DARKLING: Book One

Aksi Dava

Ciprian flew quietly through the rain and wind, circling the little red boat. He needed sustenance right then. He kept feeling the pull of his mate. He struggled to focus. His greatest fear was not finding her. The red-haired angel. But he needed the energy to even get to her.

He had gone so long alone. He doubted he could make it another night.

He could still recall the very night he learned of her existence.

He must have played that moment over and again, a million times or more.

{FLASHBACK: Summer of 267BC Ciprian's Childhood}

He was still a boy, more than a millennium ago, when it happened. He, his brother Valor, alongside a few of the kids from their clan, spent their youth running through and exploring the woodlands. There was one area that their elders had forbidden. It held the realm to Aksi Dava. "Black City" in the old tongue. It was a small community in the middle of the forest on the other side of the waters. At the time, he only knew it was a home for magical beings. A refuge and not visible to human eyes. There were rumors of child-eaters, Fear Eaters, Vampires, human witches, evil Castlings, Demons, demi-gods, and Fae alike. Even some creatures they hadn’t words for. It was a place of fantasy and terror in a child’s mind. Only the elder men were allotted to travel there to trade goods or bring supplies. Their people were always paid handsomely. For this, his people never lacked coin.

A hand-carved green moss-blotched bridge went over a shallow part of the creek. It had sigils and runic writings all over, that when they got too close, began to glow. As a child, he was still learning safe guards, spells, and runes. He barely understood what he read. Only knowing it meant something along the lines of “None who intend harm shall pass”. Usually a safeguard like this would cause someone with foul intentions serious pain and possibly death.

One summer night, he and Valor were daring the twins Carif and Cara to walk to the middle of the bridge.

“Yer on, but whadya give me? And Cara stays. I'm the oldest. Papa says I am to be the protector.” Carif boasted with his hands on his hips.

“I am only seconds younger, Carif. I shall make my own decisions. Thank you!” Cara said, tossing her tiny braids over her shoulder, causing some of the florals that their mother had woven through the twists to fall from her hair.

“OK, both of you go and IF you make it back I will give you any of my cutting stones, Carif. And for you Cara, your pick of my feathers.” Ciprian emphasized the “IF” intentionally to frighten the twins. But he knew Carif would take the dare.

Just as Carif begins to grab a fallen branch and walk toward the bridge, a rustling comes from the darkness. The children should have noticed this darkness. Despite it being night, their animalistic eyes made it as bright for them as daylight is for humans. The moonlight touching everything and the clear sky made the world bright, vibrant even. There was no darkness they could not see in. So the children were taken aback by the shadows gathering in the brush. Just as the children were preparing to take off running, a larger than normal wolf leapt at them. It snarled and shook its head back and forth. The wolf began to step toward Cara and growled a rumble from deep within. Cara, visibly trembling, reached for the boys' minds. Do you think it's a werewolf?

Carif swung the branch he had been holding onto.

Staring at the children, with it's head lowered to the ground, strange laughter erupted from the wolf. It was almost uncomfortable to witness. Wimpers of fear came from Cara. Carif and Valor were trying so hard not to show fear, and failing miserably. Ciprian, while curious, was ready to run and sacrifice the lot if need be.

With a loud snarl, the wolf fell to the dirt below and rolled with laughter. The children watched as it contorted and stretched and contracted. It was rather grotesque. Not the skill of a grown shifter. Their kind could shift into a form with a simple thought. This was another child. As the form stood, clothing shimmered to cover the body.

Ciprian and Valor’s cousin, Droden stood in place of the wolf, laughing hysterically. “How do you intend to go into a realm of creatures, if you get shaken over your own kin?” Droden pointed out, still grinning. He winked at Cara. She blushed.

“Well, we aren’t going to go IN the realm. Ciprian said just over the bridge, right Ciprian?” Cara’s fear began to show.

“Really Ciprian? Sending the twins as a test? Shame on you cousin.” Droden said into Ciprian’s ear. He glanced back at Cara and instead caught the glaring eyes of her brother Carif.

“So lets do it together little cousin!” Droden exclaimed, putting his arms around Valor and Ciprian. “Lets all cross the realm!”

