CIRCLE OF SHADOWS Part 1: Shadow Chaser
† 7 - deceit †

Talli looks around the room she has called her own.

‘Twenty nine long boring years I have lived under this roof,’ she grumbles to herself as she plop onto her bed. ‘Argh!’

Confined to the cabin for two days waiting impatiently for the sitting of the elders, the drawn out monotony testing her paper-thin patience, her youthful exuberance and lust for adventure yearning to be set free, gnawing on her insides. Sitting up, dangling her legs listlessly over the edge of the bed she begins to twiddle her fingers, folding and twisting one over the other, her eyes focussing on the blurring movement as the digits criss cross over one another. Sᴇaʀch Thᴇ FindNʘᴠᴇl.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

‘Arghhh!’ she exclaims loudly to the empty room again, falling backwards into the soft pillowing mattress. A beam of morning sunlight shines faintly in through the narrow window. The golden glow spilling across her spread out arms.

‘I’ve been back for two days and still no news.’ Grumbling to herself she stands up and paces to the door, placing her ear lightly against the wooden panel she listens for any whisper of a sound on the other side. A deafening silence hangs throughout the cabin, empty but for her, since Siril had left after their shared breakfast. Both doors to the outside was locked and as an added level security, against her leaving her confinement within the cabin, several wards far above her skill of manipulating had been placed on them.

‘Gmph! They treat me like a common prisoner.’

Turning around she stomps back to the bed, sitting down heavily on the soft mattress, mouth tight as she surveys her chamber.

‘I might as well practice my defence spells seeing as they failed me miserably against him.’

Shuffling backwards on the mattress before folding her legs under her, Talli settles into a more comfortable position, breathing deeply as she closes her eyes. Spine straight, chin resting lightly against her chest, hands folded loosely and resting in her lap, she begins to concentrate on slowing her breathing. Her chest moves rhythmically, each breath deeper then the preceding one, as she slows her breathing. Calm and peace radiates from her, a faint aura shimmering into the air around her, illuminating her pale skin in a soft glow. The golden web of thin light pulsating weakly to the smooth rhythm of her breathing bursts fully into the air around her, visibly strengthening with each inhalation.

The intensity of the light sharpens and a blinding dazzle of gold explodes into the room before violently contracting into itself, the glaring light fading as the thin strands solidify into a mass of intricate webs of light around her immobile figure.

Opening her eyes slowly, Talli looks through glazed eyes at the spidery web of light pulsating around her, a self-satisfied grin flashing across her face. Lifting one hand from her lap she reaches towards the strand of gold, running her finger gently along the strand.

Ttttrrrrrriiiiilllllll!

The musical note flows into the air as a ripple of light spreads out into the room, cascading to the dark corners of the room as it lightens the inside of her chamber. Smiling, Talli’s eyes follow the rolling light wave before turning her gaze back to the mass spread around her.

‘Now to find the weakness inside.’ Mumbling, a feeling of immense power coursing through her veins, Talli frowns as her eyes follow the strands in front of her. Without touching the strands her fingers run fluidly along, tracing the web from corner to corner, feeling for any discord or gap in the soft song playing through her mind. The music reverberating through her mind continues unabated. The harmonic melody of spell wrought sound playing in the back of her head as she follows each defined chord to its conclusion.

One chord for warning.

One chord for awareness.

One chord for enlightenment.

The tuning of the chords continue for a long time, each successive retuning taking longer, as she adjusts and resets a melody, concentration the key to the successful spell binding. Breathing deeply she drops her hand to her side, resting momentarily from the draining assessment, stretching her back and rolling her neck. Resigned she lifts her hand to towards the web spinning around her. Her hand stops in mid-air.

Glancing beyond the web of light towards the door, she hears the soft tread of footsteps approaching. A flash of annoyance crosses her eyes but Talli stifles the feeling quickly before the discord in emotion can impact the song of the web surrounding her. With a sigh she closes her eyes again, bending her head and begins to focus on her breathing again. In her meditative state, the footsteps boom loudly, beating at her inner ears as they come closer. A distraction she cannot afford whilst she closes the power flow to the web.

Blocking the approaching footsteps, with sheer power of will, from her mind, Talli breathes deeply and lifts her head up as she hums the final note of the song, ending the enchantment as quickly as possible. The glaze over her eyes fading as the web dissipates. The golden web growing dimmer and dimmer with each footstep growing louder and louder, her heart beats in her throat. Swinging her head around she looks at the door handle, sees it rattling as someone tries to open it.

Snap!

The golden glow whips away into darkness as the door inches open.

‘Talli!’ a thick voice bellows into the dark room. ‘What do you think are you doing?’

Struggling to refocus her mind after the slight backlash, she looks dazed at the man standing in the doorway, light from the hallway behind silhouetting the large man.

‘You know you are not allowed to touch the flow until after the sitting has commenced!’ The thick voice growls menacingly from the doorway.

Felling exposed and frightened Talli screams back, her voice high pitch as fear trembles through her body, the fog lifting from her mind.

‘I was bored and tired of being locked up like some animal waiting for the slaughter!’

Stepping fully into the room, Beril scowls angrily at Talli, his bottom lip trembling with rage as he turns on the silent Siril following not far behind him.

‘I told you she had to be placed inside the safe-hut, Siril.’ turning his bulky form around to address the thinner man behind him, effectively blocking him from Talli’s sight.

