Beyond the Shadows: Second Edition (The Shadow Series Book 1)

by Anna Hub

  The deeper we travelled, the more the mountains seemed to draw together, but a wide path had been cleared where the group obviously travelled regularly.

  Robert looked over his shoulder. “How long have you been here?”

  I hesitated. His tone suggested his question wasn't for the purpose of friendly conversation. “About three months.”

  “And your friend?”

  “Longer than me ... six months, perhaps.”

  He walked silently for a few minutes. “You came from the valley?”

  “Yes.”

  “What I want to know, is how you survived that long?”

  “By chance.” I tested his reaction. He snickered, and I quickly continued. “Often it was only our passing back to the old world that kept us safe. We travelled through water when we could to lose the cats, and we ate everything we could find to keep our energy up.”

  “I've never seen anyone escape whip cats before."

  So that was where the hostility was coming from. "I think Brayden's wound proves that we didn't exactly escape unscathed. And I was lucky to survive a direct attack too."

  Robert shrugged as I lifted my leg to show him the scar. He didn't respond, and I couldn't help shaking my head at his turned back. But Matt had warned that people in the village were suspicious of anyone who escaped the valley. Perhaps this was the kind of reception I could expect from the others.

  “How far to the camp?” I asked.

  “There are six mountains here; we made our home at the last.”

  "And how many people live in the village?"

  “Eighty-two at the moment.”

  More than I expected. How long they had been here and how had this all begun? I had so many questions, but Robert's sudden increase of pace suggested he wasn't willing to answer any more.

  --*--

  I stopped in my tracks once the village came into view. Carefully etched wood carvings stood at the front pass, almost like a greeting. Their intricate designs would have taken hours of work. Like the kind I would have expected in an old cathedral. Broken logs were scattered in a wide open space, some being used as seats while others were calving bases. A row of huts circled the main sitting area, and I could see even more shelters behind that.

  A rise of emotion built in my throat at the sight of such a well-established home. Throughout our time in the forest, I never dreamt I'd see a place like this in the shadow world.

  “This way.” Robert pointed to uneven steps climbing the side of a mountain.

  I took a full breath, swallowing the sudden urge to cry out with joy.

  We walked through the main camp, a sea of faces pausing to examine me as we passed; some with excited expressions, others with nervous glances. Shadows were pasted over bodies in creative ways. Some stretched into straps that wrapped the entire way around their torsos, others with hands spread out in artistic patterns.

  “Hi.” A young man smiled as I passed.

  Robert raised a hand to warn him away, as though speaking to me was forbidden. I fought desperately to hold my head up but silently felt thankful to keep climbing the stairs and escaping the watchful eyes.

  We reached a platform at the top, and Robert swept a creeping vine aside, exposing a doorway.

  Inside, stone walls glowed orange from torches hanging on the wall. Robert motioned for me to go first. I took a cautious step, pausing until my eyes adjusted to the dim light. The air was moist with a rich mineral scent. I shivered as the vines spilled back over the doorway like a waterfall, the torches bringing my shadow to life again.

  Claustrophobia built as we moved deeper, the walls closing together until they touched my shoulders. I fought the panic urging me to get out and turned a bend in the path before the cave burst out into an elongated chamber. Wooden chairs lined the wall where a woman sat with a mixing bowl.

  She stood. “Hi, my name is Alex. You must be Selena.” She shook my hand with cold fingers, sending goose bumps up my arm.

  “Yes.” I smiled at her lingering stare then turned around to break away. Robert was gone.

  “Ethel and the others are waiting for you.”

  "Oh."

  Alex led me to a fork in the path. "Turn left, and you'll find another room."

  Alex followed me through the final corridor. Voices echoed through the cave, and I straightened my shoulders before stepping into the room. My heart sunk as I saw a table with three people—no sign of Brayden.

  They all stared.

  "Hi." I tugged at my shadow.

  “Selena, here are some of our oldest shadows, they have been appointed as elders.” Alex gestured to a free seat and waited until I took my place before she continued the introductions. “This is Elizabeth.”

  Beside me, an elderly woman nodded her head.

  “She has been here for fifty years, passing through when she was in her early twenties. Wesley helped her build our home, although he passed through forty years ago.”

  The man beside her looked to be in his fifties. How young had he been when he passed?

  “He was not even a man when he came here.”

  I shuddered, thinking of the fear he must have faced when this nightmare began.

  “Alana is very special. Her parents have passed away, but she was the first child born here.”

  The last woman had long dark hair that ran over her shoulders.

  “She has no shadow,” Alex added.

  She had animal hide spread over her body to conceal her, her eyes were relaxed, but there was something in her expression that made me feel as though she was challenging me. I smiled to break the tension, but she looked away.

  The man cleared his throat, and his face hardened—as though switching to business mode. “Selena, I’m sure you are aware by now that this world is very different to the one you came from. We can’t be too cautious.”

  I nodded—Matt’s warning coming back to me.

  “Anyone who is to be considered for entry to the village must be assessed. As elders, that is our job.”

