K: The Awakening (The Shadow Chronicles Book 1)

by K. R. Fajardo

  Sara nervously looked to her mother for reassurance before slowly closing both eyes. K knelt down beside the girl and placed the tips of her fingers against Sara’s temples. “I want you to picture yourself in front of a wall, on the other side of that wall is your mother and father. This wall stretches in both directions as far as the eye can see and there is no way to get around it, the only way to get to your mom and dad is to jump over it. Can you see it?”

  The melodic tone and manner in which K spoke seemed to have a hypnotizing effect on Sara, who nodded slowly in agreement. “Good, now imagine that wall is no higher than the stairs to the clinic, do you think you could jump to the top of the stairs to get to your parents?” Sara, grinning, nodded again.

  “Now open your eyes,” K instructed, lowering her hands. Sara opened them, looking at K still kneeling in front of her. “Do you see that wall?” K asked, pointing to the clinic wall behind her.

  Sara turned around. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “You and I are going to jump to the top.”

  “But it’s so tall,” Sara whispered, looking up toward the roof.

  “No its not, it is only as tall as you imagine it, it’s all a matter of perspective,” K said, gently patting Sara on the back. “Remember, it’s as easy as jumping to the top of the stairs.” With that said, in one swift motion K leapt from flat on the ground, to the roof of the clinic. “Now you, come on, you can do it,” K called down to Sara.

  “I can’t,” Sara called back to her, “I’m scared.”

  “Sure you can,” K encouraged the young girl. “Don’t be afraid, I will be here to catch you and Jaron will watch you from below, we won’t let you get hurt.”

  Sara paced around for a moment, building her courage, before finally bracing herself and with a deep breath, went for it. She bounded into the air, making it about halfway up before plummeting back down toward the ground. Jaron was underneath her in a flash, just as promised, catching her in the nick of time. “Thanks,” she said, as he lowered her gently to the ground. Rigar and Mirna dashed to her side looking her over, “I’m okay,” she told them, brushing herself off. “Let me try again.”

  “Are you sure?” Mirna asked, concerned for her daughter’s safety. She looked to Jaron. “Perhaps there is another way.”

  “I’m afraid not, if we stay on the ground we are sure to be caught,” he replied, glancing back up at K, then kneeling down in front of Sara. “Just visualize yourself up there, soaring through the air like a bird as you jump from roof to roof.” He grinned. “It is one of the best feelings in the world, a true sense of freedom.”

  Sara nodded and looked back up at K, before closing her eyes and then leaping. As ungraceful as it was, she managed to clear the edge of the roof, but her aim was off and she found herself teetering on the edge, having not expected to make it that far. True to her word, K grabbed ahold of her jacket and pulled her the rest of the way onto the roof. Sara began jumping up and down with excitement, calling off the roof to her mother and father below, “Did you see that? I did it!” Both of them stood staring up after her, clearly in shock.

  “We saw, you did great,” Mirna was finally able to call back to her daughter after taking a moment to absorb what had happened.

  “Now you,” Jaron said, coming up beside her. “Just remember what K told your daughter. Concentrate and visualize yourself doing it, allow your body to show you what it is capable of.”

  Mirna looked up at her daughter who was calling down to her, “Come on, Mom, it’s fun!”

  “Here goes nothing.” And in a swift, effortless move, Mirna leapt up and joined her daughter and K on the roof, leaving Rigar on the ground staring up after them both in disbelief.

  “The rest of you go as you normally would,” Jaron said, throwing a bag on his back. “We will meet you on the outskirts. Stay on the main road once you get out of town and you will come across an abandoned farm silo, we will wait for you there.” And with that Jaron leapt to the roof and joined the rest.

  “Let’s go,” K directed the trio.

  “Hold on.” Mirna leapt down off the roof and embraced Rigar. “I love you, please be safe.”

  He held her tightly in his arms, not wanting to release her. “As well as you, be careful of those two and watch out for our daughter.”

  “I will,” she answered as the two of them embraced in a passionate kiss, then as if she had done it a million times, Mirna leapt into the air and rejoined the group waiting on the roof.

  Mikel and the rest watched as they sailed with ease from one roof to the next until they had disappeared into the distance. “We should go, too.” Mikel loaded himself into the cart. Dirik and Citera quickly followed behind, but Rigar was still watching, hoping to get one last look at his wife and daughter. “Rigar, they will be okay,” Mikel called to him.

  “I know.” Rigar climbed into the cart next to Mikel and took the reins. There was a look of confidence on his face that Mikel hadn’t seen in many years, and as he continued to stare into the distance, he added, “They will be all right.”

  He snapped the reins, and with a jolt the four of them began their journey. The streets were still empty, everyone waiting for the messengers to return, spreading the word that the Enforcer had left town. Mikel had hoped to bump into at least one more as they traveled so that he could find out where Jarod was and what was going on, but it seemed as if even they had abandoned their quest for tips. They continued to wind their way through the streets avoiding the main road, while Mikel occasionally would scan the rooftops to see if he could catch a glance of the rest of their pack, but to no avail. The only signs of life on the destitute streets were those of an occasional snooper peeking through a crack in the front door or a window to get a glimpse of the fools traveling while the Enforcer was in town. But even they quickly retreated back behind their curtains and doors.

