Land of Shadows (The Legend of the Gate Keeper Book 1) (10 page)

Ilirra took her hand from her forehead and flashed her brilliant green eyes at the man, clearly growing tired of his usual beating around the bush. His cryptic games had become tiresome.

He confidently returned her look, even paused a moment longer than was necessary to make a small point. “The guardian lives,” he said in a near whisper, “she was not killed during the raid of Brinton.”

The Queen’s expression never changed. She just stood there staring at the man with a blank, unreadable face. “You are sure of this,” she finally said in an even tone.

“Yes, I’ve even located her.” He gestured towards the globe sitting on the table. “But there is no reason to go after her,” he spat out quickly, as if knowing what the Queen was thinking. “She knows her duty. If I can feel him, she can as well. And she is better
equipped
to find him than either of us.”

The Queen’s expression still never changed. If fact, her calmness was a little unnerving to Berkeni. “You will continue to keep me informed of any, and I mean
any
new details that arise,” she said in a chillingly soft voice, then turned to leave.

When she closed the door behind her, she threw her back against it and let out a deep breath she hadn’t known she was holding. Both hands covered her face as she began panting, unable to catch her breath through the trembling. She bent over and dropped her hands to her knees, trying to get sufficient air with every short, panting breath. Emotions swirled through her like a raging river.
By the gods, Jade’s alive
!

* * *

Jade sat on the hill with her back against a tall oak tree. Her eyes were red and puffy, but not a single drop of moisture was left to fall. She felt empty inside, numb and emotionless. Closing her eyes, she tried to recall the events that had left her alone once again. Strange as it was, her mind seemed empty...blank. She was aware of what had happened but could not form any images in her mind.

Opening her eyes, she glanced down at the barn. For a moment she considered training to try to get her mind off of everything, but the fleeting thought was not even realistic. She knew she couldn’t focus on anything like that right now. Jade knew she would have to put this all behind her soon, as she still had a job to do, a purpose in life that would call out to her one day.
A life that is trying to teach me a lesson
, she thought to herself. How dare she get close to anyone? How dare she believe for even an instant that she was entitled to any form of joy or love or companionship? Her life had been forfeit many years ago, and trying to find any other meaning within it was just plain greedy. Now she was being punished for her greed, for her belief that her life might be worth more than this.

Her eyes caught a glimpse of someone near the barn. A white-haired man ducked inside so quickly, she thought she might have imagined it. Leaping to her feet, Jade tried to run down the hill. However, she couldn’t make herself run for some reason. Perhaps she didn’t want to. Maybe she was afraid of what she’d discover. It was an effort made more difficult by her feet sinking deeply into the soft ground as she tried to move, sinking into ground that seemed more like quicksand than soil. It felt as if each individual blade of grass was grabbing at her feet and trying to pull her into the ground. Every step sunk deeper into the grass, and it seemed to be getting harder and harder to place one foot in front of the other.

The barn was not getting any closer. In fact, it seemed to be moving farther away. Then, in a flash, she found herself in front of the barn. The suddenly black sky threatened heavy rain. It seemed to happen in an instant. The sky began to crackle with jagged lightning bolts splitting the air in all directions. She frantically twisted the knob, but it just spun in her hand. She yanked and pushed as the rain poured down on her like a waterfall, soaking her to the bone instantly while powerful lightning bolts struck on her left, than right, then...she appeared inside the barn.

Flies buzzed all around as she tried to walk down the path amongst the hay. She tried to cover her eyes and mouth to keep out the swarming insects and tried to push through the living black cloud that seemed to be pushing back, much like walking against a windstorm. She turned her head sideways to relieve some of the onslaught while placing a hand over the side of her face in horror, for she could feel the insects burrowing into her ear.

As she pushed her way down the path with her head tilted sideways, she could see her man-shaped straw targets lined up on the wall. But now they
were
men, or at least appeared animated. Distorted faces stared back at her. One was laughing uncontrollably, staring at her with bloodshot eyes, while the other kept clicking a large set of pearl-white teeth at her, shaking its animated head back and forth violently. Then, it all stopped. The insects vanished as the straw dummies returned to their normal state.

