Chasing the Shadows

by Maria V. Snyder

  “Yes, sir,” we say in unison, and hurry off before he changes his mind.

  “At least we can eat together,” Niall says.

  I wouldn’t mind showering together either, but my parents would mind very much. “Yeah, nice of him to switch it up for those two hours. It’ll be our only time together. Do you think your dad told Beau to keep us apart?”

  “No. You’re teamed up with Beau because he has the most experience and you have the least. It’s a standard strategy. You shouldn’t put two inexperienced people together.”

  “That makes sense.”

  “There’s a reason for everything, Mouse.”

  I huff. “Including magical boot prints?”

  “Yes. We just don’t know what it is yet.”

  “I wish I had your optimism, Toad.” I take his hand. It’s dark and I don’t care who sees us. This is the only physical contact we’ll have for the next ten days.

  Niall must agree since he doesn’t pull away.

  The food is standard base food, but it always tastes better when you’re starving. Otherwise, it doesn’t compare to Radcliff’s cooking. I grab a clean uniform before showering. The lukewarm water is on a timer so I don’t dawdle. I’m reluctant to squirm into my jumpsuit after sweating in it all day. Ugh. Pulling it off the hook in the changing room, I sniff the material. It’s not rank. Odd.

  After my shower, I have enough time to visit my parents before I’m on duty again. I enter the command center. Don’t be too impressed. It’s an oversized tent that has a couple tables for meetings on the right side and a double sized sleeping mat for my parents on the left. They’re alone—probably not for long.

  “There’s my girl,” Dad says, sweeping me into a hug. “Did you come to check on your mother? Make sure she’s not plotting to sneak back into the pit?” There’s a gleam in his brown eyes.

  “Spencer,” Mom says.

  He ignores her. “She was just testing the limits, like a toddler, seeing what she can get away with.”

  “Spencer.” There’s more force behind it this time.

  “Sorry, Ming.” He winks at me—not sorry at all.

  My father’s been in high spirits since my parents learned Lan translated the alien symbols.

  I change the subject before Mom kicks him out of the tent. “Did you figure out a plan for tomorrow?” I ask.

  Now Mom’s face lights up. She looks ten years younger. “Cataloging of course, and digitizing the statues. And we’re going to pay particular attention to the symbols on the Warriors. I just wish…” Her excitement dims a bit.

  “You had all of Lan’s research notes,” I say.

  “Yes. It’s such a phenomenal step in the right direction. Finally! And, at the same time, it’s so very frustrating. You’ve no idea.”

  Oh, yes I do. Probably just as frustrating as being interrupted every time Niall and I are alone together.

  “At least we’re actually here,” she says. “And can get some work done. Real work. I only wish…” Mom hugs her arms to her chest.

  “That Phoenix was here?” I finish for her.

  “Yes. He would have loved all of this.”

  “I know, the three of you would have geeked out together,” I mock grumble.

  “You can’t pretend that you’re not excited, too,” Dad says to me.

  “Well, I’m excited for Lan. And I plan, when I have time, to find all her notes for you.” And for her. She deserves full credit and I’m going to do everything I can to make sure she gets it.

  “We have no doubt you will,” Dad says. “What we’re not sure of is…”

  Uh oh. I hold my breath.

  “If you would have pulled your weapon on your mother.”

  “Spencer!”

  I assume a serious demeanor. “I have my orders. If Dr. Daniels is not following proper security protocols, then I will ensure that she does.”

  “Ara!” Mom jabs her finger at the tent’s flap. “That’s enough from both of you. Out!”

  We bolt. Stopping far from the tent, Dad and I share a fit of giggles. After we recover, Dad goes to check on the techs and I find Niall so we can relieve Beau and Elese.

  When they head to the mess tent, I ask Niall about the weirdly smell-proof jumpsuit.

  “It’s that special fabric. As long as you air it out every day it stays pretty clean. If you wear it non-stop for a couple days, it’ll stink,” he says.

  “Speaking from experience?”

  “Unfortunately.”

