Realm of Shadows Trilogy

by Linda McNabb

  ‘That’s fine, but the rest of you should go, but not too far away. Just stay around the servants and listen to what they’re saying, then come back and we should have the copy done.’

  **

  He felt as if he had been run over by a wagon and six horses then dragged through a few bushes for good measure. Neras told a different story but the result seemed almost the same. Seth knew he had come as close to dying as was likely possible and he did not wish to experience it again. His limbs still felt heavy and sluggish but the light touch of the young boy’s hand sent waves of healing energy through his arm. He did not deserve such attention after what he had done but the desire to live stopped him from sending Caden away.

  The last thing he remembered was needing to save Rem from the arrow. She didn’t appear to be too grateful for his efforts but he knew he had done a lot wrong as well.

  The memory of jumping from the hill to the road also niggled at him. Had he really done something akin to magic? Could he do it again? He barely had the energy to lift his head yet so any experiments in that direction would have to wait for some considerable time.

  Rem and the strangers had gone out a few minutes ago and he had been left alone to rest with just Caden sitting by him.

  ‘They’re going to make the copy now,’ Neras said walking slightly away from Seth to join Eagan and Waide. The young wizard had not left his side since he woke and Seth was grateful. Even if nobody else could see Neras it felt like he had a friend. Seth watched as Neras crossed the room. Something was definitely different about him. Then it struck him. The wizard wasn’t limping.

  ‘How does your friend walk like that?’ Caden asked, following Seth’s gaze. ‘It looks like he is floating.’

  Seth’s head snapped back to look at Caden so suddenly that he felt something in his neck crack.

  ‘You can see Neras?’ Seth asked, far too loudly.

  Neras spun at those words and was back at Seth’s side in a blink of an eye. ‘He can see me? Can he hear me too?’

  Caden just smiled and nodded.

  ‘Caden, can you come over here for a minute?’ Waide asked. ‘We’re going to play a game.’

  Caden let go of Seth’s arm and jumped up then hurried over to join his big brother. ‘What sort of game? I like games.’

  Seth watched him go. The child thought nothing of hearing and seeing wizards and nothing seemed to bother him. If Seth had been able to choose the gift he was born with he would have chosen Caden’s one even though it meant a short life. And it seemed it could even be cured!

  ‘We’re going to make a friend for you,’ Eagan said, making an x sign on the ground and directing Caden to stand on it.

  Caden smiled and waited patiently without asking any further questions. Such innocent trust. Seth was envious.

  Seth felt sleepy again and fought to remain awake so he could watch but he let his eyes close for a few seconds and when he opened them there were two Cadens in the stable.

  ‘They look exactly alike,’ Waide said and he sounded worried. ‘How will we know which is the real one.’

  ‘The copy will fade in the moonlight,’ Eagan replied but nodded. ‘Yes, I see how it might cause problems.’

  Eagan picked up a few strands of straw and deftly wove them into a thin band that he then tied around the right wrist of the boy that stood on the x scratched into the dirt.

  ‘There, the real Caden is wearing the band,’ he said, smiling at the children.

  Neither Caden nor the copy had moved but they looked at each other and then at Eagan and Waide.

  ‘Can we go and play?’ the copy asked. They stepped closer to each other and walked around each other with matching delighted grins.

  Seth’s eyebrows rose at how much the copy sounded like the real child. Even now Seth couldn’t tell which was which without looking for the band. He could still feel the waves of energy helping him recover so it didn’t seem that Caden had to be touching him.

  ‘I guess so, but stay inside,’ Waide replied.

  Seth propped himself up and watched the two young boys rush off to play in the stacks of hay in the corner.

  **

  Chapter Seventeen - Well of Life

  Rem kept her hood up as she joined some servants heading to the kitchen gardens. The morning sun was half way up the sky now and the air was warming quickly.

  ‘We need tubers and salads for the evening meal,’ the lady in front said loudly as she opened the gate that fenced off the garden. ‘The masters have given us a year’s wages as a leaving present so we need to give them the best dinner they’ve ever had.’

