Shadow of the Sun

by Laura Kreitzer

CHAPTER 27: POWER

  Andrew held out the book to me. I grabbed it and rubbed my thumb over the title Timeless. It seemed to be suffused with a mysterious glow. That was what angels were—living in their timeless immortality. Or that was what I thought until Abelie died. Even she thought that death was a fate the angels would eventually endure. Unfortunately, she was right.

  “There was a part of your dream you left out earlier,” Andrew said, bringing me from my thoughts. “And I want to know what happened. You said you saw my death.”

  I didn’t want to think about it, but he deserved to know since he couldn’t remember. Without looking up, I responded. “The Ladies turned Lucia into a human. I can only guess that was the same spell Abelie and Aiden used when they decided to turn me human. Anyway, this was the second time I had seen Lucia’s death. She was stabbed with a knife with the Definitive Sun symbol on it by a Lady of Light.” I finally looked up to see Andrew staring at me intently. “Ehno loves Lucia, doesn’t he?”

  He nodded. “Always has; they’re kindred souls.”

  “You can imagine how livid he was, then,” I mused. “He ran after her, and you followed, probably trying to stop him from getting himself killed. The Ladies didn’t hesitate as they turned you both human and killed you alongside her.”

  “Anything else?” he prodded, not a single note of anxiety in his voice.

  I shook my head. “No. But you know what this means, don’t you?”

  “No.”

  “It means I have to change the Shadows back—Illuminate them.” I sighed. “We have to find a way to return the angels’ minds. How else will we fight against the Ladies of Light?”

  “We’ll try to find the answers,” he promised.

  “Have you seen this book before?”

  “It looks familiar,” he said. His eyebrows knitted together. “Let’s take it downstairs.”

  I nodded, my breath still heavy from being intimate with Andrew. He moved in closer, and I backed into the bookshelf again. He placed a kiss on my ear and whispered against my skin, “We’ll talk about this—” he moved his hand between us “—later.” My breathing hitched, and he pulled away, chuckling.

  He took my hand, and we went back down to the first level of the library. Lucia was the only one down there, scouring through the bookshelves for something that could help. When she saw us, she stopped poring over the books to join us at the table.

  “What did you find?” she wondered.

  “Have you ever seen this book?” I held it up for her.

  She snatched it out of my grasp. “Yes,” she breathed.

  Andrew and I exchanged a look of surprise.

  “It’s about our history. It’s been more than a thousand years since I’ve seen this. Where did you find it?” she asked, a faint crease between her eyebrows.

  With a smirk, Andrew said, “It fell from a shelf above Gabriella’s head.”

  Heat rose in my cheeks. “Andrew caught it before it could knock me out,” I admitted. “I saw the title, and for some reason, I knew we needed to read it.”

  She nodded but didn’t look up from the dusty bindings. Without speaking, she handed it back to me. “If you have a feeling there’s something in here that can help then you should be the one to read it.”

  My eyebrows rose.

  “Because you might see something that one of us doesn’t,” she explained and shot me an inquiring glance.

  “Right.”

  I sat down and placed the book before me as I stared at it. The binding was hard and a dusty grey. The only word on it was Timeless. There were no pictures, no author name, just Timeless. I blew dust off the cover and opened it to reveal yellowed pages that looked so fragile I wasn’t sure if I wanted to turn them. I looked up to Andrew who smiled back. He placed his hand over the page.

  “Proteggere,” he murmured.

  Protect. It was easy to understand him, and that weirded me out a little. There was a slight gleam to the pages, as if an electric force coated the paper, before it disappeared.

  “Thanks,” I said.

  I flipped the first page over, looked at the writing, and squinted. “Um, this isn’t going to work,” I told Andrew as I pointed to the text. “It’s in Italian.”

  He sat down beside me and put his finger to the first paragraph. “Tradurre,” he mumbled.

  Again, I understood the word: translate. “It’s weird that I can understand you when you speak Italian, but I can’t read it,” I told him with a half smirk. “But, I wonder, why is it that I was able to use magic without using Italian . . . you know, earlier?”

  He smiled. “The language isn’t important. Also, you’re far more powerful than you realize. You’re only learning about yourself. I personally believe it was your grief and anger that made you explode with power like you did,” he rationalized. “Plus, you don’t have to use words to wield magic. With practice you can just think it—will it to happen. Not many people bothered to learn that skill, but it’s one I would advise you to practice.”

  I nodded. “Because it looks like I have a battle ahead of me?”

