by Kade Cook
“Cera denied Adrinn’s every attempt to apologize. After failing to win back Cera’s trust, Adrinn disappeared for a few months; no one knew where he went. His teachers began to ask about his absence, but Cera knew as much as they did about where he was. Then, right before graduation from high school, Adrinn returned.
“She agreed to meet him, sensing that he was more under control and more like his old self again. Cera also noticed that something else had changed within him, but she could not figure out what it was. Cautiously, she began to spend time with him again, keeping him at arm’s length. After a few weeks, he told her why he had acted the way he did. He explained to her that he had found a way to control his cravings and promised her that he would never lay a hand on her again.
“As time went on, Adrinn began to make trips to the city. His trips became more and more frequent. Even a few of the other Borrower younglings began to venture into the city with him. He returned to school to finish his studies, but his dedication to his education soon began to slip again, and his attendance at training was almost nonexistent.
“Trying not to focus so much on Adrinn, Cera began to notice changes in her own self as well. Her womanly visitor had stopped arriving—which at first she blamed on stress—but she began being nauseous about things that never bothered her before around the time of the onset of strange dreams that often entailed strange infant-like creatures. Cera realized that her subconscious was trying to tell her something she already knew—she was going to be a mother. Not wanting anyone to know her secret, she veiled herself so that no one could see her changing aura or thoughts. Unable to deal with everything that was going on with her life, Cera confided in her two best friends, Vaeda and myself.”
Gabrian’s eyes react quickly to Sarapheane’s words, becoming glued to her mother’s face. She recognizes the name of the other girl, envisioning the tall blonde woman from her apartment.
Sarapheane reaches out to give Gabrian’s hand a gentle grasp, but without pausing, she continues with the story. “She did not tell us everything at first. Cera just needed a sounding board, but Vaeda and I figured it out so we were sworn to secrecy.”
“Angry with Adrinn for causing Cera so much distress, Vaeda decided to follow him on one of his trips to the city to find out just how he was able to contain his cravings. Having lost sight of him for a moment, Vaeda quickly scoured the city, and once she relocated him, she found him in an alleyway in what would seem a most intimate embrace with a human girl. Vaeda grew angry with his deception, but looking more closely, she realized he was not engaging in a romantic moment at all—he was stealing the girl’s life essence.
“He held the girl tightly around the throat with his hand. Once her heart stopped beating, he kissed her sweetly on the lips then let her drop lifelessly to the ground; a sign that he was finished with her. Adrinn then stepped over her body like she was nothing more than trash and strolled away, whistling an eerily happy tune.
“Appalled by what she had just witnessed, Vaeda immediately created a portal and returned to North East Harbor to find Cera. At first Cera refused to believe what Vaeda tried to tell her, but she pushed her memories of Adrinn’s monstrous performance toward her friend, making her see what Adrinn was capable of. The images triggered Cera’s suppressed memories of Adrinn’s not-so-ancient attack on her in the cave, and she knew Vaeda was just trying to protect her—that she only tried to make Cera see what her heart so easily blinded. She thanked her friend and waited apprehensively for his return.
“Unsure of what to do, she mentioned nothing of what she knew when he returned, but informed him she would be unable to see him as much because she needed to attend extended training for her father’s upcoming Silver assessment. Clearly upset with not being able to see her, Adrinn stormed off, but things seemed to settle down for a while. He stopped pressing her to meet him so often. She knew that she still loved him, but she was afraid of what she had seen in Vaeda’s mind, terrified of what he was becoming.
“On the night of her final training session at the Arts building, she went home and found her father already retired for the evening, claiming he did not feel well. His Guardian, Orroryn, had been called away for the evening. She decided to go to bed early and fell fast asleep. She awoke distraught from a nightmare. Her father had come to her as a spirit, trying to show her something about his last moments. She saw him sipping wine from a goblet before stumbling his way to his room. The vision was blurred and dark, but in it, she saw glimpses of Adrinn standing over her father’s bed, grinning and holding him by the neck as he pulled the last fragments of essence from his body before he died.