  Rem selected a row and began to dig up the long tubers. Nobody spoke as they worked and Rem was disappointed as it didn’t look as if she was going to learn anything here. She was about to sneak away when she saw Mayala walking towards the building with Jex trailing a few paces behind. Her route would take her close to the garden and Rem paused to watch the woman who claimed to be her mother. She looked nice enough but Rem knew that nobody could be trusted, even mothers it seemed.

  ‘Mayala,’ a voice called out and Rem saw Kranos walk slowly over to join her.

  Rem tried to keep digging as she stared. She had seen Kranos earlier in the day but she hadn’t known who he was back then. He had seemed keen to find her but she felt no desire to reveal her presence to him. She did not know him nor did she trust him either.

  ‘Has there been any sign of the boy yet?’ Kranos asked. ‘I don’t know how he managed to wander off before you got there.’

  ‘He is with one of the ladies. He will be at the bridge ready to go when you are,’ Mayala assured him.

  Kranos sighed with relief. ‘That’s good. Our kin are desperate for the life he can give. Without it we will all surely die within a few short years.’ He paused and scuffed at the grass. ‘I still don’t think we should go without Arianna.’

  ‘Perhaps the cats will find her today and return with her?’ Mayala suggested with a hint of hope in her voice.

  Rem scowled and tugged hard on a tuber. How could she sound so sincere while lying?

  ‘I hope so,’ Kranos said as they walked almost out of Rem’s hearing. ‘I’d do anything; give anything, just to see her again.’

  He paused, and then added. ‘Mayala dear, I’ve been feeling a bit odd this morning. Can you bring the boy to me? I think I may need some of the life he can give as all the cats are out searching.’

  ‘Of course,’ Mayala said with a nod.

  Kranos walked off and Rem was sure she saw a smirk on her mother’s face then heard her mutter to Jex. ‘Hah, he’ll never know what hit him when the poison spreads through him.’

  Poison? Her mother had poisoned her father? Rem tried to work out why Mayala would do such a thing and what she hoped to gain from it. She tried to feel sympathy for her father, but it was as if she had heard that a stranger was ill. There was nothing, just the feeling of an injustice done.

  The rest of the garden party stood to leave and Rem followed them so as not to stand out but she slipped away as soon as they moved off. She wandered the grounds and rooms inside the building for a while, not hearing anything else of interest, and then headed back to the stable.

  Rem looked at the band on the real Caden’s wrist. All she had to do was swap the band to the other boy and she could save her father. Perhaps she could take Caden to him, heal him, then hurry back to swap the band again before handing him over. She played with the knot on the band and looked horrified when she realised she had already undone it. She tied it again, shocked at herself. How could she risk Caden’s life for the sake of a man she did not even remember?

  The rest of the day passed uneventfully, and Rem even found it a little boring to hang around just waiting. She was relieved when the sun finally began to set.

  ‘It’s near dusk,’ Waide said, opening the barn door and looking up over the top of the wall to The Gap.

  ‘I’ll take him now,’ Rem said. She kept herself as emotionless as po
ssible. She did not like her kin, but she did not much like those she had spent the last year with either. All of them had betrayed her. ‘Caden. Come with me.’

  Both young boys hurried over to her and smiled so sweetly that she felt a tug at her heart. She might be handing over a copy of a real person, but he certainly looked real right now. She checked for the band to make sure she took the right boy. The knot was almost undone and she tightened it. She must have left it loose when she undid it earlier. She took the hand of the other boy and left the barn.

  Nobody stopped her as she walked slowly over to the kitchen door where they had entered the building last night. It was the only way to the bridge that she knew. They made their way through rooms and corridors. Everyone smiled at the copy of Caden as they passed and some reached out to touch him. It appeared he had become very popular in his short time in the house. In a few minutes they reached the wide stairs that led to the bridge room.

  Rem paused as she entered the room as she had expected a crowd to be gathered to farewell them. There were only two people, and a dozen night-shadows. Her father leaned heavily on the wall and looked quite ill. Mayala did not even acknowledge Rem’s arrival.

