Shadow Assassins (The Second Realm Trilogy)

by Vazquez, Melissa

  Kaleb was even fitted for new armor to be made. One of the male warriors had scoffed at his outfit, wondering how it would protect him in battle when it looked like it couldn't even fight off a cold breeze. Despite his initial protest at first, he stood still as he was measured and fitted, before the man who made leather armor promised him a fine set to be made.

  There were plenty of warriors that lined up to congratulate him. Some of the warriors Kaleb remembered fighting next to and helping out. They gave him the warmest greetings. Others were familiar faces, but people who had no real connection to him. They still greeted him warmly enough.

  Despite the air of celebration, he couldn't help but feel as though he was in the wrong place. The Kkyathi were warm and friendly to him, which was everything he had been looking forward to. He didn't really feel at home even among his fellow Assassins. He still carried that chip on his shoulder from his family's problems with his powers. He still expected people to leave him for what he was. The Kkyathi, on the other hand, were similar enough to him that he could really connect with them – and they warmly welcomed him into the tribe.

  Despite that, when he thought about how Evangeline had left him, he couldn't help but think that he should have gone with her. She was his co-worker after all. Co-worker, friend, roommate, teammate. A small surge of guilt hit him as he thought over what he and the rest of the Assassins had been through together. He had abandoned that for a sense of belonging that he hadn't gotten with them, even with everything that had happened. Unfortunately, Evangeline had already gone ahead without him. It was too late to take the moment back, now.

  As various men and women began to gather food onto a series of tables and other roughly made platforms, a scream pierced the air.

  The warriors were on instant alert, standing straighter, eyes alert. As the area around the social fire fell into a haunted silence, Kaleb heard the sound of hooves. Many hooves.

  “Emeralde's knights have returned!”

  All it took was that one phrase to awaken the panic within the others. Those who weren't warriors gathered their family and sought refuge in their tents and cabins. The warriors sprang into action, gathering near the social fire as one unit. Kaleb joined them.

  “A whole battalion is here!” one of the warriors said to Kirrah, who was in the center of the warrior cluster. “Not just a small party like last time.”

  “They're prepared for a full war,” Kirrah said, her eyes narrowing. “Vengeance for their fallen brothers.”

  “They have twice as many warriors as we do!” the same warrior pointed out.

  Kirrah glanced up, watching as knight after knight approached on the horizon. There must have been over a hundred men approaching, each on horseback, each armed with a deadly sword, bow or other weapon. These men were the Grim Reaper in silver armor, spelling death for her fighters.

  “This is too much for us to handle,” she finally said. “Not all of our villagers can fight.”

  Before her warriors could get too rowdy, she snapped them to attention, ordering them to guard the tents and cabins that their fellow men were in.

  “Defend your families and loved ones, my warriors!”

  With a roar, the warriors flooded around the dwellings, some transforming as they went. The roars of great feline beasts filled the air, making the horses along the front lines of Emeralde's army hesitate just slightly, before they were pushed on by the men riding them.

  With the warriors dispersed, Kirrah turned to Kaleb. “Can you find your friend? The one who just left. With any luck, she's still in Oraldine territory. See if you can talk to the elves and if they will take in Kkyathi refugees. They've helped us before and we have helped them; a mutual agreement exists between our tribes. Will you do it?”

  “Don't worry about me, take care of your men,” Kaleb said with a nod. With that, he focused on his transformation again, shifting into the form of a falcon once more. When he was fully formed, he stretched his wings and took off into the air and away from the battle that was brewing.

  Stay safe, everyone, he thought as he flew off.

  

  Kirrah watched Kaleb as he took off, before she turned back to the situation at hand. Emeralde's knights had spread evenly over the path leading to the forest. They formed a neat row, separated only by trees. She saw a man she recognized as one of the war leaders of the army, having fought him before. He must have been here to avenge his fallen brothers.

  Despite her warriors' protests, she approached the knights slowly, hands up in a gesture of peace.

