“It almost did,” Zain told her, his voice weak. “If your headmaster hadn’t found me while he and the other teachers were out protecting the academy, then I fear I would have soon passed on from this world.”
Alex pulled away so she could study his face. “How long… How long were you out there?”
“Aven caught me by surprise on Monday night,” Zain said. “Right after I finished speaking with you. I told you I’d found a lead, but it turned out to be a trap. Aven and Jor—Aven and his Claimed accomplices managed to overpower me.”
Alex inhaled sharply at his near slip. She appreciated him changing his sentence at the last second, even if she knew what he’d been about to say.
“I found Zain near the perimeter of the wards,” another voice said, and Alex spun around to find Darrius standing directly behind her. “He was barely conscious, but he managed to say two words: ‘Jordan. Claimed.’”
Alex swallowed heavily and looked at the ground. So much for avoiding the painful truth.
“Fletcher immediately sought to stabilise Zain while I and some of your other teachers took off in search of you and your friends,” Darrius continued. “But I knew we were too late for Jordan. I’m so sorry, Alex.”
She clenched her teeth to hold back another round of tears, but she was able to choke out, “It’s not your fault, Darrius.”
“Nevertheless, I didn’t listen when you came to me with your concerns about Zain,” the headmaster continued, shaking his head regretfully. “I should have looked into the matter further. I didn’t think for a moment that one of my own students might have been in on Aven’s plans, let alone two of them.”
“Skyla didn’t know what she was doing,” Alex said quietly, barely able to say the other girl’s name. The memory flashed across her mind and Alex’s breath caught at the image of Skyla’s lifeless eyes gazing out from her unnaturally still body.
“I know, Alex,” Darrius assured her. “Your friends have already told me what happened here.”
Alex looked around the clearing, noticing again how many people were lingering inside the mushroom circle. As well as the numerous Meyarins, Alex was surprised to see Hunter, Fletcher and Caspar Lennox talking quietly to each other. Fletcher was peering over at Alex as if trying to assess her for injuries, and when she attempted a shaky smile for his benefit, he relaxed, if only slightly. All the while, the other two teachers remained deep in conversation.
Alex might have questioned Darrius about their presence had she not been distracted by the absence of someone else.
“Where’s Calista Maine?”
“She got away,” Bear said, as he and D.C. stepped closer. They each took one of her hands, as if they needed the contact as much as she did.
“When everyone arrived, Calista managed to force them back with her gift long enough to disappear into the forest,” D.C. said, her voice thick from crying. “I presume she’s with Aven now, wherever he is.”
“Speaking of Aven, how did you get away?” Zain asked. “And why did you appear back here through a cloud of Shadow?”
“I believe I can answer the second part of your question,” came the smooth, melodious voice of Caspar Lennox as he approached. “I see you figured out how to use the ring, Alex?”
She nodded and let him explain to the others. It didn’t take him long, and then it was Alex’s turn to fill in the rest of the story. That part was much harder. Fortunately, Bear and D.C. had already informed them of what happened in the clearing, which meant Alex could focus on what she’d experienced after regaining consciousness and how she’d escaped Aven. Even so, the pain of Jordan’s Claiming pierced her heart like a dagger.
As if he’d read her mind, Caspar Lennox caught her eyes and whispered, “Sometimes the Shadow can overwhelm us, just as it did your friend,”
His words took Alex back three weeks, when he’d said the same thing to her. She had been confused at the time, but now she wondered if his true meaning hadn’t been about the Shadow but something else entirely.
Alex gasped as the realisation flooded through her. She yanked her hands free of her friends’ and moved directly in front of Caspar Lennox.
“You knew, didn’t you?” she accused the Shadow Walker. “You knew what would happen to Jordan, and you didn’t try to help him. That stupid Shadow metaphor you gave me—you knew all along that Aven was going to Claim him and you did nothing to stop it from happening!”
