Shadow Dancer

by Macie Cage

  “Caiden,” he said slowly, his attention on the subtle sounds of movement through the brush.

  “Evander.” The reply was an easy acceptance.

  Without another word, Evander surged forward with Caiden right behind him. Evander drew a throwing knife into his hand, pulling the shadows around himself. There was rustling as someone came towards them from the side. He threw without taking the time to properly aim and was surprised to hear the choked cry and crash of a body falling.

  They were quickly approaching a clearing and he put on a burst of speed, rolling into the open a few steps before Caiden. He turned and threw another knife at the assassin who’d been waiting for them.

  She cursed and dove to the side to avoid the blade, leaving Caiden clear to join him.

  Ansom was known to have five favorites, referred to as his ‘elites’. Kaitlyn, Connor, Max, Sarah, and Carrow. He’d quizzed Caiden on them mercilessly until the Prince knew all of their abilities by heart and knew how to avoid being killed within the first minute of meeting them.

  “Kaitlyn.”

  “Catlike Reflexes. Fast, flexible, pain in the ass.”

  “Correct. How do you nullify it?”

  “Keep her in close quarters, disable as quickly as possible.”

  “Caiden, she may look like an eleven-year-old girl, but she is vicious and she’s a quick learner. You must kill her as soon as you have her. There are no second chances.”

  Kaitlyn was already attacking Caiden. Having already been beaten by Evander, it seemed that she had no desire to face him again. Actually, it seemed like they didn’t know what to do with him.

  “Well, well, aren’t you a surprise,” Ansom’s voice was steady but at a glance, Evander could see his fury. “Here I was expecting you to die a slow and painful death by poison.”

  Evander frowned as the man’s gaze darted to his men. As though to make sure they heard him, as if he had to justify his failure to kill him.

  “Well, this does change things. Let me make this clear to all of you. If you fail to kill the pest, you will be considered unworthy of our Clan. Am I clear?”

  Evander couldn’t help rolling his eyes at the collective ‘Yes, sir’ that came from the elites. Suddenly, he was the center of attention. He counted four of them. Kaitlyn, Sarah, Max, and Connor, meaning that he had to have hit Carrow earlier. A lucky strike.

  Kaitlyn continued to battle with Caiden, keeping the Prince’s attention. He was doing well, protecting his vitals and slowly coaxing her closer. It wouldn’t be long before she fell into a rhythm, lulled into dropping her guard. It was a bad habit that she never grew out of and one that he’d told Caiden about in extensive detail.

  The other three, however, had turned on him. Evander danced back, keeping out of range of the greatsword that Sarah swung around single handedly. Her ability had a three-foot range, and he steered himself clear of it.

  “Hold up.” Connor chuckled, shoving past her. “I’ll take care of this one.”

  “Back off. I’m taking the credit on this one,” she snarled at him.

  “Both of you knock it off. It doesn’t matter which of us kills him so long as he’s dead.”

  Evander stepped back, sinking into his own shadow as a rock was launched at his head. He came up behind Max but a floating wall of rubble had already formed, keeping him from striking.

  Restless Defense, a short-ranged ability to control unattended objects. It was annoying at the best of times. He kept his debris moving, orbiting around him, making him hard to hit.

  Well, two could play at that game. Evander activated his ability and pulled. The shadows gathered around him and he grinned as all three took a step back. He didn’t let their shock go to waste. He drew out his daggers, sharp, wicked things that had been taken from the bandits.

  He dove for Max, possibly the quickest to get rid of out of the three of them. He tended to use hand motions to direct his ability, making him a fraction too slow when he was in the middle of combat. He couldn’t fight and use his ability simultaneously.

  Evander pulled apart his shadows, throwing phantoms at all of them. He moved within the darkness he’d created, keeping it between the three elites, keeping them disconnected. Max moved his defenses so the rocks that he’d collected met the phantom. Evander ducked around the debris and sank his dagger into the man’s side. He disappeared into his shadows before the man fell.

