The Shadow Beasts
The Sunclaire Chronicles Book One
Eleanor Byrne
Copyright © 2019 by Eleanor Byrne
All rights reserved.
Cover Art by Yaroslav Gerzhedovich bought from iStock.
Contents
The Shadow Beasts
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Epilogue
Prologue
The dark gray skies threatened the land below with rain. A cold wind blew through the courtyard that sent shivers down the backs of two cowering men. They stood in front of their master, who was covered in a fine black fur cloak. The cloak hung about him in a way that enhanced the size of his figure. He stood against the icy wind as still as a stone statue.
“So, did you find him?”
The figure spoke slowly; it was clear that he enjoyed the sight of terror on the men’s faces. A smile flitted across his features before vanishing. The two men looked at each other in panic.
One of the men squeaked, “Well, we did not locate him exactly, but we...”
“You have not found him,” their master said, his eyes narrowing with frustration. “And you know what happens if you can’t find him. My House does not need people who cannot serve me properly.”
The two men swallowed nervously. “But... my lord...we may have a guess to where he is!” one of the men cried out, clearly in an attempt to buy some time.
“Really? Then find and kill him. Because if you don’t, you know what will happen.” He smiled widely now, but it was a smile that froze the hearts of the men. They both nodded and backed away, bowing and muttering praises. The figure turned away from them and looked up at the sky. What a perfect day for a hunt, he thought. A hunt for blood!
Just then, the heavens themselves open up and rain pours down as if it were in the hunt itself.
Chapter 1
In another place, not so distant from this scene, a young girl sat listening to the hushed voices of people talking. She knew what they were talking about. She didn't care what it meant for her; she had gone through such things plenty of times before. She gazed out of the window. Outside, the sky was dark and heavy. She had forgotten her umbrella at home once again.
Shaking out her limbs, she stretched and got up from the office chair and walked to the window. The school buses had already left the school grounds and the sidewalk outside was almost empty, except for a few straggling children.
The door to the principal's office opened. The girl didn't turn around to greet the person behind her. She was used to the sound of the principal's door opening up. It was part of a constant cycle that seemed to never end.
"Hello, Aunt May," she turned and said to the woman who appeared before her. Close behind her aunt, she could hear the footsteps of another person entering the room. It was the school’s principal. She directed her question to her aunt. "Are we going home now?"
The principal was a short, round-bellied man with a balding head. She had never been very intimidated by his manner, and she didn’t think of him as particularly smart. She wouldn’t call him a coward, exactly, but he tended to look in the other direction when problems arose between students. This was especially the case if those students happened to come from wealthy and influential families.
Emily was not from that kind of family.
"Yes," her aunt replied, “We are going home.” She glanced back at the principal in disdain; the man avoided her eyes. Her aunt tapped her manicured nails impatiently at her side.
"Principal Walter, I fully expect this bullying of my poor Emily to end now. She is the captain of the debate team, she’s one of the chief designers for the robotics club and she’s an amazing writer. She is one of the smartest students in this school - without any special help - and she does not deserve to be ridiculed like this.”
Without giving the principal his chance for a final remark, Emily's aunt grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the school's office. They walked down the hallway in silence, which Emily appreciated greatly. She didn't need to hear her aunt complain about the school's students and their families. Or its principal.
Outside the sky only darkened. The cold wind seemed to blow right through Emily, finding its way between the layers of her clothes and reaching her skin. It was strange weather for September, she thought. It felt as though it were the middle of a cold, rainy spring instead of early fall.
They walked to her aunt's car in the parking lot, Emily’s mind adrift in thought. She wondered how her aunt could remain so calm. She had expected her to really let Principal Walter have it. That would have been disturbing, but a bit of a relief, too. It's not like her aunt could do much, anyway. The parents with the most influence would prevail in every bullying incident. But still, it would have been nice if her aunt had put up more of a fight.
"Are you going to get in the car, or are you just going to stay outside in the cold?" Her aunt's voice shook Emily out of her thoughts. They climbed into the old Chevy.
"Hey, I know what we can do. Let’s stop by your favorite Chinese restaurant," Aunt May suddenly said as she sat looking out the windshield, getting ready to start the car.
Emily smiled and nodded her head. Her aunt always knew how to cheer her up. She was always there for Emily, ever since her parents had died so many years ago. It was now sixteen years since her parents had passed on. In that time, Aunt May had been a lifesaver. For Emily, she truly was a guardian angel sent from above.
