Silver at Midnight: A Paranormal Romance Urban Fantasy (The Keepers of Knowledge Series Book 5)
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Silver at Midnight
The Keepers of Knowledge series
Book 5
Cover by Dark Unicorn Designs
Editing by J Green Editing
Formatting by Dark Unicorn Designs
Map drawn by Misty Polish
Map design by Morgan Nye and Colleen Nye
The Keepers of Knowledge shared world, prologue and original characters were created by and credited to R.J. Lloyd
Published by Cloverhouse Publishing
Copyright © 2021 Bridgette O’Hare
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher.
The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of a copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by fines and federal imprisonment.
This is a work of fiction. All characters and situations appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or personal situations is purely coincidental.
For Jen G and the Parakeet
Man is not unfamiliar with war. Never has been and still isn’t. But there came a day, centuries ago, when the population of man on Earth grew uncontrollable and outnumbered the supernatural beings at a staggering rate. The once dominate beings being those of supernatural lineages were soon to find themselves in a changed world.
Some supernatural races wanted to take back power and institute population control. Others shied away from conflict and doubled in on themselves, hoping to shelter their kind from all others. The world fell into chaos, and unnecessary deaths ran rampant. The days of folklore, myths and scary stories bloomed, and Man began to fight back.
Decisions had to be made, and thus The High Council of the Supernatural was formed. One member of every supernatural race was assigned a seat—Vampire, Mimic, Witch, Merfolk, Gargoyle, Sphynx, Werewolf, Banshee, Fae and one shifter to represent all remaining animal shifters since their numbers were few.
The High Council began to flesh out the bylaws of the supernatural world and, as time went on, found it more and more difficult to come to agreement on some accounts without the backing of historical events. But not all could agree on what happened when sometimes, or in some cases, all relics and any verbal tellings were lost to the void. And so The High Council formed another construct—The Keepers of Knowledge.
Once again, one member from every race was chosen. The Keepers were tasked with recording, authenticating and gathering accounts and relics of major events within supernatural occurrences from the past as well as the present.
They were the historians and recordkeepers. The museum curators. They were archaeologists and librarians. They were the hive-mind of the past and present for anything of importance.
As the new world was founded and settlers began flocking to The Americas, so did a variety of supernatural beings. Many congregated in the new town of Pyreshore, New Hampshire. Of course, the newly booming coastal town drew the attention of Man. And with that attention and the growing population, it became a risk to the veil of the supernaturals.
The High Council stepped in, disbanding the town by spelling the area, ordering beings to disburse, and making it so man no longer desired to be there. But since it was the supernaturals that had grown the town, The High Council warded Pyreshore so that Man would see the township as a rundown ghost town without the possibility of growth or tourism.
With a number of houses, shops, buildings and resources, it was relegated for a particular use. The High Council held their main chambers in Vienna as well as several safe houses around the globe. However, The Keepers were not well stationed. And Pyreshore was perfect.
From that point on, The Keepers and their families were moved into Pyreshore.
The position was well funded, with each Keeper being given a well-kept home in town to raise their heirs with the understanding that the position be handed down through the bloodlines. In the cases where bloodlines are not an option, they must name a successor. And those apprentices are given a home of their own.
Pyreshore, beneath the glamour, is a beautiful small town situated on the coastline of New Hampshire, not far from Rye, and is home to only The Keepers of Knowledge and their families, successors and a very few, select others. There are more houses than the residents need since it once had a more substantial population. Now, these houses are often used for visiting High Council members as well as other supernatural guests that come for various reasons. Some, merely to bring an account or an artifact for some sort of testing.
Aside from the houses, there are a number of other buildings. Of course, there is a school. Not just for the children as they grow but also for the heirs to the Keeper positions. There’s a laboratory, an extensive and ornate library, an artifacts research and museum space, a building containing an office for each Keeper and a large and expansive meeting space for the rare large gathering. The later usually only used when a Keeper position was being passed on or some big find was inducted into the Keeper Base—the knowledge base for all supernatural histories.
Keepers and their families are free to come and go, of course. The position is not a prison sentence. After all, sometimes a Keeper might be tasked to travel to take an account from someone that cannot travel to Pyreshore or to retrieve an artifact or run a test.
However, most stay in town. Keeping a low profile is best and is a little more than recommended by The High Council. After all, the supernatural community assures that all supplies and foods are transported in quietly, and a few hired beings and the Keeper’s families run the businesses in rotation to keep them functioning.
The system was working, until the day Tau Sato died.
Tau Sato was Keeper for the mimic race. He died while on a retrieval task. His death was sudden, unexpected and a complete accident by all accounts. He was fairly young, and his father and mother had passed before him. Tau was an only child, and he had not mated or produced an heir. So, upon his death, The High Council was tasked with the daunting order of finding his next of kin.
