The Covenant of Shadows Collection

by Kade Cook

  “It stops the mind from going insane,” Ethan interprets Orroryn’s explanation of how the Veil works.

  “That is what I thought he said. Thanks for the clarification.” She stops pacing and gives them both a frightful look, her knuckles white from clenching her fists. “Well, great! Sounds like a good time. What are we waiting for?”

  They both assure her that it will be fine while Ethan gently probes her mind and asks if she is ready. She sends him a hesitant yes, and he looks at Orroryn then nods for him to go.

  “Just breathe, Dr. Shadwell. You will be fine,” Orroryn says, giving her one of his disarming smiles. “I promise.”

  He reaches out and grasps both Ethan and Gabrian by the wrist. Then everything goes dark. Gabrian is unable to see anything. She tries to open her eyes wider in the hopes that it will help, but it only makes things seem darker. Giving up on trying to see anything, she stops straining her eyes, and that is when she sees them—there are shapes moving in the Darkness—outlines of people moving around her, getting closer to her, then standing still like they are watching her. She can hear noises too. At first they are all mixed together like the voices heard while walking down a crowded corridor—only chaos and static noise—but then it begins to unravel into words, not all making sense at first, but there are distinct voices and fragments of sentences being said. From somewhere deep within the Darkness, she hears a woman’s voice call out, “Gabrian”.

  Just as sudden as her sight had been taken from her, it returns. Though the light in the corridor is dim, it still blinds her for a moment at first, but within seconds, she can see clearly again. Ethan and Orroryn immediately focus their attention, studying the reaction of the jump on their inexperienced traveler. Spotting Gabrian’s blank, unresponsive, dilated eyes combined with her jagged breath, they both rush at her, shaking her gently with trembling hands and wide-spread, fearful eyes, mumbling urgent words at her, frantic to gain her awareness.

  “Are you alright, Dr. Shadwell?” Orroryn pleads as he lets go of her arm.

  Not knowing if what she saw and heard is a normal occurrence while traveling through the Veil, she blinks, refocusing her eyes back to where she is with a quick shake of her head and gives him a fake smile. She decides she wants to keep the oddities she encountered in the Shadows to herself until she can figure it out. “Yes, I am fine. Thank you.” She quickly buries her thoughts behind the walls in her mind just in case anyone decides they might want to be nosey. “Just a nervous flyer, I guess.”

  Letting out a deep sigh of relief, Orroryn shakes his head. Rolling his eyes at her playfully, Ethan wraps an arm around Gabrian and pulls her along with him as he begins to walk. “She is fine,” Ethan announces to Orroryn, giving him a warm smile while nodding at him with soft knowing eyes as they begin to move forward.

  Feeling nervous, she tries to take her mind off of things by practicing reaching out her energy like Ethan has taught her to do in order to get comfortable in her surroundings, but she cannot. She is unable to reach out any farther than a half inch from her own body. Confused by this, she tries again with more force, but still there is no change. Even though she has only been a borrower for a short while, for the first time she feels suffocated and constrained. Ethan notices her sudden discomfort and realizes he had forgotten to tell her about the wards—the Magik that protects the Covenant of Shadows from those who would use their gifts for unethical intentions.

  “There is nothing wrong with you.” He grins and lowers his head closer to Gabrian in order to quietly let her in on the matter of her malfunctions. “There are ancient spells that protect all those that enter the Covenant of Shadows. The spells are projected to suppress and hinder all gifts of those present in order to maintain diplomacy at our meetings. Once one enters within the walls of the Covenant, it is intended that you need not fear the Magik of anyone else inside.”

  “Oh!” Gabrian blushes, feeling a bit embarrassed.

  As they move forward, Gabrian’s stride begins to slow as the beauty and mystical ambiance steals her attention from her chaperones. She reaches out her hand, letting the tips of her fingers gently slip across the contours of the words and symbols etched into the smooth marble walls they walk within. Gabrian becomes so captivated by the mystery of what meanings may lie behind them that she barely even notices reaching the mouth of the largest room she has ever seen.

