Into Darkness: The Akrhyn Series (Book 1)

by Eve L Mitchell

  So, why were there butterflies dancing around her insides, her palms sweating and her brow furrowed? She had been fine for the eight hours travel it had taken to get to the boundary of the Headquarters from Prince George, but on this last approach Tegan was… nervous.

  “Control it, daughter,” her father’s low voice carried softly to her where she stood a few meters away.

  “I don’t know why I’m reacting,” Tegan admitted softly.

  “It’s understandable,” Leonid responded, his voice barely a whisper. “But this is not the time for emotion.”

  Tegan nodded in understanding, taking a deep calming breath she pulled her hood over her head as she felt her father stand behind her. Her final test of her training over these last few days was to get into Headquarters without detection. Tegan surveyed the electric fence which rose about thirty feet in front of them. She didn’t doubt it was electrified although she couldn’t see anything obvious. It was probably spelled. Tegan frowned, she hated spells. Ensuring that their hiding place was still concealed, Tegan pulled out a small pouch from her backpack. She couldn’t Cast, but she had a few components in her pouch to disarm most spells. Father had trained her to be able to assemble a disarming spell by touch alone, so that even in the blackest of places, ingredients could be detected through touch. It took years for her to be able to discern the different textures of each powder or ingredient but with a few major injuries and cuts and scrapes along the way, she had confidence that she was almost always infallible.

  Cautiously, Tegan tested the fence with a commonly used white detection powder. She didn’t know the correct terminology for the powders, some with names in languages that were lost to the common world. The mages, or Castors as they preferred, kept their silence. They said it was in order to protect the untrained, but it was more likely for them to covet. Castors were a secluded race of Supernatural, feared by many, for their secrecy and thirst for knowledge. Tegan called this powder sparkly white glitter, Leonid would look at her with displeasure, but Tegan argued it didn’t matter what she called it, as long as she knew how to use it. Father conceded the point but with reluctance, however, he still couldn’t mask his frown when she called the powder the ‘sparkly white one’.

  Tegan watched the powder settle softly against the chain fencing, a soft burst of blue and purple shone briefly. Tossing a small dead rodent to the area she had thrown the powder she and her father started running through the dense trees. The powder told her what spell was Cast over the fencing – but it also alerted the Sentinels to a disturbance in the perimeter. Which was what she wanted, the Sentinels would investigate, and she was hoping it would draw their attention from other parts of the perimeter. Tegan knew what kind of soldiers these Sentinels would be, knowing that for Headquarters they were the best and that Elite Guard would be present. Tegan ran swiftly and silently through the trees. The area where she had tested the fencing wasn’t Tegan’s intended entry point, she was heading north, where the trees were denser and taller. She heard nothing as they moved away. Tegan wasn’t foolish enough to believe the breach wasn’t being investigated, it just meant the Sentinels were efficient and as equally as stealthy as she and her father. She daren’t ask her father if he heard anything. His superior hearing would be able to tell her if the Sentinels had come, but this was her training exercise, not his.

  Holding her hand up to signal a halt, Tegan slowed down, her focus now on the trees above her. The trees had long sparse trunks until the upper parts, where the branches started off thick, but thinned out at the crown. Drawing her hood closer to her face and removing small spikes from her pack, Tegan began to climb the tree trunk swiftly. She was exposed on the trunk and speed was a necessity. The trees were so densely packed together, it enabled her to move with some ease between them once she was in their branches, moving ever closer to the perimeter fence. Scaling onto the tallest one, Tegan made a note to criticise the defences of the Headquarters when they were inside. Slowly, she withdrew a pinch of the glittery powder and softly blew it into the air over the top of the fencing. A pale luminescent green pulsed once and was gone quickly. Tegan grinned at her father, there was a spell over the top of the fencing also, maybe these Akrhyn didn’t deserve her full criticism. It would be a judgement call as to the height of the spell. Spells on air were tricky. The root of the spell was attached to the physical object, in this case the fence. But although the spell would be stronger nearest the object, as it reached upwards, it became weaker. A spell needed to be attached to something, and thin air was hard to maintain any form of strength. The strength of the Castor determined the strength of the spell. A soft luminous green, meant the spell was weaker than it probably could be. Or it had been Cast for some time, spells lost their potency the longer they were Cast.

