The Darkness of Shadoewynne: Book 3 of the Shadoewynne series

by Penelope Kein

  I stared at him with an open mouth for a minute, then I laughed. “Wow, have you been practicing that all night?”

  He turned red and stepped back. Kait spoke up. “Do you not agree?”

  “I agree that you are not listening when I tell you my side. I have heard your complaints.”

  “You have, but you are dismissing them without thinking about how we feel. Which, to be fair, is what we are doing to you. This is why we need to talk.”

  I leaned my head back and groaned. “I hate touchy-feely talks! Millions of people the world over have babies, it’s not that big a deal. You all want to wrap me in swaddling clothes and not let me out of the room until the baby is born, maybe even after! Kait, you especially, have always wanted to keep me extra safe, and I get that. I understand your reasoning. But our lives will move on, and we have to just roll with it. I agreed to have Eir check me every time we get back, and I even agreed to have her with us when we go out. This afternoon scared me too. However,” I stressed this word and met each to their eyes before continuing. “I am not putting our lives on hold for this.”

  “That’s not what we are asking for. All we ask is that you listen to us with an open mind. This is new for all of us and we are all bound to have fears. We need to know that you will listen if we have concerns. We have all agreed to be available for anyone else in the group as a sounding board. For each other and you.”

  “Fine. I will agree to that. Now, can we go back to sleep? I am exhausted.”

  Kait smiled tightly and held out a hand. “Come on, Princess, let’s get to bed.”

  I grumbled on the way to the bedroom, and as we settled in. It had been a long day, and I was very grateful to see the end of it. Maybe once the guys had slept on the news they would be more understanding in the morning.

  I awoke to the sound of hard rain on the windows. It looked like we weren’t going anywhere today. The guys were nowhere to be found as I wandered through the two-room suite. I eventually found a note on the desk, tucked under the decorative plant. It simply read - In lab. No signature, so I didn’t know if all the guys were down there, or just David. I shrugged to myself as I went back into the bedroom to get dressed for the day. Somebody would have to go to Earth soon to pick me up more contacts. An idea occurred to me that I tucked into my mind for the next time I talked to Eir.

  I hummed to myself as I headed toward the lab in the basement. After all the drama yesterday, I was in an exceptionally good mood today. Angel found me as I was moving through the lobby towards the stairs to the lab and stopped me. “Good morning, sweetie! How are you feeling today?”

  “I am feeling fantastic at the moment, Angel. How are you?”

  “Where are you heading off to?”

  “The guys left me a note saying they were in the lab, so I figured I’d join them. It’s raining, so we won’t be traipsing around the jungle today.”

  “I’ll go with you! I’ve been trying to find Travis for over an hour. The staff is overly helpful sometimes, and downright annoying at others.” She laced her arm through mine, and we continued down the hall, with me bemusedly trying to keep up with the onslaught of words. “So, dear, do you have any siblings? Tell me about yourself! How old are you? What were you studying in college? Where did you grow up? I know next to nothing.”

  “Uh, no siblings. I’m sure you know about my mom; my dad died about 6 years ago. There really isn’t much to tell. I’m nineteen. I was going to school for business and I used to make jewelry my mom sold. I don’t really have a paying job now.” Anxiety briefly coiled in my gut at how that sounded, but I pushed it quickly away.

  She waved a hand at me. “Paying jobs are over-rated. Your work here is more important than making jewelry. Besides, as the princess, you must be available to go anywhere at any time. It’s a job all by itself, and most anything else would interfere with it.” She drew herself up and put on a haughty air. With a fake accent, she said, “We appreciate the work you have done here on our behalf and wish that you continue it.” Then she giggled. “That’s fun sometimes. Anyhoo, I was being serious. You are doing the kingdom a great service here, and I’m sure Orn will want you to continue. This problem is serious and we need to find a solution soon.”