  “What the hell is this? You said he was useless!” Sarah screeched.

  “He should be,” Connor growled in response.

  Evander paused at the terrified shriek that echoed through the clearing, cut short as Kaitlyn fell to Caiden’s blade. He shuddered at the sound and the silence that followed.

  “Dammit,” Connor muttered, turning towards the Prince.

  “Enough of this. Dante.” Ansom’s voice was a lazy and unconcerned drawl, but it was the name that caught Evander’s attention.

  Dante was not one of the elites, however his ability was the opposite of his own. Daybreak. An ability that intensified the light in an area and made Dante himself into a light source almost on par with the sun.

  The boy stepped out of the tree line behind Ansom where he’d no doubt been told to hide. Evander quickly pulled everything he could with his ability until the clearing was as dark as it would be at dusk.

  It only lasted a moment.

  The light burned away the shadows in a matter of seconds, leaving all of them blinded. Evander didn’t dare to stand still. He ran, trying to avoid the creek and failing. The splash alerted the others to his location. He dove forward, trying to force his eyes to adjust to the light.

  The shadows were small now, but they were still there. When he was younger, his ability less potent, he would have been rendered helpless by this. Now, he didn’t even have the chance to wonder if it would work as he saw a shadow behind Dante. He grabbed for his own, tiny though it was, and he pulled, forcing it open. He opened it beneath his own feet, dropping into the darkness.

  There was no exit. It felt like he’d hit a wall. The air was being squeezed from his lungs, his body felt crushed, but he could feel it. He forced his eyes open and stared at the colors that danced and flickered around him. He peered at the nearest of them and could see Sarah and Connor trying to find him while also trying to save their vision.

  His lungs began to burn with the need for air and he quickly found the spot that he wanted and reached out his hand. His fingers passed through the narrow opening without resistance, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to fit. Then he had a sudden thought and activated his ability, expanding the opening until he could pull himself through.

  He gasped for air as he dragged himself up on to solid ground but didn’t give himself time to rest. He’d used the shadow of a tree to get behind Ansom and Dante. He sprinted towards them and while Ansom immediately began to move, Dante was too slow.

  Evander felt the blade of his dagger meet the younger assassin’s side, the resistance and final give of cloth and flesh. Then he was throwing himself away from them, not daring to try for Ansom as the light suddenly died. He jumped into the nearest shadow, aiming for the spot in front of Connor.

  The other assassin saw him dive and turned to face the shadows behind him, turning his back to where Evander came from.

  “Connor is… simple.”

  “You said his ability was ‘Quick Step’?”

  “Yep.”

  “So, wouldn’t that make him the worst?”

  “No, the worst is Kaitlyn. Hers is all skill. There’s no shortcut to beating her.”

  “And there is a shortcut to someone with superhuman speed?” Caiden scoffed.

  “His isn’t speed. He slows everything down around him.”

  “He what?”

  “I realized it a while ago. During training, he’s a cocky bastard at the best of times. He plays with his kills, taunts them, but he has to deactivate his ability in order to talk or be visible. He also can’t keep it activated for too long.�
��

  “And how did you make this connection to his having a slow time ability?”

  Evander raised an eyebrow at him. “Because someone who simply moves at superhuman speed wouldn’t have to deactivate his ability just to talk.”

  “Okay, so how do we beat that?”

  “Predict where he is going to be. Or just hit him when he pauses to talk. He never has to think, he doesn’t have to react to anyone because he always makes the first move. It makes him almost easy.”

  Sarah had moved towards Caiden and the man was trying to stay well away from her. She was small, covered head to toe in plate armor that would have made even the strongest man clumsy.

  Evander made a quick decision and ran towards her, purposely making enough noise for Connor to realize he was there. He was prepared for it, but it still hurt when the blade skidded across his back and side, a light blow that clearly wasn’t meant to kill him.

