Linked (The Shadow Chronicles Book 2)

by K. R. Fajardo

  Linked

  The Shadow Chronicles Book 2

  By K. R. Fajardo

  Copyright © 2016 K.R. Fajardo

  All Rights Reserved

  Cover by Christine Powell Gomez

  Edited by Cheree Castellanos and Melissa Ringsted

  Formatted by EK Formatting

  Published by Anchor Group Publishing

  PO Box 551

  Flushing, MI 48433

  http://anchorgrouppublishing.com/

  All rights reserved. Published by Anchor Group. 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 information storage and retrieval system, with written permission from the publisher.

  This book is the result of the author’s imagination and is not intended to be taken as anything but the work of fiction that it is. Any resemblance of the characters, places, or events in this book to real people, either living or deceased, is purely coincidental.

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Epilogue

  This book is dedicated to all my family and friends who have supported me in my writing endeavor. Without your advice and words of encouragement I would have never had the courage to continue the pursuit of this dream. So thank you from the bottom of my heart and I love each and every one of you.

  "Centuries ago I screwed up. Lost control of my darkness and did some things that I honestly wish I could erase from my memory. Feeling I had grown too powerful for my own good, the Council of Immortals banded together to create a linking spell which would forever connect my powers and emotions to those of a mortal with a pure and innocent heart. Unfortunately, the Council foolishly underestimated the depths to which my soul had descended. As a result, I have been forced to watch over and over again as my darkness eventually devoured the light shining within the poor souls chosen to be my Link. I would be lying if a said this didn't bother me, although probably not as much as it should. But regardless of my feelings, fate is fate, and unfortunately for Citera, hers has now become entwined with mine." K.

  Prologue

  Nina and her family stood at the edge of the border staring at a massive expanse of trees; the final barricade between them and their hope for a new life. It was an awe inspiring sight to behold with miles upon miles of towering pines continuing on in both directions for as far as the eye could see. Trees that were packed so tightly together that their lush branches denied even the slightest ray of sunlight access to the ground below, leaving the floor of the forest perpetually cloaked in darkness. And it was from within this darkness haunting moans and growls emanated, discouraging Nina and about a dozen other families from proceeding any farther.

  Like everyone else here, Nina and her family had left everything they had ever known behind to reach these lands. Now everything they possessed consisted of what few personal items they could fit inside two small bags, along with some necessities needed to make this journey. And after nearly a week of traveling, including several close calls in which they were nearly captured by the patrols, they had somehow managed to make it here safely, only to have the forest itself now attempt to frighten them away.

  Feeling a pull on her skirt, Nina looked down into the big brown eyes of her six-year-old son.

  “Mommy, what is making those noises?” he asked, his face pleading with her to give him a comforting answer.

  “It’s just the wind, Kajol, nothing to be frightened of,” she reassured him with a weak smile, while trying her best to mask her own fears and doubts.

  “Does anyone know how we reach the people in the forest?” a man shouted from the back of the crowd. “Or how we let them know that we are here?”

  The crowd all around them came alive with people anxious to share their versions of the rumors that they had all heard. And while they varied greatly as to what the interior of the dark forest held and how you went about getting there, one common theme did remain consistent in all the stories—once you found your way into this ‘Oasis’ you would finally be free of the Shadows’ tyranny once and for all.

  It was this one hope that had dragged them here despite the risks. For months stories had been circulating throughout their villages and towns that anyone who was brave enough to make the perilous journey to the borderlands would be welcomed into this new paradise with open arms. It was rumored that within these forest walls, regardless of race or status, everyone lived and worked together in peace and equality. However, it was nothing more than rumor and speculation, because none of the people who had left in search of Oasis was ever seen or heard from again. Meaning there was really no evidence to prove such a place actually existed and as far as any of them knew they could be walking willingly into an elaborate trap set up by the Shadows, designed to weed out hidden dissidents.

  And then, of course, there were the stories they had all been told since childhood of the forest being haunted; tales of frightening creatures with long, jagged teeth that stalked the darkness of the forest floor waiting to make a meal of the poor fool who entered its forest uninvited. A single step off the narrow path and these unfortunate souls would be forever lost wandering in the darkness until they eventually became the victim of one of these blood thirsty monsters. And while most would prefer to pass such stories off as nothing more than a child’s fairy tale, the lack of people returning from the forest, coupled with the eerie sounds currently filling the air around them, had this particular group of travelers seriously considering the validity of the tales.

  Yet, despite all the dangers and unknowns, for Nina and her husband Lucas, the decision to come here had been a simple one. For years they had been watching, noting the growing trend of the patrols going after younger and younger Full-bloods. In the last year alone they had attended funerals for four of their closest friend’s children. And it was after one such funeral, they had sat up the entire night planning their escape.

