Maedara charged forward, closing the gap between them. She grabbed him by the front of his shirt and raised him off his feet. “Would this qualify as…hasty?”
“Let go, this instant!” the king yelled, kicking his legs.
“Stop that,” Maedara said, annoyed. “I already have blood on my dress, I don’t need dirt from your filthy hobbit feet. You said you wanted to talk – so talk. Plead for your worthless life.”
“Maedara, I am the king here. You will put me down and act normal.”
“Still giving orders,” Maedara muttered. She released him. “I guess we’re done.”
The king gave a sigh of relief when she let go of his shirt. “I’m glad you’ve come to your senses. Even though we’ve had a rough relationship, I knew you could never murder your father.”
Maedara’s hand lashed out and her fingers wrapped around the king’s throat. She gripped tighter as he struggled and laughed in ecstasy. “But father, patricide is so in this season…and besides, queen is a much better title than princess.”
She leaned in and opened her mouth wide. A large wave of acid shot out and sprayed over her father’s entire body –his skin sizzled and dripped off his body like hot wax as he disintegrated.
The king's final scream echoed throughout the entire building.
7
The Descending Darkness
A woman with a small baby in her arms ran for her life through a dense forest. She cried as she held her child close to her body. As she ran, patches of briar tore at her skin and made shallow cuts. But the pain was nothing compared to what would happen if her husband caught up to her.
The woman reached a small clearing and half-collapsed to her knees; she was beyond exhausted, and the strain of running for so long had taken its toll. She kissed her child on his forehead and said a small prayer as she brought him over to a thick patch of foliage, using her magic to pull the shadows over him and conceal him from sight. She stepped away from her child and back into the opening, right before a man came into the clearing. They exchanged words. The man lunged at her and wrapped his hands around her neck. He clenched his fingers and dug them into her neck – there was a cracking sound, and she went limp. The man laughed coldly.
Shadow watched in silent horror as the woman’s broken body fell to the ground in what seemed like slow motion. He could only watch as her eyes opened and bugs scurried from them like flood – she screamed. He echoed her. And everything went black.
Shadow jolted awake. He quickly grabbed one of the knives from the secret compartment under his headrest and looked around the room, bracing for an attack. Seeing that he was alone and realizing there was no danger, only a nightmare, he breathed a sigh. It was always the worst part of waking up from a nightmare – the few seconds immediately after when the terror was recent and everything felt so real. He hated it.
He also hated that he dreamt of his mother’s murder in such excruciating detail. Especially considering he should have been too young to remember what happened. It was almost like his mind pieced together everything he had been told about the night she was killed and made a dramatized version of events to play over and over in his mind, driving him crazy.
Shadow rubbed his eyes and picked up the alarm clock sitting on the nightstand by his bed. It read: 12:25 p.m. “I overslept.” He yawned as he rose out of bed and ruffled his hair. He did not want to let the fact that he had overslept ruin his productivity for the day. He figured today would be a good day for some patrolling or training, assuming he could get everyone together. But there was something even more pressing weighing on his mind.
He went over to his dresser and pulled out a tight black tank top, black pants, and a black over-shirt. It was his usual wear, which Crystal had commented on multiple times before, but he didn’t care – it was clothing, and it was comfortable. He slipped on the clothes and then finished getting ready by brushing his teeth, combing his hair, and putting his shoes on.
“Now that I’m ready, I guess it’s time to round them all up.” He walked into the hallway and pounded on every door until he reached the end of the hall. He waited for almost ten minutes, until he heard the sound of doors opening, and watched as his confused team stepped out of their rooms and joined him in the hall.
“Shadow, what’s with the knocking?” Ryan asked, yawning. “You know I like to sleep in on the weekends."
Shadow shook his head in disapproval. “I’m sorry, but you’ll have to deal with it today.” He flicked his hand, signaling them to follow him into the living room.
“Did something happen?” Ellie asked, rushing to his side with a determined look on her face. “What do we need to do?”
