The Darkness of Shadoewynne: Book 3 of the Shadoewynne series

by Penelope Kein

  I cleared my throat as Kait handed the ring back to me. “I assume I dropped my pack. Did you guys grab it?”

  Travis had been looking between David and me. His eyes settled on me, going first to my hair, which had mostly escaped the braid. I pulled out the tie and ran my fingers through it before starting to braid it again. I was almost halfway done by the time Travis answered my question. “Yes, we found it just outside of the camp. One of the straps was torn, so we moved your stuff to my pack.”

  I just nodded as I wondered how that happened. It was strong nylon mesh and I didn’t remember fighting. David just shrugged when I glanced at him. In the long run, it wasn’t important, so I put it out of my mind.

  “We have quarantined the problem in David’s mind but I would like to finish healing him as soon as possible. Is it something we can do here?”

  Eir stared at me as she stepped forward then focused on David. “Hello. I assume you are David. May I please look into your mind?”

  David’s mouth dropped open as his wide eyes found Kait, who shifted his shoulders uncomfortably before he tilted his head at Eir. David stammered, “I would be honored, Oskmeyjar.”

  She snorted. “Please, no formalities. Call me Eir.”

  David just nodded, looking flummoxed. She chuckled as she stepped forward to place her hands on his head, mumbling under her breath about impertinent children. I couldn’t stop the smile, so I put my hand over my mouth to hide it.

  Her eyes slid closed for a moment, before she commanded, “Evalia, attend me!”

  I rushed over, closing my eyes and placing a hand on his head. Quickly, I was standing in front of the wall David and I had built in his mind. Eir eyed me.

  “How did you do this, child?”

  “It was a spur-of-the-moment thing. The sickness had taken over him and claimed that David was gone. I needed to help him, so I attempted to heal him. When that didn’t work, I decided the best thing to do would be to wall it off.” I gestured at the green leaves poking out of the wall. “Obviously, David helped.”

  She tapped a finger to her lips as she watched me. “I see you took my advice to follow your instincts to heart.”

  I wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so I stayed silent. Eventually, she sighed. “What you did was right at the time but it will make it harder for us to heal him. I will need to release the sickness before I can tell what we need to do about it. Step out of his mind.”

  When I opened my eyes, Eir was staring at me with the same expression she had worn in David’s mind. Her long, thin finger still tapping at her lips. After a moment, she turned to Kait. “He is stable for the moment. Let’s move on to more comfortable surroundings, then we can work on healing him.”

  Kait nodded. “There is an outpost a few hours walk from here. We can be there right about dinner time if we leave now.” He turned, and walked away, then spun back to me. “Princess, why don’t you walk with me for a bit?”

  I shrugged and rolled my eyes at David, who was watching Kait with fear in his eyes. The bond told me he thought Kait would never forgive him for hurting me. Ignoring Kait for the moment, I walked over to David and wrapped him in a hug. “It wasn’t your fault and Kait knows that. There’s nothing to forgive.”

  Kait’s eyes were hard as I hurried to join him at the front of the group. I glared at him. “I meant what I said and you better follow it! You are not to be mad at David. He wasn’t himself and he didn’t really hurt me.”

  “You know I can tell when you’re lying, right?” He was whispering, and there was an odd feeling like a blanket over my thoughts.

  “I’m not lying. Are you doing something to me? I feel weird.”

  “I am blocking your thoughts so David can’t hear what we are talking about. Why was there blood on the ring?”

  “When the madness was in control, he pulled the ring off my finger and scratched me. I have already healed myself from that and the other scrapes and bruises. It’s all good. I’m serious, Kait. This is between David and me, and if I say you can’t be mad at him, then that’s that.”

  He stared at me, his mouth dropping open. “Princess, I am…”

  I cut him off. “No, Kait. Drop it.”

  His mouth opened and closed a few times, while he stared at me, looking disconcerted before he finally nodded. He cleared his throat. “What else happened? I’m feeling quite a bit of self-loathing from David and it doesn’t appear to be just from kidnapping you.”

