Realm of Shadows Trilogy

by Linda McNabb

  Rem was dragged back to the present moment by another squeal from Sufi. Without realising it, Rem had taken hold of her own pendant and it too was glowing with the now familiar words.

  Rem couldn’t clear her head to think straight. Had her memories started to return? Would there be more coming soon? How had she made the pendant glow? A small movement out of the corner of her eye made her flick her gaze to the door and she saw her father’s red cloak vanish out of sight. Well, that explained the glowing pendant.

  ‘We never talked after I left,’ Rem said softly as she watched the words fade from the pendant. She was guessing but a nagging feeling told her it was true.

  ‘I suppose they couldn’t work across the ocean so far away,’ Sufi said, grinning and seeming quite satisfied with the explanation. ‘I was so upset for a long time. I thought you had forgotten me!’

  ‘Me, forget you?’ Rem queried. How could anyone entirely forget Sufi? Perhaps that was why it was the one thing to remain tugging at her after she lost her memory. Instinctively making her touch the pendant whenever she was lonely or afraid.

  ‘You’ve changed a lot while you were gone,’ Sufi commented, looking up at the small part of the tattoo that was visible under the headdress. ‘Is that short hair and painting on your skin something they do on Delantia?’

  ‘Short hair is a lot easier to look after and the… painting… is a mark of a lifelong friendship bond. It is a custom.’

  Sufi looked startled for a second as if her own lifelong friendship with Rem was in jeopardy. She looked sad as she asked. ‘You have a new friend?’

  ‘It’s not like that. He’s different…’

  ‘Oh, a boy!’ Sufi exclaimed. ‘I see.’

  Rem forced a frown away. Why would she assume she had a special boy back in Delantia? She didn’t argue though as the misunderstanding suited her purpose in many ways and it also meant she didn’t have to do any more explaining. She supposed StarFire was a boy of sorts, just not one that Sufi would understand.

  ‘Is it Seth?’ Sufi asked suddenly.

  Rem stared at the girl. How had she known about Seth?

  ‘I came to bring you the dress this morning but you were still sleeping. You called for him in your sleep. Do you miss him?’ Sufi asked, leaning in close and whispering.

  ‘I… guess so,’ Rem said and felt uncomfortable with the sudden closeness. ‘I never really got to say goodbye.’

  ‘Really?’ Sufi pulled back and looked surprised. ‘That’s no good. There must be a way to fix that.’

  ‘Perhaps I could go back for just a while?’ Rem suggested, astonished that the conversation was heading exactly where she wanted it to go. ‘I don’t suppose you know of a way?’

  Sufi grinned and winked. ‘I’m sure I can arrange it, but you’ll need some of that plentiful supply of magic that your father brought back.’

  ‘I think I can manage that,’ Rem replied, nodding and trying not to grin too much.

  ‘You should go soon. You can’t leave him wondering why you didn’t say goodbye.’

  Rem simply nodded.

  ‘Meet me down at the bridge hall tomorrow just before sunset. I’m sure we can convince the bridge master, Master Kyran, if you offer him enough magic. Just make sure nobody knows about it. I don’t imagine the older folks would understand about you missing a human. What are they like?’

  ‘A lot like us really just without magic,’ Rem replied. The conversation was going in a dangerous direction now and she wanted to steer it away - quickly. ‘So, sunset tomorrow?’

  Sufi looked up suddenly and seemed a little annoyed. ‘Mother is calling.’

  Rem strained to hear but there was nothing but the occasional gust of wind moving a curtain at the far end of the room. Sufi smiled as she touched her long blonde hair where it escaped the large headdress. ‘I like your short hair, Arianna. Remember - be there at sunset.’

  And with a brief hug, that Rem had no time to react to, Sufi was gone. She streamed out the door in a flowing motion that appeared entirely impossible in such a garment.

  Rem hoped Sufi was right. Then all she had to do was find Caden and take him home. Rem smiled, everything was going to work out.

  A few seconds later she heard footsteps in the hallway and the night-shadows dashed off towards the sound. She wondered if it was a good or bad sign. The night-shadows bounded back and rushed into the room, followed by her Grandmother, Felise.

