Finding Shadows

by Lindsay Nall

  The two had managed to make it to the town before Ipsburg when Mari collapsed in pain screaming and clutching her chest in the middle of the street. Marinique had been with her through one of her ‘spells’, as he called them, before and took her to the nearest Inn where she had been resting for the last three days. Mari hated it when this happened, she could never tell who it was coming from or if it was coming from more than one person. With the amount of pain she felt she was hoping it was more than one person, whoever it was they weren’t dead or she wouldn’t be feeling their injuries anymore. More than once she thought about contacting Karter to see if he knew what had happened but knew if she did that she would have to explain where they were and what had happened and until she had all of the facts and knew what the demon had wanted she didn’t want anyone else to know about the events last week.

  Today her Uncle had finally caved to her reassurance that she was feeling alright allowing them to move closer to Ipsburg. They were just passing by the train station when she heard her name being called by someone.

  “Marisol Kilo!” A man dressed in a field researcher’s coat was running down the street towards them waving his hands in the air as he yelled her name.

  “A researcher?” She looked to her Uncle but he just shrugged.

  “It is you! I’m so glad I found you! We’ve been searching everywhere for you!” He stopped in front of them with his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath.

  “Looking for me?” Mari whispered watching the panting man nod. “Why?”

  “Karter sent out an urgent message telling all field researchers and Shadows in the field to locate you.”

  “Everyone?” She still wasn’t feeling one hundred percent and had the feeling she sounded like a parrot repeating everything the man said.

  “Here.” He pulled a paper out of his pocket and handed it to them.

  “To all Silhouette members, all members in the field are to locate Marisol Kilo. This takes priority over all assignments, inform her to contact Karter at headquarters immediately.” Marinique read the message out loud.

  “What happened before this was sent out?” The researcher blinked at Mari.

  “I’m not sure, I haven’t been to headquarters in a few months but there was a rumor…” Mari’s head snapped up at that. “It was about the Shadow known as Leaf Tadum.”

  Mari repeated the message three times and with every passing the news sunk in further and further, there was only one reason Karter would have them track her down, only one reason she would be in the pain she was in. “Leaf…Marclay call Karter!” She now regretted turning off Marclay’s locator when they started heading back to Ipsburg.

  “Marisol!?” Karter’s disembodied voice came from the Wigget in front of her.

  “Karter, what happened?”

  “You need to come home, Marisol.”

  “What happened!?”

  “It’s bad Mari…worse I’ve ever seen him.” She hugged herself both wanting to know the truth but also afraid of it.

  “I’ll get the tickets.” Marinique walked off to the train station across the street.

  “What happened Karter?!”

  “Hierarchy, high hierarchy demon, he tried to take it on himself…we’re doing everything we can but Mari? Hurry.”

  “I’m on my way.” Everything was turning into black spots and red waves, the town was distorted and seemed to wobble and curve with every breath she took.

  “Miss Kilo?” The researchers face spun in on itself before everything went black.

  “Mari you should be resting.” Marinique said as she struggled to sit up on the train bench, she didn’t remember how she got there; the last thing she remembered was…

  “Leaf…I’ll be ok.” She waved off the hand he held out to help her up.

  “You need to rest if he’s as bad as Karter said you’ll be no use to him tired and stressed,” Mari grumbled but nodded, she didn’t want to sleep, she wanted to be with Tadum. “I’ll be right here.” He brushed some hair out of her face as she settled down in his coat to get some more sleep.

  “I’m sorry but I don’t understand…how can she help him?” The researcher asked once he was sure Mari was asleep again.

  “Mari is special.” Marinique whispered.

  “How?”

  “Her blood.” The researchers’ eyes went wide.

  “Her…I still don’t understand.”

  “What do you know of her?” The researcher listed off all the normal stats that researchers were informed of with the Shadows, her ability to control elements, the power of her eye but that was all. “That’s all you need to know then.” If he hadn’t taken the time to do more research than the basics then Marinique didn’t see a reason to hand the information to him.

  “Rayne?”

  “If you want to help get something for her to eat, she’s going to need her strength.”

  “Karter!” Mari threw open the door to Karter’s office panting as if she had run through the entire building of the Silhouette to get to him and knowing Mari like he did she probably had.

  “Marisol! Thank god…” He waved her to follow him leading her and Marinique down to the infirmary. When she walked in the door to Tadum’s room she froze, he was unconscious, hooked up to multiple machines monitoring his heart and other vitals but none of that phased her. The mark over his heart had spread across his entire chest and down both arms.

  “Leaf…you idiot…” She whispered.

  “Mari?” She barely registered the voice that reached her as she turned to see Vander and Nyght sitting in the corner on either side of a checkerboard.

  “Nyght…Vander.” She nodded to them both and walked over to stand next to Tadum.

  “Would you two please leave?” Karter asked the two men in the corner.

  “It’s ok they can stay.” Karter gave her a questioning look and she smiled. “They’re too inquisitive to keep away, it's better they just see for themselves.” He nodded as she crawled into the hospital bed that had been set up next to Tadum’s and got comfortable. “The damage is really bad this time…I don’t know how long it will take.”