  ‘Ah, the boy is here. He will restore my health,’ Kranos said, looking relieved. ‘The cats used almost all of theirs out searching today and cannot give me any.’

  ‘I will take the child. We cannot risk the bridge closing before we get him across,’ Mayala said, striding over and taking Caden’s hand.

  Rem realised what her mother was doing. She planned to leave her husband behind without enough strength to follow her.

  ‘But dear…’ Kranos argued.

  Mayala had thrown open the doors and stood waiting for the bridge. As it appeared she stepped onto it and in a single heartbeat she was out of sight. The fake Caden did not make a sound, nor did he turn back to wave goodbye, he was just gone. The night-shadows raced out the door after her until there was just one left. It waited for Kranos to walk over then stepped to the edge of the bridge.

  A breeze blew in from the door and Rem’s hood fell back. Kranos looked over at her in shock. He recognised her in an instant and collapsed to the floor as he tried to walk over to her.

  ‘Arianna, you are back!’ he looked delighted despite his obvious pain. ‘Help me up.’

  Rem knew she should just run but she needed to make sure he left by the bridge. Surely his own kin would be able to heal him. She walked quickly over and helped him stand up.

  ‘I have no memory of you,’ she said simply. ‘I am no longer your daughter.’

  ‘Of course you are,’ Kranos said as a tear slipped down one cheek.

  Rem frowned. Was it pain or joy that caused the tear?’

  ‘Come with me. I have just enough strength to get us across the bridge.’

  ‘I am not like you,’ Rem pointed out. ‘I do not possess any magic nor am I a wizard. That is why mother sent me away.’

  Kranos looked shocked for a second. ‘She did what? I knew you had no magic. I did all your magic for you when you were little. Nobody ever needed to know. I had enough for us both. Then one day you just vanished.’

  Rem was speechless. Her father knew all along and accepted her as she was?

  ‘Come with me,’ he repeated. ‘We have only a few heartbeats left before the bridge is gone.’

  Kranos stepped to the edge of the room. The night-shadow stood to one side of him and Rem stood on the other.

  ‘I cannot make it across on my own.’ Kranos touched her hair. ‘I like what you’ve done with your hair…’

  Rem felt her anger fade away. She took her father’s arm and stepped out with him as the night-shadow leapt out ahead of them. Her foot touched he bridge and she felt herself propelled through the air as a feeling of joy and belonging flooded through her. She was home. As the world flew past she glanced up and saw two dragons in the distance. One white and one black. With a pang of regret she remembered StarFire but it was too late and she was gone.

  **

  Seth wished he could have gone with Rem but he still didn’t have much strength, despite Caden sitting nearby.

  ‘I should go as a backup in case she needs help,’ Waide said not long after Rem had gone. ‘Can I trust you to look after Caden?’

  Seth nodded and looked embarrassed.

  Eagan had already gone outside to pace out his nervousness. He had wanted to go with Rem but she had refused.

  ‘Caden, stay here and play until I get back,’ Waide told his little brother. Caden grinned and ran after a mouse that scuttled along the back of the stable.

  Seth let his eyes close as a wave of exhaustion washed over him. Shouldn’t he be feeling better with Caden so close?

  ‘Seth!’

  Seth’s eyes flicked open. Who had called him? He looked around the dimly lit stables but nobody was looking his way. Caden was playing near the open door and Asher and Tal looked to be packing up to leave. Asher picked up a bag and threw it on the wagon.

  ‘We’ll take the wagon and meet you out beyond the main gate. We shouldn’t all leave at the same time or it would look suspicious. We’ll take Caden.’

  Seth had no idea what Asher was talking about and just nodded. He would tell Eagan when he returned.

  ‘Seth!’

  It was a different voice this time but as he heard it again he realised it was more in his mind than spoken out loud.

  ‘It is MoonFlame,’ Neras said, jumping up and running towards the door, but was stopped by the fact the staff was still beside Seth. ‘And StarFire.’

  ‘StarFire?’ Seth asked. ‘Is that Rem’s dragon? And both dragons are here?’