  “Warriors of Emeralde, why do you gather on Kkyathi land?” she asked, her voice ringing through the trees.

  There was a stirring among the knights, as if wondering why this woman was addressing them.

  “We will not address a child!” the war leader said. “Send your general or chieftain out to speak with us; do not let them hide like cowards!”

  General must have been their term for leader of the warriors. “I lead these warriors you see before you! You will speak to me!”

  Another wave of low-rumbling voices ensued at this comment. Kirrah couldn't see their leader behind his shining helmet but disgust was all too clear in his voice.

  “Stand down peacefully then and let us conduct our business without interference!”

  “What business do you have on our land?” she asked, dreading the answer.

  The answer was just as she had feared. The knights were under the king's orders to arrest those with magical power. The whole tribe was considered to have magical power, being what they were, as the knight said. The tribe was expected to surrender peacefully, where they would be arrested, detained and held for trial for crimes against the king and endangering the kingdom.

  “That doesn't even make sense!” Kirrah protested. “We don't even go into your territory. You're the ones who invaded our land!”

  “This is not up for discussion!” the knight snapped. “Surrender or face the swords of the Emeralde army!”

  This isn't good, Kirrah thought, glancing around. The knights outnumbered her warriors and there were still innocent families here who couldn't do much to defend themselves except transform. The children weren't even at their first moon yet, the stage in their life where they could transform. The children in particular were helpless.

  Battle was inevitable. The knights were itching for a fight and if she even so much as raised a hand, they would take it as an attack. If they attacked, her warriors would declare war, without her needing to say anything. The warriors wanted to defend their home just as much as she did. Bad situation to be caught in.

  Kaleb, you better get here, soon, she thought, in silent prayer.

  Chapter Fifteen

  It wasn't every day that there was a prince in the castle. Naturally, word of Prince Erik's arrival had spread through Moonriver like wildfire. Erik wasn't even sure of how it had happened. He didn't think there were many people who had seen him arrive in the first place. With classes still in session when he was ushered into Dirk's office, there weren't many eyes on him, at least as far as he could see.

  That didn't help him when he stepped out of the office to stretch his legs. It was in between classes and students were out in the hall. Someone mentioned that the rumors were true and that there was a prince in the castle. Next thing he knew, he was surrounded by students, girls and boys and men and women of all ages, sizes and species. The air around him was filled with excited voices, all asking questions of where he was from, or what it was like to be a prince. No one seemed to recognize him from the Emeralde Kingdom, which was a relief. Kids, he could deal with. Warriors pointing arrows and swords at him, he could not.

  “Alright, alright, let him breathe!” Dirk's voice was a welcome relief over the melee. He made his way through the students and they parted for him. The excited roar of voices gradually dimmed down.

  “I know you have classes to go to!” Dirk called. “Kara, I see you there. Don't think otherwise!”

&nbs
p; He identified more of his students and they were the first to leave, albeit reluctantly. The others followed suit, drifting off in disappointment or whispering excitedly to their friends as they headed to other class rooms.

  Dirk ushered Erik back inside his office, apologizing for the madness.

  “It's not every day that these kids get to meet a prince,” he explained with a smile.

  Erik couldn't help but laugh. “Well, as eager as they were, it's certainly better than my reception in Kkyathi and Oraldine. They took up arms against me!”

  Dirk chuckled, but the humor was leaving his face. In a more serious tone, he said, “Unlike Kkyathi and Oraldine, the war hasn't really touched the students here. Through relatives maybe, but not personally, like those warriors.”

  “Ah, warriors,” Erik said. “Is the woman I escorted here some sort of warrior? I've never seen anyone so fierce before.”

  “Where she comes from in the First Realm, yes. That's why I asked her and her companions to come here in the first place.”

  The door opened. “Things didn't really go as planned, huh?”

  The two men turned and saw Evangeline in the doorway. She walked in and sat in the chair next to Erik.

