The Dark Shadow of Spring
Page 25
Alex and Victoria frowned in unison, as much at Dillon as his father the mayor. The mayor was a large man of large appetites. While he had probably been lean in his youth, age and privilege had softened him, particularly around his waist. The flab falling over his belt was mirrored by the rolls of flesh hanging beneath his chin. His head was completely bald and he was only ever seen in public wearing a wide-brimmed hat, which he now pulled tightly down around his ears.
“You said you needed to get to the mountain quickly,” Victoria’s father said, his voice calm rather than defensive. “I told you it was a prototype.”
“Fine, fine,” the rotund mayor said. “Now what’s going on here, Logan? Where’s this cave? All I see is a hole in the ground that nearly became my grave. And what are all these kids doing up here?”
“I’m not sure,” Alex’s father said, his voice tense as he focused his eyes on the mayor. “But I’m sure Alex and his friends can explain. Isn’t that right, son?”
Alex looked around at the crowd of people who now filled the small clearing. Nearly twenty townspeople had disembarked from the wagon. They were not the people Alex would have expected, a number of them known for being poor mages. Alex suspected that many of the most powerful mages had either been trapped in their dreams or soul-bound to become part of the Shadow Wraith’s army. With the Shadow Wraith sealed back in its prison and its surrogate creature no longer able to touch the world, many of the townspeople would be waking up and wondering what had happened.
Added to the crowd were Anna, Mei, the rest of the Mad Mages, and the other children who had been forced to defend the cave for the Shadow Wraith. Whether by chance or intention, the crowd gathered in opposition to where Alex stood, like some anxious mob waiting for a reason to stampede. Alex felt Victoria, his sister, and the rest of the Guild align themselves behind him and breathed a little more easily.
“It’s not that difficult to explain,” Alex said, standing up straight and looking directly at Mayor McClint’s sweat-covered face. “One of the twelve seals that holds the Shadow Wraith imprisoned in another realm lies under the ground where that cave used to be. That seal was crumbling and the Shadow Wraith was breaking free, so we asked the dragon, Gall’Adon, for help to repair the seal. When he refused, I stole his dragon fire and gave it to Ben to hold and then, after we fought off the kids that the Shadow Wraith had enslaved and turned into guards against their will, we went down into the cave and fixed the seal and pushed the Shadow Wraith back into its prison realm. After that, the dragon came looking for his fire and collapsed the cave. When we escaped the cave, I gave the dragon back his fire and he flew off. Then you all showed up.” Alex took a deep breath and held it, continuing to stare at Mayor McClint and refusing to glance at his mother and father, even though he could feel their hot glares boring into the side of his head.
Mayor McClint shook his head and laughed aloud. “That’s the most preposterous thing I’ve ever heard. You’d have to be a Spirit Mage to accomplish half of that.”
“I am a Spirit Mage,” Alex said, his voice both proud and defiant.
“It’s a lie,” Dillon said stepping up beside his father. “It’s all a hoax by their silly club and now they’ve been caught.” Alex looked at Dillon and blinked in amazement. What was he up to? Why would he lie like that after Alex had saved him? The sneer on Dillon’s face gave Alex a good notion of why Dillon would lie — because Alex had saved him. Dillon hated Alex and hated the idea of Alex looking like a hero.
“That’s not what you told us when you rode into town on Alex’s bike,” Alex’s father said, his eyes staring hard at Dillon.
“He was holding Anna and the others hostage,” Dillon said, his jaw jutting out defensively. “Ask them, they probably can’t remember anything.”
“Is that true?” Mayor McClint said to the Mad Mages and the rest of the children who had been in the clearing. They all shook their heads and muttered denials of having seen or heard anything to corroborate Alex’s story. Alex wasn’t surprised. The soul-enslaving spell the Shadow Wraith had used on them left them all with no memory of what had happened before it was lifted.
“It seems what we have here is a prank,” the Mayor said, his voice loud and triumphant. “And a serious series of crimes against the town.”
Alex and the rest of the Guild began speaking at once, pronouncing their innocence, the truth of their story, and denouncing the vile lies of Dillon. The Mayor shouted for quiet, which led to Alex’s mother and father adding their voices to the din, which was only made louder by the townspeople taking sides and voicing their opinions.
Alex could see Dillon smirking and wanted to punch him. He should have left the boy unconscious in the bushes where Rafael had felled him with the well-thrown stone. Instead, Alex tried to yell out the truthfulness of the story as the shouting reached a new level of intensity. Into this cacophony of sound came a high-pitched voice of dissonance that kept repeating a single phrase over and over.