  He ran his fingers through his hair. “I hope not, for your sake, but it’s better to be prepared than not.”

  I looked back down at the page and started reading.

  It was easy to hide ourselves in the mountains of Italy, away from the cruel and corrupt. As armies became more powerful, they also became greedier. After centuries of being left alone, an army finally found its way through the mountains to the small village of Divina.

  This really was their history. I became intrigued, pulled the book off the table, placed it in my lap, and leaned closer to devour every word. Andrew chuckled next to me.

  “Try this,” he barely spoke in my ear. He grabbed my hand and put it over the page I was reading. “Close your eyes,” he whispered.

  “I don’t see how covering the page and closing my eyes is going to help me read this any better,” I said, amused.

  “Trust me,” he breathed.

  “I do. You know I do.”

  “Keep your eyes closed and will the story to be told to you.”

  “What?” I asked. My eyes flew open, and I shot him a skeptical look.

  “You can use magic to read this without ever looking at it. Trust me,” he smirked. “All the books in this place have been infused with memories. Memories can tell you more than the words.”

  “More than the words?” I raised my eyebrows.

  “Sometimes secret messages can lay hidden beneath the context of the words. My mother and father used to pass love notes to each other on the pretense they were making pottery when they were younger—before we became immortals.” His eyes blazed a more radiant blue. “If one were to try to pull the images from the pottery, they would see the messages, or images, that they were passing back and forth to each other.”

  “What happened to your parents?” I wondered aloud.

  “My mother became sick when I was twenty, and she didn’t survive the winter.” His chest rose under a heavy sigh before he continued. “My father lived until I was twenty-six. While hunting he was bitten by a snake. He was too weak to use magic, and the other hunters didn’t get to him in time. He was dead by the time they found him.”

  I realized, all of a sudden, that I hadn’t asked him how old he was. “What age were you when you became immortal?”

  “I was twenty-eight.”

  “And so you’ve been immortal for four thousand years?”

  “Roughly. I suppose immortality isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Eventually someone was going to snap; I just didn’t think it would have been the Ladies of Light.” His fist clenched above the table. “They were pure and good. They saved millions of lives. That’s what makes it so difficult to believe that they would go this route.” He looked up at the ceiling and shook his head. “Turning Halos and Guardians into Shadows? It doesn’t make any sense. You don’t think that someone is forcing them to—”

&n
bsp; “No one forces the Ladies to do anything they don’t want to do,” Lucia cut in. “We fought against them. And we both know the Soul Stalker isn’t strong enough to control them.” She snickered. “You saw what Gabriella did to the Soul Stalker—what she couldn’t do to the Ladies of Light. It’s obvious that they’re doing this on their own. They aren’t who they used to be.”

  I nodded in agreement. “I didn’t see anything in my dream that would counter what we saw when they attacked us outside the underground laboratory.”

  We lapsed into silence.

  I closed my eyes and put my hand upon the pages of the old book. Who knew when this had been written? In the silence, I concentrated with all my being on trying to pull the words, the meanings, off the pages. Without warning, there was a sinking sensation. Like I was being squeezed into a small hole, or as if a big hand was pulling me down until I stood in a small sand-colored room. Five people stood around an elderly woman who sat like an ancient sentinel. Her eyes were glazed over like she had cataracts, and her face was radiantly wrinkled and dark.

  “Welcome, Illuminator.” She smiled at me. A few of her teeth were missing. “I’m Zola, the Prophetess.”

  “Zola?” I moved forward. It felt like I was in a dream, my movements slow. Every motion was magnified, as if I was a sleepwalker. For a few seconds I stared at her in complete disbelief.

  “I knew one day you would come.” She gestured for me to sit down. The five others, all dressed in white togas, moved away to reveal a stone chair. I strode past them and took a seat, wondering why they all looked like Greek gods.

  “Where am I?”

  “We are in Greece, but this is only a memory, placed in the Timeless book for you to find,” she explained in a throaty voice. Her face remained stony. “These are the Ladies of Light.” She pointed to three stunning women, their hair tied in beautiful knots around their heads. Beneath the white of their heavy togas were their tattoos that snaked around their arms and neck. “And these two are Halos.” Both men were tall and well built. The one thing that seemed to be the same with all five of them was the fact their skin looked like it had been carved from wood.

  They all bowed before me, low enough that they were horizontal at the waist, almost kissing their toes. “Illuminator,” they greeted then rose.

  “The prophecy is a lie,” the Prophetess said, straight to the point.