  But as the group surrounding them continued to argue amongst themselves as how to proceed, it rapidly became clear that none of them actually had any idea what to do beyond this point. A few claimed there was a horn you could use to summon the people inside, although no one had any idea where the horn was supposed to be. A few others suggested lighting a bon fire to attract their attention. But when it was pointed out that they would be attracting the attention of more than just the people inside the forest that theory was swiftly dismissed. One gentleman even went as far as to claim there was a magical tree you rubbed to call them out, but no one paid him a bit of mind. In the end, after over an hour of debating, they were no closer to having an idea on how to proceed than they had been when they began.

  “Listen, everyone,” Lucas called out over the frustrated group, “it’s getting dark and I, for one, do not want to go wandering around in there while the sun is down. Let’s make camp here tonight and together we can work on coming up with a plan of some kind for in the morning.”

  No one argued with his logic, and soon the mumbling crowd had dispersed themselves across the field to begin setting up their camps. Feeling quite satisfied with himself, Lucas turned and gave Nina a wink. She smiled back and together they searched out a good spot to settle for the night. After finding a nice flat area next to a fallen tree, they laid down their few thin blankets on the ground beneath the clear evening sky, and then Lucas left Nina
to rest while he wandered the field helping others with whatever he could.

  As she watched him move from camp to camp doing what he could to get everyone settled, Nina thanked the stars again for bringing him into her life. He knew everything about her dark past, things that many other men would not have been accepting of, and yet he stayed. He understood why she woke up many nights sweating and screaming in terror, and none of it mattered to him. He loved her and she loved him, and without him, Nina had no idea where she would have ended up, or even if she would still be alive.

  “Mom, can I go play with the other kids?” Kajol asked excitedly, disrupting her thoughts. She followed his gaze across the field and spotted a group of children kicking around a ball.

  “Of course, just stay where I can see you.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he yelled, darting across the field to join the others. She watched him play for a few minutes before turning her attention to the bag lying by her feet. Digging inside, she pulled out a bottle, and took inventory of what little formula remained inside.

  “It’s going to be all right,” Lucas said, startling her from behind. Taking a seat beside her, he kissed her on the cheek.

  “How can you be so sure?” she asked, still focused on the nearly empty bottle. “We barely have enough for one, much less the three of us. And neither of us have had more than a sip in the last two days,” Nina sighed, swirling the liquid inside the bottle as if that would somehow create more. “What are we going to do if this is all a trick? That none of it is true?” Returning her attention back to the open field, she spotted Kajol just in time to watch as he kicked the ball past the children trying to block it to score a goal. Together they all celebrated his victory by jumping up and down and giving each other high fives. “We can’t go back, Lucas, you know that as well as I do. As soon as we step one foot back in Lidas they will arrest us both and the stars only know what they will do with Kajol.”

  Lucas sat quietly beside her. Following her gaze to where the children were playing, he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in close. “We are never going back. We will do whatever it takes to give him the life he deserves, even if it means going into that forest and starting up our own camp.”

  Nina sighed. He was trying to be encouraging, however as she continued to stare at the near empty bottle, she was finding it very difficult to not be concerned. Even Lucas couldn’t change the fact that they were Full-bloods, and in being so, needed the formula to survive. And the only way to get formula was through the government. Slowly she pushed the bottle back into the bag and leaned over. Resting her head on her husband’s shoulder, Nina closed her eyes. She needed to trust in him, to believe that somehow he would find a way to get them to the paradise in the forest … she had to.

  It wasn’t long before darkness fell over the camp, and not wanting to risk attracting too much attention, the group decided to build one fire for all of them to use. Sitting huddled together, Nina watched as several of the families pulled out fruits, bread, and cheese from their bags to satiate their children’s hunger. Disheartened, Nina produced a small piece of dry bread from her bag and passed it to Kajol, who scarfed it down in only two bites.

  “Mom, I’m still hungry,” he whined, looking up at her with wanting eyes.

  She rooted around in the bag, searching for anything she might be able to give him to satisfy his hunger, knowing it was futile. That small piece of bread had been the last of their supplies. They had traveled farther than most of the others, and though they had rationed as best they could, they were now down to nothing. “I’m sorry, Kajol, but that was all we had left. Once we find the camp in the morning you will have all the food you can eat, I promise.”

  “You can have this,” a Terrian lady offered, producing a large ripe pear from her satchel as she approached.

  “Oh no, we couldn’t,” Nina protested, waving her hands.

  “Of course you can.” She insisted, “I have plenty more where that came from.”

  She took a seat on the ground next to Nina, pulling a knife from the same satchel. She then cut a large slice from the pear and held it out to Kajol. “And what is your name?”

