Shadow Soul

by R. Michael Card

  Volf shook his head. “No. Though whether this fate is better or worse I don’t know. The wizard has them all in some trance. They are guarding him. Their eyes are vacant, lost. We’ll have to go through them to get to him.”

  Hildr nodded, though Barami could see she didn’t much like this news. “Then saved they can be, still.”

  “Where is the wizard?” Jais asked.

  “In that same long-hall where the leaders lived.”

  Barami felt a surge of hope. “That’s not far from the secret entrance. If we use that to go back up…”

  “Secret entrance?” Jais looked confused.

  Hildr answered. “There is a secret way in and out of the village. We are right next to the lower exit actually, through those bushes.” She pointed. Jais looked skeptical.

  “Into the side of the hill?”

  Hildr nodded.

  “I don’t know how much good that will do,” Volf said rising and stretching. “As much as we’d be getting past many of the villagers, there are still a fair amount within that long hall. We need a plan. I can hide some or all of us if needs be.”

  Barami nodded. That wasn’t a bad idea. Though the tall, skinny man did look much drained from having gotten them here so quickly. He wondered how much the rogue still had in him.

  “I agree. I do not wish for any of my village to be killed in fighting this madman. We must spare them.” Hildr was adamant.

  “That may not be possible,” Caerwyn said. Barami knew she was being practical, but he also had a good idea how Hildr was going to respond to that.

  “Make it possible! I will have no more of my kin die today!”

  That was the response he’d expected.

  Barami decided he needed to step in. Everyone here was tired and disheartened, some more than others. There needed to be a reasonable voice to guide them, and it was going to be his.

  “If we can come up with a good enough plan then nobody has to die.”

  “Bara—” Caerwyn began, but he cut her off.

  “No! I will not be told what can or cannot happen, not today.” He looked Caerwyn in the eyes. He’d once thought her to be perfect — the epitome of strength and courage — but now he easily won the battle of wills between them. She looked away. “Yes, Caerwyn, we will need to fight. But—” He turned to Hildr quickly. “That doesn’t mean anyone has to die.”

  Already a plan was forming in his head. He threw a question out to the group. “I know little of wizards and such. Do we think that if we slew this man his hold on these people would end?”

  Caerwyn nodded. “Yes. I learned a little about other drahksani abilities from the dragon, and that would be in keeping with what the dragon knew. Most if not all magic is dispelled when the originator dies.”

  “Good. Then I have an idea. Although…” A flaw in his plan occurred to him. He turned to Volf. “You can go unseen, but is there any way to mask your… drahksanness from another such as yourself? Otherwise, even if hidden that man will know you’re coming.”

  Volf nodded. “Yes.” He smiled slightly. “It’s something I didn’t know I could do before the dragon, but when I’m in my shadow-form I cannot be detected by other drahksan.”

  Barami nodded. “Good. Then here’s the plan. We’ll all go up that tunnel into the village. Hopefully, the wizard knows nothing of its existence and won’t have it guarded. Even if he does, we’ll fight our way out — making sure not to kill anyone in the process, just defend ourselves. That will be Jais, Hildr and myself. We’ll be the distraction.”

  “All-the-shadows-in-Holn! I will be no distraction!” Jais shouted. “I’m going to kill that man!”

  Barami stared down the husky youth. Jais looked incredibly tired: large bags under his eyes, his gait was sluggish, his shoulders slumped. “Which would you rather have? Killing that man at the expense of the lives of Hildr’s kin? Or simply having him dead, in a way which saves as many lives as possible?”

  Jais fumed. Barami could see the young man knew the right answer but didn’t like it. He’d like what was to come even less. “Caerwyn and Volf will be hidden from sight and the senses of that madman. They will sneak out of the tunnel and get themselves to a position behind the wizard and take him down with little fuss, hopefully.” He hadn’t taken his eyes off Jais. The young man didn’t look upset. It must have been a testament to how tired he was. Barami was sure he’d be complaining about why Caerwyn was going instead of him. Barami would deal with that now, just so it wouldn’t become an issue. “Caerwyn goes instead of you, Jais, because she’s the veteran warrior and she has just as much desire and reason to want that man dead as you. Trust me.”

  Jais opened his mouth but said nothing. His eyes darted over the Caerwyn and he nodded slowly. “I’d ask you to make it painful, but I fear quick will be best for all of us,” Jais said. His words were dead calm and all the scarier for it.

  Barami looked them all over slowly. “The hope is to distract the man and defend ourselves, drawing as many villagers as we can to us, while you two kill him and make sure he never threatens anyone again. Understood?”

  There were nods and grunts of agreement all around.

  “Then let’s go.”

  Hildr pushed aside the bushes to reveal the hidden portal behind them and then stepped closer to open the heavy door.

  Hildr let them all through. Barami went last. He wasn’t fond of this place, but to help Hildr free her people and to get vengeance on that wizard, he’d endure it once again.

  Volf had a torch lit by the time Hildr was closing the door behind them. Volf led the way down the straight tunnel, and Caerwyn and Jais followed him. Barami stayed back a bit with Hildr as she lit another torch.

