the table. 

“Ten marks,” Mashae said quickly. It was a crazy amount to charge for a carving, but the woman seemed eager enough…

The woman snorted, then reached inside of her cloak. “I will pay five marks each. Nothing more.”

“Deal,” Mashae said, gathering up the carvings. The woman examined each one closely as Mashae handed them to her. “The money?” Mashae asked when the woman had them all. 

“Ah, of course.” The woman began riffling around in her satchel. She handed a single mark to Mashae, then paused. “This product is defective!” the woman declared, removing the carving of the eagle from her bag. “It’s cracked! 

“What? No, it’s not.” Mashae took it from the woman. 

“There,” the woman said, pointing. “On the wing!” 

Mashae leaned down, examining the carving closely. “I still don’t see anything. Where did you say-” Mashae’s words cut off as she looked up. The woman, along with Mashae’s carvings, was gone. 

“Hey!” Mashae cried out. “Theif!” Grabbing the strap of her satchel with one hand, Mashae leapt forward. “Come back!” She could see the red raincloak bobbing through the crowd of people. 

Mashae ran as fast as she could, dodging around people and tables, squeezing through gaps and spaces. “Theif,” she shouted again, pushing herself harder. Faster, she thought. FASTER! That’s everything I have! I can’t live on one mark! 

Mashae burst out into the open air, rain crashing down on her. She was almost instantly soaked, but she kept looking around. Where was the woman? Mashae spun in a short circle, blinking away rain. 

There! Mashae tossed up her hood and sprinted forward. The woman was there, almost at the edge of the street. “Come back!” Mashae cried, trying to catch up. She was almost there. Stepping around a few people, Mashae followed the woman for a short distance. The woman was just ahead! 

A kaar whizzed past Mashae, right in front of her, and Mashae screeched to a stop. “Hey!” she shouted. “Watch it!” Then, looking up, she realized the woman was gone. 

Where had the woman gone? No, this couldn’t be happening. She started to shake, everything starting to blur. 

What would she do? She depended on those carvings. She couldn’t buy anything on one mark. It wasn’t that she couldn’t carve more- she could, she just didn’t have the time. Each of those carvings took her hours upon hours to make, and she needed each one to even begin to pay for food. 

“I told you Mashae,” Cahe’s voice whispered, sounding like he was right behind her. “You can’t live like this forever.” Mashae jumped, whirling around in a tight circle. 

“Cahe, what is going on?” She didn’t see anything. 

“You can’t live on luck and charity.” Mashae whipped out her knife and held it in front of herself wardingly. “Cahe,” she said. “This isn’t funny.”

“You can’t live like this forever,” Cahe repeated, then fell silent.  

“Stop it Cahe!” Mashae shouted, drawing looks from people passing by. “I said I wanted no part! Stop!” Her voice began to falter. “I’m doing fine without you! I’m… doing… fine…” The words caught in her throat, and she wrapped her arms around herself. She was living in an alley, for Saints’ sake. She lived week by week, hoping to get lucky. And what had just happened, with the woman, that proved she wasn’t okay. 

“Fine,” Mashae bit reluctantly. “I’ll talk to your employers, okay? I’m not promising anything, but… I’ll talk to them.”

When there was still no response, Mashae huffed and flipped open the top of her satchel. There were now only two things inside- the sheet of bekwood, which was what she had been reaching for, and the carving of the eagle. Mashae stared at the carving, gingerly picking it up with one hand. How ironic that this was the one the woman hadn’t stolen. 

Mashae looked closer, noting one spot where she made a mistake and etched a small scratch across the back. She thought… she thought she could almost hear a voice. An echo, a whisper from a time long ago. 

We have to give a gift, Mashae. Otherwise, how will we know that our plea is heard? 

Shaking her head, Mashae shoved aside that line of thought and put the eagle back in its place in the bag. Taking the bekwood out instead, Mashae fixed her gaze on the Shard, just visible in the distance, and started walking.