Ciprian didn’t even need to think about it. He wanted badly to cross that bridge and see what the hidden realm was like. Overall, Ciprian was a good child. He helped his parents and did his chores. He was an excellent student and studied hard. He learned faster than most other children, in fact. Ciprian had only a single flaw. He was curious. He often would sneak into the cupboards and listen to the whispers and discussions of the elders. He would sit on the ceiling rafts of the barn and watch the teens of their clan kissing and groping the human daughters from the local village.

The year before, Ciprian risked his own life to discover his parents' secrets. His people were unable to exist in the sunlight unless they were Elders and used proper sigils on their bodies.

So when his father, Thyr, and mother, Ase, had woken him from slumber, he was told to stay in their home and keep asleep. It was still light outside and they wanted him to know they were leaving early. They told him that they had to handle some village business with local humans. That they would be back before mid-moon. Ciprian could feel the stirring in his mother’s mind. And something foul. Something… sour? Rotting? Evil? He had never sensed anything like it. His curiosity was at its peak.

He appeased his mother by pretending to go back to slumbering. It was the first time he had attempted to creep out into the daylight. Even at dusk, with sunlight creeping away, he could not make it across the sleeping chamber. He pushed the wooden lid (a second protection from sunlight) from his small bed, and rolled onto the floor. He spent the next hour crawling and fainting. This would continue until he reached the small stair case leading out of the family sleeping quarters. Once he got to the living quarters above, the sun was almost completely gone. Yet, even with that lingering color in the sky, his young body hit the floor and stayed there. Unable to move. Unable to think. Just laid there. His mother brushed his mind multiple times and he was able to convince her of tiredness and sleep. As he truly was exhausted and going unconscious. When the sun sank deep, he found himself at full energy. He reached to his brother’s mind, assuring him he was checking on the two young wolves they had raised and run with, and that he would be back shortly. He used the excuse of hunger to ask his mother where she was. When he touched her mind, he received pictures of his uncle Ulrich’s home. It must have been a slip because she immediately instructed him to stay away. To stay home and keep watch on Valor as she and their father would be feeding and heading home immediately. Ciprian felt secrecy. Felt the stirring of the darkness and treachery. He had to know.

That night was the first time he laid eyes on a Fear Eater. He had been a member of their own clan. Godwin. The one that would tell the children fireside tales of being a warrior. Of murder and mayhem. Of creatures of the realms that seep into the world when no one is watching and feast on Darkling children like himself. He was so afraid of those stories. Still, he looked forward to every harvest moon and winter solstice. The celebrations for the children would end earlier than the adults. So, a tale would be the last thing they heard. Most children would choose to be laid in their sleeping chambers together out of fear of being found alone and feasted on in daylight. It was a Darkling child’s favorite pastime. And now Godwin was one of the very monsters he would tell stories of. One of the very creatures he spent lifetimes hunting. With bloody tears streaming down his young cheeks, Ciprian ran all the way home. He stopped giving into curiosity after that.

Standing in front of that glowing bridge, he was a year older. He looked upon it with excitement and fear. Ciprian turned to Valor. “Brother, you do not need to come. I wont think less of you. I don’t know what will happen," he admited. "I could be blown to bits just by stepping into their realm. Do not go out of desire to impress anyone. Please.”

Before Valor could respond, Cara’s shrill angry voice rang in their ears. “BLOWN TO BITS? Seriously Ciprian? But would you sacrifice us?" Cara shook her head in disbelief. She had begun to shimmer in and out of view in a poor attempt to shift, but so angry she couldn't focus. "You know what? I do not wish you death, but I hope you get stuck there."

Cara was glorious in her fits. She shook her head in frustration and caused her deep golden coils of curls to spring out of her braids. She stopped trying to shift and looked at her brother as if she expected him to say something to Ciprian.

Cara's beauty was unmet by any other in their village. Ciprian couldn’t help but smile as she stormed off. He stood there for a moment, wondering who her mate would be. If they would be able to handle her and if it could possibly be himself or Valor. He stared at her until she was out of sight.