  ‘Good afternoon, Arianna,’ Felise said and she patted one of the cats as it rubbed against her then pushed it away slightly so that she could make her way across the room. ‘I trust you slept well?’

  ‘I did,’ Rem replied, switching automatically into her good-daughter mannerisms and sitting on the edge of the chair with her hands in her lap.

  ‘It must be strange being here,’ Felise said and waved her hand around the room as she nodded towards the window. ‘After all, you’ve only really ever known Delantia.’

  ‘I’m sure I’ll adjust quickly, Grandmother,’ Rem said politely.

  ‘I imagine you were friends with lots of humans,’ Felise mused and looked directly at Rem for her reaction. There was no invitation to call her by her first name.

  ‘I’m not sure they’d see me as a friend,’ Rem replied a little flatly. She wasn’t lying as she doubted that anyone back on Delantia would be pleased to see her again.

  ‘You’re among friends now. Family are very important. I’d do almost anything to protect a family member,’ Felise said, and her voice rose at the end, as if it were a question.

  Was she asking Rem if she’d do anything to protect her family? Rem didn’t reply. She couldn’t think of a response and she was beginning to think that this was an interrogation, not a polite chat.

  ‘Would you like me to mix you a herbal tea for your headache?’ Felise asked.

  ‘How did you…’ Rem began to ask, but then realised that she was rubbing her forehead where it ached.

  ‘I’m rather good with herbs and potions,’ Felise assured her.

  ‘I’ll be fine, thank you,’ Rem replied.

  ‘Ah well, it’s nice to have you back home. You should come on a tour of the city with me one day,’ Felise said. ‘ I came here to visit your father. We have tedious legal matters to deal with since he will be ruling now.’

  Rem nodded politely. It was clearly a dismissal and she stood and left the room. She decided it would be best to avoid her grandmother until she left Deek tonight.

  Chapter Four - Taking Life

  Seth felt his shoulder move. Someone was trying to wake him up. He wanted to open his eyes but it was like he was somewhere else, too far away to grasp hold of the real world.

  After what seemed a lifetime he felt his eyes blink open and the brightness of the room made him shut them again for a few seconds. He squinted until his eyes adjusted to the light and then looked around.

  ‘You’re awake!’ Neras blocked his view across the room and the young wizard’s face came closer. ‘I thought you were dying again.’

  ‘I’m fine,’ Seth assured him and tried to sit up but felt his muscles complain at the effort. He slumped back as Neras jumped up to the windowsill and looked outside.

  ‘You know there’s one way you could regain your strength,’ Neras said quietly.

  Seth looked up and watched the youth walk along the windowsill, trying to balance as if falling might indeed hurt him. He marvelled at how fit and well the wizard looked now. There was no sign of a limp, nor any expression of pain on his face.

  ‘How?’ Seth asked. He could barely get his mind to focus on one thought for more than a moment so he had no chance of trying to guess whatever it was Neras was suggesting. ‘Caden is a long way from here and so are the night-shadows.’

  ‘But you’re here,’ Neras said then paused and looking out the window.

  ‘I am,’ Seth agreed with a small sigh. ‘For now.’

  Caden may well have brought Seth back from the brink of death, but he was far from
healthy and it would not take much to send him back to how he had been.

  ‘Get up. We need to go and talk to MoonFlame,’ Neras said as he waved at the staff that sat beside Seth’s chair. He walked over to the door and waited for several seconds before making hurry-up motions with his hands. ‘Now.’

  Seth could see his friend had a plan and he appreciated the enthusiasm but he would rather just lay still and rest. It took another dozen attempts from Neras before Seth sat up slowly and grabbed the staff to support himself.

  ‘Okay, okay. I’m coming,’ Seth muttered, then waited for the world to stop spinning so that he could focus again. ‘I don’t know what MoonFlame can do though.’

  ‘The rest are eating dinner. We should go out the side door or they will try to stop us,’ Neras suggested.

  Seth didn’t have the energy to argue and walked slowly along where Neras led.

  The two dragons had been put up in the stables behind the inn and neither looked very impressed with their lodgings.

  ‘This is most unsuitable,’ StarFire muttered, hissing out a tiny flame, then patting out the resulting sparks with his front paw as the flame ignited the hay around him.

