The Descending Darkness

by Michael Chulsky

  Kay laughed. “Maybe, but I’m young and I have my health. So I’m not too concerned.”

  “I wouldn’t count on that,” Shadow replied.

  Kay rolled her eyes. “Oh please, are you going to kill me? I told you all I know already. Besides, you’d waste precious time you could be using to save your dearest Cameryn.”

  Ryan looked as though he was going to retort, but instead took a breath and shook his head. He threw a glance at Kay. “Looks like today is your lucky day, but eventually, your luck is gonna run out. Remember that.”

  “Oh, I’m shaking,” Kay replied, flicking her hand at him dismissively. “I think you’re the one who’ll need luck when Maedara is done with you. You guys don’t stand a chance.”

  Shadow noticed Ryan about to go after her and grabbed him by the arm. “Don’t let anger cloud your judgment. Violence against her isn’t worth it. She’ll pay for what she’s done, eventually.”

  “Yeah, whatever,” Ryan said. He walked out of the room.

  Shadow followed Ryan, but hesitated in the doorway. He looked back at Kay and felt a surge of emotion – both guilt for trusting her in the first place, and guilt for not being able to save her from the path she was on. It was her choice, ultimately, but he couldn’t help but feel remorse. “Just so we’re clear, Kay…our deal only stands for right now. After I leave here, we’re enemies. You’d better hope we never meet again. Because next time – I won’t hesitate, and I will kill you.”

  Shadow sprinted through the house and through the front door. He reached the jet, and everyone was already inside, waiting for him. He closed the door behind him and didn’t have a chance to settle himself before he felt the takeoff sequence initiate, and someone came rushing up to him.

  “Shadow!” Ellie exclaimed. “Ryan was saying some crazy things…but they didn’t make much sense. How can Cameryn be in danger?”

  “It was Kay,” Shadow replied, his face stoic. “Our suspicions were true. She was working against us from the beginning. She was a spy for Maedara, who’s gone after Cameryn.”

  “Damn her!” Ellie cried, balling her hands into fists. “If we didn’t have to go rescue Cameryn, I’d go and beat the crap out of her!”

  Shadow didn’t know how to reply, so he didn’t bother. Instead, he pulled out his communicator and pressed the talk button. “Cameryn – are you there?” He waited a few seconds. “Cameryn?” He waited a couple seconds. “Cameryn – please pick up, this is an emergency.” More seconds went by and still no response. He released a stream of expletives and threw himself down into the nearest seat. It was a long shot, but he had to try.

  Ellie went over and sat down in the seat next to him. “Shadow, don’t worry…nothing will happen to him. We’ll find him before it does.”

  “Yeah, don’t sweat it,” Ryan said bracingly. “Cam is strong; he’s been through a lot. He can handle anything.”

  Shadow sighed. “I hope you’re right.” He had to believe they were right, because entertaining any other thought would cause him to lose it, and he couldn’t do that. If anything happened to Cameryn, he was going to kill both Maedara and Kay. And speaking of Kay, he remembered something important. He turned to Ellie. “Where’s Isaac?”

  “He’s back here,” Ethan called. “He’s sleeping…and given the situation, I thought it would be best not to wake him up.”

  “He was really able to sleep during all this?”

  Ethan gave a small smile. “With a bit of help from me, yes.”

  Shadow opened his mouth to reprimand, but decided against it. He didn’t want to condone one teammate using their powers against another, but he wasn’t going to argue, because he didn’t have the energy to deal with Isaac in his present state. His primary focus was getting to Cameryn and saving him from whatever Maedara had planned. The thought of travel brought something else to mind. “Who initiated the takeoff sequence?”

  “I assumed it was Faith,” Ryan said.

  “No,” Faith replied, from a distance. “I’m here in the back, sitting next to Ethan.”

  “It was Niki,” Ethan said.

  “Niki?” Shadow repeated. He pulled out his communicator. “Niki, come in.”

  Niki’s voice came through the speaker. “I told you, Ethan, I got this!”

  “It’s not Ethan. It’s me, Shadow.”

  “Oh…my bad. What’s happenin’ captain?”