However, because of their uniqueness and the how they were made, The High Counsel wanted to be certain they were represented on their own.
After several weeks, it was determined that all close relatives of Tau’s had passed on, what few there had been. And it seemed that even Tau’s extended family was intimately close with tragedy. But, finally, they located a fifth cousin—a young woman in her early twenties named Rowan Laforge.
Naming Rowan as Tau’s replacement, The Keepers knew she would have to be trained, should she even accept her seat as a Keeper.
This occurrence pushed forward a decision on something that had been a debate for a number of decades—Should there be more than one Keeper for each race? It would not only ensure that no Keeper position would end up vulnerable and vacant again but also that more beings could gather and work on the Knowledge Base.
Putting an order to vote, The High Council decreed that each race would have two Keepers. Since Rowan would need to be taught and trained, it was the perfect time to bring the others in. And after much deliberation, one additional candidate was selected from every supernatural race and issued an official invitation to this prestigious council.
Elandra Wells, Vampire, apprentice to Camdyn Pryce.
Declan Reece, Mimic, apprentice to Rowan Laforge.
Tamsin Grey, Witch, apprentice to North Delarosa.
Indigo Rain, Merfolk, apprentice to Bay Finley.
Zack Mason, Gargoyle, apprentice to Baz Nowicki.
Akila Levesque, Sphynx, apprentice to Seth Gamal.
Katherine King, Werewolf, apprentice to Shiloh Bennet.
Roisin Sheehan, Banshee, apprentice to Mia Harris.
Aisling O’Cléirigh, Fae, apprentice to Lachlan Fraser.
Dex Long, Shifter, apprentice to Ethan Braum.
Rowan Laforge had become a high pressure topic within the Keepers of Knowledge and The High Council. She was already causing quite a stir considering some original Keepers and some High Council members were not handling the situation well. It was enough that they had to train someone new without a direct teacher, but the announcement of the new Keepers added fuel to the fire.
And with that in mind, each new Keeper that accepted their role was tasked with more than just moving to Pyreshore and accepting.
Nonetheless, all change comes with struggle.
“Enough!” Aeden Cirrus, Fae High Council member, stood. “We’ve argued over this long enough. We need two Keepers per race. We all see what it’s going to be like to bring Rowan Laforge into the position and train her without Tau’s expertise. Sure, they’re all supposed to know the histories of every race, but none of them know a race like their own. We can’t afford to lose precious historical elements again.”
“But we can’t just hand the resources we afford to the Keepers and grant access to the priceless elements to just anyone.” Sierra, High Council member representing Banshees leaned back in her seat, folding her arms over her chest.
Aeden pulled a file folder from his briefcase. “You are not wrong. That’s why I transcribed an invitation letter for review that includes stipulations.”
“Leave it to the Fae to know how to word a carefully written clause,” Rory Lennox, Werewolf High Council member, chuckled.
Aeden smirked as he handed out the pages.
Pausing before handing the last drafted page over, he looked at the woman before him. “Nira, your people are known for keeping information for your race and those you’re involved with. It’s fitting that you be there to greet the new Keepers and be the bridge between the new and the old.”
She yanked the page from Aeden’s hand. “You want me to be a babysitter? Seriously?” The Sphinx glared at him.
“No. I want you to be a bridge,” he corrected her.
Gargoyle Council member, Stewart Cable, put a hand on Nira’s arm. “It’s actually poetic, if you think about it.”
Rory coughed, “Fae logic.”
“Knock it off, Rory.” Lee McKinnon, the mimic member, shook his head. He turned to Nira. “I will be around. I want to do what I can to help Rowan if she accepts.”
“Thank you.” Nira looked down at the piece of paper in her hands.
Everyone joined her in reading over the proposed letter.
Dear Keeper Initiate,
As you may already have learned, there has been a slight change to our Keeper of Knowledge hierarchy. It has been declared that there shall be two members of each supernatural race in place to not only ensure the fair keeping of every race’s histories but also more hands on deck to test, authenticate, catalog and record. This means that one more being from every race must step up into this role.
After careful consideration, you have been selected by The High Council of the Supernatural to train to become a Keeper of Knowledge. Training will take place in Pyreshore. You are to leave in a week. Details are as follows:
You will live in Pyreshore, New Hampshire, United States of America. You will be assigned a home there and provided all things necessary that you do not have for your home or cannot bring. You will be generously compensated for your time and work with us, even while in training. You are welcome to bring any spouse and children you may have.
As you know, the Keeper position is passed down through the bloodlines. If your bloodline is not an option, for any reason, a successor must be formally inducted by an agreed upon time. Heirs and successors will train as well as it will be their duties to take over the position in due time.