  Dirk spoke immediately. “You have my greatest apologies. I would never have asked you to come here, if we had known–”

  Evangeline held up a hand, stopping the flood of apology. “It's not like you knew what was going to happen.”

  Before conversation could continue, the door was thrown open a second time. There was an impression of dark hair and a school uniform before there was speaking. “Is there really a prince here, Dirk?”

  Everyone froze as the woman burst in. The three fell into a shocked silence before the woman turned.

  “Did I interrupt something?”

  “It's impossible for both of them to be here,” the prince whispered.

  “Both of who?” the woman asked. That was when she caught sight of Evangeline. A startled cry escaped her as she studied someone who was an exact mirror reflection of her own – minus the scar across the eye.

  “What are you!” she cried in alarm.

  “Who are you?” Evangeline asked in reply.

  

  The elves had been a great help. Kaleb felt immense relief as he left the Oraldine colony on horseback, accompanied by an elf named D'jala. He was on the last leg of his journey now, on his way to Moonriver to meet his comrades.

  Finding the elves had been easy, but speaking calmly when there were bows and arrows in his face was not a challenge the shape shifter had expected. The leader of the warriors, the strong D'jerik, wanted to know what business Kaleb had in their colony. It had taken some fast talking to explain that he had come from Kkyathi and that they were in dire need of help. D'jerik didn't believe him at first, saying that he didn't look like the typical person from Kkyathi, but Kaleb explained that he was a friend of some people who may have traveled through the area. D'jerik certainly knew who Marco and Evangeline were, and confirmed that they were already at Moonriver.

  Caught between his loyalty to his friends and the budding friendships of himself and the Kkyathi, he almost canned his idea to return to his friends. Almost. D'jerik offered to lend him a horse for travel, if he would accept the aid of his second in command. D'jala was a cheerful elf, despite the chaos around them from the raid that had happened earlier. When they left, D'jerik was organizing a party to go into Kkyathi. It was with that relief that Kaleb agreed to leave.

  Throughout their journey, D'jala had asked Kaleb about his world and what it was in comparison to this one. That chat lasted until they reached Moonriver. Kaleb was impressed by the size of the castle. D'jala told him that long ago, there had been a kingdom of Immortals that ruled the castle, back when there were twice as many Immortal humans as there were in the present day. Now the castle served as a school for all those who wished to learn about their world without prejudice.

  Supposed non-prejudice, that was. The guard at the gate wasn't very friendly, demanding to know why elves wanted access to the school. It was only after Kaleb explained that he was one of Dirk's guests and that two of his friends should have arrived earlier that the guard budged. He let Kaleb in, but D'jala turned down the opportunity, instead wishing Kaleb good luck in finding his friends. He then took the horse that had been lent to Kaleb by the reigns and, with the help of his own horse, headed back to the elf colony.

  That left Kaleb to enter the school on his own. He stood in the grand entrance, taking in the elaborate marble floors and even more ornate staircases. This would have been a gorgeous castle when it was still operating as such. It made for a beautiful school. The public school he had been forced to go to looked like a soggy cardboard box when compared to this palace.

  The only problem was, he had no idea of where he was supposed to go.

  

  Evangeline couldn't believe what she was seeing. The woman before her had the same shaped eyes, the same nose and the same lips. Her hair was cut different, she wore a different outfit and had a scar running through her eye, but despite that, the woman before her was identical in looks. This strange woman's face was the same face she looked at every time she looked in the mirror, despite the scar.

  “Girls,” Dirk said cautiously, as though he didn't want to startle either of them. “I'd like you to meet your twin. Evangeline, this is Dante. Dante, Evangeline.”

  Dante. The woman before her was mouthing Evangeline's name, as if trying it out. Their eyes met and she had the same shocking color and intensity as her own. Evangeline wasn't sure if she could get used to it.

  “I have a twin?” Dante finally spoke, her voice halting and cautious too, as if Evangeline could dart off like a wild animal, startled by loud noise.

