by Kade Cook
The service is to take place at the local funeral home in Northeast Harbor, but her parents’ bodies had been already carried back into the Shadow’s Veil before the caskets were sealed. It was the way of the Schaeduwe Fellowship, and Gabrian let Tynan honour that.
Tynan makes it a point to check in more the last couple of days and somewhere between her bouts of silence, she finds the strength to talk to him.
“How could they die?” she whispers to him as they quietly sit on the couch. Tynan holds her securely within his arms and gently strokes her hair. “I don’t understand. You are Shadow Walkers. I thought that meant that you are supposed to be almost immortal?” She looks up at him with moisture-ridden eyes, grasping for closure.
The heavy weight of sorrow that pulls on Tynan’s face lightens, and he forces a smile, tightening his embrace just for a moment—she misses them as much as he does. “No, it is complicated, Gabe. We are not immortals. None of us are. We all must die someday.”
She looks away, fighting the tears. “Then why would they not just jump into the Shadows?”
“I am not sure, Gabe,” Tynan admits. He is still trying to wrap his head around the confusion as well. “I know things like this have happened before, but it is a rare thing for a Shadow Walker to be caught off guard like that. It does not make any sense to me either. The authorities said that the driver of the other vehicle does not remember anything about the accident—only that he had left the bar after one drink—and the next thing he knew, he was in the hospital, barely alive. They tested his blood for alcohol levels. He was not intoxicated.”
Tynan feels Gabrian’s small frame shake lightly under the weight of his arm as she begins to sob. Feeling overwhelmed as well by the loss of his brother, and Sarapheane, he awkwardly tries to comfort her by changing the conversation.
“That is enough talk of doom and gloom for today.” He kisses the top of Gabrian’s head as he gets up from the couch and heads toward the kitchen. “I am going to make us some lunch before I go take care of some things, what do you feel like having?”
“I am good, Uncle Ty,” she forces out in a mumble, not able to think about food. “Make whatever you want. I will get something to eat later.” She crumples into the cushions of the couch, gathering the blanket beneath her into a ball and hugs it. Somehow, by just responding to Tynan, it has exhausted any energy she had left.
Tynan finishes up with his lunch quickly. He has unfinished business with a certain Shadow Walker, and he insists on giving him a friendly reminder about his responsibilities as oath taker before Tynan leaves in a few days to return to his post at the edge of the Veil.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Survival of the Fittest
THE NEWS OF the Shadwell’s death spreads throughout the Realm like wildfire. “It has been almost a century since such a travesty has occurred,” a young man in the back of the class whispers to his friend.
Cimmerian hears the buzz of voices chattering behind him and turns around to inquire about what all the commotion is for. “What is so important that you need to disrupt my class?”
“You mean you have not heard, Sir?” a young blond-haired boy asks him in surprise.
“Have not heard what?”
“About the tragedy in the Veil.”
Cimmerian swallows down the vomit that wants to surface in his throat, hoping he is wrong about whom he suspects is involved.
“Jarrison and Sarapheane Shadwell were in a car accident.”
“Are they all right?” Cimmerian asks, quickly wishing for a miracle.
“They died,” the boy divulged to his Headmaster. “The Schaeduwe community are completely distraught over it. Nothing quite like this has happened before.”
A wave of excruciating guilt rushes through Cimmerian. He turns to face the board as the words strike the breath from his lungs, and his hands tremble—struggling to hold the chalk still within them. Willing himself to regain control over his senses, he turns back toward the room full of Derkaz Younglings and quickly dismisses the class for the day. After the last student has made their exit and the room is cleared, he heads toward the door and locks it from the inside.
Once he is sure that he is alone, he moves his arm in a circular motion over his head. The air around him shifts and twists, quickly cloaking his body in Darkness, enveloping him completely. Then he is gone—vanished from the school—and arriving instantly above the last known address of the monster he has come to see.
