Shadowlight (Lightkey: The Intrepid Lucy Duceaul, Book 3 - PART 1)

by Elon Vidal

  Lucy couldn't wait to tell Madge what she found out in the morning. She would inevitably give Lucy an an earful when she confessed that she had snuck out to gain such information, but it was worth it if they could fit the many puzzle pieces that were rapidly turning up.

  “Oh, someone's out looking for us,” Ivar whispered, pointing at something.

  Lucy squinted as she got closer to the house, and recognized the messy red hair in an instant. Ivar was out waiting for —

  Wait, Ivar was with her, standing by her left. Nope, there was no one on either side of her anymore, nor behind her, nor on any other possible direction she could think of. Ivar was leaning on the front door, arms crossed.

  How in Gaia's garden…?

  “I'm confused,” Lucy began as she came closer, “why are you here? How did you get here so fast? I thought we were walking together. It's not funny, Ivar. I really thought we'd been caught.”

  Ivar frowned. “What are you talking about, Lucy? I've been waiting for you right here since I discovered you were gone. I was gonna alert the others, but I sensed your well-being through your bracelet and knew you were okay and close by.”

  Lucy's breath caught in her throat. She couldn't believe what she was hearing and seeing.

  “Ivar… you followed me to the Prism monument tonight.”

  Ivar hummed, looking deep in thought. “I never heard of that before, not to mention being there with anyone. Lucy, are you sure you're okay?”

  Lucy didn't know her hands were trembling, until Ivar took a hold of them with his and peered into her face with a look of deep concern. If this was Ivar, then who had she been with all this time?

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Land of the spirits, lips sealed in death.

  Secrets beyond the grave.

  Excerpt from the Lumenary Prophetiae

  The ‘morning’ at Netherim was a dull sky that looked gray like it was about to rain. But nevertheless, it brought sufficient light to see. Still, they had to keep the lights on to see and not fall sick because of the darkness.

  “Alright, I want you to calm down and explain what had happened, slowly,” Madge said, pouring a glass of herbal tea for Lucy.

  “But I just told you everything,” Lucy said, taking the tea from her. “I thought I had snuck out with Ivar, but on getting back here, the other Ivar spotted someone at the door and was gone when I looked back, leaving me with only the real Ivar.”

  “It doesn't make sense,” Madge sighed, sitting opposite Lucy at the dining table. “How can there be two Ivars?”

  “I mean, it's possible, but not that possible,” Ivar said, sitting beside Lucy. “There's gotta be a difference somehow. Did you notice anything? Speech pattern? Movement? Facial features? Habits?”

  Lucy set her tea on the table and rubbed her temples with her fingers. “Everything was the same. I didn't notice anything off, Ivar.”

  “Did he have this?” Ivar pulled up his dark green sweater's sleeve to reveal a light pink patch the shape of a flame. It covered the part were the arm connected to his shoulder, and spilled a bit farther down to his bicep in small dots. “My birthmark.”

  Didi walked into the kitchen and immediately spotted Ivar's arm. “Oh wow, that looks cool.”

  Ivar quickly tugged his sleeve down to cover it and rubbed the back of his neck while looking away.

  “Birthmarks are unique to an individual, so if that really wasn't Ivar, he wouldn't have the mark,” Madge explained.

  Lucy thought long and hard. She hadn't been paying much attention to the other Ivar. Did he have a birthmark? He wore a short-sleeved T-shirt, and she knew she saw the bicep of his arm, so that meant…

  She shook her head. “He didn't have it. At least I would have seen it peek out beneath his sleeve, but there was nothing there.”

  That was when Lucy realized Ivar mostly wore long sleeves. She didn't even think he ever wore short sleeves. Was he embarrassed about the birthmark?

  Madge sighed. “Just when you think you have enough to deal with, another trouble is added to the load.”

  Lucy subtly sighed in relief; Madge had forgotten to scold her.

  “And don't you do anything as foolish as wandering off without telling me again, young lady,” Madge scolded, pointing a warning finger at Lucy. “You could have gotten hurt.”

  Okay, maybe she hadn't totally forgotten.

  Lucy mumbled an apology. “I'm sorry, Madge.”

  “Don't worry, we'll find the impersonator,” Ivar said, patting Lucy's hand.

  Didi grabbed a spoon from the counter and pointed it at Ivar's chest. “How are we sure you're not the fake Ivar?” she asked with narrowed gray eyes.

  “Uh… the birthmark, and I also know you have a pet pig named Cutie Pie,” Ivar answered with a nervous laugh.

  Didi only moved the spoon closer. “How are we sure the other Ivar doesn't know that, huh? Right, we don't know if he knows.”

  Phoebe walked in with Molly and Anwar, who had dark circles around their eyes.

  “Whoa, when was the last time you saw a bed?” Lucy asked as Anwar felt his way to her and plopped down on the seat to her right.

  “We stayed up throughout last night, planning how to safely get Anwar's sight back,” Phoebe explained, standing next to Madge.

