The Shadow Beasts: The Sunclaire Chronicles

by Eleanor M. Byrne

  “Um...Wind Blade, can I ask you a question?” she squeaked. She saw Wind Blade nod her head slowly in the dim light.

  “When did you start working for my family?”

  Wind Blade sighed as she gazed up the stars that were just appearing. “I guess I have to tell you my story. ” Leaving the gear on the ground, she settled down across from Emily. The firelight danced across her face.

  “I was born into the Dark Ridge Tribe. I was the fourth child of seven. My family was not influential within the tribe, nothing special.

  I grew up on the outskirts of our town. We lived in a small cabin right by the forest. Families who are ranked higher are able to live within the boundaries of the town. Our tribe, like many others, train to become protectors of the noble families within kingdoms.”

  Wind Blade stirred the small bonfire with a broken twig.

  “Some of us are lucky to be chosen to become protectors of Houses. This is earned through rigorous training with many mental and physical tests. A lot of this happens at a festival that occurs once a year. The event takes place on the Athal Plains. That’s a stretch of land that no tribe owns. It is often used by the tribes for festivals and gatherings.

  She continued. “It’s actually fun. Even though so much depends on it. The month-long festival has young tribe members competing with each other. Trying to show who’s best. Representatives and others from Houses attend to choose someone whom they deem capable of protecting them.”

  “So you were chosen to protect my family?”

  Wind Blade shook her head. “No, I wasn’t chosen by them during the festival. My older brother was chosen to be a protector of some other household. I forgot the name of the family. I haven’t heard from him in years.” She paused before continuing. “My family probably thinks that I have been killed. I haven't had any communication with any of them for a long time. The rest of my siblings became mercenaries, thieves, or just regular soldiers in the army. That's the options for tribe people who failed the tests and were not chosen.”

  Wind Blade gave a small tight smile.

  “ I was seventeen years old when I was taken in by your family. They could have decided to choose anyone else but they decided gave me a chance. I hadn’t competed in the trials that year because I had given up hope. To be honest, I wasn’t that skilled since I hadn't had proper training. Being asked by them to guard their House was a shock to me. I trained every single day to become capable of protecting your family. But it seems that was in vain.”

  “You keep on saying ‘Houses’. But what are they, these Houses?”

  James interrupted before Wind Blade could begin. “The Houses are old families. They are of noble bloodlines, usually ones that have been around for ages. Unlike regular noble families and such, they are usually more powerful and gifted. They are very selective when it comes to marriage and because of that, they only choose people of noble lineage and those who are extremely gifted to be their partners. That person has to give up their family name and their current title. Whatever their gender, they are absorbed into that House.”

  “Where is your tribe based? Are all the tribes in the same area?”

  Tossing a branch into the fire, Emily sent up embers in her direction. Coughing, she slightly moved her head to the side to avoid the smoke.

  Wind Blade went on. “My tribe is just one small part. There are many other tribes that are scattered throughout the land. But everyone comes together every year for the festival.”

  Emily kept her eyes on Wind Blade. “And the festival, that is where the families choose. I get it. But what about abilities? Do you have any special abilities?”

  “Yes. Every tribe has a different unique trademark, so there is a diverse group to choose from. My tribe has some enhanced physical abilities, for example; strength, speed, sight, and hearing. We could be used as bodyguards, spies, and assassins. Some other tribes have magical weapons, shapeshifting abilities, or healing abilities. ”

  “Why do you serve people? Why don’t you rise up and become like the Houses? You are just servants. Really, why is that enough for you?”

  Wind Blade smiled slightly at Emily’s strong words. “It is part of the tradition and if we try to become like the households, we would lose our honor and culture. For the tribes, it is fundamental to serve and protect. It is hard for an outsider to understand, but it’s perfectly natural to us. It’s what we were born for.”

  Emily stared into the fire, drinking in Wind Blade’s story. This world that they were in was so entirely different from the place she grew up. In her world, the idea of living to serve was not a big part of how people conducted their lives.

  But they were here now. Decisions had to be made. So, what are they going to do? Continue running from the army and hide here or return home?

  Emily became tired of thinking suddenly.

  “I’m going to bed.” She stood up from the fire, grabbed her sleeping bag and lay it down. “I don’t want to sleep in the tent. It’s too small.” Taking off her jacket, she threw it aside and wiggled into the bag. She gazed longingly at the night sky, then fell asleep.

  A snap of a branch caused Emily to wake and open her eyes. She felt cold. The fire was now a heap of gray ashes. The sky was still dark but she could see the sky starting to show the slightest edge of color. The dirt beneath her hands felt wet so she guessed it must have drizzled last night.

  “Gee, this just great.”