  “We’ll be right here.” She nodded holding out her hand to him. “I think this time we should have some extra precautions.” Karter nodded to the set of machines next to the bed Mari was in,

  “You think I need to be monitored?”

  “You said yourself this is the worst you’ve ever seen him.”

  “Very well.” Karter went to work hooking her up to the different machines that would monitor her health.

  “That should do it.” He whispered handing her a small knife. “I just wish there was an easier way to transfer the blood.”

  Mari grimaced as she took the knife. “You and me both.” They had tried doing the transfusions through machines before, but something always went wrong, the only way it seemed to work right was contact to contact.

  Vander and Nyght’s eyes went wide when Karter handed her a knife then gasped when she cut her palm with it. Karter took the knife from her and placed a similar cut across Leaf’s palm.

  “Here we go.” She leaned back and took Leaf’s cut hand in her own while closing her eyes. The four in the room watched them alternating between small talk with each other and looking to the machines that monitored the two.

  “The mark’s fading…” Vander whispered half an hour later.

  “Mari’s blood is very special.” Marinique whispered with a nod.

  “Special?”

  “It has a healing property in it.”

  “So she can heal anybody?” Marinique shook his head at Nyght’s question.

  “Only those who are carriers of Paranus and only if she chooses.”

  “So she can choose not to help someone?”

  “She hasn’t turned anyone away yet.” Karter gave a smile thinking of the first time they had discovered what she could do and how determined she had been to help everyone she could.

  “But… his mark?”
Vander whispered still not understanding how Tadum’s mark of The Fourteen had spread across his body.

  “It was a long time ago when he first became a Shadow.” Karter checked the vital signs of the two then took a seat. “Tadum wasn’t always as good as he is now, as you know learning your abilities and how to fight demons is a process.” The two nodded. “On one of his first assignments he lost his focus, the demon he was battling used his sais against him.” Mari stirred for a second drawing everyone’s attention but she settled quickly. “The nearest we have been able to figure out is that part of his fracture transferred to his weapon when that injury occurred.”

  “So his fracture fractured?” Nyght mused.

  “We believe so, now as he fights and his weapons become damaged…” Karter trailed off waving a hand at the man in the bed.

  “So she’s been healing him every time he over does it?” Nyght couldn’t help it, the anger he’d had towards Tadum before manifested in a new irritation. “It doesn’t hurt her does it?”

  “Hasn’t yet.” As the words left Karter’s mouth Mari began convulsing. The three all ran to her side to try and figure out what was going on.

  “Is this normal?” Nyght asked.

  “No.”

  “I thought you said this didn’t hurt her! Make it stop.” Nyght took a step forward like he was going to separate their hands but Karter put a hand out to stop him.

  “If I break the bond it could kill them both…she’s losing too much blood…we don’t have a supply for her…” Nyght surprised everyone when he held his arms out to Karter.

  “Take mine, as much as she needs.” Karter looked from Nyght to Marinique. The stoic figure in the corner thought over the option, human blood had never been enough to support her unless it was genetically altered but a half-demon might just work. Marinique nodded.

  “Very well.” They set about getting Nyght settled and hooked up to the machines to transfer his blood to Marisol. It took almost an hour but slowly she began to stabilize and Karter released Nyght from the machines. Everyone but Nyght left to get something to eat and rest but he refused to leave her side sitting on the bed next to her just watching her sleep and thinking. She had said this had been the worst he’d ever been, what would happen to her if Tadum didn’t learn to control his need to show everyone up? Would he risk her life again just to save his own?

  “Damn you Tadum.” He whispered brushing a few stray hairs off of Mari’s face. Karter entered the room to check on the two, quietly he went to Tadum’s monitors then to Mari’s before letting out a long sigh.

  “Is everything okay? Are they okay?” Karter gave a nod with a smile as he went over to one of the cupboards.

  “They are both fine now, will you help me with the bandages?” Nyght nodded taking the gauze, tape, and scissors from Karter. As the two went about bandaging the wounds Nyght could feel Karter’s eyes on him, something in the way he looked at him and Mari had the hair on the back of his neck standing on end.

  After putting away the supplies Karter stopped in the doorway with that same look on his face. “You know Shadows aren’t supposed to be involved.”

  “You know leaders are supposed to lead.”

  “I have done more to lead your team then you will ever understand, you all are my top priority.” Nyght let out a noise in the back of his throat. What was happening here? Why did he feel so angry towards Karter all of the sudden?

  He will try to keep you from her. For once he thought the whisper was right. He can try.

  “You think you can stop us?” Karter stared at Nyght for a long minute watching the way he looked at Mari, the gentleness he showed her and the worry written all over his face.

  “No.” He went quiet for so long Nyght almost forgot he was there. “She should wake up soon.” With that, he left them closing the door behind him.

  It was another few hours afterward before Mari began to stir. She groaned when she opened her eyes, the room was too bright.

