Gloom's Whisper

by Sela Croft

“Go on and get to class,” the teacher said.

  Rosamon moved away from me. It felt as if she was being pulled away. My heart began to race as I tried to take hold of her again, but the teacher set a firm hand on my shoulder and spun me around. She was familiar. Her face, her eyes, something about the way she looked at me was familiar. She frightened me in a way I couldn’t understand.

  “Pay attention!” Rosamon and Noah called out, then hurried down the hall.

  “Yes, Callie,” the teacher said, a melodic laugh wrapped around her words. “Be sure to pay attention.”

  Chapter 3

  Callie

  The woman towered over me. Her eyes stared down at me, waiting for me to reply.

  “Well, what do you have to say for yourself?”

  “I don’t know what you mean,” I said, then stepped back.

  “Don’t play dumb,” the woman said, waving her hand in the air.

  Her movements were graceful, almost phantom-like. The way the sleeves of her dress fluttered through the air drew up another glimmer of recognition from the depths of my mind.

  The mirror.

  “You know exactly what you’ve done,” the woman said.

  “I swear,” I said, my voice shaking. “I don’t know what I’ve done.”

  “You have to respect the rules, Callie. They’re in place for everyone’s good.” Her voice was firmer. “You can’t just expect that everyone around you is going to do whatever it is you want them to. They’re not just going to give you what you want, because you demand it.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You have to do what you’re told!” She was nearly yelling now. “You, young lady, need to learn your place.”

  “Young lady?” I said sharply, standing up straighter. “What gives you the right to talk to me like that?”

  “This is precisely what I’m talking about. Do you know who I am?”

  “I don’t care. I don’t have to listen to you.”

  It wasn’t like me to talk back to a teacher. My body was shaking from the rush. My pulse pounded in my fingertips, and my heart raced.

  “That’s it,” the teacher said. “I’ve had enough of you.” Then the teacher pulled a detention slip from her pocket and shoved it in my face. My name was already written across it, scrawled out elegantly—Callie Mayfair.

  “I’ll see you after school, in detention.”

  “No,” I said and shoved the slip back. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “You have no idea what you’ve done.”

  The halls began to spin around me. My head pounded and my chest tightened. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t see. My feet were unsteady and the floor rushed up at me.

  It wasn’t like me to talk back or to get detentions. That couldn’t be me, and what happened couldn’t be real.

  I tried to make sense of what was occurring. I didn’t seem to be myself. My school wasn’t my school. None of it felt right.

  Logan. Vampires. Fae.

  Those words felt more real than my familiar surroundings.

  “What’s going on?” I said.

  When the words flew from my mouth, the environment changed.

  The walls melted away, revealing a dark void. There was no shape to my surroundings. There was a florescent light in the distance.

  There was something familiar about the light—the colors, the movement, the terrifying beauty it carried with it.

  “Callie!” the teacher snapped.

  I spun around, searching for her. I could feel her. She was hovering over me, getting closer. Her hands were reaching for me. I couldn’t see her, but I knew she was there.

  “Wake up,” an unfamiliar voice called out to me. “You have to wake up.”

  It wasn’t kind. But it wasn’t laced with the teacher’s taunting that had driven me to the brink. There was a hand wrapped around my wrist, but it wasn’t constricting.

  “I am awake,” I said and pulled away from the woman’s grasp.

  “Then open your eyes.”

  I did as she asked, afraid to find out what waited for me, on the other side of the darkness. But it wasn’t a world filled with terrifying beings and magic.

  I didn’t understand why magic came to mind, since I didn’t know about it. How could I? There wasn’t an introductory Magic 101 course offered to newcomers around there. But I didn’t know where there was.

  “Where am I?” I said, then sat up.

  “In the nurse’s office,” the woman said, and handed me a pill. “If you thought a fainting spell would keep you out of detention, you were wrong. Take this and get going.”

  It looked like a nurse’s office—the table I was sitting on was covered in that annoying, crinkling paper. The walls were soft blue, and the counter had glass containers filled with cotton balls and wooden sticks.

  “I fainted?” I said, resting my head in my hands.

  “You got worked up,” she said, taking my hand and shoving the pill into my palm. “So, hurry along.”

  “Worked up?” I passed out. You’re just going to…”

  The nurse took hold of my shoulders and pulled me to my feet. Patting me on the head, she laughed and pushed me out the door.

  “Why is everyone around here treating me like a child?” I spun around to unleash another wave of pent-up frustration on the woman. Before I could, she slammed the door shut in my face.

  I was out in the hallway again, and my annoyance grew as I turned the small, white pill over in my hand. As a sign of rebellion no one would see, I tossed the pill onto the ground and stomped on it with the heel of my shoe.

  My head was still fogged—trapped somewhere between where I was and where I was meant to be. I was beginning to remember things I had assumed were a dream. But they felt so real. The words that had plagued my thoughts became more salient. Their meanings took on a life of their own.

  I cautioned myself to pay attention, but I didn’t know what to pay attention to.

  I tried to isolate an event in my morning that had been particularly strange, but all of it had been strange.

