by Kade Cook
Even though she has only heard the stories her parents and Ethan have told her, she knows nothing about the Elders and who they really are. To Gabrian, they are make-believe people that before two weeks ago, she was oblivious to. Now these phantoms are the deciding factors as to how her future will play out, and she gets the feeling they could make her life a living Hell if she does not fit the bill.
“Gabrian, they only want a progress report. They just want to see how you are coping and adjusting.” He tries to console her but realizes until she becomes confident with herself, he will not be able to undo her fear. “Your situation is unique and they were unprepared to find a Borrower amongst us with so much power that does not have the proper knowledge of how to control it.”
He gets up out of his chair and walks over to her. He crouches down before her, looking up at her as he reaches out and gently cups her chin. “You are a natural, and you are good; that is all they want to know.”
She smiles at him, once again in appreciation of his kindness and patience. If he believes in her as much as he says he does then maybe it is time for her to believe in herself. She nods and takes a deep breath, searching his mind for any signs of doubt. Finding none, she decides to relax a bit.
“Okay?” he says to her.
She shakes her head slightly and shrugs her shoulders in a sign of surrender to him. Then she whispers the words he wants to hear. “Okay.”
“Besides…” he says as he gets back up and walks over to his chair. “With me as your teacher, how could you possibly fail?”
Gabrian laughs at his uncharacteristically pompous remark. She knows it is all in an attempt to lighten the mood. He glares at her, raising his left brow, trying to suppress the grin growing on his pursed lips then points his finger at her in a scolding gesture. “Do not answer that!”
She covers her mouth with hand in a playful reaction to his orders. The fact is, whether he knows it or not, he is a great teacher. She just hopes he is right.
Chapter Twenty-One
Giraffes, Vampires, and Coffee
“SO, ETHAN, WHAT is your verdict?” Cimmerian crosses his arms and glares impatiently at his peer as they all take their seats around the High table. “The Shadwell youngling, has she found a way to control her borrowing, or is the girl going to be a liability?” Ethan barely has a chance to sit down before Cimmerian blasts him with the question.
Taking into consideration of whom the question is coming from, and how he feels about the Boragen Fellowship, Ethan graciously lets the arrogance in Cimmerian’s voice slide but meets his glare with a narrow-eyed glance that lingers long enough to let his peer know he will not tolerate any attempt of sub ordinance. “The girl, has a name.”
“Yes, yes, so she has. But that is not what we are all here to discuss.” Cimmerian leans back in his chair, lowering his eyes and folding one arm across his abdomen while brushing off Ethan’s tone with a wave of the other. In the same minute, quickly setting himself upright again, his eyes dance around the table, completely ignoring Ethan in search of some signs of support from the rest of the Elders. “We are here to discuss what this child is, and what she is capable of doing.”
Vaeda adds her voice the conversation. “I think what Cimmerian meant to say is, please tell us how Gabrian is making out with her training?” She glances at Ethan for a moment then rests her attention on Cimmerian as he rolls his eyes at her always pleasant demeanor. Having made Cimmerian aware of her dislike of his unnecessary attitude, she returns to her questioning. “Is she responding well?”
Ethan draws his left hand through his hair, leaving it messy and in disarray. He sits up straight and leans forward, resting his elbows on the marble slab that lies before him. “She is doing very well,” he is pleased to announce. “She is not as hesitant as she was in the beginning about doing borrowing exercises with energies. I am in hopes that some level of trust is developing with Gabrian that will allow me to push her training much further than normal before she has to return to her life outside my guidance.”
Ethan thinks of all the progress she has made in such a short amount of time—given her circumstances, she is doing better than most even after years of training. He worries that the others will not believe him. Even after all these years of service to the Covenant of Shadows, Ethan still feels like he is an outsider—always having to defend himself and his Fellowship’s gifts.
