K: The Awakening (The Shadow Chronicles Book 1)

by K. R. Fajardo

  “Why don’t you drink some of that stuff and heal your throat, you are covered in blood and it’s still bleeding.”

  “Sometimes it’s better to let them heal on their own,” he answered, looking down at his clothes, “It helps you to remember.”

  Unsure what he meant by that, Citera stood up and walked across the room. “Well if you’re not going to help yourself, then sit down here and let me at least stop the bleeding.”

  “I will be fine,” he began, but was quickly cut off by Citera, as she made her way to the cabinet and pulled out Janil’s salve.

  “Oh, come on, I promise to be quick. Besides, you’re dripping blood all over the clinic.” Citera moved from one side of the room to the other gathering items, then grabbing a chair she pulled it screeching across the floor, and set it down in front of him. “So sit.”

  With a mixture of anger and confusion, the brute of a man stared down at the petite girl so casually barking orders at him. She placed one hand on her hip and cocked her head to the side making it clear there would be no letting up until she got her way. “Well come on, sit … please?” She waited a few more moments, both of their eyes locked on the other, in a standoff to see which one of them would cave first. After a moment, Citera huffed, “You really don’t want me stand in that chair, I’m very clumsy and would likely end up falling and hitting my own head, then we would have a mess.” He didn’t even blink and continued to stare down at her with that imposing gaze. Occasionally she would see a flash of red behind the black irises, but she refused to let him intimidate her any further. Shifting her weight, Citera crossed her arms across her chest and intensified her stare, and to her utter disbelief, he sat.

  With him now on her level and in the light of the room, she could see a few faint lines of age on his face. Knowing Full-bloods age at a fraction of the rate the Terrians did and given he didn’t appear to be much older than maybe twenty-five, she began to do the math in her head. Shadows had been in power for fifty years, and he had to have been mature when they enlisted him, so by her best guess that made him at least 75 years old, one of the oldest Full-bloods she had ever heard of, besides the Shadows themselves of course.

  He sat silently avoiding her gaze, hands folded across his chest, making working on him from the front nearly impossible, so she walked around behind him. She worked diligently dabbing and cleaning the cut, and was halfway through when she noticed a very distinct mark on the side of his neck hidden beneath his collar. A bite mark. I wonder if that is how K turned him into the Enforcer, she thought, looking closer at the two small punctures.

  Noticing her distracted state, he asked in a gravelly voice, “Are you done?”

  “No, not yet. Almost though,” she responded, quickly going back to work. Citera finished cleaning the wound as much as she could before applying some of the salve and then covering it with a bandage. “There, that should do it.”

  He reached up with one of his massive hands and rubbed it over the bandage on his neck before rising to his feet. “Thank you.”

  Citera smiled, surprised by the gratitude. “You’re welcome, it was the least that I could do since I’m the one who did it.” She dropped her head and kicked at an invisible object on the floor. “I’m sorry about that, by the way. I really didn’t mean to actually cut you.”

  It felt weird apologizing to him, the very man that spent his life doing far worse to others, but it was the truth, she couldn’t believe she had held a knife to his throat. But when she dared to look up, he was staring down on her with an intensity that made her heart stop on her chest.

  “Don’t apologize for doing what you believed needed to be done to protect you and your family. We do what we have to do to survive.” He cast his gaze slowly over Mikel’s lifeless body, “Regret is an abyss that will consume your life if you allow it. So don’t waste your life questioning the decisions you have already made when there is nothing you can do to change them.” The words stunned her; she didn’t know what to say. Was he really chastising her for apologizing to him? “If it were me, I would have gone through with it,” he added quietly, “and your friends would have as well.”

  Citera followed his gaze to her helpless father. “Well I guess lucky for you, we are not ones for revenge. What would I have gained from killing you? Besides, if I had done it, then I would have lost this opportunity to save him.” She sat down in the chair next to her dad and held his hand. “We save lives, we don’t take them.”

  This time when she took his hand, her grasp was met with not only warmth, but to her delight he moved his hand in an attempt to squeeze hers. “Dad! Can you hear me, Dad? It’s working, he is moving his hand.” She was overcome with excitement and turned to thank the Enforcer, only to find him leaving the room. “Wait, where are you going? He’s waking up and it’s all thanks to you.”

  “It would be best if I wasn’t here when he came to. Our last encounter wasn’t exactly on good terms, and it would most likely cause him a great amount of distress to wake up with me standing here next to you, especially since I mentioned I might be returning to take you.”

  “Oh,” she muttered, but she was too excited about her father’s recovery to be disturbed by this at the moment.

  “I’ll send the others down to be here with you,” he said. Then walked from the room and pulled the door shut behind him.

  Chapter 9

  The Other Half

  Jarod entered K’s room and shut the door behind him. Inside the eyes of the small band immediately descended upon him, anxious for an update on Mikel’s condition. But as he scanned over their concerned faces all he could think about was what a burden it must be for Mikel to have so many people depending on him all the time. Not only was he having to raise his own child alone, he took in the young Terrian boy off the street, went out of his way to aid this Full-blood in any way he could, and on top of all that he provided free care to just about the whole damn town.

