K: The Awakening (The Shadow Chronicles Book 1)

by K. R. Fajardo

Sam proved to be more resilient than Jarod would have thought, and again rebounded. He charged at Jarod full strength, knocking him back several feet and ripping up the floorboards as he braced the impact. It had been a long time since Jarod had fought someone that even challenged him in the slightest, and though he hated to admit it, he was really enjoying it. Realizing he wasn’t going to be able to push him out of the way, Sam backed off to gather a new plan.

  Feeling satisfied that he had him where he wanted, Jarod smiled at him arrogantly, infuriating Sam even further. With all the strength he could muster, Sam brought his fist around and landed it squarely against the side of Jarod’s jaw. Blood poured from his mouth as the squad of patrols intervened and attempted to restrain Sam. He easily disbanded them, returning his attention back to Jarod and charging toward him yet again. The two of them locked into each other, crashing into tables and chairs as they continued swinging and attacking relentlessly. The patrols, knowing better than to interfere with the two powerful Full-bloods, reassumed their stations blocking the front door.

  Jarod choose to allow the battle to go on a few more minutes, getting a feel for the way the Full-blood fought and searching for holes in his attacks. For an inn keeper, Sam moved like a man well versed in fighting, possibly even trained in it. Raising the question, why would an inn keeper need to be trained to fight? No matter, he needed to put an in to this dance and quick. He still had no idea where Maya was, and the fact she remained missing even amidst the havoc, was concerning.

  Finally, Sam messed up. Ducking beneath a misaimed swing, Jarod moved behind Sam and wrapped his forearm around his neck, effectively cutting off the flow of blood to his brain. Sam struggled ferociously, but it was useless, in only matter of moments the lack of air and blood got the better of him and he lost consciousness. Jarod allowed his limp body to fall to the floor and gave him a hard kick in the ribs for good measure.

  “Place him in chains,” he barked at the gawking patrols while turning his attention to the chaos surrounding him. Scanning the demolished eating area, he spotted the chief kneeling on the ground next to Lila, pressing a towel against her leg where he had removed the blade. The patrols worked frantically to place shackles on Sam’s arms and legs, and once he was confident Sam was secure, Jarod joined the chief at Lila’s side. Kneeling down beside her he asked, “Now, where is your daughter?”

  She looked up at him with the same calm expression, despite the tears pouring from her eyes, and shook her head.

  “Please, Lila, tell us where she is,” the chief pleaded.

  “She didn’t mean to do it, he forced her to say those things, please don’t take her away from me.”

  The chief’s face softened, empathizing with the injured woman. Turning his attention to Jarod as he too began to plead, “You hear, he forced her to do it, and anyone of us here can testify to the abuse we have witnessed over the years. Why can’t you just take Sam and leave the girl her with her mother?”

  He wanted to; if they only knew how badly he wanted to. And if he knew that it would only be him that would suffer the wrath the Shadows for his disobedience, he would. But that wasn’t how they worked. If he returned without her, they would find a way to bring her anyway and she would suffer exponentially worse than she would have if he had just followed commands. “It’s not up to me,” he answered, running his hands through his hair. “But I will testify on her behalf to what I have witnessed and heard, that’s the best I can do.”

  Lila began to sob uncontrollably. “It probably doesn’t matter anyway; she is most likely dead already.”

  The chief and Jarod exchanged glances. “Where is she?” Jarod asked, as the knot in his stomach tightened yet again. He was struggling to keep his frustration and anger under control, as he stood and headed behind the bar. “Is she back there?”

  Lila nodded, becoming hysterical. “He became so angry last night,” she cried, looking to the chief. “Someone spotted her holding hands with Dirik and told him that she kissed him.”

  She began to recount the events of the evening after Maya had left the clinic, Jarod listened but all he really wanted to do was run into the back to make sure she was all right. Lila continued to tell them of how he had become enraged at her for allowing Maya to roam the streets with a boy, letting her act like—as he called it—a little whore, and saying he was going to kill her.