“Now or never little cousin!” Drodon said as he placed his hands on his hips, standing at the mouth of the bridge. The bridge was glowing so bright that the water beneath looked like liquid gold. It illuminated even Droden’s bronze-colored skin and raven hair.

Ciprian looked back at his brother. Seeing the nervousness and fear that he was trying to hide. He reached his brother on their private path. Baby brother, I am not afraid. If you don't mind, I do need you to stay here and keep a look out. And keep Carif out of trouble. If anything goes wrong, at least you can tell the Elders where we are. Give us until the moon falls below the tree line before you worry. If it falls out of sight completely, then you must go and get help. Okay?

Valor smiled. Relieved. Thank you Ciprian. Yes, I promise I will keep watch. I will give you until I lose sight of the moon. Be safe Brother. Please come back to us.

I will baby brother. Do not be so fearful. Our people go into the realms all the time. Ciprian rolled his eyes. But deep inside he had wanted nothing more than to hug his baby brother. Just incase.

Yes, but Ciprian, they go far and wide to reach safer gates. Yer entering the Aksi Dava!

Our people enter here too. It will be fine. I will be back. Remember. The moon, Ciprian assured his brother one last time.

The moon, Valor replied.

With that, Ciprian looked at Droden, who was grinning ear to ear, and walked around him and onto the bridge. He didn't stop or look back. He just kept going until he disappeared from Valor and Carif’s sight. He was afraid if he looked back or stopped walking, he wouldn't go on. Droden ran after Ciprian, laughing at his crazy cousin.

When Ciprian was walking, the entire bridge got brighter and brighter. For a moment, he truly believed he would be blind or dead on the spot. He feared that somehow, Darklings had harnessed the sun and put it into an enchanted bridge. Instead, the bright light of the bridge gave way to a brightly glowing city. Cobblestone streets were shining beneath his feet. Wait. No. Gemstones! There were gemstones beneath his feet! He was in awe. As he looked around, he saw that the city was as bright as daylight.He held his arm out realizing he wasn't burning, or turning to dust. He was fine!

Had he died? Was this Heaven? He wondered to himself.

There were people shopping in a market that lined the street before him. There were what looked to be humans, but with reptilian-like skin. A couple of girls with glimmering white hair that was almost blue, it was so white. They appeared to float past Droden and Ciprian. They looked at the boys and giggled as they passed, revealing clear wings with what looked a little like electricity shooting through them on their backs.

There were children playing on a swing down on the bank of the creek bed, just downstream to the boys' left. The swing was attached to a gigantic tree with glowing golden leaves. The branches were almost rust colored. The swing was flying out over the water with a little girl wearing what appeared to be a long woven sweater. It was far too big for her.

At first, when Ciprian looked at her, he saw bright actual red hair. Not the orange-red or auburn he saw in the clan or village. Not a brown red nor a basic red head. This was the truest red he had ever seen on a person's head. Yes, even a Darkling head. This hair was as red as the holy berries his mother hung in winter. Or as red as the blood he fed upon. It made him feel...hungry. No, not hungry. But, something.

He began walking closer toward her. Almost in a trance. Passing streets, shops, huts, and creatures. When he got close enough to feel the breeze of her swinging motion, Droden put a hand on his shoulder and pulled him from the trance. He looked back at his older cousin.

“What are you doing, Ciprian? We should shift." Droden was no longer smiling and happy. He appeared paranoid. "We don’t need to get seen and the Elders find out. Why were you not answering me?” Droden asked as he nervously looked around at the various species randomly passing by.

“The girl.” Is all Ciprian could say, as he turned back to her. But there was no girl. Just a swing blowing in a light breeze.

“Ciprian. Cousin. We MUST shift. Lets go invisible. We are getting seen by too many…” Droden’s pleas went unheard as a young girl came walking toward them. In her hand she held a long walking staff with similar carvings to the bridge. Her skin was like milk and her hair was the exact color as her skin. From a distance it was hard to tell where one began and the other would end. She went straight up to Ciprian and Droden.

That is when Ciprian realized the girl was blind. Her eyes were a foggy grey and she seemed to be looking just beyond the boys. She couldn’t be any older than the Ciprian. Maybe 12 at most. Droden was around 14. Yet when the girl spoke her voice was mature and that of a woman. Not old. Just, grown.