Alex’s father’s magically amplified voice suddenly boomed over the clearing. “Quiet, I said!” The sound was so loud and so unexpected that everyone lapsed into immediate silence. “Now, what was that you were saying, young lady?” his father said, picking one girl out from the crowd with his steely glare. Alex followed his father’s gaze and found himself looking at Anna.
“I said he’s telling the truth,” Anna said, straightening herself up and raising her voice.
Her father, who stood next to her, shook his head in a patronizing fashion. “You must be mistaken, pumpkin,” the tall man said in a thick Russian accent.
“No, I’m not,” Anna said, her voice hot and defiant. “I remember everything after Alex saved me from the Shadow Wraith’s spell. It happened just like he said it did.”
“She’s confused,” Dillon said, desperately trying to catch Anna’s eyes. “He must have her under some kind of spell like he used on the town.”
“He’s lying,” Anna said, pointedly ignoring Dillon and looking instead at Alex. “Dillon hates Alex. He’s been trying to make everything that the Shadow Wraith did all week look like Alex and his friends were playing a hoax on the town.” Alex noticed the disdain that filled Anna’s voice as she said the words friends. What is she up to? he thought.
“Dillon?” Mayor McClint said as he confronted his son. “Is what she says true?”
Dillon looked from his father to Anna and back again and then stared right at Alex. “I’ll get you for this,” Dillon said and then turned and ran into the woods.
“Dillon!” Mayor McClint yelled after his son. “You get back here this instant.” But Dillon continued to run and was soon lost from sight.
The entire crowd in the clearing was silent, all staring at Mayor McClint, waiting for his pronouncement. All except Alex and Anna. Anna was staring into the woods where Dillon had disappeared. Alex was trying to figure out why Anna, of all people, would have supported him against Dillon. Then the look on Anna’s face told him everything he needed to know. Anna smiled. Not a big smile, not even one that anyone else would notice, but a smile all the same.
Alex had contemplated the possibility that Anna’s experience in the cave had given her a new insight and perspective. That she had told the truth because it was the right thing to do. But as Alex watched Anna, he realized she was motivated by something completely different. While Dillon might have been concerned for Anna’s welfare, Anna was primarily concerned for herself and her position.
Alex had long ago noticed how much Anna resented taking orders from Dillon as a member of the Mad Mages. Now she would have the leverage to take control of the club from Dillon and become leader herself. Alex had to admit that it was a treacherous piece of cunning. By telling the truth, Anna became one of the heroes of the story, sure to be lauded by the town, especially the adults. By betraying Dillon, she removed him from competition as leader of the Mad Mages. Alex wasn’t sure if he should applaud her strategy or be worried about what it would mean for him and the G
uild with Anna leading his rivals. Then Anna caught his eye and smiled such a silky sweet smile that Alex know exactly what his reaction should be. Anna was far smarter and far more dangerous than Dillon would ever be.
“Well,” Mayor McClint said, clearing his throat and bringing Alex’s attention back to the crowd and the clearing. “I, for one, am still skeptical that Shan’Kal has made any attempt to return to this world after thousands of years.”
Alex was not entirely surprised when he felt an invisible ice-cold hand briefly grip at his heart. It was gone almost as swiftly as it had come. The sudden fear and panic that filled the faces of Mayor McClint and the townspeople told him that everyone else had felt the same thing.
“The Shadow Wraith is stronger than before,” Alex said. “Now that it has touched this world again, it has power here. Power to draw its evil down upon those who speak its true name.”
“Well,” Mayor McClint said, swallowing loudly and wiping the sweat from his brow with a blue handkerchief. “It seems I may have been hasty in my judgment. I suppose, maybe, that we might have these youngsters to thank for saving the town.”
A cheer went up from the crowd and Alex and the Guild soon found themselves surrounded by joyous neighbors patting their backs and offering congratulations. Alex looked up as Victoria found him in the confusion and took his hand. He tried to smile, but his heart wasn’t in it. This should have been a moment of glory, but the effect of Mayor McClint’s mentioning of Shan’Kal’s name left him with a feeling of dread in his gut.
Alex caught his parents looking at him and saw his own worry reflected back in their faces. It was clear to him they had seen and faced real evil in the days before he and his sister had been born. Now they looked as though they were about to set off along a road they knew all too well and that led to many painful and unpleasant places. Alex felt the same himself. At least he had his friends to travel that road with him. He looked to find Victoria and the rest of the Guild staring at him and smiling. Alex laughed. If the Shadow Wraith tried to come back again, The Young Sorcerers Guild would be waiting for it.