  ‘They’ve probably never needed to accommodate dragons before,’ Seth pointed out. He leaned on the wooden wall to rest and found himself looking around for somewhere to sit down. It had been less than a hundred steps from his room and he was exhausted.

  ‘It’s not so bad,’ MoonFlame said and snuggled back further into the nest she had made at the back of the stable. She looked at Seth like a concerned mother. ‘Should you be up and about yet?’

  ‘Neras has a plan, apparently, to get back my health,’ Seth explained and waved the staff towards where Neras was pretending to lay in the straw but sank right through it.

  ‘What sort of plan?’ MoonFlame asked.

  Seth just shrugged and put his back to the wall and slid down to a seated position on the ground.

  ‘He can draw life to restore his own,’ Neras said simply.

  The two dragons and Seth stared at the wizard. After almost a minute, Seth spoke.

  ‘That’s it? That’s your big plan? You want me to kill someone else to make myself better? Even if it’s a chicken I won’t do it,’ Seth said and shook his head, then regretted it as the world spun.

  ‘Not quite. Do you remember when you jumped to the forest to warn the others of the attack?’ Neras asked.

  Seth gave a very small, brief nod and was relieved that everything stayed still.

  ‘You pulled energy, life, from the ground and trees around you. If you do the same again, but don’t attempt to jump anywhere, then I think it will help you.’

  MoonFlame’s head swung around so that it was only a hand span away from Seth’s face. She sounded curious and a bit confused. ‘You jumped? How high did you jump?’

  Seth felt a chuckle rise but he was too weak to laugh. Instead he smiled. ‘Not that sort of jump. I was on the side of a hill and I somehow found myself a good hour’s walk away, near to the edge of the forest.’

  ‘You mean you’re an apprentice?’ StarFire leapt to his feet and snarled at Seth as his head brushed the roof of the stables.

  ‘Me? Do I look like one?’ Seth pointed out. He didn’t even try to move out of reach of the dragon’s flaming range. He had no energy left after walking down there. ‘If I had access to Neras’ magic do you think I’d still be like this?’

  ‘I suppose not,’ StarFire agreed. The dragon settled back to the hay but watched Seth warily.

  ‘I’ll take you,’ MoonFlame offered immediately. ‘We can go somewhere well out of town so there’s no risk of you harming anyone.’

  Seth felt one eyebrow rise. Perhaps it was worth a try? ‘I need to let the others know where I’m going.’

  ‘Leave them to eat their meal. It’ll be a good surprise for them.’ Neras stood up and went to brush straw off his trousers. Nothing had stuck to them but Seth wasn’t about to point that out.

  ‘Sure, I guess so,’ Seth agreed. He leaned on the staff to help himself stand.

  ‘I’m coming too. This I’ve got to see,’ StarFire muttered.

  It took much longer to get on MoonFlame’s back than Seth had imagined. He leaned against the great dragon’s neck to get his breath back before the dragon took off. He wondered if he would even be able to sit up and hang on for long.

  ‘I’m ready,’ he said and gripped with his legs as best he could.

  ‘Now be careful with him, MoonFlame,’ Neras said from where he was perched on the dragon’s nose. He waved a finger at the dragon and Seth was surprised to see MoonFlame just nod slightly and not get angry with the wizard at all.

  MoonFlame lifted off with just the barest shake climbing slowly as she went. StarFire shot straight up and hovered well above them, back-winging as he waited for them to catch up.

  ‘There are some marshlands over that way, back towards the mountains,’ MoonFlame said. ‘I didn’t see any houses anywhere near them.’

  It didn’t take long until they were gliding gently down in a large circle and they touched down with barely a bump. Seth slid down to the ground and waited for his legs to recover.

  ‘We’ll fly off a little way to give you room to draw life,’ MoonFlame said.

  Seth watched the two dragons retreat to a safe distance on a low ridge in the distance and then looked around. There was nothing bigger than an ant or a fly to be seen in the long grasses on the edge of the marshes.

  He stood there for several minutes, feeling the life all around him even though he couldn’t see it. The land was alive and he was going to destroy it.

  ‘Just pull in the life-force,’ Neras said, attempting to be helpful, but Seth just scowled.