“Terrified by this vivid dream, she jumped out of bed and ran to the other side of the house only to find her father’s once powerful form completely cold and lifeless. Now entirely alone, the last Silver Mage in the Realm, her life became a whirlwind of responsibilities. With no time to properly mourn for her father, and repulsed by the vision that Adrinn could be responsible for his death, she completely closed herself down. The dream about her father began to eat away at her sanity so she broke down and confided in Orroryn, telling him about it. He revealed to her that before he had left for the Veil, Markim was fine and that his absence from her father had been a false alarm in security. Finding this all too convenient, Orroryn, who was now her Guardian, became extremely protective of her.
“At her next meeting at the Covenant of Shadows, it was brought to her attention that some of the people of the Realm began hearing rumours from the human world that their authorities believed there was a serial killer on the loose in the city of Bangor. They had found at least fifteen bodies left in alleyways around the outskirts of the city, all of which had the same type of marks that linked them—two black bruises around the main artery on their necks.
“Cera immediately envisioned Adrinn’s disturbing image from Vaeda’s recent share. She quickly shielded the thoughts as to not cause any unnecessary inquiries into her own nightmare. No one in the Covenant suspected anyone from the Realm yet to be the culprit. Once the meeting was over, Orroryn delivered her home safely. He cautioned her to stay inside for the night because he had to leave her temporarily unguarded. She agreed to stay in, but suddenly feeling nauseous, Cera craved the need for cool air against her skin. Contrary to Orroryn’s wishes, she left the house and went to the beach.
“Distracted by the thoughts of her father’s death and the news from the human world, she did not hear Adrinn as he approached her. Feeling nervous, Cera was ready to shift at any sign of danger from him. Adrinn tried to convince her that everything was fine now, that they could be together, and that the Gargons had enlightened him about the real meaning of the circle of life. He revealed to her that they showed him it was natural to use human life essences to live and that this act was what his true gift was—that he should no longer deny himself this joy. He believed the teachers from the Realm were wrong about using the light and energy of people—they were lying to all of them about its dangers.
“Watching Adrinn going on and on in his crazed tangent prompted the fight-or-flight instincts within her. It finally convinced her that she had to tell the other Elders of Adrinn’s mental state. He had become exactly what they warned all Boragen younglings to be cautious of, and what they did not want to become. With the Fever set in, he was beyond help and the taste of death lingered on his tongue. He was a Vampire, convinced it was what he was rightfully intended to be.
“Trying not to arise any suspicion in Adrinn about her true intentions, she promised to meet him later in the meadow by the large amethyst boulder just before nightfall, and they could be together then. He agreed to meet her there. Cera ran as fast as she could to the house after Adrinn left and cast a summoning spell to all the Elders of the Covenant of Shadows. Within moments, she arrived at the Firethorn bush by the end of her gate where Jarrison, who then was Guardian of the Covenant of Shadows, was hailed to guide her through the shadows that led her into the center of the mountain. Ins
ide, all the Elders were in attendance, and she told them everything—well, almost everything.
“She delivered the story of how she had suspected Adrinn was having issues and mentally projected to them the images that Vaeda had shown her from the city. She let them hear his recount of confessions on his theory of stealing life essence, convincing them that his Vampiric Fever was responsible for all the deaths being reported in the human world. They prepared for the meeting that was to take place that evening.
“Saddened by what had to happen, Cera knew as keeper of the house she had to maintain order at all costs, even if the price was her heart.”
Chapter Eighteen
Sounds Like a Party
“CERA OPENED THE portal and walked through. On the other side, Adrinn eagerly awaited her. He looked so happy that it broke Cera’s heart. She hoped that Ethan, who was hidden nearby, could enter Adrinn’s mind and find enough clear thought patterns to determine whether they could somehow save Adrinn from the fever. One by one, the other Elders slid into the vicinity from low energy portals in order to take necessary action if needed. Knowing this, Cera tried to distract Adrinn as best she could so that he might not pick up on their presence until confirmation from Ethan was made.