  We share a smile before parting ways and patrolling the edges of the camp. I don’t turn on my flashlight. Instead, I let my eyes adjust to the semi-darkness. There’s a glow from the camp so it’s not pitch dark. Eventually, Beau relieves Niall. For a while it’s not too bad since there’s activity in the camp. But once everyone goes to sleep, silence descends. And boredom sets in. To keep alert, I alternate between staring out at the empty desert and gazing at the awesome display of stars. With no clouds, no light pollution, and no haze, there’s more white in the sky than black. Also helping to keep me awake is the quickly dropping temperature as the day’s heat radiates out to space. I’m glad to have the extra layer. Niall’s right—the jumpsuit is warm.

  My shift extends into an eternity. By the time Elese relieves me, I’m an old lady. Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but six hours of nothing but my thoughts is torture.

  “Any problems?” she asks while yawning and stretching her long arms.

  “No. Nothing. Zero problems. Am I a bad person if I spent some of my time tonight wishing for some excitement?”

  “Not a bad person. But you know the old adage, be careful what you wish for.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Enjoy the boredom.” I wave and trudge to my tent, ’cause it’s been a very long day.

  It’s warm inside my tent. The material resists wind, sand, and is waterproof. I debate if I should take off my jumpsuit and let it air out. But if there’s an incident, then I’d need to rush to the rescue. Best to leave it on. I slide under the blankets and squirm into a comfortable position.

  Sand is a pain in the ass except in one situation—when you’re sleeping on it. Then it’s soft and molds to your body. Ahhh…

  I’m the first to go into the pits in the morning. Pausing at the bottom of the ladder, I test the air for signs of shadow-blobs—nothing—then I head straight to the center. The fake eggs and toast I ate for breakfast churns in my stomach. I’ve drawn my pulse gun without any conscious decision to do so. Sand crunches loudly under my boots. Too loud. I slow, easing to the edge of the gap. No new footprints. My relief is so strong, I almost stagger.

  Looping around the pit to ensure there’s no shadow-blobs hiding, I return to the ladder to call the all clear. My parents and the techs descend. Mom shouts orders and the techs begin scanning the Warriors with the 3D digitizers. They’ve been told to avoid the middle.

  I stay out of the way and keep watch. But I don’t remain in the gap or I’d go insane with boredom. Instead, I patrol between stretches in the center. Well, I don’t stand right in the middle, just in case the magician pops up. I hover at the edges.

  There are twelve Warriors around the gap. Alien symbols and Chinese calligraphy decorate their armor. At first glance, the two kinds of marks appear to be similar, but once you know the differences they no longer look alike. The alien symbols were etched on an octagonal terracotta box that I reconstructed before I left Xinji and, in time, Lan was able to use that box to translate them.

  Niall was right. The Warriors around the gap have the special alien glyphs. If the looters broke into this pit, would they save these and destroy the rest? My inner guardian lion growls at the thought of these Warriors being harmed.

  Beau brings me lunch and offers to stand watch while I eat—nice of him. When I finish, I ask him to stay a few more minutes so I can make the etchings for Niall. I only need to do eight Warriors, since the four in the corners don’t have any of the alien symbols, which makes sense since it’s a combination of
eight glyphs that represent another Warrior planet. The order isn’t important because only those ones together equal that planet.

  It’s easy to do an etching, just hold the paper over the symbol and rub lightly with the side of the chalk. Niall gave me the black chalk so there’s a nice contrast against the white rice paper. I’m careful not to touch the Warriors as my mother has ingrained in me that the oils on my hands could damage the terracotta. The techs wear gloves. However, when I’m on the fifth one, the paper rips and my knuckles brush the surface.

  Three things happen at once.

  A zap of extreme cold shoots up my right arm.

  I scrape my knuckles bloody.

  And the alien symbol fills with a bright green light.

  Twelve

  2522:215

  I stare at the glowing glyph in shock. Green light fills the grooves. Impossible except…there it is. Hugging my right arm to my chest, I rub it, trying to ease the bone-deep ache from the cold.

