Twenty-Two
As promised, Caspar Lennox dropped Alex off in an alleyway where the dark met the light. He said he would wait for her, but she shooed him away, saying there was no point in him lingering in the shadowed street, bored out of his mind. Reluctantly, he agreed, saying he would travel back every half hour to check for her return.
Also as promised, the path to the Lumeniia was easy to follow, since the crystal pyramid rose high above the streets and was visible no matter where Alex walked. She wandered the picturesque streets towards the impressive structure, grateful that if she had to hike through either side of Graevale, it was the sunny, pretty side rather than the shadowy, eerie side. Not that the dark half of the city didn’t have its own kind of beauty. It was just… a different kind of beauty.
Trekking along the bleached stone walkways, Alex couldn’t keep from staring as she caught sight of the Dayriders for the first time. Just like their half of the city, they as a race were the opposite of the Shadow Walkers in every way. With skin so white that it gave off a faint glow and hair so pale that their whole figures almost blended into the washed-out buildings all around them, they were nearly painful to look at, so bright as they were. Even their clothes were some kind of pure, snowy linen. As far as Alex could tell, the only colour on their entire bodies—perhaps even in their entire city—was their eyes. Those came in all colours and, most notably, not a single Dayrider she looked at had two eyes of the same colour. One blue eye, one green. One brown eye, one black. One honey, one hazel. A grey eye and an indigo eye. The rainbow assortment was dizzying, and Alex found it increasingly difficult not to gape at them as she passed.
Somehow she managed to not get caught up in the sights and sounds of the whitewashed city—not even when the Dayriders looked back at her with as much curiosity as she had towards them—and she reached the entrance to the Lumeniia in good time. Once there, she worried for a moment that she would find a similar reception to the Shadow Walkers and someone would have to announce her, but since she didn’t have a Dayrider contact, she would just have to hope for the best.
Walking hesitantly through the crystal opening, Alex wasn’t sure what to do or where to go once she was inside. That was mostly because there were few options available to her. The pyramid was as vast as it was empty. It was like Alex was standing inside a hollow, triangular prism. The sun was blazing through its glassy walls, yet the temperature was comfortable. Perfect, even.
But she alone appeared to be experiencing it.
Tentatively, she stepped towards the centre of the pyramid, looking around for any sign of company. But there was no one. Until, suddenly, there was.
With a flash of blinding light, a woman appeared before Alex. At her display, something belatedly clicked in Alex’s mind. Shadow Walkers—a race that walked through shadows. Dayriders—a race that… rode the day? Otherwise interpreted as travelling through light?
These thoughts crossed Alex’s mind in a blur as she took in the female Dayrider standing before her.
The woman was stunning—almost literally. Her alabaster skin glowed and her long, fair hair made her look like the human embodiment of a star. A vibrant blue eye was paired with a bright violet one, both staring at Alex with a serene, knowing expression.
“Welcome to the Lumeniia, Alexandra Jennings,” the Dayrider said in the lightest, sweetest voice Alex had ever heard. “We have been expecting you.”
Caught off guard by the unexpected turn of events—and the uncommonly warm welcome—Alex said, “We?”
Two more flashes of light announced the arrival of two more Dayriders, one female, one male.
“You have come to seek out the Order,” the first woman spoke again. “We will hear your words.”
Alex’s eyes widened as she took in the three glowing figures. “You’re the Order?”
“We are indeed,” the male said in a deep but no less serene voice. His eyes were green and silver.
“Please, won’t you have a seat?” offered the second female, a coffee-coloured eye paired with turquoise.
“A seat?” Alex repeated, looking around and wondering if she was supposed to sit on the ground. But then, manifesting from nothing, a cloud grew into existence behind her, right at knee level. Startled, she looked back at the three Dayriders and saw that they too had clouds behind them, and as she watched, they sat on the apparently solid vapour.
Following their lead, Alex sat cautiously, waiting for the moment she would sink through to the floor. But the cloud held her weight, enveloping her like an armchair moulded specifically to her figure. It was ridiculously comfortable against her bruised and beaten body, especially after her stint on the stone slab back at the Obscuria.
“I’d very much like to know how this works,” Alex said, running her uninjured arm across the top of the softness. “And I’d also very much like to take this with me wherever I go.”
Quiet, melodious laughter reached her ears, like harmonious bells shifting in the wind, and she looked up to find the Dayriders watching her with warm amusement.
“Unfortunately, none but our race can call forth the elements in such a way as this,” the male said. “But you are always welcome to visit us here in Graevale and enjoy the benefits of our abilities.”
This all seemed a bit too easy to Alex. Why were they being so nice to her? How had they known she was coming? Why were they, apparently, willing to listen to her?
“You already know who I am,” she said, trying to keep the suspicion from her tone, “but I’m afraid I can’t say the same for you.”
“I am Kaysia, leader of the Dayriders,” said the first woman who had appeared. “These are my seconds who make up the rest of the Order: Xayder”—she nodded towards the male, before motioning towards the female—“and Lidael. We are honoured to meet you, Alexandra Jennings.”
“Um, thank you,” Alex responded. “Can I ask why, exactly? Why you’re honoured, I mean.”
“Because you are a champion for the light,” Kaysia said. “Despite the challenges you have faced, despite the burdens on your shoulders, that light within you shines brightly, like nothing else we’ve ever seen, least of all in a human.”
Alex let that sink in a moment, then admitted, “I’m not sure I follow.”
Another tinkle of bells followed her statement, but this time no one filled her in.
“Please, Alexandra, tell us why you have come,” Kaysia invited.
As succinctly as possible, Alex shared her story and offered her warnings, finishing by asking for their support.
“This coming battle will tip the scales, Alexandra,” Kaysia said, her voice still serene but now holding wisdom beyond Alex’s understanding. “Light or dark, only one can win. This world cannot survive in shades of grey.”
“If Aven seeks to harm us as you believe he will, this is indeed a cause for our concern,” Lidael spoke up. Her tone, like that of her companions, was peaceful and calm—something Alex was coming to recognise as the natural expression of the Dayriders. While the Shadow Walkers were all hard edges and aggression, the lighter race tended towards softness and tranquillity. But given the context of their discussion, Alex found their placid temperaments frustrating. She’d been hoping for a little more concern, more of an instantaneous call to arms.
“We will take all the necessary measures to keep our people safe,” Xayder assured Alex, his colourful eyes holding hers captive. “Your warning is most appreciated.”
That was the first proper offer of gratitude Alex had received from any of the races, and it filled her with hope that not even the pain thrumming through her body could overshadow.
“However…”
“However?” Alex pressed when it became clear Xayder wasn’t saying any more.
It was Kaysia who answered, “I am truly sorry, Alexandra, but we are one half of a whole.”
At Alex’s quizzical look, the leader of the Dayriders explained, “Light is only light because there is an absence of darkness, just as darkness is only darkness because there is an absence of light. Without one, there would be no other. There is no shade without sunshine, no day without night.” Kaysia’s peaceful features became apologetic as she finished, “As such, we can only offer you our support if you first receive it from our brethren.”
Alex closed her eyes tightly as she made sense of the leader’s words. “You’re saying I need to convince the Shadow Walkers first,” she clarified. “If they’re on board, you’re on board.”
“We will indeed join you if they do. Together, we are strong. Divided, however, we cannot prevail,” Kaysia said. “Our first priority is to our city—to Graevale and to the safety of our people dwelling here. If the Shadow Walkers do not agree to rise up against this threat as one, then I’m sorry, Alexandra, but we will not be able to ally ourselves with the humans of this world.”
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. Immediate 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.