  Tegan assessed her options. She could scale the tree higher and gain more height, but a quick look down to the forest floor reminded her of how far up she was. She was not unbreakable and already a fall of over thirty feet would take its toll on her if she messed up her landing. The signature of the spell was a soft green, she mused to herself, five more feet should clear it. Thinking quickly, she climbed a few more branches, the top of the fence was now below her. Casting a quick glance to her father, she nodded once. Father stared back impassively, his face stoic. Repressing a smile at his predictability, Tegan slipped off her backpack. Maintaining her balance while resting on the slim branch of a tree took more concentration than she wanted to admit. Edging out on the branch, with a huge throw, she sent her backpack sailing over the perimeter fence.

  Both she and her father immediately crouched into defensive positions in case there was an unknown trigger. Waiting a few moments and seeing nothing, Tegan edged back out onto the branch. Crouching low, she sprang into a run and with a well-practiced push, jumped into the air. Clearing the fence as she fell, she sensed no spell. Tegan immediately twisted her body into a dive before curling inward as the ground rushed to meet her. The trick was to hit the ground in a forward roll position, to then roll onto your feet. If not timed properly, the risk could be that your neck snapped on impact. Tegan felt the fleeting joy of flying, before she was rolling to her feet. The fall had been one of her highest and the jarring on her spine and shoulders would no doubt ache for days. Grabbing her backpack and slipping it back on, she started to run across the manicured lawn to the back of the building, whilst keeping her body low to the ground to avoid detection.

  Once she was pressed against the walls, Tegan looked at her father. He obviously had encountered no issue with the jump, his Vampyre strength meant he would have landed on his feet like he had just taken a small step down. Tegan had let go of her jealousy towards the ease of things which her father could do, a long time ago. He could do wonders, almost miraculous things, but he couldn’t breathe, he wasn’t alive in the truest form of the word. No, Tegan wasn’t jealous of her father’s Vampyre existence. Life was for living – and killing Drakyhn’s – life wasn’t to merely exist as years passed you by. Tegan knew her thoughts were hurtful, her father did his best, he hadn’t asked to be one of the Made. He was merely surviving with the hand that the Ancients had given him.

  Tegan was watchful as she assessed her surroundings. There was limited movement outside the Headquarters. As they were at the back of the building, few lights within the building were on. Headquarters were situated around the world, seven in total, each an imposing building. The Canadian Headquarter looked akin to a mythical palace from a movie. Tegan understood that the Australian Headquarters was a modern glass structure that had many water features. Still, from what she had seen of the Canadian building, it seemed more commanding in its structure of stone and mortar.

  Tegan had never been to any of the Headquarters before, her father had kept her away from most Sentinels and her Trials for advancement had been set privately and in solitude. Father had petitioned the Great Council and had received permission – each Trial, the members of the Great Council had travelled to Tegan’s re
mote home to test her. Their Elite Guards had been her combatants. Even as a four-year-old child, her first opponent had been a seasoned warrior of renowned skill. Tegan wasn’t bitter though; it had taught her humility as well as ensuring she was the best that she could be.

  Although Tegan had never been inside the Canadian Headquarters, she had memorised the floor plans. She knew that she was currently below the library window and it was here that she planned to make her point of entry. It was late, but not that late, supper would be over. All Sentinels had two hours of relaxation between the hours of seven and nine if they were not on duty. Which meant the occupants of the Headquarters would either be involved in one of three activities; Reflection in their rooms, training or socialising. Tegan would normally be training at this time, followed by thirty minutes of Reflection. Reflection was a Sentinel’s time to reflect on their day and a time for them to be with the Ancients. It was a personal time for Sentinels and revered by some to be almost holy.