  “In a cold as hell basement,” Molly added, rubbing his arms even though he was sporting a black sweater.

  “Uh, hell isn't... ” Ivar trailed off. “Nevermind.”

  Lucy scrunched her nose. Basement? Again, that's a lot of space for just one person. What did Wolfe even do for a living? If Lucy didn't know any better, she would have said he got the house specially for their visit, since everything fit them perfectly, from number of rooms to the dining table's capacity.

  “We haven't perfected the plan, but Molly is needed to bring some chaos to trouble the waters,” said Phoebe. “We need someone with healing powers, but the only one with them is Anwar, and he can't heal himself in this case.”

  “What about Madge?” Lucy asked.

  Madge shook her head. “There is no nature here. My powers are not as efficient as it is in other worlds. They're mostly useless in Netherim.”

  “So, that means Anwar can't get his sight back if we don't have a healer go with him?” Didi asked.

  Phoebe nodded, then glanced at Lucy, holding her stare for a few seconds before looking away.

  “Okay, focus. We need to understand the tasks before us, to be organized,” Madge tried to get them back on track with the discussion. “There are shadow dwellers trying to return to the real world, Ivar has an impersonator, Anwar might have to visit the Styx to get rid of his blindness, and there are werewolves after Lucy.”

  “Again, totally not my fault. Wolfe dragged me into that,” Lucy said, placing her chin on her palms.

  Just then, Wolfe walked into the living room. He turned to the ones sitting at the dining table and raised an eyebrow while tying his hair with a rubber band.

  “Did someone call me?” he asked, moving towards the table.

  “‘Mentioned’ is more like it,” Madge muttered.

  “Okay, well, um… You know the witchpetal, right, Lucy?” He turned to face her.

  Lucy nodded. Had he been eavesdropping on them? She had told Madge about the shadow dwellers having someone on their side tap powers from the Netherim witchpetal, this morning.

  “Well, the Netherim witchpetal has been missing from the Museum De Virtute for over three months,” Wolfe said, sitting beside Madge, who visibly tensed at the action.

  “What's that got to do with anything?” Didi asked.

  Wolfe gave a little laugh and told Didi, “You must be new to the Lumenary Prophetiae, aren't you?”

  “Excuse me, I studied that book with my grandma —” Didi started, but Wolfe cut her off by continuing to talk.

  “The Chosen will travel to other lands and restore the witchpetals they guard, in order to bring about the end of days,” said Wolfe, staring at Lucy.


  Lucy scratched her head. “That's what The Witchlight Quest is for, right? To help me find and restore those petals.”

  Wolfe nodded and said, “So, that's why you're in Netherim. You need to find the petal before it's too late. Whoever stole it certainly doesn't have good intentions.”

  Lucy noticed a glimmer of mixed emotions rise to Wolfe's bright blue eyes, but she couldn't make out what he was thinking. Fear? Remorse? Anger? Guilt?

  She internally debated on telling him about her discovery at the Prism monument, but decided against it. If Madge wanted him to know, she would have told him about it herself. Lucy was going to be careful and watch Wolfe for any signs of danger. He’d been helpful and hospitable so far, but eerily so. Why did he know so much about the witchlight quest?

  Wolfe got up from the table. “I have to go meet with a friend to get an update on the Eclipse Pack.” He made his way to the front door, tossing a light jacket on. After he opened the door, he added, “Oh, and Lucy, do keep in mind that if you don't do anything towards fulfilling the prophecy by finding Netherim's petal, it could become a lethal weapon against Lightbringers.”

  After he shut the door, the room was very silent. In the background, the howls of the cold wind drifted in occasionally and wood creaked here and there.

  “What do you think?” Madge asked Lucy.

  Lucy paused and thought about what she'd just heard. If she didn't find the petal, it could be used against her and her kind.

  Add that to their existing problems, she thought with a tired sigh. Netherim was proving difficult to tackle already. The afidite plague at Dracoterra seemed easy compared to all they had to do over here.

  Maybe, if she got more information from know-it-all Wolfe, she would be better-equipped at tackling what lay ahead. That could help propel the prophecy. She had to hurry if she wanted to get a fair start on this.

  “I'm going after him,” she said, jumping up from her seat.

  “Lucy —” Madge started.

  “I'll be safe, I promise. I'll keep in touch… somehow!” Lucy hollered as she ran towards the front door.

  She grabbed a brown coat from the hanger by the door and slipped her arms through it. She tripped as she hurriedly tugged on gray fur boots, but regained her balance and dashed out the door.

  “Wolfe, wait up! I'm coming with you!” she yelled down the street, which echoed several times.

  Wolfe, who was almost at the fork in the road, stopped and turned.

  Ivar came out the door. “Lucy, let me go with you. It's not safe going on your own.”

  “I have a plan, Ivar. Don't worry about me.”

  Ivar looked like he was about to say something else, but slowly nodded instead. “Well then, if you ever need me, ring me.” He raised his left wrist.

  Lucy smiled and raised her left wrist, which held her bracelet. “See you later.”