  I looked to Alana again, her face set in a stony mask. I turned back to Wesley. “What do you want me to do?”

  Alex left the room as Alana met my eyes again. “You came from the valley. Surely you have seen things that would make the rest of us crazy with fear.”

  I bowed my head. “I can’t deny that, but I didn’t make it out without scars of my own.”

  Alana looked at my hands resting on the table. Disturbingly, my fingers trembled as though I actually had something to hide.

  Wesley leaned back. “Why don’t you start at the beginning. Tell us how you came to pass and how long you’ve been here.”

  I exhaled and concentrated on Elizabeth’s face; she was the warmest. I explained how I'd initially thought I was suffering recurring nightmares, then spoke of Brayden and his warning.

  “You met in the Origin?” Alana interrupted.

  It took me a moment to realise she used the term Origin to describe the old world. “Ah, yes. In a restaurant. He saw my shadow moving and tried to warn me. In fact, if it weren’t for him I probably would’ve thought I was losing my mind.”

  Her expression remained neutral, but her eyes glistened in the light. I forced myself to ignore the way her stare burnt right through me and explained how Brayden spent his transfer time in the Mercy Institute.

  Mostly they allowed me to speak freely until I told them how long it had taken for me to transfer into my full shadow. Elizabeth and Wesley shared their surprise while Alana remained guarded. I already suspected my transfer time was unusual, given the way Brayden had often tried to hide his concern for the accelerated process. “It took about six months for Brayden’s body to die. I thought it must be weird that it happened so much faster for me.” They stared, but I wasn’t sure what else to say.

  “It shouldn’t have happened so quickly for either of you.” Elizabeth’s mouth straightened, leaving my heart racing.

  “How long does it usually take?”

 
“At this stage, you're not authorised to ask questions,” Alana said.

  "Oh." I imagined her as a cat with her back arched, her fur standing on end.

  They waited in silence until I continued.

  Speaking about the time I believed Brayden to be dead was difficult, and when I told them of the first time I saw him again, I spoke only of my marvel at his new shadow. It was clear they were already suspicious enough without mention of the grey in his eyes.

  “I knew it was only a matter of time before my own body died. I tried to use that knowledge to prepare my family for the loss.” My throat choked me and it took me a while to swallow the emotion. “The time came when I was trapped inside my body and couldn’t find a way to make it move as I should. It was as Brayden had described. That was my final night in that world. When I returned, I had to find Brayden again—”

  “So he told you what to expect while you were passing?” Alana asked.

  “He told me what happened to him. I could only assume it would be the same for me.”

  “How long did it take you to find him after your death?”

  “It was only a couple of days.”

  “How did you survive alone?” Elizabeth asked.

  I explained how I’d spent days researching survival techniques in the old world. I told them about the woman I saw being chased and how I’d hidden amongst the trees, too scared to help her.

  When I finished speaking, silence fell.

  Wesley stared at the table. “The hunters in the valley are one challenge but what about the whip cats?”

  I needed to be careful of my answer. “When I first saw a cat, it was chasing a deer. I noticed it screaming to disorientate the animal and witnessed firsthand how their tails could be used as a hunting weapon.” For the second time, I displayed my scarred leg. “Luckily, my body was taken to the hospital, and they were able to stitch the wound together. Ever since then, I knew how they would attack. Brayden and I were very wary of them. We travelled in the water when we could, knowing our scent would be difficult to follow." A stretch of the truth seemed essential. "I think for the most part we were very lucky, the water trick kept us safe.”

  My mind raced, trying to gather the necessary information and determine what I should leave out. I didn’t want to tell them about the group attack at the end, but I wasn’t sure if the sentries had seen any of it. After all, it was the location they were meant to be watching. But Brayden’s injury could only have been caused one way, and I had my own wound across my shoulder which I was sure they would have heard about.

  “It was only when we reached the valley peak that the cats found us.”

  How many cats should I tell them were there? I figured if they were afraid of the valley, they wouldn’t know where the cat’s den lay. They wouldn't know how many of them lived there.

  “We moved as fast as we could. I told Brayden we should cover our bodies with our shadows as the skin seemed thick enough to prevent injury.”

  At this point, it seemed wise to draw their attention to me. I wanted them to believe I was the one with the lifesaving instinct. There was nothing visibly different about me. It would be easier to convince them to trust me than it would be when they saw the grey in Brayden's eyes.

  “We wrapped our shadows around our skin and covered our ears as we ran. The cats still attacked. I don’t even remember how many of them were there; everything happened so quickly.” That much was true. “We just ran for our lives. When Brayden was hit in the back, I covered it with his shadow to stop the bleeding. We nearly made it to the mountain pass, but he passed out. Probably from shock or something. I'm not sure ...” I gripped my injured shoulder, purposely letting the worry show on my face.

  The three of them exchanged looks and made no attempt to hide them from me. I already knew I was here to be judged.

