When Shadows Seek Light

Chapter 1

The Grey

Beads of sweat trickled down the boy’s forehead as the hoe hit the hardened ground. Calloused hands gripped the wooden handle with what little strength he had left. Tilling at this hour was pure torture. The sun beat down upon his thinly clothed back and bit his skin. If only he could rest until the heat subsided . . . But father wouldn’t take kindly to that, so the boy continued turning the soil. The corn seeds needed to be planted by week’s end.

“You must be exhausted working in this heat.”

A stranger’s voice touched the boy’s ears.

Looking up from his task, he shielded his eyes against the sun’s glare and made out a darkened figure leaning against the fence railing. Usually strangers didn’t venture this far out of town. The male’s blue hair was bright, though his tunic and pants were dark and somewhat odd looking.

While the boy didn’t feel threatened by the stranger’s sudden appearance, there was something off about the way he smiled—his eyes were empty of the joyful emotion he portrayed with his lips.

“Yes, sir. I am. But I don’t mind.”

The stranger scoffed as he dug the toe of his boot into the dusty soil. “Are you always made to do this toilsome work in the middle of the day? In this heat?”

Hesitating briefly, the boy nodded.

“Doesn’t seem very fair, does it?”

The boy shrugged. “Papa said I have to work hard so I grow up to be big and strong—and I have school in the mornings, so this is the only time I can do it.”

It was true. Every weekday morning started early, with making himself a meagre breakfast, feeding the family cow, then heading off to school for a few hours in the village. Lunchtime was for tending to his father’s fields. Sometimes Papa would join him, but the boy usually preferred when he didn’t. His father was never in the best of moods. Not since mother died.

The stranger shifted his weight as he leant against the railing. “Surely you should be allowed to work under cooler conditions—perhaps at the end of the day?”

“Papa would be mad if I didn’t get my chores done in time.”

“Does he always get mad?”

The boy glanced down at the dusty brown earth below his boots and slowly nodded.

The stranger sighed. “What are you doing after you finish your chores?”

Looking up, the boy smiled. “Today is my choosing day, so I plan to visit the temple and toss a coin into the water.”

“How fun. Do you have a kingdom in mind?” the stranger asked.

The boy shoved one hand into his pocket and shrugged. “I think so.”

“Well, I know which kingdom you could choose.”

The boy eyed the stranger in eagerness. “And which one would that be, sir?”

“The one that lets you thrive in the shadows.”

Feeling confused, the boy cocked his head to the side. “How does one thrive in the shadows?”

The stranger stood tall and glanced around at the surroundings. His eyes rested at the base of a wooden fence post.

“See that small bunch of blossoms there?”

Looking towards a spike of cheerful bells that had grown limp in the heat, the boy nodded.

“See how they wilt beneath the heat of the sun? Too much light can do that to you. It can bring you down, tire you out and leave you there to wither and die,” the stranger went on. “Look at the purple violets by that tree. Look at how they bob their pretty little heads in the shade. The sun cannot touch them there and they are thriving. Much like when you rest at night beneath the night’s sky. The shadows of night, absent of light, can soothe you and bring you rest. Oscuro can offer you that.”

“How do you know?”

Shrugging, the stranger looked at him with grey eyes. “Tales passed down through the generations.”

“So, I shouldn’t choose Lucius . . . the Kingdom of light?” the boy asked.

“Feel free to do whatever you wish, but there is a saying amongst the Oscuro legends that, with too much light, a person cannot help but wither away.”

Confused and growing overwhelmed, the boy fiddled with the handle of the hoe.

“Anyway, I best keep moving,” the stranger stood, but paused. “Oh . . . and take this. It’s very rare as there is only one place where these grow. Let it be a reminder to you that even beauty can bloom in the shadows.”

The stranger handed the boy a black rose, then offered a lopsided grin before he turned and walked away.

The boy hurried through the cobbled streets of The Grey, his worn brown boots thudding against the ground, his mind focused on the task ahead. It was early evening, but his father wouldn’t care that he wasn’t home, as he was probably five pints deep in ale by now. The local chimney sweeper lit the oil street lamps and merchants packed down their stalls. Shop owners locked front doors and the local tavern became fuller by the minute.

The Grey—home of the Shadowkin—comprised seven different districts that stretched in an impressive line from north to south. On either side, there was a Veil—an invisible boundary, unseen, but known in tales told through generations. It was there one passed from their earthly life into their spiritual one upon death. Or so they said.

The village in District Seven was nestled against the sleepy shores of the Drayton Sea at the bottom of The Grey. It was a thriving place of fishmongers, brick and mortar stores and local farmers.

The boy weaved through the crowd, grinning happily amidst the scent of fish and salt. He’d been waiting all week for this moment.

At thirteen, children went to the temple to choose their kingdom beyond The Grey.

Oscuro—the Kingdom to the left of the Veil.

Or Lucius—the Kingdom to the right of the Veil.

No Shadowkin knew if the kingdoms were real, but the practice remained all the same.

The boy considered the stranger’s words from earlier today as he ran through the streets towards the temple at the far end of the village. The smile on his face grew. Maybe Oscuro was the better choice? Maybe the teachers at school were wrong about Lucius? Could too much light kill you even in the spirit world?

Shaking his head, the boy pushed those thoughts from his mind. His fate was sealed. He knew which kingdom he was choosing.

Yet, his fate wasn’t sealed. Deciding at thirteen didn’t solidify your place in either kingdom. Each individual had the choice to choose light or darkness, to search within their hearts for truth.

His teacher said the Grey was a place for Shadowkin to live their lives. To grow and marry. To raise families and live life to its fullest. Then, at the end, whether it be old age, sickness, purposeful or accidental death, they would step through the Veil of the Kingdom that best suited how they lived. That’s where they would spend eternity.

The temple was in sight now, its large, domed roof looming in the distance. As he entered through the large wooden doors, the boy was greeted with a warm and peaceful feeling. A few monks roamed inside—reading and writing in scrolls, lighting candles, humming low songs with words only they knew. At the room’s center, a small pool, constructed from the same stone as the temple, had crystal blue waters. The boy approached the edge and peered over, his eyes dancing with the ripples.

A monk approached him. “Is today your choosing day, son?”

“Yes sir, it is,” the boy answered eagerly.

The monk walked across the room and retrieved something from a small box on the shelf before returning to the boys side. Reaching for his hand, the monk placed a small gold coin into his palm. “Make a wise choice, son. And remember that life might not always turn out how we planned—sometimes we want to take back the choice we made because someone makes us feel wrong about it, or we decide it’s no longer the choice we want, but before you change your mind, search your heart. For when you know the truth . . . the truth will set you free.”

The boy nodded and smiled down at the coin before closing his eyes and dropping it into the clear waters below, his words barely a whisper. With his heart full, he turned and left, knowing that his choice had been the right one.