Forsaken (The Shadow Chronicles Book 3)

by K. R. Fajardo

  “I want a horse!” Herug said, jumping up and down with nervous excitement. Behind him several more kids gathered looking just as excited.

  “A horse it shall be then. Now hold your pail steady and with both hands, you wouldn’t want to drop any.” Nodding excitedly, Herug wrapped both arms around the bucket and squeezed as if his life depended on it. Satisfied with his effort, Gof lowered one hand inside the well and when he pulled it back up, a large stream of water came floating out behind it. Working his hands in a swirling motion, he angled the water toward the pail and began to fill it with a steady flow. “Ok now for the fun part.” Waving his other hand above the stream, Gof pulled up a bit water and fiddled around until the once shapeless blob took on the form of a galloping horse. He continued to do this down various sections of the water until he had managed to create three more horses, all running on top of the stream, heading into the pail Herug tightly grasped with a huge smile engulfing his face. Awestruck, Maya and the others watched as the old water Elemental continued to fill the pail with galloping water horses, as the children laughed and clapped. Only once the pail held as much water as it could possibly hold, did Gof end the stream with an abrupt wave and directed the remaining water back into the well.

  “That was so beautiful.” Maya gasped, as Herug, followed by the other children, dashed away with the water filled bucket.

  “That, my dear, is but a fool’s trick.” Gof said, smiling up at her, “But it makes the children happy and keeps my belly full. So what more can an old man ask for?”

  “Sir, if you don’t mind…” Jaron interrupted, unable to keep his patience in check any longer. “Could you tell us more about why the queen is on trial?”

  With a furrowed brow, Gof turned to face him, “Why is she on trial? Why everyone and their dogs know why she is on trial. Where have you been?”

  “I…”

  “Like I said they are new to our area, so they have yet to hear all our stories and histories.” Jericho interrupted, as he cut his eyes in warning at Jaron. Realizing Jericho knew more than he had led them to believe about Mallok’s plans for K, Jaron glared back.

  “Well he must have been living under a rock, for even his people are more than familiar with the queen’s betrayal.” Gof continued, eyeing them suspiciously, “After all, it was Lady Kirsten who aided Aidan those first few years until he had managed to get everything back under control.”

  If looks could kill, Jericho and Jaron would have both fallen prey to the other’s angry glares. And their angst toward each other did not go unnoticed by Gof, nor several other citizens whose attention they were beginning to gather. Knowing if they remained here any longer, the patrols of this area were soon to show up, Maya looped her arm through first Jericho’s then Jaron’s and smiled sweetly at Gof. “It was so lovely meeting you.” She said trying her best to conceal the nervous shaking of her voice, “But we should really be on our way, we have quite a bit more traveling to do before it gets dark, and I for one prefer not to fall behind.”

  Without waiting for a response, Maya dragged the two men away from the well, feeling the confused and mistrustful glare of Gof watching them. Needing to get them out of the public eye and into a more secluded area, Maya made a left and headed down a nearby alley, dragging the two males with her; who surprisingly followed without resistance. However, once they were around the corner and safe from the prying eyes of Gof and the other Elementals, both men simultaneously jerked their arms from Maya’s grasp and faced off.

  “What are you hiding from me Jericho?” Jaron shouted, a little louder than Maya would have liked.

  “Hiding? I’m not hiding anything, Jaron.” Jericho snapped back. “I assumed you knew why Mallok wanted K. Hell, the entire world knows why he wants her. It’s not my damn fault your queen chose to lie to you about her past.”

  Infuriated Jaron lunged at Jericho, but was caught and held back by the others. Sensing Jaron was on the verge of losing it, Jericho vanished and reappeared a safe distance down the alley. Crossing his arms over his chest, he glared at the group of them. “Jaron, I swear, you lay one hand on me and our deal is off.”

  “Calm down, man.” Zach coaxed, as he and the others continued to try and restrain Jaron, “We need him to get through the rest of these villages, besides, I am sure he would be willing to explain what is going on… just give him a chance.”

