Standing in Shadows E-Book

Cynthia A. Morgan

• Herausgeber: Next Chapter
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

Gairynzvl escaped the captivity of The Reviled Fey, barely. The cost of his freedom was higher than he ever imagined, but now he wants to return to their dark realm and he wants Ayla and his new Fey of the Light friends to join him.

The perils are terrifying, but to rescue childfey who were abducted by the Reviled like he was, Gairynzvl will risk everything.

If they are captured, they will pray for death long before it comes. Will the Fey of the Light risk war with The Reviled and who will join Gairynzvl's quest into the realm of shadows and fear?

Leseprobe

Standing in Shadows

Dark Fey Book II

Cynthia A. Morgan

Copyright (C) 2015 Cynthia A. Morgan

Layout design and Copyright (C) 2020 by Next Chapter

Published 2020 by Next Chapter

Cover art by Cover Mint

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the author's permission.

Dedicated to my Loving Family and Friends Who have supported me and my writing For many years

And

In Special Remembrance of my Mother, Whose Love, Hope and Joy Inspired Every day.

And For the Love of the Muse…

An Introduction to Dark Fey Standing in Shadows

Book one, Dark Fey: The Reviled began the journey, introducing us to the Mystical Realm of Jyndari, the home of the Fey of the Light who are winged beings with extraordinary gifts and abilities. They live harmoniously in a close knit community where art and music, scholarly devotion to the ancient texts, and faithful adherence to tradition are all sacred. In Jyndari we meet a young Fey of the Light, Ayla who was discovered at a very young age to have the especially rare combination of gifts: empathic telepathy as well as discernment and healing. She was dedicated to become a Guardian of Childfey and spent her entire young years in the seclusion of the Temple where she studied magic and the ancient rites; where she was taught about the mortal enemy of all Fey of the Light, The Reviled.

We also meet Gairynzvl, a Reviled Fey who comes in shadows and silence; who lingers near Ayla trying to communicate with her. He longs for freedom from his captivity among the Dark Fey, but he needs her help to escape them. Through her extraordinary gifts she listens to him when no others will; she touches his pain and eases his suffering and she helps him in his attempt to escape The Reviled.

Known also as The Cursed, the Dark Ones or The Reviled Fey cannot love, are unable to abide peace or harmony, and do not admire beauty or talent without avarice. Because of their cursed state, they also cannot bring life into the world in the form of Innocence. In order to reproduce themselves they come to Jyndari in the shadows and abduct childfey, returning them to their own dark realm, the Uunglarda, where they are forced to endure The Integration. The intentionally cruel process of neglect, abuse and deprivation is designed to turn childfey from the Light and twist them into monsters.

In Dark Fey: Standing in Shadows we discover more about Gairynzvl and why he wants to return into the dark realm of The Reviled. He longs to attempt a rescue of the innocent childfey trapped there!

But it will take more than one Fey to breach the borders of The Uunglarda and to slip past the legions of Dark Fey who abide there. It will take magic and strength, courage and military strategy and it will shake the foundations of everything The Fey of The Light have accepted as truth for thousands of years. Nevertheless, Gairynzvl knows the secret ways in and out of the dark realm; he is able to open portals and through his gifts of telepathic empathy, he can find the childfey standing, waiting, in the shadows.

Slipping into the darkness through darkness is easy. Escaping out again with squalling, terrified childfey is another matter, but if they are captured his band of Liberators will pray for death long before it comes. Worse, their success could spark full scale war and unleash the barbaric hatred and viciousness of The Reviled upon the peace-loving Fey of The Light.

Can Gairynzvl convince Ayla and The Temple Elders to allow him to return to the Uunglarda, the realm of The Reviled? Who will join him to aid these Innocent Childfey, trapped in the realm of shadows and fear? And Will the Fey of the Light risk a savage war in order to rescue them?

A Word about Fey Words

Celebrae is the ancient, root language of the Fey of the Light. It is a gentle, elegant language filled with soft sounds spoken upon the tip of the tongue and pronounced near the front of the mouth. As a result is it often quiet in tone or light in inflection. Its vowel sounds are clear and crisp as well as delicate and lush.

