The Children Of Colminon: Dragons of Moonlight

By Cassandra Jensen and Ivey Eckhardt

Almost a year since Razilee's life was turned upside down by her father's biggest secret and lie. The fact that he is a member of Colminon, a secret society filled with power, magic, and history beyond imagination. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cassandra Ida Marie Jensen
• Release date: Oct 31, 2022
• ISBN: 9781088071595

Book preview

Chapter One: Dead Writing

Wet and covered in mud, Alec frowns as he enters the apartment and sees the living room light on.

Razilee was avoiding sleeping again. 

A sigh envelops him as he hangs his coat on the door hook. Approximately seven months ago, Alec would never have imagined getting married, never mind having a child. Yet there he was, now married and also raising a teenager after losing his younger brother Agh-i three months ago.

Hey. He keeps his voice low as he addresses his niece, Razilee, who sits crossed-legged, a textbook balanced on the wobbly coffee table in front of her.

Bright pink earbuds trailing from her ears are connected to an MP3 player. Razilee cherishes the MP3 with a cracked screen even though Alec had been the one who had given it to her. A gift from her father. Alec had asked what could possibly be on the MP3 player; he had assumed music. Still, her reply had stopped him in his tracks and shut down any possible conversation with her the rest of the day.

"It's just advice,'' she had replied, her eyes turning glossy.

He shakes the thought aside, turning on the other lamp.

Startled, she leans her head back to look at him. You're home from work, she says, placing the MP3 on pause as she removes one of the buds from her ear.

What are you up to now? Alec reaches over, picking up the notebook in front of her.

She tries to take back the notebook, saying, Studying history.

Alec smiles, remembering how late his brother sat at the kitchen table, reading or studying long into the night. Alec turns the pages before him, seeing the large loops attached in perfection scrawled across the page. He had seen this type of writing before on old papers in the council hall.

Dead writing.

Alec wasn’t overly surprised that the death of the complicated loops had died out here and become impossible for anyone to read now despite it being written in English. English on its own was hard enough to read and translate for most Colminon members.

I'll go to bed soon, she says, taking the notebook back from him. How was work?

He reaches forward again, ruffling her hair, his fingers getting tangled in her thick red curls. Fine. It was long. We had a lot going on today. He watches as she turns the page in her history textbook. It's a school night. I'm okay with you staying up, though, if this is all you're doing, where did you learn that? He gestures to her notes.

I write in English to take notes. My teachers said it's fine since they don't see them.

No-no, not the English, but the loops in your writing.

She looks at the notebook in front of her.  Staring at her writing, realization clicking after a moment, You mean my cursive? Razilee asks, raising an eyebrow, twisting to look at her uncle once again.

Alec nods his head in response to her.

She sighs, looking at her own writing, It's how a lot of people write in the ‘Outs’. We sign papers like this.

Alec can’t believe all the documents they have in their records written in this manner, in cursive from the Outs, an area now forbidden to almost anyone who wasn't a Deferrer, a Gather,  those tasked with protecting, and bringing back new knowledge of the Outs. And his niece, who had been raised there, can write them and probably read them too.

Alec chews his lip in thought. Even after all this time, he still hasn’t processed that his brother married a Non-powered, a descendant of Omega.

You read it too?  he asks.

Razilee takes out the headphone from her left ear, pulling herself from the floor to the couch behind her, looking at Alec. Yeah, why?

Alec climbs over the back of the couch to sit next to her. There are ancient documents in the archives from old cases written in that, your loops. He points at her notebook It’s from years ago, but none of us can read it.

Razilee laughs, You guys give me crap for not being able to read and write Lunkick fluently, and you guys can't even read cursive.

Hey, don't give me that. A long time ago, we used to work…. He trails off, knowing the topic he wants to tell her about is forbidden.

With 'Outs' police, I know.

Alec, raises an eyebrow looking at his niece, "Wait, how do you know? That's a forbidden topic.

My Hilintics teaching lets me talk about forbidden topics. As long as I don’t talk about them with my friends. I've been told that if an adult in authority asks, I can.

Alec was taken aback momentarily. He had no idea what Razilees Hilintics' lesson consisted of. The ability to see dead was rare, and the Council safeguarded those with the ability and the teachers closely. Alec watches as Razilee stands, grabbing the crutch next to the couch and heading into the kitchen.

Want anything? Razilee questions, rifling through the fridge.

