“Don’t move,” she ordered as she picked up her pace and walked towards Darien. Darien held his hands up.
The woman walked forward until she was a few feet away. She picked up her radio from her hip with a gloved hand. “I have the target.”
Darien’s anger broke in a wave against his psyche. He was sick of being chased around and told lies or at best half-truths. Tension ran down his back, tightening each muscle along the way. His jaw clenched shut and he growled out his words. “Who the hell are you?”
“Come with me, you’re wanted for questioning.” She put the radio back on her hip. Darien didn’t move. The woman gestured with the barrel of the gun. “I said move!”
With a roar, he swatted at her arm with his hand, and the gun went wide. He felt a sharp stab in his left shoulder before the gun flew through the air and landed with a rustle in the leaves. The woman shrank in front of Darien, appearing smaller to him. She looked up at him frozen in fear, but he didn’t pause. He smacked her with the backside of his hand. It hit her across the head so hard that her feet lifted off the ground and she crashed through branches to land against a tree. Her limp body slumped to the ground.
Darien screamed his frustration and scrambled after the deer. He hunched over and stumbled. It felt easier to use his hands to steady himself as he crashed through the woods. He collided into small trees with his shoulders and knocked them down as if they were blades of grass. After a minute or so, he felt lightheaded and slowed his pace. He eased back, and walked upright, leaning against trunks for balance. At first, he felt off-balance, even at a slower pace, and needed to keep using his hands and arms as stabilizers. His feet dragged across the ground, accumulating mud and leaves.
He paused next to one large tree and looked at his shoulder as he caught his breath. One of the darts was still in his skin. He took it out with his right hand and tossed it to the ground. Darien changed his direction once again, taking a left. He tried to keep moving forward, but his body wanted rest. As he plodded on, he closed his eyes. It was impossible to keep them open. His feet caught on a branch lying across the ground, and Darien fell forward. He no longer had the willpower to keep his body moving.
Chapter 11
Even before he opened his eyes, Darien knew where he was. He could feel the soft grass underneath him and the warm sun on his face. The same sense of calm washed over him as, off in the distance, the leaves rustled in the gentle breeze. He was back in the clearing where he first met Alyssa and Richard. He opened his eyes and looked around, but he was alone for the moment. Darien laid back, seeking a peace that he was unable to find in the waking world.
His reverie was disrupted by the low rumble of thunder. Clouds rolled across the sky with increasing speed and soon eclipsed the sun overhead. His skin covered in gooseflesh in a response to the biting wind. Trees at the edge of the clearing creaked in protest as the wind forced them into unstable positions. Darien shivered, wrapping his arms around himself. A large crack echoed through the crisp air as a tree limb crashed to the ground beside him. The world grew dark, illuminated only by the occasional flash of lightning bathing the scene in white. Thunder crashed so hard that the air shook in response. Rain started to fall, and it felt like cold spears of ice. He stood up and ran towards the haunting tree line.
The shadows seemed to come to life. They drifted across the grass towards him and rose up into various shapes. Animals were interspersed between men and women. They were pitch black except for pinpricks of white light where their eyes should be. The bodies shimmered in the faint light and their borders were indistinct. His skin crawled like he was being watched. Darien slid to a stop and turned to run away from the shadow creatures, but he was surrounded.
The clearing had changed. Day had turned to night, but it was not just due to the clouds. Through their gaps, Darien saw a full moon peeking through and illuminating the scene below. In the middle of the clearing was a large stone altar. It was a single stone slab resting on two charred tree stumps. It was large enough for a man to lay on top of and was at least six inches thick. It was massive. Writing was carved into the edge so that the script flowed to the corner and wrapped around it, but it was an alphabet Darien didn’t know. As he studied the object, he felt a chill taking root just below his sternum and spreading through his body. Even when he turned away, the cold grasp on his chest made it difficult to breathe.