Nearly all R's are trilled in both High Celebrae and the common tongue, most especially in instances of names of malefey.The letter Y is generally pronounced like a short I, as in the words: with, dish, visit. OR Veryn Falls, Jyndari, Veryth.When the letter Y follows the letter A it is pronounced like a long A, as in the words: Pray, Brave, Stay OR Ayla, Nayina, Luxay.When the letter Y is followed immediately by another letter Y, it is pronounced like a long E, as in the words: Free, See, Three OR Suubsyydd and Ryydde,The letters AE, when found together, are pronounced like a long A, as in the words: Lay, Say, Engrave OR Rehstaed, Celebrae, Jocyndrae Vite.The letters AU, when found together, are pronounced like AW, as in the words: Saw, Flaw, Draw OR as in the phrase Luxaunyth sha-lindauwyn. Vas hevauthycaera.When the letter U is followed immediately by another U, it is pronounced like OO, though a soft repetition of the sound occurs, as in the words: Soon, Bloom, Doom OR Uunglarda and Suubsyydd.DD is pronounced like soft TH, as in the words: Bath, Math, Path OR Suubsyydd and Ryydde.NN is pronounced just the same as a single N and AA is pronounced as a short A, as in Father, Hall, Ball, but a soft repetition of the sound occurs.

In contrast to the Light, Bright and Beautiful language of the Fey of the Light, the language of The Reviled or Dlalth is filled with guttural vocalizations characterized by harsh and grating sounds made in the throat or toward the back of the mouth. Since all Reviled Fey were once Fey of the Light, many similarities still exist between the languages, such as the pronunciation of Y, DD, NN and trilled R's, with the distinction coming in the manner of how the sounds are produced. Where Celebrae is soft and elegant, Dlalth is harsh and guttural. Many Dlalth words also contain more consonants than vowels, creating words that are severe and vile to the ear. Some examples of pronunciation would be:

The letter H is not a soft sound, as in the words: Happy, House, Harmony, but instead the letter H is formed in the back of the throat, creating more of a throaty hissing sound. Hravclanoch would have the accent on the harsh, guttural H.The letters CH are not pronounced crisp and clear, as in the words: Chirp, Starch, Reach, but instead the sound is formed near the back of the mouth, creating the sound more frequently associated with the Scottish CH in the word Loch or the German CH in the word Bach. Hravclanoch not only has the accent on the harsh, guttural H, but the gravelly CH at the end of the word.AA is pronounced like a short A, such as in the words: Father, Hall, Ball, though the sound originates closer to the back of the mouth and a soft repetition of the sound occurs. The Dlalth curse, Raach, would be pronounced with a trilled R, ah, ah, and a gravelly CH.Combinations of consonant sounds are often utilized to form vulgar, throaty sounding words, such as HR, where the R cannot be trilled, but when combined with the deep throaty hiss of the H the sound becomes more harsh than either letter alone. Another example of odd combinations is Hrch, Lych, and Zvl, where the sound of each individual letter is blended into the next, forming an abrasive, snarling, and gravelly sound.

Chapter One

Darkness lay thick and unyielding like a heavy mantle that smothered from every direction at once. Pungent and prodding, the intense murk was sooty with the condensing smoke of a thousand fires, which was the only source of light permitted in the, otherwise, bleak city. As it curled in the streets and avenues, turning frequented ways into misleading paths that made even those most familiar with them turn about more than once to reorient themselves, layers of damp mist leached downward from the leaden sky. Out of the dimness that poured from the ashen buildings and sank from above, voices of discontent and misery echoed among the shadows. Unmistakable cries of torment serrated the dense atmosphere; yet, from those same environs, delirious laughter also careened into the brooding night. The opposing sounds confused the ear and twisted the heart with uncertainty and dread.

The city was rank with a foul odor that was sour and reeked of sulfur. It was the city's chief source of kindling that burned in grates and braziers. Drawing close to these fires in order to escape the permeating cold and extract some meager warmth or to find any sense of direction also meant breathing in the malodorous stench that twisted the stomach until it could be born no longer and chased the one seeking momentary solace back into the shadows. There was little warmth in the darkness. An unshakable, seeking chill melted through clothes regardless of the protection of layers. In the ominous gloom, buildings seemed to press together to stay warm, their misaligned, shoddy workmanship betraying their untended state. Some leaned precariously, some were half fallen over in tatters, some were little more than a collapsed hovel and on every street raucous taverns and brothels tainted the air with lascivious noise and drunken abandon.

Through the curling shadows and dusky fog, a willowy, silent figure moved. Draped in an obscuring confusion of shadow that it seemed to carry along with it, the figure stole silently down the street. Muffled by the thick smog that twisted in the air, the form made no sound whatsoever, but drifted past the raucous taverns and foul brothels like a ghost brazenly wandering through the haze. None who passed this cloaked figure took notice of it. No heads turned as it paused at the corner beneath a spluttering lamp of burning, sulfurous, gas. Not a single bystander gazed in its direction as it moved silently down the narrow street towards the edge of town and when it turned the corner, disappearing into the blackness like a shadow melting into graying twilight, no trace of its passage was left behind.

