A Storm of Shadows (Shatterborn Book One)

Chapter V, Blood Dawn

“Easy, Em.”

Emmaline relaxed as she heard Azrael’s voice. The flickering white around her faded just a little, and she slipped her halberd back into place on her back. Cautiously, she made her way to Azrael’s side, looking out over the mountainside. “How long was I out for, Azrael?”

He ran a hand through his dark brown hair. Emmaline noticed with surprise that there was a clump of grey between his fingers. “I don’t know, Em. Ten minutes maybe?” He sighed. “Emmaline, what happened out there? One minute you were standing there, flying with the falcon, next minute you’re out cold on the ground.”

Emmaline’s eyes widened slightly. “The falcon! Is he okay?”

Azrael nodded softly. “Yes, yes, he’s fine. He’s over there, in the tree,” he said, gesturing behind him at the sakura tree. Emmaline turned. For a moment, she couldn’t see anything, but then she spotted it-a spot of grey in the bare brown branches. Azrael turned to her. “But that wasn’t the answer to my question. What happened?”

“Honestly, Az, I’m not sure at all. I was flying with the falcon, and then… then I was falling, falling into darkness.” She bit her lip. Azrael was skeptical at the best of times; when he was stressed, he only got even worse.

He gave her a searching look. “Falling into darkness? Can you describe it?”

Emmaline raised an eyebrow. “You believe me?”

“I don’t know what to believe, Em.”

She nodded. “It was like… absolute darkness. A huge, gaping abyss of nothingness. I couldn’t get any sense of direction…” She trailed off. Then, in a whisper, “Azrael, I think I was going to die.”

Azrael frowned. “Something saved you?”

Emmaline paused for half a second. “I… yes, I think something did. I don’t know what… It was like a hand, reaching out to me. It pulled me up, it brought me back.”

A concerned look settled on Azrael’s face. “I think you owe something-or, indeed, someone-a very big favour.”

Emmaline nodded slightly, her face unreadable. In the back of her mind, a strange tingling sensation swirled. Frowning, she pushed it away for the moment, lest it distract. She turned her gaze outward, over the valley. Against the snow, a cluster of black dots caught her eye.

“What in the name of the…” she breathed, then gasped. “Azrael! When I was with the falcon, I saw their banner!”

            Azrael didn’t turn to her. He stood still, silent and peaceful. Something that might have been regret dragged his eyelids down. His voice was soft as he spoke. “Tell me.”

“It was a black sun rising on a grey background. And there were these tendrils coming out of…” She trailed off. Her tutor’s face had drained of all pallor, his hands clenched tight into fists. “Az? Are you ok?”

Azrael ignored her. His breath puffed in the air in short bursts, the tiny clouds snatching away in the soft breeze that had begun to blow. “How in the name of the Nine did they find us?”

“Azrael,” Emmaline said urgently. “Who are they?”

He turned to her, his face as grey as his hair. His voice was a hoarse whisper of undisguised terror. “The Black Dawn. Go to the Temple. Warn them!”

Emmaline did not move. “Azrael, who-“

“Just GO!” He roared, for the first time in forever. She choked back a sob of fright. “Emmaline, you have to tell them. They will understand.”