Seizing his opportunity, Dirik ducked out from under his arm and scurried over to stand next to Citera. “Mikel told me not to tell anyone, he made me promise.”
“What are you two going on about?” Citera asked looking back and forth between the two of them with a puzzled expression.
“That girl isn’t a Full-blood, at least not like the rest of us,” Rigar answered as he resumed digging in the drawers and cabinets. “Where are the damn restraints?”
Citera calmly walked over to one of the cabinets in the far corner, pulled out a set of restraints, and handed them to him. “What do you mean she isn’t Full-blood, what else would she be?”
Rigar motioned for Dirik to help him, and the two worked to fasten the ends of the restraints to the metal frame of the bed. “I don’t know, but whatever she is, it’s dangerous. She never should have survived being in that cave, she sure shouldn’t have awakened already, and now on top of everything else, she has blue eyes.” He was shaking his head as he grabbed her right arm to strap it down, but hesitated. “She has healed some of her wounds already.” Citera joined the pair beside the bed and realized what it was Rigar was talking about; many of the minor cuts and bruises that had covered her when she came in had already disappeared.
“I guess she used his blood to heal herself,” Rigar growled while continuing his work, albeit slightly faster than before.
Citera, meanwhile, continued to examine her. Someone as sick as this girl had appeared to be should have been out for weeks if not longer trying to heal. Yet this girl had used her father’s blood to heal not only all the surface injuries, but also several of the more major ones, in less than twelve hours. The realization both frightened and amazed her; even the red formula wouldn’t heal a body that quickly, at least not that she knew of.
“Does blood always heal Full-bloods this quickly?” Citera couldn’t help herself; it was remarkable, there were no signs of any of the previous injuries. If blood always rejuvenated them this rapidly, she couldn’t help but wonder why the Full-bloods would have switched to formula in the first place.
“I don’t know,” Rigar answered coldly, seeming disturbed by the fact she had even asked. “I don’t drink blood, nor do I care to.”
Dirik picked up the pace as he secured the restraints to her ankles. “I don’t care what she is, but we better hurry and get these things on her before she wakes up again. I’m pretty sure she isn’t going to be happy about that shiner, and I don’t want to be the next one on the menu to heal it.”
Working together they quickly finished securing the rest of the buckles, then Rigar turned to Citera. “Give me the one for her head. I am not taking any more chances, she won’t be able to move a single muscle when I’m finished with her.”
Citera obeyed. Pulling the strap from the drawer, she helped Rigar secure it to the bed. She then held the girl’s head in place while he tightened the vice-like grips, locking it in a forward facing position. As Citera stood staring down at the girl, curiosity got the best of her and she leaned over and pried open one of her eye lids, revealing the pale blue iris underneath. She remained staring into the cold lifeless orb, captivated by their icy depths. She couldn’t herself, it was beautiful.
“So what do you think she is?” Citera asked Rigar, who was looking down at her eye as well, but he wasn’t admiring the beauty. He was seeing something entirely different in that eye … death, either by her own hands or by those of the Shadows.
“I am not sure.” Rigar heaved a large breath, running a shaky hand through his hair. “But whatever she is, it’s nothing good. We need to get her out of this clinic, and soon.”
Chapter 6
The Tower
The Enforcer sat silently watching the scenery as it flew past his window. He was thankful that the officer driving showed no interest in being chatty, or even from deterring his gaze from the road in front of him. The rigidness of his body made it clear that he would have much preferred to be anywhere else but in this car with him.
The Enforcer’s mind was in another place as well; it was back at the inn with Maya. Not the girl from this morning, but the one he had talked to the night before, the one who trusted and sympathized with him. The wonderful innocence and honesty in which she had spoken to him last night had made him feel normal, if even for a brief moment, and that was something that would stay with him for a long time to come.
But as with all good things that came into his life, the encounter had ended as swiftly as it began. He had never been so affected by an expression in his lifetime as he was by the fear of him she exhibited outside his room this morning. He would give anything for another chance to talk to her, to try and explain himself, to thank her for what she did for him, and apologize for hurting her. Yet it was impossible, his job and who he was made sure of that. His whole reason for being was based on tyranny and fear, any signs of vulnerability or weakness could cost him not only his life, but hers as well. This was how it had to be. Never again would she greet him with that trusting look in her eyes, never again would she smile at him that innocent, naïve smile. Now she saw him like everyone else did, as a cold-blooded murder.
He tried to change position in the cramped confines of the car, but it was impossible to move in these things. He hated these cars, they were only good for travel during the day or for short distances at night, and were usually only used by patrols to transport criminals to the Tower for interrogation.
He had been surprised to see they had brought them out for him. He guessed in their opinion he was a criminal, though he wasn’t really sure what the big deal was. He had done things far worse than this before in the name of the Shadows. No matter, he had dealt with the Shadows many times before and felt confident that whatever lies the patrols had fabricated could be explained away with ease.
In the distance he could see the black form of the Tower coming into view. Strategically set in the center of Vanteria and perched high upon a hill, the Tower was designed and positioned to intimidate any who would dare think to challenge its walls.