Turning the darkened corner, the ebon shadow paused, the silhouette of its garments contracting as if the figure were doubling over and a muffled sound, like that of despair, slipped outward into the murk. Silence greeted this hushed cry, but as if in echo, a child's wail pierced the heavy gloom. The keening sound was not close by, yet it pealed through the dismal atmosphere like the sharp clangor of a tolling bell and all who heard it shrank from the sound, stifling the evidence of such misery in whatever escape lay close at hand. The amber liquid contained within a bottle, the glittering secret injected directly into veins, or the fleeting, wanton embrace that left a deeper yearning than what it satisfied were momentary releases from the anguish of everyday life.

As the half seen figure stood motionless, the piteous sounds of the city gathered around it like moths drawn to an open flame demanding to be noticed in spite of the listener's desire for deafness. Reality in the Uunglarda was caustic as acid and burned just as deeply and it compelled the figure to move hastily onward.

* * *

Ayla stood silently, her thoughts tumbling in a thousand directions as she gazed down upon Mardan who was still sleeping in the Nursing Ward. Beside her, his own thoughts predictably restive, Gairynzvl did not speak, but waited as patiently as his agitation would allow while she attempted to reach out to their unconscious friend. Tears threatened to prevail over her chaotic emotions as she stretched forth her senses into the peaceful void of Mardan's essence. She anticipated touching nothingness, darkness, and quietness, but her acute senses were met with the gentlest of thoughts. Gasping aloud, she opened her eyes to stare down at him with exhilaration thrilling through her, waiting expectantly for him to pierce her with his brilliant cerulean gaze, but he remained asleep.

Gairynzvl turned to watch more attentively, his unspoken questions about their friend answered by a flurry of excited emotion and confusion that poured from Ayla unchecked. Her emotions fluttered briefly, but she refocused her attention and tried again when one of the Healers drew closer. He watched curiously with a penetrating viridian gaze as she closed her eyes and reached to touch Mardan upon his chest so she could feel the strong, rhythmic beat of his heart and sense the pulse of his essence. Where she could perceive only frightful stillness the day before, she could now hear the soft notions of his dreams. Where terrifying weakness had been present only hours before, she could now feel the strengthening rush of life-force returning within him and she could not contain her elation at the discovery. Drawing back from the light touch she had extended, she muffled a prodigious sob and burst into tears.

“What do you sense, Ayla?” Gairynzvl asked softly, moving to draw her into an embrace even as the Healer stepped forward to check Mardan's condition for himself. She shook her head, delighted, although observably confounded.

“He remains adrift, but I feel strength returning to him. I can hear his thoughts again, though they are quiet.” Gazing down on him, she smiled amidst her tears. “He is dreaming.”

Gairynzvl turned to look down at Mardan with an unexpected feeling of relief. Although it had been only days since the motionless Celebrant had tried to kill him with the spell of Inflicted Pain, he could not deny that he was pleased he would survive. He watched him curiously, wondering about the depth of his sleep and how it had restored him, but his attention was diverted by the noise of Ayla's piercing confusion and he turned to look down at her with an unreadable expression. “Why, then, are you perplexed?” he asked bluntly, a familiar rush of agitation with her perpetually swirling emotions replacing the brief moment of thankfulness he experienced at her unexpected discovery. Twisting away from him, she rebuked him sharply.

“Stop reading me without my permission!” Her caustic tone made him flinch and step back. Their agitated tones caused the Healer to pause and look up at them uncertainly, although he did not withdraw, and Gairynzvl shook his head.

“I am not reading you Ayla. Anyone can see that you are confused, but you cannot blame me for hearing your thoughts.” Before he could complete his sentence, she reproached him again.

“You are always reading them!” she accused vehemently, but her anger only served to annoy him further. Arching his wings aggressively, he stepped forward confrontationally. Staring down into her upturned face with a potent combination of indignation and unanticipated desire he spoke slowly in a low and measured tone as he explained what she already knew perfectly well.

“I have not had the training you have, Ayla. I cannot help hearing the thoughts of others or sensing what they feel. Most of this constant noise I have learned to shut out, but how can I keep myself from hearing you when you are constantly shouting your thoughts at me.”

She stared back at him crossly, but the tears in her amber eyes betrayed her frustration and after a tense moment of awkward silence she looked away from him and back at Mardan who lay quiet and unmoving. “I thought…” her voice trailed off as her musings tumbled chaotically. Images played through her mind of piercing cerulean eyes watching her from the shadows outside the Chamber of Radiance and of intense jealousy and loathing. Unable to block the sudden onslaught of these emotions, Gairynzvl turned his head to the side, his tone more quiet, but no less imposing as he queried further.

