Darkness Within

by Carli Castle

  “I’m sure.”

  “Why wouldn’t Jamie Smith say anything about it?” Caleb looked out the window for a bit longer before he turned to Lucas again.

  “I’m pretty sure she was in shock,” Lucas said. “We need to go back to the site.”

  “We don’t need to be anywhere, you haven’t been discharged,” Caleb informed him.

  “He’s right.” His father entered the room. He immediately went to check on Lucas’s vital signs, and felt at his hands. “How are you feeling,” he asked, writing something down on the chart at the foot of the bed.

  “Fine. Nothing hurts,” Lucas responded, his chest filled with anxiety. He just wanted to get out of there and go investigate.

  “Any chance he can leave today,” Caleb asked their dad who blinked at him.

  “I don’t see why not. He seems to be doing well,” he said, pulling off his glasses. “Any specific reason why?”

  “Mostly official council business,” Caleb simply said. His dad just looked at him for a moment, until Caleb looked down. Lucas just frowned at them both, wondering what it was about people giving each other looks lately.

  A knock on the door stopped him from asking them what was up, and a redhead, probably the healing assistant, walked inside with a tray of potions in her hands. She set it down on the side table and conjured a bowl and white gauze.

  “Parker, after you finish cleaning off his hands, write up his discharge,” his father said as he took the potions from the tray, unstopped one of them, and brought it to Lucas’s lips. It smelled sweet and tasted even sweeter. Immediately, his hands became numb. They had not hurt before, but now he felt nothing at all.

  Parker—interesting name—walked over to where Caleb was standing looking at her with his brows knitted tightly.

  “What did you say your name was,” Caleb asked her, leaning over to look at her face.

  She looked up at him. “I didn’t,” she told him, unsmiling. “But it’s Parker, President Sillen.”

  “Parker,” Caleb repeated, eyes narrowed. “Interesting name for a woman.”

  “I get that a lot, as you can imagine,” she responded, going back to unwrapping Lucas’s bandages, while he looked at the interaction without really paying much attention.

  There was something vaguely familiar about her face, but he didn’t think he had met her before. He met a lot of people anyway, how was he supposed to remember them all? Not that this girl would be difficult to remember. She was quite striking with her big dark eyes and shock of red hair.

  Caleb didn’t say another word, but looked at her as she worked. Lucas wanted to ask him what he was thinking, but put it in the back of his mind when her gloved hand touched his forearm briefly.

  “Put your hands in the bowl, please,” she commanded in a low, soothing voice. She grabbed a purple bottle with a cork on it, opened it and poured the contents, which were bright blue, into the water. The essence of dandelion dissipated the minute the blue potion hit the water, cleaning his hands completely. “Lift your hands out, please.” When he did, she extended her hand over the bowl, and it disappeared. She conjured a towel, which she laid on his lap and led his hands to rest on it, palms up. They were still red, though they looked mostly healed. It didn’t look like there would be any scarring, but he didn’t really know that for sure. He’d never had a burn that severe before.

  “Looking good,” his dad said as he peered at his hands. “There will be no scarring as far as I can see. I’m glad you came when you did.”

  “Thanks, dad.”

  His dad lifted his brows briefly in acknowledgment and added something else to the chart.

  Parker finished up drying his hands and got rid of the towel, the tray, and the rest of the things she’d brought in. Almost immediately after, she conjured a piece of paper. It was his release notice. She handed it to him, keeping her eyes averted, and moving her hand away the minute he took the sheet. It was then that he finally remembered the rest of it. The fire balls hitting the creatures, the acrid smell they left behind. The way he’d burned the one creature on the ground, even though it wasn’t attacking anyone anymore.

  What constricted his chest was guilt like he hadn’t felt before. It started in his stomach, tightening it, then spread up to his chest and all the way into his throat.

  “Are you all right,” Parker asked him, and he looked up at her, unable to speak for a moment. He couldn’t help but think her eyes seemed wrong somehow. He signed the paper and handed it back to her, then got out of the bed.

  Just a few minutes later he and Caleb were walking up the staircase toward the council. He was infinitely nervous about the meeting. The guilt was eating at him as memories continued to come to his head. He had just defended himself and Jamie; he shouldn’t feel like had done something wrong. And yet, he couldn’t swallow past the lump on his throat.

  “Caleb, what were those creatures,” Lucas asked as they entered the meeting room together. He hadn’t even noticed if Callie was sitting in her normal seat in the reception area.

  “I am not exactly sure,” Caleb responded and Lucas felt a stab of remorse, because he needed Caleb to tell him what he had killed were not men. That they weren’t human. He needed to hear that he wasn’t a murderer.

  “It’s nothing that’s been seen around here before,” Lucas pointed out. “They weren’t exactly human.”

  Caleb sat on his usual chair and put his head down on the table.

  “Figures in cloaks with knife-like claws,” Caleb whispered and Lucas’s heart dropped to the pit of his stomach. He didn’t know what was worse, that he could actually be a killer, or that those creatures were what he was imagining.

  The rest of the members entered the room then, taking each of their normal seats, the little black board filled with their names.