The outside surface shined in the mid-day’s light, displaying an almost metallic sheen as the rays bounced off its smooth onyx walls. All the windows on the lower levels were designed so that even a small child would have difficult crawling through, but large enough that an arrow could be fired at its intended target. There were no doors, except for the main entrance on the ground and the balconies on the upper levels where the Shadows and the elite lived. And in the event of an attack the entire building could be locked down and sealed off, making it completely impenetrable. But the true genius behind its design could not be fully appreciated until at night. For once the sun disappeared and the last rays of light left the sky, the Tower all but vanished into the surrounding darkness.
Minutes after spotting the Tower, the massive statues that guarded the entrance into the capital appeared in the window in front of them. Gallantly they stood, dressed in heavy armor, each holding a shield in one hand and a sword in the other, their eyes forever locked on the landscape daring intruders to try and enter the gate without their permission.
The small convoy entered through the gate and headed up the hill toward the Tower. The streets were busy with the Terrian shopkeepers tending to customers, while the Full-blooded patrols wandered around keeping an eye on things. Unlike the outlying areas that used Terrians to fill their patrol positions, the population of Full-bloods in the capital made up the Black guard and the patrols. This was partly due to the fact that the road had moved so far from the capital, but mainly because it made the army in the city much stronger than those of the surrounding areas.
After winding their way through the streets of the city, they eventually made it to the smaller gate that served as the last check point around the Tower. Pulling to a stop, one of the guards approached the driver’s side window and addressed the officer driving, “What is your business here?”
The officer hesitated a moment, seeming to have forgotten himself why he
had drove all the way out here, then looking over at the Enforcer for the first time since the journey began, answered nervously, “We drove the Enforcer back.”
The guard bent over to get a better look inside the car, and seeing the Enforcer motioned for the others to open the gate. “Sorry, sir, didn’t see you in there. The Shadows are waiting for you in the throne room.”
He nodded to the guard and they continued through the open gate, pulling to a stop in front of the Tower. The Enforcer quickly got out of the confinement of the car, his legs numb from sitting in the same position for so long. The chief came up beside him as if he were planning to escort him inside. Angry at the arrogance of this man who was acting as if he were a common criminal being brought for interrogation, he turned and challenged him, “Where do you think you are going?”
The chief, half smirking, proudly announced, “They asked me to come in with you.”
Fighting back the overwhelming desire to grab him and throw him back into his pathetic little car, he swallowed his anger and headed toward the front doors of the Tower. He was anxious to deal with whatever lies they had told the Shadows, but unlike the cocky little imp, he was also painfully aware of the dangers he faced inside.
He lead him up the stairs to the third floor where the throne room was located, navigating the maze of halls and corridors with ease. As they entered the throne room, the Enforcer watched as the wide-eyed chief surveyed its vastness, and recalled the first time he too had set foot inside of this room. He had been a prisoner, arrested, beaten, and set to be executed for his part in the uprising against the Shadows, but despite his anger and fear of impending death, he also couldn’t help but marvel at the magnificence of this room.
The walls and columns around them were comprised of light, nearly white granite that shined brilliantly in the sunlight casting in through the small windows high above them. In contrast, the ceiling above was made of the same black onyx that coated the walls on the outside of the Tower. Embedded into its blackness were thousands of jewels and crystals of varying shape and color, whose surfaces reflected the light down in a way that gave one the impression they were gazing upon the night’s sky full of twinkling stars.
As they continued to the head of the room, the Enforcer watched as the chief’s confident expression began to waver as his attention shifted to the statues positioned underneath the columns that lined both sides of the room. Each one of them held a different pose, but they all appeared to be in varying amounts of distress as they struggled to support the ceiling pressing down upon them.
All along the long room, positioned at various intervals, were members of the Black guard, rigid and motionless, forbidden to move unless called upon. And at the furthest end of the room, sitting impatiently on their ornate stone thrones, sat the Shadows.
Knowing better than to meet their stony gaze, the Enforcer focused his attention on the wall above their thrones. There hung the crown jewel of the room, a giant gold and silver crest in the shape of a circle locked inside an upside down triangle. Around the two shapes wove a vine covered in sharp thorns, and in the center of the whole thing was what appeared to be a single tear drop. It was a symbol few had ever seen, and no one other than the Shadows themselves knew what it meant. It was one of their most guarded secrets, even he had no idea what it stood for, but whatever it was they would kill to protect.
“Aww, finally our most loyal Enforcer as returned to us. So glad to see you back unharmed.”
The female Shadow, Gaia, addressed him with a welcoming smile on her face; she sat in the middle between the two men, her dark brown hair braided and pulled back with a series of metal clips and adornments. In all his time with them he had never once seen her when she did not look completely put together. She had an air of sophistication and importance, and yet a way of looking at a person that would freeze his blood inside his veins. The three of them were dressed in their usual formal attire; the lady in all white, while the men wore suits in varying combinations of black and white.