  And while he had to respect the man for his integrity, Jarod couldn’t imagine living a life this way; he preferred to live day-to-day for himself with no one else to worry about or hold him back. Granted, it was a lonely life, but it was better this way. He had no doubts that if by some miracle, someone ever came into his life that he cared for as much as these three cared for Mikel, the Shadows would take full advantage of the leverage and use it to make his life even more of a living hell than it already was.

  “Did everything go as planned?” K asked, breaking his train of thought.

  “The healer will be fine, he is already starting to awaken.” He said acknowledging her with a slight bow, then turned his attention to Rigar and Dirik in the corner. “The girl would like for you to join her in her father’s room.”

  “And don’t think about trying to leave, we will be watching,” Jaron warned.

  Dirik jumped up and offered a hand to Rigar, who had still not recovered from the earlier encounter. Watching him and the way he moved, the Enforcer was certain he had a few broken ribs along with the other visual contusions to his head and face. Once he was on his feet, the unsteady pair limped slowly across the room, hesitating momentarily for Rigar to address the Enforcer. “The girl’s name is Citera, use it. It’s the least you could do since she just spared your worthless life. ” And with that said, he exited the room, slamming the door closed behind them.

  “He doesn’t like you every much, does he?” K commented softly.

  “I’m used to being disliked, it doesn’t bother me.” He answered furrowing his brow. Something about her voice didn’t sound right.

  “Doesn’t it? Is there no part of you that wants to know what is like to be needed and cared for by someone?” She was definitely struggling to talk, and it was becoming more obvious with each passing second.

  “My lady, are you okay?” he asked, approaching the bed.

  But she did not respond. Instead she closed her eyes and leaned back into the bed, her respirations becoming erratic. Jarod, perplexed by her sudden decline
, glanced up at Jaron who was looking concerned by her behavior. However, before either of them could say a word to the other, her whole body collapsed and slumped to the side. Jarod rushed forward, catching her before she fell to the floor.

  “What happened?” Jarod barked at Jaron. “She was awake and talking, why is she back out again?” Carefully he eased her fragile body back into the bed, and together with Jaron, worked to remove the last of the restraints.

  “She expended too much energy in that fit she threw earlier. I guess she held herself together long enough to be sure that the Terrian was healed, but now she is the one that is in need of help.”

  Immediately he reached into his jacket for the red formula, but Jaron waved him off. “That doesn’t work on her, it’s been tried before but she might as well drink water for all the good it does.”

  “Why? Doesn’t she have the same blood in her that the rest of us do?” he challenged.

  Jaron shook his head. “As a matter of fact, no, she is from a completely different era.” Pausing, Jaron reached down and picked up the knife Citera had discarded earlier. “But that is a story for a different day, let’s just say we will have to do things the old fashioned way.”

  Knowing full-well what Jaron intended to do, Jarod protested. “Wait, maybe I should be the one who does this. It’s going to weaken you quite a bit and she may need you when she awakens again. Besides, these Terrians are more likely to trust and listen to you. They definitely don’t want anything to do with me.” He held out his hand to take the knife, but Jaron ignored him.

  “All the more reason for me to do this. If for whatever reason this Mikel wakes up and decides to call the patrols, you are all that stands between us and an eternity of imprisonment. Besides, the bite leaves a scar, and you can’t go back to the Tower with that on your wrist. Not even you would be able to talk your way out of the mess that would create.”

  Jarod groaned, running a hand down his face. He knew Jaron was right, but that didn’t mean he had to like it. He was not the one who should be left in charge of communicating with the Terrians living here, they hated him. Jaron, on the other hand, was a natural born leader with a knack for inspiring people to follow his will. But this was the way it had to be, and he stood by and watched as Jaron made a deep cut into his wrist. Blood flowed freely from the wound as he carefully supported her head with one hand while placing the opposite wrist to K’s mouth.

  “Come on, I know your still in there, drink,” Jaron demanded.

  As if on cue, K’s eyes flew open. Baring an impressive set of fangs, she sank them mercilessly deep into Jaron’s bleeding wrist. The severity of the bite had Jaron’s knees buckling beneath him. Grimacing he grabbed the edge of the bed to keep from falling as he glanced up at Jarod.

  “Help me,” he managed to gasp to his companion. Jarod swiftly rounded the bed and looped his arms under his, helping him to remain on his feet.

  K’s appetite was insatiable, as she greedily drank her fill from Jaron. Jarod remained by his friend’s side, watching as the fresh blood coursing through her veins began to work its magic. Slowly the various minor scrapes and cuts on her wrists and ankles began to heal, as well as her badly swollen eye. He also noticed that her body was filling back out ever so slightly, and what had once been a skeletal frame slowly morphed back into that of a young woman. But with each drink she took his concern for Jaron grew, as little by little he began to lose consciousness in his arms.

  “My lady, that is enough, if you drink any more you will kill him,” he demanded. But she paid him no attention as she continued to indulge in her first meal in over half a century. “You need to stop, you’re killing him,” he repeated more forcefully, however this time she looked up at him, and through her locked bite on his wrist he could see her smile. You are mine to deal with, the words rang loud in his ears and Jarod became overwhelmed with the idea that she had every intention of killing him.