The circle of creatures tightened around him. He backpedaled away from the closest group until the back of his legs touched unyielding stone. The circle continued to close in until each form blended into its neighbors in a continuous circle of darkness. One of the human shapes stepped forward with a panther at her side. He couldn’t say how he knew, but he could tell these were the same two from his room in Erik’s house.
In the limited light, he was able to get a better view of the woman. She was short, and had the curves of a woman, but her entire body was covered in a shifting shadow that gave him a headache if he focused too hard on her. It was like shadows danced across her entire body in perpetual motion, concealing her and making him want to look away. Out of the corner of his eye she looked like a random ink blot for a Rorschach test.
“Look, it’s Sasha and her pal, Inky.” Darien tried to smile and sound sarcastic, but he couldn’t disguise the tremor in his voice. The nickname made the woman stop for a fraction of a second and growl. That gave him a bit of courage and took away some of her power. “Inky’s so much easier than ‘Sasha’s friend.’ Don’t you think? Besides, it suits you.”
The moment of hesitation over, the two shadowy forms walked forward, forcing Darien back as he felt his pulse quicken. The back of his legs hit the stone and he sat down on the edge.
“You will become one of us Darien. You don’t have a choice. We won’t let you make one.”
All of a sudden, Darien felt cords wrap around his wrists and ankles tight enough to restrict blood flow. He had a moment to look at them in surprise before they jerked him back so that he was lying flat on the stone. He hit it with an impact that drove the wind from his lungs. They continued to pull and stretched his shoulders until he had no give left in his arms.
“The more you resist, the more it will stretch your body apart. Try to relax.”
The rest of the forms in the circle started chanting. It was a low murmur and Darien couldn’t tell if he recognized the language. The storm overhead increased in intensity and the wind picked up. A crack of a tree branch momentarily drowned out the sounds of the chanting. Sasha had taken her place back in the circle along with her human companion. Darien whipped his head from side to side as he struggled, but he couldn’t lift his body from the slick stone.
A lightning bolt streaked down from the sky and struck Darien in the chest. He screamed in pain, his voice echoing off the trees and drowning out the sound of the wind. The heat was brief but made every cell feel like it was on fire. When the pain ebbed, it receded until only the point of contact continued to burn.
The clouds ripped apart directly above the altar, and a shaft of moonlight penetrated the darkness. Looking straight up into it, Darien was blinded by the sudden flash of light. He heard screams from the creatures around him. The holds on his wrists and ankles slacked, and he was able to untangle himself from the limp cords. He rolled off the stone, crouching on all fours and looking for the best way to escape. He needed to get away from these creatures.
Darien stood up, looking around in confusion. The shadows were running away from him, fleeing back into the woods. It didn’t make sense.
The clouds broke apart and drifted away like smoke dispersed by a gentle breeze. The light continued to shine down on Darien, and he squinted into it as he looked up. It felt like a spotlight shining on his face. It was difficult to stare into it, but he could make out a woman standing in the center, silhouetted by the light. She had red hair flowing around her head and shoulders like she was underwater. Darien could feel her fury, a heat that seemed to scorch everything outside of this
shaft of moonlight. But here, in her sanctuary, it was cool and comforting.
She looked down on him and the rage faded. When she spoke, it was a voice Darien did not recognize. “I’m coming to you, Darien. I will find you, and then we will take our rightful place.”
Darien smiled and closed his eyes. The stone slab disappeared, and he was sitting on soft dry grass. He laid back and let out a slow breath. The light continued to shine on him as he lay there, enjoying the serenity.
Darien’s eyes opened and he tried to focus. He was lying in a dark cave. Firelight cast long, dancing shadows on the stone walls and he heard the occasional pop of moisture from the fire. The ground was hard but worn smooth over time. He took a deep breath and eased himself onto his side to get a better look at his surroundings. Someone rushed over to his side.