  It was hard trying not to appear nervous, considering he would have to recount what happened the previous night. A voice inside him told him maybe the council would understand what he’d done, but another reminded him that people were weary of people that had powers they couldn’t control, of people crying wolf when no one had seen one around, or when no one else believed they even existed.

  “Thank you all for being here in such short notice,” Caleb started, but was abruptly interrupted.

  “Let’s hope it’s worth it,” Noren muttered.

  “If you don’t want to hear what we need to say, you can go back home right now, Noren,” Caleb challenged.

  “That’s Prince Noren to you,” Noren snarled.

  Caleb turned to the rest of the council, instead of giving in to Prince Noren’s provocation. “Last night,” Caleb started, ignoring Noren, whose anger had been fueled by being brushed aside. “Our own member, Secretary Lucas Ferrin was attacked by creatures we have not been able to identify.”

  A collective gasp went around the room. All, except Harper, looked astonished at the news. Even Prince Noren was looking at Lucas wide-eyed.

  Lucas just looked down, uncomfortable that all eyes were on him. He felt like they would be able to just know what he’d done. They would be able to tell he was a murderer.

  “We have reason to believe these creatures were also responsible for the death of Lana Juren,” Caleb informed them, including Lucas.

  “It was Shadows, wasn’t it?” Daniel stood abruptly, knocking back his chair. “I knew it! I knew this was going to happen and no one listened to me.”

  “Hold on, Daniel, no one’s talking about Shadows,” Caleb responded.

  “Then, what are we talking about,” Lucas challenged Caleb. “These creatures were not all the way human, with claws that resembled knives. They could very well be these creatures of darkness the books talk about.”

  “We don’t know if that’s what they are,” Caleb continued. “We have to have an investigation before we start shouting there are…” Caleb stopped and took a breath.

  “This is asinine,” Prince Noren mumbled, leaning back on his chair.

  “Wh
y don’t we just ask Advisor Ferrin what he saw and make a decision from there,” Harper suggested. “There is no reason to discard any possibility without knowing all the details.”

  “I agree with Princess Harper,” Ash said, and the rest nodded. “Nothing, absolutely nothing, can be thrown aside at this point, as insignificant—or as insane—as it may sound.”

  Lucas took a deep breath before he recounted what he’d seen the previous night, leaving out how he killed all three of them. The last thing he needed was a mob of people wanting to find out how he had a fire power like his. He didn’t even know how to explain it to himself, let alone to other people.

  When he finished talking, he sat back, waiting for someone to talk.

  No one did for a long time.

  “It isn’t inconceivable,” Harper said, though she looked a little pale. “There has to be a way we can find out what these beings would look like and if they match the description given by Mr. Ferrin.”

  “I couldn’t agree more,” Ash laced his hands together on the black table. He had three rings on his right pinky that sparkled in the light shining through the windows. His eyes were turning from a darker shade of blue, to brown, to almost black in seconds. Like something inside him couldn’t decide how he felt about the news. “There has to be literature with details somewhere.”

  Even Prince Noren nodded before he caught himself being agreeable and then he just grunted and looked at nothing and no one in particular.

  “Then we must get to work,” Caleb said. “We round up every book we can find, talk to every scholar and person that lived during the times when the stories of the goddess being banished came to be. Anything helps at this point.”

  “So now that Mr. Ferrin was attacked by some creature, we suddenly believe in a story of four goddesses,” Aali asked. “Now we believe a goddess, a being that’s supposed to be innately good, went dark and created these Shadows.”

  “Well, now that Lucas has seen some of these strange creatures, we have to keep our minds open,” Caleb said. “Right?” Before anyone could say anything, a small knock came before the door opened and Callie handed Caleb an envelope. “Travel safely back to your realms, and anything you can find is to be communicated to me immediately. Thank you.”

  The council members started to trickle out, but Harper stopped by Lucas.

  “How are you,” she asked.

  Lucas stood. “I’m fine, it was more a shock than anything else,” he said trying to squash down the nausea. He could hardly breathe. It was interesting what guilt did to the physical body.

  “I’m glad you’re all right,” she said with a tiny semblance of a smile. “Take care of yourself.”

  “Thank you, Princess Harper,” Lucas said.

  She walked away, throwing Caleb a look.

  Caleb looked at her back as she retreated down the hallway, and Lucas cleared his throat. “Hello, I’m still here.”

  “Oh, shut up,” Caleb mumbled.

  “How about you stop acting like a horny thirteen year old when she’s around? Maybe that way people won’t notice.”

  Caleb lifted his eyes to look at him.

  “What do you mean by that,” he asked. “Have you heard anything?”

  “No, I haven’t heard anything, but if it’s obvious to me, there’s a chance it’s obvious to others, as well.”

  Caleb let out a breath. “Heavens, you nearly gave me a heart attack.”

  “Just be careful, it would not do you any good for people to find out of your little thing with Princess Harper.”

  “Well, no worries then, that might be over.” Caleb began putting papers in his briefcase.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean she doesn’t want to see me any more, so no need to worry.”

  Lucas crossed his arms. Caleb wanted to seem nonchalant about it, but he obviously cared. It was in that telltale twitch of his left eye. Lucas wouldn’t mention it, because then Caleb would train himself not to twitch and Lucas would never be able to tell if he was stressed again.

