Shadow Assassins (The Second Realm Trilogy)

by Vazquez, Melissa

  “This genocide of his will end,” she growled, her voice guttural and distorted. “You tell your cowardly king to stop attacking innocent people.”

  Before he could reply, she slashed at his chest. The metal buckled and tore open as if it was made of cloth. Her deadly claws raked bare skin. Feeling that her message had been successfully delivered, she dropped the man to the ground as though he was garbage. The arrogant soldier had been instantly reduced to a weeping, pleading coward scrambling in the dirt as he tried to get away from her. Blood marked his trail but he didn’t seem to notice the fact that the wound on his chest was open and weeping with him.

  She raised an arm up and pointed at the other men on horseback. “The same goes for you cowards. King Emeralde’s genocide will end. You men are not men at all, but cowards for attacking the innocent people who live here. No more. Your reign of terror is no more. Now leave this village.”

  The man she had attacked found another horse to ride, a plowing horse that had escaped a villager’s barn. Struggling on the untrained horse, he led his men out of the village, still reduced to weeping in fear.

  The woman called Dante watched them leave. As they exited the village’s city walls, she felt the strength leave her. In the same red glow as before, her wings folded up and disappeared seemingly into nowhere, as if they had never been. Her face settled back into a normal human face, albeit one with a scar running through the left side. She collapsed onto the dirt ground, dirtying her torn, bloodstained white dress further.

  One man came up to her, a black wolf at his side. Glancing down at her with bright blue eyes, he shook his head. “Dante, you push yourself too far.”

  “She has a point,” said the wolf beside him, in a deep, rumbling voice that wasn’t spoken physically so much as mentally. “This genocide has to end somehow.”

  “I know. I just don’t know how.”

  

  In the aftermath of the village raid by King Emeralde's men, the village was now ruined. Stone houses were in ruin and there had been a fire in the morning, the flames creating a hellish light as the sun rose. The remnants of the house that had been ablaze were now charred wood, stone and ash. The smell of burning wood still permeated the air, thick and acrid, joining with the unpleasant, cloying scent of the fallen who lay dead on the dirt.

  It was within the dirt that Dante found herself waking up from. Her head felt as though a horse had kicked it. She knew better than to assume that, though. There had been no horse injury, but a transformation. The massive headache and general feeling of nausea were always a companion after she woke up in her normal human form once more.

  She hadn’t planned on transforming but the situation had awakened her demon form. It always itched for a fight, no matter how hard she tried to control it. Little had been mentioned about her heritage, but even she knew angel-demon hybrids such as herself were rare. Her angelic side was even rarer, if she truly did have one. It was always that demon form itching to fight, itching to kill, wanting the violence she tried so hard to avoid.

  As she stood up, she saw her friend Dimitri next to her, watching her with his ever patient gaze. He had been the one to tell her about the raid they had traveled to. He had wanted to help people escape.

  “Are you okay?” he asked in a gentle voice as she sat up fully.

  “I’m okay...just a headache.” her announcement was of no shocking news to her companion.

  He helped her stand. “People are trying to gather the dead.”

  She looked around. The villagers who had stayed behind had tried to gather those who had fallen, but there were already too many people who had fled and not enough to help clean up. The agony on their faces was unbearable. Dimitri made it clear that he wanted to stay but she insisted that they leave. It was only after he reluctantly acknowledged her that they moved from their spot.

  The village entrance had been destroyed in the chaos of the raid, with overturned carriages and crumbling stone wall remnants blocking the way. Dante, Dimitri and their wolf companion headed to the side of the village wall that wasn’t crumbled, the one that people were using to climb over and escape. Once they had made their way to the top, Dante paused. Perched on the stone wall that surrounded the village, she watched people make their exit, some crying over those who had been killed. There was no time for death rituals or even to mourn for their loved ones. Those knights wouldn't be kept away for long.