  The coldness was seeping into her clothes and chilled her to the bone. She pulled herself out of the sleeping bag and got to her feet. She looked around. Emily didn’t see James or Wind Blade anywhere. It was likely that they went to find more firewood or to scout the trail. It just seemed strange to be alone after such a tumultuous time.

  She shivered and looked around the camp. It was empty except for the camping gear. They wouldn’t have left without it. The question, then, was when were they coming back? An eerie feeling had begun to creep over her.

  “James!”

  She hoped that they were nearby.

  “Wind Blade!”

  Emily did not feel safe at all. Some sensation, some feeling… Or was it an actual thing? She felt as if something were coming closer to her, approaching her.

  Oh, no. Her imagination was running away with her. But she hardly blamed herself. But it felt...evil.

  “Where you guys?” Desperately she called out their names again and again until her voice was hoarse.

  She finally sat down shakily, her breath uneven. The presence she thought she felt was probably nothing. Only a hungry bear or wolf, she repeatedly told herself. She laughed when she realized that a hungry bear was probably a best-case scenario.

  Emily encouraged herself aloud. “I should think of something else right now.” She took a deep breath. Panic would help nothing. She needed something to distract herself until James and Wind Blade came back to the campsite. Emily smiled slightly as she faintly remembered her parents.

  Her mother was thin but elegant. Her laugh was like magic to Emily’s ears. Emily frowned slightly as she thought of her father. She had no memories of her father, no image or sound that came to her. She concentrated. There must be some sense of him in the dim recesses of her mind.

  Emily at first failed to notice the darkness moving up toward her, encircling her and blocking off any exit. The shadows began to smother her thickly, like snakes of darkness tightening.

  Emily tried to scream but for some reason, she couldn’t. She could not escape. Fear swallowed her whole and she blacked out.

  She groaned as she tried to sit up from… what was it, soft ground? This didn’t make sense. It was a room, again, and it started to spin around her. She groaned and leaned back down, overwhelmed. She settled into the soft cushions and it gave her warmth and comfort. This time she took everything in. The room was large with dark, heavy furniture and this beautiful, soft mattress. Why did it always happen that passing out she would awaken in a strange place?

  “This
has really got to stop now,” she muttered.

  The door opened behind her to her side. Footsteps loud and heavy came closer, like two rocks knocking against each other.

  A raspy voice spoke.

  “ Glad to see you up.”

  Emily turned her head to the voice, her body beginning to shake. The voice came from a girl about her age. The girl was of a little shorter than average height with long red hair pulled back into two braids. She looked young but her eyes showed otherwise. They were solemn eyes, green emerald eyes, that caught Emily’s breath.

  “Um...where am I?” Emily stuttered awkwardly.

  The girl looked down at Emily. “I am Clover. This is the palace of Prince Declan.” The girl briskly turned away from Emily and walked out the door.

  “Come on, then. The Prince is waiting for you.”

  Emily felt fear shoot through her as she heard the word ‘prince’. She was in the royal castle of Sunclaire. Emily got up and followed the girl. She really didn’t have much choice.

  She gasped when she saw the hall outside the room she had just left. Darkness was at the corners of every crack. The shadows were thick and she was reminded of how she felt back in the forest as she searched for Wind Blade and James. A heavy oppression weighed on her, like the memory of a nightmare. Dimly glowing mirrors and statues vaguely indicated where the walls were. There was a feeling of oppression, of death.

  Emily thought she saw outlines of people, but they were always lost in the shadows. She shivered as she and the girl left that hallway and passed through countless others. Sometimes she would hear muffled voices but she couldn’t tell where they were coming from.

  Finally, Clover stopped by a dark-red door with golden brass handles that gleamed in the dark. The door was of massive width and it almost reached the ceiling. Emily took a step back from the door as she felt some aura of dread emanating from it.

  The girl behind her sighed.

  “Enter the room, Brat!”

  She shoved Emily hard into the door.

  “You won’t be killed.” Clover smiled, her eyes twinkling. “Yet.”

  Emily opened up the door slowly. The wood felt cold and smooth against her warm flesh. Peeking through the opening, she stared into the darkness of the room.

  The closed curtains did not make her feel better. Emily looked around the gloomy room. Chairs, tables, and sofas were placed carefully at sharp angles. Tall, full-length paintings of nobly dressed royalty hung on the walls.

  Oddly, one of the painting was covered by a white cloth. Curious to see what the painting was, she reached out to pull away the sheet. She heard soft footsteps.

  “It is wonderful to meet you, Miss.” A gentle voice, unknown to her, spoke from behind.

  As Emily turned around, she expected to see a shrewd old man, strong and formidable, who was called the prince. Her eyes beheld the black eyes of a boy. He was her age or slightly older.

