Relics and Runes Anthology

by Heather Marie Adkins

  ‘You are Rowan Gilmore, nothing more,’ stated a no-nonsense voice from the half-lit room.

  ‘Maeve?’ I cleared my throat and tried again when the word emerged broken. ‘What happened?’ Under the blankets, I prodded at my stomach and found only a small, raised scar where blood had poured forth only…How long ago?

  ‘It’s healed. You’re fine.’

  A rustle of cloth and a dark shape moved closer. I flinched away, memories of the night closing my throat with self-hatred.

  ‘No.’ I struggled from beneath the suffocating blankets. ‘I’m not fine. I don’t know what I am, but fine isn’t it.’

  The window curtains twitched aside, allowing pre-dawn pink to softly illuminate the room. Maeve returned to sit on the bed, her face drawn and shadowed by more than the absence of light. I held her gaze in silence. She glanced at the door. It opened and Logan entered. He moved soundlessly across the wooden floor and perched on the end of the bed.

  ‘How long was I out?’ I frowned at them both. ‘What day is it?’

  ‘Only the next morning,’ Maeve replied, her eyes troubled. ‘Do you…remember what happened?’

  I looked away, slid across Logan’s impassive expression and caught sight of my own face in a mirror. Lingering horror clouded my eyes. Of course I remembered. How could I forget losing control of my own mind to someone…thing else? The heady lure of limitless potential. Easy death. The satisfying taste of energy drawn from the lives of others. I shivered and touched my face, half-expecting to feel someone else’s jaw.

  ‘I was…Calain, and…everything...everyone, all at once. I…he...we killed Connor and those other men.’ I studied my palm wonderingly. ‘It was so easy and I…he did it without caring, without even thinking. What was he, my father, some sort of psychopath?’

  Tears glimmered in Maeve’s eyes. ‘No, and neither are you.’

  ‘So what am I?’ I pulled the sheet up, feeling the need for protection, though from what I wasn’t sure. ‘What was he? Could he do what I did?’

  ‘He was a half-breed, and no, he couldn’t.’

  I turned to Logan. ‘I thought you said he was full-blood sidhe?’

  ‘Yes,’ Maeve agreed, ‘but half Light and half Dark. He would never reveal to me his parentage, only that he believed he’d inherited the Dark from his father. I know he was concerned it would overcome him.’

  ‘What? Aren’t Light and Dark just a way of distinguishing between two warring factions.’ I glanced between the two. ‘Is it more than that?’

  Logan nodded, speaking for the first time, his voice tight with some unidentifiable emotion. ‘It’s a gene affecting brain chemistry. In the best cases it causes mild depression and anxiety. In the worst, megalomania, paranoia and insanity. Of course, we only know this now because of Maeve’s research. Before we just knew it ran in families.’

  ‘Insanity…’ I ran a hand through my hair and inspected my reflection again. My father’s grey eyes stared back. ‘Can you test me for the gene?’

  ‘Of course,’ Maeve assured me, ‘but I don’t have any laboratory facilities here and I can’t send your bloodwork to a pathology lab.’

  ‘But he couldn’t do what I did, could he? So what happened? What did I do?’ Sick realisation settled in my stomach. If Calain’s presence hadn’t been responsible for Connor’s death, then it meant some part of me was that ruthless, unemotional, uncaring.

  ‘In the old language, it’s called skath-sheel.’ There was a tremor in Maeve’s voice that, in anyone else, I would label as fear.

  ‘Shadow-thought,’ I translated aloud. It didn’t help.

  ‘The last I heard of who had the skill,’ Maeve said quietly, ‘was Aeona Silverblade. The most powerful sidhe ever recorded. She disappeared in the early fifteenth century during a battle in Wales and no one knows what happened to her.’

  ‘What could she do?’ I whispered, afraid of the answer.

