The Seekers: The Children of Darkness (Dystopian Sci-Fi - Book 1) Read Online Free

life?”
    “The people of Little Pond are deserving.”
    The vicar turned to the audience. “Let the elders approach.”
    The five elders, including Nathaniel’s father, stepped
forward, with the two oldest, John and Robert, bearing a sack that contained
donations collected in the past week.
    “What is it you bring?” the vicar said.
    “We give what we can to support the Temple,” Robert
responded.
    The vicar took the sack of medicine from his pack and handed
it to the elders in a simultaneous exchange. The medicine was a gift from the
Temple, enough to last until the next blessing. Like every child in Little
Pond, Orah remembered the magic in that sack, white tablets for headaches, pink
powder for stomach ailments, and miraculous blue capsules that healed
infections during cold winter nights. Its contents would be stored in the
village pharmacy and dispensed freely according to need.
    “Bless you, people of Little Pond. Through your generosity,
the light shall thrive.” The vicar stuffed the tithe in his pack and turned
toward the icon. “Holiness, will you lead us in the precepts of faith?”
    The crowd rose to their feet. When the grand vicar began the
precepts, everyone recited with him.
    “Blessed be the light. Blessed be the sun, the source of all
light. Blessed be the moon, the stars, and our own world which revolve around its
light. The light is the giver of life, the darkness of chaos and death. Those
who seek the darkness shall be doomed to darkness never-ending, but those who embrace
the light shall dwell in the light everlasting. While we believe and are true
to the light, the darkness shall never return.”
    Once the voice from the sun icon had quieted, a sense of
satisfaction settled over the villagers. Orah waited for the vicar to dismiss
them with the usual intonation: “Go with the light.”
    When he hesitated, she grew restless. Her heart pulsed
louder with each beat.
    After too long a delay, the voice from the sun icon spoke again.
“The light is stronger than the darkness, but we must be vigilant. For hundreds
of years, the Temple has armed a few to be soldiers of faith. Little Pond is
honored this season to have one of its own chosen for a teaching. Come forward,
Thomas Bradford of Little Pond.”
    The crowd went silent.
    Orah turned to her friends.
Nathaniel bore a look she’d seen before, whenever he spoke about the death of
his mother. Thomas’s face had gone ashen.
    “Come forward, Thomas of Little Pond, and be taught the
horror of the darkness, so you may keep the light shining in Little Pond.”
    Thomas stood and drifted forward on wobbly knees. Orah
lunged to touch him, but he’d moved beyond her reach.
    The vicar spread his arms. “Welcome, Thomas. You shall
accompany me to Temple City and return to your people wiser. Now, my friends,
go with the light.”
    A subdued village repeated the benediction.
    Orah squeezed Nathaniel’s arm. “What will happen to him?
Will he be all right? When will he be back?”
    The vein in Nathaniel’s forehead throbbed. “Who knows? No
one ever talks about teachings, but it’s a three-day trek to Temple City and
three days back, so he’ll be gone at least a week.” When she remained
disconsolate, he added, “He should be home for festival.”
    As the villagers dispersed, Orah rose on tiptoes to peer
over their heads. She caught sight of Thomas, hands held high in triumph, the
mask of his face painted with a grin as if he’d just won a race, but she knew
him better. Even at that distance, she could see the glow in his eyes had gone
dim.

Chapter 3 – The Darkness
     
    Thomas squinted, trying to see the opposite wall. It had to
be near, because his boots pressed against it, but try as he would, he couldn’t
penetrate the darkness. Not a flicker of light to help, only the darkest dark
he’d ever known. No moon, no stars, no hint of dawn—a dark to haunt one’s
dreams.
    He could guess the size of the teaching cell by touch. The
floor covered