Rise of the Shadow

by Thomas Rouxville

  “I thought I was making the right decision!”

  “No, Athena! You made a stupid decision!” Faramond shook his head. “You made a very stupid decision.”

  At that moment, Athena heard footsteps outside. She ran over to the window, seeing two people dashing along the road. Two people she'd never noticed before. But they had noticed her a long time ago. With a sinking feeling, she realized she hadn't been safe for even a moment. Spies had followed her to Faramond's house, to the forest, to the town square, everywhere she went. They were her own personal shadow. How many conversations had they heard? How much training had they seen? How much did they know?

  I shouldn't have trained alone. I should have listened.

  “They're going to report to the king,” Faramond said, staring out the window, expressionless, his tone devoid of any emotion.

  This would be the worst mistake Athena ever made.

  Chapter 9

  “I am so sorry,” Athena said, staring blankly, trying to comprehend exactly what she had done. Faramond stepped backward, dropping into the chair. He looked at the fireplace, avoiding Athena's gaze.

  “What should we do?” Athena asked.

  “Hide,” Faramond said weakly. “

  Where?”

  “I don't know, Athena.”

  “Faramond-”

  “I don't know what to do.” Faramond leaned back, closing his eyes. He seemed to have aged years in just a few minutes. His greasy hair hung limply, strands shrouding his face. Wrinkles creased around his lips and eyes, making him appear to be sad.

  “I should have listened to you.” Athena sunk to the ground, suddenly feeling drained of all energy. She'd made a huge mistake, and there was no going back. She couldn't change the past though it was all she wanted to do. She wanted to change everything so that none of this ever would have happened. Her parents would still be alive. Tobin would still be here, and Athena would be a baker's granddaughter with a fiery temper, nothing more. Not the Guardian of the Kingdom.

  “Do you think everything will be okay?” Athena asked, knowing Faramond's answer wouldn't be a happy one. He was done being positive. He was done trying to help her.

  “Someday, Athena. I don't know when. I don't know if you or I will be around to see everything get better.”

  “You think I won't fulfill my destiny? You think I'll fail?”

  Faramond glanced at her for a moment. “I don't know what I think anymore, Athena.”

  A tear fell down Athena's face; she caught it in the palm of her hand. “You've lost faith in me.”

  “I've been trying to keep my faith in you, believe me. But you had to go out and ignore my warnings. How could you possibly think what you did was right?” Faramond sighed. “Don't you understand that I've been trying to keep you safe?”

  “I do understand-”

  “Then why did you ignore me?” Faramond asked, his voice little more than a whisper. He was hurt, truly hurt by what Athena had done.

  “Because I'm stupid. Is that a good enough answer? I'm an idiot, an absolute fool.” “Athena-”

  “I hate myself, Faramond.” Another tear fell down Athena's face. She didn't bother wiping it away. “I hate myself.”

  “Stop,” Faramond said softly.

  “I didn't mean to ruin everything.”

  “You didn't ruin everything. You made a mistake, but it's going to be okay.”

  “No it isn't, Faramond! You just told me I might not even be around when everything is finally okay. You've lost faith in me.”

  “I'm angry, I admit that, but I still believe in you.” Faramond smiled slightly. “Just don't ignore me again.”

  “I am sorry, Faramond. I really am. I wish I could change what I did.”

  Faramond stood up and knelt down in front of Athena. He patted her back. “There's no going back now, Athena.”

  “Do you think I'll be able to fulfill my destiny as guardian?”

  “That's up to you.”

  Athena nodded. “The answer is yes. I will be the guardian. I will save this kingdom.”

  “You believe in yourself?”

  “I'm trying,” Athena replied.

  “It's a start,” Faramond said. He patted her back again. “Stay here for a few days. Don't come to my house. If you see or hear anything suspicious, lock yourself in your room. Make sure you have your weapons nearby.”

  “How long do you think it'll be before the spies are back?”

  “It's a week's journey to the castle town. Two weeks minimum before they can get back here. Only leave the bakery if you have to.”

  “What about training?” Athena asked.