She ended on a sob and had to bite her tongue to keep from breaking down in front of the Shadow Walker. And every“I didn’t do nothing,” Caspar Lennox told her while the others watched with baited breath. “I prepared you for what was coming. I warned you about the strength of temptation. And, if you can remember our conversation, I also told you that it’s almost impossible for someone to return to the Light once they’ve yielded to the Shadow’s temptation.”
Alex choked back another sob and attempted to control her emotions.
“Alexandra,” Caspar Lennox said, gently but firmly, “do you remember how I concluded my words to you?”
She couldn’t speak, so she just shook her head.
“I said it’s almost impossible for someone to return, unless there’s someone willing to help them.” His melodious voice softened further and he said, “Your friend is not without hope, Alexandra, not so long as you are a child of the Light. But to help him, you must be willing to fight for him. It won’t be an easy task.”
“But he’s Claimed,” Alex whimpered.
Caspar Lennox stretched out a mottled-grey hand and rested it on her shoulder. “As were you, once.”
“Jordan—” Saying his name hurt, and she winced before trying again. “Jordan’s gift won’t help him like mine helped me. I don’t know any other way for him to escape Aven. It’s a miracle that I managed it, and that was solely because of my willpower gift.”
“Then perhaps you need to follow the etiquette of a five-year-old,” the Shadow Walker said, somewhat mockingly, “and learn how to share.”
“I don’t—” Alex stopped talking when she realised what he was saying. “Do you think it’s possible?” she whispered. “Do you really think I can learn how to extend my gift to include others?”
“I wouldn’t have suggested it if I didn’t believe it to be possible,” he told her.
“I don’t know where to begin,” she said. “I’ve been trying, but I have no idea what I’m doing or how to strengthen it.”
“To build any muscle, you must exercise it,” he said. “Practice makes perfect.”
“But how am I supposed to know if it’s working?”
Caspar Lennox stared at her with a calculating expression before he nodded once as if to himself. He flicked a glance towards the others in their group and then turned back to her, stretching his hands out. The cloud of Shadow that was constantly at his feet rose at his command and surrounded the two of them, wrapping around them like a cloak.
Alex began to panic as they were enveloped by the swirling darkness. “What—”
“Be calm,” Caspar Lennox said. “I wish to speak to you without the others hearing. The Shadow will give us privacy from the eyes and ears of those around us—Meyarin included.”
She shuffled nervously and waited for him to continue.
“I know of someone who may be willing to assist in the strengthening of your gift,” the Shadow Walker said. “I’ll speak with him over the holidays and see if I can convince him to help. He rarely accepts new students these days, so it may come to nothing. But he owes me a favour. I’ll let you know the outcome when classes resume in the New Year.”
“Thank you, sir,” she said, her voice wobbling slightly.
His mottled face filled with compassion. “Take heart, Alexandra. All is not yet lost.”
The Shadow dropped from around them until Alex could see the clearing and everyone in it once again. Everyone except Caspar Lennox, who had apparently said all he needed to say before disappearing.
Alex blinked at t
he spot where he’d been standing. “How did he…?”
“He’s a Shadow Walker,” Bear said, seeing her puzzled expression. “They move through the Shadows. It’s what they do.”
… Right.
“Can we ask what that was all about?” Darrius said.
“Um, I’m not sure I’m supposed to say,” Alex said. Caspar Lennox must have had a reason for concealing his message, and she didn’t want to reveal anything without his permission.
The headmaster eyed her thoughtfully before nodding his head in acceptance. “There’s something else you should know, Alex. After you stepped through to Raelia, Sir Camden appeared and spoke with me. His words made little sense at first, but then I learned that somehow he’d felt the presence of Aven while he was concealed by Jordan’s transcended state.”
Again, the mention of her friend’s name pierced her.
“Just as the knight was about to warn you, something stopped him from speaking,” Darrius said. “That same thing forced him to leave you and move through another doorway. It’s my belief that Calista Maine must have been using her gift on him.”
