The Covenant of Shadows Collection

by Kade Cook

  Madorrah lifts her lids slowly. The clouds that shrouded her irises clears momentarily and liberates the emerald sheen of green beneath. With a last bright flare from within her hands, the light is gone and in its absence, the clouds in her eyes return, bringing with it one more fragment of haze. Shane blinks and pinches his lids together, struggling to adjust his eyes to the dimness of the room once more. Her hands release their embrace, unveiling not one but two perfectly mirrored stones coupled in the palm of her hand.

  They sit in silence for what seems like an eternity, staring intently down at her creation.

  “Okay, now get outta here so I can get to work. I will have them ready just before sunset.”

  Shane gets up from his perch, stiff-legged but elated. He moves toward the foot of the stairs but not before he jumps across the small room and slumps down, kissing her endearingly on the cheek.

  “You are truly a beauty, Madorrah.”

  “Ah,” she huffs, waving a hand at him, “away with you and your wicked flirting ways before I change my mind.”

  15

  VISITING DISASTER

  The clock is a constant reminder today that Gabrian needs a break from pretending she is fine. Every tick, every tock, bores deeper and deeper into her skull. She tries desperately to focus on her client but all she is able to do is nod and force herself to take down the notes of their trivial, mundane lives as they talk—all the while straining to contain the burning desire to rip free every last strand of white essence dancing freely around them

  The clock strikes four and the final client idles toward the exit. She digs her fingers deeply into the edge of her new teak desk, wishing they would go already. Once through the door and on the other side, she quickly jumps up and gathers her things to follow suit. She needs to get out of there, somewhere open, uncontained, and somewhere without life.

  Ethan is not quite done for the day so she won’t have to worry about talking to him but she still has to get by Rachael without arousing any suspicion. She wishes herself good luck as she reaches her door.

  “All done for the day?” Rachael chirps just as Gabrian steps away from the archway of her office.

  Gabrian nods her head to concur with her friend’s observation.

  “Do you want to go catch a bite to eat?”

  “Oh, um, you know, I have a couple of urgent errands I have to run before I forget to do them again. Do you mind if I give you a rain-check?”

  Gabrian can see the light in Rachael’s eyes dim as she spins her chair to the right and lifts herself up, hiding her face into the filing cabinet behind her to sift through the files in the drawer. “Fine, suit yourself,” Rachael chirps.

  Gabrian senses the shift in her energy level, feeling it plunge from the rejection, but her voice reveals nothing of the sort.

  “But you are going to miss out on some really excellent company, not to mention the two-for-one special on frozen margaritas at Geddy’s tonight.”

  Gabrian chuckles at her friend’s unrelenting spunk, trying to smile, but it becomes strained. Echoing like a base drum, she can still hear the clock in her office ticking loudly through the back of her head and her eyes glaze over. Searing impulses and clawing of her energy lust slithers its way through her. Watching Rachael’s iridescent aura flicker and spark as she hides her hurt feelings with sass is almost unbearable to Gabrian.

  “Next time, okay?” Gabrian says to her, edging her way toward the exit before the irritation becomes too intense.

  Rachael turns to say, “Have a good night,” but Gabrian is already gone.

  Gabrian grips the edge of her steering wheel all the way down Main Street toward Route 3, but somewhere along the way she takes a left turn onto Park Loop Rd and heads toward Thunderhole. She has dreamed of it every night for weeks, waking up in sweat-drenched blankets and so today, she gives in to her subconscious needs. She has to see it again—the barren ground where she nearly met her demise.

  Cutting onto the most drivable pass, the branches of the guarding trees scrape at the sides of her car’s aging paint job, threatening to destroy what is left of it. But soon she reaches the end, too narrow for a vehicle. A clearly cut, well-maintained path leads to her point of destination, inviting her to continue on foot with her quest to the edge of the precipice through the woods.

