by T. G. Ayer
Shadow Sight - A Dark Sight Novel #3
A Dark Sight Novel #3
T.G. Ayer
Contents
Author’s Note
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Dark Sight
Acknowledgments
Also by T.G. Ayer
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About the Author
Copyright
Author’s Note
Thank you for reading my Dark Sight Series. Shadow Sight is the close of our story arc with Langcourt. Throughout the story, we learn a lot about the Pythias of the past and the horrors they faced. As such, I wanted to be sure and provide my readers with a possible trigger warning. The story includes brief descriptions of past domestic violence and the toll it took on the Pythia who was abused.
Thank you so much for joining me on this journey into Allegra’s world. It has been amazing, researching and playing around with alternative endings to our world’s history.
The Dark Sight world has fascinated me through my writing journey, so much so, that I still remain inspired with many more ideas brewing within this universe.
T.G. Ayer
Chapter 1
Water. What had once given Allegra Damascus a sense of peace and safety, was now about to kill her.
Until recently, Allegra had sought a sense of tranquility, a semblance of serenity in immersing herself in water whether it be the pool at her home in the Venara Hills in Fornia, or in the waters of the Endless Sea along the Fornia coast.
Of course, that was only until the god Neptune had attempted to kill her.
Memories of that awful night returned, flooding her mind and Allegra was again trapped within the dark waters of the Endless Sea, waves surging around her as some inexplicable force pulled her deeper and deeper into blackest depths of the ocean.
And now, again, Allegra was trapped beneath the waves, so far beneath the surface that had she been able to see out into the ocean’s depths, she knew she’d have no sight of anything, least of all the surface.
Thankfully, her black pants and skintight sweater hadn’t made things any worse for her. But her military-issue boots had weighed her down, the laces grown so thick, engorged with water, that all her attempts at opening them had failed. She’d resorted to slicing through the ties with her bejeweled dagger, though she’d winced at the time, wondering what Aurelia would have thought of such a menial use for the beautiful weapon.
Allegra blinked, then moved her hand to brush the hair floating around her head out of her eyes. Her long dark blonde locks trailed around her face, like strands of seaweed attempting to engulf her, to suffocate her.
She was trapped in a cabin, aboard the Lady Makara, a ship that had turned out to be a pirate vessel. Allegra was not surprised that the rickety, rust-bucket had ended up blowing an engine, taking on water, and slowly sinking to the seabed. The explosion had been an accident waiting to happen, and more perhaps a curse upon the traffickers who’d lured good, hard-working people into their filthy traps with lies and promises of a better life.
Allegra was glad she wasn’t a god, because she would not have hesitated in striking the men responsible down with a single flick of a finger.
With her lungs pulsing, screaming for air, and her body convulsing, Allegra shook her head, unable to hold out even a second longer. She pushed upward, using the corner of the captain’s desk to kick off hard, and her body moved through the shadowed water, floating upward until she reached the roof of the cabin. The sinking Lady Makara, which had tilted at a slight angle as it drifted to the seabed, had serendipitously provided Allegra with her only means with which to stay breathing and alive. Caught in the corner of the cabin was a precious pocket of air which Allegra was currently using as sparingly as possible, biding her time in the hopes that someone would come for her.
That someone was more than likely going to be Max.
As much as Allegra had to admit she dreaded seeing him again, she had to also accept that there was no other man she’d want to be the one to pluck her from the depths and wrap his arms around her.
“Snap out of it, Allegra,” she muttered silently. “You’re showing sure signs of delirium.”
Max Vissarion was going to be furious with her. Echoing in Allegra’s mind was Max’s voice as he’d demanded she remain at home on Aurelia’s estate in the Charrúa Ranges of Argentina, as he’d insisted her presence was not required to facilitate the rescue of the refugees.
“It’s not necessary for you to accompany us, Allegra,” Max had insisted, his dark eyes flashing as he’d attempted to reason with her. “Surely you see that I’m not being unreasonable. Your life is worth a hundred of ours. Let us go and save those people. Your vision was clear enough for us to know the dangers they faced, clear enough that we can avert the disaster.”
Max’s face had darkened with anger and frustration, and he’d let out a frustrated groan when Allegra had merely shaken her head in response before saying, “I’m coming, Max. Don’t try to stop me.”
Now, Allegra let out a relieved sigh as she broke the surface and expelled a long-stale breath. She craned her neck and lifted her face clear of the water. Taking a few deep breaths, Allegra sank again—fueled again by re-oxygenation and renewed hope—then swam toward the door to the cabin.