“She is showing amicable qualities that may be of benefit to the Covenant’s needs in the future,” Ethan offers them. “From what I have observed in my short amount of time with her is that she shows a lot of compassion toward others around her. Gabrian is very intelligent in the way that she makes her decisions, and her skills are growing stronger every day. She only requires time to build up the confidence she needs in order to believe in herself.”
From across the table, Caspyous interrupts. “Have you been inside her head and searched her thoughts for possible signs of the Fever?” Normally, Caspyous, the Hydor Elder is the light-hearted and playful one, but today his tone is serious, a bit sullen. Discussions concerning possible Rogue Boragen and the slightest chance of them becoming a Vampire seem to always turn his mood cold and harsh.
The night of Adrinn’s capture, the Hydor elder that was killed was Caspyous’s father. Since then, Caspyous holds very little sympathy in trying to rehabilitate or give allowances to any Borrower that carries the Darkness within their mind—even if it is dormant. He feels that there have been too many circumstances where the Fever has been awakened and those affected have not been dealt with accordingly.
“Caspyous, I understand your concerns with...” Ethan begins to sympathize with his plea.
“Yes or no, Ethan, it is a simple question,” Caspyous spits out at him, lurching forward in his chair and pounding his fist against the cold stone slab in front of him. “She is a Boragen. You being one know the concerns. Have you seen the colour of her mind?”
All eyes turn are on Ethan now, and he feels the weight of their stares as Caspyous finishes speaking. Orroryn gives Ethan a sympathetic look, feeling that the attitude in which Ethan is being addressed is unjust. Ethan takes a deep breath and lengthens his hands straight out in front of him, lying them palms down on the cold stone. His face no longer wears his usual smile.
“I know what I am, and I know who I am. For years I have listened to all of you who are quick to condemn the Boragen Fellowship. Just because our gift makes us vulnerable does not mean we are all born of darkness and evil as all of you would have everyone believe. I know that you all think it because your thoughts often scream out your unspoken biases towards us. Our Fellowship agreed to join the Covenant of Shadows in faith that the Elders might see us in a different light—that they could view us as a people capable of civility and compromise, hoping that you would not categorize us all as the monsters the world has portrayed us to be. We are dangerous. Yes, that is very true, but for that matter, do we not all carry the weight of that mark?”
Heads around the High table turn to observe each other’s response to Ethan’s candor yet no one makes a sound. “Every one of us here in this room is not above this unfortunate truth but with guided knowledge and understanding of ourselves we have a choice in what we become. So do not sit here and immediately condemn us, the Boragen, for what we are. Condemn yourselves for having thought it.”
***
SMELLING BREAKFAST COOKING downstairs, Gabrian quickly jumps up out of bed and pulls on her robe. She makes her way down the stairs and into the kitchen where her mom is just putting the sliced bread into the toaster. Hearing her enter the kitchen, Sarapheane turns around to say good morning and notices Gabrian is still in her pajamas. “As much as I love seeing you in your jammies, I think you might be a little underdressed for your session with Ethan.”
“Nope,” Gabrian responds. “I have the day off. Now you have the great pleasure of putting up with me for the entire day.” Gabrian reaches her arms out and hugs her mom then steals a piece of bacon o
ff of the counter in front of her.
Sarapheane hugs her daughter back, relieved to see Gabrian finally starting to act like her old self again. “The whole day? That is great! You can help me decorate,” Sarapheane informs her daughter. She has been so preoccupied worrying about Gabrian that the holiday preparations had temporarily been put on the back burner.
“Sounds like fun to me.” Gabrian releases Sarapheane and grabs the coffee from her hand, then grins as she takes a sip from her cup. “A little bit of normality would be nice.”
After breakfast, Gabrian and her mom spend most of the morning digging out boxes of lights and decorations to bring up from the basement, trying to figure out where to place them around the cottage. With all the decorations sorted, Sarapheane sends Jarrison out to find a tree.
