Darkness Falls (The Dark Series Book 1)

by Steffany Steffensen

  It was bright and warm. There were many men and women gathered inside the bar, talking, laughing, and enjoying a meal. Mace noticed a few tavern women roaming around, trying to seduce men and making them their clients.

  "Come, look at this!" called the former knight. He stood by the wall next to a few old paintings. The younger travelers walked up to him. "These are the orcs I was talking about." Simon pointed to one picture that showed a tall orc. He had unfamiliar gray skin and was bald with both a pointy chin and pointy ears. His muscles were not too large but were still defined. There were strange markings from his head to his toe that made him appear like he had white stripes. He wore thin clothes but no shoes, showing his big feet.

  "This is Ta'lek," explained Simon. "He helped bring the humans and orcs together. He was also the first to mate with a human female." He moved his hand over and pointed to a picture of a stunningly beautiful woman. She had shoulder length dark, curly hair. Her makeup was applied lightly, and she wore a tight-fitting dark dress.

  "That's Saila. She was married to a baker, but he died after she found out that she was pregnant. Sadly, she lost her child. A few years later after the alliance between the city and the orcs, the orcs were able to walk amongst the humans for the very first time. After Saila and Ta'lek met, sparks just flew. Everyone thought she was insane, and that there was no possible way for her to have a child with a different species, but they were wrong."

  The next picture that Simon pointed to was a young boy who looked both orc and human. His ears, markings, and height were of his father. Everything else resembled his mother. "And this is Raf. At the moment he took his place on his father's orc throne. It took a lot of convincing to get his clan to be okay with him being the leader since he is not entirely orc. He is also married to a human woman named Lenda, and he has a daughter named Zeena."

  "Zeena!" called a few of the patrons who had their heads turned towards the door. A figure, masked by the sun and only showing their silhouette was standing at the entrance.

  "Speak of the devil," mumbled Simon.

  "Hey boys!" came an angelic voice. Zeena stepped into view. Her ears were not as long as an orc's, but they were pointy. She had a heart-shaped face with a sharp chin. Her long white and blue hair cascaded down her back. She wore what appeared to be clothing fit for an assassin; she was clothed in all leather from her jacket down to her high boots. She had buckles and straps around her torso, and daggers strapped to each thigh. Who knew what other types of weapons she had equipped on her person.

  Zeena approached the group of men that greeted her when she stepped inside, but then she paused. She turned her head towards the direction of the three travelers, and her bright blue eyes locked with Simon's brown ones. Her lips curled into a nasty snarl. "You," she growled.

  "What?" questioned Mace, confused by the situation. He looked back and forth between Zeena and Simon. Jenevi stayed calm, but she was secretly relieved to meet a woman who seemed just as threatening as her.

  The orc woman started sprinting towards them with rage filling her eyes. Mace and Jenevi moved away, seeing that she was only going after Simon. As she got closer, she jumped on a table occupied by patrons and did a flip off of it, unsheathing both daggers in the process.

  With a cry, Zeena brought both daggers down over Simon's head. The former knight moved out of the way and started to counter all the quick blows and jabs that the orc woman was throwing at him.

  "Let's talk about this!" said Simon as the sharp blade of the dagger barely missed his chest. "No need for violence!"

  The woman paused for a brief moment. "No need? No need?" she shrieked. Her anger had visibly increased. Customers in the tavern either left or moving to the far side of the room, opposite to where the fight was happening. Zeena started swiping her daggers once again. Finally, she kicked Simon in the stomach and sent him back. His back forcefully had contact with the wooden wall, causing the picture of Raf to fall, and then he slid down as he clutched his stomach.

  Before the orc could bring her dagger down on him, she was stopped. Jenevi had a firm grip on Zeena's wrist. "Stop," she said plainly. The two stared each other down for a few tense moments before Zeena swiped her other dagger towards Jenevi. The Magus quickly grabbed her other wrist with ease.

  Zeena's rage diminished. With a loud grunt, she pulled her hands down. Jenevi let her go.

