Daughter of Dusk
Chapter Eleven: New Impressions

A few small houses line a path that leads away from the forest, but they’re unlike any of the houses I’ve seen before. Most of them have white siding on them, with some kind of tile on the various roofs and bright flowers of all colours imaginable decorating the yards. They seem to be about the same size as Soren’s house, though, and none appear to have a second level. In the distance though, several taller buildings come into focus, and I realize just how high they reach into the sky, bending the horizon to their will.

The path along the houses turns into a main road that appears to be made out of a peculiar dark stone that leads to the busier areas. But it’s unlike any stone I’ve ever seen. As we come closer to it, I realize it’s completely smooth, with only the occasional crack in it.

Blaire nudges me. “Have you never seen a sidewalk before?”

I shake my head out of my daze. “I suppose not.”

We pass by numerous people of all shapes and sizes. One woman has gorgeous dark hair – similar to mine – but all tied up in small braids that fall down her shoulders. Another man has a medium complexion and chocolate brown hair cut close to his head, and another with ebony skin and long, curly hair that frames his face. Mostly everyone is taller than me – no surprise there – but everyone varies greatly in height, from some towering over me to others being about the same height as Blaire. But no one is quite as blonde or pale as Soren.

Even still . . . I had no idea people could look like this.

I’m able to get a better read of the energy of the people here. All I can describe it as is an all-encompassing sense of peace. I haven’t felt this kind of contentment since I was at Soren’s house. But even then, that was an intimate moment. This is coming from everyone I pass by. It’s almost overwhelming, but it helps me feel slightly more at ease.

I wouldn’t ever want anything to happen to these people.

“So,” Blaire starts again. “Here’s another question for you. If you’re from Zala, then how did you even get here?”

“Hmm?” I blink at her as I take in her words. “Oh, I got here the same way Shadow Wielders got here back in the day. It’s – it’s hard to explain.” I run a hand through my hair.

“Try me.” Blaire nudges my shoulder.

I catch her eyes, and she still has her joyful nature about her, but there’s a shift in her energy, as though I would lose her trust if I didn’t tell her the truth at this moment.

“It’s called a portal,” I say slowly, determining how to explain myself. I give a brief rundown about how they work, mostly repeating everything I found in the book. I suppose there’s no other way to accurately describe it.

“Oh, wow,” she breathes. “I didn’t know that was even possible. And you said that people on Kera can use them too?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Wild.”

We walk in silence for several more minutes as we pass by more and more people, evidently getting closer to a busy area. The ‘sidewalk’ beneath us gets more and more decorative as we walk, with what looks like stained glass imprints of blues and purples and reds creating designs beneath my feet. Some look like representations of the ocean waves, and others look like what I assume are stained glass birds, dawning long beaks and colourful plumages. I’m almost afraid to step on them for fear of them breaking, but they appear to be sturdy in the walkway.

Suddenly, Blaire speaks once more. “There’s something about you that feels familiar. Not in the sense that I’ve seen you before, but . . . I’m not sure what it is.”

Why would I be familiar to her? I’ve never been here before.

“Hmm,” I contemplate. “I couldn’t tell you the reason.”

“I’m sure it will come to me eventually.” She shrugs before looking ahead. “Here’s the main square!”

What meets my eyes sends me looking in all directions, afraid to miss even the smallest detail. The entire space – which looks to be bigger than Soren’s village – is covered in what looks to be some kind of white stone, with elegant archways providing a path for all the entrances into the area. I look up and see one of these archways straight above me, the ridges in the rock creating a minimal line design. To one side, a clock tower stands proudly, the black numbers standing out like ink on a white sheet of paper, showing the time to be late afternoon. The crowd is the thickest here, the sound of chatter echoing through the area as I gain my bearings.

The surrounding buildings are all varying shades of shimmering white mixed with brown and gray, adding a monochromatic look. Though, I notice on the other side of the plaza that there are a series of steps leading up to . . . a blank space. It seems as though there should be something there. But there’s just a construction site that looks to be abandoned.

“What’s that over there?” I ask, gesturing to the empty area.

“Oh, that?” Blaire chuckles. “It’s a long story. I think that was intended to be some kind of place where a leader on the island could be and do their leadership things. But no one really felt a calling to that role, so it sort of became abandoned over the years.” She turns to me. “It’s a bit of an eyesore, hey?”

I bite my lip with a smile. “No, I think the construction tape has a charm to it,” I say dryly.

“Very funny,” she responds in kind.

“No one has thought to take the site down or anything?” I ask.

Blaire shakes her head. “I guess not. I couldn’t tell you why it’s still up though. Maybe it’s just because people aren’t totally sure what to do with the space.” She looks down before giving me a grin. “It doesn’t really matter. Though I think having something there one day would be cool. I’d want to see that.”

“Hmm, me too.” My mouth tugs up into a smile.

Blaire’s eyes light up as she looks over my shoulder to a building across the plaza. “Come on, my friends are in the training centre over there.”

I hesitate for a moment, before deciding to go with her request.

“Sorry, what’s the training centre for?” I ask as she leads me through the crowd.

“Oh, it’s kind of niche, but some people – like myself – enjoy using their elemental powers for sparring.”

My eyes widen. “Like fighting?”