  Still supporting his friend’s now limp frame, Jarod found himself in the very unpleasant position of pleading for the life of his friend as he had done for him. “My lady, I know your angry, and you have every right to be, but don’t kill him. We need him, you need him. He can help you get your revenge on those that imprisoned you, the real ones who betrayed you, but he is not one of them.” K continued to ignore him as she pulled Jaron closer and closer to death, and with each drink she took the more desperate he became to save him. “I beg you my lady, you have given me a second chance, do the same for him. I swear, the both of us will do whatever you ask of us, just let him live and give us the chance to prove it to you.”

  Suddenly the door to their room opened and K swiftly released her bite as Dirik stepped inside. All the color drained from his face as he looked from the Enforcer, to Jaron unconscious in his arms, and finally to K, looking fresh and vibrant as she wiped her mouth clean of the blood covering it. The young boy, looking as if he was going to pass out, braced himself in the door frame.

  “Don’t you dare,” the Enforcer yelled at him across the room. “Stay on your feet boy and tell me where I can lay him down.”

  Dirik bent over placing both hands on his knees, taking a few deep breaths in an attempt to recover from the gruesome sight, “We can put him next door.”

  Gathering the rest of Jaron up into his arms, Jarod followed Dirik into the next room and laid him down on the bed. Reaching into his jacket he pulled out the nearly empty vial of formula and poured what little remained into Jaron’s mouth. Angry and frustrated, he then threw the empty container at the wall, shattering it into a million pieces, before storming into the hallway.

  For the first time ever he was starting to doubt himself and his decision to come here. Everyone in this clinic hated him, with good reason, and the one person they might have trusted was now unconscious, leaving him alone to deal with them and the very angry and vengeful K. How was he, of all people, going to convince this lot that they were the good ones and that their intentions here were honorable?

  It wasn’t until his third pass down the hall that he realized Dirik was standing in the doorway watching him. “What do you want?” he growled at the trembling Terrian.

  “Mikel’s awake,” he answered quietly.

  “Well of course he is, I woke him up, remember.” He was not in the mood to play games with this kid who always appeared to be frightened of his own shadow. “So why don’t you go back down there and leave me alone.”

  But unfortunately the kid didn’t budge, and with his eyes cast on the floor below him he mumbled, “He’s asking to see you.”

  Could they really be so foolish that they told Mikel he was here in the clinic, despite his warning them not to? He stopped his pacing several feet away from the young one. “You told him I was here?”

  “Citera is the one who told him, she said he deserved to know.” Dirik nervously looked around as he talked, before refocusing on the room behind him. “If you want I will keep an eye on your friend until you get back.”

  The rage was building up inside. Clinching his fists he took a deep breath in an attempt to relax as his frustration. This whole situation was nearing a boiling point. He had no desire to see or talk to Mikel while everything else seemed to be falling apart around him. He paced a few more laps up and down the hall trying to blow off some steam; meanwhile Dirik continued to watch his every step with those big, innocent looking eyes. The more he was around this kid, the harder he found it to believe that this small, unassuming Terrian was the master thief the patrols had contacted the Tower about. “Are you going to keep standing there and staring?” he growled at him.

  “Just until you go see Mikel. He only wants to talk with you, he’s not mad.”

  “Why would I give a shit if he is mad?” He glared down at Dirik, as he rammed his fist into the wall next to the kid’s head. “I guess if I picked your puny ass up and threw you back into that room, you would quit staring at me. Want me to try, because I’m definitely in the mood.”

  For the first t
ime since he met this kid, Jarod saw Dirik get angry. His face turned red and he stood his ground staring up at him with determined eyes. “Why are you always threatening me? I can’t figure out why you have it in for me so bad, it’s not like I’m a threat to you.”

  Jarod chuckled darkly. “A threat, you, of course you’re not. You are nothing more than a common thief, you steal from others to benefit yourself, but if any kind of confrontation arises you turn tail and run back into the shadows and cower.”

  The young Terrian had tears in his eyes, but he didn’t back down. “I may be weak and I may be a thief, but you are wrong about one thing. I have never stolen anything for my own benefit, everything I have ever taken was to return it back to its rightful owners or someone in need. If you want to arrest someone for stealing then go talk to the patrols and their flunkies.” The passion in the young one’s eyes as he stood there facing him down was impressive. “And yes, I do run from confrontation, some of us weren’t born giants with super strength,” he said, moving his hands up and down motioning at Jarod’s entire body.

  Jarod slowly removed his hand from the wall and crossed his arms over his chest as he stood glowering down at Dirik. For the first time since he laid eyes on this kid, Dirik had stood his ground and didn’t cower away, and there was a small part of him that couldn’t help but be proud. They both remained silent, eyes locked on one another, until Jarod decided to let the boy have his victory. “Fine, wait here until I get back. But under no circumstances are you to go into the room with either one of them; I don’t know what his mind set will be when he wakes up and she might still be hungry.” Then he turned and headed down the hall toward Mikel’s room, leaving a very bewildered Dirik standing alone in the long hall.