  "And who in Slarin's name are you?" questioned the orc, glaring at the woman in front of her. "Are you Simon's woman?"

  "I'm Jenevi," replied the Tenebrae Magus calmly. "And Simon is accompanying me on my travels. I would appreciate it if you didn't kill him."

  "This man is a liar. Don't trust him," said Zeena. She looked back at Simon and glared.

  "What did he do?" questioned Mace.

  The orc looked down at the ground, frowning. After a few moments of silence, she whispered almost inaudibly, "He broke my heart."

  The young blacksmith stared silently. She's crazy, he thought. Mace helped Simon up while Zeena placed her hands on her slender hips and paced back and forth. Patrons started to pile in again, already forgetting about the incident.

  "What are you doing back here?" the assassin asked, stopping. "Who gave you the right to come back here after what you did to me?"

  "Right?" repeated Simon. "I've always had the right. Just because I-" he was silenced when Zeena's fist met his face. She turned around and quickly walked out of the tavern.

  Simon refused to talk about the situation with his companions, saying that he would explain after he talked to Zeena first.

  In the next hour following the incident, multiple men approached Jenevi to flirt with her. Her frown deepened even more.

  "I've never seen a woman so beautiful," said one very drunk man. He had a scraggly brown beard and a deep scar on his neck. "I would love to see more of your beautiful body."

  Mace was about to intervene when Simon jumped in first. "Don't you dare lay your filthy hands on her. Don't even so much as look at her!"

  The former knight pulled his fist back, anger filling his eyes.

  "Simon. Stop it. I can handle this on my own." Jenevi's voice was calm and fearless. She had nothing to worry about when she knew she could kill anyone who threatened her in an instant.

  Simon dropped his hand with a huff and walked towards a group of tavern women.

  The drunk patron stumbled away, not even aware of what almost just happened. Jenevi sighed deeply.

  "I'm going to head up to my room," started Mace. "Be careful, okay? Don't kill anyone, and just make sure you're in your room by the time the sun goes down."

  The Magus glared at him, annoyed that he treated her like a child. In the group, he was the young and inexperienced one. "Thank you, boy. What would I do without you?" Jenevi asked sarcastically.

  Mace ignored her retort and started to head up to his room. He glanced over at Simon who already invited two women into his chambers.

  Jenevi sat at the bar drinking beer after beer, ignoring the lustful eyes of the men who surrounded her. She knew that they were talking to her, but she just didn't know what they said because she drowned out the sound of their voices.

  That is...until one man showed up. Upon seeing him, the people dispersed, each mumbling something incoherent but noticeably insulting. This man had short, platinum blond hair and bright blue eyes. He had a light pigment, tall and slim, and had a strong nose and a square jaw.

  Jenevi turned her gaze with a gulp. She stared down at her drink, hoping the handsome man would go away. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so attracted to someone. As she thought, she realized that she never had that feeling before. She had slept with a couple of men in the past, although she couldn't recall their names, the place, or the day.

  "I couldn't help but notice all the guys gathered here. I got curious and decided to see what the big fuss was about, but now I know." The man had a very deep and thick accent. He smiled, flashing his white te
eth. "My name is Wilson."

  Jenevi took a long drink of beer. She couldn't look at the man with how red her face was. She didn't know if it was the alcohol or something else. "Jenevi," she said.

  "What is a beautiful woman like yourself doing in a dirty tavern like this?"

  "Just passing through. I still have a ways to go, so I thought I might as well stop for a beer."

  Wilson rested his hand on his chin as he stared at Jenevi's side profile. He examined every detail of her face as much as he could. Noticing his piercing stare, the Magus turned away so all Wilson could only see the back of her head.

  The young man chuckled, amused. He knew what he wanted, and he wanted her.

  "Jenevi," started Wilson as he gingerly placed his hands over hers. "Look at me."

  With all the strength that she could muster, she slowly turned her head to face him. She felt dumb. She, who could easily kill a man, who was also a Tenebrae Magus, was at a loss for words as she looked into Wilson's bright blue eyes. She couldn't stand how handsome he was, and she was sure, undoubtedly, that he could sleep with any woman that he wanted.