  He stopped a few feet outside of Sarah’s range and turned, watching Connor appear in front of him. The man was grinning.

  “Y’know, this is sad. Like, I get it that the Master wants you dead and all, but this isn’t even a challenge. Sure, you have some tricks up your sleeve, but hey,” he shrugged, “it won’t help you against me and you know it.”

  Evander could see it in the way the man’s muscles twitched ever so slightly. He was prepared to activate his ability. He grinned, not bothering with a retort as he stabbed out with his left hand. Almost simultaneously, he punched out with his right, right into the man’s face.

  A startled yelp met the blow and Connor reeled back, straight into Sarah’s range. The assassin hit the ground swearing, unable to move as everything became unbearably heavy.

  Sarah turned, confused. “What the hell!?” Evander watched her furiously swearing at the man who’d gotten caught in her ability, but it seemed she didn’t care to move and free him of it. Or deactivate it, for that matter.

  That is irritating. Though it wasn’t the end of his plans.

  “I’ll do it myself, you useless ingrate!” she snarled and turned towards him, leaving Caiden completely unopposed. Evander backed up, letting her come closer.

  “Wait, no! Sarah!” Connor’s yelling became more frantic as she stepped over him. “Sarah! Sarah, stop! NO!” His screaming fell on deaf ears as Sarah continued towards Evander, leaving Connor helpless in her range until Caiden was able to kill him without exposing himself to her ability as well.

  Evander knew what was coming next, saw her gaze slide to the side just before she leaped back, trying to catch Caiden before the Prince could move away.

  “She’s like a spider, Caiden. Her ability is like a web. Once she catches you in it, it’s over.” Evander manipulated the shadows around him to make a circle around his feet, roughly the size of Sarah’s range.

  “Alright, so how do we beat this ‘Weighted Air’?”

  “It has a three-foot radius around her.” Evander gestured to the darkness around him. “Everything touching her is as light as a feather while everything else becomes weighed down to the point where you can’t move. It’s one of the reasons she uses a great sword and heavy armor. It’s best to use ranged attacks but with the armor, your aim has to be impeccable. Even I wouldn’t be able to hit her easily. However, she isn’t trained very well at all. She knows how to dodge projectiles well enough but for the most part, she just incapacitates her victims and kills them while they’re trapped.”

  “Okay, so how do we get close enough to hit her?”

  Evander smirked.

  Evander ran towards her, watching her attention snap back to him before she had completed her plan to trap Caiden, she stopped a step short and changed direction as he tried to circumvent her range.

  He saw her grin as his foot stuck and held his leg, becoming too heavy to move. She took another step and his knees buckled as the air became thick and heavy. It felt as though he were being crushed by some huge, invisible force that was pushing down on him, dragging him to the ground.

  He managed to brace himself, refusing to be forced face-first into the dirt. Sarah was cackling, raising her great sword in preparation to bring it down on his head. He nearly laughed himself. She was completely unaware of anything else around her.

  The breath whooshed out of him as a weight landed on his back, using him as a step stool. Caiden vaulted himself towards the girl, grabbing her arm, the sword coming down a few inches above Evander’s head. The momentum sent them both backward, freeing Evander from Sarah’s ability.

  He jumped to his feet, watching as Caiden grappled with the girl who now stumbled off-balance, her sword useless as Caiden held onto her wrist with one hand while tearing at her armor with the other.

  He drew out a throwing knife as the girl flailed about, trying desperately to throw Caiden off. The moment her armor came free, he threw. He was only slightly off because of the way she was moving, the blade hitting her helmet and falling against her shoulder. Caiden grabbed for the weapon, plunging it into the newly exposed skin of her neck. The girl shuddered and stumbled, her ability deactivating. Now weighed down by her equipment, she fell.