  ‘What Logan said you did,’ she returned matter-of-factly. ‘She could attenuate her whole self into the sianfath, leaving her body behind if she wanted. She could also absorb power from any living thing. Channel it through herself into others. It’s similar to our ability. But we can only draw from plants and let that power flow through in small quantities to others. She could take from humans as well. And store it in vast amounts before releasing it.’

  ‘That’s it.’ Hope faded. ‘That’s what I can do.’

  This time there was no mistaking the naked flash of fear in Maeve’s eyes, although she hid it behind a brisk, schoolteacherish front. ‘I suspected as much when we healed Logan. There’s always a price to pay for great power, dear. If you join completely with the sianfath your heart will stop and your body will die. It’s imperative you always leave a little of yourself in your body.’

  She wrapped her arms around her waist. ‘In the case the other part of the gift, it is a matter of kill or be killed.’

  A shiver sleeted across my skin. ‘What does that mean?’

  ‘From what little I know of Aeona’s ability, it means,’ Maeve said, ‘that if she drew enough power to kill, she had to expel it or the energy would extinguish her life instead. Given the status of women in that era, her fate was to be the pawn of kings who used her skill against their enemies. They held her infant hostage to force her co-operation. Rumour was she died attempting to obliterate an army. I, personally, hope she took her child and walked out because she couldn’t stand the killing any longer. We’ll never know, I suppose.’

  A cold stone of horror settled in the pit of my stomach. ‘Why aren’t I dead then? I drew Connor’s life from him, and those other two. I held them inside myself. Why didn’t it kill me?’

  Maeve slanted me a sideways look and pursed her lips, preventing speech.

  I took firm hold of myself. ‘What aren’t you telling me, Maeve?’

  The older woman stood. ‘You healed yourself. That’s where the energy went. You used the lives of others to heal yourself.’ There was condemnation in her tone.

  ‘Maeve!’ Logan’s interjection earned him a haughty glare. ‘You don’t get to judge her.’

  I buried a flash of hurt under a harsh laugh. ‘She’s right, though. Even if I don’t remember, it’s still the truth.’

  ‘To be fair…’ Maeve slowly brushed down her skirt. ‘…you would’ve died within minutes. I don’t know how you did it, either. Logan says you were unconscious. All we know is that, by the time I arrived, you were healed. Logan hadn’t had time to do more than catch you.’ She looked down her nose at me. ‘If I had to guess, I’d say Calain did it.’

  She stepped away from the bed, then paused. ‘How did you survive the fall off Michael’s roof?’

  I searched my memories and came up with nothing – just black fury. ‘I honestly don’t know. It’s...there’s a gap.’ I gave up, frustrated. ‘I just found myself standing at the front door.’

  Maeve chewed at her lower lip. ‘Has anything similar occurred previously? A memory loss, I mean?’

  I nodded slowly. ‘Twice. Both times when I was in trouble. Two years ago, in Japan, when I was a passenger in a car accident. Somehow I ended up outside the car. The accident was a setup. Michael’s men were waiting for me. They took me when I was still disorientated. Knocked me unconscious.’ I shuddered at the memory: the abduction; what I’d done to survive and escape; the fallout; the hurried, secretive departure.

  I turned the thoughts aside. ‘And once, when I was thirteen, in a cathedral during an earthquake. I was there on a school trip when two men cornered me. The roof fell in and I ended up ten metres away. It crushed them.’

  ‘And you have no recollection of what you did or how you did it?’ Maeve leaned forward, her grey eyes intent. ‘Well, if I had to guess, I’d say Calain helped you there, too, bizarre as that sounds. I think he’s left a part of himself in your mind. More than just memories. A sort of protection mechanism behind that last block. Whenever you’re in danger he…takes over.’

  ‘But how,
exactly?’

  Maeve let out a sigh. ‘I don’t know. I’d like to take down that last block and find out, though.’

  ‘No!’ I stood, mastering unexpected weakness in my knees, and moved to put a chair between us. Purely symbolic, but there was no way I was letting Maeve mess about in my head again.