“What did you think?”

She sighed sharply and closed her eyes, attempting for the first time in a very long time to reign in her wildly conflicting sentiments. Regardless of her attempts, however, she knew he could read her as easily as he could the open sky and this realization only flustered her further. “Please, Gairynzvl, do not.”

At this, the Healer lifted his head to watch them more intently, ready to defend her, if necessary, from the only recently Prevailed Dark One. He was fully aware that his nature had not been as utterly transformed as his physical body had been by The Prevailation. He understood that his nature had been shaped through many years of torment and abuse and his reactions were still very much as they had been during his captivity. It would take many months of counseling to reshape them.

Aware of the Healer's protective stare, Gairynzvl turned to meet his uniquely viridian gaze and shook his head. “I am not reading you Ayla. You asked me not to and I shall not, but you must then tell me what it is you are thinking. Why are you so confused? Did we not leave Mardan in this state this morning?” The intensity of his purposeful questioning stretched the taut cord between them and she turned away from him once again.

“But I saw him,” she muttered, half to him, half to herself. Her thoughts swirled as she tried desperately to return to that moment when they stood in the Chamber of Radiance; when he had drawn her so close to him and she had felt the potency of his emotions as well as the sting of envy radiating from the chamber doorway. She recalled opening her eyes and catching sight of Mardan's cerulean gaze watching them covetously, but if it had been him why was he now asleep, adrift as he had been when the day started? She closed her eyes tightly, trying to pull some clue from the brief seconds when she had seen him that might unravel the mystery.

“You saw him? Where?”

She sighed once again, as if in defeat, and turned back to Gairynzvl. Stepping closer without speaking, she reached out to take his hands and looked down at them with resignation before lifting her gaze to smile wanly up at him. “You are right. It is much easier this way.”

He returned her gaze, confused by her circular emotions and logic. In spite of her efforts to dissuade him from doing so, she whispered reassuringly through her thoughts. “Go ahead, it is all right. I cannot explain adequately.”

Turning his head slowly to the side once more, his expression grew fleetingly suspicious. The years of needing to be ever vigilant against deception were difficult to overcome, but when her gaze did not falter and the steadiness of her hands in his did not quaver, he relaxed and opened his mind to hers. The soft noise of the room around them and the serenading birdsong greeting the new day from beyond the Temple windows faded. He closed his eyes with contentment as the familiar beat of her heart filled his thoughts; as the steady hum of her delicate aura began to vibrate synchronously with his and the soft sound of her voice returned into his consciousness. The intimate contact was as intoxicating as the finest wine and both swayed subtly as they closed their eyes together and communicated without the need for words or rationale. Beside them, the Healer watched, mutely fascinated.

The Chamber of Radiance filled his mind's eye. The sting of pain from the purging Light returned through her remembrance and he groaned even as the sound of his own voice echoed in his mind. “Will you help me, Ayla? Will you help them?” He felt her apprehension. He saw her mouth fall agape as her mind spiraled in a myriad directions. Uncertainty, as well as motivation, shot through her and, as a result, through him. Even as she considered her answer to his unanticipated question, her gaze shifted to a silhouette outlined in the doorway leading into the Chamber of Radiance. Gairynzvl could not help turning his head as if to see better and more clearly who it was that she saw. Together, they could see the clear, crystalline, cerulean gaze she had seen in the shadows. Together they felt the bitter sting of resentment emanating from that gaze and, although they gazed long upon the memory, neither could ascertain the watcher's true identity.

“Is this Mardan?” he asked out loud, breaking the bewitching spell of their telepathy unexpectedly. Ayla opened her eyes to gaze up at him breathlessly and shook her head. How could it be?

Chapter Two

Brilliant sunshine streamed in through the Nursing Ward windows, washing over Gairynzvl in its fullest measure. All the shutters nearest to his bed had been angled to direct the warming ribbons of light over him. Encouraged to rest throughout the remainder of the morning, not only to regain his strength from the demands The Prevailation had put upon him, but also to prepare both physically and mentally for the celebration the temple inhabitants had arranged for that evening, he had willingly returned to his bed. He resisted the notion of being put on any sort of display and was entirely in opposition to meeting and greeting all the villagers of Hwyndarin who had heard the tale of the young Fey who had fought and defeated a Legion of The Reviled, but Veryth assured him that it was all part of the process of Reclamation. Thus, both weary and resigned, he had closed his eyes in the hope of capturing a few moments of sleep.