Alec turns to keep face with her. Umm… no. Anyway, what do you know about—

She interrupts him, When you worked with the 'Outs' police. I know it happened during the 1940s during the Second World War when Nazi ideologies flooded into Colminon. There was a push for just nobility families. You have papers in cursive?  she asks, pulling out the milk.

Yeah, they were brought up from storage. It's related to a case… Alec snorts.You do that thing! he suddenly exclaims, watching as she breaks a few cookies into a bowl and pours milk over them.

What? she asks, watching as he leans over the back of the couch.

Incredulous, he says, I thought my brother was the only one who ate cookies out of a bowl like cereal.

Razilee looks down at the bowl, laughing. It had been the only way either of them had ever eaten cookies. They both pause, hearing the door to the master bedroom open. Shar steps out in a robe and rubs her eyes, looking at Alec who had shifted from sitting to lean over the back of the couch like an unkempt teenager to look into the kitchen and Razileee with a bowl in hand.

I swear when the two of you are together, you act more like unruly siblings than uncle and niece. Alec gets up off the couch and straightens out his shirt.

We didn't wake you, did we? he asks, checking his watch and seeing it's nearly eleven.

No, no. She waves, picking up a cookie from the kitchen counter. I was going over files for court. We have more evidence none of us can make heads or tails of, though.

The loop writing? Alec asks, approaching to steal a cookie from the same plate.

How did you know? Shar replies, pushing her long blonde hair behind her ear.

We've had a flood of files as well, Alec says, kissing her cheek, cookie crumbs sticking to her bare skin.

Cursive, Razilee tells them matter-of-factly. The loopy stuff you guys are referring to is cursive.

And how do you know that? Shar questions, crossing her arms across her chest.

Alec suddenly puts his finger up. He goes to the coffee table and picks up the notebook, then hands it over to Shar. The kid writes it.

Ambros. Shar says, running her hands through her hair, The Council is going to have a hay day with this.

Hello? Razilee chirps, waving her hand in front of the two of them. I'm right here. What’s the big deal about me being able to read and write cursive?

I've had some of our best taggers on this, and they've been stuck for months,Shar explains, putting the notebook down on the kitchen table. Where did you learn this?

School, Razilee tells her between bites, I learned when I was eight. She suddenly burst into laughter.

What? both Shar and Alec ask at the same time.

It used to piss Dad off. When I was mad at him, I would write these awful letters to him, knowing full well he wouldn't be able to read them. I would write in cursive because he could never read it. That makes sense now. But you guys didn't answer me; why is it so important that I write and read this?

Because we've, Shar leans on the island in the kitchen, lost a lot of documents because it's written in this old Lunkick that looks like this, and we can't read it.

Cursive is used a lot in the Outs. I get that the separation of Colminon and the Outs, led to a loss of shared culture. But why do you guys have documents written in cursive? Alec sighs, watching from the living room as his niece pulls herself up into the barstool at the kitchen island.

Because, Alec says,  The Council wasn’t always so restrictive, between travel to the ‘Outs’. We at one time had relations with political leaders in the Outs.

I still don’t get it. Razilee begins, I mean, I do but I don’t; Ambrous created both Omega and Alpha, humans. I know that war changed the relations between the two. And Noone changed everything by giving powers to Alpha. But the decision to separate and seal the two away from each other in their own planes of existence makes sense. But it still doesn’t make sense why Deffers, the Gathers, collect only certain things.

That’s just how things are, Shar tells her, waving her hand from side to side. Don’t question, just follow the Council on the matter.

Chapter Two: Nightmares

The moon casts a shadow on the man who dares to be out, just as a storm is rolling in. Another man approaches the first from behind, pulling his coat up as if it’ll do any good.

He asks, Telk, what are you doing?

Telk turns his head, looking at Victor, who keeps shuffling his coat from side to side behind him.

Don't you feel it, Victor? Telk exclaims

If you mean how it's cold out, then yes, Victor replies, looking at his boss.

Telk takes a seat with his arms down, sitting comfortably atop the picnic table.  The park was empty this time of night due to the city wide curfew. No, Victor, not this. Not this. It feels different than what it was.

Victor watches as Telk adjusts his coat.

I can feel the tide of change coming, Telk says  Now, what brings you by on this lovely night?  He tilts his head to the side.