  ‘No, I’m not ready. There’s too much of him in there. I don’t think I could hold onto myself if I open that.’ I clung to the chair. ‘I promised, after Japan, that I wouldn’t…kill… anyone again. Now…Calain…’ I pressed cold fingers to my mouth to stop the sob bottled in my throat from escaping. ‘If that last block comes down there’ll be nothing to stop him from using me like that again.’

  ‘It’s ok.’ Logan walked over and gripped my shoulder. ‘She won’t do anything you don’t want. I promise. Relax, Red.’

  I sank into the chair as my knees gave way. Logan crouched before me, peering into my face.

  ‘Do you remember anything else from last night?’

  I shied away from the memory, not wanting to relive it yet fully aware it would haunt me for the rest of my life. ‘No.’ I closed my eyes. ‘Wait, yes. Michael and Connor both said something about the ocair. Connor was searching for it in Anna’s apartment.’

  ‘Did they say what it was?’ Maeve said, her gaze abstracted.

  ‘No. Logan said it means ‘key’, but key to what?’

  ‘Yes, it does. But I don’t know what the context is,’ Maeve said thoughtfully. ‘Why is Michael looking for it?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ I insisted, folding my arms over my chest, ‘but it has to be important. They first asked me about it five years ago, in the cathedral. They obviously think it’s something small. What is it a key to? It must have been something Calain owned. They think Anna has it.’

  Maeve joined Logan, kneeling gracefully in front of me. She put her fingers under my chin and raised my face. Her expression was troubled.

  ‘The answer is probably locked away behind that last block,’ she said quietly. ‘I can help you find out.’

  ‘I said, No,’ I returned, slapping her arm away. ‘You are not getting inside my head again. And the fact you’re so eager to makes me wonder what this ocair is and why it’s important. I haven’t forgotten how you used me, Maeve.’

  ‘I know you have no reason to trust me, but I do want to help.’ She pressed her lips together. ‘I’m sorry for the way I handled the situation. You must remember I’ve been fighting this war for longer than either you or Logan have been alive.’ Deep sadness coloured her tone and dimmed the luminosity of her eyes. ‘I’ve lost many, many family and friends to the Mors Ferrum. I’ve done a number of things of which I’m ashamed, Rowan. Using you to get to Michael is one of them. But I will not lose Jennifer and Logan.’ Tears slid down her cheeks.

  I leaned forward and pinned her with a strait look. ‘I understand that, Maeve.’ I glanced at Logan, then back to Maeve. ‘That’s exactly why I don’t trust you. I’m not family and you’re frightened of what I can do. You’ll always be willing to sacrifice me to protect them.’ I rubbed my arms.

  Something was missing. The bracelet. I caught Logan’s eye and tapped my wrist. He nodded and made scissor motions with his fingers. Relief surged. He’d cut it off, so Michael Eisen wouldn’t be able to track me, if that’s what it had been.

  Maeve rose and walked to the window to stare out. ‘Very well. I can understand your hesitancy. We haven’t the luxury of debating our worth to each other now, anyway.’ She glanced coolly back over her shoulder. ‘Logan, is the aeroplane ready?’

  ‘Plane?’ I raised my brows at him. The rest of the events of the night leapt back into my mind and I clutched at the chair arms, struggling to my feet.

  ‘My mother! Michael took her to Brisbane. From there they could go anywhere.’ My knees weakened again and only sheer force of will kept me upright.

  Maeve’s expression was cool. ‘Yes, we were just planning what to do next. Michael took Anna and flew out to Brisbane only an hour after you fell from his roof. Her passport was missing from the apartment.’ She grimaced. ‘By the time we’d finished wet cleaning the rooms, disposing of the bodies and erasing security tapes, he’d landed in Brisbane and gone. We don’t know if he’s still there or has already left the country.’

  ‘Connor said they had a facility there,’ I said.