  Surveying her surroundings one more time, Tegan turned and started to climb the building, making for the library windows with her father close behind her. Scaling the stone was easy and Tegan ruefully wondered how she would have managed this at the Headquarters in Canberra with the building being all glass. Yes, there was definitely a reason why she preferred this old grand building, she thought to herself. As she carefully eased onto the window ledge of the library, staying safe in the shadows, her father stayed below her. With a quick nod down to him, Tegan extracted slim tools from her boot. Another reason she was finding the Canadian Headquarters growing on her: easy locks.

  A quick pinch of the silvery powder she had used earlier, had her shaking her head. No spell. Was it stupidity or arrogance? she wondered as she eased the window up after successfully picking the lock. Another quick dusting of powder detected no magic. If she hadn’t been on a mission, she would have been protesting to her father loudly about negligence. As it was, she shot him an incredulous look before easing under the small opening she had created.

  Softly, she landed within the library and quickly ducked low, fearing discovery. Leonid slipped down beside her and patiently returned her enquiring look. They were inside, how far did he expect her to take him? Tegan looked at him again and was not surprised when she received nothing in response. Moving stealthily through the library, they soon reached the doors, casting a glance over her shoulder and receiving a nod in return, Tegan slowly turned the handle. The lights in the hallway were bright and Tegan cursed silently to herself that she would have nowhere to hide upon discovery. There were few Akrhyn in the halls, keeping her hood pulled low, she and her father started to walk the length of the hall. Tegan knew where her father wanted her to lead them. He wanted her to take him to the Principal Elders rooms. It was unlikely that she would get that far without detection, but she started to make her way there.

  Loud laughter caught her attention and from around a corner, leading off the main hall, two males came. They were roughly her age she determined, both tall and obviously strong, their muscles were displayed well in their sleeveless t-shirts. Tegan noticed both were sweating and realised they must have come from one of the training rooms.

  Sentinels, she thought. Sentinels or Elite Guard? Tegan continued walking, her father now beside her, both focused on the two men.

  “Hey, should you be here unattended?” One of them asked her. He was darker in skin tone and colouring than his companion, who was tanned with golden blond hair. The one who had spoken shot a questioning look to his companion. Handsome, Tegan thought fleetingly, but not a leader.

  “Where are you going?” The golden-haired male asked, moving closer. He didn’t hesitate, nor did he seek reassurance from his companion, Tegan noticed. She would give this one her full attention.

  Tegan nor her father spoke. Leonid had instructed her that on discovery, should she be questioned, he was to do the talking. Leonid rushed forward and in a swift movement engaged the golden haired one. Tegan leapt forward and delivered a roundhouse kick to the other male. He grunted in pain and surprise as he stumbled and before he could recover fully, Tegan leapt onto his back and brought her arm around his throat, applying pressure, cutting off his breathing and effectively knocking him out. As she followed his body down to the ground, she cast a quick look to her father, who was already pulling the other male out of the corridor. Confident her opponent was unconscious, Tegan stood and started to drag him across the polished floor, thankful the hallway wasn’t carpeted as it would create more drag for the body.

  Settling the two men in the corner by the library, Tegan and her father proceeded along the hall once more, this time with more haste. They both rounded the corner from which the two males had come, Tegan faltered slightly on seeing the grand staircase. Her father noticed and hurried his step. Gathering her thoughts, Tegan mentally scolded herself for the distraction. As they passed the foot of the staircase, they passed another group of Akrhyn, Tegan tensed slightly. These ones would be closer to bringing attention to them.

  “How was the journey? You just back?” one of them asked her father.

  “The journey was long, but the hunting was good,” Leonid replied with confidence, as he answered with the standard Sentinel greeting after a field excursion. The three strangers bowed their heads slightly and moved past them both. Again, Tegan was disappointed with their response. She would have expected more interrogation, but she and her father merely appeared as weary Sentinels returning from travel. These Headquarters are poorly guarded, she thought. Tegan led her father down another corridor, ignoring the doors and passages that led from the main corridor. At the fifth door she took a step back and Leonid stepped forward. He cast an appraising look at his daughter, reaching up to pull her hood lower over her face. Tegan returned his stare and when he raised an eyebrow asking if she was ready, she nodded that she was. Leonid studied her for a moment and then with a confidence Tegan herself definitely wasn’t feeling, he turned the handle and walked into the room beyond.