  “Please sit down.” He waved to the multiple chairs within the room. “I promise that no harm will come to you.”

  Emily sat on one of the lavish velvet chairs. The prince sat across from her. Glancing at him she saw that he had regular, even features, with a strong chin and a muscular body. With well-groomed dark hair and eyes so dark they were mirrors, he didn’t seem intimidating at all. Maybe James and Wind Blade had been lying about the prince. In an instant, she wanted to believe he was kind, but something nagged at her. The hallways, the darkness, the milling people: it all made her uneasy. There was something about this prince that was dangerous and she had to focus on finding a way out.

  “So..well... why did you take me here?” She asked him softly. “I have done nothing wrong.”

  The Prince smiled with his mouth but his eyes remained distant.

  “The moment that I heard that a poor little girl was stuck with those two rogues I knew I had to save her.”

  He smiled sympathetically.

  “I had to find her. You. I had to warn her how dangerous her friends are.”

  Emily narrowed her eyes at this Prince. She instinctively knew that he didn’t care in the least about her wellbeing. Back at school, there were people just like him. Back in her other life, in the other world. Just playing nice until they are done with you.

  Emily spoke clearly. “That is not going to change my mind about my friends. I already know about my friend, James, and his family’s history. They are not dangerous. The only person who cannot be trusted is you. Why go after a person who did not commit a crime? And Wind Blade is only protecting me.”

  As Prince Declan narrowed his eyes at her, Emily thought she saw something flash. It was a look of pure hatred. She knew she had to leave before he lost his temper.

  “I can see that your mind is already made up,” he said slowly.

  The prince continued to stare at her, trying to figure this young girl out. She wasn’t what he had expected. She was from the other world. People from that dimension were widely known as having the weakest of constitutions. He had imagined a timid and meek girl who would cave into his demands.

  “Are you sure that you have picked your side? You can still change your mind if you want.”

  Emily nodded shakily. “No, I am content with my choice of friends.” She did not like that soft voice of his. “I think I should go now.”

  The Prince threw back his head, laughing uproariously. The laughter was filled with cold amusement. The room seemed to darken even more as the Prince’s voice grew louder and rang against the walls.

  “You really do have some guts to speak to me like that. I am afraid I cannot let you go. After all, you are the bait to draw out your companions.”

  Smoothly flicking his hair out of his eyes, he grinned.

  “I bet that traitor will not show his face around here. So probably Wind Blade will show up. And when she does...”

  “Why is James a traitor!? What has he done to you that makes you want to kill him? Let him live in peace.”

  Prince Declan sighed and shook his head. For a moment, he looked defeated and she almost felt sorry for him.

  “I will tell you tomorrow.”

  Prince Declan stood up sharply. “We will have breakfast early. Do not be late.”

  As he walked out of the room without another word, Emily breathed out a sigh of relief. A woman came in and Emily quickly guessed that she was one of the many servants.

  Bowing to Emily, the woman said, “His Majesty told me to show you toward your room.”

  “Yes, of course.”

  Prince Declan sat at the desk in his library. The conversation he had with the girl still ran through his brain. Her words pricked at him like thousands of needles. Why am I still bent on revenge? Even after all these years I still want justice. Maybe the girl is right.

  This new thought made its way through his mind. Maybe it is time to let go of the past. Sighing, he got up from the chair and walked to the window. Dark clouds covered the sky.

  “This is to be expected from this world. The world is only filled with pain and hurt,” he whispered to himself. He needed to convince himself that what he was doing was the right thing to do. He must complete his quest.

  “You look annoyed, Prince Declan.”

  He did not bother to turn around to face the speaker. He had heard that voice so many times already. After all, Clover was his bodyguard. She was given the job of making sure that no harm would ever come to him.

  “Annoyed is the wrong choice of word to describe me. I am simply going over what the girl said.”

  He turned and glowered at the girl. “So, did you find out anything about her? Her history?” he demanded. He needed to know what he was dealing with.

  “Not exactly, but Fortune has a few ideas about her. All you need to do is ask her when she comes back to the castle,” Clover said.

  He needed to find that traitor fast and end this. The quicker the job was done, the better his life would be. He would be free.

  Chapter 8

  Emily sat at
the end of the large table. Before her, servants were walking past carrying plates with mounds of breakfast foods: varieties of meats and egg dishes, steaming piles of grain and colorful fruits. She couldn’t possibly name most of the foods if she tried. The Prince sat across the table and his presence made Emily uncomfortable.

  “What is the point of kidnapping me? You won’t gain anything.”

  Prince Declan said nothing.

  James would not come to her rescue. Clearly, he had left her on her own at the campsite. In any case, she didn’t want him to come here. The prince would kill him on the spot.

  The prince was asking her a question.