  She watched absently as her male companion and his wolf helped people get to the wall. Dimitri was always helpful, even when they were short on time. They weren't supposed to be here, now. They should have left already but Dimitri would insist on helping all of those who needed help.

  The wolf glanced at her, as if sensing her impatience. “We need to move.”

  “I can't leave until they're all safe, Moonshadow,” Dimitri said, stubbornly.

  “You are kind, but you do not have the luxury of time. Those knights will be back. We should have been back at Moonriver Academy already.”

  Dimitri heaved a heavy sigh. It was clear that he didn't want to leave, but he glanced back towards the wall, where Dante waited. “Alright.”

  The three made their escape. Dimitri showed his distaste in leaving, but he followed as Dante and his black wolf ran ahead of them. There was a field where they had left their horses. In all the chaos that had followed, the horses could have been stolen, for all they knew. Luckily, the horses were still where they had been left, in an abandoned barn. The property had not been inhabited for a lengthy amount of time and nature had taken over what was once farming land. They snuck into the barn and freed their horses, mounting and riding out of the area. The great black wolf ran beside them, able to keep up with the two horses with ease, even as they ran through grass that was taller than he was.

  The journey back to the Moonriver Academy for the Supernaturally Gifted was shorter on horseback. Dante and Dimitri were silent. Dimitri’s mind was still focused on all the terrified people now without homes. The raids were becoming more common and they were hitting closer to their school. King Emeralde’s men, dubbed the Emeralde army or the Emeralde knights, depending on who was speaking, were ferocious. On glistening armor and strong horseback, the men raided town after town, weeding out those who were supernaturally gifted, as Dimitri and his other schoolmates had been taught the term was called. To the King’s supporters, the supernaturally gifted were just scum, lower than the lowest servant, to be arrested and put on trial for crimes they didn't commit. Once the guilty verdict had been given, all of the falsely accused would be put to death.

  The thing the King didn’t seem to understand was that his kingdom only stretched so far. His knights raided far beyond the walls of his protected castle and the lands he ruled over. There were no other kingdoms to interfere or any united army to stand against the armored knights on horseback. Colonies of different creatures kept to themselves, from the colony of elves in their forest-city of Oraldine to the werecat tribe right outside the kingdom walls. They protected their own. The werecat tribe Kkyathi was especially good at defending their homeland, or at least that’s what Dimitri had heard. He shuddered to think of the kind of war they waged against the armored men.

  As the three came back into Moonriver territory, they saw the great castle that was their school. Giant-sized stones made up a surrounding wall. Inside the wall were several tents and stands, most closed up for the night until classes in the morning brought people outside. The castle itself stood prominently behind the tents, towering over the stretches of cloth and wood. There were at least four stories that made up the castle, each housing both the teaching staff and the students. Several circular towers stretched up from the stone architecture, reaching for the skies with their towering heights and waving flags. Stretches of majestic purple cloth hung from the towers, advocating Moonriver Academy as the brilliant place it was, a neutral territory where all magical creatures could gather and learn not only the origin of the Second Realm, but various mythologi
es, spells and of the different species that inhabited the castle. Each flag that the castle waved reflected the neutrality and feeling of union. Dimitri recognized the Oraldine flag of gentle blues and greens and the Kkyathi flag of bright oranges and reds. Several other flags waved at their posts around the castle, each belonging to a different magical species and tribe. Most prominent was the Moonriver banner, of a large, silver crescent moon on a deep purple background.

  The morning was still early, much too early for the general student population to be awake. It was crucial to return the horses to the main stable before anyone saw. Dante and Dimitri worked quickly to deposit the horses and return to their separate dormitories. Males and females were separated, although all magical creatures were thrown together. The only species separated were the weres, once a month. Werewolves and werecats, the most common two of the were species, were taken out to the nearby forest for their monthly transformation.