Gabrian sits beside her mom, stringing cranberries and popcorn for the tree, enjoying the day with her parents. She is pleased to feel like she is finally relaxing and on vacation. But something in the back of her mind tells her that this normal family day is going to be short-lived.
Just as the words run through her mind, her dad bursts through the kitchen door with a giant evergreen tree dragging behind him; bringing in the tail-end of it is Ethan and Orroryn. Gabrian’s eyes turn to find the security of her mom immediately, not knowing what to do. The last time she saw Orroryn, he held her in a bear hug in the middle of her apartment while she was trying to annihilate everyone in the room. Sarapheane grabs for her hand and gently gives it a squeeze, telling her that everything is okay. Not sure how she should feel, Gabrian struggles to remain still and continues threading the popcorn.
Watching her father’s friendly interaction with Orroryn gives Gabrian the impression they have known each other for quite some time. She becomes curious to know more about their friendship and decides to test out one of her new skills. She quiets her mind and gently listens for their thoughts to cross her wavelength.
What she finds is incredible. Thousands of images, memories, and words flood her mind all at once, showing her glimpses of a time well before the markers of her lifespan. Feeling a bit dizzy and overwhelmed with all the information she receives, she stops listening just as she hears someone say her name out loud.
“Gabrian, I would like you to meet a dear friend of mine.” Jarrison waves her over to where he stands. She clears her mind and looks over at her mom nervously then gets up and crosses the floor. “I think you two already know each other.”
Orroryn’s face lights up as he greets her with a familiar smile. “Dr. Shadwell.”
If they had been back in her Manhattan office, she would have felt quite confident about their introduction, but in this situation, she is completely at a loss.
She has always tried her best to never make any of her clients feel inferior to her in her office. She imagines now how they must have felt—what it must have been like to be the one sitting in the client chair. She tries to put on her best professional face but images of being constrained by Orroryn before everything went black that day makes it hard to pull off. “Mr. Redmond.” Her voice cracks with her reply.
Jarrison grabs Gabrian, giving her a hug just like he has ever since she was a little girl. She stumbles sideways and smiles, a bit embarrassed. “Orroryn and I go way back,” Jarrison reveals to her. “He was even there the night your mother and I came to have you.”
Remembering the story Sarapheane and Jarrison had told her of the day of her birth, she looks up at her dad with a shocked expression then quickly turns to Orroryn, getting ready to start firing out a barrage of questions about that night.
“I hate to interrupt,” Ethan’s voice interjects and stalls Gabrian’s plan of inquisition. “But that story will have to wait for another day. We are actually here on Covenant business.”
“Covenant business?” Sarapheane asks.
”Yes.” Ethan turns to make eye contact with Gabrian. “Sorry, kiddo, I guess you do not get the day off after all. The Elders would like to meet with you, and Orroryn was gracious enough to offer to escort us.”
Feeling the palms of her hands begin to sweat, and the tips of her fingers start to burn, Gabrian tucks her hands in her sleeves instinctively and pulls herself closer to her dad.
“When do they want to see me?” Gabrian asks, clenching her fists.
“Today.” Ethan watches her smile fade as his answer washes all the colour from Gabrian’s face.
“Why so soon?” Sarapheane steps into the kitchen to join the conversation and stands beside Gabrian, crossing her arms in front of her. She looks to Orroryn and Ethan for an answer.
“Cimmerian and Caspyous are pushing for it,” Orroryn answers. “You know how they get about issues, especially when a Boragen is involved.” Ethan’s thoughts of ugly times float freely to Gabrian, and he tries to pull them back in before she can see, but it is too late.
She gives him a look of terror at first, but somewhere from within, he sees her push back the fear. She raises her chin just a touch and gently pulls away from Jarrison enough to stand straight on her own. This is her new world, and she has made the decision she is not going to let it get the best of her.
Swallowing hard, trying to clear the lump threatening to stay lodged in her throat, Gabrian glances down at her current attire, trying hard not to panic. She sighs then looks back up at Ethan and Orroryn as she pulls at the sides of her fuzzy animal pajamas.