Ben stood right in front of her. He looked down at her with his usual smile, but he didn’t look well. His skin appeared gray and pale. Jade could not utter a single word, and just stood there, frozen. “Jade,” he said in an unfamiliar yet calm voice. “If you had not come into my life, I’d still be alive.”

Her face twisted into an anguished expression as tears flowed down her cheeks, but she couldn’t make a single sound. Not a whimper nor a scream, just nothing.

Ben’s head leaned back sharply and his eyes tripled in size, turning completely black, like an insect’s. “I never wanted you in my life!” came the harrowing scream echoing off the walls.

* * *

Lightning lit up the room as Jade sat up with a jolt, covered with sweat and breathing heavily as her eyes darted around the room. She could hear the slow, rumbling thunder off in the distance. She sat back against the bed stand.

At first, her sobs came slowly and quietly as she buried her face in one arm and hugged her knees close to her chest with the other. Then her body began to convulse in sharp jerks as her sobbing became uncontrollable. As horrible as the dream was, she knew it had been true. If she had not come here, Ben would still be alive. Even though the thought was not really logical, given how things transpired, she believed it to be true anyway. The kind old man had not deserved his fate. His only crime was taking her in and caring for her. His death was something she would never forgive herself for.

Deep inside her, something changed. She took all the pain, all the love, all her emotions that seemed to bring harm to the ones she cared about, and shoved them deep into her heart and encased them with ice, never to be released again. She lay back down and closed her eyes.

The nightmares continued throughout the night. She welcomed them...
deserved
them.

After a virtually sleepless night, Jade crawled from her sheets and dragged herself down the stairs. She plopped down into a chair and buried her face in her hands, slumping forward. Her mind was completely blank. Every part of her felt numb. However, the feeling of nothingness was a strangely welcome sensation. It was not pain or anger or even sadness, just...
nothing
. With the numbing blank feeling taking over her whole body, it was a surprise when she rose and started back up the stairs. Was she planning to sleep for a week, until someone found her dead body? Did she want to jump from the second-story window and simply end it? But those would be conscious thoughts, none of which she was having right now. Something just drew her to walk back upstairs.

She marched up the steps one at a time, barely aware of what she was doing. As she approached the door to her room, she stopped, as if discovering for the first time that she was here, but not by her own choice. Tentatively, she reached out and turned the knob. Instead of walking through, she pushed the door in and watched it swing open. Then she saw it, the reason she was drawn back to this room: the small wooden box on the corner of her dresser, the very one she kept her necklace in. The crack beneath the lid was pulsing with a faint yellow glow, rhythmic like a heartbeat.

She slowly moved towards the box and touched it twice in quick succession, as if checking to see if it would burn her. With newfound bravery, she flung the lid open, seizing the necklace inside. She held it up and watched the yellow stone pulse with light as if it were alive. Jade tied it around her neck without hesitating and held the stone tightly, feeling its magic, its knowledge..
.
It has begun
! It all made sense now. Those black bat-like creatures, they were also searching for him.
The time is now!
The very reason for her existence was coming to light.
I’m ready to do...what I was born to do
. Numbness was replaced with determination. Emptiness was now a sense of purpose. But her other emotions, emotions that would only get in the way of her duty, remained in a prison of ice.

She flew around the room like a whirlwind, grabbing her things and throwing them into sacks. Those demons had a big head start, and she meant to cut into it as best as she could. She ran down the stairs carrying everything she could and bolted outside.

Jade saddled her horse and secured her bags. She ran back into the house and up the stairs once more to retrieve her black hooded cloak, the very one that had become so famous in these parts. She adjusted the mechanical springs in her sleeves and tested them one last time.