  The school was an alarming place to learn about the different magical species, sometimes. Fights broke out commonly, especially among Dimitri’s kind. Immortals loved a good fight. Human in shape and structure, they were able to summon swords and shields out of nothing more than pure energy, magic itself. Dimitri took no joy in fighting, unlike his fellow Immortal students. Moonshadow, his familiar, took pleasure in this. Every Immortal had a familiar, or an animal guide present with them. It was a familiar’s job to teach their Immortal student everything they were to know about their powers, such as weapons summoning, but as they were in a school where this was taught by others, the familiar’s role changed. As a result, Moonshadow was Dimitri’s guide and guardian, looking out for the gentle boy as a parent or sibling would. The two were never apart.

  Dante didn’t have that kind of companionship. She watched boy and wolf head to their wing of the castle, almost envious of the relationship they had. She was an outcast among most of the students, her hybrid lineage to blame. More than once, she had gotten out of hand, her demonic side wanting to come out and do what her angelic side could not take action for. Despite the call for unity and tolerance among the supernaturally gifted, the myriad of elves, mages, Immortals and even vampires all despised demons. Demons didn’t last long here. Dante was only half-demon, but that was enough for her to have to endure the same kind of treatment, from everyone except for a select few and most were the teaching staff here.

  As she headed back to her dormitory, she thought over why she stayed here. It was only because of Dirk that she even bothered to keep up her studies. She hated that vampire at first. Both a history teacher and part of the council that kept the school running, Dirk had always been surrounded by female students vying for his attention. For some reason, he fixated on Dante, without her having asked him to. He took an interest in her safety and her studies and she didn’t know why. She would also never admit it to him directly, but she was thankful for how he pushed her to keep going, despite how she was always one of the oldest people in her classes or how the others treated her for being half-demon. His belief in her was the only confidence she had in herself, sometimes.

  Dirk had recently said he had to take care of some business on the First Realm, or “normal Earth” as it was called. He wouldn’t tell her what it was when she asked. She could only hope that he would be back soon. It just wasn’t the same around here without him.

  Chapter Three

  The First Realm, normal Earth,

  Moonlight Hills

  Two days had passed by quickly. The Shadow Assassins kept themselves busy with their normal duties. Kaydee stopped by Midnight Manor, the central home of the Order of the Moonlight and alerted one of the Council of Ten that the Shadow Assassins would be unavailable for assistance while they were on assignment. Kaydee was always the representative of the Shadow Assassins, when it came to needing someone who wasn’t confrontational. She was also the only one who wasn’t thoroughly creeped out by the Council of Ten, the ten male and female vampires that ran the daily affairs of the vampire coven they dealt with. The Council of Ten were no ordinary vampires. With higher authority than the rest of the sophisticated, arrogant vampires that took residence in the manor, the Council had little patience to deal with humans. Humans were beneath them, or so they said. Despite the bad attitude, the Council of Ten were also rumored to have powers beyond what the other citizens within the Order possessed. Dark powers. As the least confrontational of the group, Kaydee was their go-to ambassador between the Assassins and the Council.

  Now Kaydee stood with her four companions in the same uniform that the others were. Like Evangeline, she wore a form fitting black tank top, but she wore black jeans like Kaleb. The dark uniform made more sense at night, when the dark clothing would give them more camouflage in the city. Evangeline and the men insisted on sleeveless shirts for mobility, despite how it left their arms uncovered.

  Beside Kaleb, Marco had traded his jeans for worn cargo pants similar to Evangeline’s. He was stuffing the many pockets full of weapons. Evangeline was doing the same. Unlike her companions, Kaydee wasn’t pocketing knives or other bladed weapons. While the city had been founded by vampires, there was still a human police force to deal with, so the team tried not to fight with weapons like guns that made noise or could leave evidence behind. Of course, guns didn’t stop rogue vampires as neatly as a silver knife did, so they tended to favor the blade over the bullet. That was, except for Marco, who preferred the bullet over anything else.