Shadow smiled. He appreciated the fact that she never fell apart and was always ready for whatever was thrown at her. It was very endearing. “Everything’s fine, Ellie.”
Ellie gave him a calculating look. “Are you sure? I mean, if we’re sitting on a volcano, I would kind of like to know about it before it erupts.”
“I promise that everything is fine. I just needed everyone to talk.”
Ellie looked at him for a few seconds before shrugging. “Alright.” She paused and looked around the room. “Wait, where’s Cameryn? Shouldn’t he be here if you’re getting all announce-y?”
“I’m letting him sleep in. He’s been through a lot, and he doesn’t need to deal with all of this serious stuff just yet.”
“Oh, how nice for him,” Ryan replied, looking sour.
Shadow ignored him. “Okay, everyone. As we all know, there’s this evil being we’re supposed to be on the lookout for.”
“Yes, this great big evil thing,” Ryan said.
“Yes, and–”
“Evil thing?!” Tristan blurted. “You make it sound like a teddy bear. Like a great big evil teddy bear of doom!”
Shadow gave him a long, slow blink. “Really, Tristan?”
“What?!”
“I’m curious. But do you really think bringing up evil teddy bears of doom was appropriate for this moment?”
Tristan shrugged. “I mean, we’re talking about evil things…they’re an evil thing…soooo, yeah?”
Faith glanced from Tristan to Shadow, and an apologetic look crossed her face. She moved to her brother and put a hand on his shoulder. “Didn’t we have a talk about not annoying Shadow?”
Tristan blushed and nodded. “Sorry. I didn’t realize I was being annoying.”
Shadow rolled his eyes. “Well, you were.” He paused and took another breath. “As I was trying to say before I was interrupted…I was contacted last night by the seer.”
“Oh?” Ethan asked, his voice quiet. “What did she say?”
“She informed me about some potential trouble brewing. Apparently, the demonic world is stirring because something major has gone down.”
“What happened?” Ellie asked.
Shadow shook his head. “She doesn’t know for sure, but she has a contact she’s been in touch with who has been to the demonic kingdom, a young girl. She’s sending her our way. I’m not sure when she’ll be here, but it should be in a day or two.”
“The information should be invaluable,” Ethan said.
“My thoughts exactly,” Shadow replied. “So as soon as she gets here, we’ll know more about the threat we’re facing, and how to…face it.”
“And then we deliver the beat down,” Ryan said.
“Yes, Ryan…we deliver the beat down.”
Crystal cleared her throat loudly. “Since you’re done, mind if I interrupt for a second?”
“But you already are!” Ryan pointed out.
“I was talking to Shadow, Ryan.”
“Yes, Crystal?” Shadow asked, massaging the corner of his forehead.
“We’ve all been working hard,” Crystal said. She glanced around the room as if daring someone to challenge her. When nobody spoke up, her determination seemed to be reinforced. “And because we’ve been working so hard, I think we all deserve a break.”
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br /> “A break…what do you mean?”
Crystal shrugged. “Well, I don’t know…I mean we’ve been stuck in this dark, dreary castle for weeks, and the only time we left was to go to Draconia Isle – which was a poor excuse for an island with no resort or anything at all–”
“Get to the point…please,” Shadow interrupted, through gritted teeth.
“All I’m saying is, we need something fun. We just deserve, like…a chance to blow off some steam. Like maybe one big trip to the mall?” Crystal smiled hopefully.
Shadow snorted and placed his hand on his chin. “You’re joking, right?” he asked. “This is a joke…right?” He paused and searched her face for a single glimpse of humor, but her expression hardened, and he frowned. “You’re serious.”
Crystal placed her hands on her hips. “And what do you mean by that?”
“Weren’t you the one who told Ryan and Tristan off a while ago for being easily distracted when it came to our mission?” Shadow asked, putting his hands over his face. “Now you’re doing the same?”