  Shadow rolled his eyes. “Listen, I need you to input the following coordinates into the computer, okay?”

  “Fire away,” Niki replied.

  Shadow repeated the coordinates Kay gave him into the speaker. “Did you get that?”

  “Aye, aye, sir!”

  “You sure you can trust her with this?” Ellie asked, with a look of unease on her face. “I mean, Niki is cool and all…but she’s a little odd.”

  “She got us in the air, didn’t she? Besides, it’s not like she has to do much work. The plane flies itself, mostly…so I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

  “Well,” Ryan began, with a dark look on his face, “at least if we die in a plane crash, Maedara won’t be able to kill us.”

  Shadow shrugged. He honestly didn’t care if Niki flew the plane right into the side of Maedara’s house as long as they got there in time to save Cameryn from whatever she had planned for him. It was true that Cameryn was resilient, but everyone had their limits, and if his were reached, he may not come back from it. And he would never forgive himself if something happened to him. “Don’t worry, Cameryn. We’re on our way!”

  10

  All Hail The Queen

  “Are we almost there?” Shadow asked. He had tried the door, but it wouldn’t open, so he was forced to talk through the cockpit door screen. “Also, why is the door locked?”

  “We are close, yes,” Niki replied. “And the door is locked because I can’t have distractions. But don’t worry it’s all whip – as in cool. We’ll be there soon.”

  Shadow narrowed his eyes but didn’t feel the need to argue. He went back to his seat and tried to formulate a plan for when they landed. Based on everything that happened so far, he knew it was probable they’d enter into a confrontation with Maedara herself. Whether or not it would be just a battle or the battle remained to be seen. But he couldn’t walk into the scenario blindly. He would have to think of something to get them out of it alive. Unfortunately, all he could think about was Cameryn and how he was doing. “Damn it…I need to focus, or we’re done for.”

  “Are you okay?” Faith asked, sitting in the seat adjacent to him.

  Shadow jumped slightly in his seat. “What? Yeah, I’m okay. Why do you ask?”

  “It’s okay, you don’t have to put on a brave face for me, or for any of us. We all know you’re worried about Cameryn…but we’re almost there. So you–” she paused and smiled “–need to have faith that everything will be okay.”

  “She’s right, you know,” Ethan said, staring out the window. “I know it’s difficult, given how much you’ve been through and all of the things you’ve seen, but even when you can only see darkness, light still exists within.”

  Shadow leaned forward and rested his chin on his palm. “It’s easy for you to say, Ethan. You’re an angel…the light has never rejected you, so you don’t know what it’s like to have faith and be let down; to hope and dream for something for so long and never have it come true. How could you possibly understand what that feels like?”

  Ethan gazed at him with a serene look upon his face. “You may not think that I’m human, but I am closer to it than my brethren…much like yourself. I was born into this body. I’ve lived nineteen years on Earth as a human and know how it feels to be human but also not. I know how it feels to wish, dream, hope, and desire. I’ve seen people lose faith and then, by great miracle, have it restored, stronger than ever. Trust me, I know.”

  Shadow took a moment to absorb his words and then ran a hand through his hair. “You’re right, and I’m sorry. It’s unfair of me to lash out at you.
Please forgive me.”

  “It’s alright,” Ethan said, placing his hand on Shadow’s shoulder. “Even the best of us can lose our temper when faced with a loved one being in danger.”

  “None of us hold it against you,” Faith said. “We know how much you care about him. But you have to believe me when I say that all of us are worried too. We care about him, too.”

  Ellie nodded. “I see the look on your face…you’re uncomfortable, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, I am. I’m going through so many feelings that I haven’t felt before…or don’t remember feeling. And it’s been overwhelming.”

  “Everything you’re feeling is natural,” Ellie replied. “What you’re feeling is what being human is…you’ve never cared about anyone this much before, have you?”

  Shadow looked fixedly at the ground. “No, I haven’t. I’ve spent my entire life isolating myself from other people. I didn’t want to run the risk they’d get hurt…like my mother and my foster parents. I never wanted to get close to anyone ever again. But then I met the seer, and she told me I had to find you guys and it was important that we all form a strong bond.”