  "I do hope you feel the same way, Jenevi," whispered the young man with a smirk on his face.

  The Magus nodded. She led Wilson into her room and locked the door behind her. She stood there, facing the door with her back towards Wilson. Her hands were clammy, and her face was red. The last time she slept with a man must have been years ago, and she was scared that she would mess everything up.

  "Hey," whispered Wilson as he seductively wrapped her arms around the woman's slender waist. "Don't be shy. Come to bed with me."

  The man's hot breath against Jenevi's ear made her shudder in delight. She let Wilson lead her to the bed, completely aware of what was going to occur next.

  Wilson cupped the young woman's cheeks in his hands and leaned in to kiss her. They fell on the bed with their lips still locked and their limbs still intertwined. Wilson started to take Jenevi's clothes off.

  The Magus was scared. She was scared about feeling fully exposed and vulnerable, but she wanted to trust Wilson.

  She let everything go. Her fear, her tension, and Gaelen. All for Wilson.

  The two lay with each other naked in bed and stared up at the wooden ceiling with beads of sweat on their skin and their hearts pounding. With all that happened, Jenevi let her guard down and didn't realize that the sun quickly set. Wilson looked over at the woman once he noticed that there was a new source of light and stared at her in surprise.

  "What?" questioned the Tenebrae Magus. Once she realized that her senses had heightened, she quickly sat up and turned away from him. "I-I'm not a demon," she stammered.

  She felt Wilson shuffling on the bed, and that's when she realized that something was wrong. She turned her head the moment that the man wrapped his strong hands around her neck. She quickly threw him off and stood up once he hit the floor. The moment Wilson got up, he looked over at Jenevi with ambition glinting in his eyes.

  "I never thought I'd see a Tenebrae Magus. I heard a rumor about a demon who killed men like it was nothing, and that her eyes glowed green in the night. I didn't think that it was true, but here you are. I've killed Magus before, but you...you're a golden prize." Wilson punched the window beside him without batting an eye. He gripped one of the glass pieces in his bloody hand and charged, naked, towards Jenevi.

  Jenevi quickly rolled across the bed, grabbing the white sheets with her, and landed on her feet near the door. She fiddled with the sheets more as Wilson made his way towards her, his hand clutched tightly to the red stained glass.

  "Just stay still, beautiful," he said with a smirk.

  When he lunged forward to stab the woman, Jenevi turned to the side and wrapped the sheet around her assailant's arm that held the weapon. She moved behind him, forcing his arm back, and then grabbed his free arm. As she tied him up, he suddenly started to get smaller and smaller. The sound of heavy footsteps came rushing down the hall, and Jenevi knew her companions coming to help her.

  "What?" the young woman questioned softly out loud as she watched Wilson disappear beneath her. She pulled the sheet towards her to look down at the floor. The only thing there was a mouse. A mouse with bright blue eyes that appeared to illuminate almost as brightly as Jenevi's.

  Simon gave the door a strong kick, causing it to fly open and hit the wall with a loud thud. They stared at Jenevi who had the sheets, bloodied from Wilson's wound, clutched towards her naked body.

  "What happened?" questioned Mace as he noticed the shattered window and blood.

  Jenevi didn't need to explain herself. The mouse at her feet scurried over by the window and then transformed into an owl. Wilson turned his head, stared at Jenevi with his bright blue eyes, let out a smug hoot, and the flew out the opening.

  "What in Slarin's fucking name was that?" asked Simon, walking towards the window and staring at the dark silhouette of the bird now high in the sky.

  The young woman clutched her sheets tighter and replied, "A Magus."

  "D-Did you sleep with him?" Questioned Mace, his face turning slightly red.

  The other two looked at him, both with narrowed eyes.

  "Yes. And I'm fine, thank you." Said the Tenebrae Magus. "Now if you two don't mind, I would like to get dressed. We head out in one hour. Simon, go grab us some money."