“Ethan tried his best to secretly press into Adrinn’s mind in search of the severity of the fever, and find out the depths of its Darkness, but Adrinn picked up on the intrusion and immediately shot out his senses in all directions, locating the Elders’ auras easily. Cera tried to explain to him that they were only trying to help, but he would not listen to her. Feeling trapped, Adrinn found the nearest energy source—Theodon, the Hydor Elder. Without warning, he inhaled deeply and pulled violently at the light surrounding Theodon’s body, so hard that he ripped the aura completely from him, leaving the Elder lifeless—prey for the Gargons.
“Charged with Theoden’s blue energy, any rationality within Adrinn was gone. It had been agreed upon earlier that if he could not be saved then he must be contained or worse, destroyed. Cera sadly began the incantation. They felt Adrinn pull on their life essence. Having beared witness to the degree of damage that he was capable of, they encouraged Cera to concentrate harder as she began to draw on their individual gifts for the binding spell.
“Suddenly there was a detonation from somewhere, hitting them hard. Adrinn had thrust a ton of mental energy through their minds, knocking them to the ground. Adrinn turned to run, but Orroryn grabbed him and held him down, which allowed Cera to rise up from the ground and begin the binding again, drawing from the Elders.
“Fire, Ice, Air, and Earth, she entered them all into the incantation, pulling fragments of their energies together into a ring that she pushed toward Adrinn—sealing in his ability to draw energy from those around him. Cera was instructed to destroy him, but she could not do it. Feeling her body begin to drain of energy, she became afraid for the life inside her and ordered Kaleb to open the Earth beneath the Orb that encased Adrinn.
“Cera watched as the Earth opened up and yelled to Cimmerian to create the portal to Erebus. Unable to watch his dispelling, she asked Vaeda to make him sleep so he would no longer suffer. Vaeda agreed to Cera’s request and within moments, Adrinn stopped fighting. His eyes closed as the air within the orb became stale. Teetering on exhaustion, Cera completed the words of her incantation and pushed the orb into the opening of the black mist. The portal opened, swallowing the orb and dispelled it into the Darkness of the hole, sealing Adrinn inside.
“Cera fell to the ground, clutching her stomach in pain. When she collapsed, Orroryn rushed to her, pulling her into his arms before he stepped into the Darkness of night. After delivering her home, Orroryn begged her to come back into the Veil of the Shadow where she would heal, but she refused in fear that it may harm the baby. Only Shadow Walkers can survive the shadows for any length of time and not knowing if her Magik would be passed onto the baby, she did not want to risk the life of her unborn child.
“Orroryn left Cera’s side briefly to return with help—Jarrison and myself. I prepared for the delivery, cleaning the birthing area as best I could before I began swabbing her forehead with a cool, damp cloth. Cera held my hand and kept repeating the same words over and over to me. ‘No matter what happens to me, save the baby. Take care of the baby.’ She fell into a trance until Jarrison and I promised her that we would. She then closed her eyes and began to chant in an ancient tongue.
“Because Cera had no idea what gifts, if any, the child would possess, she created a spell that would suppress a Boragen gift if it were to be the gift to awaken. She manipulated the spell to hide the child from the Realm. She cloaked the essence around the life inside her to make the aura invisible and seem as though it were of Shadow Walker descent like Jarrison and I. She then placed wards around the borders of her home to keep out anyone that might want to harm the child.
“Once the spell was finally cast, she grew weak. She pleaded with those in the room to tell no one that the child was hers and Adrinn’s. She wanted the child to have a chance at a life away from Magik. She told us to tell the Covenant of Shadows and the people of the Realm that the baby was found abandoned after they had dealt with Adrinn. She then gave her home to Jarrison and I for safe keeping until you were of age, asking Orroryn to deliver the papers that she had prepared earlier as a precautionary measure if things had gone badly.