  They managed to make it to the edge of town without incident, but were now forced to travel the main road, it being the only method of getting in and out of town. Unfortunately, they ran across the very thing that they were hoping to avoid, a road block.

  “Good day, Mikel,” one of the guards said, approaching the cart as they pulled to a stop. “Where are you traveling to this fine day?”

  Rigar kept his head low, as Mikel addressed the approaching guards, “We are going to Lanka to deliver some medical supplies.”

  “Really,” the guard replied, waving one of colleagues over, “I don’t suppose you mind if we check and see what is inside the boxes.”

  “Of course not,” Mikel answered, trying to keep his voice steady as one if the guards climbed into the cart and started opening the crates. “Just be careful, some of the items are breakable.”

  “Why would you pick today to make this trip, don’t you know the Enforcer is in town?” The guard continued to question him as another of his men joined in the search, the two of them steadily ripping open more crates. Mikel held his breath as one of them began to dig deeper into one of the crates, praying he wouldn’t go down far enough to find their personal belonging buried deep within. “Wasn’t he at your clinic?”

  “Who?” Mikel asked, obviously distracted.

  “Who?” the guard asked, annoyed. “The Enforcer, wasn’t he just at your clinic?”

  “Oh yes, about two weeks ago.”

  “That’s what I heard.” The guard, seeming pleased with himself, turned his attention to Rigar who continued to sit quietly with his eyes on the ground. “Rigar, you look a little banged up, have a rough night last night?” He was smirking as the others searching through the supplies laughed behind them. Rigar’s knuckles turned white as he tightened his grip around the reins.

  “Are we done?” Mikel asked, trying to deter the conversation.

  But to his dismay, the guard continued his prodding, “What of it, Rigar, did your daughter go to work this morning like a good little girl?”

  Rigar turned to lunge at the arrogant officer, but Mikel grabbed his arm and whispere
d under his breath, “Rigar don’t, please, it’s what they want.”

  “Listen to your boss,” the officer continued to coax. “Maybe while you’re out of town we should stop by your house and check on your wife and daughter for you.”

  Mikel stood up in the cart, hand still tightly gripping Rigar; there was only so much one person could tolerate, and he was not about to lose his good friend so close to them being free of this kind of torment. “I heard the Enforcer left you guys a little short staffed today,” Mikel said, glaring down at the officer, “so surely you have something better to do than to stand around here harassing us all day.”

  The officer’s smirk turned to a frown. “All right, men, that’s good enough.” The guards descended from the cart. “You can go for now,” the officer said, moving his men out of the way, “but, Mikel, you best remember who it is that allows you to keep that clinic open and your family off the street, as it is you already house a known criminal.” He eyeballed Dirik. “And we would hate for something to happen one night while you were sleeping, and it would be terrible to waste such a valuable clinic.”

  Mikel could feel his face turning red with anger as he bit his tongue so as not to say anything that would endanger them all. Had it not been for his kids being in the cart he would have gladly taken the risk for the opportunity of pummeling this arrogant ass where he stood. But instead, he breathed through the anger, relaxed his grip on Rigar, and sat back down in the cart.

  “Let’s go, Rigar, we have a long way to travel before dark.”

  With a flick of his wrist, they resumed their travel, leaving the town and its patrols behind them. It wasn’t until they were well out of sight of the patrols that Mikel could finally relax.

  “Dad, what do you think he meant by something happening to the clinic, do you think they would really do something to it with us still inside?” Citera asked quietly.

  Mikel turned and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter, we don’t have to worry about them anymore.” He was trying to comfort her, but the honest truth was that he was also rattled. He had heard them threaten Full-bloods many times, but he himself had never been on the receiving end of those threats. He turned and looked at Rigar. “Are you going to be okay?”

  “I will be,” Rigar said, turning to Mikel, “thank you.”

  Mikel was puzzled. “For what?”

  “For making me do this,” he replied. “It’s like you said, I don’t know what waits for us down this road, but I know what we are leaving behind.” He sighed, eyes locked on the road ahead. “But I still don’t trust them.” Mikel reached up and patted him on the shoulder and they continued their journey in silence.

  They continued to travel down the road, and after a few hours Mikel spotted something rising up in the distance. A giant tower, half destroyed by its long years of solitude, forced to face the elements beating down on it year after year. Mikel could tell by Rigar’s expression that he had also spotted it, and he popped the reins to get the horses to pick up the speed. When they pulled up to the silo Rigar leapt from the cart and quietly called to his wife, “Mirna, where are you? We are here.”

  The rest of them joined him on the ground and began walking around the silo trying to find a way inside. But it was of no use, the only door had been sealed up with rocks and mortar long ago.

  Rigar, becoming more desperate, began to call louder, “Mirna, Sara, where are you?” Panic was setting in as he turned to Mikel. “I swear, if anything has happened to them, if those two did anything to harm them …”

  A giggle caught all his attention. “Sara?” Rigar called.

