Chapter 7
It was right after I had that epiphany that Lydrel Zowen stepped back into our lives.
The Shadow Killer had either retreated or been forced into the shadows hundreds of years before and had only stepped back out of them when Kasi, the first shadow-beast born since his time, entered the shadows herself.
A lot of what we knew was speculation, rather than fact, but a lot came from the history books.
History written by the Varulvka who once upon a time had hunted the shadow-beasts to extinction in their attempt to catch the Shadow Killer.
History also, if not written by the shadow-beasts, certainly written for them, or at least for Kasi, the very last of them, who had found their History of Shadows in Blackthorn’s shadow library the year before.
When she’d first found it, the history within its pages had ended a hundred years before the shadow-beasts were hunted to extinction.
In the time since she’d taken possession of the book, though, it had added hundreds of pages of history at its back.
Over time, we’d managed to figure out who the Shadow Killer was—a chameleon dragon who’d once upon a time been the mate of a shadow-beast, a mate who had died of a rare disease, sending him spiraling into darkness.
Whatever sort of supernatural Lydrel Zowen had been before his mate’s demise, he became a true monster after it, plowing his way through the realms, tossing people into the shadows and trapping them there, where they were consumed by the darkness.
All that anyone knew at the time was that a shadow-beast had gone mad and was hunting and killing indiscriminately.
When even the Varulvka, elite hunters of the supernatural world, had failed to identify the shadow-beast responsible for the deaths of millions, the Supernatural Council had passed down orders for all shadow-beasts to be hunted and executed.
Though she never said it, I knew that Kasi held out hope that a small contingent of shadow-beasts had somehow survived the genocide of their race, and that somewhere, even today, they lived and thrived.
Kasi’s very existence gave her a reason to hope, for it implied shadow-beast survivors, at least in Kasi’s mind.
To me, though, it was simply a matter of genetics. In a truly diverse world, genetics couldn’t be wiped out as easily as simply blazing a path across the realms and exterminating those who had access to the shadows.
Genetics skipped generations, then showed up again, when all memory of that long-ago ancestor was lost.
Perhaps it was time for shadow-beasts to walk the realms once more, thus giving those genetics the spark of life.
In any case, when we all came back from winter break, we were holding our breath a little, waiting for Lydrel Zowen to attack from the shadows once more.
But then, as the weeks passed without a single confrontation, we began to relax.
Life went on.
Classes continued.
Challenges were met, exams were taken and we just lived our lives.
And maybe, for a little while, we forgot we were being hunted by a killer.
Shadow and Miki-Leopard were entertaining us on a daily basis.
Shadow’s attempts to capture Vorzak’s snakes were particularly amusing, especially as I was certain his snakes were taunting her with the way they’d pretend not to notice her stalking them, only to move at the very last second, leaping out of reach of her swiping paws.
Vorzak was constantly cursing to the sound of our snickers, as her shadow-claws inevitably drew blood.
If it wasn’t Shadow making us laugh, it was Miki-Leopard with her attempts to copy Shadow and become a tattoo on Mikaela’s skin.
We always knew when Miki-Leopard was trying again because Mikaela would suddenly start itching.
Today was no exception. We were in the library, having our afternoon “tutoring” session, when Mikaela jerked back from Elliot and started scratching her neck, grumbling under her breath.
“Okay, that is so cute,” I told her.
She sighed. “I’m almost afraid to look.”
“I’m not,” Elliot said with a grin as he caressed the tail wrapped around her neck while attempting to peek down her shirt. “How far down is she?”
The two were in a laughing, tussling match and I was watching with a huge grin on my face when shadows exploded all around me.
The last thing I saw was Vorzak’s alarmed face as he lunged toward me, then the library was gone.
I’d heard Kasi’s descriptions of what it was like to travel back and forth between the two realms, of what it was like to explode from flesh and blood into shadows.
My classmates had described their time in the Shadow Realm, when Lydrel Zowen had ripped them from wherever they’d been in the Academy and thrown them into the shadows.
I’d witnessed Mikaela’s struggles as she’d grappled with the aftermath of torture at the hands of Zowen and the trauma of her dormant shifter side being born in the shadows.
I’d seen what Zowen had done to Mikaela’s roommate, Leslie, siphoning off every bit of her magic until she was nothing but a shell, then tossing her back to us like a piece of discarded trash.
I’d heard and witnessed all these stories, yet still, nothing could have prepared me for the reality of the Shadow Realm.
There was darkness everywhere.
A darkness that no light penetrated.