  Faramond sighed. “At the end of this week, you can go outside for an hour. Train discretely, somewhere you haven't trained before. Do not spend more than an hour out there. Get back to the bakery as quickly as possible.”

  “Okay,” Athena said. “And you'll be safe?”

  “It's not me the spies are after.”

  Athena spent the next few days restless and paranoid. Every time she heard the slightest sound, she jumped. Every time she saw anyone enter the bakery, she shrunk into the shadows, trying to hide herself. Luckily, not many people came by anymore. The bakery only had enough food to supply every resident with one loaf for one week. It had been a long time since anybody argued about their allotment. They were fortunate they were getting anything to eat at all.

  Despite the severe food shortage, Jermyn and Laguna still worked tirelessly, slaving away in the kitchen for hours a day. They were trying their best to scrounge up anything they could find, not being able to stand their town being hungry. They came up with alternative recipes for dishes and invented their own. They were doing everything in their power to stave off starvation. It was barely working.

  Athena helped her grandparents since she wasn't able to train or go anywhere. She always kept one eye on the window, making sure no one was watching her. Every time she saw a fleeting shadow or something move, she was sure it was a spy.

  “It's just a bird,” Laguna kept saying.

  “It's winter; there aren't any birds.”

  “It's a stupid bird that didn't fly south.”

  Athena tried to believe that, but she was sure someone was watching her. She avoided any talk about Faramond or training. She wouldn't even say the word, “guardian.” She did her absolute best to appear like a regular, ordinary girl. The baker's granddaughter. Months ago, it wouldn't have been acting, it would have simply been who she thought she was. Now, this life felt like a role. Athena was an actress, and she still didn't think she was a very convincing one.

  Every night, she slept with her dagger tucked under her pillow and sword under the bed. She was ready to wake up at any moment to defend herself. The thought of killing someone was still nearly unbearable, but it was becoming more realistic. It was becoming more likely. Her nightmares plagued her, but in a way, they were helpful. They kept her alert, ready for anything. She never slept for more than ten minutes at a time, so if someone tried to attack her, she'd be prepared.

  “You're jumpy,” Jermyn said one morning, as Athena jumped backward when he barely touched her shoulder.

  “She's paranoid,” Laguna said.

  “My dear girl, there is nothing to worry about right now.”

  “Right now maybe, but what about tomorrow? Or the next day?” Athena clutched the dagger hidden in the folds of her dress.

  “Live in the moment, my dear, please.” Jermyn handed Athena a piece of dough. “Knead this for me.”

  Athena slogged through her work, still watching the window, still paranoid. Finally, she put on her boots and slung her training gear over her back, hiding it under her cloak. “I'm going outside for fresh air,” she said.

  Jermyn nodded, knowing what she was really going to do. It was the end of the week, and Athena had one hour of training. She ran outside, soaking in the fresh air. It was frigid, but it felt so good after being inside the stifling bakery by the ovens all week.
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br />   “One hour of freedom,” Athena said to herself. But it wasn't really freedom. She wouldn't be free as long as she was worrying. What if the spies had traveled faster than Faramond's calculations? What if they had signaled to other spies in nearby towns? An entire army could be coming after Athena at that very moment. Someone could even pull off her cloak, revealing the bow slung over her back. Every second she spent outside was a second spent in danger.

  Cautiously, Athena found a spot close to the bakery, behind a group of pine trees to train. There weren't any buildings in the vicinity, just an open space. Athena and Tobin had once tried to play there as young children, but they quickly discovered that it was very rocky terrain. The ground was hard and bumpy, not a place for children to run around on. Tobin learned that the hard way, tripping and falling down on his knees. Nine years later, he had the scars to prove it.

  Now, Athena was alone in the clearing, thinking about the past. Thinking about how much better the past had been. She took her bow off her back and loaded an arrow, readying to hit the nearest tree trunk. She could imagine Tobin trying to distract her, trying to make it so she missed her target.

  She almost laughed.

  Almost. At the moment Athena shot her arrow, someone appeared from behind the tree, dodging the arrow and running at Athena. It was a man, someone not from Edgehill, one of the king's spies. He held a knife in front of him, and his face was lit up in a grin. He was bloodthirsty, sadistic. He would take pleasure in murdering the Guardian of the Kingdom.