  “Up here, Dad,” Sara replied. Rigar looked up. He was both delighted and horrified to see his daughter sitting on the top of the silo tower.

  “Sara, how did you get up there?” Citera called up to her. “Be careful.”

  Sara, who was obviously enjoying her newfound skill, giggled again. “I climbed,” she answered, standing up. “Watch this.” Without hesitation she jumped from the roof. Citera covered her mouth so as not to scream, while Mikel and Rigar gaped in disbelief as they watched her land safely on the ground beside them.

  Rigar grabbed ahold of her and held her tightly as Mirna, followed by K and Jaron, jumped down to join them as well. Still excited, Sara laughed, “Dad, she showed me all kinds of tricks, did you know we can run so fast that Terrians can’t even see us?”

  “Did she?” Rigar asked, embracing his wife. “Did your travel go well?”

  Mirna held him close. “Better than yours, we watched to be sure you made it through the check point. I heard what they were saying to you. I know that couldn’t have been easy.”

  Rigar held her out at arm’s length. “It was, because I knew you were safe.” He then turned to K. Slowly he walked across to her until he was standing face-to-face with her, and held out his hand. She glanced at his hand then at him, hands still folded across her chest, Jaron behind her seeming just as displeased. Rigar figured the two of them had most likely heard his comments earlier and were none too pleased about it, but he remained hand outstretched to her as he spoke.

  “I want to extend to you my deepest apologies. I have said and done some awful things to you since I brought you to the clinic, even now I was about to accuse you of bringing harm to my family and for that I am truly sorry.”

  K continued to stare at him, her eyes boring into him, and for a moment he thought that perhaps he had offended her once too often. However, as he was about to give up hope, to his surprise, she reached out and took his hand.

  But it was soon clear she didn’t intend to shake; K clutched his hand tight and continued to hold on. He quickly got the impression that she was evaluating exactly what it was she wanted to do with him as her grip tighten to the point he felt she might break the bones in his hand.

  “I have allowed myself to endure repeated insults and abuse from you since my awakening, despite the fact that I feel I have done nothing to you or them that would warrant such mistrust.” Mikel—fearing the direction of this conversation and sensing the tenseness in both her and Jaron—moved to intervene, but Jaron raised a hand, signaling him to stay back.

  K continued to keep her eyes locked on Rigar. “I have tolerated this purely based on the fact that you alone are the one who pulled me from the cave and brought me to Mikel and his family.” She glanced behind him at Mirna and Sara tightly gripping each other and watching the scene unfolding before them anxiously. “That being said, I consider us even. You have saved my life and in exchange we have helped you get your family out of that town. But if you wish to continue traveling with us to the camp then I need to know that from this moment forward you will treat both me and Jaron with respect, if not then you and your family are free to continue your travels on your own and I wish you the best of luck.”

  “K, no,” Citera called from behind her. “You can’t send them out there alone, they won’t last a week.”

  “It’s okay, Citera.” Looking K dead in the eye, Rigar responded, “Since the day I carried you through the doors of the clinic I have done nothing but regret my decision to do so.” He paused, grimacing under the pain of her tightening grip. “That is, until today. I know you have no reason to trust me or believe me, but I am truly sorry for everything that I have said and done to you since you awakened. Please don’t take it out on my family, I beg of you. I will understand completely if you don’t want me with you, but take them at least, I don’t care what happens to me as long as I know they are safe.”

  “Rigar,” Mirna rushed to her husband’s side, Sara close behind, “we won’t go anywhere without you,” then to K, “Please, don’t do this, not after you have already taken us this far.”

  “I have no desire to leave anyone behind,” K stated, releasing his hand, “but I also don’t want to be surrounded by people who view me as a monster. So if you can accept me and Jaron for what we are then you are welcome, otherwise …”

  “But we don’t know
what you are.” It was Citera who interrupted her, Mikel saw her attention snap around to his daughter, but soften immediately upon realizing it was her.

  K paused, looking over to Jaron, “I suppose if we are to all stay around each other, then you have a right to know the truth.” Jaron came to her side as she let her mask fade away. “I am a member of an ancient group of beings known as the Council, sworn to protect and watch the people of this realm.”

  “And what Jaron said before, about you not dying, is that true?” Mikel asked.

  “Yes, all members of the Council are immortal.”

  “So you’re an immortal Full-blood?” Dirik asked quietly.

  “No, I am neither a Full-blood nor a Terrian, the time in which I was born, neither existed. I am the last surviving member of a race of beings that both Terrians and Full-bloods alike descend from.”

  “Where are the other Immortals?” Mikel inquired, taking a seat on a stump nearby with Citera and Dirik joining him on either side.

  “We each watch over our own, one Immortal for each race that survived.” K glanced around at all their faces and sighed. “Our main goal is to watch over and prevent you from making the same mistakes that brought about the downfall of the ones that lived before.”

  Mikel looked over at Jaron. “And you, are you immortal like her?”

  Jaron shook his head. “I am only immortal until she chooses to end my life or I ask her to,” He paused, turning his gaze to K, “just like the other Shadows.”