Shadaya: Out of Darkness (Gemstone Royals)

by Kelly A. Purcell

  Markus smiled sympathetically, “Is that why you rejected his advances, his proposal to be his queen?”

  Shadaya looked up sharply, “how do you know about that?”

  “I know a lot about a lot. But I can also see quite clearly when a woman feels guilt that she has no business carrying.”

  “Oh, you have no idea,” she said, “He has been nothing but kind to me, but I… I knew that I could not love him the way he deserved. I’m just… not built that way.”

  “You know Shadaya, just because you can’t return the affections of a man who clearly loves you, or because you haven’t met someone who stirs your heart enough to want to try, means that you are incapable of falling in love.”

  Shadaya smiled sadly, Her eyes bright with unshed tears of appreciation but disbelief.

  “I get what you are saying Markus but… what if something is really broken inside me? That day I watched my father die, I felt something break and I haven’t been able to fix it, and I have tried everything.”

  “Not everything,” Markus said with a smirk, “imagine the God of the kingdom of light came to us, every tribe and race, with all our faults and failures and personally invited us to know him. He knows what’s broken inside of us. He is able to fix it.”

  “You don’t give up do you?” she said with a chuckle.

  Markus shrugged, “you are my friend and I want the best for you… true love included. And after what I have learned about you today, I truly believe there is great purpose for your life, purpose for good and not evil. Many may be vying for your heart, but you get to choose who you give it to. Are you ready to choose?”

  Shadaya thought deeply about Markus’ question, it almost pained her to say it out loud. But she could tell by the look on his face that he knew she had made a decision.

  “I… believe,” she said finally.

  Taking a deep breath, she lifted her eyes to Markus, “But I’m not sure how to choose… can your God really help me?”

  Markus smiled, “nothing is impossible for him to do Shadaya.”

  Markus would never know how much relief and fear his words stirred in her in that moment.

  “What should I do about Henry?”

  “He has introduced you to a destructive force and he wants you to remove the one thing that has saved you,” he pointed to her necklace.

  “I would say don’t trust him.”

  He consulted a metal object on his desk, that looked like a mini wind vane and his frown deepened, “It’s time to go. But first, allow me to pray with you?”

  She hesitated, “sure,” she finally said, “I’ll need all the help I can get.”

  Chapter 25

  The moment Shadaya stepped out of her carriage, she could feel the shift in the atmosphere. She looked up to see the clouds darken overhead and a high-pitched whistle pierced the air.

  “My Lady, get inside now!”

  Brutus shouted above the whistle, as he hustled her towards the house. Dorcy was not far behind.

  Shadaya, lifted her dress and ran, as the whistling wind shifted to an eerie howl. The front door of the main house swung open as she bounded up the steps and her mother stood there with wide panicked eyes.

  “Hurry!”

  Shadaya dove inside after Dorcy with Brutus not far behind her. When she turned around, he was helping Claude, the door man, bolt the door. They were pushing hard against the wind and then latching a heavy wooden bolt, that she had never noticed before, across it.

  “Is everyone inside?” Shadaya asked breathlessly.

  “We sent word all over the manor, everyone is sealed inside.”

  “I hope everyone else managed to get to safety. I don’t think Lord Cort expected it to happen so soon. That was the beginnings of a dark storm, right?”

  She turned to Eunice, who was nodding frantically, “in a few minutes the darkness will descend and anyone who breathes in its poison will succumb to insanity or a slow death.”

  “Or both,” Lidelia added, wringing her hands nervously.

  She turned to Brutus, “recheck the windows and doors.”

  The muscle-bound man bounded off without a moment’s hesitation. Everyone was on edge but seeing her mother so genuinely uncomfortable confirmed for her even more the seriousness of what they were up against.

  Shadaya turned around to see who was gathered around her. The servants who had chosen to remain, stood around in silent terror, most of them had their close family with them in the main house. Shadaya’s gaze fell on Bertrand and Reeva who were huddled together, happy to be with each other during this ordeal. At least she had managed to do something right.

  “Shadaya you shouldn’t be alone tonight. You can spend the night in my chambers with me,” Lidelia was saying.

  “I’d rather not,” Shadaya protested, arching a brow at the odd request.

  Eunice stepped forward, “I’ll stay with her.”

  That seemed to satisfy Lidelia, as she turned and walked away as if in a daze.

  “Wait where’s Pit?” Shadaya asked.

  “I forgot to tell you. We have to lock all animals away during a storm, it’s more for our sake than theirs.”

  Shadaya nodded slowly, she did not like the idea of her dog not being by her side, but there was a lot about this event that she did not understand. She turned her back and started to walk towards her father’s chambers.

  “Everyone, go to your families and get ready,” she said, as she walked away.

  “Wait what about me?”

  She had almost forgotten that Dorcy had stayed by her side.

  “Oh sorry. Eunice will show you to where your friends are.”

  She did not miss the look of disappointment that crossed the young girl’s face. She knew she wanted to stay by her side through the storm, but Shadaya knew that though she liked Dorcy she had to maintain some boundaries, especially for the other servants.