  My face felt like it was on fire. “That is between David and me as well. Don’t worry about it. I’m handling that too.”

  He smirked at me. Apparently I hadn’t hidden my thoughts well enough and he had figured out at least a part of it. He stopped walking, his arm shooting out, wrapping around my waist to pull me to him. He whispered in my ear. “So, you like it a little rough, huh? I’ll have to remember that.”

  I buried my burning face in his chest. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  Chuckling, he released me, but caught my hand and brought it to his lips as he walked. “Okay.” He paused as I went weak with relief. Then he ruined it by saying, “For now.”

  My eyes went to him and he winked at me. Now it was my turn to be speechless. As much as I love the guys, and being with them, it isn’t something I am comfortable discussing with them. It makes no sense, but that’s how it is. Kait leaned over and whispered, “That’s the good thing about being with two mind readers. You don’t really have to discuss it.” I just shook my head.

  He went back to our previous discussion. “I can’t promise I won’t be mad at him but I will do my best not to act on my anger.” That was fair, so I nodded. He continued, “What did you do to quarantine the madness?”

  The odd smothering feeling on my mind went away as I described what had happened. Kait was silent, even after I finished. Eventually, he said, “That’s not what I would have done, but it seems to have worked for now, so I can’t complain.” He held up a hand as I opened my mouth. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. Hopefully, it will hold until we get to where we are going.” He swung our hands a little as we walked.

  “Hey, Kait.” I made my voice as cutesy as possible. If I was going to get him to agree to what I wanted, I would need all the feminine charm I could muster up. He snorted.

  “Yes, Princess?” I could tell he knew I was up to something since he was watching me out of the corner of his eye.

  Still using the cute voice, I started, “You know how we were talking about going on a vacation during Spring Break?”

  “Yes?” He sounded amused. I think he knew where I was going with this, but I forged ahead.

  “I’m really tired of the cold, so I was thinking someplace tropical here in Shadoewynne.”

  “Okay. Did you have someplace specific in mind?”

  “Well, you know how much I love animals, and…”

  I didn’t get any farther than that before he interrupted. “No, we will not visit a dragon nesting ground.”

  I stomped my foot. “But, Kait. You said I could pick!”

  He chuckled. “I did, but I assumed you would be reasonable. Dragon nesting grounds are more than dangerous, Princess. It’s suicidal to go to one. Dragons are territorial when they aren’t nesting. Add baby dragons, and their eggs, and they go insane. It is literally impossible to get closer than five miles without being attacked. No one alive has ever seen a nest.” My face must have shown how crestfallen I was because after glancing at me, he added, “We can go stay by one but you have to agree not to try to search it out. We will see plenty of feral dragons in the surrounding area.”

  “Yay!” I jumped toward him, all but tackling him as I hugged him. He smiled at me bemusedly. I giggled as I let him go. Maybe I could find a new pet while we are there.

  I didn’t see him shake his head at me, or the shrug he directed at David when he raised an eyebrow.

  I daydreamed for a couple of minutes before Kait pulled on my hand to get my attention.

  “H
uh?” I blinked at him.

  Sighing, he said, “Did you hear anything I said?”

  “Yeah. You said we can stay near a dragon nesting ground and I will get to see more dragons.”

  “And after that?”

  Oh, shit. “Uh, did you say something after that?”

  “That’s what I thought. Never mind. It wasn’t important.”

  A quick glance at his face told me that was a lie. “Kait. Don’t lie. I’m sorry. I got wrapped up in my head. What were you saying?”

  “This is something we need to talk over with David and Travis as well, but I was wondering where you want to live, and what you want to do, once we heal David.”

  My mind froze. I hadn’t thought past healing David. What did I want to do? Should I go back to school? Did I want to live on Earth or on Shadoewynne? Where would I live? My thoughts went around in circles until Kait took my face in his hands. I had stopped walking without realizing it.

  “Princess, you don’t have to choose right now. It’s just something to think about. We can take it day by day. The rest of the semester is shot, so you don’t have to decide for a couple of months.”

