The Children of Darkness

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Author: David Litwack

ISBN: 1622534344

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Synopsis

"But what are we without dreams?"

A thousand years ago the Darkness came-a terrible time of violence, fear, and social collapse when technology ran rampant. But the vicars of the Temple of Light brought peace, ushering in an era of blessed simplicity. For ten centuries they have kept the madness at bay with "temple magic," and by eliminating forever the rush of progress that nearly caused the destruction of everything.

Childhood friends, Orah and Nathaniel, have always lived in the tiny village of Little Pond, longing for more from life but unwilling to challenge the rigid status quo. When their friend Thomas returns from the Temple after his "teaching"-the secret coming-of-age ritual that binds young men and women eternally to the Light-they barely recognize the broken and brooding young man the boy has become. Then when Orah is summoned as well, Nathaniel follows in a foolhardy attempt to save her.

In the prisons of Temple City, they discover a terrible secret that launches the three on a journey to find the forbidden keep, placing their lives in jeopardy, for a truth from the past awaits that threatens the foundation of the Temple. If they reveal that truth, they might once again release the potential of their people.

Yet they would also incur the Temple's wrath as it is written: "If there comes among you a prophet saying, 'Let us return to the darkness,' you shall stone him, because he has sought to thrust you away from the Light."

Excerpt

Orah had spent that afternoon with Nathaniel sitting on a log by the pond. The leaves in the surrounding forest had completed their autumn change, and stunning hues of red, yellow and orange reflected off the still water. She stared at the colors, struggling to find a way to convince him. After her fifth try, she stood and planted her hands on her hips.
“I forbid you to come,” she said.
“Since when are we in the habit of forbidding each other.”
“Since you’ve come of age and grown too bull-headed to take care of yourself.”
She’d been close with Nathaniel for as long as she could remember. Even as a small boy, he’d wondered what the world must be like beyond their tiny village, but now he was an adult and she on the threshold. She’d always been the mature one, bothered by his childish notions. Time to forego his fantasies and become more responsible.
Yet he resisted, stubborn as always. “What would you have me do, Orah? Cower in my father’s cottage.”
“Not cower but be less conspicuous when the vicar arrives.”
“Only one in three are taken.”
She bent low and pressed her palm to his cheek to force him to face her. “It’s not worth the risk. Have you forgotten the look of those who’ve been taught, the far off gaze, the dreams seemingly ripped away?”
He grasped her wrist and eased her hand aside. “What good are dreams if they stay unfulfilled?”