  Athena was fatigued, tired as she always was. But she was fully alert and fully aware of her attacker. When the man grabbed her, holding onto her tightly, she tried to fight him off. All of the training in the world couldn't prepare her for that moment. The man was twice as large as her and far more muscular. He was much stronger than Athena. His fingers dug into her, cutting her skin, leaving bruises on her arms. No matter how good she was with a weapon, it would do no good if she couldn't break free from this man's grip.

  “Hello, Guardian,” he said through gritted teeth. He laughed darkly, crumpling her wooden bow. He threw it on the ground, where it landed in a heap, twisted and mangled.

  “You're just a little lass aren't ya?” he said, hands wrapping around her.

  Athena spit. “Let go,” she growled.

  The man gripped her tighter, hand sliding down to the fold where her dagger was hidden. He grinned. “Not really good at being invisible, lass.”

  “I was invisible for eighteen years,” Athena hissed. She kicked backward, hitting his knee. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, giving her power and energy. The attacker winced, but his grip didn't loosen. Athena kicked again, hitting his groin. He swore loudly, one of his hands slipping away.

  What do I do? Athena's heart pounded and her adrenaline pumped, but adrenaline would only get her so far. This man would kill her unless she killed him first. If he wouldn't show mercy, she couldn't. She only had a tiny window of time where he was vulnerable before he regained his composure and twisted her neck or stabbed her throat.

  “You're weak,” the man laughed. He held his knife at her throat while his other arm wrapped around her waist, holding her so tight she could hardly breathe. “Weak,” he repeated, the knife touching her skin. It was cold, metallic, and terrifying. All the man had to do was press it into her, and she would bleed to death in the freezing winter air.

  It's too late. Athena had lost her window. Her attacker was at full strength, laughing while he squeezed her. She gasped for air. He's going to suffocate me and slice my throat. Her dagger fell to the ground, sharp end sticking into the rough dirt. Her bow was several feet away, rendered useless and irreparable.

  I have to kill him. Athena kicked wildly, flailing as much as she could. She turned her head, spitting in the man's face. He wrestled with her, attempting to pin her to the ground. Athena knocked the knife from his hand, watching as it sailed through the air, landing out of reach from either of them.

  Athena kicked the man hard, using all of the strength she could muster. He cried out in pain, releasing his grip completely.

  Using what little time she had, Athena ran over to the knife, picking it up with shaking fingers. “Go ahead, lass. Kill me!” The man screamed. He limped towards her, pulling her dagger out of the dirt. The tip was bent. The man swore again and threw it, letting it bash against a tree. He stared at Athena wearing a smirk, as if inviting her to attack him. As if saying, “I dare you to try.”

  As the man lashed at Athena, attempting to strangle her, she dodged him, slashing the knife against his arm. A line of blood began to ooze out of his skin. He hardly seemed to notice, continuing to grab at her. I have to kill him, Athena thought again. She had to end this before he ended her. She grazed his skin again, snagging his other arm. His smirk wouldn't leave his face. “You're too weak,” he laughed. “Too weak, lass!”

  “I'm not weak,” Athena said, lunging for his heart. She plunged the knife downwards, listening to the sickening sound of it twisting inside of him. He went limp, lifeless. He was dead.

  With shaking hands, Athena ripped the knife out of him, wanting to vomit. Blood gushed from the attacker's heart, a fountain of crimson staining the gray ground. Athena looked at her own hands; they were covered in red. She furiously wiped them on her clothing, trying to erase the evidence, trying to forget she had just taken a human being's life.

  Athena stared at the body for a moment, trying not to sob, trying not to remember what she'd just done. She began to run towards Faramond's house though he'd told her not to. Athena had nowhere else to go. She couldn't face her grandparents, not with someone else's blood staining her dress.