  The glaring match between the two men continued on for several more intense moments, before Maya decided to intervene. “We assumed the king wanted K back because of their history together.” She said, repeating what he had told them all back at camp. “That he was trying to force her to stay with him against her will, but from what Gof said back there, it sounds like there is much more than that going on.”

  “I’d say.” Releasing a ragged breath, Jericho relaxed his stance. “Mallok didn’t bring K back to rekindle an old flame. He brought her back to put her on trial.”

  “And what is her crime?” Jarod joined in.

  “You honestly don’t know?” Jericho, hesitated studying the group closely. Seeing the truth in their blank stares, he shook his head as he ran a hand through his hair. “Damn, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but the queen is on trial for trying to kill Mallok.”

  “What? I thought you said he wanted to marry her.” Maya gasped.

  “He did. But I guess a knife to the chest was her way of saying no.”

  “But isn’t he Immortal?” Zach spoke up, asking the question they all had on their minds. “I mean, how can you be on trial for trying to kill someone who can’t die?”

  “Even so, she did stab him, which resulted in him being down for twenty years.” Jericho shrugged, “I guess that was enough to piss him off. Anyhow, beyond that I am as clueless as the rest of you.”

  “Hey guys…” Rico’s gravelly voice called from the edge of the alley where he was keeping post. “I think we may have a problem. That old guy is talking to some people in uniform and motioning in this direction.”

  No sooner than the words left his mouth than Jericho was by his side peaking around the corner. “Shit! That’s Ivan!” Turning back around, Jericho was as white as a sheet, “He is the head of Lanoria’s border security and the strongest earth Elemental in the country. He rarely leaves the capital, which means if he is here…”

  “He probably knows we are too.” Jaron finished.

  “And he’s heading this way.” Rico added, dashing from his post to join them.

  Frantically Jericho and the others began searching the dead-end alley for another way out. “We need to get out of here, but there is no exit except the way we came in. We are trapped!”

  “Perhaps we should take to the roof tops.” Zach suggested, gesturing to top of the four-story buildings on either side of them.

  Looking up, Jericho’s eyes stretched wide. “I can’t make that.”

  “Well lucky for you, we can.” Not giving Jericho a chance to voice his protest, Jaron wrapped an arm around him and with a curt nod to the others, leapt to the roof of the building.

  Only Maya and Jarod remained behind at the bottom. Following the path of the others to the top of the tall stone building, Maya’s heart rate picked up. “Jarod, I don’t think…”

  Not giving her a chance to finish, Jarod scooped her up in his arms and leapt onto the roof. “Thanks,” she said quietly, as he gently set her back on her own two feet.

  “You’re welcome.” Jarod hesitated as if he wanted to say something else, but was cut off by the sound of bells going off somewhere in the city.

  “Is that for us?” Maya asked, as she and the others hurriedly scanned the horizon for the source.

  “Maybe, maybe not, but let’s not wait to find out.” Jaron shouted over the noise.

  Together the group took off, dashing across roof tops, while Jericho jumped ahead to scout out their path. All around them the tolling of the bells continued their ominous ringing, driving them to move faster and push themselves even harder. Movin
g faster than they ever had before, they all managed to make it to the edge of town, where they descended from the roofs and took off running.

  Knowing that traveling along the main road probably wasn’t safe anymore, they stayed on it only until they came across a small mining road and then diverged onto it. They continued on at a strenuous pace down the small dirt path until they finally felt confident they had put enough space between them and the patrols. Only then did they stop for a moment to reevaluate their plans.

  “Jericho what are our options?” Jaron huffed, nervously pacing back and forth in front of the group. “Is there any other way into the city?”

  “No and if Ivan knows we are here, then so does every patrol between here and there.” Jericho heaved a heavy breath and raked his fingers through his hair. “I’m so sorry Jaron. I really did think we could make it to the capital, I have no idea how they figured out we were here.”

