Character Interview w/ Kado

Hi Kado, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background?

I am a shadow stalker who was chosen at birth to be trained by our Foramar to replace him upon his death. Auren believes I am a courier, but I have spent the last eighteen years acting as a liaison between the shadow stalkers and the Coalition, the current government of the northern territory of the Serpent Isles. It has been my cover for keeping Auren’s secret. Shadow stalkers do not live among the people of the Serpent Isles, and it was the only way to legitimize my reason for being here. I am very recognizable as a shadow stalker to those who have fought beside us in the war with the Galvadi Empire, which helped the Coalition win their independence. Auren’s presence with me is not unusual because many people who know of us know that we foster our children out to be raised by others.

How did you come to be Auren’s foster father?

As I mentioned, the Foramar fostered and trained me throughout my childhood. When his wife became pregnant, he asked me to foster his child. Auren was born prematurely when the Dark Isle was attacked by the Galvadi. The stress of the attack caused the Foramar’s wife to go into labor. She died in childbirth, and I left the Dark Isle with Auren minutes after her birth.

Its obvious many find you bizarre and hard on Auren. Do you think you’re hard on her?

Absolutely, I have to be, although sometimes I don’t think I’m hard enough on her. Being a shadow stalker is not easy at the best of times. Traveling to and from the shadow world is dangerous, and becomes more so when we start using our powers while partially within the shadow world and partially in the physical one. Auren, more than any other shadow stalker, has other dangers she will have to face in her life, and she needs to be prepared or she will not survive.

What is your purpose for training Auren on the skills you decided to show her?

She needs to be able to survive in no matter what situation she may find herself in. She will need to be able to go to places other people can’t go and hide herself for days, weeks or more if necessary. She needs to be able to survive off the land, making her own tools if necessary. And she needs to know the islands better than anyone else, so she can accomplish all this. Her training will go above and beyond what a shadow stalker would normally endure, because she will face things that the average shadow stalker will never have to face. I believe her father chose me to foster her because I have the foresight to know what she will need to learn.

You have so much experience and knowledge about many things in your time. Can you tell us more about shadow stalkers?

The only thing I can share with you about the shadow stalkers at present is that we were created by the shadow people for a very specific purpose, although it’s not clear to us yet what that purpose is. Many cultures have their gods, mysterious beings who guide civilizations with a purpose that might not be apparent to the people. However, the people will trust in their gods’ will knowing that the gods have more knowledge and power than they do. While the shadow people are not gods, this is the power they have over us. We follow their will without question. In exchange for our obedience, we are given power that goes far beyond the power of any other mortal, which includes an extended lifespan. We will not live forever, but we will live at least twice as long as the average human.

Interview provided by: Kathryn Jenkins

Synopsis:

Shadow stalkers, a shamanic-like race of humans, are believed to be extinct. Their power was so feared by the people of the Serpent Isles, an island chain in the otherwise barren north that some people prefer to pretend that they never existed.

The Galvadi, a society of religious zealots, wages war on the Coalition, who oppose the empire's immoral practices. The Galvadi believe the Coalition is hiding a young shadow stalker who is destined to enslave the people of the Serpent Isles. But only one man knows of this shadow stalkers current location, and he is sworn to protect this child of prophecy.

Auren Trask always knew there was a secret about her past, but she was content to live a normal life. Then a camping trip with her friends turns to disaster when they find themselves on the run from a Galvadi invasion. With the help of Auren's foster father, Kado, they manage to escape, but then he reveals, to Auren, the secret of her past. A truth that will change her life forever.

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