Earthen Shadow
A Twilight Trials Short Story
by
Sara Harricharan
Earthen Shadow
A Twilight Trials Short Story
Copyright © 2014 Sara Harricharan
#1 Trial by Fire
#2 Trial by Air
#3 Trial by Water
#3.5 Earthen Shadow
#4 Trial by Earth
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Any resemblances to real life individuals, places or situations are purely coincidental.
Acknowledgements: Special thanks to my mother, who always reads my work. My family who always encouraged me to keep on writing and to my ‘jewelly sisters’ who help me sparkle.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
When my hand hovered over the keypad beside the door, a knock sounded from the other side. I requested a preview image and saw a familiar figure standing at parade rest in the hallway. Tucking the package under one arm, I opened the door and stepped back.
A very bedraggled, Terrance McGowen, Twilight Titan, stood in the hallway, one pale grey eye fixed steadily on my face.
I stared at Terrance for a long moment, trying and failing to discern what had brought him to the shared apartment. The last time I’d seen him, his left eye hadn’t been swollen shut. I leaned out past the door to check the hallway to see if my apprentice, Ellis, was anywhere behind him. The last time Terrance had come home from a fight, no one had gotten any sleep until a week later.
“Terrance, to what do I owe the pleasure at this hour of the night?” I caught the doorjamb with one hand, so the door would stay open. “Curfew is already active, is it not?” Titans and Knights were required to stick to designated curfews, while the above ranks of Shirron and Guardian were allowed to roam about as they pleased.
The Twilight were known as a respected paramilitary force, dedicated and independent from all ties to governments, churches and various monarchies. As a neutral powerhouse, we provided an objective third-party in various situations when requested and were usually the first ones on site to help during and after natural disasters.
Terrance shifted, discreetly. “I’m sorry to disturb you, sir, but I’ve only just been released from the Disciplinary Committee for an altercation between myself and an active Guardian.”
Please don’t let it be, Ellis. I don’t have the patience to sort through another one of your arguments. I surveyed his calm expression and relaxed stance. It was deceptively relaxed, but I’d learned to read him years ago. It was an ingrained Urukou habit to never present himself exactly as he felt in the present moment.
Having been under Ellis’ hand for his Twilight training, Terrance had managed to retain certain native habits, while acquiring new ones. His eyes, the palest shade of grey—even more so than an Air elemental—always gave him away. The hint in his steady gaze held a hint of steel, he’d braced himself for rejection, but had come anyway.
“An altercation?” I repeated, tipping my head to encourage him to continue. I was a high-ranked training master, but my reach was limited when it came to certain internal affairs. I’d transferred into the Amerinth Training Academy years ago, but thanks to my odd talent and general dislike of reflective surfaces, I did not spend much time in the company of my fellow Twilight training masters.
“I’m here to ask for a favor.”
Ah. I always wondered when he would make use of his connections. Must’ve been a rather interesting fight. I shook my head to push the thought aside. I would not judge him until I’d heard the entire story and knowing him as I did, I would have to pry the story out of him. “Ellis isn’t in right now. He’s spends his evenings in the-”
“I know. I’m not here to see Ellis. I’m here to see you, Master Kalen. May I come in?”
I hid my surprise at that, wondering what was so important that he’d come to me first before the Healers. His face and neck sported a colorful collection of bruises, anything else hidden from view by his standard Titan uniform. I gestured for him to enter and allowed the apartment door to slide shut. “How may I be of assistance?”
He ignored the formal wording and instead squared his shoulders, taking a deep breath. “Could you sign for my punishment detail—instead of Ellis?”
I perked a brow. “That bad?”
“No, sir. I’d just rather he didn’t see it right now. I wouldn’t lie about it, that would be stupid. But I’d just as soon avoid another headache.”
“A headache for him or a lecture for you?” I said.
“Headache for him,” Terrance said, firmly. “By the time he hears of it, I’ll have already fulfilled my duty and if you signed, then it would be properly authorized and submitted without being public knowledge, meaning it wouldn’t be the talk of the academy tomorrow morning.”
“I see,” I said. Moving away from the cramped entry hall, I ushered him inside to the dining area off of the small kitchenette. “Have a seat.” I set my package on the counter and retrieved two glasses from the cupboard.
He hesitated, then gingerly eased himself into the seat where his back would be to the wall. His eyes darted towards the entryway, then down at his wrist, checking his timepiece. “I don’t need you to excuse it or anything. I deserved it. I didn’t really have a reason for breaking his nose.”
I turned to stare at him. “You broke a Guardian’s nose?” That explained why he hadn’t seen a Healer as yet and why no one had called for one if he’d been held at the Disciplinary Committee’s office. Fights between ranks were severely frowned upon and often punished quite harshly depending on the provocation.
Terrance blushed. “I may have also fractured his jaw,” he admitted, sheepishly.
“In whose defense?” That admission was far more telling than anything else.
He shrugged, nonchalantly. “I suppose I just felt like it.”
“Terrance McGowen!” I said, sharply.
He twitched, faintly. “Yes sir?”
“Don’t ‘sir’ me. The truth. Now. Attacking a Guardian unprovoked is a serious offense as you full well know. You also know that I have full access to all disciplinary reports should I request them. Spare me the hassle of looking it up myself and just tell me what happened.”
Terrance avoided my gaze, his hands twisting together atop the table before he sighed. “I overheard a conversation between Guardian Clarke and Knight Arrons in which he insinuated a rather disrespectful thing and refused to apologize to her. I confronted him and when he refused to apologize, I regretfully lost my temper. Clear enough?”
“For the moment.” I turned back to fiddle with the glasses on the counter. “Juice?” He didn’t answer, so I added ice to the glasses and filled them with a fruit-flavored energy drink. He could use the extra boost. “Is the document filed under your name or rank?”
“I’m not sure.”
I handed him a glass and reached for my tablet near the forgotten the package. There was more to the story, I was sure. Like Ellis, Terrance had very specific triggers that would set him off. “I would hardly call a broken nose and fractured jaw, a loss of temper.”
“To each their own, sir. Control is different for everyone.”
I scrolled through the on screen menus, inputting the proper clearances, before I slid it across the table. It was best that I didn’t look at the screen for too long. The first stirrings of a headache began to squeeze through my head, proof that my precognition would activate if I didn’t hurry things along. “Find your report.”
He squinted at the screen and poked a few places.
“You were holding back, weren’t you?” I could see his injured eye much better now and the shape of the bruise around his eye struck me as odd. I couldn’t fathom how he’d managed to
acquire it, because he usually emerged from all of his fights victorious and with only the slightest scratch.
His good eye flicked up to my face to glare at me, before he returned to sorting through the reports.
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “I suppose the committee doesn’t know that though, do they? I’ve seen you spar with Ellis and I’ve seen you fight. It must have hurt to let him hit you.”
Terrance raised the chilled glass to press against the side of his face. He winced at the coolness, but kept the glass there. “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He pushed the tablet away. “It’s that one at the top.”
I skimmed through the notes attached to the report. It gave a number reference to the incident file and was currently pending review. I scrawled my signature on the bottom of the screen and requested the authorization to remain private. It was such a small thing, I would hardly consider it a favor, even though it had clearly cost him some of his pride to make