Shadow Heights

by E. N. Goeking

  Shadow Heights

  Book One of the Dark Side Trilogy

  E.N. Goeking

  Shadow Heights

  Book One of the Dark Side Trilogy

  A Novel

  by E.N. Goeking

  Copyright 2018 Erin Goeking

  KDP Edition

  Cover Art by Fiona Jayde Media

  Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed the book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favorite authorized retailer. Thank you for your support.

  In Memory of Kenneth “Cook” Ulve

  whose visitations in my dreams inspired me with the muse I needed to compose this story. You are forever missed.

  Follow your intuition, no matter where it takes you.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty One

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Chapter Twenty Three

  Chapter Twenty Four

  Chapter Twenty Five

  Chapter Twenty Six

  Chapter Twenty Seven

  Chapter Twenty Eight

  Chapter Twenty Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty One

  Chapter Thirty Two

  Chapter Thirty Three

  Chapter Thirty Four

  Chapter Thirty Five

  Chapter Thirty Six

  Chapter Thirty Seven

  Chapter Thirty Eight

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter One

  Dusk descended upon the night sky like someone turning down the blinds though the clouds continued to swirl amidst the moon's reflection. The wind shook the leaves at my feet as the chill of its presence danced with me. I paraded through the collection of trees with my eyes alert like a predator, looking for any sign of him in the muck though I didn't know his name. Every noise that crept by me put the fear of death into my heart and I felt my feet moving faster as the rhythm of tiny droplets of rain began to fall from above.

  I could feel the panic swelling inside of me as I searched for what seemed like miles of trees with not one sign of life or possible exit. I was forever trapped within this maze, this catacomb of nature at its worst. I was worried I would never find him, this faceless stranger, or that I would lose myself in this dark forest that no one dares enter after sunset but I pressed on. I knew in my heart I had to save him, he was counting on me. But who was he anyway?

  A chorus of birds called out to me from a nearby tree, screeching loudly as if beckoning me to follow. Their bustling of feathers filled the hollow of woods as they flew farther away, hopping from branch to branch as I tried to catch up. The glowing haze of the moon shone down upon them and a murder of crows were perched upon a tall pine in front of me, their dark yet vacant eyes penetrating into my very soul. I feared at any moment they would attack or worse, I had fallen for some sinister trick where I'd be forever doomed to roam these woods.

  The leader of these birds was larger than the rest, almost resembling a raven he was so large, almost commanding in his presence. He cawed out in three long squalls. Koww...koww...koww. He leapt from his perch and its wingspan smacked hard against the wet leaves as I ducked for cover.

  It hopped to the ground in front of me, ever curious with its dark eyes harkening me to listen, to follow him, to pay attention. I knew this was a sign, it just had to be. I followed it in graceful steps of two by two, always keeping a safe distance. My mood shifted from being in an uncontrollable panic to a feeling of complete safety in this strange bird's company.

  It led me to an open clearing, a completely barren piece of land in the center of the forest with not one tree planted in it. It was as if the ground was spoiled and nothing could ever grow here.

  A brief flicker of orange light skipped across the grass in front of me and I hurried to hide myself behind a nearby tree. I peered my head around its sturdy trunk and my eyes fell upon an amazing sight that not only intrigued but horrified me.

  A strange man stood there naked in the moonlight, long black strings of hair cascaded down his luminescent back. I could not see his face nor could I move an inch closer to look. I was afraid. Afraid to face him, afraid to see who he really was.

  Fearful of being found out, I found myself holding in my breath to keep silent.

  Though he was a stranger to me, I knew this was him—the one I had come for. I felt a strong pull toward him like a magnet to steel, and I kept myself grounded by holding on for dear life to the fragile bark of my protector. My eyes opened wider as they followed his movements. His body slowly began to rise up from the ground, soaring to ever increasing heights. He lingered loosely in the air, hovering like a ghost above a sea of murky water. How is he able to do that? He raised his hands upward toward the sky as if welcoming the encircling storm into his body, taunting it to openly possess his soul.

  What are you? I thought privately, hoping I wasn't in any danger by coming here.

  He floated there in suspension, without an article of clothing to cover him, while streams of darkened blood flowed from his limbs down the toned muscles of his torso.

  I swallowed but nearly choked as my mouth felt exceedingly dry and I don't think I had breathed an ounce of air since my eyes fell upon him.

  A bellow of thunder rattled above like the roar of a lion, quickly falling to the earth and shaking the ground under my feet. I shivered in the cold rain while my thoughts stood at a standstill. His body glowed like a raging fire as the storm drew its power within him, spewing lighting from his hands out into the world. A streak of blinding light flew past my head and I groveled to my knees like a frightened child longing for their mother. I embraced the tree in front of me, fearful that at any moment the ground below would open into a fiery abyss that would swallow us whole.

