A Walk Amongst Shadows (Book 2)

I spent the next few weeks working alongside Deja in the apothecary. It didn’t take me long at all to get into the rhythm of the daily routine. Since Deja lived at the apothecary, we met each morning in the medicine room and checked the daily order. Some days there was so much to be done that we sat at our workstations all day, breaking only to eat. I learned that there was a small kitchen in the residential quarters of the apothecary for the healers that lived there to use. Deja and I would often prepare our own meals there. On days where the workload was a little lighter, we would venture into the city to find a place to eat. Some days there would be several of us working together preparing medicine. I became acquainted with many other healers, the majority of whom were from the royal city.

“You and Deja are a bit of an anomaly,” a middle-aged woman named Rowan said one calm afternoon. It had been one of Deja’s days off and I had spent the whole morning working side by side with Rowan in her stead.

“I’m surprised,” I responded as I lightly ground up tea tree leaves in my mortar and pestle, “I would’ve thought that an apothecary as well renowned as this one would attract people from all over.”

“Oh it does,” she paused to stretch out her back before returning to her work. “People come from all over to study here. Evangeline is selective though. She only takes the ones she sees true potential in.”

“That so?” I asked.

“Consider it a high compliment that you are here,” she said with a wink.

For the most part, everyone I worked with showed me kindness, but I had noticed that there were a few individuals who were always quiet around me. The first time I worked with Frederick he spent the entire day in silence, speaking only when he absolutely had to. At the end of the day, he had cleaned his workstation and left without so much as a glance in my direction. Isadora was also not fond of me. Though we conversed a little more than I had with Frederick, her words were cold. She mostly focused on gathering information about me and seemed annoyed if I asked any questions about her in return.

“Where exactly are you from again?” she asked as we prepared our stations for the day.

“Just west of the mountains,” I answer vaguely. “Were you born here in the city?”

“Mmm,” she answered with a short nod.

“Have you been working at the apothecary long?” I asked, hoping to move the conversation along.

“I suppose,” she sighed.

We were quiet for a while.

“If you’re not from the city, why aren’t you staying here with us?” She asked, finally breaking the silence, her voice was more demanding than curious.

“Oh, I was able to find a place of my own before I came here.”

“Hmm.” was all she said in reply.

That day had crawled by. I was more than ready to go home and break away from her inquisition. Thankfully, I didn’t work with Isadora often. At first, I had given the healers like Frederick and Isadora the benefit of the doubt and assumed that they were like this with everyone. But they all seemed drastically warmer and conversational with others. Maybe it’s just because I’m new. But deep down I couldn’t shake the feeling that this had nothing to do with me and everything to do with my relationship with Aris.

Deja was by far my favorite person to work with. To say she had taken me under her wing was an understatement, going out of her way to make sure that I was comfortable and had everything I needed to be successful in the medicine room.

“I heard you had fun working with Isadora yesterday,” she said sarcastically.

I grinned, “yeah, I don’t think she’s too fond of me.”

Deja chuckled, “eh, don’t let her get to you. Like I said, some of the people here are like that. I’m sure she’ll warm up to you soon enough.”

I nodded, grateful for Deja’s comforting words, but doubting them all the same. “I suppose I can’t blame them too much,” I shrugged, “I mean my living situation isn’t exactly normal.”

Deja instantly perked up. She had never mentioned or asked about Aris since the first day we had met. I imagine she didn’t want to make me uncomfortable or at least wanted to wait until she felt we were close enough before asking about my personal life. But now that I had brought it up, she seemed eager to learn more.

“You mean the shadow walker I saw you with on your first day here?” she asked, speaking the words shadow walker in a whisper, as if she were telling me a secret.

I laughed. “Yeah, that’s the one.” I watched the wheels in her mind spinning. I could only imagine what questions she had for me. I remembered all too well how it felt to be so full of questions when I had first met Aris myself.

“So, what’s his name?” she asked, focusing entirely too much on the herbs she was grinding up. She was trying so hard to appear nonchalant.

“Aris” I smiled as I answered.

“Hm, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of him before.”

That’s probably for the best. I thought as I resumed tending to the herbs on my own workstation.

“How did you two meet?” she asked, then added, “I’ve never met a shadow walker before.”

“It’s complicated…” I started, but seeing she was not satisfied with that answer I elaborated, “he helped me out of a bad situation in my village.”

She nodded. It’s not that I didn’t want Deja to know the truth about me. It just felt too soon to dive into all of it now. To say that my story is a little overwhelming would be an understatement and I wanted to make sure it was something she could handle before I divulged any of it to her.

“So he just found you? Or did you summon him for help?” she asked, dropping the pretense. She had stopped working entirely at this point and fixated solely on me.

“He found me.” I said, feeling my face grow warm as I fondly recalled the first day we had met.

She grinned at me. “How’d your folks take it?”

I looked away. Completely unsure how to respond. “Um… let’s just say they’re not happy.”

Deja snapped her hand over her chest. “Oh, Rose! I’m sorry, that was completely inappropriate.”