They’d been played the whole time. No wonder Sir Camden had looked like his joints were rusting over—he’d been as stiff as a board because of Calista’s telekinetic hold on him.
“It’s not your fault,” D.C. whispered, sensing Alex’s anguish. “You had no way of knowing. None of us did.”
“What about Skyla?” Alex asked, just as quietly. “She’s dead. There’s no changing that now.”
“What happened to Skyla is…” Bear’s voice choked with emotion but he took a deep breath and pushed through it. “What Aven did to her is unforgiveable. That’s not on us, so don’t take on that guilt, Alex. If you do, Aven wins one more victory today. Don’t give him that.”
Alex knew he was right and she forced back a fresh wave of tears. Enough crying. The Jordan she knew wouldn’t want her to drown in her sorrows. He’d want her to stand up and fight. Fight for what was right. Fight to make things better.
“Alex? I’m sorry to interrupt, but can I have a word?”
She turned and found Roka and Kyia standing a few paces away.
“I’ll be back in a moment,” she told her friends.
When she reached the Meyarins, Kyia surprised Alex by pulling her into a comforting hug.
“I’m sorry about your friend,” she said softly.
No more crying, Alex reminded herself. She managed to breathe out a quiet, “Thank you.”
Kyia nodded and offered her a compassionate smile before she walked away to speak with a group of Meyarin guards.
“Walk with me, Alex,” Roka said, offering her his arm.
She latched onto it like a lifeline and waited for him to speak. When he did, his words surprised her.
“Are you okay?”
She blew out a breath of air. “Physically, sure. Emotionally, not so much.”
Roka squeezed her hand gently. “If there’s anything I can do to help, you need only ask. The same goes for if you want to reach out to Kyia or Zain. We’re all here for you, Alex.”
She looked up at him in disbelief. “Are you for real? Aren’t you going to lock me up or something?” Seeing the question in his eyes, she clarified, “You’ve managed to keep Aven away from Meya for over a thousand years, and now, thanks to me, he can come and go as he pleases. Everything that happened today is my fault, Roka. Aren’t there consequences for something like that?”
They reached the other side of the clearing and Roka stopped, turning Alex to face him.
“None of us blame you, Alex,” he said. “What you did was justified considering the deceit surrounding Aven’s plan. He’s a master of manipulation. There was no possible way for you to realise the truth.”
“I should have known,” Alex argued. “I should have figured it out.”
“How?”
“I don’t know!” she cried. “I should have felt something was wrong!”
Roka’s face softened at her tortured expression. “You had no way of knowing, Alex. We all thought it was impossible. If anything, the fault lies with us.”
She frowned at that. “What are you talking about?”
“We were overconfident in our ability to keep him out,” Roka said. “It was my idea to send Zain out for information, but we did that in secret as our council didn’t believe it was necessary. We had so much faith in our own race that we forgot the power some humans possess. Skyla Fay’s gift… Never would we have imagined such a deceptive ability. Nor would we have thought to link it with the gift of your friend Jordan. But Aven has spent so much time amongst your kind that using humans’ gifts is second nature to him. And because of that, he managed to slip by us.”
Roka paused, deep in thought. “If your headmaster hadn’t found Zain, then I fear all hope would have been lost. He would have died, Aven would have killed you and your friends and then arrived unnoticed in Meya, intent on destroying us. But Zain’s warning came in time for us to ruin Aven’s plan. We know he’s here now, and although we’re not sure where he’s hiding, he’s lost the element of surprise.”
“How did Zain warn you?” Alex asked. “Darrius said he was nearly dead and could barely talk.”
“Your doctor is extremely skilled.” Roka’s gaze moved to the other side of the clearing, where Fletcher stood hovering around Zain. “He was able to stabilise the effects of the Sarnaph blood— the Hyroa blood—long enough for Zain to find the strength to call up the Valispath. Fletcher was distressed by Zain’s refusal to remain in bed, but he consented so long as he was able to continue his treatment and assist with any injuries you and your friends might have sustained. Darrius and Hunter travelled on the Eternal Path with them, as did the Shadow Walker.”