  I was afraid to gaze upon him any longer, to see what he was becoming, as his voice screamed out in violent cries that made my skin crawl. I thought about leaving, switching paths before it was too late, before he saw me, before I got caught. I had to get out of here. I knew it wasn't safe. I didn't want this. I didn't really want to meet this stranger, did I? Why was I brought here? Was any of this even real? My heart raced in trepidation while I dug my nails further into my skin, waiting for the right moment to flee.

  Screw it. I couldn't save him, I wasn't that brave. And he sure didn't seem to be in any sort of trouble. But I was. I needed to get out of here while I had the chance.

  I turned in a rushed movement, nearly tripping over my own feet, and collided into a sturdy yet soft wall that propelled me backward into a tree. I was afraid to look up and see what I had run into, but an unexplainable force commanded my eyes.

  As my vision focused in the pale light, my knees gave out from under me when our eyes connected. This tall naked stranger stood like a statue in front of me, dripping wet with rain and blood. He was very composed without a hint of embarrassment or shame. I didn’t know how he had managed to make it over to me in such a short period of time and without me even noticing. Had he known I was here t
he whole time?

  The scream I expected to escape from my mouth never came and I wondered where it had lost its way up the passageway of my throat because I could've sworn I felt my lips move.

  There was something about him that calmed me, like the crow that led me here, even though my heart was thumping against my ribs. Maybe it was his beauty that halted my fear or maybe it was the soul hiding behind those hazy eyes. They were dark as charred coal and seemed to swirl unnaturally like the clouds above us. He was uncommonly tall with long feathery hair that rested on his broad shoulders. His pale skin seemed to glow while the pitter-patter of rain bounced from his skin.

  I felt myself sinking lower into the muddy earth at my feet as his hand reached forward to touch me. I trembled while his fingers glided loosely down my icy cheek, feeling like delicate silk that barely touched me, to meet with the upper ridge of my lips.

  “Shh,” he whispered. “They will hear you.”

  Who? I thought privately. We were all alone in this place. His full lips quivered into a smile and I suddenly took notice of his scent that was so intimidating to my senses, an attraction that seemed beyond all sensations that penetrated the deepest chasms of my heart. It was strangely familiar, triggering an awakening of a past that I was in no way ready for.

  His dark eyes departed from mine and they danced around the forest, following the trail of something I could not see.

  My body shivered from the cold as the rain continued to tumble upon us. It flowed down his naked form and mixed with the blood of his wounds, pooling a river of red water that gathered at our feet. I wiped away the droplets dripping from my nose and he returned to me, nearly stealing my breath away.

  “I have been waiting centuries for you,” he whispered. “I have missed you at every passage of time but finally, at last, I have found you.” He caressed my cheek with delicacy, displaying an affection for me that no stranger ever would to another. “You have forgotten me, my love, but in time the memory of me will flow into you like a river. And soon, this will all make sense.”

  Though I couldn't consciously remember who this young spirit was, there was a sensation filling my insides that was growing in intensity by each passing second and it was a warmth that could only be conjured from the sun. Who are you?

  He smiled pleasantly once more. His near translucent hands etched the apple of my cheek and he said, “You will find out soon enough. I will be waiting for you. Please don't be late.”

  Be late for what? Where am I going? How are you reading my mind?

  “Wake up,” he whispered gently into my ear.

  The colored images before me seemed to vanish into the air and I felt myself flying far away into the sky, the darkness of night surrounding me like a warm blanket.

  I started hearing my name being called, repeatedly. Over and over, with each utterance louder than the last. Who is talking to me? Was it him? Is he still here with me?

  “Mina? Wake up. Come on.”

  I felt a warm hand shaking my shoulder and I jostled back into my body. As I awoke to the bright light of the day, I found myself staring back at my younger sister Caylie who seemed irritated that it took so long to wake me. I sat up quickly and looked all around. It was only a dream. I felt slightly relieved with that realization. “What’s wrong with you?”

  “Nothing. I just had the strangest dream...but I can’t even remember it now.” Weird, I thought. It had all felt so real but now I couldn’t remember a detail about it except for maybe the rain. It was so cold. I felt my body and it was completely dry. Not even a droplet of sweat could be felt.

  “Why did you wake me?” I groaned, my voice groggy from sleep. I wanted to be back there in my dream. To wherever I was. There was a sense of home to where I had just been.

  “We're here.” She slumped back in her seat and threw her long hair up into a ponytail.

  “Oh.” I sat up in my seat and rubbed the sand away from my eyes. I could hardly focus on anything as each image blurred into the next but then I saw it. The welcome sign to my new life. A life that I wasn't quite ready for. A life that was so unlike the one before it.

  Welcome to Shadow Heights, Gateway to the Black Pines. How strange? I thought privately about their name. I wonder who came up with that one. Flashes of images coursed through my mind. A forest. Pine trees. Crows. Lightning. Him. I gasped as it all rushed back. The sweet smell of him intermingled in my senses. The earthy scent of trees all around us and the metallic hint of fresh rain.