  “Well, hopefully, that’s what the guys are working on. David said the technician figured out yesterday that the darkness is being transmitted through dimensions to objects placed in strategic spots. They are trying to trace it as it is forced into the rocks we found.”

  “That’s wonderful! So, you didn’t answer my last question. Where did you grow up?”

  “Oh, uh, a bit of everywhere. My dad was in the army and we moved around a lot.”

  “Say no more! I understand. I had a friend in high school that moved around a lot when she was a kid. She used to say that she had no roots and would blow away like a tumbleweed at the slightest breeze. Do you feel that way too? I only lived in one place before I met Orn, and I used to wonder what it was like to travel. Did you like it? Did you have any good friends that stayed with you when you moved? It must have been lonely as a child with no siblings and never staying in one place.” She abruptly shut her mouth with an audible click as she stared at my face.

  I was doing my best to keep a pleasant smile, but her ramblings had touched a nerve, and tears threatened. She put her free hand over her mouth. “My dear, I am so sorry! My mouth gets away from me sometimes.”

  After I wiped my eyes, I said lightly, “Don’t worry about it. It was lonely, especially since my mom never really acted like she wanted me and ran off any friends I made.” I swallowed hard. “That chapter of my life is over, and I prefer to move on and not look back. I have the guys now and that’s all that matters.” My hand settled over my stomach as I took a deep breath. Angel rubbed my back.

  “That’s right! You have them, and you have us. We will be the family you never had! So, have you thought much about arrangements for the baby? It’s early yet, but you need to decide if you want nannies and nurses, so you can interview and hire before the baby comes.” I tuned out her prattle as we walked. Even when she asked questions, she wasn’t really looking for answers.

  A few minutes later, we arrived at the door to the lab. Excited voices filtered through the thick door, so I was hopeful when I pulled open the heavy door. Four sets of anxious eyes met mine before someone exclaimed, “Shit!” and slammed the door in my face.

  I stood frozen in the hallway, too shocked to move. Kait’s voice in my head finally got my attention. “Princess! Are you okay? The darkness had just transferred and had gotten free of the contraption they had built to contain it while they traced it. We didn’t want you exposed.”

  “Damnit, Kait! Put a note on the door! You almost bashed my head in.” I moved away from the door and sat in the hallway across from the door with my back against the wall. Angel was ranting about how they treated us.

  “Don’t worry about it, Angel, there was a reason. Kait said the dark power had gotten free of the experiment, and they were trying to keep us out of harm's way.” She calmed down and sat next to me, so I went back to Kait. “Is everyone in there okay?”

  “Yeah, we got it corralled right after we shut the door. Give us a minute and it will be safe to come in.”

  “Okay.” A triumphant shout made me smile and climb back to my feet. The door opened a second later.

  “We did it! We know where the power is coming from!” David picked me up and spun me in a circle before putting me back down and kissing me hard.

  Kait and Travis followed him out into the hallway, and a scrawny older man who I didn’t know. That must be the technician. He gave me a hesitant smile before saying to David quietly, “Now, don’t get ahead of yourself. We think we found it. We need to do more testing.”

  “Pffft! We can test it by going to the location to stop them. The land is dying, Ola, we have to do something.”

  “I know, but I would like to continue to test before you raid.”

  Kait put a
hand on his shoulder. “Ola, you have a couple of hours before the soldiers will be there. If the tests are so important to you, I suggest you get back in there.”

  Relief filled the man’s face as he nodded and rushed back into the room, shutting the door firmly behind himself.

  “Where is it coming from?” I asked, drawing everyone's attention back to me.

  “It's coming from a cave system very close to where the original castle was. The odd thing is, we thought we had thoroughly checked it out, several times. There must be some enchantment on it to make us overlook it. I’m sending some highly skilled ward breakers with the soldiers, so they should be able to find and neutralize any enchantments. Now, it’s just a waiting game. It will probably be a couple of hours before the soldiers infiltrate the caves. Are you hungry?”

  My stomach growled at the reminder. “Yeah, I didn’t eat before I came downstairs. What time is it anyway?”