“Boy.” She said, grabbing Ciprian’s arm. Ciprian could hear Droden shouting for the girl to let his cousin go, and even tried to pull at Ciprian to get him loose. The girl simply waved her staff and Droden fell silent.

Ciprian was falling. Spiraling out of control, until he landed on his feet. He looked down.Bare feet on black water. A man's feet. Not a boy's. Then he understood. These were his feet. His hands. His arms. His body. Muscular and thick. His body felt taut and hard. He felt… strong. He looked down at the black water and saw the reflection of a man. His skin wasn't golden like Ciprian's boyhood skin. It was pale white. Illuminating the darkness around him.The jaw line was tense and sharp. Like his father’s. Long white hair was falling over the man's face. His brow had heavy black shadowing, the glow of golden brown eyes; menacing, intense, almost terrifying. But the eyes didn't match the face. They began to turn black. The color was gone. The eyes were older than the face. Far too many years in those eyes to belong to that face. His face!

Ciprian touched his chest. It was bare. He was naked. Standing in the open. In this world of black.

Then he saw a glow in the distance. It seemed to get larger at first, then Ciprian saw it was coming closer and closer. Suddenly the light was upon him, and in its place, a figure formed. Right before his reflection stood the blind girl. Only now, she had black eyes and black hair.

“Don’t be scared child.” She said, her body had blurred. She was shifting faster than Ciprian could focus, rotating through countless forms.

She snapped and cracked a few bones into place as she settled on a form. She was a woman. Full. Nude. Her breasts were exposed, firm and full. Still, she had the milky white skin, yet it was now iridescent. But her n*****s were so purple, almost black. She was ethereal. Her raven hair matched the black curls forming a perfect "v" , hiding her s*x. Her waist was so small and tight. Her fondle in the barns. He had seen a hand full of the women the hunters took from the local village to fornicate with. The family that watched over his clan as they slept during the day had several adult daughters between them. He had watched them bathe in the creek at night several times. By the age of 12 he had laid eyes upon many female bodies, and never had he seen a woman made like that.

“You flatter me child.” The girl-now-woman, tilted her head to the side, searching his eyes.

Ciprian tried to respond but nothing came from his lips.

The woman smiled,“You can’t speak here. But I can hear your thoughts. Do not worry, little shifter. You are in no danger and you will be home soon. I have existed longer than most of the Nephilim bloodlines." She paused, looking deep into his eyes. He was certain she was gathering information, but couldn't sense her in his mind. She continued, "Yes, 'Darkling' bloodlines. Please excuse me. I still use the old words. I do apologize if this feels...invasive. But I promise. It is necessary I hear and see much. As you know, dark-spirited humans hunt us as we hunt them. They are beginning to learn spells and magic to use against us. Not human-born witches. But true evil magic. They call themselves 'The Great Jury' and are planning a war on all Darklings. 'The Cleansing' it is being named. It will mean children being stolen, and Darkling women used like brood mares. We are to go extinct, all Darklings. Unless we are ahead of them. I cannot say why or how they do this. I only see things that the lifeline near me contains. And I can only share what you NEED to know. And you NEED to know this." Ciprian wasn't worried, he knew that his kind were much stronger than any humans. Magic or not. He would stop this for his people. He would fight.

" Your soul is split in half. It calls its partner. But she does not exist in this life.” Panic filled Ciprian. He recalled seeing the Fear Eater. Godwin turned when he could not find his mate in time. How could he hold out if a strong Nephilim Shifter, a true Darkling with powers like no other, could no longer hold out?

“Do not fret. Sure, you will suffer. And though you will experience real horror, you will endure! You have the strength little shifter. You are a predator. A warrior of the earth. You will think to end your life and go to the sun often. So, keep this tucked in your soul child…” She reached for his hand with one of her own, placing his hand to her heart. She was cold and her skin felt wet. Then with her other hand she pointed her finger to his forehead. Suddenly he could see a red-headed girl. The one from the swing, running as a small child. Then a teen. Then again, as a young woman, looking just over her shoulder, red hair flowing in slow motion behind her. She was turning her face toward him but he couldn't make it out fully.