Allegra grabbed the handle and tugged as hard as she could, blinking as her movements made her hair float forward around her face, the strands fanning out and teasing her face and eyes. She shook the hair away and pulled again, eyes bugging as she tugged with the desperation of someone who knows that death is imminent.
In most cases, Allegra herself would have been the one to insist they keep going, to demand they not stop until they’d reached their goal, saved the people she’d seen dying horrible deaths in some disaster or tragedy. But today, she was all out of pep talks, all out of passion and determination.
Another tug, and then another—Allegra strained hard, ignoring the stabbing in her lungs as she put all her strength behind the force of her pull. But the door still wouldn’t budge. She let out a groan that burst from her lips in a flotilla of bubbles that drifted and swirled all the way to the ceiling.
Allegra slammed a fist against the cabin door and pushed off again, surging up to the ceiling. She broke through the surface and then gulped in the air, taking deep breaths as she forced herself to calm down. She was about to take her final breath when everything around her shuddered, a low groan reverberating within the cabin. The ship tilted to the side a little more, and then with another growling shudder, it began to slide. Panic engulfed Allegra as she kicked hard to get to the air pocket again, to grab one last breath before she lost her chance alto
gether.
The ship shook violently now, tilting further on its side. And then the pocket of air was gone.
Allegra let out a muffled cry and floated away, her back thudding softly against the bulkhead. She closed her eyes and thought about the people she and Max and Athena had saved. She’d done her duty. Wasn’t that all that really mattered?
It wouldn’t matter if she died. As long as all those innocent people were safe.
Chapter 2
Ten days ago, Allegra had awakened from a terrible dream, filled with horror and panic.
Her skin was slick with sweat, and she twisted urgently, her body still within the dream’s clutches. She surged from the bed so fast that her feet caught and tangled within the bedsheets. She lost her balance and tipped over the side of the bed.
The moonlight lit the stone tiles, and Allegra found it incongruous to be able to see the floor flying at her face. She’d have hit the floor face first, if not for the firm, warm grip around her ankle.
Max.
He grunted, his fingers tightening around her foot. “I got you,” he murmured, reaching for her with his other hand.
Max grasped her around her waist and gathered her to him, pulling her back onto the mattress and laying her gently alongside him.
“Are you all right?” he asked softly, studying her face in the shadowed light of the moon.
Allegra nodded, turned toward him, seeking his warmth. “I’m fine. Thanks for saving my ass,” she whispered resting her cheek against his chest.
Max chuckled, then reached behind her and slapped her ass. “Don’t think it needed saving. Was the face that was heading for a smashing,” he said, though behind the laughter lay a hint of worry.
Allegra grimaced. “I really thought I was going to hit the floor.” Then she smiled up at Max. “How fortuitous that our decision to ‘shack up together’ had come just in time.”
Despite the banter, Allegra found she couldn’t shake off the memory of her vision; the faces of the dead from the dream now haunted her waking moments.
And it must have shown on her face.
Max placed a finger on her chin and tilted her face toward him. “Tell me,” he said softly, concern in his eyes even though he tried to hide it.
Allegra swallowed then took a deep breath, extracting herself from his arms. She lay back on her pillow and stared up at the ceiling. “Children, whole families, all crammed inside the hold of a ship…and it sinks and kills them all.” She shook her head, unable to stop feeling as though she was right there with them even now.
Max rubbed her arm gently, his touch more comforting than he even knew. “Can you think of anything?” he asked gently, now doing his job. “Any details you can recall?”
Allegra shifted from the bed and got to her feet, pacing the moonlit floor as she gave Max the details, her skin cold from the memory of drowning in the bottom of that ship.
Max had moved fast, retrieving his ever-present notebook and pen before guiding Allegra through the vision and finessing details from her that she hadn’t thought to consider.
“Can you see any signs or written warnings?”
Allegra nodded, then hurried to the box beneath the window. She lifted the lid and retrieved a parchment and a pen, needing to feel the movement to invoke a more detailed memory. She laid the paper on the floor and began to scribble what she’d seen in the vision.
It turned out, after Max had done his part of the investigation, that Allegra had written out words in the Mon script of the Mranma people.
Words that had spelled out the name of a small charter vessel, the Lady Makara. The same ship that had sunk only minutes before.
Taking Allegra with it to the bottom of the seabed.
Chapter 3
Max let out a growl of frustration as he glared at the Oracle of Delphi, the flickering torchlight from the bow revealing her stiff spine and taut neck as she stalked toward the port-side ladder of the Royal Yakshi.
In the darkness, the rest of her body—encased in a dark sweater and pants, and heavy boots—blended into the shadows.