  Suddenly, sadness almost overwhelmed me, but I fought it back. He raised an eyebrow at me. I wasn’t going to answer, so I shook my head, then changed my mind. “Kait, I don’t have a place in either world right now. I don’t belong anywhere.”

  He kissed me gently. “You belong with us.”

  I nodded. That was true. Wherever they go, that’s where I should be.

  But that didn’t help me with my dilemma. I can’t just follow them around like a lost puppy with no purpose to my life.

  Kait pulled on my arm gently to get me moving again. After a few minutes, I realized I could not make this decision on my own. “Like you said, we need to discuss this as a family. I agree that I belong with you all, but I’m not going to just be a bauble to stare at. I have to have a purpose to my life.”

  “I never expected anything less, Princess. We can talk about it later, after we heal David. It’s not urgent.”

  “Evalia! Come speak with me.” I raised an eyebrow to Kait at the presumptuous tone in Eir’s voice.

  “Coming!” I gave Kait a peck on the lips before heading over to Eir.

  “I need to review with you what will happen when we attempt to heal David.” I nodded, trying not to show my irritation with her attitude. It wasn’t that much different from the previous times we had talked but it was really getting under my skin now. I only half listened to her droning lecture but suddenly some words stood out.

  “Wait. Did you just say we will have to tie him down and gag him?”

  She glared at me as she said, “Yes. Why weren’t you paying attention?”

  I sighed. “I apologize, Eir. But, I have to tell you, as a friend, that I don’t appreciate the attitude. I am trying but my bonded’s life is in danger, my life is going to, or already has, irrevocably changed, and I have to make more decisions regarding what I’m going to do with my life. I’m a little overwhelmed. Can you please cut me some slack?” Her brows drew together in confusion. “Try not to be so hard on me? Be nice?”

  Her mouth was still a hard line as she answered. “Friendship is new to me. I will try to, as you say, cut you some slack. Now, as I was saying, we will need to bind and gag David before we bring down the barrier. This will ensure our safety, even if the other personality takes control of his body.” She watched me out of the corner of her eye, most likely to make sure I was still listening. Just in case, I nodded. “After that, we will step into David’s mind. With your bond, it will be easier for you to go directly into his mind, rather than into mine before I go to his. This will also protect you from the dangers of my mind. Does that make sense?” I nodded again, a bit impatiently. “You will need to work with David to remove the ward, then I will assess the situation. This is the point that is most dangerous. David must remain in control and you must do whatever is necessary to help him. However, you cannot contain the other personality until I have finished my assessment. To do so may be harmful to me, and to him.”

  The silence after that statement was almost deafening. I cleared my throat. “So, how do you assess him? Will it be purely magical? Do you have to touch the other being?”

  She scrubbed her hands on her pants. “It is my preference that it be purely magical but I may have to touch it.” A slight shudder ran through her body as she said that. “Madness is not contagious but it is not a pleasant experience to touch it directly. It leaves an oily feeling in my mind for months after. If it is not madness, the safest course is not to let it touch your mind.”

  Good thing I followed my instincts. I remembered the panic I felt at the idea of it touching me as I chewed my lip. “Eir, when we walled it off in David’s mind, it oozed along the floor toward me. I told you about that but what I didn’t mention was the absolute panic I felt when I thought it would touch me. Do you think that means it’s not madness?”

  “It is possible, but I would like to see for myself before making any judgements.” Well, I suppose that’s fair.

  “In preparation, you need to do mental exercises. I would like you to pull your power forth to your hands.” I did as she asked. “Now, feel around you. Do not just feel for wrongness. Can you feel anything else?”

  My brows furrowed as I held my hands up, focusing on my magic. There was an impression of purity in the woods about fifty feet from where we were walking. I peered through the trees. My eyes widened as I saw the massive white deer standing in the undergrowth, watching us pass. I pointed at it. “I think I could feel that deer! It was like something was there that was completely innocent and had never seen evil. Do all animals feel like that?”