  “Everything here is strange,” I said.

  I’d said those words before. I’d felt this way before. I’d been scared, terrified even. But I’d found the strength to push beyond those feelings. I was someone who stood up for herself, someone who faced challenges head on.

  I scrutinized the environment, and thought of the changes I’d had to face.

  Images of my sister were fixed in my mind. I’d been excited to see her. I preferred being with her. But I hadn’t been just glad, but relieved. The second I’d laid eyes on her, it had been like a weight had been lifted.

  I had moved out of the section of the hallway lined with lockers. The walls around me were covered with flyers, advertising upcoming events at the school. Some of them fit into my school-themed surroundings. Bake-sale this Friday. Volleyball try-outs next week. But, others…

  “Don’t miss the big face-off,” I read, leaning in to examine one closely. “It’s a fight you won’t want to miss.” Turning to another, I read, “Light versus dark—the ultimate show down.”

  I reached out and tugged at the edge of the poster that had caught my attention. “Light versus Dark?” I wondered, pulling it closer to me.

  When I moved the poster, the wall came with it. I released the corner of the paper and stepped back, startled. Beneath it, I’d seen the dark world where I’d been transported, during what the nurse had described as a fainting spell.

  “What are you doing?” It was the teacher who had sentenced me to my after-school punishment.

  She appeared at my side, and reached out to slap my hand away from the paper. I turned to face her to find that she wasn’t alone. Behind her stood five guards, dressed in blue uniforms with weapons holstered at their sides.

  School didn’t hire guards carrying weapons. My school didn’t have guards, at all.

  The teacher’s hand was wrapped tightly around my wrist. Her nails dug into my
skin. But I didn’t relent. I shot her a warning look, before turning to peer behind the paper again.

  It was dark, laced with haunting shadows. The teacher tried to yank my hand back again, but as she did, I tightened my hold on the flyer. Taking a deep breath, I pulled as hard as I could. The massive wall arched toward me. Still gripping the flyer, I stepped back. The bricks didn’t crash down on top of me. They vanished, transforming into puffs of smoke.

  What I saw around me began to melt away. My surroundings changed and my mind cleared. The walls didn’t come crashing down around me, but my memories did. Images flashed before my eyes, summoned from the depths of my own subconscious. In the blink of an eye, I knew where I was; I knew who I was.

  I’m in the Fae realm. Logan came through the mirror with me. He’s here somewhere. Rosamon is here, too. I have to find them, I have to find…

  “Logan,” I whispered.

  A laugh. That laugh.

  “He’s not here, little one,” It was the sickeningly sweet voice of the Fae princess. “It’s just you, me, and a few friends.”

  The darkness took on an eerie glow that I’d come to associate with the Fae lands. When my eyes adjusted to the light, I was able to see her. She stood in front of me, still dressed in the clothes of my realm. The teacher. She was the teacher.

  She wasn’t alone. Flanking her sides were the guards. But they were no longer dressed in the uniforms they’d worn in the dream world of my school. They were short, stocky, and their faces were covered in tufts of pale white hair.

  “Redcaps,” I said and stepped back.

  Chapter 4

  Logan

  The city of Caros was a place I hadn’t imagined visiting. The Fae capital was the heart of their realm, and their seat of power. Shrouded in darkness, the city was a physical representation of the creatures living there. It was a terrifying place.

  The streets were long, narrow, and flanked by buildings so tall, they disappeared into the low-hanging clouds overhead. The dark, burnt bricks were crumbling, and an ominous light illuminated our surroundings.

  “We need to stay in the shadows,” Raulia said.

  “Shouldn’t be hard, since the place is covered in shadows,” I said, pushing my back against the cool, brick wall behind me.

  I scanned our surroundings.

  We had only seen a handful of Fae in the streets and were able to duck down small side-streets to avoid being detected. It was strange that there weren’t more of the creatures of darkness running about. If there was one thing the Fae had on their side, it was their numbers.

  The seemingly never-ending stretch of buildings around us, confirmed that they required extensive living quarters. I hadn’t considered that the Fae lived in buildings, like those inside my city. I’d been foolish enough to believe that they lived in the woods, in huts or caves. While it was true that some of the Fae species did prefer to be closer to nature, those that had begun to cause the most problems were the ones who resided in the dark city.

  They were more civilized than I’d imagined. And more organized. And more powerful.

  “Where is everyone?” Raulia hissed, sticking her head out around a corner to survey our surroundings.

  “In Crystal City, if I had to guess,” I said. “Although their numbers are high, they require every individual in their control to join in the fight.”

  “That explains why they’ve taken to recruiting the humans.”

  “That and using them as their vessels to get into our city.”

  Raulia ducked back, motioning for me to get down. Together, we hunched close to the ground, and three Fae warriors marched by. Their elongated limbs and pointy ears were characteristic traits of their race. Their tall, lanky stature was deceptive. They were stronger than they looked.

  Even with Raulia’s ability to shift, and my strength, taking on three Fae in the heart of their capital was dangerous. Especially considering that we were recovering from the confrontation with Dequan and the Fae princess, before being pulled through the mirror.