  She stops walking and stares out into the hall, deluged in awe of this dreamlike place, all of it majestic and strange. Every last detail from the mile-high ceilings that sparkle and shine like diamonds, to the eccentric carvings that encase the walls, seems surreal. She feels as if she is swimming in a dream where everything surrounding her is in an exaggerated state but still remains simplistic in its entirety.

  She notices along the edges of the cavernous hall, the folds in the wall are lined with stone cauldrons. Each seems to be specifically placed and lit with a peculiar looking flame—all burning with fire of a different colour. Blue, Red, White, Green, Light Grey, Iridescent, and Violet so dark it looks almost black, but there in the middle of them all, is one that remains empty and unlit.

  She stares at it, curious as to why this one is still. Something stirs inside of Gabrian. She becomes strangely drawn to its emptiness and walks over to take a closer look. Once reaching her target, she leans over and looks inside. It is dark, cold, and empty. She runs her hand across the top smooth marbled rim of the cauldron and feels a peculiar twinge of sadness seep into her soul.

  Lost in a world she knows so little about, Gabrian sighs and glances over at her companions, remembering what she is here for. They wave and point to the other end of the room, motioning for her to rejoin them. Gabrian turns to leave, letting her hand slide away from the lip of the cauldron as she does. A spark jumps from one of her fingertips and causes a small flare to shoot up from the bottom of the caldron. Then it dies just as quickly as it was born, unnoticed by anyone.

  On her trek back to rejoin them, her eyes follow the direction of Ethan’s pointing and is stunned by what she sees; she turns toward her destination and strains to keep her eyes open. Sunlight streams in—shining effortlessly through the walls of solid granite rock at the other side of the stone edifice. It seems to be the main contribution of light deep within the mountain surrounding them. Orroryn and Ethan glance at each other briefly with a grin drawn on their faces at her wide-eyed childlike fascination. They explain to her that the wall was manifested as a gift of Magik from many years past from the Fellowship of Zephyr—Vaeda’s fellowship—and upon the creation of the Covenant of Shadows, the Zephyr cast a spell of invisibility that harbors only within the walls of rock. It allows the light to pass through from the outside, making the stone walls appear as if they are made of glass. Yet the light is yielded on the inside and cannot pass its secrets of the Covenants’ presence to anyone or anything in the outside world. She feels as if she is at the end of the Earth looking out into a place from another time. The only thing ruining her picturesque view is the giant slab of granite. It is a table, shaped and smoothened into a rustic oval centerpiece, surrounded by crude stone chairs. All of it standing out like a sore thumb against its striking backdrop.

  The three edge their way toward it. Upon reaching their destination, Orroryn and Ethan stand back and converse amongst themselves, no longer impressed by the table’s mammoth size and stature, but Gabrian is very much intrigued by its grandeur and reaches out—laying her hand flat against its cold smooth surface. She begins to wonder how many generations of Elders have sat at this very table. She hums quietly at the thought then raises her blue eyes to reach beyond the slab and becomes entranced by the view. The sun, nearing its retirement for the day, begins its descent into the ocean, casting out colours of fire and flame, igniting every cloud that lies within its reach. Gabrian feels as if the fire has found its way into her very soul.

  Gabrian is pulled back into reality when she hears Ethan’s voice. He begins to give her some final advice before the meetin
g starts. “Remember, they just want to talk to you, and see what you are about. There is no need to worry.” Gabrian lowers her chin and stares at her shoes. Ethan reaches under her face and cups her chin with his hand to gently force her to look back up. “Okay?” he says, looking her in the eye.

  “Okay,” she repeats, still not completely convinced that this meeting is going to be as easy as he wants her to believe. Ethan takes her by the arm and guides her to the chair set directly to the right of the High table. It is raised a bit higher than the oval table in order to give all those seated the ability to clearly see the person seated in it.

  “Come and sit, Gabrian.” Ethan touches the back of the chair in a metaphoric attempt to show her that it is safe. “Orroryn and I have to take our seats at the High table as the other Elders will be joining us shortly.”