  “And we have,” Faith said, casting a fleeting glance at Ethan. “You’ve done a wonderful thing, Shadow, bringing us all together. You’ll never know exactly how grateful we all are, how much joy you’ve brought all of us. Not just because we’re happy to be safe, but because we’re happy with the friendships we’ve made.”

  “How could you say that?” Shadow replied, his temper rising again. “If it weren’t for me, you guys would be safe. By bringing you guys together, I’ve put you all at risk. If it weren’t for me, then Kay wouldn’t have been able to betray you. Do you have any idea how much restraint it took to not give into the vampire side and succumb to the urges telling me to kil–”

  “Wait a minute!” Isaac shouted, jumping up from his seat, and made his way to the front where the rest of them were.

  Shadow glanced at Ethan who threw him an apologetic look. It would seem that whatever type of power Ethan used on Isaac had worn off. He dreaded the conversation he knew was coming, but he forced himself to make eye contact with the young boy in front of him. “Yeah?”

  “Did I just hear you correctly? You saw Kay?”

  “Yeah, I did. I would have mentioned it…but when I came back you were sleeping, so I thought it would be best to wait until you got up.”

  “You could have woken me,” Isaac replied. “But what happened, and where is she? Why didn’t she come back with you guys?”

  Shadow’s fingers tightened around the armrests on his seat. “Isaac…when I found her, she confirmed our suspicions. She admitted to everything Ellie and Cameryn accused her of. And she also admitted to betraying us and working with Maedara. I’m sorry.”

  Isaac shook his head vigorously. “That can’t be true – you’re making it up!”

  “If you don’t believe me, ask Ryan. He was there and heard her, too.”

  “Well?” Isaac demanded, looking at Ryan.

  Ryan met his gaze and raised an eyebrow. “Well what? Shadow isn’t lying. I don’t know why you think he would. Everything he said was the truth.”

  “I don’t believe either of you! Why else would you let me sleep and not wake me up to talk to her? It’s because you’re hiding something!”

  “Isaac, please,” Ellie said, holding her hands out and trying to diffuse the situation. “Your getting angry and refusing to see reason isn’t helping.”

  “Nobody asked for your opinion, Ellie,” Isaac spat. “So sit down and shut up.”

  “Isaac!” Tereya gasped. “You shouldn’t snap at her like that. Apologize!”

  “No,” Ellie said stiffly. “I don’t want his apology.”

  “Good. Because you’re not getting one until someone tells me the truth. Kay is my friend. There’s no way she’d just leave without seeing me. She loves me.”

  “Isaac, you’re being really stupid,” Ryan said, tapping his foot in impatience. “Get it through your thick skull: Kay was working for Maedara the whole time. Kay was passing information to Maedara about us. She doesn’t care about any of us.”

  “Shut up!”

  “Isaac, please,” Tereya said softly. “I know that you care about Kay a lot…but nobody here would lie to you. Cameryn is in danger because of her…she told Maedara where we live and her men abducted him. He could be hurt.”

  “Stay out of this, Reya.”

  Tereya flushed, but shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t. We’re supposed to be friends, and friends tell one another when they’re wrong. And right now you’re wrong. Cameryn is in danger – don’t you care? Saving him should be more important than your hurt feelings.”

  Isaac brought his hands to his mouth and growled into them. When he was done, he brought them down, balled up and tense. “I understand that Cameryn is in danger, but Kay means more to me than he does, so I’m not putting my feelings aside for him. Sorry.”

  Shadow slowly rose up from his seat. “We are a team, Isaac. And being part of a team means knowing when to put the good of the team before yourself.”

  “Oh, so we’re a team when it comes to saving Cameryn, but not Kay?”

  “That’s not how it is at all,” Ryan replied, rolling his eyes. “Once again, you’re proving yourself to be a real jerk. Quit being a baby.”

  “Shut up, Ryan!” Isaac yelled. “You don’t get to tell me how to feel. At all!”