  A few minutes later, she was sitting in the room she used for solitude, with a cup resting on her knee. The howling outside had grown more voracious and Shadaya felt her heart sink. She could see the panic on the faces of her servants, still in her mind’s eye and could only imagine what was happening in the villages with persons who weren’t prepared. They all knew that there was nothing any man could do, no swords strong enough to stand against this threat. Deep in her heart she knew that something greater troubled her, Drayton was out there. He was out there, without shelter and he was upset with her. It hurt to think that she might never see him again and that his last thought in death or insanity might be how much she had hurt him.

  Eunice came in then, with another lamp to add to the light of the fireplace, “here I am, keeping my promise to your mother, everyone has retired to their corners with their families.”

  “Why is she so concerned about me being alone?”

  “You know why? Your birth was scary for all of us. Your mother especially, she didn’t know what to expect. Despite her… ways. She does care for you, you are her only child and she would have done anything that night to save you, even give her own life.”

  Shadaya looked thoughtful, “I never thought about it like that. How it must have been for her.”

  Eunice sat down on the long-backed chair facing Shadaya, “You’ve always believed you could handle anything, since you were a little girl. There were no such things as games for boys and games for girls for you,” Eunice said with a fond chuckle.

  Shadaya smiled, “yet you and mother tried to keep me locked up so I could learn to be a princess,” she teased.

  “I know you can handle yourself, still doesn’t stop me from worrying. I knew you were capable of handling the rough tumbles with the boys, what worried me was if you would know when not to do so.”

  “Yes, I remember your warnings well. A woman’s strength is not in all she can do but knowing when to hold back and when to let loose.”

  Eunice laughed, it was a warming sound amid all that was happening outside.

  “Where is m
other?” Shadaya asked.

  “Retired to her bed chamber.”

  “Who can sleep through this?”

  The howling outside sounded haunted and dark, like the cries of lost souls as they clawed against the bricks of the mansion.

  “Everyone has their own way of dealing with their fears. Your mother called for her wax earplugs and extra blankets. Speaking of which…”

  Eunice tossed a blanket onto Shadaya’s lap, missing her tea cup which she lifted away at the last minute.

  “It can get a bit chilly.”

  “Really? How? We’re sealed off, there is limited ventilation to begin with.”

  “Magic doesn’t operate by the natural laws of our world. I’ve been in this world long enough to know that to be true.”

  Shadaya reached out and secured the blanket on her lap.

  “I can only imagine what it must have been like that night. The night I was born.”

  Shadaya sighed, her eyes going to the dancing candle light on the table next to her.

  “I wonder what father would think if he saw me now. He must be so disappointed.”

  Eunice looked surprised, “oh no no, you my child are the woman your father hoped you would be… and more.”

  Shadaya looked up at her sadly, “you heard Henry, you know how much I have failed him.”

  “If your father was alive, he would tell you with burning passion in his eyes, that nothing you could do could stop him from loving you.”

  Suddenly, the candles flickered out and the fireplace went out with a puff, then silence descended. It was like something had sucked in the eerie air and was now holding its breath.

  “Eunice?” Shadaya whispered into the darkness. The darkness felt thick in front of her face, it almost seemed to muffle her voice.

  “I’m here,” Eunice replied, “stay calm my child. Stay warm. It will be over soon.”

  Shadaya leaned back against the soft plush chair she had wisely occupied and pulled the blanket up to her chin. A skin crawling chill suddenly filled the room. Yet her vision remained, now it made sense to her why she had always been able to see in the dark. She could see Eunice with her eyes closed cuddled up on the couch.

  “Are you sure we are safe?”

  Endless possibilities of how they could be harmed sitting around in the dark like this was flashing through her mind and she shivered.

  “In here we are.”

  Shadaya immediately understood what Eunice meant. Outside, beyond the gated estate of Quadin manor, families were being attacked by a force they did not comprehend nor expect, their lives and minds being wrenched from them. Somewhere a mother was watching her children fade away, a father was feeling helpless as he held his family in his arms.

  “Help us God of Aldor if you are who they say you are, protect Drayton,” she whispered.

  In the quiet her whispered prayer reached Eunice and the woman sighed.

  “Let it be so,” she said.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Markus stood before the drawn curtains in his chambers as the howling continued outside. A bright fluorescent light with hints of purple danced on the desk behind him. It was the only source of light he knew that could withstand the dark surge. That’s what his people had termed it, that wave of darkness after the quiet that seemed to suck all light from the world and flood it with a thick blanket of impenetrable darkness. No natural light could combat it. But the Ilks had discovered some years ago, the Minae fish was a reliable source of light during this time. Ilks hunted them in the waters along the coast, but they were rare and a difficult catch. Not many people had mastered the art of capturing and caring for them. Markus was glad his young mentee had thought to bring him one of his own. The Minae fish, had a small triangular head and a soft jelly like body, which glowed from within. They came in different hues. The one he had was purple; the purple started off dark at the neck and then fanned out throughout its soft floating body in lighter waves. When they weren’t used for light, they served well to calm agitated nerves.