  “Let’s not talk about this right now. I have to leave,” Caleb said, his voice a little hollow.

  “All right,” Lucas said.

  Caleb stood. “But you’re right, in all of it. I will make an effort.”

  “Good, because it oozes, and it’s a little gross, to be honest.”

  “Gross? It’s not gross.”

  “Dude, I do not want to know any details of your sex life.” Lucas began to walk out and stopped at the door. “And just stop being stupid or I will tell on you with mom.”

  “You wouldn’t.”

  “Oh, I would.”

  “I actually believe you, sadly.” Caleb walked by him and opened the door. “Now I really have to go.”

  “Why the rush?” Lucas followed him out.

  Caleb paused and breathed out, and Lucas’s heart dropped.

  “I sent people out to the site of the attack,” Caleb said. “They found a body, Lucas.”

  Lucas’s head went a little light.

  “It was a man this time. I have to go down there to take care of business.”

  “Do you want me to come,” Lucas asked, desperately wishing Caleb said no so he didn’t have to be in the middle of all that again. He wasn’t sure his sanity could handle any of it at the moment.

  “It’s not necessary. Go home, get some rest,” Caleb said before he slipped out the door.

  Lucas walked out of the room, down the hall, and out the door. He teleported home, intent on reading more about the shadows in the books that he already had at home. Not that he wanted to, but he needed to do something useful. He had to find out if those creatures had been actual human beings, if he was a murderer. He also didn’t want to think that he could have been the person to die the previous night.

  Chapter Eight

  He’d been home for about two hours when he got a note from Caleb via dove. He would come by after a meeting with King Patrick that afternoon, and Lucas wasn’t so sure he even wanted to hear about anything anymore.

  An innocent was dead, and they had no answers. Again.

  And on top of that, he had the deaths of the three creatures hanging over him. He was going insane. Then he was annoyed when he realized the dove had pooped on the window sill. Maybe one day someone would find better ways everyone could use to communicate, because this was ridiculous.

  Cursing under his breath, he went to the kitchen, got an old rag and some soap, and cleaned off the mess.

  Once done, he was throwing the rag away, when a thump at the front door got all his attention. When he opened the door, a small, red fox was waiting with a small package on its back. Lucas untied the piece of yarn around it, and took the package. He scratched the fox’s ear before he stood, and apparently the fox took it as a cue to squat and do his business, because before he ran away, he left a pile of waste almost a foot high.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he mumbled under his breath, following with a vicious curse. He wanted to kick at it, but he knew that would just make it worse, so he went back in, got another rag, and cleaned it. Once he was done, he walked away toward the edge of the cliff, where he could look down at the ocean. He sat on one of the flatter rocks, setting the package in front of him. He opened it, revealing the books his mother had promised she’d lend him.

  With the smell of the ocean filling his senses, he opened the first book and began reading the index, in search of the chapter on the goddesses. Once he found it, he took a deep breath and opened the book to the corresponding page. There was a hand drawn picture of four women, each wearing a long dress, and each surrounded in a different colored aura. Their faces were all the same, probably because whoever drew the pictures had never seen the goddesses, if there actually were goddesses at all.

  Underneath the pictures there was text, though it wasn’t very long.

  A legend of four witch goddesses spread around Esmeralda like wild fire, though no proof of their existence was ever found. Man
y believe there was always only one goddess, while many believe there were, in fact, four; some believe there were no goddesses at all and the powers of the magical realms were drawn from the pure elements themselves.

  As the myth goes, the four goddesses were born from their respective element after their mortal death. Demetria, the oldest, was earth; Era was air; Naiad was water, and Udyia was fire. According to the account of many Esmeraldans, Udyia had become drunk with her power, the most volatile of the four. It is said that her power came with feelings of darkness that only the strongest of beings could control.

  Lucas stopped reading for a moment, reflecting on the feelings that came over him when his fire power surfaced, his heart rolling in his chest. That explained why he had the feelings, but it didn’t explain how he was tied to these goddesses. Going back to the book, he read:

  Giving in to the darkness within her, Udyia became hungry for more, and became resentful of her sisters and the powers they had. Letting the darkness grow within her, she went after her sister Era, the most trusting of the four. Upon killing her, Udyia took Era’s power for herself, and planned on going after the other two. Stronger from her new power, Udyia went after Naiad, who put up a fight. Naiad had premonition powers, but not even that saved her from her sister’s vicious attack. However, Demetria wasn’t so easy to take down, and Udyia was subdued in a fight that shook the four extremes of the earth, magical and sleeper realms alike. Demetria, succeeding in subduing Udyia, brought her in front of the Grand High Council, which still presides over all the councils on land. They banished Udyia for her terrible crimes, sending her to earth with no powers, watching as others drew from the powers that were once her for all time. It is believed Demetria had been given the powers until new goddesses were to be appointed to them.

  That was the entire entry, but to Lucas, it seemed like something was missing. It was incomplete. Why did he have the same feelings Udyia once had? And why did he have those fire powers? Was he somehow related to the goddess?