“So, how does the Covenant of Shadows feel about giraffes?”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Covenant of Shadows
GABRIAN HURRIES UPSTAIRS to change her clothes. On the way back down she hears them all talking about the Shadows, and how they should have prepared her before now.
“She has been through the Shadows, but she was unconscious at the time,” Orroryn reminds them all.
“Do not worry, she will be fine!” Ethan says, finishing his last sip of coffee. He walks over and places the empty cup in the sink. Hearing Gabrian tell herself that she can handle this over and over again in her head, he turns and glances over to see her standing in the darkened hallway on the other side of the kitchen’s entrance.
“All set?” Ethan asks her, knowing that she probably is not.
“You tell me,” she says with wide eyes.
“You have nothing to hide so you have nothing to be nervous about. They just want to meet you.” Knowing that there is much more than what Ethan says, Gabrian’s apprehensions about the meeting remains.
Gabrian grabs her hat and coat from the hangers by the kitchen door and begins to put them on as Orroryn and Ethan prepare to leave for the Covenant of Shadows. Both Orroryn and Ethan chuckle as they watch her. “You will not be needing your coat, Gabrian,” Ethan hums, taking the clothing out of her hands before setting them back down on the bench. “There are some advantages of being escorted to the Covenant of Shadows by a Shadow Walker. You don’t have to worry about the weather.”
Gabrian looks at them with her head half-cocked to the side, sporting a crooked pout under a twisted brow, and Ethan realizes she has no idea what he is talking about. He walks over to where Orroryn stands and waves for her to join them. She looks at her mom and dad for one last glimpse of encouragement. Seeing them both nod, she then moves toward Ethan.
“Do you remember the night you told me about your Uncle Tynan leaving your house through the Shadows instead of using the door?” Ethan asks, realizing he had taken his vast knowledge of how things in the Realm work for granted.
She nods her head yes. Then with sudden comprehension that this may be the mode of transportation they will use, her eyes widen, and they dart aimlessly around the room as her mind starts to race. Her fingers press lightly against her lips, gnawing their tips on contact—feeling the subtle heat as they begin to burn with the fear building inside of her. She had dealt pretty well with the strange and the weird up until now, but traveling through a Shadow is taking it to a whole new level.
Feeling her energy waver, Ethan enters her thoughts and asks
her to calm down. He tries to tell her there is nothing to be worried about—that he travels through the Shadows every time he has a meeting with the Elders. Seeing she is unconvinced, he asks her to search his memories for any signs of discomfort or fear. She closes her eyes for a moment and sifts through Ethan’s thoughts, looking for anything that might cause her to worry. Finding none, she drops her hand and tucks it snug against her shoulder as begins to calm down but not completely. All she can find is Darkness.
Better? Ethan’s voice enters her mind.
Gabrian hesitantly nods her reply.
“There is one thing I should mention to you before we go,” Ethan says out loud.
“What is that?” Gabrian sighs loudly, fidgeting with her sleeves.
“You will lose your sight briefly while inside the Shadows.” Ethan scrunches up his nose as he watches for her reaction and hopes it will not freak her out. “And possibly your hearing might become impaired as well.”
“Of course,” Gabrian retorts with a snide tone in her voice, trying to hide her nervousness in her sarcasm. “Why should anything that happens to me from now on be normal?” Then as usual, her curiosity begins to outweigh her fear. “Wait a minute, why?”
Orroryn cannot help but grin at her sudden wanting to understand. She reminds him of Cera. “It is a safeguard that gets triggered within the minds of those not born with the Schaeduwe gift. Once they enter the Shadows, it buffers brain activity and allows it to continue functioning without becoming overloaded or overwhelmed with the magnitude of information that it would absorb otherwise.”
Gabrian is terrified of what she hears and begins to pace nervously, running her hands through her hair. “I’m sorry...can you say that again in English?”