  She nods at Ethan and takes her seat, nervously watching him leave her side. Gabrian folds her hands together and brings then to rest under her chin. She turns her head to the right and watches the remaining fragments of light begin to fade from the sky as the sun slowly slips behind the horizon.

  For a moment, her thoughts drift. She wonders about this crazy world she has become a part of. Folding her hands together on top of her lap, Gabrian ponders her new reality. A foreboding sense of fear sweeps over her, sending a shiver down her spine and wiping her face clean of expression except for the dew forming in the edges of her eyes—sadly revealing to her an understanding that she has somehow managed to lose all control of her life. But in that very moment, unlike the sun, she refuses to go down without a fight. Raising her chin to stare at the oncoming loom of darkness, Gabrian decides that some way, somehow, she is going to figure out how to get it back.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Ready or Not

  GABRIAN RISES FROM her seated position on the chair and stands—a sign of respect to the Elders. One by one, they enter the room, each emanating with a presence about them that seems larger than life to her, instantly crushing most of her newly found determination to regain her life. She watches as they interact and gather around the table, none of them making eye contact with her. They ignore the fact she is in the same room with them, all except one. Gabrian shivers as she recognizes the tall blond woman who was there the night Gabrian was accosted in her apartment. From the internal conversation of Elders, Vaeda’s eyes drift in a sideways glance and rest on the youngling, causing her to gasp in the exchange. Gabrian holds her head as steady as she can and tries to look as fearless as possible, but she knows the charade does not fool the woman.

  Gabrian lowers her eyes for a moment then raises them again to observe the others. Their presence so valiant and strong to her—a profound feeling of awe just by looking at them—to the point she cannot even begin to describe it in words. Though she knows there are spells binding the powers of all who enter, to her it feels as if there is not enough room for them to all stand together under this edifice, that the walls may explode any minute under the pressure of a thousand years of knowledge and power being brought together into one space. She sees traces of auras dimly dance around each of them, revealing the different colours of their Fellowships’ heritage. As nervous as Gabrian is, she still thinks them to be quite fascinating to look at.

  Without warning, the Elders turn their attentions to Gabrian and all eyes are suddenly on her.

  Gabrian’s cheeks burn from the embarrassment of being caught in her daydream by the Elders. As the angst of their stares bore deep within her veins, she feels the tips of her fingers begin to burn in reflex of not knowing what to do so she pulls her hands inside her sleeves to hide her reaction.

  Gabrian’s throat has grown dry, and she finds it hard to swallow. It is as if her tongue has swollen up three times its normal size, and she is about to choke.

  Gabrian, breathe, Ethan’s voice whispers through her thoughts. They are not going to hurt you, they only want to help you, remember that. She lifts her eyes to meet his and nods subtly.

  “So...this is the human turned Boragen we have all been hearing about.” Her brief moment of serenity given to her by Ethan is gone as Cimmerian abruptly begins the inquiry. “Funny how one little girl can cause such a big fuss.”

  “Leave her alone, Cimmerian,” Vaeda calmly reprimands, arching her brow while casting a slight glare down the bridge of her nose at Cimmerian for his snide behaviour towards their guest. “There is no need to be that way. She was invited here, allowing us the opportunity to get to know her.”

  “Yes, old chap. Lighten up a bit,” Arroumis chuckles at his peer. He clasps his massive hands behind his head, tucking his fingers amongst his mess of greying wavy hair. “It is not every day you find a youngling that develops their gifts so late in childhood.”

  Gabrian huffs and folds her arms across her chest in resentment of the statement.

  “So tell us, youngling...” Caspyous hisses at her through gritted teeth while tapping his fingers against the cold smooth surface of the high table, having very little interest in saving her feelings. “How is it that a youngling can go through childhood and not show any signs or indication of being from the Realm? That seems a bit peculiar now, does it not?”