  Sliding out from the safety of her car, each step into the woods has her mind reacting with haunted memories of its environment. Shocking images jolt through her mind’s eye of what she assumes are remainders from that eventful night—echoes of voices crash through her mind, hurting her ears.

  But her memories conflict with each other. One moment she sees her friend, Ayden, being charged by the Elders of the Covenant, all threatening to kill him and in the next, she sees fragments of Shane, Orroryn, Ethan, and Matthias looking terrified, trying to reason with a monster, him, to let her go.

  Each moment rushes at her, causing her to waver as different bits of dialogue dig their way through her mind, disclaiming everything and deluding any measure of truth from her memories.

  She slips closer to the blackened earth where she once had stood defending her friend. She wraps her arms tightly around her abdomen as the pit of her stomach lurches. She remembers the pleading look in Ayden’s eyes to help him, to save him from the real monsters that would come after her too. The heat of anger rushes through her body as she relives the feeling of hatred she held for the Covenant, for Shane, for the life that she was served—choosing to give up her own essence in order to save her friend from the Covenant of Shadows regime—convinced that her sacrifice was warranted.

  Caught up in her memories, she wanders in circles and listens to the chaos in her head. The more she tries to straighten everything out and make sense of it, the more her head threatens to implode, eradicating any evidence of the mystery she is trying to unravel.

  A sudden flash of light halts her pacing; a mirage of bodies encircles her, their eyes empty of free will, stolen from them by her demands. The sight of it robs her of stability, striking her with the force of its cruel measure. Gabrian stumbles forward, landing hard on her knees and drives them down into the ground beneath her. Visions of draining the light—the very anchors that connect them to their souls—ripping it away as they remain abandoned victims, consumes her. Every muscle in her body contracts as panic electrocutes Gabrian, making her spasm and tremor helplessly. Wrenching her hands free from her paralyzed state, she wills them to obey, clasping her head—wrapping it securely within her clawed fingers. Her mind screams out incomprehensive words, surfacing to combat the insufferable assault of pain pulsing through her. Dots speckle the darkness claiming her sight and she forces her lungs to inhale. With the single breath, the invasion is gone, her body and mind free as it drops her face-first onto the Earth.

  Gabrian presses her fingers into the coldness of dirt, pushing against it to raise herself up. Her eyes widen at the touch of a warm hand on her shoulder. Swinging her arm behind her with conviction, she twists herself to her feet into a low fighting stance. Regaining her senses and feeling the sting of adrenaline course through her—fully fueled by fright—Gabrian is ready to fight.

  “Easy, Gabrian, it’s just me.”

  Her eyes press tight, trying to focus on the figure shadowed in the sunlight.

  Tilting his head to the side to block out the sun and ease the strain on her vision, he reveals his identity. Her brain registers what her eyes finally focus in on and slowly she exhales a ragged breath, feeling her heart thump in her ears as it attempts to decelerate.

  The sea green luster of his eyes pushes through the shadows and shoves away the pain that had encompassed her mind. She reaches out and grabs his extended hand, pulling herself up from her battle crouch. Gabrian’s lips tremble as they curve upward into a timid bend with his presence humming through her veins, settling the frayed edges of her soul. Her hands mechanically brush at her clothing in attempts to remove the layer of dirt on them.

  “What are you doin
g here?”

  Gabrian glances over her shoulder at the blackened ground then her eyes rest on Shane’s concerned expression. “I…” Gabrian stumbles with her thoughts. “I just had to see.”

  Shane’s eyes soften. He knows she has been in a silent struggle since the night Adrinn kidnapped and nearly killed her. “I know it has been rough on you. It will get easier, Gabrian,” he whispers and steps forward, his body cloaking Gabrian’s twice over. Shane reaches out his arms, his fingers cupping the edges of her jaw within them. Letting the weight of his arms slip, he gently lowers them down across her back and coaxes her toward him.

  Feeling the heat of his touch soak into her back, she lets loose the remainder of her anxiety. She doesn’t resist his embrace or affections and lets his warmth consume her for the moment.

