Shadow Walker (Revenant’s Series Book 1)

by Elissa Daye

  When the ball of light got closer to the black orb, its color changed. Now, it sparkled like a disco ball as rays of rainbow colored light filtered into the world around them. When the ball was as large as their power could hold, the Guardians sent it flying toward the orb in the middle. Shadows and Craven sent black bolts of light at the orb as it hurtled to the middle of the clearing, but to no avail. The Guardians used the strength of the Watch Tower, set up centuries before to protect their world, and they were not going to be stopped now.

  Lyssa allowed herself one moment to take in its glory before she focused on the fight in front of her. She was mid attack when the voice she had heard before trickled past all the barriers she had set up before entering the portal. You’ll never win, Shadow Walker.

  Shaking off the words in her head, Lyssa continued to strike out at the Craven closest to her. He charged at her, and she repelled the dark sphere he sent her way. Using her wand, she raised the sphere and sent it to two shadows on her left. They exploded into dust beside the Craven, and when he tried to send another blast at her, another Guardian cut him down before he could. A sharp pain pierced her head, and she squeezed her eyes to shut it out. The sheer effort to stand went unnoticed by all except Jackson, who rushed to her side.

  “I’m fine, Jackson. Get back to work.” Lyssa steadied herself in time to dodge a fiery missile.

  While this was happening, the ball of light flew into the black orb, like a bubble hitting the ground slowly. When it attached itself to the sphere, she watched in amazement. She had assumed it would shatter the orb into tiny little pieces like the others before it, but that was not what happened at all. Their light started to swallow the dark orb whole, like a snake swallowing its prey. The entire black circle could be seen within it. Little by little, the darkness siphoned out of the orb, and each little trickle of blackness was being extinguished inside. When all of the blackness disappeared, no orb remained inside. The ball of light that they had created rose into the air, where it exploded tiny droplets of light onto the world below them like a gentle cleansing shower.

  The battle lasted for hours, wand to sword, light to dark. Each side was losing energy, but it was clear that there would be a victor this day, and when the Craven started to teleport away from the battle, they knew that rest would soon be at hand. Lyssa had lost sight of the rest of Sector Four amidst the chaos, but as she looked around, she could see that they were all still fighting. A last ditch effort was made, as several groups of shadows rose from the ground like a dark army. More Craven came through the portal and rushed at them in great force. The combined forces charged at them in a desperate attempt to overpower the Watch Tower. The droves coming through the portal were proof that their assumptions were right. The world around them was a mass chaos in minutes. Shadows jumped the ridge while Craven teleported at the Guardians. Wands were flashing lights in every direction. Animal spirits, totems they all held dear, were running around fighting at the heels of their attackers. People were falling all around them, and it was not clear as to who would survive this battle.

  A shadow jumped in front of her as she was about to attack the Craven firing on Jackson. She jabbed the hot end of her wand into its belly and ripped a hole right through it. It shrieked horribly in her ear, but she sent all the energy she could into it. The dark body imploded from the light she had sent within.

  When it had been obliterated, she went for her next target, the Craven, who had been attacking Jackson. Jackson had been doing a decent job defending himself from him, but he did not see the Craven teleport in behind him with a sword raised in the air. The man started to swing at Jackson.

  “Jackson, duck!”

  When he ducked, she launched an arrow of light from her wand. The dark-haired Craven fell when the arrow pierced through his chest. She turned away, knowing that Jackson would be okay. Three more shadows advanced toward her, and she conjured a net in her hands. She swung the ropes swiftly through the air and threw it around them as they tried to pounce on her. Lyssa pulled the net tight and watched as the shadows exploded into dust underneath its bright light.

  She felt a blade slice through her arm and turned around to see another Craven to her left. He had tried to attack another Guardian near her and had hit her in the process. They were all standing so close to each other; it was hard to make heads or tails of anything. Lyssa put a hand over her injury and raised the wand in her other. She continued to lance ball after ball of light at the shadows around them, since attacking the shadows had almost become second nature to her.

  Lyssa was about to turn around and launch an attack at another Craven when something pierced her shoulder. She fell to the ground and clutched at her shoulder, where a long black shard protruded, much like the piece embedded in her skull. The gentle humming voice became a loud cackle, and the world went dark around her.

  Chapter 37

  When Lyssa opened her eyes, she couldn’t see her fingers in front of her face. “Where the hell am I?”

  “It’s where you’re not that’s most important,” a voice echoed around her.

  “What are you talking about?” Was that the voice she’d been hearing all along? And what did he mean her location was not that was important? Fighting the other Guardians? And how was she here, wherever that was? The last thing she remembered was being attacked by one of the Craven. She remembered him running something sharp through her shoulder. A black blade, if she remembered correctly. Was it the same material as the shard in her skull? A shiver ran down her spine at the thought.

  “I can see you tremble, Shadow Walker. Your fear excites me.”