  Gabrian’s fingers burn and itch even more from being put on the spot. “I don’t know,” she begins to explain, letting go of the loose strand of her hair she was fidgeting with and tucks her hands beneath her legs—sitting on them in the hopes of easing the heat sizzling within them. “I thought I was just like everyone else up until a few weeks ago.” She glances around the table, hoping for a sympathetic ear. “I went to school, had friends, got a degree, and was living a normal life, until...”

  “Oh, please, you must have known something.” Cimmerian snickers as though he is agitated with her presence. “It is just not heard of. Unless...”

  “Unless, what Cimmerian?” Kaleb growls his amber eyes nearly glowing—knowing what Cimmerian is attempting to imply.

  “Unless, she was awakened by another.” Cimmerian glares at her with his black eyes. Gabrian feels the weight of their hatred burning a hole right through her. “That she harbors the Fever within her.”

  Not able to give him the answers as to why this is all happening to her—and sworn to keep her true identity a secret from everyone—she is certain that telling them who her father is would cause them to just lock her up and throw away the key. She struggles to find words that she needs to use in order to appease her audience. She tries to bite her tongue, knowing these people are now her Elders—and that she should show them respect—but she is completely horrified that they accost her this way. She is a good person; she did not intentionally try to kill anyone, and she certainly does not deserve to be treated with such hostility.

  She raises her head slightly and returns Cimmerian’s smug stare. “I am not a monster if that is what you are implying.”

  Annoyed with Cimmerian’s lack of civility, Ethan jumps to Gabrian’s defense. “Listen to you all. This is not how we treat our people. She is one of us regardless of how or when she arrived in our world. It is now our duty to ensure that she is treated with equality and at the least with some resemblance of respect.”

  “Save your speeches, Ethan,” Cimmerian barks.

  “There is no need to demean the girl or cause her any distress,” Ashen says pointedly as she glares at Caspyous and Cimmerian. Her eyes betray her agitation and begin to unfold layers of light blue strands, bleaching out her normal calm royal blue. “Is there, gentlemen?”

  “We just want to know if she is one of them.” Caspyous flicks his fingers at Gabrian, glancing at her for only a second then looks away in disgust. “And if we need to take special precautions in order to maintain order.”

  “You mean a Vampire,” Gabrian blurts out bravely. “You want to know if I am a killer.”

  Not wanting to cause any more discomfort to the girl than she has to, Ariah believes that without a little discomfort, this meeting will be nothing more than a frightening witch-hunt for Ga
brian—persecuted whether she is guilty or not. It seems that a few of the Elders are looking for someone to burn in order to appease the masses. “Ethan,” Ariah hums in a quiet but confident voice.

  Normally at these meetings, Ariah says very little but instead, listens to all that is said. Her rarely heard voice surprises everyone and the table hushes as the bickering stops for the moment. “Ariah?” Ethan returns her address. Seeing what she is about to ask does not alarm Ethan, but it does stir the feeling that they will not understand what they see.

  “In order to calm the discussion, and to give the Elders of the Covenant of Shadows what they so clearly desire, I suggest that you show them.”

  “Ariah, what you are asking is very personal,” Ethan exclaims with a low restrained voice, running his hands through his hair while staring at the Elder. His focus shifts, landing on Vaeda and then to Orroryn with wide eyes, his hand tightly clasped in front of his face. He seeks their council as they remain the heads of the house and have final say as to what is to be done. “I am not sure this is necessary.”

  There is chatter amongst all the Elders and the consent seems to be a mutual agreement among them for the display. Confused at what is going on, Gabrian throws a loud thought toward Ethan. What do they mean, show them what?

  As you can see, one of the only gifts that are not affected by the Shadow of Covenant wards is telepathy, and because of that, they want me to connect to your subconscious and project all that I see into their minds. In short, they are looking for signs of the Fever.

  Terrified by what this means, she begins to tremble. All her private thoughts and all the secrets she has to keep are suddenly going to be at risk of being exposed to the scariest people she has ever met in her life. It is one thing to hide it from just one person, but it may be quite another to close them all out. Immediately, she begins to pull down a veil in her mind to push away any thoughts of Cera or Adrinn other than a brief glimpse of a recollection of past history she would have been made aware of.