“It’s alright.” I brushed her off.

She looked thoughtful for a moment.

“What?” I prodded.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’ve only ever heard people describe shadow walkers as something dark and evil…”

“And?” I asked.

“Well, is that true? I mean you don’t seem like the type to engage with demons. So I assume…” she trailed off clearly uncomfortable.

I decided to put her out of her misery. “No, they’re not all that bad. Well, for the most part.”

Deja looked at me with concern.

“Think of it like this,” I started, “mortals like us aren’t all bad, but we’re also not all good either.”

“Well yeah, but they’re from the shadow realm,” she said, uneasy.

“So?” I couldn’t help but see the irony of my current situation. After all, it wasn’t that long ago when Aris was explaining this same thing to me and I was the skeptic.

“So are they not in service to the dark god?” she asked dubiously.

I nodded. “They are, but more often than not they are left to their own devices.”

“Hmmm” she thought. “So their morality isn’t set.”

I laughed. “No more than yours or mine.”

“Fascinating,” she said under her breath. “But weren’t you terrified when you first met him?”

I chuckled. “Absolutely.”

Deja laughed along with me this time.

“But the more time I spent around him the more I realized I had a lot wrong about shadow walkers.”

She smiled, “that’s sweet. So what is your plan then? Do you guys intend to marry?”

I let out an audible laugh, louder than I had intended. “Of course not,” I paused and collected my thoughts at the sight of Deja’s concerned expression. “We’ve honestly never talked about it. I figure as long as we’re both happy that’s all that matters.”

“Do shadow walkers marry?” she asked.

I shrugged again. “I’ve never asked. It always seemed so…trivial.” And it truly was. In the midst of escaping my village and now trying to find my place in this city, not to mention this prophecy I’m somehow tied to. Marriage just seemed too mundane, too normal for the chaos that had become my life.

“Who knows Rose Rivyn, you may be the first mortal to ever marry an entity from the shadow realm.” She elbowed me playfully. I rolled my eyes and smirked. I knew Deja meant well but she was out of her depth in this regard.

I thought on her words as the day went on. I truly hadn’t ever considered such a thing was even possible for us. I mean, surely there is no way we could do any sort of official ceremony. All marriages are performed in sight of whatever god or goddess the couple worships. I tried to imagine what a wedding ceremony would look like for the dark god. The thought almost made me laugh out loud. At the end of the day, I knew it would never happen. As long as I stay with Aris my life will never resemble that of my peers. No marriage, no children, just he and I, and honestly, I wouldn’t want it any other way.

I felt my face redden as I sheepishly remembered the awkward conversation Aris and I had about a week into our journey down the mountain. Having been intimate more than a few times at that point, I had gotten worried about the potential for pregnancy. Aris had laughed heartily at my question and assured me that shadow walkers, male and female alike, are unable to produce children.

“Fret not love,” he had assured, “you are at no risk of bearing any demon-spawn.” I had laughed along with him and felt relieved knowing that we had nothing to worry about. I sighed as I turned these memories over in my mind. Being a wife and mother was a future I left behind in Wren’s Glen. Being in the city has made me see that there is so much more out there for me and that I wanted differently for myself.

“Do you mind if I ask you something?” Deja asked as I was finishing up work on my last medication order for the day.

“Go right ahead,” I encouraged.

“Why do you always wear white?”

I sat back in my seat for a moment, a little unsure of how to answer. “You know, until I came here, I never really considered the color of the clothing I wear.”

Deja cocked her head to the side, a few of her curls flipping as she did so. “So nobody wore anything colorful where you’re from?” She looked incredulous.

I shrugged. “I guess not. I mean, I didn’t even realize clothes could even be so colorful until I came here.” Granted, we also had black clothing in Wren’s Glen, but I wasn’t ready to go over the details of village rituals with Deja just yet. “Do I stand out that badly?” I asked laughing nervously.

“Here, no, but in the town I’m from we only wear white when we are in mourning.”

I furrowed my brow. “Really?”

She nodded.

“Is that why you always dress so colorfully?” I asked.

She giggled. “Of course! Color represents life. Plus, it’s just more fun.”

I couldn’t argue with that logic. “Maybe I’m in need of an update,” I commented looking down at my dingy dress. I didn’t have a lot of clothes, just what I had worn the night of my purification and what Aris was able to grab from my room before escaping with me.

“If only we were closer to home, I’d have plenty of things for you to try on,” Deja beamed, her green eyes sparkling. “But I know a few places in the city where you could buy some new clothes.”

I thought about it for a moment. Perhaps it would be good for me to shed my village aesthetic. While I hadn’t been in the royal city very long, I had been saving all of the money I had been making from my work in the apothecary. It wasn’t much but definitely enough to afford a new dress or two.

“Come on,” Deja egged me on, “It’ll be fun.”

I smiled. “Fine, but nothing crazy, alright?”

Deja squealed in delight. I grinned, but my heart was tinged in sadness as I thought of my sister. Marcy always reacted like this when she got excited, especially if it was related to anything girly. I missed her.