  My concern for Callie had been my driving force since arriving in Caros. She was alone and needed help. Upon awakening in the dingy, dark back of an alley, my first instinct was to tighten my hold on her, to pull her close to me and tell her we would be okay.

  But she hadn’t been beside me.

  All I could think of was getting her back. I couldn’t let the enemy take her from me. In my distraction, I’d sprinted down the alley, prepared to emerge into the street. It was Raulia who prevented me from doing so, planting herself firmly between me and the exit.

  “We can’t run out there,” she said. “We don’t know what waits for us.”

  She was right. Although many of the enemy had gone to participate in the siege on my city, they were not so foolish as to leave their own unprotected. We had come across numerous guards, all moving along in groups of two or three, patrolling the streets.

  There were some civilians scattered about—those too old, too young, or too weak to be of any help in their conquest. Even if they weren’t the best of the best that the Fae armies had to offer, they wouldn’t have any trouble overpowering us here.

  We were on their turf. All it would take was one warning shout for the guards to be upon us.

  “It’s clear,” Raulia said, double-checking that the guards had moved on, before motioning for me to follow her.

  She had been leading our journey through Caros, using her extremely developed sense of smell to keep us away from any potential threats.

  After turning down a main street, Raulia said, “Where is it you want to go?” But I didn’t bother to answer, since she already knew I had to find Callie.

  We stayed close to the walls, hoping that the shadows would conceal our presence. The road was wider than the others we had taken, and the streets were lined with buildings that appeared to be more than simply houses. It was possible they were shops, but what they sold didn’t appear to be goods. Hurrying past, I assumed the shop sold weapons. The lights inside the building were off, and the shades had been drawn.

  “We should be looking for a way back to our side,” Raulia whispered. “Not traipsing around the Fae capital searching for the human girl.”

  “Just focus on locating her scent,” I said. “Let me worry about what we should and shouldn’t be doing. Even out here, I’m still your prince.”

  “I’m trying to locate Callie,” she said. “But this place is filled with strange scents.”

  “Foul scents.”

  “Some, yes. Extremely foul. Consider yourself lucky that you don’t possess my gift.”

  “And the others?”

  “Too sweet sickly sweet. These creatures are disgusting on both ends of the spectrum,” she muttered, lowering her gaze and trudging forward.

  I looked around, taking the time to note our surroundings. Every building seemed to offer a tool for power—shops promising to increase magical abilities, studios offering training in combat of all kinds, more and more weapons’ shops, each with their own specialty.

  The fight was the center of their life. Their activities revolved around defeating us.

  We had a similar outlook in the vampire realm. The war with the Fae had been our reality for hundreds of years. It had consumed nearly every aspect of our existence. We had given up our humanity to become what we were. But we hadn’t given up our ability to laugh, to love, and to live.

  The individuals living in my realm weren’t slaves of the war. They had families and friends. They enjoyed what they could and endured what they had to.

  My life had been about keeping my people safe. I was the one who was supposed to give up a life of happiness, in exchange for the welfare of everyone who served me.

  It had been easy, for a long time. I hadn’t considered an alternative. Being prince of Shadowland was a role I’d spent my life preparing for, and one I’d been happy to accept—burdens and all. But I couldn’t say that, anymore.

  There was something more important to
me than my kingdom—Callie. My heart rate accelerated, as the desperation to be reunited with her pulsed through my veins.

  “We should return to our city,” Raulia said. “There’s no telling what state it’s in, after the Fae incursion.”

  “And what would you care about that?”

  Raulia spun around and grabbed my arm, pulling me down a narrow alley. We both waited as the sound of footsteps grew louder. It wasn’t until they had faded that I moved to continue our journey.

  “Wait,” she said, still holding onto my wrist tightly. “What did you mean?”

  “What did I mean? Raulia, what were you doing with my cousin?”

  “Fighting him. Perhaps you were too busy fawning over your damsel in distress to remember.”

  “I remember everything that happened in that abandoned building,” I said. “And I’m not happy about what I saw. What’s more, I’m very unhappy about the recent turn of events leaving me to rely on you.”

  “What are you trying to say, Logan?”

  “You know.”

  “I don’t understand what you mean,” she said and stepped back.

  There was genuine confusion in her expression. Perhaps, even a hint of hurt. She released her hold on me and brushed a clump of curly red hair from her eyes.

  “What are you trying to say, Logan?” she repeated, in an accusatory tone.

  “I’m saying that it is in your best interest that we don’t return to the city, especially without Callie.”

  “And why is that?”

  “Because the second we do, I will have you brought before the council on charges of treason.”

  Raulia’s reaction was unexpected. She didn’t respond with anger, but panic. Her hands began to tremble, and her blue eyes filled with a thin veil of tears. “Treason?”

  I hadn’t seen Raulia behave that way. I wasn’t sure how to answer.

  “Logan, how could you say such a thing?”

  “You were trying to enter into a deal with the Fae princess, were you not?”

  “In the best interest of the realm,” Raulia said. “All that I’ve done has been to help the vampires. I’ve been loyal.”