  Shane pulls her small frame close, holding it snug against his stomach, and feels the tightness in her shoulders release. He bends down and kisses the top of her cinnamon-scented hair. Pressing the muscles tight around his eyes, he tries to push away the moisture haunting the corners of his long dark lashes with the wish that he could take away her nightmares and steal her suffering.

  16

  THREE FOR TEA

  Scraping the butter over her freshly popped toast, Rachael stands against the edge of the counter, slathering her fancy supper with empty calories and feeling more alone than she has in her entire life. Well at least this life, anyway. She doesn’t count the time she was born a gypsy’s child and had been lost somehow on the trail to the market to trade their gifts for food and precious stones. No, that one didn’t count.

  After moving to Bar Harbor to continue her career working with Gabrian, she had insisted on having her own place. Even though Gabrian offered Rachael a room in her parents’ large country cottage, Rachael wasn’t fond of having to drive everywhere to buy something or do anything. She missed the convenience of urban life in Manhattan, but she grew fonder of the coastal charm of Maine. Just the same, she refuses to live anywhere she can’t walk to a store within five minutes of leaving her front door.

  That is where she draws the line.

  Having found a quaint one-bedroom apartment above Gayln’s café, Rachael sits happily within her abode just on the other side of Geddy’s—admiring her view of the harbour.

  The center of her irises swirl, a wave of ice blue washing through her natural green colour as a voice enters her mind, interrupting her grand feast.

  “Rachael, I have had a request by Vaeda and Orroryn. They wish for a moment to converse with you. Is this a convenient time for you?”

  Rachael lifts her brow and sighs, looking down at her toast. Her iridescent aura twitches with her slight irritation of the unwanted intrusion. “Of course, Elder Ariah, your requests are never an imposition, I will just eat later.” She knows that toast for supper isn’t anything spectacular but the thought of letting it get cold pushes her into a mood. Or maybe that is just what she tells herself.

  “Thank you, Rachael, we shall arrive momentarily.”

  “Of course, Elder.”

  The blue slowly disappears back into the center of her pupils from where it had arrived, leaving her irises their original pale green. Ariah may have left her mind but her aura continues to flicker, knowing the true meaning for the visit. They are here to get the dirt on Gabrian—expecting Rachael to squeal on her best friend like she was asked before, with the assumption that she knows something they don’t about her condition.

  But little do they know, it’s going to be nothing more than a waste of time for them, though thoughts of seeing Elder Orroryn balance out the delay in Rachael’s consumption of her soon to be cold toast.

  Her mouth twists as she runs her teeth across her bottom lip, imagining his large lumberjack-shaped body and how it would fill up what little space she has to spare in her tiny apartment. Her mind dances over images of his irrefutable perfected form. A subtle shade of rose grows across her cheeks—warming her insides then blossoming across her face when the muse of her heated daydreams steps out from the shadowy cover of her bedroom door in front of her.

  Her eyes widen and she swallows down a quick ragged breath. Not because she is alarmed but from the abundance of unladylike thoughts playing through her mind upon Orroryn’s entrance.

  “Lady Rachael of Vindere,” he announces. Orroryn’s mouth creeps upward into a crooked grin as he whispers her name, as if he is reading the content of her private thoughts.

  “Elder Orroryn,” Rachael chokes out and nods, trying to regain control over herself, not to mention trying to find a level of respect for the man she had just daydreamed of. “Can I offer you anything while we wait for the others?” She leaves him alone in her bedroom archway, trying to get away from his lustrous sea green gaze and busy herself so she doesn’t feel so guilty. “I don’t have any tea,” she yells, continuing to search frantically through her cupboards. “I haven’t been to the market yet but I am sure…”

  “No, thank you. Rachael. I am fine. Don’t trouble yourself on my account.”

  Her breath catches in her chest at the sound of his smooth voice as it echoes off the empty walls, filling the void room with warmth.