  Yet, Athena ran no more than a few feet before she noticed smoke rising from one of the buildings. The nearest building. The bakery. It was on fire, orange flames flickering in the windows. Athena shivered, despite the heat permeating off the flaming walls. Her mind could hardly comprehend what was happening. She just stood there for a second, staring as her home fell apart. Suddenly, it occurred to her exactly what was happening. It was finally registering. Not only was her home destroyed, but her grandparents were inside. Someone had tried to murder Athena; surely they'd tried to murder her grandparents as well. Her heart sunk as she ran into the burning building, ignoring the thick smoke clouding her vision and lungs.

  “Grandfather! Grandmother!” Athena yelled, coughing and gasping for air. “Grandfather!” She tore a piece of her dress, putting it over her mouth to try and block the smoke. “Grandfather!” She yelled one last time before her breath disappeared, leaving her dizzy. She stumbled into the kitchen and immediately fell to the floor.

  Jermyn and Laguna laid lifeless on the stone ground, next to each other, fingertips barely touching. Fresh blood pooled around them, and their skin was almost translucent. They'd both been stabbed in multiple areas, their bodies marked and bleeding out of seemingly every pore. It was the most horrific sight Athena had ever seen. It was exactly like the images in her nightmares, but real. This was a nightmare she would never wake up from.

  Athena leaned over them, sobbing. She touched her grandfather's face, trying to see the man who had raised her, who had always loved her and believed in her. But she couldn't see him now. She saw a dead man. Unrecognizable. Her grandfather was no longer here.

  Part of the roof fell down, crashing around Athena. All she wanted was to stay there with her grandparents, to bring them back to life as if sitting with them would resurrect them. But she couldn't stay. The bakery was collapsing; if Athena stayed, she would die along with Jermyn and Laguna.

  “I love you,” she whispered. Athena stood up, wiping her tears away. “I'm going to make everything right.”

  Chapter 10

  I'm going to make everything right. Eventually. Athena reached for a tiny loaf of bread sitting on the counter, just inches away from a smattering of blood. She held her cloak out, making a pouch, and dropped the bread into it. With blurry vision from flying embers and ashes, Athe
na felt around for other supplies. She managed to grab an apple, a pear, and a tiny vial of sugar. Or perhaps it was salt. She'd figure it out soon enough.

  The next few minutes were a blur. Athena stumbled out of the collapsing building, blinded by smoke and ash, coughing violently. She scrambled out of the way of shattering glass, wincing as a shard sliced through her dress, lodging itself into her leg. She'd seen enough blood for a day.

  Safely out of the burning building, Athena laid down on the frozen ground, trying to regain her breath or any bit of energy possible. She stared mournfully at the bakery, her home for fourteen years, now in ruins. Now a tomb. Her grandparent's bodies were still in there, and they would burn until there was nothing left behind. A burst of fire rolled through what was left of the building, sending a tower of smoke up into the sky.

  Athena couldn't linger any longer; she had to run. Surely there were more spies after her at that very moment. She was supposed to be killed, either in the bakery or while she was training. Once the spies learned that she had survived, they would go after her, perhaps in droves, ensuring that they'd be able to murder her. Athena was far from safe in Edgehill.

  For a second, her thoughts turned towards Faramond. If she ran now, without telling him, would he ever find her? Would he even know if she was alive? There wasn't time to alert him. Athena had to disappear quickly. She had to fade away into safety. Of course, there was no such thing as safety. Athena was in danger no matter where she went or what she did. As the Guardian of the Kingdom, she was the king's greatest enemy.

  Athena wiped the dried tears and blood from her face. She reached down to gently pull the shard of glass from her leg. It would leave a scar to add to those on her feet and the many future ones she'd surely obtain. She mounted her grandfather's horse. She'd only ridden a horse a few times in her life, usually on Tobin's farm. Tobin would race with her occasionally when he wasn't too terribly busy. It had been at least three years since the last time they'd raced horses together. Athena cursed under her breath. She wasn't experienced with horses. Faramond must have overlooked the fact that she'd need riding training. There wasn't much use for horses in Edgehill. It was a small enough town that it only took a half hour or so to walk from one end to the other. There wasn't much traveling out of Edgehill either, as there simply wasn't the need. At least, that's the way it had been once. Edgehill was almost empty now, a ghost of its former self.