  ‘I know how it works.’ Seth tried not to sound irritable. He’d spent so long perfecting his ability to not-draw life and now he was going to do it on purpose. ‘Shouldn’t you go further away as well?’

  ‘I doubt very much whether you’d draw on my life-force,’ Neras replied with a shrug. ‘You’d be welcome to it if you could.’

  Seth smiled at the wizard’s selfless offer. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He focused on the life around him and tried to draw it closer. After a dozen heartbeats he opened his eyes. The grass at his feet was still green and lush and he still felt awful.

  Neras was staring at him with a confused expression. He went to speak but Seth held up a hand.

  ‘I’ll try that again,’ he said.

  A second attempt ended the same way and Seth sat down to rest. In the distance the two dragons were perched on the ridge, patiently watching.

  ‘We have company,’ Neras said in a cold, low tone.

  Seth flicked a glance over to him and saw the look of horror on the boy’s face. Whoever it was would not be a welcome visitor for sure! Seth looked in the direction that Neras was pointing. Was it a night-shadow? Seth couldn’t imagine who would affect the young wizard so badly.

  ‘It’s Oran,’ Neras said with a gulp. ‘And he’s heading this way.’

  ‘Have they seen us?’ Seth asked. He assumed that if Oran was nearby then so was Ryker. He had no desire to meet up with Ryker in his present condition.

  ‘He has sensed my presence and they are coming quickly. They think I am Darius,’ Neras replied. He chewed at his upper lip as he battled some internal struggle.

  ‘You should go into the staff,’ Seth suggested.

  ‘I will remain here,’ Neras said. He took a deep breath then let it out slowly. ‘I may not be able to do much but I will defend you if I can. I have stayed hidden for far too long. It’s time I stood my ground.’

  Seth turned to the dragons, intending to wave them back down to the marshes. Perhaps their presence would deter Ryker from coming closer? He frowned when he saw that the dragons were not there. Had they given up and assumed Seth and Neras had been lying about Seth’s ability?

  ‘Well, the best chance we have is to sneak around behind them and surprise the
m,’ Seth said. He got up and leaned on the staff as he looked at how far away the trees were. He could make it, eventually, but he would be exhausted. ‘If you go in the staff - just for now - they won’t know our intentions.’

  ‘It is time for me to face Oran,’ Neras said stubbornly and shook his head. ‘In the past he knew more than I did and I was not in the best of condition. But Caden has healed the injuries I received as I took the staff and I have had many years to study the books in my staff. I know as much as I ever will and I will never be stronger than I am now.’

  ‘What exactly will Oran try to do to you?’ Seth asked and frowned. He knew the youth was scared of Oran, but did not know why.

  ‘He does not need a human apprentice to attack me, nor do I need one to use magic on him. He will try to steal the magic I possess and that would destroy me completely.’

  Seth’s frown deepened. Neras was possibly his only friend and he did not wish to see him harmed. There must be something he could do! ‘Then I insist you go in the staff.’

  ‘Yes, that’s the way!’ Neras exclaimed. ‘I can feel something tingle around me when you draw life.’

  Seth looked at Neras with a puzzled expression. What was the wizard talking about? Neras was pointing to the ground at Seth’s feet. A large circle of brown surrounded him.

  ‘Did it help?’ the young wizard asked.

  Seth simply nodded. Yes, he did feel a bit better. It must have been his fear for Neras’ safety that had triggered it.

  ‘So do it again. You still look awful.’

  Seth glared at Neras for his blunt and honest assessment. He didn’t want to destroy anything else though. Now that he was really trying to notice he could feel the sensation of how he had drawn life. It should be an easy matter to focus on it and draw more. Seth hesitated only for a second as he knew he needed the strength to face Ryker and Oran.

  ‘Only if you go in the staff if they get too close.’

  Neras nodded in agreement.

  He reached deep inside his mind and focused on drawing life, but this time he didn’t just pull it in. He gently pushed at the sensation, then drew back. He did it over and over until he was sure he could pull back whenever he wanted to. Then he opened his eyes and watched the ground around him grow browner. As it began to wilt completely he pulled back, then shifted his focus further away, shifting further each time the grasses and bushes looked almost beyond repair.