Alliance of Shadows, Book 4: DRESON

First Day

I didn't know where I was when I woke up, but I knew that my family was nowhere near me. Listening hard, I waited for anything that would potentially tell me where I was.

Nothing. Not even a damn bird chirping.

Was it dark? I knew that the day was pretty much ending when Sage Harper had shown up...

Duh, I thought with a roll of my eyes.

Realizing that I was safe with the Sage's, I threw the covers off my body and swung my cold feet to the floor. The hard stone made me realize that they'd brought me to the Initiate's Tower. Dad had told me that this particular tower tested how ready you were to learn about real magic.

With a frown, I made the bed and walked over to push open the window slats. Looking out, I could see the sharp crags and steep, jagged cliffs that swooped down into the raging sea. I felt the cold chill of the froth kiss my face, dampening my skin with saltwater spray.

I didn't want to smile, but my Druid's soul felt so at home that I found myself grinning at the churning black ocean as the rain fell. I watched as a lightning bolt lit up the sky kilometres away from where I was, but I wasn't afraid.

For once, I was completely calm.

Thunder rolled in the distance, loud and rumbling as more lightning flashed in the dark sky. I sat down on the floor, crossing my legs with my back against the cold stone of the wall and my eyes closed. Taking several deep breaths, I opened my heart and mind to my powers. With my hands resting on my knees, I dredged up as many happy memories as I could.

Like watching a movie of my life, each scene played out behind my eyelids. Colours flashed as I followed each memory.

Kaden and I running through the sprinklers in the back yard. Mom handing us Fudgsicles to eat during the long, hot summer days. Dad reading to us. Every memory was bright, colourful, and happy, and exactly what I needed to keep myself sane.

It was then I realized everything in my life from the time I was three centred around my family. If I wasn't eating, laughing, or playing with them, we were learning and loving together.

The sense of peace that came with the realization made me smile. I kept the memories going, not even noticing when the door to the room was opened. Keeping them close to my heart, I held onto the images of my family - their happy, laughing faces.

"Noswaith dda, Master Cage," someone said.

I cracked open my eyes to see Sage Harper and one other person standing in front of the now-opened door. Stretching, I rose to my feet, bowing my head respectfully.

"Noswaith dda, Sage Harper," I replied, instinctively knowing the words meant ‘good evening’ in his mother tongue.

"He seems a wee bit distracted, Sage Harper. Shall we come back later?" the woman behind him asked.

Harper chuckled, his voice carrying a smooth Welsh cadence. "Nah, nah, Hannah. Dreson only looks distracted, but he isn’t. There’s a reason I’m changing the testing for him—he learns differently, see? Not so easily swayed by tricks, that one."

Hannah let out a sharp scoff. "Ach, still, he’s no better than the others. Why change the order of the tests just for him?"

Unable to hold my tongue, I cleared my throat. "Excuse me, Sage Harper, but I have to agree with Miss Hannah. I'm content to learn and be tested the same way as everyone else."

Hannah looked me over with a calculating gaze. "Ach, the boy’s got a gift with words, I see. Maybe he’s a touch more special than we first thought."

She appeared to be of Scottish descent, her accent thick and clipped. There was nothing about her attire that indicated her rank or purpose here.

Walking over to the open window, she glanced over her shoulder at me and sighed. "There are scarce texts available on the descendants of Farron Cage."

Farron Cage?

"I'm sorry for my ignorance, but who is Farron Cage?" I asked. The name was unfamiliar to me, and confusion settled in.

Hannah turned to me, her expression tightening as a sneer took hold. "You dinnae even ken who your own family is? Send him back, Sage Harper. The lad’s no ready to learn a thing."

Squaring my shoulders, I fought to keep the hostility out of my voice. "Miss, please, I'm only fourteen, and I haven't had a chance to learn everything about my family history. My father is extremely busy with his work, so it isn’t like he's had the opportunity to really teach me."

"And what of yer mother? Does she not teach ye anything?" Hannah asked.

I watched Sage Harper's face harden, his steel-blue eyes narrowing as she spoke. Deep down, I knew she was testing me, waiting for me to lash out like a spoiled brat.

She had a long wait ahead of her. The last thing I wanted was to give her the satisfaction of seeing me sent packing.

