Chapter 25
THE SHADOWS GROW
Devon was sitting in Haven’s front room and thinking about the madness occurring around him. His Shadows were sitting with him. Mitsey was busy regaling everyone with the tale of when she’d stolen the Wayfarer’s pendant. The others listened in fascination to the goblin’s (only slightly embellished) deeds. He was pleased with how quickly they had all become friends.
“Firstly, I want to say how pleased I am that you seem to have become friends so quickly,” Devon said with a smile. His smile faded when he saw a few uncomfortable looks exchanged between them. He noticed that Lorn glared at each one and gave them an almost imperceptible shake of her head.
“They argue like cats and dogs, but they work at it and bury any differences quickly,” Izzy said, slumping down in a chair that had appeared for her.
Devon looked at Lorn in shock. Since he’d agreed to take them as students, he had got the impression that they were all the best of friends. Had he just been naïve?
“Lorn?” he said, focusing on her with his eyebrow raised.
“What Izzy says is true, Devon, but we all made a pact never to trouble you with any disagreements we might have. We swear that it will never affect our duties.”
The others nodded along as Lorn laid out the reality of life in the barracks.
Devon didn’t know how to react to that. He was a little upset that they weren’t getting along as well as he had thought but also annoyed with himself for thinking it would be permanent sunshine and rainbows in their lives. He settled for a nod. “Fair enough, but if anyone has an issue, I want them to speak up. I don’t want anyone suffering in silence. We don’t fight for the freedom of others to be miserable ourselves. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir,” They all replied.
Devon grinned at them. “Now, to business. I am thinking about our future and want to include you all in this discussion. Soon, there will be recruits waiting outside. Our numbers will increase. We will become a small army, and with that comes challenges. So, I ask you for ideas.”
“We need a name,” Mitsey said.
“We have a name. Devon calls us his Shadow Elite. It’s a name from centuries ago. I love it,” Lorn replied, her voice proud.
Izzy nodded her head emphatically. “I think it is a perfect name. I have read about the original Shadow Elite. If you can walk in their footsteps, they’ll write songs about your exploits.”
“We need an emblem,” Grace said. “Something awesome we can have emblazoned on our armour.”
Devon held up his hand. “That I leave for you to discuss and decide upon, although I maintain the right of veto if I hate it,” he said with a chuckle.
“Master, you have guests waiting outside,” Abi announced.
Devon sighed. He’d wanted the chance to chat to his new team, but yet again, time was insufficient. He took a deep breath. “We’ll come back to that discussion another time. Think about it. I’m open to all ideas.” He grinned at them. “We have some recruits waiting for us outside, and I need you to run them through their induction. Give them their symbiot, get them scanned, and then to the library. You all know how it goes. Try and learn as much about them as you can, and I want your thoughts on our group’s potential roles. I am trusting you to guide them through their initial training fast. We need to move on Triana soon, and I want those that suffered at the queen’s hand to take a key role in her downfall.”
“Yes, sir,” they all said in one voice.
Devon walked out of Haven to find over thirty creatures standing by the caravan, looking lost, confused, and a little scared. Devon gave them his friendliest, most reassuring smile, and that appeared to settle a few nerves.
“Good afternoon. I assume Sintra passed my request for willing volunteers to you?”
He received enthusiastic mumblings and nods of affirmation. Devon scanned the crowd using his Wayfarer’s aura skill and was relieved to see that they were all good at heart and loyal. He had the ‘divine truth’, which did the same to a large group, but he mainly used that for show. He had a divine talent for seeing people’s aura if he had the mana to spare. He was impressed to see the rich deeply-golden auras of five ladies dressed all in white.
He looked around and saw her coming down the steps with the others.
“Welcome, everyone. I asked for volunteers because this is the beginning of our war against the suffering of others. Soon the faie will be ascendant, and we will need champions. We need dedicated people who will swear their lives to our cause. If you doubt the cause or do not desire to commit to it, walk away right now.”
There was silence. Not one of the refugees moved. They continued to stare at him, expectantly.
“My lord Wayfarer, is it true that we could become part of your guard?” a young male gnome asked.
“Not just my guard, but your guard, and everyone’s guard. Your role will be to defend our sanctuary and to fight for our cause. It will be my honour to fight alongside you. Soon we march on Triana, and I would like you to be there with us. You will see a lot of action here and in many other different places. I can promise you that. If you are willing to make the bond, of course.”
“It would be a great honour, lord,” one of the unicorn ladies said, “but we cannot fight. We could care for everyone’s wellbeing, though. We are anxious to work for your cause. Could we be considered?” The five white-clad ladies looked at him, hopefully.
Devon grinned. “Yes, of course; we will need every kind of support. We would be very fortunate to have you with us.”
The ladies smiled happily and started to chat excitedly amongst themselves.
“Ahem! Please follow the rest of my team. They will be guiding you through the induction. Feel free to ask them anything you need to know, but obey their wishes.”