  Maya walked in on him beating her mother and tried to intervene, but all she succeeded in doing was diverting his anger onto herself. Lila continued to describe in great detail how he had continued to pound on her until she lost consciousness at which time he took her body, tossed it into her room, and locked the door. He had not allowed Lila to go inside to check and see if she was even still alive, not even this morning.

  The silence of the inn was deafening as Lila finished her story. Even the patrols had stopped what they were doing to listen, appalled by the brutality these women had been forced to endure. Jarod wasn’t waiting another second and bolted into the house, knocking open door after door until he arrived at the last one, locked and bolted from the outside. Taking a deep breath, he rammed his shoulder into the door one time, and sent it flying open. His heart stopped beating and his body went rigid at the sight of what lay before him. There, lying motionless, half on and half off the bed was Maya. Badly bruised and covered in her own blood, it appeared from the blood trail going across the floor that she had somehow managed to drag herself to the bed, but then passed out from exhaustion before she could make it all the way onto the mattress.

  “Is she …” a voice asked from behind him

  “I don’t know.”

  He stepped into the room and knelt down on the floor beside her. Glancing back toward the chief watching him intensely from the door, he took a deep breath and placed two fingers on the side of her neck.

  Much to his relief, he found a pulse. “She is still alive,” Jarod said, reaching his arms around her and gently lifting her off the floor. He cradled the small body in his arms, half fearing he would cause her more harm by moving her.

  “Where can we take her? The clinic in town is closed, it’s been closed since—” The chief stopped mid-sentence as he stepped out of Jarod’s way so he could come through the door.

  “Since my last visit, I know,” Jarod finished for him. “I am taking her to the Tower.”

  “Like this? What if she doesn’t survive the journey?” the chief admonished, following behind him.

  “She will. She is a Full-blood. Once we are at the Tower she can be treated by the physicians there, they are the best in the land.” He left out the part about her having to survive the Shadows first. They rounded a corner and passed through the door into the bar area. “But I need you to get those cars here now.”

  “Is she alive?” Lila asked, struggling to get to her feet. But when she got closer and saw what was left of her daughter, she became hysterical and threw herself on the body still embraced in Jarod’s arms. “My daughter, what has he done to you?” she screamed, running her hands over Maya’s face and through her hair. Jarod remained still, allowing the mother her moment to grieve for her daughter. “This is all my fault, I allowed this to happen to her, I did nothing to stop him!”

  The chief waved at one of the patrols closest to the door. “Three of you who can drive run to the office and get the cars, and I mean run.”

  Sam, now awake and chained to the metal rail of the bar, laughed. “It would be more merciful to go ahead and kill her, I can only imagine what happens to young women in that Tower.”

  Before Jarod had a chance to respond, Lila jumped over the bar, bottle in hand, and proceeded to wail on her abusive husband. She bludgeoned him over and over again, patrols and Jarod alike standing back and watching. “Get her off of me!” Sam shouted between blows. But no one came to his assistance, it wasn’t until she landed one hard enough to knock him out that the chief intervened, “All right, that’s enough, stop her.”

  Several officers descended upon her and dr
agged her away, kicking and screaming. After she had completely exhausted herself struggling against them, Lila dropped to her knees. “I’ve lost everything,” she cried, peering up at Jarod. “Take me with you, let me die with her, I beg you.”

  “I have no reason to take you,” Jarod said as he carefully placed Maya’s body on top of the bar.

  “Then I will kill you, you murdering rapist,” Lila shouted jumping up and lunging forward. She managed to almost make it to him before the surprised patrols managed to get her back under control. Fighting against them with all her might, Lila continued to scream insults at Jarod.

  “You, the Shadows, this whole government is nothing but a system of liars, thieves, and murders, and I hope you all burn.”

  Jarod closed his eyes and breathed through the fire burning inside. He knew what she was trying to do, and by the law he could have her arrested for any one of the things she had said, but Maya would never forgive him for taking her mother, and honestly he had no desire to do so either. This family had been through enough.