  “Enough,” Shadow said, his voice low. “Isaac, I’m not dealing with you right now. I do not have the patience nor energy. Not when I need to be focusing on thinking up a plan for when we encounter Maedara. So please get out of my face and go sit down.”

  “No, I’m not going anywhere until we talk about this.”

  “Then you leave me no choice,” Ethan said softly, before Shadow could respond. He dashed toward Isaac with an incredible burst of speed. One second he was a few feet away and the next he was inches away from Isaac. “Sleep,” he whispered. And then Isaac fell forward into his arms. He looked up and saw that everyone was watching him, and he smiled apologetically. “It’s a shame I had to knock him out twice tonight…but we have more pressing matters to deal with.”

  “Whatever the case, thank you,” Shadow said. “How long will he be out?”

  “You’re most welcome,” Ethan replied. “We have an hour or so until he regains consciousness. So be aware that you’re going to have to deal with Isaac and his Kay issues at some point. I simply delayed the inevitable for a while.”

  “I liked you better when you were quiet,” Ryan remarked, a smile spreading across his face. “After all, strong and silent Ethan is much less scary than knock-you-out-with- a-touch Ethan. Besides, why have you never used that on Tristan? It would have saved us from a lot of headaches!”

  “Speaking of Tristan, why has he been so quiet?” Shadow asked.

  “He’s passed out,” Faith said. “Though I’m surprised he can sleep through all of this.”

  “Don’t look at me,” Ethan said, preemptively. “Although tempting, I have never used this power on anyone but bad guys…and now Isaac.”

  “It’s a shame the two are now one,” Crystal said sadly.

  “Indeed…but who knows what the future holds? I’m sure things will turn out as they should.”

  Ellie nodded, a solemn look on her face. “Ethan’s right. Unfortunately, it’s not up to us. It’s up to him to make the right decision. All we can do is wait and see.”

  “We land in two minutes!” Niki announced over the loud speaker.

  “Everyone brace yourselves,” Shadow said. “It’s Niki, so chances are the landing will be bumpy.”

  After a rough landing, Shadow led the way off the jet and onto the sandy soil of their destination. As he waited for them to gather up, he stared up at the sky and frowned at the black smog staring back at him. He should have been happy that he could leave the castle so close to sunrise, but instead he found himself determined to set th
ings right.

  “You’re all welcome for the speedy trip,” Niki said with a bow. “I knew I could fly – and there were nonbelievers amongst you.”

  “Niki, you almost crashed,” Ryan pointed out, incredulously.

  “Almost doesn’t count – except in horseshoes.”

  Ryan blinked. “Yeah, and in near-death experiences.”

  Niki smiled and wagged her finger in reproach. “Key word being 'near' death.”

  “Enough, you two,” Ellie said. “Shadow’s trying to say something.”

  “Thanks, Ellie,” Shadow replied. “As you all know, we’re here to rescue Cameryn…but that’s not all. We’re going to stop Maedara once and for all.”

  “You mean today?” Tristan asked, his voice strained.

  Ryan rolled his eyes. “No, he meant next week…why, do you have somewhere better to be, Tris?”

  “It’s just…are we ready? We’ve only trained for a few months. How do we know we’re strong enough to take her on?”

  “He has a point,” Crystal chimed in. “I mean…as much as Tristan could possibly have a point, that is. We’ve not trained that much to deal with someone like her.”

  Shadow raised an eyebrow. “I don’t disagree. But unfortunately a lot of valuable time that you guys could have spent training was spent arguing and shopping.”

  Crystal blushed. “Well, you may have a point…it might have been a good idea for us to not do those things, but–”

  “–and whose fault is that?” Ryan bellowed.

  “–there’s no point in throwing around blame. I’m just saying.”

  “Arguing with each other isn’t going to help,” Shadow said. “You’re both right. I would have preferred more time for training, but unfortunately we don’t have that luxury, thanks to Kay. Maedara knows where we live…she’s already taken one of you hostage. If we don’t take her out now, she’ll be picking us off one by one. And I’m not letting that happen.”

  Faith gave a murmur of appreciation. “This is a scary situation. But we can handle it…as long as we all work together. So let’s not sweat the details okay?”