Shadows (Book Two of the Royals Trilogy)

Chapter Twelve

SKYLAR

“Alright, you need to tell me what’s going on, Blair,” I insisted once we were alone in our cabin. She had been very quiet the whole way back to our cabin, which was so unlike her, so the first thing I did when the door was closed behind us was confront her.

“It’s nothing Sky, I am fine,” she said with a tone that sounded less than fine.

I sighed but persisted, I walked over to her and sat down on her bed, next to her. “Blair, I know everything is not fine, there’s something bothering you and I just want to let you know that I’m here for you, you don’t have to keep things to yourself anymore,” I said gently but Blair didn’t even turn to look at me. “Don’t worry, you don’t have to tell me now if you don’t want.” I nodded my head and started to get up when I felt my partner’s hand on my wrist.

Blair looked at me with desperation, pain and even a few tears in her eyes. I was very confused, usually Blair didn’t show any sign of emotion so whatever she was going through, it was serious. “I do want to tell you,” she managed to croak out. “But I just don’t know where to begin.”

I sat back down and rubbed her back soothingly hoping it would make her feel a bit better. “Take your time, Blair.” My friend nodded and stayed quiet for a few minutes.

“Back at the manor, when we were trying to escape, Dalia did something to me. I don’t know how to explain it, I just felt cold all of the sudden and very scared. I knew that all of that was happening in my mind and I saw myself standing in a dark forest. I was so frightened that I began to run but I didn’t know from what or whom I was running from. Everything I tried to reach the end of the forest, it just kept on getting longer and deeper. Then, I saw my sire, my father,” she whispered, and tears began to stream down her face. “I knew it was him and yet, I couldn’t remember what he looked like until that vision. I saw him playing with me, taking me into the city to explore, I saw us running in the forest as we chased deer. I knew those images had been real, I could feel it, but I didn’t know why I couldn’t remember them before. Then, just as my father and I were walking back to camp, Elda approached us and told him to meet him at her office. He left me at my cabin and hurried off, but I followed after him. When I reached the cabin, I heard yells coming from Elda’s office and I pressed my ear to the door so that I could listen to what they were saying. Elda was telling him he was going to ruin me by spending so much time with me and she demanded he stopped seeing me. Of course, my father objected and argued with her, he said I deserved a proper childhood, that all the children at camp did and that she was a monster for approving and following the sacred rule of Hunters to leave their children in the care of a couple Hunters specialized in raising them once they were born.”

Blair hesitated and I could hear her breathing was labored and distressed. “Oh Blair-” I stared to say but she raised her hand to stop me and shook her head.

“Wait, there is more,” she said, and I nodded and remained quiet until she finished. “Elda was beyond furious and the last thing I heard her yell was ‘I don’t care about your opinion, she is meant to be a strong Huntress not a weak human and I will see to it that you never see her again’, I was scared, I didn’t know what she was going to do and then I heard my father tell her that she couldn’t stop him and she responded by saying, ‘I can and I will, you are going to be sent to the Death Swamp on a mission and believe me, you won’t come back.’ Little me was terrified of what was happening, she didn’t want her father to be sent away, so she barged into the room and screamed in objection. My father looked surprised and terrified when he saw me, and Elda only looked at me with so much anger that it made me cringe.” Blair stopped talking and wrapped a blanket around her as she shivered and focused her eyes on a portrait in front of us.

“Elda took my arm, hard, so hard it was painful, and she threw me into a small room in the cabin and locked the door behind her. I screamed and kicked the door, trying to get anyone’s attention but nobody answered, and those moments turned into hours until it was finally dark outside. I heard the door unlock and I quickly rushed out of the room, past Elda, and I ran to my father’s cabin. Inside, I found only his roommate who told me he was sent on a mission and that he couldn’t tell me when he’d be back. I was devastated and so numb that I didn’t even feel Elda standing behind me. She didn’t say anything, she just took my arm harshly and led me to the outside of the camp and into a car. Without saying anything, she drove a long way until, finally, she stopped in front of a manor, Dalia’s manor, Sky.” My eyes widened and I looked at her with confusion. Elda had known Dalia from before?