“Yes, I said those things. And I still believe without a doubt that our mission is important. But I think I’ve sacrificed enough so far. Do you know I’ve been here for three months and have the exact same clothes as I did when I first got here?”
Shadow lifted his head up and raised an eyebrow. “So?”
Ethan palmed his face. “Shadow…no….”
Crystal flushed bright red and her fists clenched. “Do you have any idea how horrible it is to wear the same outfit multiple times?” She eyed him up and then rolled her eyes. “Okay, maybe that was the wrong question to ask. But still. Just because you don’t care what you wear doesn’t mean the rest of us have to conform.”
“Crystal, calm down,” Faith said, shaking her head.
“I’m calm!”
Shadow sighed. He turned to Ethan and held out his hands in a beseeching manner. “Please tell me she’s joking.”
Ethan scratched his head. “I’m sorry. I wish I could.”
“Sorry, but I’m gonna have to side with Crystal on this one,” Ryan said.
Ellie scoffed. “Really, Ryan?”
“I know, I know, I’m usually her biggest detractor, but even a broken clock is right twice a day. And now is that time. I think a trip to the mall would be fun.”
“I’m with them,” Kay said. “It would be nice to get out for a bit.”
“Please, Shadow,” Tristan chimed in, his hands clasped together. “We never get to have any fun. It’s so boring around here.”
“Well, gee. I’m sorry,” Shadow replied stiffly. “I guess life-threatening situations just aren’t as exciting as the name would imply.”
“Now you’re just being dramatic,” Ryan said.
Shadow’s eye twitched. “I’m not sure if you’re properly grasping the gravity of this situation. There are evil people out there who want to hurt and/or kill you.”
“That’s life,” Ryan quipped. “Besides, I don’t know if you know this, but….” He looked around and then leaned closer to Shadow as if he were about to tell a secret. “We have special powers.” He pulled back. “So I think we can handle ourselves fine.”
“I’m not saying you guys can’t handle yourself, Ryan, but–”
“Shadow,” Crystal interrupted, stomping up to him, “this trip will be good for all of us, especially me, and I demand that you let us go!”
Shadow endured another solid minute of begging before he sighed audibly into his hands in defeat. “Fine. Go on your little adventure. But you have three hours.” He glanced at the clock on the wall. “Just make sure you’re back before 4:30.”
“Thanks, Shadow!” Crystal exclaimed, with Ryan and Tristan cheering in the background.
Shadow shook his head and slipped out of the room as they were all chattering excitedly and getting their stuff together. He went back to his room and closed the door behind him, with more force than was probably necessary. It wasn’t like he was unhappy they were so excited; they were his friends – of course he was happy for them. But it did annoy him how nobody thought to speak up about their mission and how important it was to focus. If he was to be completely honest with himself, his frustration was fueled by his own deficiency. An afternoon to the mall was yet another thing he wasn’t able to do because of what he was, and it sucked. He flopped onto the bed. Minutes later, he heard a light knock on the door. “Who is it?”
“It’s Ellie.”
“Come in.”
Ellie opened the door and stepped inside. “Hey. I, uh…I’m sorry for bothering you. I just wanted to apologize.”
Shadow rose to a sitting position and tilted his head, confused. He wasn’t aware of anything she had done to him to make him mad or warrant an apology. “What do you have to apologize for? You didn’t do anything.”
“I know, and that’s the problem. I should have stuck up for you more…and tried to talk them out of it. Especially since it’s not fair that you can’t come with us.”
“It’s fine,” Shadow replied. He hated the fact that his voice sounded huffy. “You don’t have to worry about me. I’m fine.”
Ellie looked at him. “Shadow, it’s okay if you’re upset…I understand. If you want, I’ll stay here and hang out with you. We could chill…pardon the pun.”
Shadow shook his head. He wasn’t going to let her make sacrifices on his account. And he knew she’d be much happier going to the mall than hanging out with him and doing nothing. “No, that’s…not needed. I want you to go to the mall with everyone else and have fun, okay?”