  “Yes. The two of you were separated at birth. Dante, you were left here and Evangeline was placed in the First Realm.”

  “Why?” Dante asked, absolutely confused.

  “Our natures,” Evangeline said. “Are you a hybrid, too?”

  “Half angel, half demon?” Dante echoed Evangeline's nod with her own.

  “Your parents' union was not welcome within the Second Realm. The two of you were a cause of great fear when you were born,” Dirk said gravely.

  Evangeline didn't even know who her parents were. Judging by the look Dante had exchanged with her, her twin didn't know them either. Evangeline had been found and raised by Dr. Fyrn. As far as she was concerned, Dr. Fyrn was the only family she had.

  “I don't have any parents,” Dante said, confused. “What are you talking about?”

  Dirk struggled with his words, as though he weren't sure how to phrase them at first. “Your parents were well known in the Heavenly Realms and the Underworld. Audra the White Angel and Devoń, king of a demon tribe. There are laws in place to keep angels and demons from forming any sort of positive relationship together, but your mother broke all of those rules to be with your father. When she was announced pregnant, she was thrown out of the Holy Guard she was a member of – that is, she was no longer considered a guardian angel. She was cast out of the Heavenly Realm. You two, her daughters, were supposed to be killed after she gave birth to you, but she had a friend hide you instead. One in the Second Realm, one in the First Realm, never meant to meet.”

  It was a lot to take in. Talk of angels and demons as if they were a physical part of this world. To Dante, it made sense. She had heard of legends of the constant wars between the Heavenly Realms and the Underworld, of forbidden unions and lovers between each realm. To Evangeline, it was a lot to take in. Her world had mostly consisted of vampires, if there were any supernatural creatures to deal with in the first place. Now, talk of angels and demons? And her, the offspring of a forbidden union?

  It at least explains my powers. She glanced down at her hands, as if expecting them to warp into claws. Her dual nature made more sense now, although much of who she was still confused her.

  Before either of the twins could question D
irk further, the door opened again. Marco walked in, looking quite happy with himself. “Look who I found, lost in the school!”

  She looked up as Kaleb entered the room, looking more than lost. His name escaped her lips but all she could do was stare, overwhelmed by the string of events unfolding before her.

  “Whoa, wait a minute,” Marco said, breaking the silence. “Evie, now there's two of you?”

  She turned around and saw Dante staring at Marco, perplexed. She shook herself out of her useless shock and went to go introduce her twin to her friends.

  Twin. It seemed so weird. One minute, she didn't think she had any family at all and now, she had a twin. It was something that was going to take time to get used to.

  Part Three:

  Uprising

  Chapter Sixteen

  Two days had passed.

  Kaydee wasn't one hundred percent sure, but she knew it had been more than one day that she had been stuck, chained in the filthy, stinking ship she had been imprisoned on. She tried to keep track of time through when she and the other prisoners were brought their meager allowance of cheese, bread and water. There were three meager meals around the clock. It was hard sleeping on this ship but her natural sleep cycle had demanded a full night's sleep, or what passed for one, only twice.

  She was going to lose her mind here, if they didn't get to leave, soon. The meals were barely enough to get rid of the grinding hunger that fell upon her in waves. The water was barely enough to keep her hydrated. Luckily, Thomas, their friendly captain, allowed the women just a margin more of privacy than what the men got. Yesterday, if her calculation on the days had been correct, was the day that the prisoners were separated by gender. The women were allowed a longer set of chains that allowed them to go, on a rotating and sparse cycle, into what passed for a makeshift bathroom. It wasn't anything more than a chamber pot enclosed within four crude wooden walls. It also wasn't cleaned very often. The stench was almost enough to make her pass out and the sound of sloshing human waste almost made her want to throw up her pitiful allowance of food. For all the complaints she had about it, though, she was glad to have that one privilege. It was more than what the men got, as they were forced to soil themselves.