  ‘Well, we are pursuing him. You may, of course, accompany us.’ She swept from the room without looking back.

  Stunned, I sank back into the chair, turning in bewilderment to Logan. I couldn’t make myself think. My brain seized up. How could I trust them? Wasn’t chasing after Michael just helping them with their agenda? What if I wasn’t of any use any longer? What would they do?

  That bastard had my mother. What choice did I have?

  Logan knelt again in front of my chair. He turned his steady gaze on me, taking both my hands in his, thumbs gently caressing the backs of mine.

  ‘Red,’ he said, his voice low and intense. ‘I know you don’t trust me and I won’t ask you to, not yet. You’re scared, you’re worried about Anna – and justifiably. All I ask is that you let me help get her back.’ He grimaced. ‘I am still after Michael. He has more to answer for than ever. So we’re on the same side. I can’t speak for Maeve’s motivations, but I can for mine. I won’t lie to you again. Please, let me help.’

  I pulled free and rose, pacing the room in agitation, angry at my own weakness and fear. What other options did I have? Given Michael’s vast resources, and the limitations imposed on me by that last mental block, I could hardly take him on by myself. I was afraid to – afraid that if I met him I’d lose control and become… whatever it was Calain turned me into when he took over.

  ‘That’s why you hate me, isn’t it?’ I looked back at him. ‘Because I’m part Dark and one of them killed your mother.’ I laughed. ‘And the irony is that my father named me “light” in our language. Man, that must have burned you. That’s why you started calling me “Red” instead of Ruadhán or Rowan, isn’t it?’

  He flushed, his eyes darkening with old pain and coloured by confusion. ‘Yes. No, I don’t… Dammit. You’re potentially the most dangerous person on this planet, Re...Rowan. What you can do, coupled with who you are…might be…’ He stopped. ‘It scares the crap out of me. But I—’

  ‘Good.’ I didn’t want to hear any exceptions. ‘Keep thinking that way. Don’t let yourself feel anything else for me. It’s not safe.’

  He frowned, taking a step towards me.

  I backed off. ‘No, Logan. I know we’re going to need everything in me to even have a hope of defeating Michael. But I don’t think I’ll ever be able to control Calain and I don’t know what he wants. So I want someone…someone to do what’s needed if the time comes. That, at least, I trust you to do.’

  His eyes widened. His hand dropped to his side and he swallowed.

  ‘I see.’ He sighed. Alright. I don’t believe it will ever be necessary, but if that’s what it takes to get you to trust me even a little, then I’ll promise. I won’t let you become a monster. I give you my word.

  Good. Let’s go, then.

  For years I’ve hidden from the stories in my head. The stories that told me I was something different, something special. Hoping they were wrong.

  Now, it seems, they’re true.

  So, what happens next? I’m not sure I want to find out.

  But I don’t seem to have a choice.

  I am Light in which Shadows have awoken.

  THE END

  Hope you enjoyed the book. If so, would you be kind enough to leave a review?

  If you’d like to read the rest of the Shadows trilogy, you can find them here:

  Shadows Bane and Shadows Fate

  About the Author

  Aiki lives in Brisbane, Australia, with too many bitey things – which tells you she’s brave. She has trained in martial arts for many many years, and likes to throw knives after work for stress relief. On the weekends s
he shoots longbow and horsebow. Her short stories have been shortlisted in the Australian Aurealis awards, published in anthologies, and shortlisted in the US Writers of the Future competition. She has 10 published novels and a head full of others that will one day be wrangled onto the page.

  Discover other titles by Aiki Flinthart at: www.aikiflinthart.com

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  Enter the Vale

  Jennifer Ann Schlag

  Enter the Vale © 2019 Jennifer Ann Schlag

  All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. 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 permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

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  Enter the Vale

  Sometimes the dark and the light share the same path.

  The Vale has opened once more for Andrea. Her best friend, Wesley, has warned her about going through that portal again, letting herself be tempted by the darkness that waits to consume her.