“Darien! Thank the spirits. You were in a dream state and walled off when I tried to reach you. I feared for the worst.”
Darien struggled to sit up, but Alyssa reached forward and laid a hand gently on his shoulder, easing him back to the ground. “Careful. You’re going to be weak for a while and sudden movements will cause you pain.”
Darien resigned himself to laying on the stone. “What are you doing here?”
Alyssa got up and walked away. Now that his eyes were getting used to the limited light he saw that the cave was not that deep, barely large enough for him to lay down in without sticking his feet outside. Trees pressed up almost flush against the entrance. Alyssa walked out and gazed into the woods.
“I found you in the middle of the woods. You were unconscious, drugged, and had left a very obvious trail to follow. I moved you here, where I thought you’d be safer. Vladimir found this shelter. When I tried to reach you, I was blocked.”
“Where is Vladimir?” An image of the animal with blood smeared all over his muzzle flashed through Darien’s imagination. He tried to suppress a shiver and failed.
“He’s out in the woods making sure nobody gets too close. I wanted to see that you were going to be all right. Despite what you may have heard from certain people, I do have your best interests in mind.”
Darien slowly propped himself into a sitting position. He crawled backwards until he could lean against the wall. Even that small effort left him panting. Alyssa had turned to watch, but made no movement to assist him. His chest felt itchy where the lightning struck him in his dream. He reached up to scratch it, and noticed that it felt cold under his hand even through his clothing. He hesitated. Alyssa raised a single eyebrow when he paused. Darien squirmed out of his shirt and saw a small black mark on his chest. It was angular with several corners, like one of the letters surrounding the table in his dream. He heard Alyssa gasp from the entrance and looked up at her, waiting for her to speak.
“You’ve been marked by the Shadows.”
“Who, or what, are they?”
Alyssa came back to the fire and sat down in front of it, across from Darien. She stared into the flames and they danced in her eyes.
“They are the closest things to evil that I’ve ever seen. They are the enemy. They’re like us, and have their own abilities.” She held up her hand to stop Darien’s question before he could form the words. “I can’t tell you anything about your abilities, except that you have them. That much you should’ve realized by now. You need to develop them on your own and learn what they are.”
“Richard told me that much.” Her eyes flashed hard for a moment but she kept her silence. “But, he didn’t say why. Why can’t you let me know what is going on?”
“Because, if I tell you, you won’t be ready to hear it. You will try to do things that you can’t control yet. You’ll be consumed by it and suffer a fate worse than dying. Trust me, I’ve seen it.” She took a deep breath and pulled her attention away from the fire to look at Darien. “You will know in your own time, and, when that happens, you’ll be able to do things you didn’t believe were possible. But you need to wait for your body, and your mind, to be able to grasp it on their own terms.
“But I can tell you about the Shadows. They’ve been blessed like we have but have shunned that blessing. Their powers have become corrupt. Where we walk in light and try to help others of our kind, they walk in darkness and try to murder those who won’t be converted. Nothing is beneath them, and they’re almost never seen. Whenever you meet one, you can be sure there are ten more lurking or behind your back.”
“What do they want?”
“What do normal people want when they learn that they have the power to control others? More power I suppose. They’re an organization that desires to control everything and amass all the power they possibly can. But to what ends, I couldn’t say.
“I can tell you that they’ll use anything they can for their own ends. And once something, or someone, is no longer useful, it’s discarded. They try to put people in positions of power in the mundane world, or manipulate those who already have power.”
“Not all of them have powers?”
“No. There are many normals working for the Shadows, and many who work for the Arm as well. Trusted people who won’t give away our secrets.”
“And you have no idea what motivates the Shadows?”
“I’ve heard that they serve a twisted god, but I’m not sure about that. Though, it would explain their rituals.”
“Rituals? Like this marking?” Darien pointed to his chest.
“Yes, that’s the start of a ceremony to make you one of them. There are three signs. If all three become burned on your chest and you’re sacrificed, you become a Shadow like them. Either that, or you’re torn apart, literally.”