  What had been taken from me was suddenly recalled with vivid detail, like it was a personal memory of my own life. While we turned down Main Street, I couldn't help but wonder. Who was he? Was any of it real? Would I ever see him again or was it all a silly dream? I couldn't recall a single dream in my life that had felt so vivid, so real. I knew it had to be important but I could not explain why. Dreams are meaningless anyway, right? I mean, that's at least what the experts tell us. It's just an activity that keeps our minds busy while we're asleep. To be honest, I never quite believed that and still don't to this day.

  But even so, as I sat there in the back seat, trying to drown out the oldies song blasting from the car stereo, I wondered if there was deeper truth in dreams—a hidden message that was truly meant for us. We just had to have the brains to figure it out or care enough to want to.

  I sighed in disappointment, however right I wanted to be in that moment. To stare once again into those dark eyes that infected me so. I could feel our car lessening its speed and my attention returned to reality.

  Our new house sprang into view. It sat alone a couple blocks ahead towering over the township, watching over it like a soldier.

  It was in that moment that I knew my change was coming. No, correction. It was already here. I was beginning a new chapter in my life and there was no going back. The life I once knew was never to return. What had I gotten myself into? I hated change and I was frightened of the future so what was I doing here, in this place. Shut up Mina. I had no time to dwell in regret.

  The fact was, I did make the decision to move here when I had the option to stay back home. There was something about the name Shadow Heights that called to me and there was no way I was going to leave my sister alone with my parents. Within a week, she'd be calling me begging me to move. So why prolong what was destined to be? Yes, it was destiny but in that moment I didn't believe it was part of some “higher” plan. I didn't even believe in the idea of destiny. That is why I must start at the beginning for you to understand. Back to when it all began.

  Chapter Two

  It was a scorching day, in the prime of summer, and my family was packed into our car like sardines with overflowing boxes of priceless trinkets all around us. The air conditioning struggled to weave through the clutter but it was of little comfort while the sun’s rays beamed in through my window. My skin had already turned pink and tiny brown freckles were popping out all over my arms. I loathed the heat and secretly dreamed of living some place cold like Alaska.

  Shadow Heights was a small farm town conveniently located in the middle of nowhere with a population of around 2,000 but somehow, it didn’t live up to my expectations. From first glance, it seemed perfect, in fact it was almost too perfect but nothing had any real character. There was no wear and tear, or decrepit old houses like I was expecting—but brand new everything. The town was completely modern. It had a busy business district with even a few shops I could see myself shopping in. From the newly remodeled buildings to the carefully crafted patterns of walkways, this town hadn’t lost a step since the technological revolution took over. It seemed to be running on a life force of its own, with a continuous stream of cars flocking in and out of town.

  There was a great sense of community here, where everyone knew each other and was willing to help their fellow man, even if that meant hiding each other’s secrets. Needless to say, I knew I would have a hard time fitting in here. I had a hard time fitting in anywhere. I always felt alien to the outside world, like I
didn't quite belong.

  My parents made the decision to uproot us all to this small town when my dad accepted the position of Shadow Height’s chief fiscal officer, whatever that was. I knew it had to do with money but I didn’t know what his daily duties were exactly. I do know that this new job had plenty of perks, including a house donated by the city and plenty of bonuses to entice us in. How could my parents ever resist such an offer?

  I had just graduated high school a few weeks before and was unsure about my plans for the future. I felt like the only person in my class who didn't have it all figured out. Most were going to continue on their path like a formula—go to college, obtain a degree, make money, meet someone, fall in love, get married, buy a house, have children and let them repeat the same vicious cycle you just completed. But that kind of life wasn't for me. Maybe it was my rebellious nature but I didn't want to follow along with the rest of society and prescribe to the “American Dream” as our great rulers expect us to do. As soon as you graduate, you're expected to know your path in life but for me, I was still questioning things.

  I wasn't even sure college was for me but I fell in line like most people my age, bowing down to my parents' authority but inside I was screaming. I hated myself for doing it, for agreeing to a life that I did not desire for myself. So here I was, following along like a lost sheep trying to keep up with the herd. I wish I had the confidence to say what I wanted but I chose my parents' dream instead, trying to be the perfect daughter they needed me to be.

  In reality, I had just spent the last eighteen years of my life having others tell me what life was all about and what kind of person I should be but I wanted to be my own person and figure out the world for myself. So when the opportunity came to move to a town called Shadow Heights, I had to take a chance. Call it intuition or call it coincidence, something inside of me told me not to say no and move there. It was as if something was calling for me to enter. I had never been a person for change so you could imagine the shock I was feeling when everything actually started happening. When that last box was placed in the moving truck and the door slammed shut, I knew that nothing would ever be the same. Now hours later, my legs were still shaking against the floor of the car.