Order of shadows

Freda’s POV

The castle appeared different since I returned, it was darker, quieter The difficulties I experienced with Sylas had burned away the doubt and concern that had hovered about like a shadow. Still, the darkness and the accompanying power had altered me. I could feel it throbbing just ready to be let out under my skin.

And with that power came a fresh risk,one I wasn't sure I could manage alone. It was late and the halls of the castle were empty but for long, frightening shadows created on the stone walls by flickering torches. Returning to my room after a restless night of pacing, thinking, and trying to quiet the tornado of ideas in my head, was when I saw three black figures in the middle of the passage as though they had been waiting for me. Freda, the one in the middle, spoke softly and smoothly.

We have been waiting for you. I stopped, my heart missing a beat. "Who are you?” My voice is more steady than I could have dreamed of. The man advanced, lowering his hood to reveal a pale, sharp-faced face with faintly luminous eyes in the low light. "My name is Lucien," he added with a little bow. Members of Order of Shadows here are we. I grimaced; the term from the ancient writings I had perused for training looked familiar. Said to be a hidden gathering of vampires long safeguarding the most ancient and powerful secrets of our species, the Order of Shadows Still, they were simply a myth.


I said softly, "I have heard of your order." But why are you here? What do you wish for? Lucien grinned narrowly, almost predatory. "Your power, Freda, now spans more. The blood flowing through your veins is irregular. You have awakened abilities hardly dreamed of by most humans. We have been watching you and believe you have great potential, that which we can help you totally release. The other two people went forward, and I could sense their eyes weighing me as if they were evaluating my worth. Although my reaction was to be wary and to keep my distance, something about their comments grabbed me.

I desired more; I had experienced real power for the first time. But what cost would that incur? "And in return what would you wish?" I asked knowing that such an offer would not be without strings attached. Lucien's smile widened and he drew out a little, exquisite vial loaded with a black, thick substance. "You're a very smart young lady, We only ask for your allegiance. Bound to the Order, a Blood Oath will bind you and in turn we will share wisdom lost with time. Strong enough to defend those you love as well as to eradicate those who would risk them, you will surpass all you might have ever dreamed of. I looked at the jar; the liquid within seemed hypnotic. My fingers yearned to reach out, seize it, know what it would feel like to be that powerful. But the part that had suffered so much cried for warning.


This offered little of the usual value. It was a covenant designed to change everything. Then what about Damien? Speaking somewhat above a whisper, I queried. What does this mean, for him? Lucien's eyes darkened but his face kept the same. "Damien is strong, but even he cannot protect you from what is ahead. The approaching storm will affect all of us; if you are not ready, you will be taken away. Freda, the choice rests with you. Come along and you could be by his side, maybe even saving him. I halted; the vial was still hovering before me.

Given how much the offer appealed to me, I started to worry. The darkness inside me began to stir, beckoning me to grab it and take command of what is rightfully mine authority. But something stopped me, just a whisper of doubt in the rear of my brain. Before I could decide, a familiar voice harsh and frigid sounded down the pass. Freda said, "Don't do it." Whirling quickly, I saw Elara emerge from the walk way, her eyes fixed with a mix of rage and terror. She seemed other, more ethereal, as though something more than our earth had touched her. Her presence set the corridor's tension so that the air buzzed with suspense.

"Elara," I exclaimed, looking at her following all this time. "What are you doing here? Why are you here?" Elara's face went stiff as her eye strayed to Lucien and others with him.

"The Order of Shadows is not what they seem," she said with warning. "They visit you not to help you. They will do anything that can harm you if you should you take the Oath”.

From the start, they have been experimenting with dark magic, performing dangerous sacrifices, weakening Damien's authority. Though Lucien's cool head never wavered, I could see the flash of displeasure in his eyes. "We give just knowledge and power," he said vaguely.


"What you do with it is your decision.", The continued but Elara wasn't having any of it. She moved between Lucien and me, her voice piercing. You are being deceived here, Freda. They want to subdue you, turn you into a weapon for their own use. One cannot reverse the Blood Oath. The oat will connect you to them and cause you to forget yourself and follow their direction. My thoughts whirled, split between the two pathways open before me. On one hand, the power I was handed was exactly what I had hoped for, everything I needed to protect Damien, clear my own name. Still, Elara's comments caught a fact I couldn't ignore.

Hidden from public view, the Order of Shadows had at least questionable goals, dangerous at worst. "Why should I believe you?" Needing her answer, I questioned Elara.
"You went silent. Why now? Why are you coming to me with this? Elara's eyes softened, and for a minute I could see the friend I had always watched out for—the one I had once known. "Because I worry about you, Freda." And because I have seen the Order treat those who join them properly.


They whirl your mind and soul until you have nothing of who you once were. I couldn let you walk into that trap without warning. The weight of the decision appeared as though I was being split in two. The bottle Lucien held appeared to pulse black energy, calling the part of me desiring power, that yearned to be strong enough to meet whatever was approaching. But Elara's remarks got me thinking about what I might be losing.

“Enough of this,” Lucien said, his voice losing its icy edge. “You have decisions, Freda. Are you coming with us to be the queen you were meant to be? Alternatively will you turn away from the power rightly yours?” Heart beating in my chest, I looked between Lucien and Elara. My decision tonight will change everything, my future, Damien's, maybe the fate of the entire kingdom. But the corridor was blown with a chilly air that put out the flames and cast us into darkness before I could speak.

A deep, evil voice was audible in the hallways, and it sent shivers down my spine as the shadows appeared to come alive and crawl about us. The voice snarled, hungry and hostile, "You are not the only one who seeks power, Freda."

"Choose wisely....or suffer the consequences." The blackness drew in on us, and I felt the Order's eyes gazing, waiting. But my blood stopped with the voice—ancient, dark, and weighted with something far more terrifying than I had ever known.