If you can call it that,Victor thinks to himself. He hates the cold icy rain that’s gracing the border of the city where they live. He’s just thankful it isn’t snowing.

Telk smiles. Did you hear Dazzler’s and our good news?

That the two of you are expecting your bundle of joy in late spring? Victor nods, his head sucking the snot up his nose. I don't get how you can be out here; it's freezing.

Telk jumps from his spot. Walk with me, Vic, he says, waving his hand above his head gesturing to the larger man to follow into the thicket nearby. They walk for some time in silence until they reach the marsh. Telk reaches down, touching the semi-frozen surface of the murky water. Do you remember what happened here three months ago?

The girl. Noticing Telk raising his eyebrows, Victor elaborates, Razilee got away. Victor reaches into his coat pocket, pulling out a pair of gloves. Why did you bring me down here?

Pulling his gloves on, he hopes that Telk isn’t going to blame him for her escape three months ago. There was very little they could do. No one had been expecting the girl not to side with them, to become their mouthpiece, so to speak. Razilee was a half-breed, after all, everything the Council and the members of Colminon hated. And Telk had offered her acceptance, but she had declined.

Victor might be a cold-blooded killer, the reason for Telk’s trust in him, but Telk is in a league of his own. He’s not afraid of both moral and ethical lines if he has to, a thought that sends shivers down Victor’s spine.

I want you to get one of the children and have them give this to Rubies. Telk smiles again. Razilee’s niece. He reaches into his pocket, looking for something. Just a little something from me. I've staked out where they will most likely be tomorrow. Telk withdraws a gold ring, twisting it between his fingers, allowing the moonlight to catch it. It quite amazes me that he wore this band with so much pride. I'm glad you took it from him when you killed him. He laughs again, I've studied it. His wife engraved it. Telk tosses the small ring at Victor, who catches it in his right hand. Look at it, he says, sitting down in the wet grass, crossing his arms behind his head.

Victor struggles for a moment, trying to read the etching on the inside of the ring. With love, El. He turns the ring between his fingertips.What do you want me to do with it?

That's what I want the kid to get. Telk leans back down.As a reminder, she'll get the message.

He reaches up with one free hand, offering him a Husnic. Victor snorts, snatching the long wooden stick from him, fumbling to find his lighter. He lets the drug seep into every pore, feeling his ability strengthen. He breathes out, watching as his breath crystallizes in the air.

Telk, however, has no interest in Victor, as his eyes are elsewhere. Across the marsh, he sees her. Her figure is silhouetted against the moonlight, but her shoulder-length hair is frizzed out. Her PJs are evident against the icy surface.

He suddenly stands, catching Victor off guard. Across the marsh stands Razilee, but it’s not her physical formRazilee, Telk calls across the lake.

She looks up, her face startled,  and is gone as quickly as she appeared.

Dream walking, he mutters.

It was simply Razilee’s spirit that had walked across the marsh, not her physical being. It was tucked back in her bed.

~

Razilee is awakened from her abysmal nightmare for which she won’t remember in hours; her cheeks wet, and the sheets twisted around her limbs, like a cobra strangling its prey, from her thrashing in her sleep. Even her breaths trembled. She mutters into her pillow, still half asleep, I’m okay, while images of the marsh still cling to her vision. She sits up and rubs her eyes, pulling the pillow in front of her and buries her face, trying desperately to will the nightmare away.

Her bedroom door is thrown wide open; as Alec rushes to answer the frightened cry she had admitted in the dead of night. He turns on the light in her room as he enters.

Alec puts his hand on her shoulder. He had thought she would make it through the night for once, but that had been wishful thinking. Ever since her kidnapping by Telk three months prior, he nor Shar had been able to sleep through the night. And,neither had Razilee.

Kid, you okay? he asks, receiving a muffled sob in return.

Another nightmare? Shar watches as her husband sits on the edge of Razilee’s bed, from the doorway, at a loss of what to do.

He nods his head, and she sighs.I'm going to get ready to head into the office then, she tells him, shifting a stack of books onto the desk next to her. She pauses, seeing the photo tacked to the wall beside her. Is this Razilee and her mother?

Razilee peers her head up from her pillow, her cheeks stained with tears.Yeah, that's my mom and me, she says, sitting up and wiping her face off. I'm sorry I woke you. She looks at the window watching the rain splatter against the glass. Again.

She shifts, swinging her legs off the bed closer to Alec.

