"Power resides only where men believe it resides. A shadow on the wall, yet shadows can kill. And ofttimes a very small man can cast a very large shadow."

- G. R. R. Martin, "A Clash of Kings"

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Soundtrack of the chapter: Starfall by Two Steps From Hell

Media: The back of the Gilded Tarot

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Chapter Twelve: The Power of Shadows

"Take it slowly, no one is rushing to a wedding." Jasper watched Cady thoughtfully from a short distance, sitting crossed legged on a flat riverside rock.

Zoroth snorted. "Why a wedding, above all things?"

Jasper shrugged. "Funeral, then."

"Guys, cut it out. I'm trying to focus here," Cady said.

"Ask your winged lover to shut it then."

"He is not my lover!" Cady shouted. "Jesus, he's my Consort!"

"What is a Jesus?" Jasper asked curiously. "You seem to use that word a lot."

Cady rolled her eyes. "Jesus!"

Victorious, he pointed a finger at her. "See?"

Choosing to ignore Jasper, Cady tried to concentrate on her breathing. Jasper taught her to focus all her energy into one point before condensing it into a ball. Visualizing came easy, but her focus wavered far too quickly. One second she managed to pack her Celestial Energy into one quaking ball, the next it went 'pop' and vanished.

Jasper called it the art of grounding. Since all Walkers were connected to earth and shadows, grounding anchors them to self-control and patience.

Zoroth wasn't helping either. He was picking a fight with Jasper at every chance possible since he was already adept at grounding and needed no further practice.

"You ask Cady to train in the middle of the night, but you're distracting her." Zoroth's voice was so loud, it was like a gong dropping.

"You're the one talking, not me," Jasper shot back.

Cady tried to tune them out. Just focus on that little ball of energy, Cady. You can do this.

Zoroth made a choking sound. "You just replied."

"Because you accused me of something I never did."

Cady's concentration was close to the breaking point. She sucked in a deep breath to calm herself down. Just...focus...

"I was merely stating the truth. It's so clear, I am blinded by it," Zoroth snorted.

"Can you just shut up and sit in a corner?"

"Guys, shut the hell up!"

The thin thread of concentration snapped. The ball of energy Cady fought so hard to maintain exploded, sending a brilliant arc of silver light rippling outwards. The raw power of a Walker reverberated through the trees, sending rocks flying and a fierce gush of wind to rip by.

That remedied the problem.

Jasper blinked. "Wow."

Cady leapt to her feet and shook a fist at both Zoroth and Jasper. "How am I supposed to concentrate if you two keep on fighting like three year old kids?"

"I'm a hundred years old, actually," Zoroth muttered, slightly hurt.

"That's the point!" Cady couldn't stop her annoyance from bursting out. "You're supposed to help me focus! You're my Consort, for crying out loud!"

Guilt flashed across his face. "I'm so sorry, Cady. I just don't know what to help with! I've never had an Ascendant. This is so new to me."

Jasper leapt down from the rock and brushed some fallen leaves off his shirt.

"Have you two ever tried merging your powers?"

"Merging?" Cady asked.

"Yes," Jasper motioned, drawing an invisible circle in the air with his hands. "Like the both of you sharing one body, but two minds working as one, the powers of a Decanate and Walker acting simultaneously."

Cady's mind flitted back to the moment when Zoroth first bonded with her. The surge of energy zipping through her was powerful and deadly. Zoroth's expanse of knowledge was all exposed to her, and her emotions to him. It was like shadow and being, whatever she did, the shadow would mirror, both moving as one.

"Just once," she said. "During the first bond."

Jasper tapped Cady on the shoulder. "It is possible to tap into that power again. But, imagine it increasing tenfold if you can control it. Ancient Walkers can move entire forests of shadows, weave down the moonlight to strengthen their Consorts and even tear an army apart with shadows."

"How do I control it?" Cady asked, awed by the powers of the Ancient Walkers. If she could even train to a portion of their abilities, she would be grateful.

"Patience, Walker." A smile curled up at Jasper's lips. Cady found it rather endearing, seeing him smile that lopsided smile. "It takes years of practice, and an immense amount of patience and concentration, in which you happen to lack."

"You two were-" Cady started to defend herself but Jasper shushed her.

"I was distracting you on purpose. A real Walker does not flounder. He will not allow his concentration to be shaken by the enemy. He will compose himself, no matter how chaotic his surroundings are. If you are distracted by every little thing beside you, how are you going to summon your powers?"