  “Sir,” one of the officers addressed him, “what would you like us to do with her?”

  “Take her to your holding cell and let her cool off tonight.”

  “No, no you take me with you, you take me with my daughter!” Lila shouted as the patrols struggled to hold her. She was still shouting profanities at Jarod as they dragged her out the door. With the room finally quiet, Jarod had a chance to survey the damage done by Sam. Maya’s small body was riddled with bruises, her dress saturated in blood, and her face so badly swollen that the beautiful girl he had spoken to the night he first came to the inn was no longer recognizable. He wanted to kill her father for what he had done, but his orders were clear, and if didn’t come back with them alive, it was he who would pay the price.

  “The cars are here,” the chief shouted from the doorway. Scooping up Maya, he carried her outside and groaned with disappointment at the sight of the small vehicles. “You two load him up in that one, you two take the lead car, and I will ride with the Enforcer and the girl in this one,” the chief instructed, holding open the door to the middle car for Jarod. Gently he set her down in the backseat, then for the second time in a month, squeezed himself inside the tiny car.

  The chief took his seat on the driver’s side. “They really aren’t designed for you, are they?” Chief asked, watching Jarod struggle to get both legs inside.

  “I hate these damn things. If it wasn’t for the girl being in such bad shape I would prefer to travel by horse and cart,” he snapped angrily, attempting to shut the door.

  Once he managed to squeeze the mass of himself inside they began their travel back to the Tower. The drive to the Capital only took a few hours by car, most of which was passed in silence. By about halfway through the journey, Jarod himself grew tired of the silence and decided to find out what he could about this new chief. “How did you get to become chief?”

  “Not by choice, I assure you,” the chief chuckled. “As you can imagine after what happened to the last chief, there was a shortage of volunteers for the job. So the upper officials decided to put the names of the highest ranking officers in a hat, of course the names of those who they are paying to do their dirty work got left out conveniently, and well, my name was drawn.” He paused for a moment, and glanced out the side window. “My wife cried all day and night for a week straight after I told her, then when she stopped, she left me, fearing if I screwed up the Shadows would come for her and my daughter as punishment.”

  Jarod listened soundlessly, sympathizing with the man sitting beside him. He too knew what it was like to sacrifice everything you hold dear to you for a job you never wanted. “If it makes you feel any better, I didn’t exactly volunteer for my job either. But a word of advice,” he turned and stared at the chief, “trust no one and tell nobody else what you just told me. From here on out you are a single man who proudly serves the Shadows and their cause. Everything you just told me was nothing more than a sweet dream, a fantasy, and a life that is impossible for you to have now. It’s time to wake up. Do you understand?”

  The chief faced him, and though he said nothing, but it was clear the message had hit its mark. They arrived at the gates of the city an hour later. The guards stopped the caravan, and spotting Jarod inside, welcomed him back, “Did you enjoy your time away, sir?” they asked.

  “Will you send message to the Tower we are coming with the prisoners the Shadows requested?” he responded, ignoring their question.

  “Prisoners? Not much of a vacation was it?” the guard mumbled to another as he waved them through.

  They continued to make their way through the city, and Jarod could see the nervousness building on the young chief’s face as they came closer and closer to the Tower. “I have never seen the Tower before,” he gawked, looking up the hill as little by little the full expanse of it came into view, “it’s huge.”

  “You have no idea.”

  Jarod followed his gaze to the massive structure looming over the city. They pulled through the gate and stopped in front of the iron doors that marked the entrance. Exiting the car, Jarod stretched the stiffness from his cramped muscles before carefully lifting Maya from the back seat and holding her out to the chief. “I need you to carry her to the Throne room.”

  “What? I can’t go in there, the last chief that went in there didn’t come out.”

  “The last chief also accused me of raping this girl,” Jarod said, placing her in his arms. “I can’t carry her and her father both, or would you rather deal with him?” The chief looked over as Sam struggled against the patrols unloading him from the car. He managed to knock several of them out before the Tower guards were forced to join in to help regain control.