The blood drained from Darien’s face as he stared at Alyssa. “You’ve got to be joking. It was just a dream.”
Alyssa rose up on her knees as much as she could in the small space. She looked down at Darien from across the fire. Her features made her look imposing, and the flickering light from below added to that sensation. Darien pulled his legs in closer to his body as she spoke.
“You should know by now that things which happen in some dreams are more than just your imagination. I may not tell you everything you want to know, but I wouldn’t even consider lying about something this serious. You’d better start believing that your world is larger than you imagined, or there’s no hope for you. Merciful spirits, you have the proof emblazoned on your own chest.”
Alyssa sighed and dropped back to the floor of the cave. The change in her posture let Darien relax.
“Sorry about that, Darien. But, you do need to take this seriously. You’re special in ways that I can’t begin to describe and you could play a very pivotal role in all of this. I know you don’t trust me, but I just want you to stay alive.”
Darien watched her and considered everything he knew about her. Her compassion was very situational. He was sure that she wouldn’t feel the same way if the Shadows burned the third mark on his chest. It was clear she didn’t have a problem with violence and was more than capable of it even without her animal companions. Her fanaticism could be inspiring if they were on the same side, but she made him feel like a pawn in her game. Richard had said she would try to rule every aspect of his life, and that wasn’t too far of a stretch to believe. He disliked the idea of becoming a slave even more than asking for her help.
“How do you remove the marking?”
“You have to kill the one who put it there. It’s the only way.”
“How would I know who that is? There was an entire circle of these shadow cultists. It could’ve been any one of them.”
“One of the Shadows is bound to you and will feel closer than the others. Only one can start the ritual. And if that one dies, then you’ll be free. Not just from this ritual, but from any attempt to do it again. I don’t know how their rituals work, I only know that once they choose a champion, they can’t change it.”
Darien crawled forward to the entrance of the cave. Alyssa moved out of his way and stood to the side. He stretched and paced in f
ront of the cave opening. His limbs felt stiff and sluggish, but it felt good to move.
“I believe you, Alyssa. I believe that you’re trying to help and trying to keep me alive. But, that doesn’t mean I trust you. You keep saying ‘we’, and have told me about the Shadows, but haven’t told me anything about your own group—the Arm of Gaia.”
“Anything you want to know, just ask. If I can answer, I will. We’ve been around for over three hundred years, collecting histories of our kind and trying to determine where we come from and what our purpose is. We believe that we’re chosen by Gaia herself, to protect her and her children. Our fight against the Shadows is part of that duty. Every person in our sect has a purpose and fulfills it towards that end goal.” She reached out and placed the palm of her hand against a tree trunk. The touch was delicate and almost reverent. She looked up at the treetop as she continued.
“Gaia is the very essence and flow of life. Beyond that it gets complicated and esoteric. Whenever someone does something completely self-serving at the expense of another, it takes away from the communal strength. We try to keep that strength from ebbing. It’s about balance. Killing a mouse for food is part of the flow. Burning forests for some extra coin in your pocket is not. The Shadows are our polar twins. They try to disrupt that flow as much as possible for their own ends. Ever since we’ve existed, so have they, lurking in the darkness.”
“What about people like Richard? He didn’t seem like a Shadow.”
The lines in her face tightened. It was slight, but Darien was getting used to her reacting to his name and was looking for it.
“No, he’s not. Most people follow one of three paths when they discover their gifts. They join us, they become a Shadow, or they die. Richard is part of a very small, select few who walk their own path. What we can do takes training and guidance. I only know of two people who’ve managed to walk alone. Richard’s one of them. The other one was a woman who we thought was one of us, but she betrayed us and took something precious. I can’t tell you any more than that. I’m sure you understand.”
The Shadow Chaser (The Sheynan Trilogy Book 1) Page 9