  “Mari?” She knew that voice but could barely make out his face with her blurred vision.

  “Nyght?” The blurry black vision nodded. “You look so worried.” She whispered blinking him into focus.

  “Not anymore.” She smiled weakly as he took her hand.

  “Leaf?”

  “He’s stable now.”

  “I’m glad.”

  “Now I know the whole story about you two.” She cocked an eyebrow at him.

  “You knew I didn’t tell you everything?” She remembered the conversation about her and Tadum’s past the two of them and Vander had had the first night she arrived at headquarters.

  “Deus remember?” Nyght tapped his temple with a crooked grin. She gave a dry chuckle and spoke without thinking.

  “I’ve missed you.” He didn’t react how she thought he would he just nodded.

  “That’s good to know.” It hadn’t been long that she had been away from him and the others but still she had worried about them constantly.

  “How has everyone been?”

  “Same old same old, how were things with your uncle?” She shrugged but something in her eyes changed.

  “I think he’ll be glad to get some peace.” He cocked an eyebrow. “I guess I’ve been talking in my sleep lately.”

  “Anything interesting?” She picked at her fingernails not sure how to answer the question and at the same time mad at herself for even bringing it up.

  “All he would tell me when I asked was that my heart was troubled.”

  “It was.” The two jumped at the voice in the doorway simultaneously turning to look at Marinique.

  “Was?” Mari asked. Marinique stopped halfway in the room looking Nyght over from head to foot with a curt nod.

  “Err…I’ll just go and give you two some privacy…” Nyght started to stand but Marinique put his hand up to stop him.

  “Stay, I just came to check on her.”

  “I’m fine Uncle.”

  “Thanks to him you are. Did she say anything in her sleep?” Nyght thought about the question for a moment but eventually shook his head, she hadn’t made a peep. “As I thought.”

  “Uncle?”

  “Your heart’s not troubled any more.” Marinique nodded at Nyght once more and left the room closing the door behind him. Nyght’s mind traveled with that thought, had she been missing him just as much as he had missed her?

  “I hate it when he goes all cryptic like that!” Mari growled snapping Nyght out of his thoughts.

  “You didn’t understand…?”

  “Of course I understood it’s my heart! But…” Mari made another little growl and glared at the door.

  “But what?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Liar.”

  “Yeah.”

  “You said you missed me.” She nodded slowly.

  “Very much.”

  “Why?”

  “What?!” Her head snapped up and she looked at him. Nyght slid closer to her keeping hold of her hand and brushing the hair out of her face with the other, she leaned into his touch when his fingers lingered on her skin.

  “Why did you miss me, Mari?” She couldn’t think of a single reason to tell him but there was a long list going through her head. She had missed seeing him every day, fighting beside him, laughing with him, talking to him, just being near him. “Marisol?” What did he want her to tell him other than that she missed him? Why hadn’t he said anything about missing her? And why did her uncle say she was only okay because of Nyght?

  “First…what did Uncle Rayne mean?” He cocked an eyebrow. “About me being okay because of you.”

  “Oh, that,” Nyght explained to her what had happened when she was still connected to Tadum. It took her a few minutes to let the idea of demon blood coursing through her veins settle in her mind. She didn’t feel any different so it couldn’t have done any harm and Nyght hadn’t received any of her blood so there wouldn’t be a connection to him. “You okay?”

  “Yeah, just
a little odd to think about.”

  “You mean because of what I am?” She saw the wary look in his eyes at his statement. Squeezing his hand reassuringly she shook her head.

  “No, just that you would do that for me.”

  “Why wouldn’t I? Marisol…do you have any idea how miserable I’ve been without you?” She shook her head. “You should ask the others about it, I’m pretty sure I was driving them crazy.” He gave a quiet laugh. He shifted closer to her so their faces were only a few inches away from each other.

  “You’re not wearing a band.” She played with a few of the loose strands of his hair letting them slip through her fingers.

  “Is that a bad thing?” She looked from his hair to his eyes.

  “No, I like your hair down.” He smiled shaking his head as he pressed his forehead to hers. “Nyght?”

  “Hmm?” His eyes were closed now. “Thank you, for saving my life again.” His eyes opened slowly staring into hers for a long minute just watching the different colors of green in them before he smiled and rubbed his nose against hers.

  “Anytime.” She closed her eyes with a smile just reveling in the feeling of him being so close to her and surprised when he pressed his lips to hers. The two jumped when someone cleared their throat from the doorway.

  “Sorry to interrupt…. I just wanted to see how you were doing.”

  “A little rest and I’ll be as good as new.” Mari whispered. Vander nodded with an impish smile, he felt bad intruding on them during a special moment. Nyght rolled his eyes at his friend and looked back to Mari.

  “Get some rest, I’ll check on you later.” Nyght gave her hand one last squeeze and left her smiling and blushing as he closed the door. As she sat in the silence she damned herself. She was doing it again; she was going to end up destroying him because she wanted what was best for him. That thought stopped her thinking, maybe she was what was best for him, and if she wasn’t that was a decision he would have to make wasn’t it?