Graevale

  This was not good news. Mostly because it now meant that both the Dayriders’ and the Shadow Walkers’ alliance relied upon Shirez convincing the elders to allow Alex to fight again. And more, for Alex to actually win that fight. Even then, she only had the promise that they would listen to her warnings, not that they would in any way act.

  “Forgive me if this is disrespectful,” Alex said, “but I was under the impression that the Shadow Walkers and Dayriders don’t exactly… get along.”

  “When the sun rises, the night flees,” came Xayder’s reply. “Light and dark cannot live in unity. It is a universal fact. And yet, as Kaysia said, neither can exist without the other.”

  That appeared to be the only response Alex would be given, but it was enough for her to understand. The two races might not get along—at all—but they had a symbiotic relationship. For reasons beyond Alex’s comprehension, they needed each other to survive. If she wanted the support of the Dayriders, she would need to receive it from the Shadow Walkers as well.

  “Leave it with me,” Alex said, standing from her cloud-chair, which disappeared the moment her weight left it. “Hopefully I’ll be able to convince them.” She managed to make her words sound confident and optimistic when she felt anything but.

  “It has been a pleasure to meet you, Alexandra,” Lidael said in her unerringly peaceful voice. “I hope we can do so again in the near future.”

  With a serene smile, the female disappeared in a flash of light, followed by Xayder after he offered Alex an equally comforting smile and a quiet farewell.

  “Come, Alexandra,” Kaysia said, stepping forward. “I shall escort you back to the edge of our territory.”

  Before Alex could respond, the Dayrider laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. Blinding light flashed around them, and then Alex was blinking her retinas clear again only to discover she was now standing on the sunny side of the alleyway she had first entered through.

  “We will meet again, Alexandra,” Kaysia said, her calm tone full of assurance. “I only hope that when we do, it will be under more agreeable circumstances. However, I fear that will not be the case.” A soft, sad smile touched her lips, and the leader of the Dayriders finished quietly, “Resist the shadows, daughter of the light. No matter how hard, when it all seems too much, you must always resist the shadows.”

  And then, with another blinding flash, Kaysia was gone, leaving Alex alone with more questions than she thought anyone might ever be able to answer.

  Kicking a stone on the ground, Alex looked over into the darkness and shivered slightly, deciding to wait on the brighter side of the city until Caspar Lennox showed up for one of his half-hourly check-ins.

  She moved to lean against the side of a white building—a house, she presumed—and was content to gather her thoughts while she waited for her teacher. But a noise caught her attention, something that made her squint past the light and into the darkness of the alley, trying to find the source of the sound.

  At first she thought it was a whimpering child, but then she realised that it was an animal of some kind, something greatly distressed.

  As if pulled by an invisible cord, Alex pushed off the wall and stepped into the shadowed half of the city, following the sound. Her hearing being what it was, she had to crisscross through a number of dark alleyways before the volume was enough to indicate she was in the vicinity of the upset creature. But Alex couldn’t see it anywhere. And suddenly, she couldn’t hear it anymore, either.

  Frowning, she looked across the small, cobblestoned bridge crossing a narrow canal, one similar to those she’d travelled with her parents during their short work placement in Venice years ago. The setting prompted a moment of nostalgia within Alex, but she knew that even if her mother and father were to materialise beside her right now with a gondola in tow, their time together would be much different to when they’d glided down Italy’s revered Grand Canal. And yet, knowing her parents, they would be so excited to explore the archaeological mysteries of Graevale that she’d never get them to leave again, eerie city or not.

  Smiling with affection, Alex pushed aside thoughts of her eccentric family and instead strained her ears as she stepped onto the bridge, pausing once she reached the centre.

  She almost jumped out of her skin when she heard a sound—not a whimper, but a voice. Wheezy and rough in the language of the Shadow Walkers, it was the kind of voice that made Alex’s skin crawl.

  “Don’t worry, mutt, you won’t feel a thing.”