  Kaydee didn’t see how he could carry a gun as though it were just another part of his uniform. She abhorred violence thoroughly. Ironic, considering what her co-workers did, but she didn’t usually fight. She was usually busy playing nurse, as the healer of the group. When she did fight, she usually restrained, instead of injuring. Violence turned her stomach. The most she carried on her in terms of weaponry was a silver-bladed pocket knife and that was more for utility than it was combat.

  She felt the stare of Dirk the vampire on her as the others gathered weapons from the large fire proof weapons safe the doctor kept in a large room of Fyrn manor. They’d had to wait for him to arrive after nightfall. Pesky vampire nature, he called it, having to avoid the daylight. It wasn’t a problem in the Second Realm, apparently, where his classrooms were sheltered from the sun and he could be most active at night. In the First Realm, however, he had to wait until nightfall to join the Assassins, where he stood beside them, watching.

  “You aren’t arming yourself?” he asked her, his voice curious and polite.

  She smiled nervously. “I don’t fight like they do.”

  “Do you know what kind of threat we might face?” Kaleb asked, his chameleon eyes reflecting gray once again, this time from the darkness of his shirt.

  “Little to none,” Dirk replied, his gaze skipping over to the shape shifter. “Don’t worry, you’re in good hands with me. I will open a portal to Moonriver Academy, the school I teach at. The students there may be rowdy, but when you’re with me, they will respect you enough to keep away. King Emeralde’s knights haven’t reached our happy home yet, so there won’t be any fighting. This is, as I mentioned, just a preview of where you will be staying.”

  Kaleb nodded, but he didn’t seem any more relaxed than before. “We arm ourselves wherever we’re going. Doesn’t mean we don’t trust you, it just means that we’re being careful.”

  Dirk nodded as well. He glanced over at Marco, who had picked up a handgun. “Oh, I suppose I should warn you that your modern weaponry doesn’t work as well over in the Second Realm.”

  Marco paused in loading the handgun he held. “It doesn’t?”

  The vampire shook his head and settled back against the wall. “No. The Second Realm was created with what is known as the Rule of Absolute Separation. This means that certain things, like weaponry from the modern age and general technology will not work according to what you are accustomed to. Your weapon will misfire and injure your companions before it will shoot an enemy. In the case that you get it to work well, no one m
akes ammunition for weapons like guns in the Second Realm, so once you're out, you'll have a blunt object to injure with at your disposal, rather than a long-range weapon.”

  Marco frowned and put the gun back into the safe it had come out of. “Thanks for the advanced warning.”

  Kaleb looked over at the vampire again. “So I guess things like walkie-talkies and cell phones are also out of the question?”

  Dirk let out a small laugh that was still polite, even though it was directly aimed at Kaleb. “Yes. There is no cellular service in the Second Realm, after all and as for walkie-talkies, they follow the same Rule of Absolute Separation. Any foreign object coming in from the First Realm, or this world, will not be able to function properly, if it is mechanical or requires electricity. There’s a theory that states that, with all the magical energy in the Second Realm, most electronics are fried upon entry. There is, however, no real evidence to prove such a theory.”

  Evangeline closed one of the many pockets on her cargo pants and faced Dirk. “So what’s a portal?”

  Dirk answered her question as the four Shadow Assassins and Dr. Fyrn followed him outside the manor. He had asked for a spot where no curious eyes could be watching them, so the doctor led everyone to a spot outside the manor, near where a cluster of trees led into a forest, on the manor’s vast acreage. Dr. Fyrn lit up the darkness around them with a small camping lantern he held. The light bounced as they walked, creating moving shadows that followed them.

  “Portals are doorways between here and the Second Realm. Normal humans with no magical powers cannot open these portals. Even if someone else opened the portal for them, normal humans cannot cross over. Again, the Rule of Absolute Separation at work. The Second Realm was created by and is inhabited by those who have magic in their blood. Because of this, the four of you can cross over with me, but the good doctor...”