Lying beneath the radiance of sunlight for the first time in his adult life, Gairynzvl sighed profoundly more than once. The sensation of warmth washing over him was sweetly intoxicating, like the euphoria that spreads through the body after drinking a strong brandy or robust wine,. He did not feel the spreading warmth within, but on his skin and could not keep himself from checking again and again in order to assure himself that the light was not, in any way, burning him. He had become so accustomed to shielding himself from any light that forcing himself to lie within its full and ruddy glow was almost terrifying. Fearful of falling asleep amidst the lustrous gleam lest he not awaken, he tossed and turned for the better part of an hour, but he could not resist the blissful tranquility of the warm sunlight any more than he could deny his exhaustion. Before the chiming bells that heralded the hours rang out from one of the many Temple towers, sleep stole forward in the hazy blush of light caressing him and subdued his anxiety.

* * *

With both friends now a-slumber, Ayla was left on her own. She paced the length and breadth of the Nursing Ward uneasily, turning the memory of cerulean eyes and covetous emotion over and over in her mind. It made no sense to her. Mardan had stood gazing upon them from the shadows behind the doors to the Chamber of Radiance, but now he lay drifting as he had done for days. How had he arisen from his bed unaided and unnoticed? How had he known where to find them and how had he wandered the vast corridors and avenues of the Temple complex, which stood between the Nursing Ward and the chamber where the Prevailation had been performed, without anyone seeing him? Shaking her head, she returned to his bedside and stared down at him, perplexed. His quiet state left her with no answers, only additional questions, but after watching him for many long moments she finally sighed sharply and turned away.

While the malefey slept, Ayla was joined by a companion she knew far better who did not confuse her thoughts or leave her senses spinning. Nayina had arrived with dresses and implements of preparation so they might spend the afternoon in a far more pleasing manner than waiting, alone, in the stillness of the Healing Ward. Having been informed about the celebration planned for that evening by Veryth, who had sent the first invitation directly to her home, Nayina insisted Ayla join her in the rooms that had been provided within the dormitories of the Temple so they might bathe and preen for the upcoming night of revelry. It did not take a great deal of convincing on her part before Ayla agreed to leave behind the confusion prompted by the malefey.

The broad room in which they eventually found themselves was located on the third floor of the Temple dormitories and was warmed by an enormous hearth that stood open on both sides and efficiently heated two rooms rather than one. The room into which they initially entered was a wide chamber with comfortable furniture, several dressing tables with highly polished golden mirrors, which could not be crossed by any Reviled, and a balcony that allowed the afternoon sunlight to stream radiantly into the room. The second was a smaller bathing chamber. It was heated generously by the fire emanating from the hearth and insulated by elaborately decorated tiles that lines the walls and formed intricate, colourful patterns. A large copper bathing tub was situated close enough to the massive hearth that its ruddy heat effectively warmed the water it contained to keep it temperate and inviting.

The afternoon hours passed rapidly. Compelled by Nayina's insistence that she recount of every detail of the Prevailation, a rite she had never even heard of until Veryth mentioned it the previous day, Ayla spent much of the day talking. Athough she did her best to explain what happened, she did not understand most of the elaborate ritual, which made clarifications difficult the many times Nayina stopped her with a query. Nonetheless, the heart of the matter was far less difficult to relate. Gairynzvl had somehow been transformed from a fearsome, dragon-winged, spine-bearing Dark Fey and was restored as a Fey of the Light.

As her thoughts returned to the events of the morning, Ayla's mind filled with the intense emotion she had witnessed and felt, in spite of closing herself to telepathy. The sensations had been inescapable and one did not need to be empathic to sense Gairynzvl's torment or to understand how greatly he suffered during the rite, suffering which prompted tears from her even now. Watching her closely for a quiet moment as she listened intently to her friend's recounting, Nayina posed an unexpectedly piercing question.

“Are you in love with him, Ay?” Lifting her gaze from the depths of the fire into which she had been staring, Ayla looked at her friend and was transfixed with amazement. She tried to instantly deny the fact, but she could not force the negation past her lips. Stammering ineffectually, she could only shake her head with an expression of puzzlement.

“Honestly, Nay, I do not know. How could I be? I have only known him a few days.” The questions were meant as much for her friend as for herself, but Nayina shook her head.

“You have known him much longer than just a few days. Isn't he the one who was following you all these past months?”

Ayla nodded mutely, her thoughts whirling as her friend continued.

“I think you were getting to know him all that time without realizing it, just as he was getting to know you.”

“It is not as though we ever held a conversation, Nay. How could we get to know each other without speaking?” She was musing aloud, not entirely convinced of the truth her friend was gently asserting, but her companion laughed abruptly.