  “I’m not afraid of you.” Raising her chin defiantly, Lyssa stood up and turned around in a circle. Whatever this being was, Lyssa refused to feel the fear she knew it craved. “You have no power over me!”

  “Oh, but I do.”

  This time, its words were followed by high pitched screams that swirled around her so fast that her hair lifted from her shoulders and whipped angrily against her face. The piercing pain that she experienced when she was close to a portal now amplified to a fevered pitch. Lyssa crumpled to the ground and held her head in her hands.

  When silence returned, her head returned to normal. “Who are you?” Lyssa knew the longer she kept it talking, the better chance the Guardians had at survival. For some reason, Lyssa knew they still fought. She could feel the uncertainty this being was trying to hide but knew that if she angered him more, he would not release her from his grasp. It was as if a missing piece of the puzzle had somehow been handed to her. She had known that the shard inside her was being controlled by something else. It must have been this thing.

  “I am the Revenant, maker of all shadows. I’ve come to end you.”

  Lyssa laughed aloud. “You’ve got a high opinion of yourself.”

  This time, the attack on her senses made her lose the contents of her stomach. Lyssa squeezed her eyes shut and prayed that the time she was giving the others would distract this Revenant from the battle on her world. Lyssa forced herself to stand and chuckled at the air around her as if some grand joke had just been told.

  “What do you find so amusing, Shadow Walker?”

  “If you wanted me dead, why am I still alive?”

  An angry roar sounded around her. “No matter, Shadow Walker. You’ll see soon enough what I am capable of. You may think your precious Guardians have won, but it will be a short victory.”

  Those were the last words she heard before she found herself tossed through the void around her. She tried to catch herself as she fell, but couldn’t find a leg to stand on. Before she knew it, Lyssa was hurtling through time and space. When her body hit the ground, she felt the impact. She opened her eyes and saw Jackson rushing to her side. The fear in his eyes was palpable.

  “Lyssa?”

  “Jackson.” She lifted her hand to his face with what little energy was left befo
re her eyes drifted shut.

  The next time she opened her eyes, a cast of people stood around her. Their faces reflected a variety of emotions: fear, anger, and love. Lyssa’s head was throbbing as she tried to formulate words. “What—?”

  “Happened?” Jackson tilted his head at her and crossed his arms over his chest. “Someone tell her. I don’t think I can without smacking the shit out of her.”

  “Down, boy.” Serena put a hand on his shoulder. “How do you feel, Lyssa?”

  “My head hurts.”

  “Good. Serves you right.” Jackson’s anger hurt her to the core.

  “Why are you so angry with me?”

  “Because we almost lost you.” The soft accusation coming from Jackson made her want to hide beneath the covers. As her vision cleared, she could discern her environment. She was back with the healers of Sector Thirteen.

  “I’m sorry, I—”

  “Wanted to save the world.” Serena shook her head at the men in the room. “You’ll be happy to know that the orb has been destroyed. The healers have removed the shard from your shoulder.”

  “And the one near my spine?”

  “Is still there.”

  Lyssa looked at the bed and tried to choose her next words. “You have to take it out.”

  “If we try to take it out, you might die, Lyssa.” The healer at the foot of her bed was shaking her head at her. “We’ve just patched you back up.”

  “As long as I have this shard in my body, I’m a danger to you all.” Lyssa let her words sink in before looking at Julius. “It’s not over, Julius. You have to tell the elders.”

  “What are you talking about?” Julius stepped closer to the bed.

  “This thing, I don’t know what to call it. I couldn’t see it, only hear it. It calls itself the Revenant. He is the shadow maker.”

  “Revenant? What are you going on about?” Julius shook his head at her. “We’re safe, Lyssa. I think maybe you need more sleep. Serena and I need to check back in at the Watch Tower. I expect you’ll want more time with Jackson.” They teleported away, and only Jackson remained.

  “Please. He said that we won this round, but they would be back. You have to tell the elders.” Lyssa pleaded with Jackson. “You have known me most of my life, Jackson. When you saw me on the ridge, you noticed the change, did you not?”

  Jackson did not falter. “Yes. I did. Something was off.”

  “It’s this damn rock. Take it out of me. It’s killing me slowly.”

  Jackson stepped closer and held her hand. “Hunter will kill me if I let anything happen to you. They wouldn’t let him up yet.”

  “He’s not here right now, is he?”

  “No, he’s not, but—”

  “There are no buts…you are my family. Make sure they get this damn thing out of me. I can’t ask anyone else. They don’t understand.”

  “I don’t think I understand, Lyssa.”

  “But you do. You’ve seen me at my lowest. This isn’t it. I want to live, Jackson. You have to help me. If they don’t remove this damn shard, I’m dead. The Revenant will turn me into something no one will recognize.”

  “Lyssa, you’re asking me to hurt you. I’ve sworn to protect you my entire life.”