The crowd trooped away, following Lorn and the others toward the keystone which stood open in readiness.
****-****
Devon sat on the temple steps and looked out onto his realm. It resided inside the biggest of the moon-willow trees, which the dryads had explicitly raised for the task. Once grown, they had created a vast area inside the base and wide steps leading up to a beautiful archway carved with animals and creatures. Then Devon had formed the interior, which was an ornate crystalline pyramid that filled the space. The ceiling glowed with a golden light which shone down onto clear crystal mezzanines. Seating occupied the centre, which faced a dark translucent crystal platform at the far end. It had two curved staircases, one on either side leading up to it. Later, he’d added two channels that guided water from an enchanted spring, located on the far side of the pyramid’s interior, down past the stage, then flowed out either side of the entrance steps. He’d engineered the channels so that the healing water tinkled and sang as it flowed through the hall.
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He had called his city Sanctuary because that was its purpose. It was built from a forest of moon-willows accompanied by trees, shrubs, and plants from almost every realm. The dryads had worked hard to integrate so many species, resulting in the most magical of herbs existing happily next to the most mundane flora. This was the forest that Missy had promised to replicate for him on the Earth realm. The sheer variety of plants here was an alchemist’s heaven.
The temple sat on one side of the city’s enormous central hexagon, with the main archway that led down into the extensive underground section, taking up another. Next to that was the waygate that led between the centre of Sanctuary and the clearing of the settlement. The other four constructions were also inside magical moon-willow trees. The large, multileveled city and guild halls occupied the following two sides, and the last two were a crafter’s centre and theatre. A dark green, marble-like stone covered the hexagon with a broad, shallow fountain in the centre. Devon had intended this area to become a thriving market, but it currently just looked lonely. Still, it was early morning, so it wasn’t a huge surprise.
A quiet hour passed while Devon allowed his thoughts to drift. His focus returned when he noticed Mersia walking toward him across the hexagon, accompanied by Izzy and Gwen. His witch had Sulkiss, her dragon, perched on her shoulder, and she was feeding him fruit. Devon guessed that the dragon was hungry after his life in the cave. His old friend seemed to possess a good sense of balance, which was probably for the best because Gwen didn’t seem to pay much attention to the smoothness of his ride.
Elsewhere, Devon’s Shadows were busy training all the recruits that had joined them yesterday. He had spent some time last night crafting their equipment, and now the trainees just needed time in the library and the training room.
The unicorns had been excused from the training because they were tending to patients. Some of the refugees had come through the waygate in a deplorable state of health. Of course, April and her lady in waiting were still recovering in the hospital too. The princess had refused to talk to anyone but had at least confirmed her identity for them.
“Good morning, my lord,” Mersia said.
“It is a good morning, Arch Priestess. I was hoping to see you today,” Devon replied. “This is the temple I mentioned yesterday. The facilities are on the upper levels,” he added, indicating the giant moon-willow behind him. “I was wondering if it might be suitable for your new home.”
Mersia looked past him and gasped.
Izzy smiled to herself. She knew that her old friend would love it regardless of how it looked. Her beloved god had created it, and that was all that mattered in Mersia’s eyes.
“May I see inside, my lord?” Mersia asked, her voice trembling with anticipation.
“Of course. If you like it, then it is yours,” Devon said with a kind smile. “I was hoping you might take ownership and turn it into the hub of our faith.”
If it was possible to run while maintaining a solemn posture, then Mersia managed it. She was also struggling to conceal her wide smile underneath an expressionless mask. That attempt wasn’t going so well.
What made Devon smile was Izzy trying to keep up with her. Every few steps, she had to break into a run. His smile broadened when a black-clad arm encircled his waist, and a sexy witch pressed herself against him.
“Good morning, gorgeous,” Devon said to Gwen.
“It is now,” she replied, pulling him into her embrace more tightly. “You look like you haven’t slept much. Busy night?”
“Yep! There’s still so much to do, and I’m anxious to move on Triana as soon as the new troops are ready.”
Gwen glanced around at the vast trees and structures. “So, this is your world?”
“It is. Every god or goddess gets one, and we can mould and shape them to our will while we are alone there. Once sentient creatures arrive, our powers to shape the environment cease,” Devon explained.
“I knew that. Your library is full of interesting things to learn,” Gwen replied. “While I was in there yesterday, the whole room expanded. Does it do that often? The place is even more stuffed with literature now.”
“Splendid! That means that the Pantheon granted my request for a restock. Hopefully, there will be some modern titles in there finally. I mustn’t forget to send a team across to Jeffrey’s keep to escort him here along with his library.”
“Well, when I told Glimmer about your library, the gnomes practically moved in. They’re extremely keen, you know.”
Devon had to smile when he heard that. If you asked a gnome about something they didn’t know, they got a little upset. They hadn’t changed at all after so many years. “Do you want to see this temple then?” he asked.