Once they were close enough to them, he stopped, put his fist against his chest, and dropped to one knee. “My lords, my loyalty is to you as always.” Then standing, he continued, “I apologize for keeping you waiting, I—”
He meant to continue and tell them what had happened in Vicaris, but one of the male Shadows cut him off. “No, we do not wish to hear excuses. You should have come back with the inspectors, instead you come back to us having caused more problems than you have solved.” Then turning his attention to the chief, narrowing his eyes as he asked, “So do tell, what is it our Enforcer has done that has brought you all the way out here to report to us?”
Enforcer knew his place and stepped back in silence. The chief, ignorantly basking in his importance, stepped forward to recant his story. He told them of the beheading in the street, along with the death of the other Full-blood, and then proceeded to add in the incident in the park where he knocked down the officer who had crept up behind him. The Shadows listened to his story, their faces emotionless and impossible to read. All the while Enforcer remained silent, daring not to speak until addressed.
The three had their sights locked on the chief, and once he had finished, Aziel, the most impatient of the three Shadows spoke up first, “Is that it? You came all the way out here to tell us that he did his job?”
The question seemed to catch the chief completely off guard. He turned and looked up at Enforcer, before facing the Shadows again, and in desperation added, “Well there was also an incident at the inn.”
Enforcer immediately diverted his gaze to the chief, forgetting momentarily to hide the confusion on his face. Knowing better than anyone the importance of concealing emotions in their presence, he quickly corrected his mistake and contemplated what the chief could possibly have to say about the inn. He thought long and hard, the only thing he could think of that he might possibly be referring to was the bruise on Maya’s arm, but even that shouldn’t be enough to cause him any problems.
The chief continued, avoiding his stare completely, “The man of the family reported that he threatened his daughter in order to gain a room for the night, then, while the family slept, he lured her into his room and took advantage of her.”
The whole room turned red as an infuriated Enforcer reached out and grabbed ahold of the man. The chief, taken by surprise, let out a yell and began swinging his arms frantically trying to get loose from his grasp. He continued to struggle uselessly as Enforcer raised him into the air and threw him with all his might. He sent the impish man flying across the room before he finally hit the floor and slid into one of the granite columns. But he wasn’t done with him, and he no longer saw nor cared about anything or anyone else in the room. All he saw was this piece of scum who had offended him worse than anyone else had in his lifetime. He advanced across the room, and out of the corner of his eye saw the Shadows signal for the guards to stop him. But he didn’t care, he was already on top of the chief again. Picking him up, he pulled him in close so they were eye-to-eye.
“You son of a bitch, I am going to pull your scrawny little head right off your shoulders and mount it on my wall. How dare you come here and tell such a lie? I have killed people for far less.” He raised his hand prepared to finish off the arrogant man once and for all, only to feel himself be struck from behind by one of the Black guard.
The blow caused him to drop the chief, who scurried quickly behind the line of guards that had him surrounded with their swords drawn. However, even they were not enough to stop him and his plans for the chief. He turned and knocked several of the guards off their feet as he jumped out of the circle, landing behind the group and right on top of the terrified little man.
He had his foot raised and was prepared to bring it down when something pierced his shoulder and blood poured down his arm. Grabbing the site, he found he had a sword protruding through his shoulder. Completely enraged, he kicked behind him and knocked the guard attached to it across the room, taking out several more
with him. He then returned his attention back to the chief, but the guards had managed to make a barricade around the crumpled up man. He glared at them all as he broke off the sword like it was no more than a twig and pulled it from his shoulder.
“I’ll go through you all if I have to,” he growled moving in on the crowd of them. He was poised to launch himself into the middle of them all when he was suddenly hit hard from the side. The blow knocked him off his feet and sent him sliding across the room. He bounced back to his feet, searching for the one who had taken him by surprise, only to have his feet knocked from under him again.
His attacker then grabbed him by the hair, pulled him to his knees, and held him there with a knife to his throat. “That is quite enough of this!” The Enforcer looked up to meet the gaze of the one who had bested him, and was not surprised to see Aziel looking down on him. “How dare you disrupt our court in such a manner? Have you forgotten your place?”
Enforcer started to protest, but stopped when he felt blood trickle down his neck from the blade being pressed harder against his throat. “No, my lord.”
The Shadow continued, “We will hear your side in a moment, if you can control yourself long enough that is. If not,” he grinned in a way that the Enforcer was all too familiar with, “how long has it been since you paid a visit the yard?”
Before he could respond, Gaia called to them from across the room, “Aziel, bring him here and, guards, bring the chief.” Obediently Aziel removed the blade from his throat and motioned for him to stand, and together the two of them returned to stand before the others still perched on their thrones. Momentarily they were joined by the chief, badly bruised and bloody, surrounded by guards.
Once again the attention was focused on the chief as Gaia continued to question him. “You stand here in front of us, accusing our Enforcer of a very heinous crime. Other than the word of the father, do you have any evidence to back up these accusations?”
K: The Awakening (The Shadow Chronicles Book 1) Page 10