“She took my hand deeper into her own and held it tightly. With one heart-wrenching cry, she pushed with all that was left of her strength and collapsed into unconsciousness. Shrill cries could be heard throughout the house as a beautiful baby girl entered the world.”
Sarapheane stops for a moment to take her daughter’s hands into her own as Cera had done to her so many years ago. “That baby girl was you, Gabrian.”
Knowing all along in the back of her mind that the story of the child had something to do with her, Gabrian is still startled to hear the words. “I am the child?” Gabrian’s clouded gaze rises timidly to search for truth within Sarapheane’s own eyes. Her tongue feels thick as she tries to speak, swallowing hard. “What happened to Cera?”
“After we took care of you and made sure that you were alright, I checked on Cera. She was barely breathing. Her pulse was almost nonexistent. We all knew that she was near death. Orroryn gently scooped her up into his arms then in a low monotone voice told us to take care of the child—to tell no one of what happened there that night, and that he was taking Cera to the Shadows in the hopes of saving her.”
“Why would he take her to the Shadows instead of a doctor?” Gabrian growls, straightening her back and sitting upright. She rushes her fingers through her hair, bunching it on top of her head, not understanding the importance of Orroryn’s actions. “It does not make any sense.”
Sarapheane begins to explain to Gabrian that the Veil of Shadows is a very different and powerful place. Cera held the Shadow Walker gift inside her. She would be able to enter into the shadow dimension and use its Magik to heal her body, hopefully enough to replenish her dwindling life essence.
Gabrian sits quietly for a moment, still dumbfounded about everything she has just been told. She shakes her head and raises her eyebrows as she gets up from the chair and trudges across the living room floor to the window, gazing out into the ocean just beyond the house. She lowers her head then raises it again as if something else has dawned on her. “If she went to all that trouble to save me...” Gabrian’s voice breaks. She takes a deep choppy breath as her lips tremble, trying to convince the words to leave her mouth. “How come she has never come back for me?”
Sarapheane gets up and crosses the room to where Gabrian stands. She reaches out her arms and wraps them around Gabrian’s waist, trying to offer her daughter some support. Feeling Gabrian tense slightly, Sarapheane becomes saddened at the realization that their bond has now been fractured and may never be the same again.
Putting her feelings aside, she holds onto Gabrian just the same. “It is not what you think, Gabe,” Sar
apheane begins and hugs her even tighter. “When one enters into the Shadows, time between the two Realms runs differently.”
Gabrian’s face twists as she turns to look at Sarapheane. “Differently?” Gabrian looks back toward the water. She chuckles sarcastically then with a snide tone she comments, “Let me guess, it is some kind of supernatural event that takes place.” She throws and twists her hands in the air in front of her in an over-animated manner.
Giving Gabrian a quick squeeze, Sarapheane returns to her chair and places her right hand on Jarrison’s shoulder, giving him the green light.
“When you enter the Shadows, time passes at different rates than if you were to remain in this Realm.” Gabrian turns toward him and tilts her head. “If I were to spend an hour inside the Shadows, when I return, it could be more than a day in time passing here—even a day inside, can elapse sometimes up to more than a week in this Realm. It is dependent on how far into the Shadows you go. For those like the Covenant of Shadows Guardians, who spend most of their duty on the fringe of the Veil, time passes somewhat closer to that of Earth’s momentum of time. But Cera is resting deeper in the Shadow Veil where she must stay in order to heal. Where she is, the time passes much more quickly for us here on Earth. So what seems like an eternity to some has only been a short amount of time to those inside.”
Seeing that this explanation has not erased the hurt from Gabrian’s expression, Sarapheane tries to clarify. “She has not come back for you because she is still weak and healing. She is where she needs to be in order to survive—the deepest parts of the Shadow.”
Understanding that Cera’s absence has only been minimal within the Veil dimension, Gabrian nods her head. Still staring out the window, she imagines the differences in time between the two worlds to be the same as that of a grain of sand compared to the vastness of the ocean. Her mind drifts into nothingness becoming blank and shutting off for a moment in order to deal with her new reality.