Shadows wrapped around me, which was weird since they shouldn’t exist in the absence of light. I also shouldn’t be able to feel them, yet I did.
Worse, I heard them.
The shadows whispered to me, of darkness, of pain to come.
There is no hope, they whispered. You are lost to the world. Let us in.
I struggled as the shadows writhed around me, pouring over me and in me, their voices everywhere. Yield to us. Let us in.
For a heartbeat, for a lifetime, I was frozen, in shock, the shadows pressing in on all sides, whispering of a darkness I could not fight.
Yield, lost one. Let us in.
Then, other shadows came and they whispered so softly I almost couldn’t hear them, Fight, fight the darkness. Fight.
Yield, there is no hope. Let us in.
Fight, He’s coming.
Let us in. He’s coming.
Fight. He’s coming.
Let us in.
If you fight, we fight.
He’s coming.
Fight!
You are mine, the shadows growled.
The shock of being claimed by shadows jerked me from my frozen state and I did what I always instinctively did when frightened.
I threw my voice into the abyss.
My scream reverberated around us, light fracturing the darkness, and for one tiny second, I saw the Shadow Killer in his chameleon dragon form.
He roared in rage, snapped out one long shadow-wing that wrapped around me and flung me from the Shadow Realm.
I hit the floor hard, rolled across it and came up groaning.
“Jasmine.” Vorzak slid to his knees beside me and hauled me into his arms. “Are you okay? Where are you hurt?” He patted me, as did his snakes, all of them wrapping around me, hissing their displeasure while also giving me tiny nips of affection.
“I’m okay.” I was shaking so hard, but the feel of Vorzak’s arms and snakes wrapped around me, holding me tight, kept me from completely losing it.
I was so focused on the feel of Vorzak, it took me a moment to realize Mikaela was also on the floor with us, babbling.
“We tried to find you, Miki-Leopard and me.” She was crying in Elliot’s arms. “It happened so fast and the shadows were everywhere and we didn’t know how to find you. I’m not connected to the Shadow Realm the way Kasi is. I couldn’t feel you so I came back to get help.”
“You did the right thing, Ms. Mitchell,” Headmistress Blackthorn said, which was when I realized there were a lot more people in the library than when I’d been snatched from it.
Professors were standing everywhere, tight, worried looks on their faces.
“She’s right.” I reached out to pet the tattoo of Miki’s snout that was now on Mikaela’s arm. “Thanks for trying to save me, Miki-Leopard.”
“If you’re feeling up to it, Ms. O’Donnell, we’d like to hear what happened,” Headmistress Blackthorn said.
I felt Vorzak stiffen behind me, so I glanced back at him and murmured, “Help me up?”
He had a stark look on his face and I remembered the way he’d looked when the shadows had taken me.
Stricken.
“I’m okay, I promise.”
He swallowed, then nodded.
His snakes slowly retracted, nudging me in affection along the way, then he helped me to my feet and led me to a table that was bigger than the one we’d been sitting at before.
We’d just reached the table when shadows exploded from the corner of the room, making me jump and others cry out in surprise.
The shadows coalesced into Kasi, Jahrdran and Shadow, who found themselves facing off against the majority of Blackthorn Academy staff.
“We couldn’t—” Kasi broke off as she caught sight of me. “Jasmine.” She shoved her way through the crowd of professors to get to me. “You’re okay?”
I nodded, then about fell over in shock when Kasi flung herself at me and hugged me tight. “I couldn’t find you,” she muttered in my ear. “You just weren’t there.”
“He must have thrown me out right when you came to find me.”
She nodded jerkily, then pulled back, quickly wiping away a few tears. “I was so worried.”
“We all were,” Mikaela said.
“You’re okay, though?” Kasi asked.
“I am. I promise.” Once we were all settled at the table, I explained what had happened in the Shadow Realm.
“He just threw you out?” Kasi asked incredulously.
I nodded. “I screamed and there was a bright light and then he threw me out.”
“There was light in the Shadow Realm?” she repeated.
“We know light causes him pain,” Professor Fotheringham said, “so it makes sense that he would throw you out.”
“Yes, but the Shadow Realm’s different,” Kasi said impatiently. “It’s one thing to use light to fight him in this realm, but light just doesn’t exist in the Shadow Realm.”
“Which makes no sense,” I pointed out. “Shadows only exist when there’s light.”
“Don’t try to understand it,” Jahrdran said. “It’ll just make you crazy.”
“I’ve already added using light as a weapon to my defense modules,” Fotheringham said. “But if light doesn’t exist in the Shadow Realm, I’m not sure how that will help students if they’re dragged there.”
