Shadow Seeker

Dedication To the book that allowed me to live in multiple realms and universes at once To the characters that grew, changed, and continued to surprise us To the Demons who weaseled their way into our hearts To the distraction I needed from the waking world Thank you. And again, to my best friend Mike Powell Who is still hanging on 8 crazy books later Who has still been listening to my insistent book babble And who without his constant support, this work and many others would not exist. Thank you! CHAPTER 1 “I call to the guardians of the Watchtowers of the West, powers of Water and intuition. Hear me!” I chanted, calling the last of the 4 quarters for my ritual. I sat down in the middle of my circle, candles lit around me as I grabbed the parchment and quill and began to jot down my intentions. I took note that the moon was full and it was breathtaking as it was a light shade of pink and had a ring of pink around it. I pushed the hood of my cloak back so it fell on my shoulders as I finished the last of my intentions and rolled the parchment up carefully, securing it with a black ribbon. “Hecate, goddess of the night, witchcraft, necromancy and the moon… Hear my plea. O great goddess, clear my path, set my intentions. As I will so mote it be!” I said, setting the parchment on fire. I held it for a moment, reflecting on my intentions that I had put into the universe as it burned. I dropped it into the cauldron in front of me to let it finish burning before setting the cauldron aside. I reached to my left and pulled out my tarot cards, shuffling then pulling a single card. “The Devil. I said out loud. Hmm, this card represents shadow sides and self imposed limitations holding me back… “This card could also represent a fatality, or violence and force.” I murmured to myself, as I was out there in the middle of the forest doing this ritual alone. “What are you trying to tell me?” I asked the gods. Lightening tore across the sky, drawing my attention upwards as a loud crash of thunder rippled through the air. I instantly got goosebumps, noting that the sky was clear before my ritual, and there was no forecast of rain or storms tonight. I brought my focus back on the tarot card lying before me. I reached down and pulled the next car in the deck, placing it horizontally over the original card. This was my clarifying card, this should help me understand the message. “The Tower.” I said out loud, then I sighed. What a f*****g combination. Unexpected changes. So there will be unexpected changes, but my own self imposed limitations are holding me back… Wonderful. Sometimes these cards are so ruthless, but the honesty was also exhilarating at times. I drew my eyes up to the full moon before me in time to witness another flash of lightning scatter across the sky, followed by the harsh c***k of thunder. It was closer this time, I could tell by the way the electricity danced along my skin. It was time to go. I thanked the goddess Hecate, closed the corners, and released my circle. Then I gathered my things, placed them in my Gucci duffle bag and headed out of the forest. I reveled in the energy that I was feeling from the storm, which seemed to be getting closer the more time passed. I felt strong and powerful while I traipsed through the fallen leaves and sticks littering the trail path. I was only about 5 minutes from where I had parked and I could see the faint pink outline of my Yamaha R1 through the trees. I continued on my way towards my bike, pulling the hood of my cloak up over my head. The breeze had suddenly kicked up, along with the continuing lightning and thunder crackling above my head. I looked down at my Samsung smart watch. “12:45am.” I said out loud, I definitely needed to get home, I had school tomorrow. I got to my bike and threw my duffle bag over my shoulder, threw on my hot pink helmet and then started my bike. The vibration of the engine always threatened to get me off as I straddled my seat, but my mind was elsewhere tonight. Unexpected changes, but my self imposed limitations were holding me back. I knew this was relevant to my recent discovery of demonology. I had always been interested in it… And being eclectic It wasn’t like it was forbidden to study. It was just… I had already been keeping my practice of the craft a secret for months now. A secret from my parents, from my friends, from really everyone. I couldn’t let it get out. Could you imagine the look on my mothers face, the wife of the governor… Ha, I could only imagine her repulsion. I could hear my fathers words echoing through my mind. “You are a Fontaine, act like one.” Ha. Yea right. I mulled over my thoughts on my ride home. I had grown up in this f*****g prison for a home my entire life. I was raised to be perfect for appearances, and appearances were everything. The way I walked, the way I talked, the words I used, the food I ate, the way I sat at the dinner table… All of it was practiced and perfected over the years. But I was so f*****g sick of it. My parents were awful. They never spoke, they slept in separate bedrooms for f***s sake. I was their only child, but I couldn’t even imagine them ever being intimate. My