  With a small smile, she said, “Most. Some animals have seen evil, so they don’t feel that way. But, I think you missed something. Look at him again.”

  Confused, I looked again. The deer took a step toward us, causing a shaft of light that had made its way through the tree canopy to fall on it. The mane glistened in the breeze, rainbow light sparkling from the iridescence and a brilliant light refracted from the gleaming horn spiraling from its forehead. How could I mistake the beautiful unicorn in front of me for a regular deer? I gaped at it, completely spellbound.

  Eir laughed. “It used its magic on you, making you see only what it wanted you to see.”

  The unicorn bent its front legs, bowing to us. Eir inclined her head and it walked away, head held high and looking like the King of the forest. Once it was out of sight, I turned to Eir and raised an eyebrow. She, of course, declined to answer my unspoken questions. Did she call it? Why did it bow to her?

  Eir was staring at me, seeming to dare me to ask my questions out loud. I swallowed hard as I turned to continue walking in the direction we had been moving. With that look on her face, I didn’t want to push my luck.

  After a moment, everyone else began moving again too. Eir strode up to me and began speaking. “This is an important lesson. Not all is what it seems. Be aware, at all times, for not only the evil in a being’s soul but also the use of magic. It could hide a deadly weapon, or their intentions.”

  I shot her a look out of the corner of my eye before clearing my throat. “Eir, why did you want to be my friend? Kait is so wary of you, yet you seem to have been very open with me. I don’t mean to offend you, but it seems odd to me that someone as powerful as you would be so friendly towards someone like me.”

  She stopped walking to turn and stare at me. Her gaze was not unfriendly, exactly, but I suddenly wished I had not said anything. I started to apologize, but before I could do more than open my stupid mouth, she spoke.

  “You are more than you realize.You will be one of the most powerful beings in Shadoewynne, if your power is molded correctly.” Shivers ran down my spine at the multi-tone voice. It was the first time since we met that the otherworldly nature of her voice had been that strong. “It is in my best interest to help you, as catastrophe will follow if you d
o not achieve your full potential.”

  Chapter 10

  After dropping that bombshell, she merely began walking again. As if she wasn’t aware of the garbled noises coming from my mouth as I tried desperately to form a coherent sentence. She was almost out of sight before I could shake off my shock. My mind whirled as I ran to catch up with her.

  “What does that mean?” I practically hissed at her.

  She looked unruffled, as always. “Your destiny is to heal the land. If you do not, Shadoewynne will die. Your great-grandfather caused the problem that is siphoning magic; it is your responsibility to fix it. I’m sure it’s obvious, but just in case it’s not, I will spell it out. If Shadoewynne dies, I die. All things with Shadoewynne magic will die. Therefore, no matter personal feelings or desires, I must help you. The best way to do that is to teach you. Once trained, you will be almost as powerful as I am. Therefore, I would like to have you as a friend. It will do neither of us any good to be enemies.”

  Flailing off to the side caught my attention. Kait was waving his arms at me desperately. I glanced at him and shook my head before turning back to Eir. “Not that I’m doubting you, but are you sure? That’s a lot of pressure to put on me.”

  “Yes, I’m sure, child.” The multi-voice was fading, and she sounded almost kind. It was the first time she sounded like she may actually have human emotions. Gently, she said, “I am sorry that you feel I am putting pressure on you. I am merely stating the facts.” She paused and looked at me for a moment. I squirmed under her emerald gaze. “If it helps, I am confident in your abilities.”

  Kait’s face was almost maroon as he waved at me now. I glanced between him and Eir for a second. “I guess I shouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want an answer. Kait appears to need me for something and I need to think about this. Please excuse me.” At least I managed to muster some decorum. I snorted as I walked away. As usual, that was the least my worries.

  Kait grabbed my arm, first pulling me in, then placing his hands on my hips. His fingers clenched and unclenched against me. “What the hell was that about? I told you when this started not to get close to her. Why can’t you ever follow directions?”