  The words, that grisly tone… Everything about Alex was on edge as she realised the voice was coming from underneath the bridge. She didn’t know what was happening, but something within her was screaming that she had to intervene—and now.

  Leaning as far as she could over the stone railing, Alex saw that there was a canoe-like vessel docked beneath the bridge, and in it sat a hooded Shadow Walker. She couldn’t see what he was doing, but the sense of urgency she felt didn’t allow her to waste time watching more. Instead, she leapt right off the bridge, using one arm to swing herself down and onto the vessel.

  Startled, the Shadow Walker stood, the canoe teetering precariously from both his abrupt movement and Alex’s arrival.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” the male demanded as he found his balance. Then his eyes widened and he said in the common tongue, “You are human!”

  “What’s in the bag?” Alex asked, pointing to a canvas sack at his feet—a sack that was moving.

  “None of your business,” the Shadow Walker spat. He was old—though not quite as ancient as the elders—and he had a hunched back and mean, squinty eyes.

  “I’m making it my business,” Alex said, fairly confident that if it came down to a scuffle, she could overcome the frail-looking man despite her injury and his shadowing ability.

  He sneered at her. “I’ve got a job to do and the likes of you won’t stop me.”

  It was then that the whimpering came again—high-pitched and scared, right from the moving sack.

  “What’s in the bag?” Alex demanded again, more forcefully this time.

  The Shadow Walker kicked viciously at the canvas, and a yelp of pain was all it took for Alex to act. She lunged forward and grabbed him by his collar, launching him overboard and into the grimy canal.

  Whether from shock or simply due to the speed of her attack, he didn’t have time to shadow himself away, so he came up spluttering and cursing her in his native tongue. But Alex didn’t care about his insults; she was already kneeling in the rocking boat and carefully opening the sack.

  A ball of black fluff, that’s all she thought it was at first. But then it wriggled and uncurled from its terrified position and she caught a small flash of white amongst all the dark as she realised what it was—a puppy. Stunning amber eyes locked onto hers as she took in the beautiful creature, eyes that indicated a level of intelligence beyond what the young animal should possess. Beyond what any animal should possess.

  “Hey, beautiful,” Alex cooed, reaching her uninjured arm out to the trembling pup.

  Given its terrified state, she thought it would back away in fear. But her proximity seemed to calm it, and it leaned forward and sniffed her fingers, before licking once.

  A startled giggle left Alex at the tickling sensation and she slowly moved her hand to pet the creature. Instantly it—or rather, she, Alex realised—nuzzled into her palm, soaking up her affection, before waddling closer.

  Other than her impossibly bright eyes, the puppy was as black as the night, all except for one front paw that was splashed with white. But more than that, there was something else strange about her. Like the Shadow Walkers themselves, the creature had swirls of darkness clouding around her three black legs, while her white paw was giving off a faint glow like that of the Dayriders, along with small flashes of light.

  Another lick, this time on Alex’s wrist as the puppy wobbled right up to her, and Alex scooped her into the crook of her uninjured arm as she stood to her feet. Imme
diate trust, that was what the puppy offered as she stretched her neck upwards and licked Alex’s jaw, prompting another giggle from her.

  “Release the accursed creature at once!” the Shadow Walker demanded, still in the canal. Alex wondered why he didn’t transport himself out of there, but then she realised his shadowing ability must only work on dry land where he could actively step through the darkness.

  “You said you had a job to do,” Alex said, nodding down at the puppy squirming happily in her arms and trying to lick more of her face. “What were you planning on doing to her?”

  “That mutt is touched by the light,” the Shadow Walker hissed, indicating the puppy’s white paw. “Shadow and light, she’ll never fit in to either world. I was doing her a favour and saving her from a slow, neglectful death.”

  Alex’s face scrunched with disgust. “You were going to drown her, weren’t you?”

  “I was showing pity, you human fool. No one would take that mongrel in.”

  Shaking her head with revulsion, Alex said, “Wrong. I would.” Not caring about the repercussions, she finished, “And I am.”