Cimmerian summons two large dark purple orbs of energy to emerge, one in each of his hands. He throws one of them directly at the black, barren Earth. The ground shakes and rumbles from the impact of pure magic.
“Where are you?” Cimmerian bellows, turning in circles as he searches for any signs of movement amongst the trees. Waiting a moment for a response but receiving no reply, he fires another orb directly at the blackened Earth.
“I know that you are in there somewhere. Come out or I swear I will seal you in there for good.” Cimmerian flicks his hands slightly and two more orbs appear within his palms, reloading for his next round of fire. Raising his right hand again to strike, he hears the voice he is searching for.
“Hold your fire there, Tex. There is no need for that,” Adrinn says, appearing just behind Cimmerian. He slowly turns to face Adrinn, trembling with rage.
“What did you do?” Cimmerian spits out at him through gritted teeth.
“I, did nothing. As for young Mr. Gray…” Adrinn continues, looking away from his guest, pulling his hand up nonchalantly, as if to inspect his vaporous nails for any traces of blame. “well, I cannot speak for him, but...”
“Enough! You made me an accomplice to murder,” Cimmerian shouts, his dark violet aura bursting violently around him, rippling the energy outward in a wave from his fury.
“I did nothing of the sort,” Adrinn snaps, pulling his hand back in. His eyes jump to Cimmerian, glaring at him with his chin up and wearing a straight face. His dark smoky aura swirls carefree, flickering momentarily only once due to his minor annoyance of Cimmerian accusation. “It was merely an inconvenient coincidence...for them. That is all.”
“You used me,” Cimmerian bellows, looking away while starting to pace; his hands tremble as sporadic stray sparks flare from his palms. “You have turned my love and my desperation to help my daughter into something ugly and cruel.” He stops and points his finger at the fiend, resisting the searing temptation within to end him. “And now you have managed to entangle me in this deadly game you are playing.”
“Well, if you say it like that, of course it is going to sound bad.” Adrinn looks at Cimmerian and grins slyly at him. “Really, Cimmerian, do not be so dramatic.”
“Dramatic!” Cimmerian screams at him, furious that he would drag him into his sick game. “I will show you dramatic!” The ground underneath Adrinn’s feet begins to rumble and shake as Cimmerian raises his hands slowly up toward the sky.
Adrinn’s eyes dart around nervously, realizing he may have gone a little too far in toying with Cimmerian. Getting sealed back into Erebus would put a damper on his plans.
“You know, I am just going to go now. It would seem that you are not thinking rationally at the moment, but I would like to remind you we are working together toward a common goal. Or have you forgotten that part? Besides, you know how things work. Sometimes death is necessary to preserve those who would live.”
Cimmerian’s eyes turn completely black, and the orbs in his hands spark, sending out fragments of magic into the air around them. Adrinn feels Cimmerian’s irritation soar then lessens a bit in his comprehension as the words of the monster sink in.
“It was lovely to see you again, Cimmerian,” Adrinn says smugly as his bodily image starts to vaporize then adds a jab just before he completely disappears. “But you might want to work on that temper of yours.”
Cimmerian claps his hands together quickly, sending the orbs racing forward on a collision course with Adrinn’s fading presence, only t
o slip into the void with him—resolving nothing, and leaving him to stand alone to face the guilt of his own doing.
Chapter Forty
A Lover’s Hate
GABRIAN STANDS MOTIONLESS in front of the large sitting room window overlooking the ocean. The rain taps incessantly against the panes of glass and threatens to follow her wherever she goes, drowning her in a world full of sadness where she is unable to move in any direction—stuck within this catatonic state.
She turns away to venture back to her dark room just as she sees a familiar figure across from her. It is Shane. He stands in the doorway, larger than life. Though hesitant about it, he makes his appearance at the house after the procession is over and Tynan had found him to deliver his reminder. He manages to keep a low profile by lurking in the corners of the less populated rooms of the house, avoiding people as much as possible.
The weight around Gabrian’s heart lifts at the sight of him. But only for a brief moment—something is not right. He glances at her, and his mouth almost curves into a smile then his face grows cold and blank as he looks away from her, turning to leave.