“Nope! Architecture bores me.”
Devon snorted. “Shall we look in on the princess and the other refugees then?”
Gwen smiled, then nodded. She held on tightly to him as they walked. If she had her way, she’d never let him leave her side, especially after the incident with Aria. Losing Devon was now her greatest fear. She and Izzy had agreed to share his affection. They didn’t want to, but Izzy had been right. If they didn’t share, one would become the loser, and neither wanted to contemplate that.
****-****
Devon selected the hospital cube on the mirror and waited for the entrance to go clunk. He was surprised when April’s lady in waiting came out through the door in a hurry. She jumped when she saw Devon and Gwen directly in front of her, then fell to her knees.
“My lord, thank you so much. How can I ever thank you enough for saving us? We would certainly have died a horrible death if not for your intervention,” the lady grovelled.
Devon leant down and gently cupped her chin, then guided her back to her feet. “I don’t need any repayment, and please, don’t kneel in front of me. It’s not necessary.”
“But I owe you my life, lord. Let me join you, please. I desperately want to fight. I’ve always wanted to fight.”
Devon was a little overwhelmed. He quietly examined her aura. It never hurt to check. People this keen sometimes had a motive, but this woman’s aura was as pure as any he’d seen.
“I don’t even know your name,” he said while marvelling at the way the fairy’s wings shimmered as the ambient magical energy reacted with them. Fairies had two sets of translucent wings that allowed them to fly in energy-rich environments. As she breathed, they opened and closed gently. Her hair was several shades of golden and clung to her features as it flowed down to her neck. Deep blue eyes flecked with gold shone back at his stare. Her face looked finely carved, and there was a deep intelligence behind her eyes. He thought her pretty, but that was the same for every fairy. She had the typical, delicate features that every fairy possessed. They were magical creatures and often used their looks and magically enhanced allure to influence others. You had to keep your wits about you when negotiating with these tricky creatures. A lesson he’d learnt the hard way.
“I am called Fern, my lord,” she said, executing a perfect curtsey. Her face then transformed from grateful to determined in the blink of an eye. “You have used your truth aura on me, I can feel it, so I must tell you this. I am autumn born, not of the summer as my mother firmly claimed. I am a transient fairy, just as Princess April is. Throughout my miserable, hateful life, I have wanted revenge for those that made my life hell. There is nothing that I would not offer you for that chance. Will you give it to me?”
Devon and Gwen stared at the little fairy in shock. That diatribe had come straight from her heart. Her aura plainly showed him that there was not a trace of deceit amongst her words.
“Will you offer me your bond and become one of our soldiers?”
“In a heartbeat, yes.”
“Then let’s go and see how your ex-mistress is doing. Maybe then, both of you can take your symbiot, and we get you sworn in.”
“I do not know what that foolish girl has told you, but she is not permitted to speak on my behalf,” Princess April said haughtily, emerging from the hospital’s entrance.
“Good morning, April. I’m glad to see you’ve recovered from your ordeal,” Devon said, trying to keep his face from scowling at the fairy’s attitude.
“Save it, Wayfarer. I am not one of yours,” April said, looking at him with contempt. “I will forgive the one transgression, but in future, you will address me as your highness.”
Devon wasn’t in the mood for her attitude. They hadn’t needed to rescue this overprivileged wannabe, but they had done so because it was right. None of this added up. She spoke to him with more contempt than her mother used to, yet she was supposed to be a sympathiser to the resistance.
“So much like your mother,” he chided. “Unlike her, though, you were born mortal, and you ought to realise that you are nothing special outside of her dome. Your mother is doomed, and you are a princess in name only as of now. You have no rights or entitlements unless you choose to earn them first. If you dare talk to anyone here in the way you have just spoken to me, I will send your pathetic carcass back to where we found it.” It was a bluff, of course, but she didn’t need to know that.
April glared at him angrily then sagged. “Fine! Yes, I owe you a life debt, and I thank you for rescuing me, but I will not join your faith or bow to you in any way.”
Devon snorted. “I have never asked anyone here to do either.” He turned his back on April and spoke to Fern. “Let’s get you some magic.”
“I will take a symbiot too, Wayfarer,” April said, her voice back to its aloof tone.
“You will not,” Devon retorted, “and unless you change that foul attitude, you never will.”
“You owe him your life, your high – April. Why are you so mean to him?” Fern said. Her chin stuck out, and she looked determined to stand up to the woman that she had spent almost her entire life serving.
The princess suddenly looked sad as Fern’s words sank in. “I do not know how to be any different. Fern is correct, though. Please, may I take a symbiot, Wayfarer?” she said, trying to sound civil. “I apologise for my behaviour. I am my mother’s daughter; I have never known how to be a normal person.”
Devon finally smiled. “How about we both make an effort to be nicer to each other? Who knows? Maybe we may even become friends?”