  “Do you think my plan will work? I am sorry we’ll have to fight any of your people at all, but I fear it is the only way.”

  She nodded in the flickering light of the newly lit torch. “I agree. It be not ideal, but it be the best way. I can think of no better plan.” She looked him in the eye. “Thank you.” She stepped forward and with her free hand touched his face. Drawing closer still she guided his lips to hers. The kiss was sure and strong and deep. He felt the heat of her body next to his and held her close. She kept the torch away from them and finished her ministrations.

  “If this works,” she said softly. “Then I shall make sure you thoroughly enjoy the celebrations afterward.”

  “Oh?”

  “I shall bed you and ensure you be well satisfied.”

  He had to smile at her blunt recitation of such things. “Then I’ll make sure this works.” He pulled away and they began to walk swiftly to catch up to the others. After a moment, he turned to her with a half grin, thinking of his reward. “I’ll make sure you are well satisfied as well.”

  “I have no doubt.”

  Good.

  But first they had to kill a wizard who’d taken an entire village under his control, and somehow not hurt anyone too badly while doing it.

  36

  After the long straight tunnel under the hill, they had ascended the tight spiral stairs, carved from stone, to the landing below the secret entrance through one of the fire pits in a longhouse used mostly for storage.

  Volf watched as Hildr moved quietly up the ladder to the metal grating covering the secret entrance. They had doused their torches, as there was enough dim light filtering down from the fake fire pit above for them to see. Hildr peered about cautiously, through the sides of the fire pit.

  “It be clear,” she whispered down to them before carefully and quietly lifting the grating aside and exiting.

  Barami and Jais quickly followed her out.

  Volf was tired, incredibly so. His lack of sleep the night before was quickly catching up to him, especially after having used his powers all day. He knew now his shadow-walk wasn’t meant to be used over such long distances. In addition to that, he’d been using a lesser version of his shadow-form — which still allowed them to be seen by Barami and Hildr — to hide the dr
ahksani nature of himself, Caerwyn, and Jais for the past trek through the tunnels and continued to do so. He could feel the limits of his power drawing nigh. He just hoped he’d be able to last long enough.

  “You ready?” Volf said to Caerwyn behind him.

  In the dim light she nodded.

  He proceeded up the ladder and out, with her close behind him. The longhouse was empty save for his friends. It seemed they hadn’t been sensed and the wizard knew nothing of this entrance.

  Good.

  “Jais, when I hide myself and Caerwyn, I will have to release my limited shadow-form on you,” Volf said. Jais raised a brow. Volf got the feeling the other man didn’t know what he was talking about. He simplified. “In a moment the wizard will be able to sense you. He’ll know you’re coming.”

  Jais gave a feral grin. “I don’t care.”

  Barami added. “That will work well for our plan. We want the wizard looking our way, not yours.”

  Volf nodded.

  He turned to Caerwyn. “Take my hand.” He held it out. Taking a great breath, she took it. He didn’t know what was going through her mind, but he feared she might not be up to the task ahead. He certainly wasn’t.

  He wrapped them both in his shadow-form. The three others had fanned out, weapons ready. The blazing sun was allowed in through the doors at either end of the longhouse as well as several smoke holes in the roof, though the overall effect in the longhouse was still a dim, diffused light.

  Hildr was leading the other two toward the passageway at the center of the longhouse, which would connect it to the next one over. “We are only two houses over from the main house. This will get us there fastest. Hopefully the wizard has not thought to guard these.” The other three moved down into the darkness as Volf led Caerwyn to the far end of the longhouse, the side facing the outer wall. He knew where he needed to go now: two houses over.

  He stopped before they stepped out into the sun.

  “You ready for this?”

  Caerwyn was close, her hand still in his. It made it easier for him to keep his shadow-form extended for so long if he didn’t have to hide a great area. He felt a tremor run through her. She was near enough that, stopped as they were, she was partly leaning against him.

  “You keep asking me that.” Yet her tone wasn’t perturbed, more afraid.

  “I’m worried for… for us. I’m no fighter. We both know that, and I’m the only one you’ll have with you when you go up against that man. We should be able to surprise him, but if he doesn’t go down with one hit…” He shrugged. “You’ve been through a lot recently.”

  “I don’t need reminding. Let’s just get this done.” Her tone was clipped, tight.

  He nodded, then pulled her along as he slipped through the doorway.

  He nearly ran into a guard who’d been stationed close to the door outside but moved carefully around the man.

  “His eyes,” Caerwyn hissed.

  Volf looked to see the man’s eyes were glowing with a faint orange light as he looked around slowly. It must be some effect of the magic controlling him. Volf didn’t want to think about that too much.

  As he moved on, he instantly saw a problem with their plan. There were guards galore around the longhouse which they were heading for. If he hadn’t known where to go, the guards would have been a good indication. Not only were there several on the peaks of the houses using that vantage point to keep an eye out, but there was a group of about twenty men and women crowded around the entrance Volf and Caerwyn needed to go through.

  They approached slowly.

  “How will we get past them?” Caerwyn whispered, her breath warm on his ear she was so close.