Gabrian almost pushes her way through the living room, weaving in and out of the grips of the sympathetic well-wishers.
“Hey!” she calls out to him and reaches out to grab the edge of his shirt sleeve. He stops but exhales loudly like he is irritated and glares down to where her hand holds the cloth. Gabrian feels the ice in his stare and lets go of his shirt.
Perplexed by his unanticipated reaction, she bites her lip. “You did not call me.” Her voice cracks as the words surface.
He tilts his head to the side, just enough to look her in the eye. “No. I didn’t.”
Her eyes withdraw from his glare and dart around the room. She tries hard to contain her emotions, but Gabrian feels the wetness in her eyes already and swallows down the lump building in her throat. She gathers her strength and once more turns her eyes to face the ice in his.
“I am confused. The last time I saw you, you could barely let me go. Now you act as if you can’t stand to be near me.”
He breaks his stare and looks away, fidgeting a bit in his stance as he shuffles his feet. “You’re not confused. You are right,” he drones out—his tone flat lines as he returns his arctic glare.
She gapes at him in horror from the poisonous words delivered. Gabrian tries to respond, but the words will not come. She opens her mouth to try again, but Shane’s expression changes. The emotionless stare shifts and his eyes narrow—draining them of any kindness—slicing through her tendered soul like a dulled dagger being dragged through her chest, slowly amplifying her pain and choking the life out of any attempt to speak.
“Listen, just save your breath. I am only here out of obligation to my father’s house and yours.”
“Obligation?” Completely dumbfounded by his frigid attitude toward her, Gabrian grasps for any recollection of clues that will reinforce Shane’s sudden change.
“Or didn’t anyone tell you?” He scoffs at her in disgust. “Against my better judgement, I took the Guardian oath, and now I am sworn to protect and defend the Silver bloodline. And since that is you...well, you’re a smart girl. I think you can figure out the rest of the story.”
All Gabrian can do is stand and stare.
“Don’t bother looking into this too much, Gabrian. Even though I am now your Guardian, believe me when I say I am not happy about this. We are sworn enemies by birthright but refusing would have brought shame upon my house. And that is not an option.”
Gabrian feels her limbs and her core begin to tremble from within, paralyzing her, and stands helplessly statuesque as she witnesses the remaining pieces of her heart being painfully torn out of her chest and ripped to shreds in front of her with every word spoken. Leave it to her to fall in love with the only person who was born to destroy her.
“There is no more. There is no less.” Shane looks down at her with dead eyes, the warm sea green sheen she fell in love with is now a dull dark green, exuding his lack of empathy toward her as he delivers his message, robotic and without emotion. “Now that this little misunderstanding you had about us is cleared up, I need to go find Orroryn before he leaves for the city,” he announces as he walks away.
His departing footsteps thunder like gunshots through her ears. She feels herself beginning to shut down, overloaded with grief. Not wanting to feel the suffrage in her circumstances any longer, Gabrian gives in to her brain’s desire to stop registering anything at all.
She does not remember climbing the stairs or crawling into bed. To Gabrian, the last few days have been nothing more than a distorted nightmare. Rachael comes in and out of her room periodically, checking on her to ask if she needs anything, but other than that, her mind is barren.
AFTER A COUPLE weeks of her self-induced coma, Gabrian finally decides to get out of bed. Walking over to the window in her room, she gazes out into the night and notices that the snow has melted, revealing bare ground. With all the rain they had gotten, she is not surprised. She opens the window to release the staleness from her room and let in some fresh air. The mist clinging to the night’s warm breeze quickly covers her face with moisture. She does not care. After lying in bed for what seems like an eternity, she happily invites it in.
“Okay, Gabrian. Enough is enough,” she demands out loud—loathing in self-pity never was her thing. She closes the window then turns back to face her room. Scouting through her things, she finds her running shoes and an old pair of sweatpants. After a moment of hesitation, she heads downstairs toward the kitchen door.