And with a thousand voices speaking as one Ciprian heard the woman beside him say, “IF YOU SEEK THE DAWN SHE WILL SUFFER. TRUE EVIL WILL FEAST ON HER LIFE. CONSUMING HER SOUL. FORCING HER TO BIRTH TWISTED AND MUTATED LIFE. SHE WILL HAVE TO KILL HER OWN SPAWN. THE TORMENT WILL LEAD TO A BRIEF LIFE. SHE WILL CHOOSE SUICIDE TO ESCAPE. THE CHOICE IS YOURS.”

Ciprian found himself back in his body with Droden just staring blankly. The blind girl looked at the boys as a girl with skin like night and hair to match, came walking up with a similar staff. Her eyes were also grey. “You do not belong here,” the second girl said. She looked her blind eyes up to the sky. “Ciprian, your moon has fallen below the trees…” her voice trailed off almost singsong-like.

“Do not forget Ciprian”, the first girl said. She reached out with a long fingernail. Her hands were those of a child. But the fingernails were aged and yellow. She pressed her finger down on Ciprian’s wrist. Causing pain. Burning. Then nothing. She released him. He looked down and saw a red runic mark.

“What in creation's name did you do to him, you crowan?” Droden shouted, looking at the mark. The second girl waved a hand, and the sound of a slap was heard, leaving Droden to cover his mouth. “Crowan” was an insult. It meant something like, "souless dark magic user".

“We are not crowans Darkling child! We are all-knowing. We are Castlings!” The dark girl hissed. Now her dewy glorious skin was almost red as she flashed her teeth, exposing two fangs in the bottom row. “We are beyond time and space. It is a blessing to be standing before the great Sif.” Droden just stared at her, having not the least idea what she meant.

“He will be fine,” said the first girl softly to Droden. “Fin, it is but innocent ignorance. Their fathers do not teach them of our ways, or of the many clans and our connections. We cannot punish them for their fathers' failures.” She looked back, as if seeing something they could not. “Hurry! You must go! Shift quickly young Darklings! Turn to mist. Get over the bridge. Do not come back. There are things that will lure you, hiding here. Things that will bring despair to all you love. NOW GO!”

And with that the boys dissolved. They shifted into one of the most difficult forms any shifter could manage. Ciprian was in shock and awe as he and his cousin had shifted so effortlessly. Holding the idea of mist in his mind, he recalled all the times he failed to take this exact form. In order to do so, he had to hold the thought in his mind and will it. His concentration had been difficult when it came to things he did not see often. An animal was no problem. But here they were, both boys, changing with little to no effort.

It’s this place. Droden's mind was loud in Ciprian's. Not faint or strained like often was the case in their realm. This place, is full of energy. Good, bad, magical. I don’t know what to call it, but do you feel it? Making us stronger, in a way?

Ciprian did feel it. But he hadn’t noticed before Droden spoke of it. There was so much happening in his mind. He sent glimpses of her. His mate. He flooded Droden’s mind with visions of what he had seen in the mind meld that happened between the girl and himself. He felt changed.

They continued to flow over the bridge with no problems and seeing that Carif and Valor were long gone, they flowed through the forest toward home. Ciprian knew his brother would be headed to get help. He reached for his brother. Valor, have you already reached home Brother? We are safe. We are headed to you.

No, we are just reaching the village. Do not worry. I will wait in the barn for you. I called for you and Droden. I could not reach you. Though I waited for the moon to fall before I left, I was fearful that you were both destroyed. I am so glad Brother. Valor replied immediately. He was elated that Ciprian was well.

Little brother, I have so much to share with you. It was nothing like we thought. Ciprian began to share with his brother everything he saw. The rest of the night was spent between the boys, describing all they had seen and experienced. While Ciprian was sharing the information, Valor reached up to Ciprian’s hair. He mirrored to Ciprian's mind a vision of what he was seeing when looking at him. Among the black locks tucked behind Ciprian’s ear, was a large silvery white strand of hair.

xoxo