“It was pouring outside, and she got us out of the car without even a sweater. She knocked on the door and it opened slightly, enough to let us in. I was muddy and hurt and everything was happening too fast for me. We were at the entrance of the manor and then the lights turned on and Dalia appeared in front of us. The very same Dalia that is now in our prison cell. I saw as Elda bowed down to her and said, ‘Queen of Shadows, I have come to seek your help, I need you to erase this child’s memory’, Dalia looked at me and then back to Elda. I couldn’t hear what they bargained with, but I knew it was something that really interested Dalia because she was quick to accept. The witch kneeled down in front of me and gave me a smile that looked anything, but kind and she placed her hands around my head. I didn’t say anything as she chanted to herself and then, I felt searing pain in my head, I screamed but it only reached deaf ears. After that, everything was dark.” Blair got up and went to the bathroom to wash her face, she didn’t want me to see her crying and I could understand her pain. I waited patiently for her to return and when she did, she looked more relieved than before.

“But that is just the beginning, there’s more. I also saw Marina, she looked older, but she also looked scared as she approached me. She hugged me and everything was like she had never been gone. The first thing she said was ‘you have no idea how much I have missed you, Blair’ and I knew she was real, or at least her spirit. I was shocked, I had never heard of such a thing being possible, but it was. When she pulled back, I could see the desperation in her eyes, ‘Blair, you and your friends are in danger, you must stop Elda, she is not who she says she is. Find your father, he is waiting for you’. I tried to ask her what she meant by that but then I saw as an arrow pieced her chest and she fell to the ground, dead. I saw and felt my caretaker’s death once again and I couldn’t bare it. I screamed and tried to stop the bleeding, but she disappeared. When I looked at where the arrow had come from, I saw a hooded figure standing a few feet from me. I quickly got up and charged at the hooded person and when I reached it, she unveiled herself and I fell back due to an invisible force that pushed me back. Under the hood, was Elda, she looked just like she does now, and she pointed her loaded bow at me. I couldn’t move, I was confused and unable to process everything that was happening. But then, a large falcon charged at Elda with a loud cry and ripped the bow from her grasp. It looked as if it was protecting me but that didn’t make any sense. At least not until I heard Dalia cry something about a spirit guardian, I had read something like that before and I remember the text said something about a spirit that acted as a guide for Hunters and Huntresses throughout our existence. I always thought that was a myth but now I am not so sure, but you don’t seem surprised to hear about this spirit, do you know what I am talking about?” she asked bewilderedly, and I nodded slowly.

“I know a little, but I don’t know what you want me to tell you. All that I know is that when you took me to the Cave of Answers, I saw visions, predictions of the future that were shown to me by my guide, my animal spirit. It told me about the Chamber of Light that seems to be located in an alternate dimension. It is all very confusing to me too. That’s why I want to visit the cave once again, to try and obtain some more answers, from my spirit animal and from Dalia, I think she knows more than she’s letting on.”

Blair nodded her head in agreement and sighed, “well then, I guess that’s everything that has been bothering me since we left the manor. I just feel used and confused, like everything I have known and lived in my life has been all lies.” Blair spoke hollowly and I hugged her tightly, trying to comfort her.

“You have gone through so much, Blair, and now, to learn about your spirit guide and the possibility of your father being alive, it is a lot to take in,” I said softly, and she nodded. “I think we should search for him, before, during or even after we catch the Royale Brothers, maybe he holds the answers to some very unnerving questions,” I continued, and Blair stiffened.

I hoped I hadn’t said anything wrong considering Blair was in a delicate state in that moment. “Do you really believe he’s alive?” she asked softly, I knew she didn’t want to get her hopes up, even less now that she had regained her memories.

I looked at my friend and responded confidently, “I believe the spirits are not wrong and they seek to protect us and guide us through warnings and truths, so yes, I think you father may be alive out there, hiding from Elda.” Blair’s mouth turned into a line and she nodded.

“Well then, I guess it’s decided,” she said after a couple of moments, she sounded more relaxed and like her old self again. I raised an eyebrow questioningly and she continued, “we’re going to the Cave of Answers.”

My eyes widened as I saw my friend getting up to get her things. “Wait, now?” I asked in shock and she nodded.

“There’s no time to waste,” she was heading towards the door when I blocked her path.

“Wait Blair, think this through, it’s dark out now and you haven’t had a proper rest in a long time, let the information sync in and rest before you go into the cave, because believe me, the cave drains you.”

Blair sighed and nodded her head, “yes you’re right. But we’ll go tomorrow, first thing in the morning.” I rolled my eyes but agreed with her. Tomorrow would be another day.