Her movements became more methodical. She stepped mindfully down the stairs, picking up a lantern from the table and placing it just outside the front door. Grabbing a container of oil from the kitchen, she began dowsing the floor, all the way from the kitchen to the front door. Once outside, she threw the lantern into the house and watched the flames erupt instantly, then stood outside a moment longer, until the flickering light became visible through every window.

Jade mounted her beautiful white horse and rode to the top of the hill. She looked back one final time, seeing that the house was now entirely consumed in flames. With tears in her eyes, she allowed herself one final thought of her father, one last greedy memory before she became the tool of death she was born to be.
Goodbye,
father...I’ll always love you
.

With a mild sense of closure, the assassin dashed off into the forest, never to return there.

Chapter 7

Birds perched on the rooftop sang away as the sun shone brightly through Eric’s window.

The combination of nature’s music and sunlight illuminating the room finally woke Eric from his deep slumber. Stretching was followed by a long yawn, then he turned towards the beautiful creature snuggled up against him. It was unclear how long she had been awake, but it was clear she had been watching him for some time.

With messy blonde hair flared out around her face and stunning green eyes fixated on Eric, a goddess would be jealous of her beauty. She sat up slowly with a long stretch. “Good morning, sweetie,” she said in a groggy morning voice.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he replied in a voice that was in no better shape. He leaned forward and gently kissed her forehead. “You hungry, Aena? We can go downstairs. I’ll make you something.”

Smiling with her eyes fully open now, she rolled onto her back and gave another long, hard stretch that rivaled his. Interlocking her fingers behind her head as she turned to face him again, she finally replied, “No, I think I’ll make something for you. I’m a pretty good cook, you know.” With that, she pulled back the sheets and sprung from the bed completely naked. Making absolutely no effort to cover herself, she began picking up her clothes, which were all over the room.

Eric could feel the heat rising in his face. Not only because she was so bold about showing off her body, but also because watching her pick up her garments reminded him of how they were passionately removed and thrown about in the first place. Eric had certainly been with other girls before, but none of them made him feel the way Aena did. She made Eric feel comfortable and confident, something he rarely was around other girls. She just had an effect on him, and it felt right.

Aena put on her undergarments and white dress, followed by the black hooded robe. She walked out of the room and headed downstairs without waiting for Eric. He just grinned and shook his head as he climbed from the bed and walked to the washbowl on his dresser. After splashing his face a bit, he got dressed and headed downstairs. Before he even got to the bottom step, aromas drifting from the kitchen promised a treat.

“Dad, are you home?” he called out, suddenly a little embarrassed he had not checked already. He didn’t bring girls home very often, and here one was, taking over the kitchen. But hearing no reply helped him relax a bit. Eric figured he was just out and about somewhere, which was just as well.

As Eric peeked into the kitchen, there was Aena cooking eggs with fresh vegetables over the oil cooker. She had removed her black cloak and was now wearing the apron that was usually hanging on the closet door. She smiled lightly without looking at Eric, but enough to show she knew he was there.

Eric slinked up behind her, sliding his hands around her waist like a snake wrapping around its prey, but in the process knocked a wooden spoon from the counter next to them. However, it never hit the floor. Aena snatched it in mid-air with surprising speed.

“Whoa, nice hands,” he said as he tightened the hug around her waist.

At first she looked as if a bad thought had just occurred to her. Her face was tight as she angrily slammed the spoon down back on the counter. Then her smile returned, and she said, “See, sugar? You don’t want to mess with me.”

The two of them sat down and ate together at the table, engaging in small talk as they continued to enjoy each other’s company.

“So where are you from, Aena? I’ve never seen you around here before. Do you live on one of nearby farms, or did you travel farther than that for Sanctas?”

She set down her fork and folded her hands on the table. “I traveled from Denark. It’s only a short distance... And besides,” there was a long pause as she flashed her green eyes at him, “I was able to spend a night with the blacksmith of Bryer.”