thoughts were all over the place, but my mind always was when it came to my home life. Sure I was only 18 but I desperately needed to get the f**k out of here. I longed to be anywhere else but here, in this suffocating town. I pulled up to the 4 story mansion on the hill surrounded by a gate, placing my foot on the ground to steady my bike. That gate was supposed to protect us, but all it did was make me feel trapped. I punched in my gate code, 0666 then hit the star. The gate started to open and I headed inside slowly, trying not to make too much noise. I knew that my father would already be asleep with his earplugs and earmuffs over the top. He wouldn’t hear an atomic bomb going off if it happened right outside the window. And since it was past 10pm, my mother would already be completely hammered. Sure, I'm not allowed to have a bacardi with my friends at a canyon party that I shouldn't have been at to begin with, but she can drink herself stupid every single night without fail…. And that is just ok. “f*****g Hypocrit.” I growled. I pulled into the garage and parked my bike, setting my helmet on the seat. I hopped off my bike, and readjusted the duffle bag on my shoulder before heading inside. I climbed the spiral staircase to my room, ignoring the bland decorations adorning every wall and hallway in this house. Nothing was out of place here, not even a speck of dust to be found. But why would there be? Not in the governor's house, oh no. I walked through the halls, resentment flooding my senses. I got to my bedroom door and pushed it open, then headed inside. I tucked my duffle bag in the secret compartment I made in my closet to ensure that my secrets would be safe. I stuffed my cloak in there too, and pushed the fake wall shut over the secret compartment but not before my eye caught the newest book I had purchased. The Encyclopedia of Demons & Demonology… My mind flitted back to the tarot reading, and I decided to reach in and snatch the book out. It couldn’t hurt to just take a look, right? I really should have been going to sleep, if I woke up with dark circles underneath the perfect tattooed eyeliner and fake eyelashes my mother insisted that I get, then there would be hell to pay. I almost put the book back but decided against it. I took the book and headed to my four poster bed. My white and light pink blankets with satin white sheets called to me. I set the book down, deciding I should get ready for bed before starting the book, then I would just take a peek then go to bed. After brushing my teeth, placing my hair into a braid, and then changing my clothes in favor of a short silk nightgown, I was ready for bed. I headed over, picking up the book as I got comfortable under the blankets. I pulled a couple of pillows and set them up behind my head before flipping the book open. I know I should have started at the beginning and read all the way through, but where I was only taking a peek then I figured skimming would be fine. After flipping a few pages my eyes immediately landed on some bold writing. “Asmodeus… The Demon of lust and third of the seven deadly sins. Also 32nd of the demons of Solomon. Prior to his fall from Heaven, he was part of the Seraphim, the highest order of Angels.” I read quietly out loud. Hmm, this book seems to be pretty informative. I thought. I continued to skim the pages. “Astaroth, Azazel, Asyriel, Azhi Daka…” I read their names aloud as I skimmed. Something about the names on the pages made goosebumps trickle down my spine. I shut the book and decided to sleep, I could read more tomorrow when it wasn’t 1am. I slipped the book underneath my pillow and laid my head down. I looked down over the edge of the giant peak I was standing on. I could see the waves crashing below me at the base of the cliff. I could smell saltwater as the crashing waves below shot a salty mist to the cliffs edge at my feet. I noticed I was barefoot, and only wearing the silk dress that I usually wore to bed. The wind kicked up blowing through the silk, I could feel the metal bars that ran through my n*****s turn to ice, causing them to harden instantly. “And what a breathtaking sight she was.” A pearly voice sounded from behind me. I turned around and had to stifle a gasp when I locked eyes with the most breathtaking man I had ever seen in my life. He had perfectly tan olive skin, with dark brown hair that was a little longer than the regular short style you saw. There was one piece of hair that fell down in front of his right eye, and it seemed to just stay there no matter what he did to move it. His eyes were electric blue and seemed to pierce into my soul. His jawline was perfectly angular and he was only wearing a black suit vest with a pair of levis. I could see the rippling muscles cascading down his arms and upper body. It was like looking at an angel if I was being honest. I had never seen someone so immaculately gorgeous. And the sound of his voice was like music to my ears. I stood there in a stupor, unsure of what to say before he spoke again. “Blonde luscious locks, beautiful sky blue eyes, pretty tanned skin, immaculate smile and perfectly white teeth…” He purred as he took a step my way.