“I thought the location of Meya was supposed to be a secret to humans?” Alex asked.
Roka shrugged. “Zain was too weak to fight them off, and his urgency to warn us of Aven’s arrival was too great for him to wait any longer.”
“But doesn’t it worry you?”
“Your companions won’t be able to come back without using the Valispath or one of your Library doorways,” Roka reminded her. “And besides, the time may soon be coming when humans are once again aware of our existence.”
“What about Caspar Lennox?” Alex asked. “He disappeared from here without using the Library or the Eternal Path. All he needed was his special shadow magic, or whatever it’s called.”
“Shadow Walkers are an unpredictable race,” Roka said. “Even my people don’t fully understand the scope of their abilities. It’s quite possible that they’ve always been aware of the location of Meya and have just had no interest in our city. We’re not enemies, nor are we allies. We’ve had no need to interact before now—before you, really. And it was clearly you who Caspar Lennox came here for today.”
Alex wasn’t sure what to think about that.
“I have to ask, Alex,” Roka said, his voice strangely hesitant, “I heard you giving your account to the others, but is there anything else you can tell me about Aven’s plans? His whereabouts?”
Alex had omitted to tell the others about her time with Lady Mystique, but the old woman had told her something that Roka probably needed to hear.
“Um, there is something I didn’t mention,” Alex said, and she went on to tell Roka about when she’d first seen Lady Mystique at Raelia during her SAS class. Then she told him about how the Lady had been waiting when the Shadow Ring transported her to the moonlit clearing.
“She said it wouldn’t take long for Aven to become powerful again,” Alex warned. “Apparently there are still many willing Rebels hiding out in the city.”
Roka’s face was grave. “Did she say anything else?”
Alex tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and quietly admitted, “She said I need to learn how to use my Meyarin abilities and that I should begin training with one of your race so that when the time comes, I’ll be ready to fight Aven. She seems to think I
might be the only one who actually can fight him. And she gave me this too, but I don’t know what it means.”
She handed the crumpled piece of parchment to Roka and he skimmed the words twice before his golden eyes captured hers, his expression unreadable.
“I’ve heard this prophecy before,” he said, returning the parchment to her. “The translation is disturbingly accurate.”
“It’s a Meyarin prophecy?” Alex asked with surprise, not sure why Lady Mystique would have had it in her possession.
Roka shook his head. “No. I heard it from a Tia Auran in her native tongue. Many, many years ago.”
“What’s a Tia—”
“I’ll have to look into this, Alex,” Roka interrupted, sounding distracted. He blinked and his eyes cleared as he focused on her again. “As to the training your Lady Mystique recommended, I have to say I agree with her.”
Alex met his concerned gaze and whispered, “Roka, I don’t want to fight Aven again.”
She’d said the same thing to Lady Mystique, and just as the old woman’s had done, Roka’s eyes filled with compassion.
“I’ll help you, Alex,” he promised. “I’ll personally make sure you’re ready, in case that time comes. But I also hope your Lady Mystique is mistaken. And I give you my word that I’ll do everything in my power to ensure she is.”
Alex blinked back more tears. She couldn’t keep eye contact with him without breaking down again, so she averted her gaze.
“Do you know why this place is called Raelia?” Roka asked her.
Alex kept her eyes on the snowy ground and shook her head.
“This is the place where my father stood millennia ago and declared Aven’s sentence of banishment. My brother had already disappeared after trying to murder us, but my father chose to make known the consequences of his betrayal, if only so the Garseth—Aven’s Rebels—would know the fate that awaited them. My father called this place ‘Raelia’ as a reminder to us all.”
He reached out for her and tilted her head up until she was forced to look into his eyes. “Life is full of crossroads, Alex. Full of choices. There are many paths we can take. It’s up to us to decide which ones lead in the right direction.”