Zoroth looked ashamed, and adjusted his wings. Cady shuffled her feet. "Oh."

"That applies to Oracles as well. We need to stay calm before we can summon the spirits of the earth, the trees, even the Stars themselves. What you need to do, is to learn patience and tune out unwanted elements."

Jasper suddenly sprang backwards, his dark hair curling in the night wind.

"Tonight, I'll teach you the powers of Shadows."

With a flick of his right wrist, a promenade of dazzling gold shot from his waist pouch and danced in mid air. Cards, shimmering golden cards floated lazily before Cady, hovering around Jasper like a cocoon. One of them hung near her, close enough for her to make out the painted surface-The Ace of Wands.

Cady suddenly realized that Jasper had whipped out an entire set of gold hammered tarot deck.

"These," Jasper said proudly. "Are the cards of the Gilded Tarot. It is a weapon handed down from the Silverbird lineage, from Oracle to Oracle and parent to child. They are forged in the fires of Pyramus, in which they will never break or taint, not even when burnt with the flames of the Underworld."

He swiped at the cards with his hands. The palisade of cards soared into the air and came to form a gleaming arc around Jasper. He looked like an angel, with his chin titled high and his eyes blending into the night yet reflecting the lights of the Gilded Tarot.

"I shall now direct these cards at you, one at a time with increasing pace. I want you to deflect them by catching their shadows."

A single gold leaf hovered at Jasper's fingertips.

"You ready, Cady?"

She blew back her messy red hair. "I'm ready."

Cady took up a protective stance, her fingers splayed, ready to catch the shadows of the flying cards.

Without warning, Jasper sent a card spiraling at her. It cut through the air with flagrant ease. Cady reached for the card's shadow, but it was too fast for her eyes to catch up. The sharp edges of the card kissed her left cheek, so swift; it was a blur, leaving behind a streak of red.

The pain flared when Cady moved.

Before she could recompose herself, another card snarled through the air.

"Your eyes will never catch up with the shadows!" Jasper shouted. "Trust your instincts!"

A third card ripped open the flesh of her arm. Flaming pain exploded and she cried out.

"Do not focus on the pain! Focus on the shadows!"

Cady gritted her teeth. She threw out her arms, allowing her inner Walker to wander free. It was like creating a dome of light around her. Wherever the light rustled against the grass, she felt a little nudge. A fourth card shot into the dome, sending violent vibrations shooting up her mind. The shadow of the card seemed sluggish in her dome, slowing down upon contact. Her hands grabbed the end of it, but still, the shadow dodged her grip and shattered the dome.

The card sliced open her right thigh. Cady sank to the ground, clutching at her bleeding leg and grimacing at the intense pain.

Jasper clicked his fingers, and all cards went soaring back to him. They arranged themselves into a neat stack before vanishing into his pouch.

He sprang over to Cady's side. Cady jerked when Jasper blew on the cuts on her forearm and thigh.

"You really need more practice than I thought," he said. "I'm sorry about these injuries. Come, I'll treat them."

Cady fell back onto the grass. She felt utterly useless. She should be able to control and manipulate shadows, like a real Walker. She was the last Walker, and she was a disgrace to her kind.

Zoroth seemed to read her thoughts.

"Hey, no one becomes a master in a day." He tried to cheer Cady up.

Jasper clapped Cady on the back. "Winged boy is correct. No one becomes all powerful at their first try, not even the most talented ones. Even Yana himself trains."

Cady stood up, sending another flare of stinging pain. The cards proved to be deadly, even at the slightest contact.

"I can carry you in if you want," Zoroth offered, his arms outstretched.

"It's just a few cuts, Zoroth. I can walk."

Once inside the hut, Jasper set Cady down on a stool and busied himself at his shelves. After much tinkering, he pulled out a small container that held a navy blue salve. Zoroth watched him with inquiring eyes as he crossed the room.

"How long does it take an average Walker to master the art of shadows?" she asked, and winced as Jasper applied the cool gel on her cuts.

Jasper looked up, his eyes finding Cady's. "Shadow weaving, is no easy art, and the same applies for the other affinities. To master something, it takes time. And I cannot estimate that time, for it differs from one Starlet to another."

Cady nodded, and continued watching Jasper clean her cuts with deft fingers.

"You're a really good physician," she said. "Have you ever considered working for the Hall of Spirits? They would be happy to have someone as adept as you."