  A bark of laughter. “You? A human with a Shadow Wolf?” He laughed again, a coarse, hacking sound that rippled the water around him.

  Shadow Wolf? The first stirrings of uncertainty hit Alex at the ‘wolf’ part. But then the puppy gave a cute little snuffle sound and lolled her tongue out the side of her mouth, like a big doggie smile. When she looked up with all the trust in the world, Alex’s resolve hardened into surety.

  “If the options are either you drown her or I take her, then I’m taking her,” she said firmly.

  “Just as long as she’s out of my hair, you can do what you want,” came the Shadow Walker’s surprisingly quick reply, but he was still too amused for Alex’s liking. “My job will be considered complete once the taint of her dark-forsaken light is gone from our city.”

  The man was all kinds of awful. And it only became worse when he finished, “I strongly advise you to drown her yourself. Once an outcast, always an outcast.”

  Alex didn’t deign to respond since technically she, too, was an outcast—in so many ways. Instead, she just held the puppy tighter, the fluffy softness snuggling into her neck as she manoeuvred the vessel towards the side of the canal and hoisted herself back up into the alley.

  “Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” came the laughing words of the Shadow Walker still floating in the water. “A Shadow Wolf and a human—I’ve never heard of anything so ridiculous!”

  Again, Alex didn’t respond. She just turned on her heel and strode purposefully back to her prearranged meeting place, cooing soft words to the puppy as she did so.

  Twenty-Three

  Caspar Lennox arrived in the alley about three seconds after Alex, and the moment he saw her—or rather, what was in her arms—his jaw dropped. It would have been a comical expression on his normally stoic face if it weren’t so telling as to what he was going to say next.

  “Absolutely not.”

  “I haven’t even asked yet,” Alex said.

  “You want to keep it. The answer is a resounding and unyielding ‘no’.”

  “She was going to be drowned, sir,” Alex said, holding the puppy out for inspection. “Something about her having light and not being able to live here.”

  Caspar Lennox recoiled as he took in the white paw of the creature. But still, his reply was resolute. “You cannot take her, Alexandra. Shadow Wolves are not pets. They are weapons.”

  He reached for the puppy, but before Alex could change his mind, the puppy growled low in her throat. Shadows sprung up around Alex along with flashes of lightning as the little creature bared her teeth at the teacher.

  Caspar Lennox froze. “It cannot be,” he said, his eyes wide and staring at the angry little wolf.

  “What’s going on?” Alex asked, concerned by what she read in his features but also distracted by the miniature electrical storm encircling her body.

  Caspar Lennox swallowed. “The wolf is protective of you.”

  Alex looked down at the still growling puppy and back up again. “And that’s a problem because…?”

  “It is not in their nature,” he said. At her questioning look, he explained, “They hunt. They kill. They destroy.” He paused, then finished meaningfully, “They do not protect. Ever.”

  “Guess I got a good one then, huh?” Alex said lightly, trying to calm her teacher, her puppy and herself.

  Caspar Lennox’s reply was slow in coming, and when it did, it was a single word. “Indeed.”

  Alex decided to ignore the now-dissolving storm and pressed, “So, I can keep her, right?”

  “I do not believe you have a choice, Alexandra,” her teacher said, his dark gaze pensive as he watched the gradually calming wolf. “For I believe it is she who has chosen to keep you.”

  Goose bumps arose on Alex’s flesh because, looking down at the impossibly intelligent eyes staring trustingly up at her, she had a feeling her teacher was right.

  “We should go,” Caspar Lennox said. “Did you have any success with the Dayriders?”

  Tearing her eyes from the now relaxed and yawning puppy, Alex said, “They’re willing to help, but only if your race is as well. There has to be a balance, they said. All or none.”

  Caspar Lennox nodded, unsurprised. “Then let us hope Shirez Ganare can convince the elders to give you another chance, even if I do not believe you will prevail.”

  “You’re a real glass-half-full person, aren’t you?” Alex said dryly. “You’d be a blast at parties.”