  Nina watched her cautiously. Such generosity, especially between the races, wasn’t something she was accustomed to. However, the lady was an older woman, possibly in her early sixties, which meant she might have been raised in the times before the races became divided. And she sensed no malice in the way the lady acted, actually quite the opposite. Everything about her, from the skilled method in which she sliced the pear, to the way her eyes lit up when she smiled at Kajol, gave Nina the distinct impression that this was a woman who was accustomed to and took great pleasure in taking care of others.

  “My name is Kajol,” he answered, inspecting the fruit carefully.

  Her brow creased. “Unique name, where does it come from?”

  “I’m named after someone my mommy used to know,” Kajol replied, still studying the piece of pear. Finally getting brave, he took a small bite and smiled. “This is good!”

  Lucas, who had been off talking to some of the others, joined them and upon seeing his son inhaling the pear laughed, “Where did that come from?”

  “She gave it to me,” Kajol answered. His mouth crammed full of the fruit, he pointed at the grey-haired lady sitting beside his mother.

  “Thank you so much, but we have no way to repay you for this,” Lucas said, offering her his hand. “My name is Lucas, and this is my wife Nina, and … well, you have met Kajol.”

  “Janil,” she greeted, shaking each of their hands before standing to leave. “And don’t worry about it, it was my pleasure.”

  “You don’t have to leave. Do you have someone here with you? If so, we would love for them to join us,” Nina offered, finding it strange that someone her age would have traveled this far alone. She remembered seeing the older lady join the group earlier that day as they passed through the last town, but she didn’t recall seeing anyone with her.

  “No, I’m alone. The Enforcer took my husband from me many years ago and I have no children. I traveled here hoping to find a place where I can spend what years I have left, hopefully in peace.” She smiled a warm smile and bowed her head slightly. “But for now, I’m going to sleep.”

  Lucas and Nina watched as she slowly walked away and settled into some blankets a few feet from them. Surveying the rest of the group, they realized that many others, especially the Terrians, were all beginning to bed down for the night. Thinking it best they too rested, the three of them made their way back to their camp. Once settled, Nina pulled out the bottle of formula and allowed Kajol to drink enough to hold him over until the next evening. Then, after carefully tucking him into the blankets, she and Lucas split what little formula was left, then nestled in beside him.

  The night passed without incident, and they awoke the next morning to the sounds of people busily gathering and packing their things. Not wanting to get behind, they gathered and folded their belongings, stuffed them back into the bags, then joined the others at the edge of the forest. Once again they found themselves staring into the dark depths at a loss as to what to do next.

  “This is ridiculous,” a voice called from the back. “There is no way I am going in there. We are going back, and if the rest of you have any sense you will do the same.”

  Nina and Lucas watched as a family of Terrians turned and headed back down the road in the opposite direction. It didn’t take long for many others to follow suit, especially the Terrians who had risked less in coming. When everyone who wished to leave had left, all that remained of the once large group was three families, themselves, and Janil standing quietly off to one side.

  “So what do we do?” Nina asked Lucas after a few silent moments.

  “I say we follow that trail and see where it leads us,” Lucas answered, pointing toward the trees.

  “What trail?” Narrowing her eyes, Nina spotted a dirt path leading into the darkness. It was so small and well hidden
that Nina wondered if it was really a trail at all. “That?”

  “Yeah, unless anyone else has a better suggestion.”

  Nina thought hard for a minute, looking first to her left then to her right at the expanse of trees that went on endlessly in both directions. “What if we get lost in there?”

  Lucas smiled and ruffled Kajol’s hair. “Lost, did you hear that, son? Your mother has forgotten who she is dealing with here. Why, she has the best two explorers in Vanteria leading her and yet she doubts us.”

  Kajol spun around in front of them, placing his hands on his hips and striking his most heroic pose. “Never fear, Mom! Master explorer Kajol is at your service!”

  “Well, pardon me master explorer,” Nina laughed tossing her bag over her shoulder, “lead the way then.” Kajol beamed and lead them toward the path, with Lucas and Nina following close behind.

  “Mind if we join you?” one of the other families asked, running up behind them.

  “Me too,” Janil said catching up to the group.

  “Of course not, we would love the company,” Lucas welcomed them.

  By the time they made it across the field to the trail, all but one of the families had joined them. The group stopped at the edge as Lucas yelled back to them, “Do you want to come?”

  The family looked to one another, had a short heated discussion, then turned back and waved, signaling they would not be joining them. “I guess we are it. Does anyone else have a charged solar lamp?” he asked, pulling his own out of the bag he was carrying and turning it on.

  “We have one,” a family answered, producing another lamp from their own supplies.

  “Good, leave yours off that way when this one runs out we have a backup. Now, everyone stay close together and whatever you do, don’t wander off the trail.”