  Markus needed the cool calming light now and apparently so did Cad. He was sitting on a cot in the corner of the room with his knees drawn up to his chin.

  “I hate this,” he muttered.

  “You won’t be the only one,” Markus said.

  Stiller and Stacia had remained at their bakery with a few other families and the others were set up in rooms throughout Markus’ mansion. Once the dark surge had descended, everyone was stuck where they were. He was happy they had managed to settle down most of the people before the first winds broke. The last-minute group had to be hustled inside and immediately find a corner of the house to settle. He had not worried about the safety of his valuables then, and he didn’t now. He just wanted to ensure that he saved as much as he could.

  “I wonder if lady Quadin made it home in time,” Cad said, “that storm came upon us very suddenly.”

  “If my calculations are correct, I’m sure she did.”

  He turned to look at Cad, “do you fancy the lady?”

  Cad glared at him but didn’t answer.

  “She is… very lovely,” Markus agreed.

  Loud pounding erupted against the door of his chambers then and both men exchanged looks of concern.

  “Who’s there?” Cad shouted.

  “It’s me!” came a familiar voice from behind the door, it sounded like one of Markus’ guards, who worked closely with Cad.

  Cad jumped to his feet to get the door, but Markus gestured to him to hold on.

  “What? Something could be wrong,” Cad hissed.

  Markus shook his head, “regardless, you never take chances during a dark storm. Something doesn’t feel right.”

  Cad’s look of annoyance melted into fear, “can it do that?”

  “It tends to have all the elements of the dark forest, hallucinations, trickery, torment,” Markus whispered.

  The pounding started again, and Cad moved towards Markus as though to protect him. But Markus knew that in times like these they both knew that Markus’ mind and faith was superior to Cad’s brawn.

  “Can it come in?”

  Markus kept his gaze trained on the door, “only if you let it.”

  “Ho…”

  Suddenly the door burst open and an ear-piercing howl filled the room, standing in the doorway was a shadow, shaped like a man, more specifically, a man they both knew; the dead caretaker. The temperature in the room dropped even more, enough to make Markus teeth chatter.

  “Murderer,” the shadow chanted.

  Cad backed towards Markus, as if to step behind him.

  Markus didn’t take his eyes off the shadow, but he was not oblivious to the accusation the darkness made.

  “What does it want?” Cad wheezed, panic reducing his voice to a pitiful whine.

  “Please, please go away,” he cried from behind Markus.

  The shadow continued to stand before the door as if afraid to enter. Markus knew that it most likely would not, not with the light of the fish in its glass cage and not when the way of the darkness was to stir up mental torment, more than to cause physical harm. By the way Cad was panicking he was more likely to hurt himself than the shadow standing at the door.

  “Stay calm Cad, it cannot hurt you.”

  “How did it get in? We’re sealed in!”

  Markus kept his gaze on the formidable accusing shadow, “the fog didn’t get in, we are sealed up tight. But that doesn’t mean that it can’t project itself inside, much like the darkness and the cold… when it is amply persuaded to. Like when two people are in a room and one has done evil to another.”

  The accusation in Markus’ voice was clear.

  “I was only trying to protect you,” Cad cried.

  “I know,” Markus said.

  “You do?”

  “And I forgive you.”

  Instantly, the wind receded, and the shadow flickered like a candle in the wind before vanishing completely, leaving the open door.

  Markus
turned to Cad, who was now on the floor, with tears streaming down his face. Markus looked dismayed.

  “So, you killed that poor old man.”

  “I’m sorry brother, I am.”

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Shadaya awoke with a start, surprised that she had even managed to fall asleep. In the blackness of the room, she could sense that she was not alone, and it was not because Eunice was softly snoring on the chair facing her. Then she heard it, footsteps behind her almost as soft as a whisper, but not soft enough for her trained ears to miss. The howling outside had reduced to a low moaning hum.

  She sensed that whatever was in the room with them had moved closer. An unfamiliar feeling of fear gripped her heart and her hand drifted to where she knew her dagger lay, atop the coffee table beside her. Now she dared to look behind the chair upon which she sat… slowly.

  “Stop!” a voice screamed in her ear.

  She jumped and gasped, withdrawing her hand immediately.

  “Stay still,” came the warning again.

  The howling was still happening outside, but even in the midst of it, the voice was clear, almost as if it reverberated through her own mind.

  “Who are you?” she hissed, growing aggravated at the senseless request.

  There was nothing distinctive about the voice, it was like air being shaped into toneless words.

  “You need to trust me! Now move!”

  The sudden command was loud and piercing, it’s urgency practically launching her from the chair where she sat and unto the floor. A piercing shriek whizzed past her ear and she ducked. Shocked, she spun around but even with her special eye sight she struggled to see what had passed by. She could make out shadows in what was now a grayish hue filling the room. Her eyes widened in horror at the sight, oddly shaped shadows, with wings and pointed claws fly about the room above her. Shrieking and swooping low as if looking for something.

  “Oh goodness,” she muttered.

  “Stay low,” came the warning.

  In that moment, it was as if the voice had transformed into the familiar voice of her father. Pain filled her heart at the sound she missed hearing so much.