Frailty: The Darkshine(31)

Gaijryc turned away from the window and stared at the papers laid out before him. His mother had given him numerous profiles of the DarkShine females that would be attending the ball. He looked at the females with disinterest as their faces smiled up at him from their glossy homes. All of them were exotically beautiful, as was every DarkShine female. Each photo had a paragraph of their talents, likes and dislikes, and why they would be a good Queen for their kind. All were basically the same, the females stating how they would be a good and loyal Queen.

He tossed each picture aside, growing more and more agitated looking at them. He sat down and leaned back, breathing out deeply and wanting nothing more than to go to Helina. He looked at his watch and grimaced at the time. Today he was supposed to speak with the fledglings. He still hadn’t found a suitable place for Helina to stay, but he had been watching the cabin, guarding it with his life.

He left his office and made his way downstairs. He got into his car and sped off, wanting to get to the school quickly and get it over with. Sagewood was the private academy that held the DarkShine students, a place that had his patience on a thin wire. He hated speaking with them about their transition, telling them about how their bodies wouldn’t be theirs anymore, how they would be a slave to their basic instincts and become fiends for sex. Even though they were essentially adolescents, children, physically they were at the adult stage in their lives.

He stepped on the gas and let the trees flash by him as if they were no more than air gliding over his body. He looked in the passenger seat and checked to make sure he had brought the slides to show the fledglings. Every time he spoke with the graduating class, the slides had always been their favorite because of the nature of the images.

As he raced toward the school he passed the dirt road that would lead him to Helina. He was oh so tempted to make a detour and see her, but knew the sooner he arrived at the school, the sooner he could leave. He pressed on the gas even harder and turned on the stereo as the car sped away from what he wanted most.



Aires and Adais stared at the classroom filled with young DarkShine. The males were at their peak physically and the females were glowing with youth and vitality. Aires looked upon them and inhaled deeply. He could smell their transition in the air, coating each of their skins. They had just arrived, ordered by their mother to speak with them about the DarkShine league and how each male would have the choice to join in the protection of their race.

He looked at Adais, who was smiling and winking at one of the female students. Even though Aires would have never attempted sexual relations with a female so young, they were fair game for Adais. Aires looked back at the students before him, the big males hunched over their small desks, their eyes scanning each female in the room. The males would go through their transition first, their bodies becoming machines in need of fuel for the change. That fuel of course was a female willing to share her bed as well as her blood. He clapped his hands and began talking of the old wars their race had fought in. Each male became interested immediately, the females looking shocked.



Gaijryc pulled into the dark, paved driveway, driving past pristine landscaping and rolling green hills. He pulled into the lot filled with expensive cars all shining under the sun and reeking of wealth. He got out and looked at the picnic tables that sat under large oak trees to his left. Each table was filled with students, all of them silent as they watched him. They all stood in unison and bowed their heads, the traditional greeting a DarkShine gave a member of the royal family.

He walked toward the entrance, his attention going back in front of him as he pulled open the double doors and let the cool air waft over him. The foyer was wide and open, the ceiling going twenty feet above him. The dome top arched into a skylight and let the bright sun penetrate the marble and wood. The black marble flooring shone bright, a medieval war scene etched into the stone and situated in the center of the room.

Gaijryc walked past the empty secretary’s desk and stared down at the scene. Humans in silver armor rode high atop enormous horses that had coats as white as the snow. Swords hung from their hands, blood dripping off the blades’ tips as the warriors’ heads hung. It was a scene of defeat, a scene of loss for the warriors that had fought hard for their lives. Whether it was a scene from the humans’ past, Gaijryc didn’t know. What he did know was that it reminded him of the battles fought with his own species. Of battles won and lost, of family and friends gone and in the past.

“Can I help you?”

Gaijryc turned toward the soft voice. He turned and stared at the small DarkShine female and watched her eyes grow wide. She stood quickly and bowed her head. “Be at ease, female.” Her head rose and she cleared her throat and fixed her tiny glasses atop her nose. She wore a dark suit, the skirt hitting her knees, her black loafers flat and unremarkable.