  Neras nodded. ‘Can you walk? We need to see what is going on. The dragons sound angry!’

  ‘Dragons?’ Asher said, overhearing Seth and looking alarmed. ‘You are wizards, and have dragons as well?’

  Asher and Tal were already on the wagon and Caden was climbing up to join them as Seth struggled to stand. They made no attempt to help him and Asher flicked the reins to move the horse forward. Asher cast one more suspicious glance in Seth’s direction and headed off into the gloom of the evening.

  ‘Come on, come on,’ Neras urged as Seth made his way slowly to the door then stopped to lean on the frame to rest.

  Eagan came hurrying over from the darkness near the wall. He stared after the wagon and then at Seth. ‘Where are they going?’

  ‘They took Caden and said they will meet us outside the gate,’ Seth said, leaning his head on the frame as well. It felt too heavy for his neck to support.

  Eagan looked up in the sky. ‘Darius tells me the dragons have arrived. They are nearby.’

  ‘Yes,’ Seth agreed. ‘And angry too but I don’t know why.’

  ‘Let me help you. We will find Rem and Waide on the way out and leave as quickly as possible. Can you tell the dragons to meet us outside the gates? It would bring too much attention if they land in here.’

  Seth nodded and thought the instruction, hoping that MoonFlame could still hear his thoughts now that they weren’t bonded. A roar of anger came back in reply and he blinked at the ferociousness of it. What had made her so angry?

  ‘I can help Seth recover a little if you want? He won’t make it out on foot. Asher should have taken him in the wagon.’

  Seth heard Darius offer to help and Eagan looked surprised but nodded. A muttered word sent a fresh breeze washing over him and he drew in a deep breath and felt his energy seep back slowly.

  ‘It is not much, and won’t last, but it will help.’

  Seth nodded his thanks to the wizard and Darius frowned as Seth looked directly at him. Seth didn’t have the energy or the time to explain that he could see the wizard all the time now and followed Eagan along the lane.

  They had only taken a dozen paces across the lawn when Waide came hurrying towards them. He wasn’t even attempting to blend in and Eagan began to berate him but one look at the boy’s face stopped him.

  ‘Rem… She’s
gone!’ he said, sucking in deep breaths as if having run all the way from the bridge-room.

  ‘Gone? Gone where?’ Seth demanded.

  ‘To the gate?’ Eagan asked hopefully but his expression said he didn’t believe it for a minute.

  ‘You never told me the wizards were her parents!’ Waide accused Eagan.

  Seth’s eyes opened wide and he heard Neras gasp in surprise. Rem’s parents were wizards… and she was gone? His brain refused to accept it and he shook his head. He regretted the action instantly as his head swam and he almost toppled over.

  ‘I didn’t know until today,’ Eagan said with a sigh. ‘So she left with them?’

  Waide nodded and looked confused still. ‘Just as I arrived, the woman took the copy of Caden then Rem left with her father.’

  ‘Ah well, it’s probably best she is back with her family,’ Eagan said, nodding, but it was obvious he was thinking through what problems might arise from this new turn of events.

  ‘Where is Caden?’ Waide demanded, as he flicked his gaze over to the open doors of the empty stable. He glared at Seth. ‘I told you to look after him.’

  ‘Asher is waiting outside the gate with him,’ Eagan said, and the grim line of his mouth said he wasn’t happy that the man had left without them.

  They hurried through the grounds and found the gate unguarded. It appeared that now the wizards were gone, the entire building was in the process of being abandoned. People with large packs were trailing out the gate but nobody appeared unhappy or upset.

  Up ahead they could see the wagon, but it wasn’t waiting, it was trundling down the dark road as fast as the horse could go.

  ‘Caden!’ Waide shouted as he began to sprint after the wagon.

  Seth knew he had no chance of running after it and slowed to a stop just outside the gate.

  ‘I can stop the wagon if you want,’ Darius said, drifting forward as far as he could.

  ‘If only I could help too,’ Neras said with a sigh.

  ‘If you would, please, Darius’ Eagan said, gripping the staff firmly and looking furious.

  ‘Stop!’