  “Should be time for lunch. Come on, Babe.” Travis grabbed my hand and practically dragged me back up the stairs. “I’m starving! We’ve been working for hours.”

  Somehow, the staff had a nice lunch prepared and ready for us in the private dining room when we got upstairs. I didn’t know how they knew we were coming and I would not ask either. Avoiding the sandwiches that hadn’t been sitting on my stomach right, I made myself a salad from the little buffet-style bar they had set up and grabbed some grilled chicken to go with it. Hopefully, it was light enough that it wouldn’t spark the morning sickness.

  We sat and ate, having a light conversation as we tried very hard to stay away from the heavy topic of the raid. The staff just kept bringing desserts and drinks, so we stayed in the room. After a couple of hours, the need to use the restroom became too urgent to ignore any longer. I made my excuses and left the room. I had never figured out where the public restroom in the lobby was, so I went back to the room. I needed a few minutes alone, anyway. Orn’s booming voice and personality could get overwhelming quickly.

  I took my time, then made my way back to the private dining room. It took me maybe ten minutes. When I opened the door, it seemed it had been hours. When I left, the mood was jovial and lighthearted, but when I got back, it was a war room. There were soldiers everywhere, and Kait was issuing commands in a loud voice. David, Travis and Angel were sitting on a couch to the side, while Orn was at Kait’s side, discussing things with him in-between the barked commands.

  Kait strode over when he saw me. “There’s been a change of plans. I need to go.”

  “We discussed this, Kait. You go, we all go.”

  He nodded. “I know. Get ready.” He turned away from me to bark at a nearby soldier. “Sven, bring the armor! Evalia, we have armor for you to wear. Sven will help you. Travis and David have theirs on already and I will put mine on as we go.” He raised his voice even more. “Let’s move!”

  Sven rushed over to me to place a heavy metal breastplate over my t-shirt. It was an odd design, with a solid metal front and a chain-mail back. What happened to the light, magic ones we used before? This one chafed and smelled. Travis and David flanked me as we headed out. I peeked up at their stoney faces. “What happened? Why the change in plans?”

  “It’s Alarr, or his clone, we aren’t sure at this point. He has threatened to flood the world with his power unless we hand you over to him. Kait has agreed to a parlay to stall for time, but we all have to be there for it to work. Since we don’t know exactly how he is generating the power, or what he is doing to transfer it, we have to take his threat seriously. The plan is we get him talking while the soldiers work behind the scenes to stop him.” I raised an eyebrow at David as he finished his explanation. He shrugged a little. “It’s a work in progress.”

  I laughed a little at that and some tension left his shoulders. Travis bumped me a little as he walked, then grinned at me when I looked his way. He looked like a little boy on his way to the candy store. I blew him a kiss and he pretended to catch it.

  We marched out to the garden where Kait made a gateway. He settled the armor over his shirt, which looked odd with the shorts, then glanced around the small group. “Are we ready? It is a looped gateway, so it will drop us right where we need to go. Evalia, brace yourself, it will be like going through two rapidly. Be prepared for anything. The ground troops should have secured the area, but we don’t know what we are walking into.” One more glance around, then he said, “Move out!” and strode through the gateway.

  I took a deep breath before I followed him through.

  Chapter 24

  It was pure chaos when I arrived. My head was spinning, and I had to fight nausea as I glanced around the clearing where soldiers were fighting shadow things. I crouched behind a tree near the gateway where I stepped out as I watched a dragon-shadow spew black flame at a soldier. Even though it looked insubstantial, the soldier screamed as he melted from the heat. A shadow-man ran another solider through.

  I jumped when a hand fell heavily on my shoulder and fought a scream when I turned to see it was Alarr that had found me. Somehow, I pulled myself up and stared him down. “Hello, Alarr. I heard you wanted to speak to me.”