A low haunting melody filtered throughout the restaurant and flowed through the dark rooms. It was quiet this evening, a Monday night. It was just how Emily liked it. Emily and her aunt sat by the fish tank. It was a great location in Emily's opinion. She enjoyed watching the fish swim in the tank, oblivious to the hardships that most of humankind seemed to face. They slowly swung their tails, gliding, and looked back out at Emily on the other side of the glass.
"How are you enjoying your food?"
Emily looked up at her aunt's face and smiled. "Delicious as always. Thank you for bringing me here." She half-whispered. There were other diners in the restaurant and she hated the idea of others hearing her and maybe judging her.
Her aunt grinned and waved her hand dismissively. "Don’t think that I have forgotten that your birthday is today. I just can't believe that my little girl is seventeen."
Emily contained a giggle as her aunt theatrically dabbed at her eyes. Her aunt had been bringing her to this place since Emily was in middle school. Through all her birthdays and other celebrations, they always ended up in this particular restaurant. Emily felt a mischievous smile turning up the corners of her mouth.
"You know, next year will be different. I will be going away to college, “she murmured. She glanced at her aunt to see her reaction.
Her aunt's hand froze in mid-air, hovering next to her open mouth. "Please don't say that!" she scolded. "I can't think about that now!" Her aunt then laughed, her voice echoing through the restaurant and causing diners to look up.
Lowering her voice, she leaned in close to Emily, her light blue eyes fixed on her. "Emily, I just want to tell you that everything I am doing is for you." She stared, unmoving, into Emily’s eyes. In an instant, her demeanor changed. She gestured to the food on Emily's plate. "Finish your food."
After dinner, Emily and her aunt headed back to their apartment. As they walked, thin rays
of moonlight began to appear through the heavy clouds that blocked the moon. The streets were slick with water. It must have rained while we were in the restaurant, Emily thought, as she viewed the darkened streets. The light of a passing car sent shadows running across the building's walls. Emily jumped back. She gasped. She would have sworn that she had seen a human shadow. In seconds, the shadow slid by, swept away along with the rushing car. It was lost in the inky black of the night.
Just then, it felt as if a cold hand had grabbed her from behind. It tightly gripped the back of her neck and squeezed. Her breath stopped in her chest and she felt a gust of hot, rancid breath pushing against her neck. Emily whirled around to see her aunt standing behind her, looking at her with startled eyes.
"Emily! Emily, are you feeling okay?" Her aunt was stock still, desperately searching Emily's face.
Emily averted her gaze."Yeah, yeah. It...it must have been just a shadow, " she replied as she started off down the long, unlit street.
Chapter 2
A few days later, Emily had forgotten the strange feeling she had had on the street. The sky was clear, the sun was shining crisply, and the city bustled with life. It was a nice change from the downpours of the last three days. Shining puddles spread across the streets and roads of the city. The sidewalks were crowded with people, splashing around the small lakes of water that stood in the gutters. Old and young walked on the streets surrounded by towering buildings.
The train whistle blew, warning the people who filled the streets of the little time left before the next train would leave for its destination. Emily squeezed through the jammed avenues trying to get to the train station. She checked the watch on her wrist as she rushed past a group of businessmen.
The train whistle blew its last warning as she ran through the doors of the train. The sliding doors shut behind her. She leaned over to catch her breath. Maybe she should start going to the gym? She couldn’t even last a short sprint.
She wished that her house was along the school’s bus route so she didn’t have to take the train. Most days it would be crowded and uncomfortable for her in the train. But sadly, all the real estate near the school was too pricey for she and her aunt.
The car was curiously empty for such a busy hour except for the two people who sat across from her.
Emily looked over at the men and smiled politely. She had never seen them before in her life. Out of all the years on this train, she had never seen them. Over the years of using the train a person starts to remember certain people. For example, the sweet old woman who sometimes gives her a sweet or a that particular group of businessmen. Once in a while, she would have a conversation with a fellow commuter.
To be truthful, she did not really care who they were or what they were doing. They were probably tourists or this was a one time thing. She rummaged through her backpack looking for a book to read until her stop came up. Emily bent over her book, her dark red hair forming a curtain as she became lost in the written words on the page. Such an excellent literary work…
“Excuse me, miss?”
Emily looked up at one of the men. Darn it, she thought, just as I get immersed in my reading, they decide to talk to me. Maybe they wanted to know the next stop?
“What book is that?” The person on the right asked and pointed to the book in her hands. The paperback in Emily’s hands was in good shape but anyone could easily tell how often it had been read and reviewed. The edges of the pages had been folded many times. Creases bent on the pages’ corners showed an ignorance, perhaps willful, of bookmarks. Smudged fingerprints and stains were scattered over the pages from reading during meals or other activities. It was a book that some reader had treasured.