“There may not be any light to wield as a weapon inside the Shadow Realm,” Blackthorn said, “but if our students know how to summon it from somewhere else, the way it sounds like Jasmine did with her voice, they may still be able to use it against him.”
Fotheringham nodded. “I’ll focus our efforts on summoning spells then. At the very least, it will give them a fighting chance in this realm.”
“Is there no way we can keep him out?” Puddlemoan burst out from where he was standing by the door, scowling. “It just seems an Academy full of monsters and magic-wielders should be able to keep one killer at bay.”
Headmistress Blackthorn sighed. “You would think so. All right, I think we’ve done all we can here tonight and I’m sure Ms. O’Donnell would like some rest. I expect to be kept informed of any developments. Understood?”
We all nodded and escaped as quickly as we could.
By silent agreement, the six of us climbed the five flights of stairs to our fourth floor suite.
I didn’t protest when Vorzak settled crosswise onto my bed and pulled me onto his lap.
His snakes immediately slithered around me, pinning my back to Vorzak’s front, and began petting me again.
“I don’t like this,” Kasi said as she perched on the edge of her bed across from us. “He’s continually targeting my friends and I just don’t see him letting up.”
Shadow leapt up into her lap while Jahrdran settled at her side, pulling her close.
“The problem’s going to be stopping him,” Jahrdran said.
“How were the Varulvka planning to stop him?” I asked.
“That’s the thing,” Jahrdran said. “I don’t think they had a plan. I think they just assumed if they could identify him, they’d be able to catch him, and when that failed, when they never succeeded in identifying him—well, we all know the decision the Council made.”
I shuddered and saw on everyone else’s faces the same revulsion I felt at the Council’s decision.
“Genocide should never have been their solution,” Mikaela spat, saying exactly what I was thinking.
“Agreed,” Jahrdran said quietly.
We all fell silent because really what was there to say after that?
“Will you be okay tonight, Jasmine?” Kasi asked suddenly.
“What? Of course, I will.”
“Because Jahrdran and I can sleep here tonight, if you need us to.”
“Wait, what?” Vorzak demanded. “Where are you sleeping if not in your room?”
“I’ll be fine,” I said emphatically, ignoring Vorzak.
“You’re sure?” she asked.
“Yes. Now go.” I glanced to where Mikaela and Elliot were sitting at my desk, Mikaela looking thoroughly content as she snuggled in Elliot’s lap. “You too. Go enjoy the night together. I’ll be fine.”
Mikaela looked concerned. “Are you sure? You were just dragged into the Shadow Realm by a killer, Jasmine. I don’t want to leave you alone.”
“I don’t either,” Kasi said.
“She won’t be alone,” Vorzak said. “I’m staying.”
I should have been annoyed at that arrogant statement, but all I felt was a profound sense of relief, not to mention anticipation.
“Jasmine?” Mikaela raised her eyebrows at me, clearly wanting to know if I was okay with this new development.
I smiled at her. “I’ll be fine, Mikaela. I promise. Now go. All of you.”
There was a long moment of hesitation, then we all stood at the same time.
“Okay,” Mikaela said, then eyeing the snakes still wrapped around me, leaned forward to give me a very careful, tentative hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” She took a giant step back, caught Elliot’s hand in hers and led him through our shared bathroom to her room on the other side.
“Just bang on the bed if you need us,” Kasi said.
“I will.”
“Okay, then, well.” She glanced from me to Vorzak, whose snakes were still wrapped around me, smirked a little, then burst into shadows and disappeared beneath her bed, Jahrdran and Shadow quickly following.
“Uh, are they sleeping under there?” Vorzak asked incredulously.
I giggled. “Not really. I mean, yes, but no. For Kasi, the shadows under the bed lead to a pocket in the Shadow Realm, so that’s where they go each night. It’s kind of nice actually. We each have our own room.”
It wasn’t nice at all. Maybe it would be if I had a mate or even a cat companion, but since I didn’t have either, it was just lonely.
“I hope you don’t mind that I said I was staying,” Vorzak rumbled, reminding me that for tonight, at least, I wouldn’t be alone.
His snakes paused in their petting, almost as if they too were waiting for my answer.
“I don’t mind,” I said softly. I drew in a deep breath for courage, then turned and looking up into his eyes, added, “I’m happy you’re here.”
His snakes tightened and yanked me forward into his chest.
Vorzak settled his hands on my hips. “I’m happy too, sweet Jasmine.”
Then he kissed me.