  Suddenly Jarod raised a hand into the air. “Be quiet.” he demanded, stepping forward. Jericho, fearing his wrath, immediately retreated out of his reach.

  “Listen man, I swear I have nothing to do with this.” He quickly argued, “If anything I am going to be in hot shit with Mallok if they figure out I was the one escorting you through their country.”

  “I said shut up!” Jarod snapped dismissively. Tilting his head, his brow creased in concentration, “Does anyone else hear that?”

  Immediately the group fell silent as the other five Full-bloods concentrated on trying to hear whatever it was Jarod was hearing. “I think I do,” Rico stepped forward, staring down the road ahead of them, “It sounds like someone is running this way.”

  “Someone very small.” Zach added, “I’d wager smaller than Maya.”

  “What should we do?” Maya asked, scanning the open landscape around them. “There’s nowhere to hide out here.”

  “I say we take them on,” Liam, another of Jaron’s men added, pulling his sword. “There’s seven of us and only one of them.”

  “Put the sword away Liam, I would like to avoid leaving a trail of bodies in our wake.” Jaron scolded, “More than likely whoever is coming hasn’t received news from the city and will have no idea who we are. So let’s keep with the charade.”

  “And if they do know?”

  “Then we will deal with that issue if it arises.”

  All eyes shifted back to the road, as they anxiously listened to the rapid steps grow closer and closer. Moments later, the shadowy figure of a young man crested the hill in a full run heading right toward them. “Help!” He exclaimed upon seeing them, “Please, they need help!”

  Confused, the group looked back and forth amongst themselves as the boy, covered in sweat and out of breath, continued their direction. “Help! Help me please! There was an explosion at the mine! The entrance collapsed and there are still people trapped inside! Please, we need all the earth Elementals we can get in the mine to help!” Now only a few steps away, the boy skid to a halt and frowned. “You aren’t Elementals.”

  “No, we are not.”

  Taking only a second to consider Jaron, the boy hurriedly continued, “No matter, they need all the help they can get. The earth Elementals that weren’t buried in the blast are struggling to hold what is left of the entrance open, but the weight is too much and they can’t hold out much longer. Please, can you help us?”

  The young man stood with his hands clasped before him, his pleading gaze begging them to not refuse him. Silence filled the air around them as each of them considered the implications of intervening. Finally, after a few, very tense moments, Jericho released a ragged breath. “Listen boy, run to Fridricks and search for Ivan. We just passed through there a little bit ago and he was near the fountain, so start there. Bring him and as many other Earth elementals as you can find and we will do what we can until you get back.”

  The boy’s face lit up at the mention of the mighty earth Elemental’s name. “Ivan!? Oh-oh I will go right now, thank you, thank you sir!” And with that he took off in the direction their group had just escaped from. Watching until the boy was out of site, Jericho then turned to the others. “Keep heading in that direction and you will eventually run into another road.” He directed, pointing out into the open field. “Once you find it, follow the road to the north and it will lead you directly to the capital.”

  “And what of you? Are you not coming with us?” Jaron asked. His level tone and flat affect making it impossible for Jericho to gauge his temperament.

  “I have to go to them.” Jericho answered warily, “I know you may consider this a breach of our deal… but I can’t in good conscience let innocent people die if my ability might allow me to be of assistance. “

  Though he held nothing but respect for Jericho’s decision, Jaron kept his expression stoic as he considered their options. In his heart, Jaron knew going to help was the right thing to do; their strength could be of great assistance in a situation such as this. However, going to the aid of these people who were not his own, would without a doubt lead to their capture and possible imprisonment.

  Refusing to make a decision as big as this one without the input of the others, Jaron turned to face them. Without him saying a word, each of them knew exactly what he was thinking, and Jaron swelled with pride as he saw nothing but acceptance staring back at him. Satisfied they all were in agreement with what they would do next, Jaron turned back to Jericho. “Then we will go with you. Perhaps we too can be of assistance.”