"Aren't you supposed to be setting an example for me, Miss Hannah?" I asked quietly, making sure my voice remained as calm and level as possible. Years of living with and teaching Kaden had taught me all the patience I needed.

Sage Harper clenched his jaw to keep from laughing. "She's the Initiate's Headmistress, Dreson."

"Aye, it's you that needs to respect me, child," she said.

Shaking my head, I answered, "Ma’am, I don't know how much you know about my family, but my mother passed away the day I was born. I've spent my life being called a Cursed Child, but I'm not. So, please, give me the chance to prove my worth just like everyone else here."

She took a step back, her eyes wide.

"The boy clearly has spirit and can remain calm under pressure," Sage Harper said. "I was initially worried that he would not be impartial enough, but perhaps the teachers need to be taught instead."

"Nay," Hannah replied. "I'll stop pushin' him, my Lord."

She swept out of the room and down the hall, her sharp footfalls echoing against the stone floors. I listened as the sounds faded beyond my hearing range, leaving an almost eerie silence in her wake.

"I almost regretted takin' you here, Dreson," Harper said as he looked me over. "Have you anything further to say?"

"No, sir, I'm done," I told him.

Nodding, he set a letter on the small corner table before turning to leave. Then, "Cece wanted me to give you the letter without anyone noticing, which I had no trouble ensurin'. Someone will be by to bring you some supper. Do not expect a fancy meal, either. You must learn how to live simply with only the bare necessities. Tomorrow, you will begin classes with all the others who have come."

"Sir, may I ask a question?" I said.

"Speak," he replied.

Taking a breath, I asked, "Am I the youngest one here?"

"No," he told me. He turned to leave, a sly smile playin' on his lips. "Was Kaden upset with ya this time?"

"Not this time." Walking over to the window, I pulled the shutters closed and slipped the lock in place. "I may have upset my parents a little more than I needed to when I came out to them just before I left. I wanted to clear the air and face this without bringing my personal problems here."

"Came out? I'm afraid I don't understand that term," he said, turning to look at me with a sparkle in his eyes.

My blood ran cold, but I didn’t let fear hold me back. I refused to be afraid of what I was anymore. "Sage Harper, I apologize if my confession is not normal, but I need you to know that I'm gay."

"You're happy?" he questioned.

I laughed, trying hard not to lose my cool the same way I had six years ago. "No, sir. I mean that I like boys, not girls."

"Ah, I see," he whispered.

He sees? Okay, then.

"Sir, what did you mean when you said you see?"

"Dreson, what do you know of visionaries? Ah, Clairvoyants, if ye will," Sage Harper asked. His sudden shift in conversation caught me off guard. Why was he bringing up Clairvoyants now? What reason did he have for asking me about them?

"Um, they can see glimpses of things to come, and some of them can create prophecies from those visions. They can be born into any species and are listed as priests, shamans, Wise Women, etcetera. They're usually thought to be an indirect link to the Gods," I said.

He grinned. "Yes, and I'm one of them."

I felt the color drain from my face at his confession. My heart pounded harder, the rhythm ringing in my ears like an out-of-tune drum. A tremor ran through me as I sank to my knees on the floor.

"Dreson? Dreson? Breathe, lad," I felt him shaking me, his grip firm but careful, trying his best to pull me back from the anxiety attack that was dragging me under. "Leif!"

Faintly, another set of booted feet rushed into the room. "Uncle, t’is it?"

"I can't bring him back, lad, but you can. Trust in my visions, Nephew. Dreson needs you."

A new set of hands smoothed the mahogany locks of my hair back from my face. Hot breath fanned gently against my skin, and the sweetest voice I had ever heard whispered in my ear.

"Dreson, requies."

The soft, soothing tenor of his voice sent shivers down my spine, and every hair on my body stood at attention. I sobbed as he pulled away, leaving my skin tingling where he had touched me.

The door slammed shut, the latch sliding into place with a resounding click.

"Uncle, what have you done?"

Sage Harper laughed. "Don't worry, Leif. Ye both needed to meet, and I knew there be no chance of ya doin’ it on yer own, so I'm helping it along. I'll let ye out in an hour."

"Diawl! He could have warned me," the boy muttered as the world went dark.