“Yeah. Not with the intention of hurting anyone of course, but just for fun.” She turns to me. “You should try it while you’re here! I’d love to see all the things your Shadow Abilities can do in that kind of setting.”

“Perhaps. That sounds interesting.” I look down at my hands. “I train by myself sometimes, but I’m not much of a fighter, so don’t expect to be too impressed. But I’d appreciate some pointers, honestly.”

“I can help teach you! It’ll be fun.” She pauses as we come up to the building she had initially gestured to. “It’s just right here.”

I turn to get a better look at the structure before me, and the only word I can use to describe it as is modern. It certainly doesn’t look like it contains the age that the Manor does. And its sheen coupled with its clean lines and glass doors almost make me feel as though I’m entering another world. A world where nothing as old as the Manor could ever exist.

For some reason, that doesn’t scare me.

As we walk through the doors, the room opens up into a space that I’m certain is just as big as my library. Minus the books and shelves, of course. Its openness is almost overwhelming, but despite the foreignness of the room, there’s something comforting about it, just knowing that there’s all this space to let your powers be. To let yourself be.

The space smells clean, with a tinge of harshness that I assume is coming from the metal pipes that line the ceiling. The walls themselves are a dark blue, reminiscent of the ocean, highlighting the cool tones of the metal throughout. As we step onto the floor, it feels soft and spongy under my shoes. I think it must be some kind of mat, which makes sense to protect someone from falls, I suppose.

Blaire runs up to a boy and a girl who stand on the far side of the room.

The boy with dark red hair instantly sweeps Blaire up in his arms, planting a soft kiss on her cheek and making me giggle. The other girl with them rolls her eyes with a smile, as though she was expecting something like this to happen.

Blaire runs a hand through her curly hair as she turns to me, her cheeks pink. “Sorry,” she mumbles shyly. “Luna, Mychal. Mychal, Luna.”

“No need to apologize,” I giggle as Mychal and I nod to one another. His eyes are a very interesting shade of bluish-gray. Not exactly like the clouds of Zala; there’s a lightness to his eyes that the overcast skies could never dream of having. His face is dotted with freckles that stand out on his pale face, highlighting the darker shade of his hair, at least compared to Blaire’s brighter tone of red. I wouldn’t call it short, but it’s longer on top than it is on the sides, a style many of the boys seem to don here.

“And this is Teagan,” Blaire continues, turning my attention to the woman next to us. We smile at each other, but she seems to be far less outgoing than Blaire. Her honey-coloured hair holds a golden warmth like her skin, and she’s built with a tall, lithe grace. Her eyes highlight the symmetry of her face and are some sort of greenish-brown colour that I’ve never seen before – hazel, I think it’s called. Blaire mentioned Teagan can read energy because she’s an Earth Wielder; I wonder what she can sense from me already.

“So, where did you suddenly come from? I’ve never seen you before,” Mychal comments.

I’m about to answer when Teagan suddenly speaks. “What’s hanging around your neck? I can feel it from here.”

Of course, she can feel the amulet’s energy; there’s no hiding who I am here. I don’t want the whole island to know at this point, but we have more than enough privacy here.

“It’s um, it’s an amulet.” I pause, pulling the stone in front of my shirt before lowering my voice. “I’m a Shadow Wielder.”

Mychal’s eyes widen, but there’s a tinge of excitement within him. “Wait, are you serious? You’re from Zala?”

I nod.

“Wow, that’s . . . kind of cool, actually. I never thought I’d meet one of you.”

Perhaps these people really do see the war as a legend.

“Hmm.” I grin. “And I’m just here as a visitor.”

Blaire glances at Teagan, who gives her a nod. “She’s telling the truth. I don’t sense any ill intent from her.”

I breathe a sigh of relief – even if I knew the truth of my presence here from the start. “That’s good to hear. And I promise, I mean no harm.”

“You’re fine,” Mychal grins. “Besides, if Teagan suspected you were dangerous, Blaire probably would have sent you back to Zala already. She knows how to kick ass.” He holds her tight and dramatically kisses her cheek. I can’t help but laugh.

“Mychal!”

“Don’t let her downplay it, she’s one of the best fighters on the island.”

“I am not.”

“See?” He points to her.

“Speaking of which,” Blaire interjects, “Let’s spar! It’ll be fun to have a partner who isn’t Mychal.”

“Hey!” He protests, but his tone isn’t very serious.

I can tell Blaire is going to push until I say yes, so I concede. “Okay. But as I said, I’m not very strong.”

“I’m sure you’ll be great! Teagan can referee.”

Blaire leads me to the center of the room, and we separate to opposing sides with Teagan standing at the sidelines between us.

Seeing Blaire across from me like this sends negative memories, but I try to let it pass on as best I can.

You don’t have to be afraid – Blaire won’t use you for target practice, Luna.

But even still, I start wondering if this is even a good idea. Everyone will know I’m just a weak Shadow Wielder with no hope of anything. Not compared to Nox and Melinoe, at least . . .

I’m about to back out of all this when I stop myself.

Stop it – is that really how I’m feeling? That’s not even my voice. It’s my sister’s spite haunting me. My brother’s cold disdain chilling my skin. Father’s darkness trying to control my every action, just as it has my whole life.

I take a breath. My family isn’t here to police me.

I’ll do whatever I damn well please.

Time to see what I’m really capable of – maybe this will be fun.