Emily looked carefully at the man for the first time and did a double take. He was a short man with a long worn-out black coat and wore heavy black hiking boots, caked with brownish - yellowish mud. Hmmm…..there weren’t any mountains around; she couldn’t understand the choice of clothing. Maybe he was attempting to make a fashion statement?
“It’s a book by Anthony Tallheard. It's called ‘The Shadow Beasts’.”
The man stroked his chin thoughtfully, eyeing what she held in her hands. Emily grasped the book tightly to her as a wave of unease swept through her body. He looked over at his partner and nodded his head slightly.
“Anthony Tallheard, you said?”
To Emily, she could see in their eyes that they appeared very interested in the author’s name. They had the eyes of cats finally finding mice that had been hiding from them.
The train screeched to a halt. The sliding door sprang open as the train rolled to a complete stop. The two men got up and shuffled off the train and onto the platform. Emily looked vacantly at where they had sat and continued to do so as the train started to move again. So many questions moved through her head. What type of question was that? Everyone knew this book. Why were they acting so mysterious? And why did they seem so interested in Anthony Tallheard?
Anthony Tallheard was certainly famous. He was one of the most popular writers of the time. In particular, he was one of the top authors for young adult and fantasy books. He had written four other popular books, each more successful than the last, and all based on one fantastical world.
This strange world had a dimension that was apparently aligned with Earth, a dimension where kings, queens, warriors, and magic fully existed. Anthony Tallheard would write the books in such a way that it was almost as if he had experienced it all himself. He was a gifted author because he pulled you into his world. A reader got the feeling that he actually believed such a world was real. Tallheard’s belief, for the short time that you read his words, became your belief. It’s what made him such a powerful writer.
Of course, from Emily’s perspective, such suspension of logic, however brief, was not possible. Her understanding of the world did not allow for such a reality to actually exist.
Still, she at times wished that this world that he wrote so specifically about was real. That’s why she read all his books so voraciously. Emily allowed herself to be sucked into a world of magic. She could almost see and feel the mystical sheen that enveloped the characters in each book. Sometimes, it was as if she were one of them.
The men were long gone and the train was empty again, and she glanced up and saw that the train had arrived at her stop. Jumping off, she walked home, splashing through the puddles with little care that her shoes were becoming soaked through.
“How was your day, Emily?” As Emily entered the apartment, her aunt's voice could be heard ringing out from the kitchen.
The apartment was composed of a living room, a cramped kitchen, one bathroom, and two bedrooms. The walls were painted white and they looked bright in the fading natural sunlight. Though it was a small apartment, it was warmed by the paintings and family photos that hung on the walls. The living room had a gray couch against one wall with a coffee table that was often used as a place to eat a hurried meal or finish a late homework assignment.
“I am fine, Aunt May!” Emily said, dragging her feet past the kitchen and towards her safe haven, her quiet bedroom. To be able to sit back and relax and continue to read her favorite book was going to be luxurious.
Emily could hear her aunt's footsteps behind her.
“Oh no, you don’t, girl!” Aunt May exclaimed as Emily was almost at the door to her room. “James is coming over for dinner and I need your help with the cooking!” Squeezing past Emily, her aunt stood in front of her, arms crossed, blocking the entrance to the room.
Sometimes her aunt was like a savior, and other times she could be a real pain.
Emily’s aunt was a tall and lean woman in her early thirties with long reddish hair very much like her own. But there, the similarities ended. She had gleaming green eyes that were warm and kind but quickly could turn hard and shrewd. It hadn’t been easy to raise a young girl on her own.
Except for the hair, Aunt May looked nothing like Emily. Unlike her aunt, Emily was short
in stature and she didn’t think of herself as attractive. She had a short nose, thin lips, and pale gray-blue eyes. Her skin was what people would describe as olive. The only interesting thing about her, Emily felt, was that sometimes her eyes looked violet. But that was something she had never seen herself. Emily did not even know how she and her aunt could be related as they looked so different from each other.
Her Aunt May was a smart and talented artist who truly enjoyed socializing and meeting new people. Everyone immediately warmed up to her aunt and thought highly of her wit and her friendliness. Emily, on the other hand, was quiet and shy. She was a person who didn’t like to be in the spotlight in any way. She took it for granted that she was just too timid and cautious about the world. But she had actually become more and more comfortable with that. It was like a warm blanket she could lose herself in and protect herself in. It was something that wasn’t going to change anytime soon.
Aunt May looked at her steadily. “You will help me prepare dinner. Now.”
The Shadow Beasts: The Sunclaire Chronicles Page 1