We made our way into the city together after finishing up for the day. Deja felt it necessary to change and set out on our journey draped in a deep scarlet material that looked exquisite against her tan skin. I looked painfully plain standing next to her. Wanting to keep the focus off of me, I decided to keep Deja busy talking about herself.

“Tell me more about where you’re from,” I prompted.

Deja didn’t hesitate. “Well, it’s nothing like the city here, with all the buildings and such, but it’s absolutely gorgeous,” she mused. “Most of the town is built around the lake, so we eat a lot of fish. Man, I miss our food…” she trailed off, a dreamy expression in her eyes. “Like I said before, my mother and I do a lot of midwifery work. But my mother is primarily known for her work as a soothsayer.” I shot her a glance.

“Soothsayer?”

“Yeah, you know, fortune telling, spiritual guidance, that sort of thing.” She grinned proudly. “I was initially just apprenticing under her, but there’s been an increasing need for healers in my town, so she sent me here to learn.”

We arrived at Market Street but turned off to the left instead of continuing down it.

“Ah, here we are,” she announced. She gestured to a shop with a wooden sign hanging above it with the name “Anna Maria’s” emblazoned on it in old worn letters. Deja confidently approached the building and flung the door open. I followed closely behind her, feeling like a skittish child. Inside the cramped store was more clothing than I thought possible. I saw colors and fabrics in more combinations than I realized could exist. I imagined Deja’s closet at home mirrored this place. I had absolutely no idea what I was supposed to do or where to even start. Luckily, Deja seemed to feel perfectly at home and walked directly to a rack of clothing on the right.

“Let’s start here,” she said thoughtfully. “These are definitely a step up from what you’ve got and will be perfectly suitable to wear to work.”

I smiled at how seriously she was taking this. Deja was on a mission, and I was merely a bystander.

“Do you have a color preference?” Her eyes shot up from the clothing to me.

I shrugged awkwardly.

“How about blue?” she suggested, pulling a dark blue dress off the rack, handing it to me. It was plain, much like what I was already wearing, but the color was much prettier.

I agreed to try it on, and she quickly wheeled me to the back of the store where I could do just that. “The good thing about this kind of dress is that you won’t need to have it fitted, it’s supposed to fit a little loosely.”

I nodded as if I had any clue what she was talking about. I slipped my white dress off and stepped into this one. It fit quite similarly, except it cinched at the waist, making me look more like a woman and less like a girl.

“How do you feel?” Deja asked.

I looked at her confused. “Feel? It’s quite comfortable, I like it.” I smiled.

Deja laughed. “I mean how does it make you feel to have it on? Do you feel pretty? Confident? You know, that sort of thing.”

I laughed. What a ridiculous notion. But I was suddenly struck with the memory of the festival in the village and how I had felt when I had worn my best white dress. “Yes,” I nodded, “to both.”

“Excellent!” She clasped her hands together in front of her face. “Let’s try a few more.”

We spent a little while longer picking out and trying dresses on. Deja even joined me and tried on a few dresses herself. Granted, everything she tried on was significantly more flamboyant.

“I feel energized in this one,” she announced, swirling a cascade of loose yellow fabric around her. On anyone else, the dress would have looked preposterous, but everything seemed to just work for her when she tried it on.

“You talk about your clothes as though they were magical,” I teased.

“Hmm, I never thought of it that way,” she looked thoughtful, then smiled. “Perhaps you’re on to something, Rose.”

“I was only joking,” I laughed as I shook my head.

Deja ended up leaving with the yellow dress. I ended up with the blue one I had tried on and a similarly styled light green one as well. Deja insisted that it was my color, whatever that meant. We were on our way back to the apothecary when we nearly ran headfirst into a man coming around the street corner.

“Oh gosh! I’m so- Oh, Simon!” Deja exclaimed, clearly recognizing the man.

“Hey, Deja,” he smiled warmly.

“Rose, this is Simon. He’s one of the head healers at the apothecary,” she introduced, then turning to Simon, “Rose just started at the apothecary.”

Simon smiled at me. “That so?” Then he extended his hand to me, “Pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise,” I replied as I shook it. Simon and Deja exchanged a few more pleasantries before we continued our walk back to the apothecary.

“So he’s a healer then?” I asked.

Deja nodded. “Yeah, he’s pretty great. Best healer we have, next to Evangeline of course. Word around the apothecary is that he’ll be the one to replace her one day.” I saw a grin spread slyly across her face, “I’ve always thought he was kind of cute.”

I smiled back at her. “Are you guys close?” I pried.

She looked doubtful. “Eh, I wouldn’t say we’re best friends or anything, but we do talk pretty often. He’s pretty popular with ladies in general. I doubt he’d have any interest in me.” She shrugged it off.

“So, I take it you aren’t seeing anyone then,” I added.

“Na. There is one guy at home,” she paused, and I saw her blush, “but we aren’t exclusive or anything like that.”

I grinned, understanding what she was getting at. We talked merrily the rest of the way back to the apothecary.