Is that one of Agh-i's shirts?

Razilee picks at the plaid shirt that hangs down near her knees.I stole a box of them the last time we were at grandma's, Razilee says, drawing her legs up on the bed tracing the jagged red scar on her left leg. Doesn't feel right … just pack him up in boxes.

She sighs, looking at the alarm clock on the bedside table; 5:25 a.m.

Going to shower. I have a test this morning in Lunkick. I want to study for a few hours . Razilee stands, a pain squeezing and crawling up her left leg. She hadn't felt pain like that since she initially broke it three years ago in the crash that had killed her mother.

Telk, the Flames leader, a terrorist group in Colmionion, broke it again three months ago. It constantly aches now. Holding onto the back of her shirt while the muscle spasms, Alec says, I'll check with Dr. Lulu.

Razilee shakes her head, It's always going to hurt. She grips the crutch, picking up the towel off the back of her desk chair. It hurt after the accident, too. I’m going to go shower.

Razilee uses the back of her hand to wipe off the mirror in the bathroom.

You really should use a pick on your curls, not a brush.

Razilee jumps, startled upon seeing an older woman in the mirror, a cigar in her right hand. She takes a deep breath; so, today is starting out with seeing ghosts.

I'll take that into consideration, Razilee replies to the older woman touching her hair.

You ignored me all day yesterday, with your music thing. So, you didn’t see me, I assume, the woman says, pushing her half-round glasses up her nose. The woman's long gray hair cascades over her shoulders. You can read cursive?

Yeah, Razilee tells her, adjusting her towel awkwardly. Why?

The woman laughs, the sound reverberating off the small bathroom walls. My dear, do you not know who I am? She shifts, her turtle shell dress clinging to her legs as she puts both hands on Razilee's shoulders, looking at herself in the mirror from behind her. I am the great scribe, Minnie.

Minnie moves her hands and frowns, seeing the confused look on Razilees face.

Do you not know who I am? She turns, sticking her curved nose up in the air. I am the scribe from the Nightmare Trials.

Nightmare Trials? Razilee pulls her wet hair into a short ponytail. What are those?

Minnie looks at herself in the mirror and adjusts the collar of her dress. The trials, my dear.do they not teach about them in school? At this, Razilee shrugs. Minnie huffs, Words, my dear. It's unladylike just to shrug and gesture.

I don't know.I've never heard about it, Razileee slips her shirt over her head, then her school uniform pants under the towel.

Minnie steps in front of the door, blocking her from leaving the bathroom. It was once a Gathers job to record everything in Colmion and outside of it. But now so much is re—

Alec opens the door, and Minnie disappears. You're going to be late.

I am not, she retorts firmly. It's barely seven, and haven't you ever heard of knocking?

Alec laughs, Look, your friends are here.

Razilee peers her head around , seeing Rhy, his dark brown hair uncombed as always, and Andromeda sporting apple green highlights through her hair. Both clad in winter coats over their dark green plaid school uniforms tucked into dark blue jeans.

She sighs, Give me ten minutes.

As Razilee walks into the kitchen, she tells them, Morning. She picks up her coat from the back of the kitchen chair.

Morning, Rhy tells her, trying to stifle a yawn.

You'll have to excuse him, Andromeda says to Razilee, rolling her eyes. He was up late studying.

Sounds like someone else we know. Shar comes out of the master bedroom in jeans and a shirt. Razilee was up last night studying, too.

For whose class? Rhy asks, yawing again.

History, she answers, pulling her coat on. English, Rhy?

Yep,. he says, running his hand through his curly black hair.

Summer school still a threat? Razilee asks.

Hmm… He looks up at her, It’s my last chance not to fail the semester, help?

Show me on the way to school. Razilee replies, pulling on her backpack.

⚘⚘

Tap, tap, tap. Razilee hits the pen on the empty notepad Alec had left out on his desk in the overside open space, at the Deffers headquarters.

Long time, no see. Razilee looks up, seeing Ecrivain, a tagger who had given her the societal marking of a wolf, an oval, and her family name in Lunkick  when she first started living in Colmion.

Hi, Ecrivain, she tells him.

The last time she had seen him had been at her father's funeral. Everyone seemed to know her dad. The funeral had been packed with strangers who told tales of a man she didn’t know. But also about a man who rode the high of risk-taking. A vastly different man than the