  Alana waited until I met her eye. “The valley is notorious for its predators. They’re cunning and fierce—almost unbeatable. People rarely make it out alive. In fact, we’ve seen only three in the time that we've been here. Three, in over one hundred years,” Alana emphasised. “So you can imagine our surprise when it happened again. For both of you to make it out alive is unbelievable.”

  I felt like I was shrinking, losing confidence in my alleged story. There was little time to come back with a response. If I had Brayden by my side, I might have considered telling them the truth and fleeing if they were threatened by us, but I couldn't leave him unconscious and in their custody while they doubted us like this.

  “Well, the cats prefer to hunt during dawn hours.” The words came out my mouth before I really thought them through, and then my mind just ran with the idea. “There are more people in the forest at that time because the other world works on an opposite time frame. Our morning is their dusk. When the lights go on in that world, more shadows are created, and it’s easier for them to take us. Meaning the cats have more chance of catching a human at dawn. It was almost dusk when we fled the valley; I assume most of them were sleeping.”

  “It sounds as though you’ve learnt a lot in the short time you've been here,” Alana calculated.

  “I learnt what I needed to survive.”

  Her lips tightened, but she didn’t say anymore.

  “It’s been a long and difficult journey for you, there is still much to discuss but for now, Ethel has advised you are in need of urgent rest.” Wesley’s tone made me sure my initial assessment was over, but it wouldn’t be my last. Once I left, they would go over my story and decide whether they believed me.

  “I am tired,” I agreed. “But I need to see Brayden.”

  When I knew he was safe, I could begin searching for my own answers.

  “That’s not a problem,” Wesley said.

  He stood, but Alana quickly rose before him and offered to take me to the healing chamber. Instantly, my blood turned cold at the thought of being alone with her.

  Alana walked slightly behind me, and I could feel her eyes on me; my skin crawling at the thought.

  “You must have had more than one hunter experience in the valley,” she spoke so quietly I barely heard her.

  I turned back and found she had paused like she wanted me to remain in the dark hallway with her. I nodded.

  “You’ve seen them fight. They’re barely human.”

  Did she know more than she let on? Or was she testing my reaction? “I’m not sure what they are. I just made sure they never got close enough to hurt me.”

  “You say that like it’s easy.”

  “No. It's terrifying." I straightened. "The only reason I survived so long was because I could pass back to my old world.”

  She stared and the silence became disconcerting. It could have been a strategy so I resolved to say nothing at all.

  “We have ways of finding things out, Selena.”

  I played my best poker face. “I don’t have anything to hide.”

  “I hope not.” She continued walking and I followed behind until we reached the next room.

  “Alex, Selena would like to see her partner.” Alana gave me one last glance before she walked away.

  “Come with me.” Alex smiled.

  I forced myself to exhale gently so Alex wouldn’t notice how tense I’d been. If the truth about Brayden came out, I didn’t know what they would do. Clearly, hunters were one of their main concerns and I had brought one right into their lair.

  Alex led me to another corridor on the right with a shorter path than the one we'd travelled to reach the elders. I stepped into a new room with only one torch on the wall. Brayden lay on a wooden bed lined with branches. Ethel leaned over him.

  “Selena just wanted a moment. I’ll be waiting outside when you are finished.” Alex drifted away as Ethel stood up to let me get closer.

  “Is he okay?” Everything else faded from my mind as I kneeled beside him.

  Ethel stepped back but didn't answer straight away. I turned to make sure she was still there. She stood behind me, her eyes were froze
n—unseeing almost. "Things change when you transfer into this world, did you know that?”

  "What things?"

  Her eyes came into focus once more. “Have you noticed anything different?”

  I hesitated. “He’s just as I remember him.”

  “I was talking about you.”

  I shook my head.

  “The reason this civilisation has survived this long is because we use our Enhancements to our advantage. We work together to keep each other safe.”

  Why did all these people make me feel as though I had something to hide?"

  “This man shouldn't have survived his injury. Even before you could cover it, the wound was deep enough to damage his spine. Yet that didn't happen.” She observed me before she continued. “There is a heavy cloud around his mind, something that makes my stomach uneasy.”

  Although I tried to conceal my reaction, I was sure Ethel saw through it.

  “I've never come across it before, so I can only follow my gut feeling.” Her voice lowered to a whisper, “I keep this man asleep because I fear the moment we meet him.”

  If I could have taken Brayden out of there and run with him, I would have.

  Ethel leaned closer. “Right now, he’s locked in a sleep seal. I’ve used a powerful herbal treatment to keep him trapped in the deepest layer of sleep. In a way, he has been anaesthetised and he won’t regain consciousness until I release him.”

  I had to get us out of this place.

  “He’s a great danger to us. But perhaps he can also be of use.” She measured my reaction. “The problem is, not many people would be willing to take that chance. I wouldn’t either if I didn’t see you so clearly.”

  “I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

  She smiled knowingly. “That’s because you don’t know it’s there yet. You have an Enhancement, Selena, but right now, all I know for sure is that it’s nothing we’ve had before.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t think so.”

  "Eventually, it will develop. I’m just hoping it will be enough to counter the darkness in him. But I have to make my choice now; are you worth gambling on?”