  “No, I would rather not go at all,” he continued to protest, looking around at the crowd of guards, “can’t one of them go with you?”

  “Only high ranking officials and officers are allowed to set foot in the Throne Room, Chief.”

  Jarod turned his back on him before he could protest any further. Focusing his attention on Sam and the mass of guards struggling to get control over him, “Enough of this. Can the lot of you not gain control over one cowardly man?”

  “You stay the hell away from me,” Sam shouted, seeing Jarod advancing on him. “I’m not going in there with those blood sucking demons!”

  “Sure you are,” Jarod laughed, pulling his fist back and landing it squarely upside Sam’s jaw, knocking him out cold. “That was for earlier.” He lifted him up by the back of his shirt and proceeded to drag him toward the Tower doors. “Come on, Chief.”

  Once inside, together they wound their way through the halls and stairs arriving at last to their destination. Jarod paused outside the Throne room doors to address the chief, “If you want to live through this then you need to listen to me.”

  “Live through this? I thought you said I would be safe, I did nothing wrong,” the chief paled noticeably as panic swept over him.

  “I never said you would be safe, no one that goes in there is safe, not even me. So stay behind me, keep your mouth shut unless spoken to, and whatever you do don’t look them in the eyes.” And before the chief had a chance to protest any further, he turned to the guards posted by the doors, “Open it.”

  Obediently they pushed open the doors and stepped aside as Jarod and the chief entered. The chief looked around the expanse of the room, momentarily captivated by its marvels and beauty. It wasn’t until the doors behind them shut with a loud thud that the chief remembered where he was and why he was there, and a thin sheen of perspiration appeared on his brow. At the end of the court, high above them sat the Shadows in all their deathly beauty waiting and watching as they approached. In the silence of the hall Jarod could hear the chief’s breathing become faster and faster the closer they came to the Shadows, but despite all his fear, he remained quiet and in control following closely behind Jarod as he had been instructed.

  “Our Enforcer has returned to
us,” Gaia said as they neared, “and he has brought us presents.”

  “My lady, the innkeeper as requested,” Jarod answered, throwing Sam down at the foot of the stairs and bowing before them.

  “And is that the daughter?” Aziel asked, rising from his throne and descending the stairs. “I believe my brother asked you to bring them back alive, did he not? What good did it do us to send you on a trip to clear your mind only to have you return to us with one dead prisoner and the other one half dead?”

  “My lord, forgive me but the girl isn’t dead,” Jarod stated keeping his head down and knee on the floor.

  “Isn’t she?” Aziel asked, approaching the chief. “And who are you?”

  “He is the new Chief of Viracas, my lords,” Jarod answered for the chief.

  Aziel glared down at Jarod. “And can the new chief not speak for himself?”

  Chief, taking note of Aziel’s angst toward Jarod, joined in, “Yes, my lord, I can. Forgive me for not bowing, but,” he motioned to Maya in his arms, “is there somewhere you would like me to place the girl?”

  “No, I want you to stand there and hold her,” Aziel replied, smirking, “until I tell you to do otherwise.”

  “As you wish, my lord.”

  Jarod couldn’t see him, but had no doubt he had to be exhausted after carrying her through the halls and up the stairs to the Throne room. He could hear the stress in his voice, but there was nothing he could do to help him; they were testing him and if he failed they would most likely kill him. He hated having to bring him up here—he seemed to be an honorable man—but he needed him in here to testify about what he had seen take place at the inn … if he lived long enough to do so.

  “Aziel don’t be so rude to our guest,” Gaia scolded her husband. “And you stand up and explain why both your charges are in such horrific condition, especially such a young girl.” Gaia walked to where the chief stood and studied the lifeless body, “It makes me suspect that you are trying to keep them quiet.”

  Carefully Jarod stood. “My lady, I will take full responsibility for the condition the innkeeper is in, but the girl was not my doing. The innkeeper makes it a regular practice to beat his wife and his daughter.”