  “Jaron, the boy will return with Ivan and the patrols, and when he does…”

  “When he does...” Jaron said, patting him on the shoulder, “we will deal with the consequences. Until then, let’s see what we can do to help.”

  No other words were needed or exchanged, as they all took off up the hill in the direction the boy had come from. When they arrived at the mine, the scene before them froze them in their tracks. Not since the Full-blood’s failed rebellion against the Shadows had Jaron laid witness to such chaos and carnage. All around them, bodies of men and women lay scattered across the ground, each with varying levels of injuries, while the few who could dashed amongst them, tending to their wounds and fetching supplies.

  Ahead, past the wounded and those trying to help them, a line of men and women stood facing the barely open entrance to the cave. With hands extended before them, they stood side by side, working in unison to hold what remained of the narrow entrance open. Judging by their strained expressions and the sweat beading their brows they were struggling to hold on, yet still continued, desperate to free their friends and family that remained inside.

  “They won’t last much longer,” Jarod said lowly, watching as clouds of black smoke billowed forth from the opening.

  No sooner than the words had escaped his mouth, then a few of the weaker ones swayed and collapsed under the strain. With their support gone, and the others unable to take up the slack, the opening to the mine slipped down even more.

  “No, they won’t.” Jaron added, turning to Jericho. “Can you jump through that opening and find people?”

  “It will take me a couple of jumps to learn the path, and the smoke will make it difficult to see. But once I figure out the layout of the inside, I should be able to jump in and out in seconds.” Frowning he stared at the shaky opening. “But the entrance has to be big enough to fit through, like I said before, I can’t go through solid objects.”

  “Then we better keep it open.”

  Pulling a pair of gloves out of his pocket, Jarod slid them on as he walked across the chaos toward the entrance. Picking up a heavy wooden beam that had been dislodged by the blast, he made his way around the line of Elementals, ignoring their confused stares as he lay the beam across his shoulders and knelt down to position himself inside the opening. Using the strength of his legs, Jarod pushed up, until he was nearly standing at his full height, at which point he lifted the beam above his head and used it to help lodge the opening in place.

  Every bit of activity
ceased at the sight of the massive hooded man holding open the entrance. Even Maya and the others, though they knew the power Jarod possessed, couldn’t help but stare in awe at the impressive display of strength.

  “I can’t hold this forever.” Jarod ground out, snapping them all from their stupor.

  Within seconds, every able-bodied man in the vicinity, including Jaron and the others, hurried into action. Person after person squeezed through the newly widened opening and within moments began returning with the injured. Maya, knowing she would be much more use to them helping treat the injured, joined the women who were frantically trying to keep up with the ever-increasing number of people needing treatment.

  But even with Jarod helping to support the weight of the entrance, the Elementals continued to grow weaker. And as they did, the strain on Jarod slowly began to increase until he was nearly baring the weight of the entire mountain upon his shoulders.

  Sensing he was beginning to struggle, Maya finished wrapping the open scalp wound of one of the newly rescued, then went to check on him. “Can I help?” she asked, watching as beads of sweat formed on his brow. “I can give you some of my strength if I need to.”

  “No,” Jarod ground out, “Just get away from here before this whole damn thing comes down.” As he spoke, the rocks above him suddenly began to shift as a few more Elementals collapsed to the ground. Thrown off balance by the sudden movement, Jarod slipped and nearly fell to the ground. People cried out in fear as a large portion of the mine collapsed in on one side, but thankfully Jarod was able to quickly recover and somehow managed to re-stabilize the opening.

  “Jarod are you alright!” Panicked, Maya frantically pushed against the weakening walls.

  Seconds later, Jaron appeared at Jarod’s other side. He too attempted to help lift some of the weight, but due to his awkward position and the narrowness of the opening, he was unable to get in a position that would allow him to relieve the burden his brother was so obviously struggling to support.