“Are…you sure? Because I don’t have a problem staying here….with you.”
Shadow closed his eyes and took a breath. “Yes, Ellie, I’m sure.” He went over to the door and opened it, hoping she’d take the hint.
“Are you…kicking me out? Do you not want to hang out with me, or something?”
“No, Ellie, it’s not that at all. I just don’t want you being confined to this room like I am. Do you think I enjoy it? Do you think it feels good?”
“No,” Ellie said, “I just thought I could make it better.”
“That’s not your burden. It’s mine.”
“But it doesn’t have to–”
“Go with them before they leave you behind,” Shadow said, turning away from her. He waited until he heard her departing footsteps before turning back around. He shut the door and sighed. He knew that he had upset her – though he hoped it wasn’t too much. It wasn’t like he didn’t want to hang out with her, but he couldn’t do that to her. It was his burden and his alone.
Besides, he didn’t have the time or energy to waste on hurt feelings. He had to put all of his focus into the mission. He had to make sure his entire team survived the big confrontation. And he also had to figure out what the strange woman was planning. Hopefully, the Seer’s contact would provide valuable insight. Until then, the situation with Ellie could wait.
Ellie left Shadow’s room feeling dejected. She had only come to his room to try and cheer him up and show him that she was on his side. It made no sense why he had shut down and become so cold. Couldn’t he see that she was only trying to be there for him? Why couldn’t he just let her in?
She made her way down the hall and back into the living room. She stopped short of the entrance and took a few breaths to calm herself and get rid of the solemn expression she knew was on her face. It wouldn’t go well for the others to see that she was upset. After a moment or two, she felt ready to face the others and entered the living room.
“Ellie!” Tereya called. “Where’d you go?”
“I just went to talk to Shadow for a moment,” Ellie replied. She saw the look of concern forming on Tereya’s face and gave him a reassuring smile. “Everything’s fine, don’t worry.”
“Okay, good. You excited?”
“Yeah…I’m pretty excited. It should be a fun trip. How are we getting there?” Ellie looked to Ethan. “I’m assuming we have a plan, right?�
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Ethan nodded. “It’s already taken care of. Crystal called someone and got a car.”
“Not just any car,” Isaac chimed in. “But a stretch-limo…with amenities! Isn’t that sick?”
“That has to cost…a lot. Crystal, are you sure you can afford this?”
Crystal scoffed. “Ellie, please. It barely made a scratch on my debit card.”
“Okay, then, Paris Hilton,” Ellie quipped.
“Nice one,” Ryan replied, appreciatively.
Crystal rolled her eyes. She opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a small burst of music coming from her pocket. She pulled out her cellphone and examined the screen. “Alright everyone, our ride is here!”
“Is everyone ready to go?” Ellie asked. She glanced around the room. “Wait, where’s Cameryn? Is he still sleeping?”
“No, he isn’t,” Tereya said. “I went to his room and asked him if he wanted to come, and he said he didn’t feel up to it.”
“Oh, okay.” Ellie counted the heads. “I guess it’s just the nine of us then.”
“Yup,” Crystal chirped. “Let’s go!”
Ellie smiled in spite of herself and followed Crystal through the living room, into the foyer, and through the doors all the way down the path until they reached the stretch-limo. She reached for the door-handle, but before she could touch it, her hand was knocked away. Turning to look at Crystal, she didn’t even bother to hide the annoyance on her face. “What?”
“Let the driver do his job,” Crystal said.
Ellie blinked and stepped back as the driver exited the vehicle and opened the door for her. “Oh, well…thank you.” She stepped into the car and took a seat all the way in the back. As the others piled in, she leaned her head back and closed her eyes. She felt a bit emotionally exhausted from the talk with Shadow earlier and didn’t want to talk to anyone. They didn’t live too far from the mall, thirty minutes at best, so a short nap was exactly what she needed.
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