You will have one month from the time of arrival in Pyreshore to begin your training. In that time, you will have various tasks to perform and lessons to study. After one month, two things will be expected of you in order for you to continue as a Keeper of Knowledge in an official capacity.
You must be excelling in your studies and training.
You must bring in a record or artifact for the Knowledge Base from your race that has not been previously recorded.
A member of the High Council, Nira Garrison, will be in Pyreshore to greet you and help you get settled in. We look forward to your advancements within the Keepers.
Sincerely,
High Council of the Supernatural
As each member finished reading the letter, they looked up and nodded approval.
Lee leaned forward, his arms propped up on the table before him. “Make Rowan’s letter lets her know how her role is different.”
Nira eyed Lee for a moment before responding. “Of course. She should know.”
The Witch High Council member, Caden Strohm, stood. “It appears we have a plan.”
Aeden nodded. “I’ll mail these out tomorrow.”
One
“I’m not who you think I am.”
As the words drifted from my lips, I realized how true they were on so many levels. Not just for the man standing before me who’d accidentally bumped into me outside the coffee shop, but for everyone I’d ever known that didn’t share my bloodline.
It wasn’t the first time I’d walked a busy street and been mistaken for someone I’m not, but it was the one that cut the deepest. It was the one that reminded me of the truth.
I was never the person he thought I was. Not really.
To him, Aisling O’Cléirigh never existed. Ashlyn O’Connor did.
I was the person I wanted to be when I was with him. The version of me who could forget, at least for a few moments at a time, about the weight of the world that rested on my shoulders. And that’s why he had to forget me. He was a distraction I couldn’t afford. One that almost cost me everything I’d been working to protect.
Altering his memories just enough that he thought everything we’d ever done together had happened with someone else—someone similar to me but not me—was the most difficult magic I’ve ever had to create. I don’t mean it was complex to a point I struggled to create it. I mean it made me realize what my life was really about, and what my life could never be. I would never have the life Ashlyn O’Connor once had.
Unfortunately, there was no Fae magic to make me forget him the way he had forgotten me. Believe me, I did the research.
“Apologies,” he replied as his gaze searched mine. “Ye jus’ look so familiar.”
His thick Irish brogue resonated through me. I wanted to reach out and wrap my arms around him, feel the warmth of the embrace that reminded me how different life might have been, but I couldn’t. Instead, I had to stare into the eyes of the only man I’ve ever cared for and pretend I never knew him.
“Aye, I get that a lot,” I offered back as casually as I could manage. “Have a good day.” I turned quickly and began walking away from him. Again.
It was just as hard as the first time had been. Maybe more so.
That was the moment I knew I needed to leave Dublin. I needed a change and some distance. He had been the reason I’d stayed as long as I had. Two and a half years was a record for me. Typically, I completed my assignments and moved on. Somehow, I’d managed to drag that assignment out. That was a mistake I wouldn’t mak
e again.
While I felt at ease in Dublin, it wasn’t home. No place had ever truly felt like home since my grandmother’s death. Before she died, she taught me everything she knew that Mom hadn’t already taught me. She’d been gone nearly eight years, and in those eight years, I’ve never really belonged anywhere.
I suppose I’ve always had a gypsy spirit, a yearning to see the world. Grams said it was a family trait. She and Mom had it too. There has always been something restless tugging at my soul that kept me moving from one place to the next, searching . . . for what, I’m still not sure. Grams always told me, “You’ll know when you find it.” Of course, she said that about everything—ingredients when cooking, answers to problems, love. She had a fairly strong opinion about that one—love.
One of the last things she said to me before she died was, “When you find the heart you’re meant to hold forever, you’ll shine brighter than silver in a full moon at midnight, and you’ll know you’re home.” I didn’t understand what she meant then any more than I do now, but she winked at me, gave me that half-cocked grin of hers, and assured me I would one day.
I have missed that woman every day since she left me here to face this world alone. I missed Mom, too. They were both taken from me too soon. I wasn’t ready. Who was I kidding? They’ve been gone for years, and I’ll never be ready.
As I walked back to my City Center flat, I thought about Grams and wondered what advice she’d give me now considering my current situation. My fingers gravitated to the locket hidden beneath my sweater—Gram’s locket. I pulled it from its resting place and rubbed my thumb over the circle woven through the middle of the trinity knot. There was always comfort in the feel of the cool silver against my skin. I held it tightly in my hand for a moment and whispered a prayer.
“I sure could use a hot cocoa and a chat right about now, Grams. Wish you could tell me what to do,” I mumbled aloud like she might actually hear me. I got a strange look from a grandmotherly type passing by me on the sidewalk. Not the first strange look I’ve ever gotten while talking to myself—won’t be the last.