Eric smiled at the comment and had to look away, pretending something on the wall had caught his eye. Regaining his composure somewhat, yet still fidgeting with his fork, he replied, “Do you need a ride back or anything? I have my horse tied up out back. She’s strong and able to... Say, where is your horse? How did you get here in the first place?”

She raised her eyebrows and shrugged a bit, then she smoothly replied, “My uncle brought me. I told him to come back in a few days. I have money, and finding an inn would have been no problem. Besides, it looks as though I’ve fallen in with the most handsome man in Bryer and didn’t need an inn.”

That made Eric more than a little uncomfortable, and his cheeks felt like fire.

Lucky for him, she seemed to think it was cute, for she continued making such comments just to try to make him blush again. She went on about her life in Denark as they sat at the table, recounting how she lived with her uncle because her father had passed away due to illness.

Eric, of course, described how his situation was similar. He told her about his mother being gone, and how he was living alone with his father. Again, he felt completely at ease with her. He chuckled to himself, wondering if this is how Jacob felt half the time, with his constant success with girls. That, in turn, reminded him he wanted to introduce Jacob to Aena. He might run into his father as well. Now he was really starting to wonder where he was.

The two of them swept out into the streets and took off for Jacob’s home. Walking with his arm around Aena, Eric felt a little awkward. Everyone they passed shot him a sly smile as they said hello. It was still a small town, and everyone knew everyone else’s business.

Aena didn’t seem to mind the attention at all. She returned each greeting with one of her own. This included a huge flashy smile coupled with her putting her head on Eric’s shoulder to make sure there was no misunderstanding.

It seemed as though everyone was out today, due mostly to cleaning up the streets after the celebration. Folks were picking up streamers and taking down decorations. One man was even going to each street lantern and changing the shades back to white. Seeing all this actually made Eric feel a bit guilty that he wasn’t helping out, but he knew there was not much he could do about it now.

They finally approached a brown wooden house with a stone base, much the same as all the other homes in town. As they started walking up the stone walkway, a short, plump woman peeked out from around the side of a bush. Wearing a white bonnet and matching apron, Jacob’s mom shouted, “He is in the back, Eric.” She immediately went back to trimming the bush without another word.

Eric waved in her direction even though she was no longer looking at him, and walked around to the back of the house. Sure enough, there was his friend, working his quarterstaff in looping circles around his body.

Eric and Aena stood by for a moment, trying not to disturb Jacob’s concentration. It seemed as if he knew they were there, even though he didn’t look. Keeping his eyes straight ahead, he began picking up the pace of his forms. He launched devastating thrusts in the air, mixed in with smooth, traditional forms. Following that display, he snapped hard at individual leaves on the branches right above his head. As each one came fluttering down, he snapped them several times from different angles, which kept them aloft for a minute or so.

Eric decided to clear his throat loudly to make his presence obvious and to stop the showboating.

“Oh, I didn’t see you guys there,” Jacob said coyly, breathing heavily yet still twirling the staff.

“Oh, I’m sure you didn’t,” Eric said sarcastically. “Jacob, I’d like you to meet someone. Aena, this is Jacob. Jacob, Aena.”

Jacob walked over to her and seized her hand boldly. He then planted a long kiss on the back of her hand. “The pleasure is all mine,” he said smoothly while holding her hand a bit longer than what would be considered friendly, before reluctantly letting it go.

Aena smiled and gave a quick curtsy before hastily retreating back to Eric. She placed her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arm around him snugly, apparently sending a signal to the smooth talker. Jacob seemed a little rattled by the gesture.

Eric had never seen his friend lose composure so quickly, even if only for a second. Jacob usually seemed to get what he wanted and was now a bit out of his comfort zone.

“I remember you from last night,” Eric’s best friend said, quickly gaining his confidence once again.

“I remember you as well,” Aena replied, still cuddled up to Eric, rubbing circles around his chest. “I enjoyed the celebration last night.” She eyed Eric up and down. “If there is one thing I can give this town, it’s that you guys sure know how to have fun.”