  “Is that supposed to happen?” Beau asks.

  I startle at the sound of his voice. My brain registers that, no, the world as I know it hasn’t ended, it just flipped upside down, and, yes, there are other people here. I turn to him. “Get my parents, please.” My voice is weak and shaky.

  “Are you all right?” He steps toward me with his hand extended.

  I jerk back. “Don’t.”

  He stops and a hurt expression crosses his face. “Sorry.”

  “It’s not that. I touched the light. I might be contaminated.”

  “Oh. Okay.” Beau dashes away.

  The muscles in my legs decide to quit working. I sit on the ground. And by the way my heart is racing, I fear a panic attack is imminent. Why does this keep happening to me? As if answering my question, the ice in my arm disappears. I wish I’d never touched that black Warrior heart and instead listened to my mother.

  “What in the world could be so—” My mom skids to a stop with her mouth open.

  “Ming, what—” My father’s brown eyes widen until they’re as big as twin moons.

  They gape before pulling their gazes from the glowing glyph. It appears to be an effort, and, while my parents peer at me, I don’t think they’re really seeing me. Almost immediately, the spectacle recaptures their attention. I wait, but it doesn’t take them long to partially recover from the shock.

  “What…how…” Mom steps closer with an arm outstretched. She halts centimeters before the glyph as her archeological instincts kick in.

  Normally, I’d be amused to see my mother in such a state. This time, it just adds to my panic.

  “I touched the Warrior by accident.” I explain what happened.

  My dad blinks then shakes his head as if waking from a daydream. “That’s it?”

  “HoLFs?” Beau asks me.

  “No.”

  Mom holds out her palm in front of the light. The symbol shines on her skin. “It doesn’t burn.” Mom leans with her head to the side. “No hum or other mechanical noise.”

  “Did you hear anything when it turned on?” Dad asks me.

  “No, just felt a stab of cold.” I’m still clutching my wrist.

  “Like when you touched the heart?”

  “Yes.”

  Mom presses her bare hand to the Warrior. Nothing happens. Then she tries the one next to it. Still nothing.

  “Spencer, gather the techs and have them search all the Warriors for more glows.”

  Dad takes off, shouting for the techs to assemble.

  “Do you want me to try?” I ask, pointing to the second one.

  She clasps her hands together. “We don’t know if this is…benign, or dangerous.”

  Her comment sends my thoughts spiraling. What if I just turned it on and it is going to explode? No, there would be evidence of explosives in other pits, especially the ones that have broken Warriors. Seems my imagination has ventured out from where it fled.

  “What if I touch that one again? See what happens.”

  My mom glances at Beau.

  “Is there any way to tell what might happen?” he asks.

  “No,” Mom says.

  “Then it’s the only way to figure it out. Go ahead, Lawrence.” Beau draws his pulse gun and flashlight.

  Bracing for another zap of intense cold, I brush my fingertips on the Warrior. The glow dies. No spark or zap or anything. It’s rather disappointing. And that’s when the techs appear.

  “What happened?” Dad asks.

  Instead of answering, I touch the Warrior again. The light returns and the techs gasp in unison. I flex my fingers a couple times, but they’re fine. It takes a few minutes to update the techs. A few try “turning on” the other Warriors, but nothing happens. Guess you need to have touched a Warrior heart in order to wake them. But now the big question is: can I do it again?

  I stand, brush the sand from my pants, and tap the Warrior beside the glowing one. Icy pain shoots up my arm. Yelping, I step back, just as the alien glyph flares with green light. Gasps ring and I need to sit down again.

  “Go check to see if any others are lit,” Mom orders the techs.

  They scatter in twelve different directions.

  My dad crouches next to me. “You okay?”

  “Just need…a minute.”

  He settles next to me, rubbing my upper arm. “Deep breaths.”

  By the time the pain dissipates, the techs have returned. No others are glowing.

  “The Warriors around the gap must be important,” Mom says to no one in particular. “Any conjectures?” she asks the techs.