They’d arrived in Kan Taung Gyi, a small town along the coast of Mranma and had boarded the Yakshi from a small inlet a mile south. They’d reached the refugee ship with barely a moment to spare as it had already begun to sink into the dark depths of the river.
Allegra had cited an explosion in the engine room as the cause, a result of a number of successive visions which she’d begun to refer to as blinks.
Now, Max held his tongue even when the Pythia began to descend the ladder, her golden head disappearing from view as she made her way to the waiting boats.
“Did you really think you were going to win that argument?” asked Athena, a smirk curving her lips, her eyes glittering with amusement. The demigod moved her dark braid aside then tossed her mission kit-bag over her shoulder and lifted an eyebrow, clearly waiting for him to reply.
Max grunted again, suspecting the demigod’s loyalty lay with Allegra first. “Perhaps I had harbored some meager hope that she would listen to reason?” he muttered, reaching for his own bag of supplies.
The team had suited up, all wearing black pants, beanies and sweaters, military issue boots and a selection of belts and straps to house their knives and guns.
Athena snorted as she paused at the hatch to swing herself around. “I was under the impression you knew her well,” she said as she placed a foot on the first rung of the ladder.
Max flicked a glance at Allegra who now sat in the first boat, facing the sinking Lady Makara a few hundred meters across the water. “Are you in support of her rashness?” Max bit the question out, still staring at Allegra, then turned his attention and raised an eyebrow at Athena as she paused mid-step and looked up at him.
“I am waiting to make a decision,” she replied serenely. “Right now, I see a woman who is strong-minded, powerful, intelligent, and determined. She knows her purpose, and she wants to make her mark. Do you really want to be the one to kill her spirit?”
Max snorted. “I suppose that point would be rather moot if she succeeds in getting herself killed,” he muttered. Athena’s eyes widened, and Max knew he’d hit his mark.
Yet, the demigod did not pause to agree with him. Instead, she descended the ladder, her head held just as regally as her mistress the Pythia. Max waited until Athena had descended and joined Allegra in the first of the small flotilla. From the last rung, he jumped into the waiting boat and nodded at the sailor to move out, to lead the way to the sinking ship.
Captain Alrait of the Royal Yakshi had sent out a team of divers to scan the vessel and advise on the best way to access the hold and rescue the people Allegra had seen in her vision. The only problem was, the oracle had seen the vision all too correctly. Max and the team had arrived to find the captain of the Lady Makara and his crew had fled. Max wasn’t happy that he’d been unable to at least sight the criminals, but he did have the boat’s registration details, and he planned on tracking the lowlifes down as soon as they’d retrieved the refugees.
When the dive team returned, they confirmed the explosion had originated in the engine room; their only access point to the hold was the bow deck entrance which thankfully was still above water.
Allegra had been so angry and had received one of her blinks. A brief vision, but enough to confirm that there were still people on board the sinking ship and that nothing had changed from what she’d seen in her initial vision—those people were still going to die if Max and their team didn’t do something about it.
Filled with both fear and anger, Allegra had demanded she join them on the rescue mission, insisting that they needed every pair of hands they could get. She’d had a point—Alrait’s men had appeared reluctant to help, and Max wasn’t sure they’d go out of their way to save those people.
In the face of Allegra’s demands, Max had known then and there that, other than tying the woman up and tossing her into the captain’s cabin, he had little choice but to allow her to go.
Even her promise that she’d be careful had rung hollow for Max.
It was his stupid gut, some strange feeling he’d had the moment Allegra had told him of that vision. He’d been tempted to tell her he’d been unable to identify the words she’d drawn out for him—which had turned out to be the name of the slave ship now sinking into the River Dalet. But he’d thought better. Allegra, despite her sweet nature, was not the sort of person a man would be okay with crossing.
The three rowboats reached the sinking vessel, which by now was half-submerged, though the deck remained at a shallow incline, still above the water.
“Appears to be listing to one side,” said Max, his voice carrying over the water to the boat beside him where Allegra and Athena both stared at the sinking vessel. “There’s a good chance whoever is trapped inside is still alive. If the hold were flooded, the ship would have disappeared into the water by now.”
“Let’s hope you’re right,” said Allegra softly.
Max didn’t reply. He waited for his rowboat to slow as it reached the rungs that lead up to the bow deck and ascended it, aware that Allegra was not far behind him.
On deck, Max proceeded to yell orders to Captain Alrait and his men, then watched as they dispersed to search the ship. They returned within minutes to report the discovery of the families hidden in the hold. The refugees were a sad sight; three families of five or six, the parents much older than Max had expected. Either that, or the adults were young, but a hard life had run them down.