  “If you want your Lyssa back, you have to do this.” Lyssa snatched his wand from his pocket and handed it to him. “Make it good, so they’ll have no choice but to help me.” Lyssa moved the wand to the back of her neck and gestured for him to continue.

  A tear fell from the corner of his eye as he aimed the wand at her head. He sent a blast of light at her before the healer could stop him. Her head reeled at the impact, and she moaned once before she lost consciousness.

  When she awoke the next time, the only one standing over her bed was Hunter “They said there had been casualties. My powers were too weak to find you, and when you didn’t return with the others, I thought—”

  “I’m fine.” At least she thought she was. She reached a hand up to her head and felt bandages surrounding it. “Did they…?”

  “Get the shard? Yes. But that’s beside the point. What were you thinking, Lyssa?”

  “I….” Faced with Hunter’s anger and pain, Lyssa did not know how to respond. All the reasons she had wanted to keep him out of the loop now felt selfish and tainted. What could she say that would smooth this over? She knew there wasn’t a damn thing she could say that would take his anger away. She’d been there herself. Lyssa knew how that felt. Continuing to look down at her hands, she struggled to keep the tears at bay.

  “You can’t keep me in the dark.” Hunter sat down on the side of her bed and grabbed her hand.

  “I’m sorry.” She felt the warmth of a tear as it trailed down her face. Before, she hadn’t been able to think about anything but destroying the evil that was tearing her world apart. Whether it was the shard making her act so irresponsibly, she’d never know. Even though her head felt like she’d shut it in the oven several times, she was more clear headed than she had been in quite some time.

  “You should be. If you ever do something so half-cocked again, I’ll—”

  “Lock me up and throw away the key?” Her lips turned into a half smile as she attempted to bring humor into the situation.

  “Quit.”

  “Quit?” Did he mean them or the Watch Tower? Panic filled every inch of her body.

  “Yes. Sector Four will be short two more Guardians then.”

  “I see.” Lyssa looked away from him and tried not to breathe an audible sigh of relief. “Did they tell you about the Revenant?”

  “Yes.”

  “And?”

  “I believe you, Lyssa. I think there’s something else out there. Julius is coming around to the idea too, but for now, the elders aren’t weighing in on it.”

  “Where is Jackson?”

  “He got in a little bit of trouble for knocking you senseless. They asked him to return to the library.”

  “It wasn’t his fault.”

  “You’ll never get him to admit that. We had to pull him away from your body after.”

  Lyssa shook her head. She was sorry she’d put him in that position, but he was the only one she trusted to do what needed to be done. “So, what happens next?”

  “I assume the Guardians will be looking to destroy the portals now. We can’t be too careful where the shadows and Craven are concerned. Not all of them were destroyed, but we did take out the major power source.”

  “That’s a start, I suppose.” Lyssa looked out the window, trying to quell the disappointment that she felt inside. She had hoped her question would bring a different response, but Hunter seemed all business.

  “Lyssa?”

  “I’m sorry, what?” Lyssa looked over at Hunter.

  “Did you hear what I said?”

  “Yes, that they’ll be trying to take out the portals.”

  “You missed the rest of it.”

  “I’m sorry. Was there more?”

  “Yes.” He leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips. “I love you, Lyssa.”

  “I love you, too.” She raised a hand to his face and moved a lock of hair away.

  “We’ll make it through this, one step at a time, as long as we have each other.”

  “Yes, Revenant, be damned.” Lyssa pulled him closer and lost herself in his touch for one more moment before the healers came and demanded he let her have her rest. She watched him walk away and took in every step of his departure.

  The end may not be at hand just yet, but the goal would always be the same. Life, love, peace, balance. Lyssa wouldn’t rest until the world was filled with each of them. She would find a way to hunt this Revenant down if it was the last thing she did.

  Ever since childhood, Elissa Daye has enjoyed reading stories as an escape from life. When she was a te
enager, she started to write her own stories that kept her entertained when she ran out of books to read. When she was accepted into Illinois Summer School for the Arts in her Junior year of High School, she knew she wanted to become a writer. Elissa graduated from Illinois State University in December 1999 with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and began her teaching career, hoping to find moments to write in her free time. After seven years of teaching, Elissa decided to focus on her writing and decided to put her teaching years behind her so that she could create the stories she had always dreamed of. She is now happily married and a stay at home mom, who writes in every spare moment she can find, doing her best to master the art of multitasking to get everything accomplished.

  The roads are always changing, but the dream is still the same. Every time I put a story up for the world to read, I am always thankful for the people who have helped me get to where I am. Family, friends, and fellow authors, you have no idea how much you have all impacted my life. To Kevenn, Michele, and Mary, who all lived through the real parts of this story with me several years ago. The world is always brighter with you all by my side.

  To my dearest friend Gary, who lost his fight with the shadows in 2011. The world is a darker place without your laugh, my friend. Fly high with the angels and remember to remind us all to laugh aloud every day.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21