was in the habit of sneaking off late at night while she was asleep. One glance at her husband's face told her that this was true.
“I just wanted us to keep the baby.” He muttered softly, unwilling to meet her eyes. “They said we could keep our child if I helped them.”
“You're free to remain here, Mrs. Greenpot.” One of the peacekeepers had told her in his high, squeaky voice. “You have already been found innocent.” Dazed and lost in a haze of shock, Sheila had insisted that whatever was to happen to Charles, she would bravely face the punishment as well.
The peacekeepers had simply nodded, as if expecting this, and signaled for them to follow. The Guardians thumped loudly behind all of them, blocking off any chance of escape, not that they would think to try it. As they walked, Sheila's mind ran through the possible punishments. Ever since she was little she had known that sometimes people she knew would simply disappear, there one day and then gone the next, never to be seen or heard from again. She was assured by her gnomish mother than no harm came to these outlaws, for they were a peaceful people and never cared much for violence, that's why they had built the Guardians, to protect them from threats, but there was never an explanation of what had happened to them. Finally Sheila would be able to find out, first hand.
After they walked for what had felt like forever, they finally stopped in front of a huge wooden door. One of the peace keepers pressed a spot on the wall and the door had slowly slid open. The light that came through made Sheila squeal in pain and throw up her arms to protect herself from it. Never in her entire life had she ever seen the sun, and at that moment, she felt as if she could happily go the rest of her life never seeing it again. The colony was lit by glow worms, who gave off a much softer light, one that did not sting the eyes or make her skin feel hot.
Despite the reaction of the two humans to the sunlight, they were pushed roughly out the doorway by one of the Guardians, then the door slid down again, disappearing into the seamless side of rock that hid the entrance from unwelcome outsiders. It clicked into place with a note of finality, and Sheila turned around to look at the wall of grey stone that rested behind her, squinting her eyes. She longed to beat her fists against it, cry that she had changed her mind and wanted to come back in, wanted to come back home, but she knew it would not do any good. They had been banished forever.
“Excuse me.” Came a voice suddenly, and Sheila had whipped around to see a young woman standing several feet away. She clutched at Charles' arm nervously, unsure of what was to happen next but expecting her mate to protect her.
“W-who are you?” Charles had asked, trying his best to stand tall and sound braver than he obviously felt. “What do you want? We don't have anything for you to steal, but if you're determined to try...”
“Calm it.” The young woman had responded, walking closer but raising both of her hands in a sign of peace. “I'm here to show you to the village. We received word a few days ago that you'd be coming to join us.” She stopped again and offered them a friendly smile. “Don't worry, this happens more than you'd think. There's a lot of us down there. It'll be a little jarring at first, getting used to your new life, but trust me, in no time you'll wish you'd left the colony sooner.”
Finally Sheila reached the end of the string, looking around the dark room and finally remembering where she was and why she had felt so uncomfortable. She and Charles were spending their first night in new surroundings. The air was different, it seemed to somehow feel lighter than the recycled air in the underground colony, and even at night there was still light. She looked down at the heavy fur blanket that stretched over her legs and rubbed her swollen belly wondering, not for the first time, if she had made the right decision.
As she glanced at Charles, she saw he was sound asleep, snoring softly beside her, legs tangled in the thick furs that they had been given to keep back the moist chill of the night. She should get some sleep as well, she knew. In the morning they would begin their new lives in the village, surrounded by others like themselves who had been cast out. And it was already promising to be taxing. Giving a soft sigh, Sheila finally pulled the blanket higher over herself and snuggled up closer against her husband before closing her eyes once more. She could only hope everything would be alright, and that together, they would be able to provide as good a future for their baby as it would have had among the gnomes.
Thank you for reading this short story. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. This short is part of a series that I will be releasing as a prelude to my upcoming series, The Wolfcaller Chronicles, which take place in a strange and faraway land full of alien creatures and interesting races like those mentioned in this story. If you enjoyed this tale then keep an eye out for book one of The Wolfcaller Chronicles, coming soon!
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