  Caspar Lennox’s only response was to reach out and shadow her and the puppy back to the academy. He left her outside the Med Ward, saying he would brief the headmaster and the other teachers on the day’s events—and warn them about her new canine companion—while she sought treatment for her wounds.

  Alex nodded, but as soon as he disappeared again, she turned and headed for her dorm and the laendra she knew would heal her instantly. Better to not bring Fletcher more distress than was necessary.

  Fully aware that it was mid-afternoon and students were freely wandering the snowy campus, Alex was careful to keep the now dozing puppy hidden in the folds of her coat. She was also careful to angle her bruised cheek away from view, since the relentless throbbing indicated that the sucker punch she’d received must have left quite the mark.

  Thankfully, no one interrupted her journey as she crunched her way along the icy paths and finally made it up to her room.

  With D.C. still in detention, it was a shock when Alex closed the door behind her and realised she wasn’t alone.

  “Stars, Aeylia, please tell me that’s not what I think it is.”

  Alex jumped and turned to the figure seated on her bed. “Niyx! You scared the crap out of me!”

  He kept his eyes locked on the black ball of fuzz in her arms. “Do you have any idea what you’re holding?”

  “Hello to you, too,” Alex said back, her voice sour. “I’m okay, thanks for asking. A bit sore, but still alive despite being almost burned alive. But enough about me, how’s your day been?”

  “By the light, kitten,” he said, unfolding from her bed and walking threateningly over to her. “It’s a Shadow Wolf. Do you know how big they grow? How quickly? And what they do when they’re fully developed?”

  “She’s just a puppy,” Alex said quietly, revealing the softly snoozing creature for him to see better.

  “Now she is,” Niyx said, pointing to the wolf. “But by this time next week, she’ll be as tall as your chest.”

  Alex’s eyes widened as she whispered, “What?”

  “What is with you binding yourself to beings you’re better off avoiding—myself included?”

  “What are you talking about?” Alex asked, still whispering as she looked down at the awakening pup. “I’m not bound to her.”

  “She wouldn’t be lying docilely in your arms if you weren’t, kitten,” Niyx said. “Puppy or not, she’d b
e trying to rip your face off.”

  As if able to understand his words—and maybe she could—the puppy reached up and gently licked Alex’s neck.

  “Stars,” Niyx muttered as he took in the sight, running a beleaguered hand across his face. “What am I going to do with you?”

  Alex bit back a grin and stepped towards him, holding the puppy out. “Do you want a cuddle?”

  Unlike with Caspar Lennox, the wolf didn’t start growling, but she did eye Niyx speculatively, as if sizing him up.

  With a sigh of resignation, Niyx took the little black furball in his arms. But not even he was strong enough to resist the pull of her cuteness, and a smile touched his lips as she nipped at his fingers.

  “What did you mean about her being that big in a week?” Alex asked, struggling not to melt at the vision of him holding the puppy.

  “Shadow Wolves grow into adulthood at exponential rates,” Niyx said, returning to sit on Alex’s bed.

  The puppy, curious about her new surroundings, left his arms to explore, wobbling along the mattress before plopping off it and onto the ground, then sniffing all around the room on one great investigative journey.

  “Within a week she’ll be fully developed,” Niyx continued. “So enjoy this cute phase while you can, since it’s not going to last long. That said,” he cocked his head at the puppy as she toddled into Alex’s wardrobe, “you have a real beauty on your hands here. She’s going to be extraordinary when she’s finished growing.”

  Again, as if she’d understood his words, the puppy looked back at him, her tongue lolling out in doggy pleasure.

  “She’s intelligent, isn’t she?” Alex guessed. “Like, supernaturally?”

  “It won’t be the same as your bond with Xiraxus,” Niyx said, and Alex felt her heart thump painfully in memory. “You won’t be able to converse with her like you did with him or you do with me. But there will be… impressions. She’ll be able to sense your needs and understand your requests.”