  With that she turned and jogged towards Wolfe. When she reached him, he had a hand on his hip.

  “Took you long enough,” he playfully rolled his eyes and muttered, before giving her a smile.

  “Not everyone is as fast as a werewolf,” Lucy huffed.

  “Yeah, but at least you can try being a little faster. Anyway, I'm glad you're coming with me. My friend can be a bit… intimidating, sometimes.”

  A sharp wind pierced through Lucy's skin and she let out a soft gasp. It was extremely cold, but there was no snow, but she felt like she was freezing inside out.

  “That can't keep you warm enough,” Wolfe said, shrugging off his jacket and handing it to her.

  “And you think your light jacket can? No, thanks. I'm good.” Lucy pulled her coat closer around her body. She was already starting to shiver, but she didn't want to take Wolfe's coat, partly because he wouldn't have anything to shield himself from the cold.

  “I seriously don't need it,” Wolfe went on. “I'm a werewolf.”

  “Nah, I'm okay with this.”

  Wolfe shrugged and wore the jacket. “Suit yourself.”

  They walked a few steps down the road, opposite the one that led to the Prism monument. Wolfe untied his hair, probably to keep his neck warm using the long dark locks.

  “You could have just let me find out about the update and relay the information to you, than coming out to hear it yourself,” he spoke after a couple of minutes. “Look at you, slowly turning into a human icicle.”

  At this point, Lucy's teeth were chattering and she was shaking beyond her control. Her ears and nose were bright red, and her fingers were starting to go numb on the ends, but she stubbornly pressed on despite the cold.

  “I want to see what I can do about it,” she grunted, hugging herself tighter.

  “I thought you blamed me for bringing you into this?” Wolfe asked with a knowing smile. “Shouldn't I be the one to do something about it?”

  Lucy glanced up at him, then slapped his lower arm with her freezing hand.

  “Ow! What was that for?” Wolfe rubbed his arm and gave an exaggerated pout.

  “For eavesdropping on our conversation.”

  “I didn't. I only happened to hear. My hearing is sensitive, cos I'm —”

  “A werewolf, I get it, Wolfe,” Lucy cut in.

  “I'm sorry if that made you feel uncomfortable, but I just happened to hear, alright? I can't control what I hear,” Wolfe said in a small voice, bowing his head.

  Lucy wasn't sure that was exactly true for Wolfe, but she guessed being a werewolf, with a heightened sense of hearing, would make it difficult to ignore a nearby conversation even if he didn't want to. She sighed, then reached up and patted his high shoulder. “Fine.”

  After walking for what seemed like half-an-hour, and half-freezing to death — mostly Lucy — Wolfe and Lucy arrived at a grand house set in a field of huge colored rocks. They looked so polished and smooth, Lucy would have gone to touch them if she hadn't been turning into an icicle.

  Oh, and at some point, she had accepted Wolfe's jacket.

  They walked up to the large, double front doors, which were opened by two cloaked beings Lucy couldn't identify. They covered everything but their eyes, which glowed an unearthly amber.

  Lucy followed Wolfe through the grand foyer with walls decorated in gold panels and white marble walls. Chaise lounges were set around, and a fountain flowed in the center.

  “This friend of yours… he's seems quite rich,” Lucy whispered to Wolfe.

  Wolfe shrugged. “I guess his job pays well. He picks up souls and leaves them at the gate. You might know him as ‘Death’.”

  Wait, what?

  Just then, a loud voice boomed from an adjoining hall. “Wolfe, long time no see!”

  “Ah, Aeron, how's it going?” Wolfe responded, opening his arms for a hug.

  Aeron?

  Lucy stared long and hard at the tall, pale, skinny man that wrapped his arms around Wolfe. His face was weathered and his eyes were deep-set with dark circles around them. It looked like he hadn't rested in a long time. With high cheekbones and graying black hair, he reminded her of Phoebe.

  “And who do we have here?” Aeron asked, turning his attention to Lucy. He grinned and she somehow felt uncomfortable under his gaze.

  Was this the Aeron she had heard the shadow dwellers talk about? What was Wolfe doing with him? Lucy had followed Wolfe to find out more about the witchpetal and also know how to go about the werewolf thing, but she hadn't been able to say much due to how cold she was. Now, she was starting to think coming alone was a pretty bad idea. If this was the person after the witchpetal, then Lucy was in danger.

  She started gathering the will to summon Ivar, hoping it would work. Now she wished she had paid more attention when Molly was teaching her how to summon a weredragon.

  “She's Lucy, a friend of mine,” Wolfe spoke for Lucy.

  Aeron nodded, and after staring at Lucy with cold gray eyes, like a version of Phoebe's blue eyes drained of color, he turned to Wolfe.

  “Can I… talk to you for a minute?” he as
ked.

  Wolfe nodded, and when Lucy stepped forward, Aeron said, “Alone.”

  Lucy drew back. She watched both of them move towards the hall Aeron had come out from, and before Wolfe disappeared into the hall, he shot Lucy a puzzled look, before following Aeron.