  “What?” I stood up, chest swelling. Really, how many versions of the prophecy could there be? “Is everything a lie?” There was a trace of annoyance in my tone. Hadn’t people heard of the saying “honesty is the best policy”?

  One of the Ladies put her hand on my shoulder and returned me to my sitting position. She was tall, and her hair was like liquid silver. She had a fair face and angled features.

  “It wasn’t always that way, Bright One,” Zola rasped, bringing my attention back to her. She leaned back on her perch with veiled eyes. “But some have not been able to handle the power with the grace we’ve always promised ourselves. You cannot trust those around you. Be cautious, always.”

  “Who can I trust?” The irritation in my voice was more pronounced as my heart leapt in my chest. If there was anyone around me that I couldn’t trust, I didn’t know what I would do. I couldn’t imagine Andrew, Ehno, or Lucia ever doing anything to hurt me, and I knew my father would protect me. I just knew he would. That was what fathers did, right?

  “Illuminator, you can trust your kindred soul and those who died to save mankind.” That answered one question: Andrew, Ehno, and Lucia were trustworthy.

  “Kindred soul?” I asked, eyebrows raised. Andrew had said Ehno and Lucia were kindred souls.

  “Have you not met him yet?”

  “Are you talking about . . .” Andrew? I finished in my head.

  “Ah, you have met him.” She nodded to herself as if I had answered her earlier question. “Confide in him. He won’t lead you astray. He will do everything in his power to protect you. He will love you more than any human could ever love another.”

  I numbly moved my head up and down in a nod. He cared for me, he obviously wanted to protect me, and I was pretty sure, even within a few hours of being with him, that I had quickly fallen for him. Normally I could barely tell if I liked a guy within two dates, let alone love someone. My head felt like it was being weighed down with anchors and dumped into the ocean.

  “And what about my father?” I questioned to try and quiet my mind. No such luck.

  “He loves you dearly.” She smiled her toothless smile at me. “You can trust him.”

  I already knew that, but I had to be sure so I could crush that small fragment of thought that he wasn’t as perfect as I wanted him to be.

  “And what about other angels?” I pressed. The thought of Karen being so sweet and nice to me, and how I just completely fell for it, made me feel sickened and angry.

  “Their minds have been altered,” she reminded me. “They know you are the chosen one, but they are easily manipulated. Until their altered minds are repaired, you cannot trust any of them. They are not bad, but their minds are easily corruptible.”

  “Why are you telling me all of this through a book?”

  “The Ladies of Light will capture me,” she stated. “You’ll need to find me.”

  Automatically, I turned to look at the three women. They didn’t speak. They gazed at the old woman, their posture so straight it was as if a steel rod had materialized in their spines.

  “Find you?” There was a note of real desperation in my voice.

  “Oh no, Bright One, not these Ladies.” She coughed out a soft laugh. “Each cycle brings about new Ladies. The cycle I am speaking of will be the new Ladies of 1700. If you find me, I’ll be able to help you save them all.”

  “Um.” I paused. “Do you mean A.D.?”

  The Prophetess sighed. “Yes, Luminous One. But that is not why I have left this message for you.”

  “Why have you?”

  “The prophecy.” One of the Ladies handed her a clay cup. She took a sip before she continued. “You were born to Illuminate the dark ones. But you have also been born to vanquish those full of shadow. This is one part of the prophecy the Ladies of Light have taken out of context so angels will believe you are there to kill the Shadows, when in fact it is to kill them.” Her voice lowered. “They are frightened of you, as they should be. If you learn to control your power, you will be able to kill them.”

  I shot up like a rocket. “I’m not a murderer!” The idea was repugnant. “Sure, I’ll fight to save the Shadows, but I won’t kill anyone.” The thought was ghastly, as Lucia so eloquently put it earlier. I couldn’t fathom taking someone’s life, like those Shadows who took Abelie’s. Even though in the back of my mind I thought about how I was willing to hurt Susan to break the angels free. Deep down I couldn’t really do it; I knew that.

  Zola’s face stayed controlled and unemotional and completely unfazed. The only thing she did was raise her eyebrows in an irritating and superior way. The three Ladies of Light looked absolutely hawk-like.

  “Not a murderer? What if it saved your kindred soul?”

  That was the last straw.

  Though I couldn’t see the book anymore, I knew my hand was still placed upon the page. Livid, I yanked my hand from the book, and the scene around me vanished in an instant. When I opened my eyes, Andrew gazed at me, waiting for me to say something. He stretched out a consoling hand. Kindred soul. The words flittered across my mind, and I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.