  Simon nodded his head and headed towards the door. "Come, boy. Let me show you how people gamble here in this city." He grabbed Mace's arm, but the boy immediately tugged himself out of his grasp.

  "No," he said. "I'll stay here and stand by Jenevi's door."

  "The same mistake won't happen twice, boy," snapped Jenevi. She paused for a second, listening. "The owner of the tavern is coming. I can hear him talking to himself. Why don't you make yourself useful and distract him."

  Mace narrowed his eyes in anger. Without another word from him, he turned and left.

  Simon looked over at the Magus, his eyes soft. "Hey," he started. "You could try going a bit easier on him."

  "Go." Jenevi's words were final as she turned and faced the broken window, her bare back showing.

  Simon left to go gather some money. He passed Mace and the tavern owner on the way down and overheard their conversation for a brief moment.

  "What is going on upstairs?" asked the tavern owner. He had red hair, a big bushy beard, and blue eyes. He was largely built and had a large scar running down his right arm. "I'm getting complaints of a fight." He stared down at Mace, looking as threatening as he possibly could.

  Simon expected Mace to look fearful and nervous but was surprised to see that he was standing his ground, and with no doubt probably had a good excuse up his sleeve. The former knight left the tavern with full confidence in his pupil.

  Simon ventured out to find a group of guys because at this time it usually signifies that there was gambling going on. But with what happened earlier with Zeena, he wanted to keep his head low. He didn't want to end up bumping into her because if that happened again, she'd probably rip his throat out.

  Eight years ago was the last time that Simon visited the city. He was nineteen, a year before he joined the Strongwill City military. Simon had heard of the Collis City before and was always curious about it. Once he arrived, he was immediately greeted by an orc.

  "What brings you, traveler?" He was large, had gray skin, and wore only a brown cloth around his waist. Dark blue birthmarks swirled around his arms all the way down to his bare feet.

  Simon stared up at the orc. He didn't mean to be rude- It's just that he has never seen such a creature before.

  Instead of getting insulted, the orc laughed, causing his massive gut to jiggle. "It's so refreshing to see the expression on a weak man who has never seen a full-blooded orc before. My name is Kir'ko. Are you looking for the tavern? I can show you the way."

  Simon nodded, still dazed. Chuckling, Kir'ko turned around and started to walk away. Simon quickly followed
suit.

  The two traveled through the marketplace that was buzzing with life. "This is a great area for merchants," explained the guide. "Where did you come from?"

  Simon didn't reply, unwilling to give up any personal information to a stranger. He was taught better than that.

  After a few moments of silence between the two, Kir'ko nodded his head and said, "Secretive type. I can respect that."

  As they passed by a group of children, Simon stopped when he noticed the young woman with them. She was unlike any woman that he has ever seen. Her skin wasn't as gray as Kir'ko's, and her ears weren't as pointy, but the woman was obviously part orc. She had mesmerizing long white hair in a braid. She was on her knees, talking to the children that gathered around her.

  The young woman stopped talking to look over at Simon. The playful smile that she had slowly faded away as the two stared each other down.

  "Human," started Kir'ko. "What's holding you?" Upon asking, the orc turned his head towards where Simon was looking. He chuckled softly. "We better go before she tears you to pieces. She's not as gentle as she may seem."

  Simon continued following, turning his head to give the young woman glances as he left. She still stared at him, expressionless. When she was out of sight, Simon asked, "What is her name?"

  "Her name is Zeena. Daughter of Raf, leader of the orcs. She is trained in the art of stealth, and she is very deadly. She's only seventeen."

  "She's beautiful..."

  Kir'ko laughed loudly, causing some heads to turn to face them. "She had many suitors in the past, human. Many of them were from your species. But Zeena really isn't into relationships. Ah- we have arrived at the tavern."

  Simon went about his business for two days, not doing much. He wasn't sure what he was looking for, but he did yearn to catch a glimpse of the beautiful half-orc woman. He found himself venturing into the market trying to convince himself that he was just looking to buy some fresh fruit when he knew that he was looking for Zeena.