Page 87

As succinctly as possible, Alex shared her story and offered her warnings, finishing by asking for their support.

“This coming battle will tip the scales, Alexandra,” Kaysia said, her voice still serene but now holding wisdom beyond Alex’s understanding. “Light or dark, only one can win. This world cannot survive in shades of grey.”

“If Aven seeks to harm us as you believe he will, this is indeed a cause for our concern,” Lidael spoke up. Her tone, like that of her companions, was peaceful and calm—something Alex was coming to recognise as the natural expression of the Dayriders. While the Shadow Walkers were all hard edges and aggression, the lighter race tended towards softness and tranquillity. But given the context of their discussion, Alex found their placid temperaments frustrating. She’d been hoping for a little more concern, more of an instantaneous call to arms.

“We will take all the necessary measures to keep our people safe,” Xayder assured Alex, his colourful eyes holding hers captive. “Your warning is most appreciated.”

That was the first proper offer of gratitude Alex had received from any of the races, and it filled her with hope that not even the pain thrumming through her body could overshadow.

“However…”

“However?” Alex pressed when it became clear Xayder wasn’t saying any more.

It was Kaysia who answered, “I am truly sorry, Alexandra, but we are one half of a whole.”

At Alex’s quizzical look, the leader of the Dayriders explained, “Light is only light because there is an absence of darkness, just as darkness is only darkness because there is an absence of light. Without one, there would be no other. There is no shade without sunshine, no day without night.” Kaysia’s peaceful features became apologetic as she finished, “As such, we can only offer you our support if you first receive it from our brethren.”

Alex closed her eyes tightly as she made sense of the leader’s words. “You’re saying I need to convince the Shadow Walkers first,” she clarified. “If they’re on board, you’re on board.”

“We will indeed join you if they do. Together, we are strong. Divided, however, we cannot prevail,” Kaysia said. “Our first priority is to our city—to Graevale and to the safety of our people dwelling here. If the Shadow Walkers do not agree to rise up against this threat as one, then I’m sorry, Alexandra, but we will not be able to ally ourselves with the humans of this world.”

This wasnotgood news. Mostly because it now meant that both the Dayriders’andthe Shadow Walkers’ alliance relied upon Shirez convincing the elders to allow Alex to fight again. And more, for Alex to actuallywinthat fight. Even then, she only had the promise that they would listen to her warnings, not that they would in any way act.

“Forgive me if this is disrespectful,” Alex said, “but I was under the impression that the Shadow Walkers and Dayriders don’t exactly… get along.”

“When the sun rises, the night flees,” came Xayder’s reply. “Light and dark cannot live in unity. It is a universal fact. And yet, as Kaysia said, neither can exist without the other.”

That appeared to be the only response Alex would be given, but it was enough for her to understand. The two races might not get along—at all—but they had a symbiotic relationship. For reasons beyond Alex’s comprehension, they needed each other to survive. If she wanted the support of the Dayriders, she would need to receive it from the Shadow Walkers as well.

“Leave it with me,” Alex said, standing from her cloud-chair, which disappeared the moment her weight left it. “Hopefully I’ll be able to convince them.” She managed to make her words sound confident and optimistic when she felt anything but.

“It has been a pleasure to meet you, Alexandra,” Lidael said in her unerringly peaceful voice. “I hope we can do so again in the near future.”

With a serene smile, the female disappeared in a flash of light, followed by Xayder after he offered Alex an equally comforting smile and a quiet farewell.

“Come, Alexandra,” Kaysia said, stepping forward. “I shall escort you back to the edge of our territory.”

Before Alex could respond, the Dayrider laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. Blinding light flashed around them, and then Alex was blinking her retinas clear again only to discover she was now standing on the sunny side of the alleyway she had first entered through.

“We will meet again, Alexandra,” Kaysia said, her calm tone full of assurance. “I only hope that when we do, it will be under more agreeable circumstances. However, I fear that will not be the case.” A soft, sad smile touched her lips, and the leader of the Dayriders finished quietly, “Resist the shadows, daughter of the light. No matter how hard, when it all seems too much, you must always resist the shadows.”

And then, with another blinding flash, Kaysia was gone, leaving Alex alone with more questions than she thought anyone might ever be able to answer.

Kicking a stone on the ground, Alex looked over into the darkness and shivered slightly, deciding to wait on the brighter side of the city until Caspar Lennox showed up for one of his half-hourly check-ins.

She moved to lean against the side of a white building—a house, she presumed—and was content to gather her thoughts while she waited for her teacher. But a noise caught her attention, something that made her squint past the light and into the darkness of the alley, trying to find the source of the sound.

At first she thought it was a whimpering child, but then she realised that it was an animal of some kind, something greatly distressed.

As if pulled by an invisible cord, Alex pushed off the wall and stepped into the shadowed half of the city, following the sound. Her hearing being what it was, she had to crisscross through a number of dark alleyways before the volume was enough to indicate she was in the vicinity of the upset creature. But Alex couldn’t see it anywhere. And suddenly, she couldn’t hear it anymore, either.

Frowning, she looked across the small, cobblestoned bridge crossing a narrow canal, one similar to those she’d travelled with her parents during their short work placement in Venice years ago. The setting prompted a moment of nostalgia within Alex, but she knew that even if her mother and father were to materialise beside her right now with a gondola in tow, their time together would be much different to when they’d glided down Italy’s revered Grand Canal. And yet, knowing her parents, they would be so excited to explore the archaeological mysteries of Graevale that she’d never get them to leave again, eerie city or not.

Smiling with affection, Alex pushed aside thoughts of her eccentric family and instead strained her ears as she stepped onto the bridge, pausing once she reached the centre.

She almost jumped out of her skin when she heard a sound—not a whimper, but a voice. Wheezy and rough in the language of the Shadow Walkers, it was the kind of voice that made Alex’s skin crawl.

“Don’t worry, mutt, you won’t feel a thing.”