Chapter 27: Epicurean Epilogue
Alex sighed contentedly as he stuffed another spoonful of potato salad into his mouth. His mother made the best potato salad. Just the right amount of mustard added to the onion and mayonnaise mixed together with a generous helping of finely chopped bacon. It was almost as good as the horseradish-slathered roast beef sandwich he took a bite of next. He was really looking forward to a piece of Ben’s mother’s blueberry pie, but there was no need to rush. At least not while Clark and Victoria were occupied with sandwiches and salads.
Alex sat cross-legged on a red-and-white-checkered picnic blanket spread beneath the drooping canopy of a large willow tree near the edge of the Wolf’s Head Lake, just down the road from the heart of the town of Runewood. Nina and the rest of the Guild sat nearby. Victoria sat beside him, her four legs curled underneath her body. She and Clark seemed to be in some silent competition to see who could eat the most and she appeared to be winning as she served herself a fifth helping of baked beans.
Alex smiled at his friends and looked past them to where their parents were all gathered on a separate picnic blanket. It had been Alex’s mother’s idea to have a picnic for the Guild and their family members. A way of celebrating together what they had accomplished two weeks ago at the cave in the Black Bone Mountains. It was also a way, Alex suspected, of his mother planting more firmly the seeds that would allow the parents, especially his, to monitor the activities of the Guild.
Alex couldn’t really blame his mother for being worried about him. He was worried too, when he paused for any length of time to contemplate the future. Which is why he tried to stay as busy as possible. That had been easy so far, with school and lessons with Batami and meetings of the Guild. There hadn’t been another opportunity kiss Victoria, but Alex was sure there would be. He just needed to think of an excuse for it. Or did girls want excuses? He decided not to think about that either, just at the moment. He had a feeling that he would be spending a good portion of his life wondering what girls wanted. Particularly centaur girls.
“Penny for your thoughts,” Victoria said and Alex nearly choked on an olive.
“Nothing,” Alex said, coughing. “Just thinking about the future.”
“Yes, the future,” Victoria said with a smile that made Alex cough again. “I’ve been thinking quite a bit about the future myself. It seems to hold a lot of potential. The future, that is.” Alex coughed once more.
“Well, whatever the future holds, I certainly hope there aren’t any dragons in it,” Rafael said.
“Hmmm, or Shadow Wraiths,” Clark said around a mouthful of potato chips.
“One,” Ben said, taking a sip of a Fanta orange soda. “There’s only one Shadow Wraith. Plenty of dragons, though.”
“And we can pray to Neptune’s nose hairs that we’ve seen the last of both creatures,” Daphne said and spit a watermelon seed into the grass.
“Do you think it will come back, Alex?” Nina asked, brushing an ant from her leg. “Is that the future you were thinking about, about your destiny and how it’s tied to the Shadow Wraith and how if it’s free, you’ll need to fight it again and how it wants to destroy the town and maybe the world and what it will mean if the magic is gone for good from the land?”
“Actually,” Alex said trying to ignore his sister’s rambling, because he had thought exactly those things, “I was just thinking about what we were going to do over summer break.” He looked up at the branches of the tree above his head and an idea suddenly came to him.
“Have any of you ever heard of the Rune Tree?”
The others leaned forward with expectant looks on their faces as Alex explained his latest plan and smiled. There was nothing more fun than planning a new adventure with his friends. He felt certain that it would work out better than the last one. After all, what could go wrong that hadn’t already?
###
About the Author
After a childhood spent whizzing through the galaxy in super sleek starships and defeating treacherously evil monsters in long forgotten kingdoms, G.L. Breedon grew up to write science fiction and fantasy novels. He lives with his wife in Brooklyn, NY.
For more information please visit:
www.Kosmosaicbooks.com
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Race Through Runewood
Chapter 2: The Dragon’s Lair
Chapter 3: Waking the Dragon
Chapter 4: Destiny Via Dragon
Chapter 5: Whispers in the Shadows
Chapter 6: Walk in the Woods
Chapter 7: Late for Dinner
Chapter 8: Cold Snap
Chapter 9: Looking For Answers
Chapter 10: Guild Rules
Chapter 11: Accidental Astral Traveler
Chapter 12: Dinner Plans
Chapter 13: Breaking and Enchanting
Chapter 14: The Shadow’s Plague
Chapter 15: Parental Consent
Chapter 16: Ghastly Gathering
Chapter 17: Astral Assignation
Chapter 18: Diabolical Demon Debacle
Chapter 19: Lunch and Lessons
Chapter 20: Soul Savior
Chapter 21: Cavernous Calamity
Chapter 22: Dragon’s Fire
Chapter 23: Fog of Battle
Chapter 24: The Belly of the Beast
Chapter 25: Forgive and Regret
Chapter 26: Truth Be Told
Chapter 27: Epicurean Epilogue
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