The Shadow Hunter

The Shadow Hunter

The first rays of sunlight pierced through the sheer curtain like fiery daggers, jolting Tabitha awake. She blinked and tried her hardest to go back to sleep. But it was pointless. Her mind was racing like a runaway goose-jay. She couldn’t ignore the nagging thoughts that had caused sleep to elude her last night. Throwing off the covers, she abandoned her cozy sanctuary of pillows and blankets. She tossed a pillow onto the bed, hitting the night table, knocking over the Azurewood candle, and with it, the miniature portrait of her family. She put the candle back on its stand, and picked up the frame, wiping dust off the glass. Her family. They had sat for the painting when Ignis was nine. In less than a year’s time, her world would shatter. The thought of it even now burned in her soul. Her life ever changed in an instant, never to be repaired.

She knew the risks when she and Ian had their union. He was Keeper of the Inferno Element. They had grown up together, so she understood the life he was to lead. It was his destiny. She knew the looks Inferno’s get from other Elementals. Her mother was a Terra Elemental, her father, Inferno. Their life was tough. They did not encourage mixed Elemental unions. Her mother’s family did not accept the union, so they lived near her father’s, near the outskirts of Farrowbrooke. The mantle of Keeper of the Inferno Element passed over Ian’s father. He was in the Towers, accused of heinous crimes against innocents. He was living his life as a Neric. His Elemental Essence was stripped, so the abilities passed directly to Ian. Life as the partner of a Keeper was a dangerous one. Factions of Elementals bent on spreading chaos and disrupting Asadore’s delicate balance. If they were to succeed, it would throw Asadore into permanent disarray. It was the job of the Keepers to protect the balance of Asadore, no matter the cost. She and Ian had many talks about having children. She knew the Keeper line must continue, still she was apprehensive. It took a lot of convincing, but she eventually relented and Ignis was born. She knew his destiny was the same as his father’s. She would ensure he had as normal a life as allowed before he fulfilled his destiny. That destiny was fulfilled sooner than it should have been. In an instant, four lives were snuffed out. She had never encountered such a convergence of destinies extinguished in a single stroke. All four Keepers were gone when a faction of Infernos blew up the tunnels they used to traverse the vast land of Asadore. Their hope was for chaos to take hold, and with it gain the power they had been seeking for centuries. This tragedy thrust Tabitha and the other surviving partners to fill the void and ensure their goal was not met. For a time, the urgency of the situation pushed away the pain. As things settled, she realized she was more of a burden than a help. She took Ignis to Selene and didn’t look back. She hadn’t seen her son now going on for six years. Trying to repair their relationship was difficult, and she realized, even after fifteen years, she was still broken. So she disappeared once more.

She sat in one of the faded blue wicker chairs, and shivered. The cool crisp air breathing life into her. Her gaze fixed upon a bright red leaf, wafting in the breeze, landing on the forest floor. The thoughts that had kept her awake last night crept back into her head once more. Tabitha’s heart raced as she contemplated the implications of Talon’s discovery. How had he found her in the first place. Her anti-geo glamor had always been her shield, her fortress of secrecy. His intrusion into her world could mean only one thing, he was delving into the Book of Shadows. Their conversation was tense. He had the upper hand, and he knew it. He had placed himself as an invaluable member of those Gideon, Commander of the Towers considered trusted advisors. This gave Talon the opportunity to explore things that would be considered nefarious under the guise of research and keeping one step ahead of those who have caused great harm to come to the Towers and Asadore. His work space was a labyrinth of books of enchantment, potions, crystals, elixirs, and other items that could be used to subdue or hinder those who might try to escape or free one of the accused. She was certain he had the book of shadows hiding in plain sight. Just another book on his shelf, nothing out of the ordinary. He would have used that very book to put a obscure enchantment over it.

When he told her that Catterina and Gideon had figured out travel by tapestry, she did not believe him. Using threads from the Tree of Life and Elemental Essence threads from the Keepers, allowing them to push through the very fabric of Asadore and get to their destination within seconds was unreal. It thrust her back to the day of the explosion of the tunnels. Just what he had hoped would happen. The thought of her son using a method of transport that would be coveted by the same people who took her husband shook her to her core. No amount of enchantments or safeguards would protect it against the Book of Shadows. He knew what she had done. How he knew this, well, she already knew the answer, it was in his hands as he spoke with her in the dead of night.

She was a hunter. One that hunts dark Elementals. Elementals who do not want to be found, so the laws of Asadore are not just blurred, they’re ignored. It had taken years of searching, but she eventually found the last of those who caused the explosion. It would take many more years to hunt them down. Over the years, she gained skills from people she met on her hunts. People who lived in the shadows, ones who had been shunned or were running from the Sentry. The skill of Shadow Weaving was new to her, but she was getting good at it. Talon required her help. Tapestry travel was eluding him and his fellow members of the Triad. Oberon sent Talon to find a Shadow Weaver. It took time, but he found one. The choice was hers he told her. Help the triad, or he would frame her son. She had heard stories, even as far from civilization as she was. There were a number of innocents in the Towers, accused of using shadow magic. Talon had mastered the shadow glamor enchantment. Framing innocents was effortless. Her son was Keeper, imagine the scandal he told her. It would not only put her son in the Towers, but would put the deeds of all the Keepers into question. None of the Keepers had offspring. It would be another dark time for Asadore in less than a generation.

He gave her twenty-four hours to make her choice.