The three of them stood in Jacob’s yard for a time, talking and laughing. Jacob had to admit he had not seen Eric this happy in quite some time. It was good to see him a little more carefree than usual.

As they looked to the west, the darkening sky warned of a storm. They said their goodbyes, and Jacob went back inside.

“Come on, let’s go back to the house,” Eric said, looking up at the sky. “We have a little while yet, but I think it’s really going to come down.” He took Aena by the arm and away they went.
Dad has got to be back by now
.

* * *

The afternoon patrol sent out by Lord Pike was doing its usual rounds. Five men in black leather armor with the orange sunset on each chest piece walked casually along the predetermined route. Of course, the pattern was changed daily. It was hard to remain cautious when threats were so rare these days.

The effectiveness of the patrols had scattered most of the undesirable creatures into hiding. Some just moved on to greener pastures. Towns that had less defense were simply more susceptible, therefore a better target. Not that Bryer had a large militia; they didn’t, but they were well-organized and consistent.

A short man with a shaved head and blond beard raised his hand to the others suddenly as he stopped his march. The other four were hardly paying attention, as the marches had become routine. The unwritten rule was that the appointed leader of the squad that day was the only one who really needed to stay sharp. The other four almost walked over him, not realizing he had stopped.

“What is it?” a tall man with a thick dark beard asked as his hand instinctively crept towards his sword. Even though the patrols had become complacent, they knew to take things very seriously at the first sign of trouble.

The short man said nothing as he rushed over to the lone horse they had with them, covered with sacks of gear. He grabbed the looking glass from one of the sacks and quickly marched back to his original spot. He extended the looking glass and stared off into the distance as he swept from left to right. Suddenly, his left leg began to tremble. He stopped his sweep, concentrating on one spot. His heel bounced up and down off the ground rapidly. Then, all in one movement, he collapsed the looking glass and ran back to the horse. “Go,” was all he said in an extremely tight voice as he launched himself onto the horse and began to turn it around.

“Go where? What are you talking about?” said the tall man as he grabbed at the reins of the horse to try to slow him down.

The short fellow slapped his hands away and urged the horse to run. It was a stubborn packhorse and didn’t really want to move, yet alone run, but the man dug his heels deep into the horse’s sides several times until it finally got the message.

“What is wrong with him? Where is he going?” asked one of the other men.

The remaining four patrolmen frantically looked around in all directions, each with weapons drawn. They couldn’t see anything, but that didn’t make any of them feel better. Their comrade clearly saw something that made him take off in a near panic. He had also taken the looking glass, so they couldn’t use it to see what the potential threat might be.

The winds were getting even stronger as the impending storm drew nearer.

The tall man jerked upright, telling everyone to be quiet. Even with the winds picking up, he could hear something. “You guys hear that?” he asked.

Everyone stopped and listened to the wind, weapons at the ready. A few moments passed before the other man said, “What is that chirping sound?”

* * *

The man on the horse rode as fast as he could towards the town, smacking the animal’s side repeatedly to get every bit of speed out of the lazy beast. The guilt gnawed at his insides like a rabid beast trying to free itself from his stomach. He had fled for his life and left his fellow militia out there to die. It had been a decision made in haste when his survival instincts took over, but there was nothing he could do about it now. The only way to make up for his cowardice now was to warn the town as fast as he could. He could see the town clearly now. He pulled a funnel-shaped golden horn from the side of the horse. Continuing to ride as fast as he could, he began blowing the horn loudly in long, smooth bursts.

The guard could now hear the chirping sound behind him off in the distance, but getting closer. The town was still too far off, and he knew he would never make it. If he could just warn them, he could atone for his betrayal! The guard at the front gate looked out lazily at the open road as he waited for his shift to end. There were a few folk walking the streets behind him, but no one was going in or out. The coming storm had a lot to do with that. He heard the sound of a faint horn blowing from somewhere as he lethargically turned this way and that to see where it was coming from. He figured some child was playing with a toy he had won during the festival.