  “Who are you?” The male behind the desk asked. Tegan couldn’t take her eyes off him as she followed her father into the room. She stood slightly behind her father as she watched the male who had spoken. He was formidable looking, dark hair almost black, with silver at the temples. A strong handsome face, deep set eyes, proud roman nose, full lips and a rounded jawline. His broad shoulders contradicted his desk job position and Tegan knew that this Principal Elder was still very much active in the field. The male rose to his feet as Leonid remained silent in front of him.

  Tegan’s eyes darted to the male who had been sitting in front of the Principal Elder, she hadn’t noticed him as she had been too busy staring at the Principal. He stood frozen, his teeth drawn back in a grimace, or snarl, Tegan thought. Shaggy brown hair hung around a face full of sharp contours and hard planes.

  “Leonid. How dare you come here,” the shaggy haired male growled at her father.

  “Leonid?” The dark-haired male looked stunned as he sat back down on his seat.

  Her father pulled his hood down and regarded the two men solemnly, then slightly inclined his head. “Salem,” Leonid’s tone was cool. He turned to the brown-haired male. “Lycan.”

  “Vampyre,” the male replied with a definite snarl this time.

  “What brings you here?” Salem asked. He seemed to have recovered his composure and now his stare was hard as he looked at her father.

  “Shouldn’t you ask me how I got in here?” Leonid asked with a light tone as he moved further into the room. Tegan followed behind him, trying not to bring attention to herself, but she noticed the quick look the dark-haired male shot the Lycan.

  “Who’s your companion?” The Lycan asked. Tegan knew who he was because Leonid had spoken about him. The Lycan named Marcus – a former student of her father’s. He was now Second to the Principal Elder, Salem Holt. Second meant he was highly ranked and the only Akryhn above him were Salem and then the Great Council. A Second was akin to a personal bodyguard
. In some instances, if the Principal needed it, a Second would also oversee the running of the Headquarters.

  “Aren’t you going to ask me to sit?” Leonid asked Salem, ignoring Marcus completely as he walked around a chair and without waiting, sat.

  Salem’s heavy gaze followed Leonid as he sat down, flicking up to regard Tegan who stood to the side of her father. “I would ask who your companion is?” Salem asked quietly, his fingers steepled in front of him as he regarded them both.

  Just then the door flung open and the golden-haired Sentinel rushed into the room, drawing up short abruptly when he saw that Tegan and her father were already there.

  “Sir…” he seemed at a loss as to how to continue as he stared at Tegan who had turned slightly. Leonid remained as he was, regarding Salem.

  “Let me guess, there are intruders?” Marcus mocked him.

  “Sir.” The Sentinel’s eyes flashed with anger at Tegan before bowing his head slightly.

  “Have you alerted others?” Salem asked from his seat behind the rich mahogany desk.

  “Darus has alerted Michael and Sloane,” The Sentinel’s head rose slowly to make eye contact with his Elite Elder.

  “You may go, Kai,” Marcus said tersely. “Tell Michael and the others, I am here. There is nothing to trouble them.”

  Leonid snorted in derision and Tegan watched the Lycan turn slowly and glare at her father. Salem made a slight gesture with his left hand and Marcus sat in the seat beside her father, his attention fully on Leonid. Just then two more Sentinels came through the door, one a younger version of the male behind the desk and the other so tall and broad that Tegan was instantly on alert.

  “Son, you do not need to be here. Go back to training,” Salem directed his statement to the dark-haired male, who Tegan had deduced was Michael. Both males wore black combat pants and black t-shirts.

  “How did they get in?” Michael walked to the side of his father’s desk and stared hard at both Leonid and Tegan. “You are in a Principal Elder’s presence, your hood should be down, show some respect,” he snapped at Tegan. His companion strode forward with his hand raised as if to draw her hood down. Tegan reacted without thinking and her dagger was in her hand and at his throat. Michael yelled and moved forward causing Leonid to rise swiftly, his hand on the chest of the younger male.