  “Quite right, quite right. You have something I need. Please come with me.” His sweaty palm slid down my arm to grip my wrist as he attempted to pull me along. I dug my heels into the loamy ground, then grabbed a tree with my free hand.

  “I’m not going anywhere with you, and I’m not giving you anything.” I sent a wave of my electric powers along my skin, zapping him until he released me.

  With surprise written all over his face, he turned to me while rubbing the hand that I had shocked. “I was told they would hand you over to me.”

  I showed him my teeth as I attempted to smile. “They didn’t ask me first. I didn’t agree to anything. We can talk before I do. What do I have that you need?”

  “Your power. It really is quite unique. I’ve only known one other person to have power like that. She didn’t want me to use her either.” He glared at me. “I’m not making the same mistake twice. You don’t have a choice.”

  The bond told me the guys were closing in on our location. I just needed to stall. “Why do you think I would let you use me? You haven’t explained what you are doing, or why, or even why you need me.”

  ”I won’t tell you my whole plan. I’m not stupid.” He grabbed my arm again and yanked me hard enough my palm ripped free from the tree, leaving a good bit of skin behind.

  “Fuck, that hurt! Bastard!” I sent more shocks down my arm, but somehow he had prepared for it this time, and it didn’t even loosen his grip. Every other step jerked me forward, leaving me off-balance and unable to recover before the next hard tug. My feet left the ground each time, so I wasn’t even able to dig my heels in now. A panicked feeling rose in my chest, but I pushed it down.

  I took a deep breath, then began pulling moisture from the air to condense around Alarr. He stopped, then unexpectedly turned and slapped me hard. My head snapped to the side and I tasted blood as I fell to the ground. I lost my grip on my magic and the moisture I had gathered dropped harmlessly to the ground as I felt my teeth with my tongue. I glared at him before standing up and drawing my hand back. I swung, at the last moment dropping my fist slightly to go for his solar plexus. He had prepared himself to stop a punch to the chest and his hands went harmlessly through the air as the air whooshed from his lungs. His face turned an odd shade of red as he doubled over in agony, unable to breathe.

  Kait appeared by my side, with David and Travis only slightly behind him. After only a second, he caught his breath and set himself up to defend. As soon as my fist connected with his stomach, I had pulled the moisture again, so I could solidify it right after he got into his stance. The only thing he could move was his head, and unfortunately, that meant his mouth as well.

  “Evalia, listen to me! I need your magic to stop what I started. If I don’t complete the procedure, then all of Shadoewynne will die!”

  I faked confusion. “I
don’t understand. What procedure?” Kait shot me a glance that told me I was overdoing the act.

  “I need you to lend me your power so I can reverse the spell we generated seventy-five years ago. It has been slowly getting stronger, and if we don’t stop it, it will consume the world!” There was just the right amount of panic in his voice to lend credence to his lies. With a sigh, I admitted defeat. He is a better actor than me.

  Kait snorted at my thoughts as I leveled a hard gaze on Alarr. “You want to kill me by pulling the magic from my body so you can increase the power to your experiment, correct?”

  That caught him off-guard for a second, and his mouth dropped open before he regained control of his expressions. “No! No, I want to stop it! I can’t stop the machine on my own.”

  Kait raised an eyebrow at me, then jerked his head to the side. We moved off a little way to discuss, while a soldier that had accompanied Travis stood watch.

  “Well, what do you think? I think he’s full of shit, but you two are the mind-readers.”

  David shrugged. “It felt like he was telling the truth as he sees it.”

  Kait nodded, “I agree, but the operative words are ‘as he sees it.’ I got the impression that he’s not in control and someone else has told him he needs Evalia to save the world. But I can’t tell who it is.”

  I shot a glance back at Alarr, who was pleading with the soldier. “I still think he’s full of it. He knows you can read minds, so he’s probably using some kind of mind trick to get around it.”

  Kait crossed his arms over his chest. “Maybe, but we need to take him seriously. Let’s play along so he takes us to this machine, then we can go from there.”