  He had a way, but he didn’t know if it would work on her. He’d never tried it on another person before.

  He could manipulate his own form making himself smaller, flatter, if needed to get through tight spaces. He couldn’t become too tiny or paper thin, but if he slid along the wall, he could make himself slender enough not to brush by those near the doorway. He’d be able to slip in that way.

  But could Caerwyn?

  There was only one way to know for certain.

  He stopped, and she bumped into him lightly.

  “What?” she asked, her voice hushed. Even though no one outside of his shadow-form should hear them they were getting close enough to that large group that he understood her hesitancy to speak any louder.

  “I’m going to try something. Come this way.” He directed her to the outer wall of the longhouse and stood with his back against it.

  Before he could explain, she said, “They’re too close to the wall, we won’t be able to slip past them.”

  “We might,” he whispered. “I have an ability which lets me flatten or shrink myself when needed. But I don’t know if it will work on you. I’m going to—”

  Shouts and sounds of fighting erupted from some distance away, somewhere within the longhouse. Before either of them could react, several of those in the group standing outside moved as one and turned, heading in through the wide door to the longhouse.

  Of the score of men and women who had been guarding this entrance, half were gone now.

  It also meant those who’d been close to the wall weren’t there anymore.

  “Apparently we won’t need to worry about my ability.” Volf shrugged. “But we should hurry. If the others have started to fight we don’t have much time.” He drew in a long breath. “Let’s get in there and get this over with.”

  Caerwyn nodded and they slipped along the wall and through the doorway.

  Volf’s eyes adjusted almost instantly to the dimmer interior and he stopped, squeezing Caerwyn’s hand to give her a bit of warning.

  Her eyes must have taken a moment longer to adjust.

  “Oh,” she said seeing the problem.

  As much as some of the guards from outside had come in, and made it easier for them to enter, there were even more men and women within the house between them and the wizard.

  Volf could see the tall drahksan man. He was about thirty feet away standing in the center aisle of the longhouse. He was cackling with laughter, looking in the other direction, toward the sounds of fighting.

  Between him and them were a couple clusters of guards all looking right at them. Luckily, it looked like his shadow-form was still keeping them from view, but so many pairs of eyes pointed in his direction still made Volf uneasy.

  There was also the problem of how to get through the clumps of men and women who stood not only in the wide center aisle, but also on the platforms to either side. There were two sort-of rows of them each a few men thick. It wouldn’t be easy to get past them.

  “We might need that trick of yours after all,” Caerwyn said. Her voice was barely more than the warm breath which tickled his ear.

  He nodded. “Let’s see if it works on you.” He moved them to one side and up onto the platform, then he concentrated on making them smaller, shorter. Thin wasn’t what was needed now. The sloping top of the house would make it hard for them to move at speed past these men. They’d have to crouch or crawl, and that wouldn’t work anyway. The hanging furs and cloths which separated different areas along the platform would keep them from moving along too far toward the sides. Mostly they just needed to be a bit smaller to keep hurrying as they moved around all the barriers, guards and otherwise.

  He felt himself shrink, an odd sensation as the world grew and enlarged around him. He was a tall man, but most of the Dronnegir were taller and bigger in general. Now they just looked huge. He looked back at Caerwyn hoping she’d shrunken as well.

  She had, and looked a little stunned.

  He felt her shiver through the hand he was holding. “This is odd. Let’s not stay like this any longer than we have to.”

  He agreed. He knew just how to move to avoid people. He’d been doing it his entire life. He led her in a winding course through and around people avoiding the hanging walls as well.

  Soon enough they
were within striking distance of the wizard, and the man seemed to have no idea they were there. His attention was still focused in the other direction.

  Volf turned to Caerwyn and found her right next to him, his face so close their noses touched. “Once you go in to attack, you won’t be hidden anymore. Those men and woman behind us will know you’re there.”

  “Then I’ll just have to end this quickly.” She tried to give a confident grin, but the tremor in her voice and the uncertainty plain on her face belied her words. She seemed to realize it too. She closed her eyes and drew in a breath. “I can do this.”

  “I know you can.”

  She opened her eyes and kissed him quickly. It happened so fast he didn’t quite register it. “For luck.”

  He nodded still stunned.

  Then she released his hand. With a muttered word, a spear appeared in her hand.

  She’d be visible now, but no one was looking in this direction. She’d have one good attack.

  She threw.

  But fate was not on their side.

  The spear bounced off some field around the man which shimmered when struck. It was a rough ovoid shape, covering him like an invisible egg-shell.

  The spear returned to Caerwyn’s hand quick enough, but their surprise was gone.

  The man spun and stared at her, then laughed.

  With that, Volf lost all hope.

  37

  Jais was drenched in sweat. He’d been exhausted even before starting this fight, and his body throbbed with one united ache. He worked harder and harder just to keep away the Dronnegir, who were trying to kill him, without hurting them.

  But there were too many.

  He spun like a top, his two blades whirling so fast they were barely visible. He was defending only, as the others were, but this was taking too long, even though this fight had barely begun.

  He’d have to stop soon.