  “I can’t stay here,” I said pointedly. Suddenly, everything came out in a rush. “I need to bury my mother, and who knows what my family must be thinking. They probably think I’m some terrorist. We need to get this all worked out, and I need to call Jenna.” I took in a breath before I steamrollered on. “She’s probably worried sick. And my dog, Hercules. And now I’m supposed to be a murderer. I’m supposed to kill the Ladies of Light, and I’m not supposed to kill the
Shadows,” I went on desperately, my voice high-pitched and somewhat hysterical. “I’m supposed to Illuminate them. And everything is a lie, and I don’t even know what’s true and what’s false and you’re an angel . . . and I love you and you admit that you love me. And I’m just a little crazy right now.” It was starting to become difficult to talk due to my hysteria. “And all I can think about is getting out of this place before I go absolutely nuts. And now here I am—”

  Andrew silenced me with a kiss. I felt a rush of gratitude for his intervention. His fingers came up and lightly pulled me closer. Reflexively, my eyes closed, and I let out a long sigh as I relaxed under his touch. It was only for a couple of seconds, but it seemed as if his embrace melted away all of my hysteria. My frustrations disappeared for a moment, but when he pulled away, it all slammed back with force.

  “Like I told you before, we will get through this together,” he declared with obvious sincerity. I wanted to tell him how much it meant to me that he was here for me, but words weren’t enough. He placed his hand on my knee, and I deflated under his penetrating gaze. “Now, what did you see?”

  “It was Zola. She said the Ladies of Light would capture her, which means she’s probably already locked away somewhere. And she said I’m supposed to kill the Ladies, not the Shadows. That I’m supposed to save the Shadows by Illuminating them. I planned on doing that anyway, but not the killing part.” I took several breaths, the panic about to spill over at any moment. “She said I was powerful, and the Ladies should be scared of me.” Once I said the words, I realized how silly they sounded. I couldn’t imagine being more powerful than the Ladies of Light—the same ones who tore through an army without a bat of an eyelash. I wish I knew where that power was, because I felt like I was greatly lacking.

  Andrew nodded slowly and frowned in concentration. “That makes sense.”

  I heaved a great sigh, though it sounded more like a roar of frustration. My nerves were wound as tight as guitar strings—you could probably play a tune on them. “I’m glad you found clarity, because I haven’t. I’m so confused.”

  “We’ll be there for you. We’ll find the answers.” He said this so firmly, so absolutely, it made me jealous he felt so sure, because I didn’t feel very assured.

  “Where are the others?” I wondered. “I don’t think it’s wise to stay here for long with all of those Shadows waiting outside.”

  Andrew turned toward the direction of the staircase, and abruptly, Ehno, Aiden, and Joseph emerged from the hallway of books. It was nice that Ehno and Andrew were linked: it saved time.

  They stared at me, waiting for instructions. When had I become this all-knowing leader? I didn’t know diddly about this world.

  I took charge anyway. “I’ve seen angels just pop in and out of existence. Why can’t we just do that now?” I wasn’t sure if “pop” was the right word. “I know that Joseph can’t and, of course, there’s Abelie.” I sighed as my thoughts rolled around in my brain like tumbleweeds. I shot a few covert glances towards Abelie. “Or how about a portal to another dimension, Lucia? And, as a matter-of-fact, why couldn’t you guys just do that at the underground lab?” The pressure, all the weight from everything, sat heavily on my shoulders.

  Ehno, Andrew, and Lucia exchanged uneasy glances. “It took me a while to figure it out,” Lucia admitted. “At the lab, there must have been a spell to prevent us from leaving. At least leaving in a magical way.”

  Ehno nodded. “It makes sense, especially after we found out that Karen was the Soul Stalker out to murder you.”

  Each time I uncovered something, it was as if a knife were twisting further into me, refusing to let me solve this mystery.

  Lucia walked over to me, her long auburn hair falling forward as she bent down to me. Her blue eyes searched mine for several seconds before she spoke. “The Divine Library is infused with powerful magic to protect it from the outside world, which ultimately keeps us inside. The only way in and out of here is through the front door.”

  Thinking about being on the other side of that door where all those Shadows were sent a strange excitement through me. There was a burning fiery urge for justice that filled my veins.

  “Well”—I stood and turned towards everyone—“I hope you’re ready to leave because I’m unsealing that door.”