‘I know what you said Beril, but I will not allow it! She is not a danger.’

Beril splutters in frustration. ‘Not a danger? Not a danger! Here she is all alone doing who knows what. At least in the safe-hut she will not be able to touch on the flow at all.’

Siril plants his hands in his sides, facing Beril as he speaks, his raspy voice venomous, ‘I will not allow it!’

Suppressing his anger Siril pushes past Beril, standing between Beril and Talli. Beril eyes Siril up and down, a glint in his eyes as he rubs his chin. ‘The protocols state...’

‘Oh, blast you and your damned Protocols, Beril! I have heard enough babble from you mindless sheep on the council concerning what the “sacred Protocols decree”.’

Flushed with anger Siril pushes his faceup into the larger man’s, fist clenched tightly at his side.

’Watch your tongue closely, friend!’ Beril’s voice dripping with menace.

‘Why should I?’

‘The Protocols are our way of life. They have been handed down for generations and are not to be mocked or dishonoured. You know this Siril.’

‘See! There you go again. See what mindless prattle flows from your lips. The Protocols you so adore are the ruin of our society.’

‘I would be very careful if I were you Siril. You are making matters much worse... for both of you.’

‘You have become as mindless as the rest of them, Beril! Think for yourself for once in your life. Why must we follow The Protocols so rigidly? What do they really mean to us and our children?’ Looking up pleadingly, Siril stares into Beril’s eyes, searching for any glimmer of understanding.

‘Do not question the will of the Elders on this Siril, for you shall be ruled by their will and their will alone.’

‘What are you on about, Beril? Do you even believe what you are saying?’

‘Enough, Siril!’ Beril’s thick voice bellowing loudly in the small chamber, ‘You go too far!’

‘Oh blast it! Get out of my house you sot!’ Siril drops back, his one hand waving weakly towards the front room, ‘You are as callow and shallow a being as the rest of them out there. All of you blindly following rules with no understanding of the reasons or the verdicts made by those scared idiots so many millennia ago.’

‘That’s it then, Siril?’ Fuming Beril turns to leave, stepping towards the door before suddenly turning to face Siril. A small smile playing at the corner of his lips Beril breathes in deeply, ’I hereby accuse you of heresy, betraying of the trust put in you as an elder of this community and you shall both remain under lock until a sitting of the council has been arranged.’ Pausing, Beril looks over Siril’s shoulder at Talli, sneering evilly as he adds. ‘And you young Talli, have broken the rules of The Protocols by not only leaving the compound alone, before you had reached the age required, but also the rule against practicing the art while awaiting trial. As an additional offence, especially thought up by me… conspiring with a heretic to undermine the council and dissention.’

‘No!’ Screaming Talli rushes towards Beril, her thin arms flailing as she tries to gouge at his fat face. ‘You bastard!’

Stepping in front of her Siril grabs her arms, holding her tightly in his arms as he pulls her close.

‘Finally,’ Beril smirks at the two standing close together in front of him. ‘I can be rid of the whole Greylark family. You have stood in my way long enough. Without the two of you, Virian would not be able to deny marriage to me. She will do as I bid or she will be joining the rest of her pitiful family.’

Laughing Beril turns, walking through the doorway and out into the hallway.

‘What?’ Talli and Siril yell simultaneously at his retreating back. Beril pauses and turns, disdainfully smirking at them.

‘Oh yes. The two of you have thwarted my plans long enough. If it had not been for you two constantly conspiring against me, Virian would have been mine long ago.’

‘That is a lie!’ Screaming at Beril, Siril spits in anger.

‘She will never agree to it. She saw through your veneer ages ago, you charlatan!’

Eyes flashing insanely Beril bare his teeth as he growls. ’You old fool. There are many ways to make sure she marries me!’

With those last words, Beril spins around and walks off at a quick pace, slamming the front door as he leaves.

A shimmering ripples through the air, a dull sense of disconnection hanging in the air around them. Looking alarmed at her father, Talli’s mouth opens in surprise.

‘They have sealed us inside a dulling-web.’ Siril’s voice sounding soft, he releases her and walks down the hallway to the front room.

‘We will not be able to use any power?’ She asks, dreading the answer to come. Head shaking, Siril continues walking.

‘None. We have been cut off from the flow completely until they convene the sitting.’

‘That evil man! And I thought he was your friend all these years.’

‘Ah yes. You were not the only one that was blinded my girl. He had me fooled for a very long time. I realised what he really was... not too long ago.’

‘What made you say the things you did, father? You have always believed and followed The Protocols.’

‘Ah, yes... The Protocols... I realised they were faulty in essence and indirectly causing our society to ruin many, many lives. The Protocols have taken too much from me already and I was not about to lose someone else to what fickle sense of justice they cling too.’

Gasping, Talli grabs at Siril’s arm, a lump forming in her throat as she gazes into his face, searching.

‘You... you mean mother? She was condemned by The Protocols?’

Nodding his head sadly, Siril looks into Talli’s eyes.

‘Yes. Long ago. She also had a wilful spirit, just like you and your sister. If only I had known then what I know now, I would have run away with her.’

Sobbing softly Siril takes his head in his hands, his thin body shuddering as emotion wracks his frame.

‘Oh father.’

Whispering softly she folds her arms around her father’s sagging shoulders and draws him closer into her embrace. Standing together in silence, they mourn, tears flowing freely over their face, dripping soundlessly on the ground at their feet.

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