  They offer a few guesses, but I’m no longer listening. Since I’m sitting on the ground, I’ve a good view of the smooth spot of sand that use to be marked with a pair of boots. What if the lights have something to do with those prints? I scan the Warriors around me. What if I wake all eight of them? Would a person appear in the center? Yes, I know it’s a big leap in logic and doesn’t follow any known laws of physics. But deep inside me is an instinctual need to test my theory.

  “Dad,” I whisper.

  He pulls his attention from the discussion. “Yes?”

  I explain my idea. Dad pales, which is quite the feat considering his skin is the color of alabaster.

  “Too dangerous…yet…” He touches the hilt of his pulse gun.

  Ah, he’s tempted. After a few moments, Dad waves Beau over.

  “Does her arm still hurt?” Beau asks. “Should I fetch the medic?”

  “She’s fine.” My dad fills him in on my theory, but Beau’s shaking his head no before Dad can finish.

  “We can evacuate all the techs, you can bring your full team down here, and the trained techs will stand guard on the surface,” Dad tries. “This is the first time anything has happened with the Warriors; we need to investigate every possibility.”

  “I can be ready to turn off one of the symbols if things go sideways,” I say.

  Beau hesitates. “We need to consult with Dr. Daniels.”

  My mother doesn’t need as much convincing. She’s willing to try. Of course, I didn’t remind them that each touch will cause me a great deal of pain. The techs are sent topside. Niall and Elese join us below and are briefed.

  “This is highly dangerous,” Niall says. “We need to bring in the astrophysicists to study this first, and then consult with them and my father before testing anything.”

  He’s right. That’s the smart thing to do. Sure that they’ll agree, I glance at my parents. My mother’s cheeks are flushed with excitement, and she’s tense with determination. I wonder if that’s what I look like when I’m being stubborn.

  “By the time we study and consult with everyone, this phenomenon might disappear,” she says. “This will just be a quick test. If nothing happens, then we’ll rule out one theory.”

  Deep down, I suspect this isn’t temporary, but I keep it to myself. Yes, I’m excited and don’t want to wait either.

  “Come on, Radcliff, where’s your sense of adventure?”
Elese asks, which is the wrong thing to say.

  He stiffens. “If we do this, I want it noted that I advised against it.”

  Everyone glances at Beau. It’s his decision.

  “Noted. We’ll do this,” he says. “Everyone aim your weapon at the middle of the gap. If the magician appears, stun him. Lawrence, if you sense anything amiss, you turn it off. I want your hand a centimeter above the last Warrior.”

  My parents, Niall, Beau, and Elese all spread out, surrounding the center but standing between the Warriors. I brace for the pain as I reach for the next Warrior. It’s just as bad, but I keep from wincing as another green light shines. However, the next one doesn’t add any new pain. Bonus! I wake the other four in quick succession. Then stand right next to that last Warrior, ready to touch it again. I have my pulse gun in my other hand. My heart bounces in my chest. Did I just kill everyone?

  We wait in a tense silence. There are no sounds. No additional lights. No sudden appearance of the magician or his boots. Nothing.

  Five minutes later, still nothing.

  Ten minutes, and nothing.

  “How long are we going to wait?” Beau asks.

  “A few more minutes,” Mom says.

  I’m torn between disappointment and relief. Besides, just because I have a gut feeling doesn’t mean— A small black oval hovers over the center of the gap. It expands. My lungs stop working.

  “Does anyone else see a black shape?” I ask with a squeak.

  “Yes. Is it a HoLF?” Beau asks.

  “No.”

  The blackness grows until it’s about as tall and wide as a Warrior. The hair on the back of my neck stands on end. Niall is opposite of me and, behind him, a wave of green light rises, washing out the white floodlights.

  “The Warriors,” Mom gasps. “They’re all glowing!”

  “Lawrence?” Beau asks in a tight growl.

  “Still no sign of hostiles.” But I sense a state of readiness from the Warriors. Focusing on the blackness, I strain to see inside its depths. The temperature drops and the air thickens, growing heavy. Both signals of shadow-blobs. Yet, I don’t spot any.