  Evander barely had time to register their victory as he saw Ansom uncross his arms, a look of complete fury and disbelief on his face, as though he truly could not comprehend his failure. Then the man drew out a knife and Evander dove through the nearest shadow, coming up behind Caiden and grabbing him before throwing them both to the side, barely avoiding the blade.

  Evander pulled them through another shadow, keeping a firm grip on Caiden, keeping them low for a fraction longer than what was natural. There was a whoosh of air as another knife sailed over their heads. Even as he missed, Ansom was in the process of throwing another one. Evander stepped backwards into his own shadow, aiming for the tree line. He yelped as he was met with a dagger sliding past his arm.

  They couldn’t win like this, not on the defensive. He dove again, falling into another shadow as he was released from the last.

  Heh. Should’ve called my ability Tactical Retreat. He chuckled, breathlessly, listening to Ansom’s roar of frustration quickly getting fainter as they made their escape.

  Eight

  Month of the Maiden 16, 421 HE

  Evander tried to place Caiden down rather than simply dropping him. However, he wasn’t entirely successful seeing as he was also in the process of falling. Both laid still, panting and groaning in pain as the after effects of his ability made themselves known. More so for Caiden but, while he wasn’t retching, Evander felt like he’d been trampled by a horse.

  “Ugh. Think we… lost him?” Caiden asked breathlessly as he sat up, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.

  Evander groaned as he pushed himself upright. “I think… we’re okay… for now.” He winced as he got to his feet. “We have to move. Where are we?”

  Both of them stared around themselves. The trees were thinner, and the mountains were startlingly close.

  “Did you take us inland?”

  “Well, I didn’t want to hit the ocean and have nowhere to go. Still, I’m not entirely sure where we ended up. I was hoping we’d be closer to the Capital.”

  Caiden huffed out a laugh. “Well, we are certainly nowhere near the city. We’re too far south.”

  “Go west.”

  Both men drew their weapons and spun, trying to find the source of the unfamiliar voice. There was no one there. Evander and Caiden shared a look.

  “Please tell me you heard it too?” Caiden asked.

  “I was really hoping I was imagining it,” Evander muttered, slowly turning in a circle.

  “Oh, sorry about that. Over here, dear.”

  Both of them stared at the woman who wavered into view. She seemed ethereal, with dark brown hair curling ever so slightly around her face where it had escaped its tie and large brown eyes of a hue that, as the sunlight struck her features, glimmered with a vibrant shade of gold. She had a sweet, honey tone to her skin and she smiled as they continued to stare.r />
  Evander found himself speechless but as Caiden looked between the two of them, the Prince finally broke the silence.

  “Well, damn. Guess we know where you got your looks.” He laughed.

  Evander blinked at him then back at the woman. “You’re Ellen?” The woman gave a single nod, watching him closely. “Care to explain what’s going on?” he asked letting his suspicion seep heavily into his voice. It made her grin.

  “Hey, Eva, that’s no way to talk to—”

  “I’m not in any condition to do anything at the moment. Even now I’m struggling to keep a physical form,” Ellen cut Caiden off. “Though I do apologize that I had to resort to such roundabout methods.”

  “What’s to the west?”

  “Shors Pass villa. It is where we are currently staying. I thought I’d extend an invitation since you clearly need to rest and heal.” She looked down to his side and Evander finally paused to examine himself.

  His side was bloody from Connor’s strike and he could feel the shallow cut where it extended around to his back. It wasn’t deep, but it hurt and it would hinder his movement unless he got it treated. That wasn’t even accounting for any infection that might set in if he let it be.

  “Not to mention you don’t seem to have any supplies,” she added.

  Evander quickly took stock of what they had. He wanted to smack himself. They’d dropped their heavier packs when they started fighting. They had no blankets, no clothes, no food, and no tools. He sighed irritably. They still had the satchel that Caiden carried. It had the music box, some medical herbs, and supplies. Other than that, they weren’t going to be able to survive for very long in the wilds. Not on the brink of winter.