He stood up and brushed the hair out of his eyes. "I prefer solitude. It is safer, and I can have freedom."

"So you've never been to the Hall of Spirits?"

Jasper shook his head. "I don't intend to either. The High Priest is nasty."

At the mention of the High Priest, her mind flicked to Eli and his diseased toe. She wondered if Jasper knew anything about it. Eli was the epitome of kindness. He had treated Cady with utmost respect and chivalry. If Jasper was so skilled a Physician, he could banish the poison from Eli and save him from the torment.

"Have you ever heard of Elijah Sanguinis?" she asked.

"Heard rumors, tales, but not much," he replied. "Why?" He then motioned at a bandage nearby.

Cady handed it to him. "He was attacked during the Great War as a child. He was infected with a rare Decanate poison and it is spreading slowly. It is killing him, Jasper."

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Everyone gets killed and injured in war, Cady. I'm not surprised."

"Do you think you can do anything about it?"

Jasper tightened the bandage around Cady's forearm. "Depends on the type of poison. Some can be healed, some have no cure."

"Eli said all known physicians have tried and failed. Maybe you can help him."

Jasper started cramming everything back into his leather pouch. "I owe the Hall of Spirits nothing. They wouldn't trust me either, as someone who had never showed up in the Hall."

He turned and Cady caught his arm.

"I owe you nothing too, but you helped me."

Jasper's eyes glittered like insect carapaces caught under the moonlight. "This is different. I don't like the Hall of Spirits."

"Eli is one of the kindest, gentlest people I have ever met, he doesn't deserve to suffer."

Seeing that Jasper was still irresolute, Cady tugged his arm. "Jasper, please."

He raked a hand through his hair, making the curls tousle into an adorable mess. "I'll think about it," he said simply.

At the thought of Eli being able to walk normally and freed from pain, happiness flowered in Cady's heart and she hugged Jasper.

"Thank you, Jasper."

Jasper clearly seemed taken aback, for it took him several seconds before he returned the hug.

"It's nothing," he groused. "You better get going, dawn is approaching."

True enough, the morning sun was breaking through the mountains, the first few rays of gold shimmering like ribbons across the horizon.

"I guess I'll see you in a couple days," she released Jasper. Jasper smiled that lilted smile of his and Cady felt her cheeks grew hot. She pretended to be very interested in the leather pouch Jasper had left lying on the table.

Jasper gestured at Zoroth who was busy making faces at their intimacy. "Your Consort is eager to leave, goodbye for now."

Cady nodded and headed outside with Zoroth. Gathering Cady in his arms, he spread his wings and headed back toward the Hall of Spirits.

"What's your problem with Jasper?" she asked Zoroth, who was flying at top speed.

"Don't you think he is rather fishy? He claims to be unbound to the Hall of Spirits. That is never heard of. Every Starlet must be registered at the Hall of Games, even privately tutored ones."

"Are you trying to imply he is an illegitimate child?"

Zoroth snorted. "No, but he without mentors or parents, yet he is powerful and smart. Seems dodgy, doesn't it?"

Cady considered Zoroth's words. "A little, but what if his mentor passed before we could meet him or her?"

"Maybe." Zoroth fell silent, and they didn't speak another word until he slipped back into the shadows and Cady had crawled back in bed.

Cady lay under her covers, deep in thought. In her mind, Jasper and Eli chased each other in circles. She groaned and buried her face in her pillow. She was supposed to try to narrow down the details of the Great War, but she ended up with more questions-her discovery of a war prisoner, the injuries and back story of Eli and the ever mysterious Jasper.

Her fingers drew out the golden star Firaun gave her on her sixteenth birthday. She wondered if it had special powers. Young Starlets believe that wishing upon a Star would grant them whatever they wanted.

I wish to know who I really am. I really do. Do you think you can tell me?

The dangling star caught the lambent candle lights and winked at her. Cady clasped it in her hands and closed her eyes, hoping that the lores were true after all.

*****

A/N

It seems that Jasper has this huge dislike for the Hall of Spirits! Any theories on this? ;) I have read some of your theories in previous chapters and I must say, some were close (but not very close)! Jasper might actually be Eli's only hope to cure his bad leg.

As usual, let me hear from you! And don't forget to hit that little star by the side! ;D

ps: THoS has hit 10K reads! You people ROCK! <3

Tortillas,

Stef