Rachael looks up from her book—one she found in Gabrian’s bookshelf upstairs. “Hey, you, feeling better?”
“I guess.”
Rachael notices the running shoes dangling from Gabrian’s hand. “Where are you going? It’s dark and raining out there.”
“Yup, it is,” Gabrian continues to tie up her shoes then pulls on her mother’s reflective windbreaker still hanging on the wall. “I need to run,” she mumbles on her way out the door.
At the end of her parent’s driveway, she takes a right on Route Three, leading her out of town. The road is bare and the night strangely warm for this time of year. The air feels clean from the rain, so a nice long run might just be what the doctor ordered.
Hearing the gentle repetitive beat of her footsteps tap against the wet surface of the asphalt sends her into a meditative trance. All the noise in her head begins to quiet as her endorphins kick in and take over. She breathes in its splendor and just runs.
Before too long, she sees the sign for Somes Sound up ahead on her left, meaning she is about four miles out of town. Figuring this is far enough for tonight, she takes the road to the left that heads back to town. The run back is a bit more picturesque, even in the dark. The thickness of the forest begins to disperse, and through the thinning trees, the vastness of the Sound comes into view. The echo of water lapping against the cliff mixes in with the sound of the raindrops and the rhythm of her steps.
Yellow caution tape flapping in the wind up ahead brings Gabrian to a dead stop. Blocking everything out worked a little too well. She completely overlooked the fact that the Sound was the place where her parents’ truck had gone over the ledge. Unable to look away, she continues closer to the tattered remains of the barricade. The black skid marks are still clearly visible where the collision occurred. The energy surrounding the embankment does not feel right to her. It is dark and tainted. Still uncertain of how all the different energies feel, she assumes that maybe this is how death feels.
She rips through the tape in front of her and steps to the edge of the road, overlooking the Sound. The dusk to dawn light above her flickers dimly, but it still allows her enough light to vaguely see the disturbance in the rocks below. Her heart starts to pound wildly. Envisioning her parents’ demise causes anger and frustration to consume her like fire, and she screams out into the night with all her fury.
“You promised me that you would
always be here for me! Now what am I supposed to do?”
Every ounce of energy she has left shoots out against the darkness, sending a massive surge of energy tearing through the power grid above her. The abundance of power overloads its maximum capacity and it explodes, lighting the night sky for a brief moment then leaves her alone in the darkness. Only crimson embers chewing their way through the innards of the transformer remain, and the shadows move in a menacing dance around her.
No longer having the strength to hold her own body upright, Gabrian slumps to the ground and begins to cry.
***
SHANE, WHO HAS been absent more than he has been present, finally shows himself just outside Gabrian’s room. He takes off his coat and lays it on the bench beside him in the hallway. Figuring he should check in on her, he knocks on the wall outside her bedroom door—no response. He reaches down and twists the door latch quietly in case she is still asleep, and opens the door to look inside, but her bed is empty. He begins to search for her.
Rachael hears Shane’s heavy footstep coming through the floor from upstairs and shakes her head in disgust at his blatant attempt to shirk his duties. Not finding any sign of her, he takes his search elsewhere. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, he sees Rachael who sits at the kitchen nook. “Where is she?”
An evil grin begins to grow across Rachael’s face as she toys with the idea of just keeping quiet and letting Shane search for Gabrian until the moons shift course, but for some strange reason, she changes her mind. “She is out for a run.”
“In this weather?” He shakes his head but knows he should probably go look for her since he has been gone for a while. If something were to happen to her, the blame would rest upon his shoulders. “Great!” He stomps back upstairs to put his coat on.
Shane edges his fingers onto the shadow lingering in Gabrian’s room. Once inside the Veil, he stills himself, searching for her vibration, and he finds it in mass. Not sure as to why her energy trace is so abundant, he quickly pulls himself to it and appears in the trees, just on the other side of the road where Gabrian is hunched over on the ground.