  “It’s no trouble,” she stammers, hating how he flusters her so easily, but her body doesn’t protest too much as she soaks every ounce of his electricity in through her senses. She’s glad to be out of the line of target from his intense presence. Her eyes search the cupboards for something else to offer him when the fridge purrs on cue to catch her attention. Something cold—yes, she needs an excuse to cool herself down.

  She had always thought he was attractive, but lately, every time she gets near him or hears his name spoken, she lights up like drywood doused in gasoline. Everything about him seems to strike the match.

  Jerking the fridge door open and ducking inside, she lets the brisk rush of air wash over her face, desperately seeking a beverage. From behind the large jug of milk, she spies some beer. Retrieving the first one she can reach, she turns toward her waiting guest, letting the door slam closed behind her. She flips the top off quickly and heads for the main room.

  Where one had stood, now there are three.

  Vaeda’s portal she and Ariah had just exited is now merely fragments of spinning light, fading into oblivion as Rachael enters the room.

  All three are huddled closely together, talking in hushed tones low enough that Racheal cannot make out what is being said though she is quite certain she can guess who they are discussing.

  She stops at the edge of her living room, not wanting to disturb them even though they seem to have no problem disrupting her evening. Regardless of the slight imposition, they are still her Elders, and that she must respect—sort of. She watches for a moment but then clears her throat just loud enough to be noticed in her own home.

  The deafening boom of silence echoes as they all turn to focus on their host.

  “Ah, Rachael, my dear,” Vaeda warmly addresses her. “Thank you again for seeing us on such short notice. We hope that we are not interrupting anything important.”

  Racheal’s mind jumps to her toast, sitting cold and alone on the cupboard, but shakes her head no. “It’s fine.” Her eyes glance down at the coolness in her fingers, and she raises the bottle of beer she is clasping in front of her, stepping forward to deliver the beverage. Holding the bottle out to Orroryn, his fingertips graze over the top of hers as he takes the drink from her and the small exchange of touch burns her skin, spreading through the rest of her like wildfire. She lets go quickly, disconnecting the connection and folds her arms across her chest, turning her attention to her other guests.

  “Can I get either of you anything? I am out of tea but…”

  Ariah raises her hand and shakes her head. “No, that won’t be necessary, Rachael. We don’t plan on staying long and taking up your time.”

  “Really, it is no trouble.”

  Both women smile warmly but shake their heads no.

  “Okay, excuse me a moment
, I will be right back.” She pivots on her heels and heads back toward the fridge for the cold beer she had seen hiding behind the milk. With the reaction that Orroryn is having on her, she is going to need something to fidget with during this meeting to distract her for however long they intend to stay.

  Popping the top, she takes a long drink, swallowing hard, and turns to head back to face the inquisition of her Elders. “So,” she huffs, “What can I do for you all this evening?” Knowing full well the topic of tonight’s question and answer period.

  “Well, we have been discussing a few issues that arose from our last Covenant of Shadows meeting—something that concerns Gabrian.”

  Here it comes, she complains in silence but retorts out loud, “I see.”

  “And we have noticed that she seems to be under a bit of duress, not quite herself.”

  Rachael’s face involuntarily contorts awkwardly at their blasé attitude. A bit of duress? she grumbles under her tongue. The girl has been to hell and back and they’re wondering why she is not her chipper self. Really?

  “And since you are her best friend and our best witness to her behaviors, we thought that maybe you can let us in on how she is truly handling everything.”

  “Oh, I see,” Rachael spits out again, raising the bottle to her mouth, and rests it mindlessly against her pouted lips. She nods as if she is pondering a great relevance of Gabrian’s odd behavior but in fact is actually trying to find the right words to let them down. She finally lifts the bottle to allow some of the golden liquid to enter her mouth, swallowing her liquid courage.

  “Well, let’s see. How do I say this?” Rachael twists her lips and pinches her eyes for a second then speaks again. “I have no idea.”