Shadow

by David L Dawson

  Cressida realized she was falling to sleep. Seth’s story had been like a lullaby to her. She smiled, seeing her home coming up ahead. It was good to be back.

  Chapter 6 – The Body Thief

  The sky platform left for its position in the sky once again, to keep vigil on the house and its inhabitants. Ginger had requested they stay in the house as she had plenty of room but Miss Weber had declined the offer. Miss Weber knew that if they stayed in her home they’d be relaxed if an attack did come, so it would be better if they kept their watch from up in the clouds.

  Cressida placed the Book of Fire back on the coffee table. Now she knew what was in it, or some of it anyway, it seemed that much more dangerous. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have your heart or your liver set on fire. Prince Fatespore had looked an evil Elf on his picture but had he really? Had he really just been consumed by vengeance after the death of his daughter? Or had that tragedy turned him evil? Emily was right. The life of this Elf was interesting.

  “Are you feeling okay?” Ginger asked. Emily was lugging her suitcase up the stairs at the moment, with a little help from Joe. Snaps the cat and Martin the wolf were sniffing around the kitchen for something to eat, bonded by their insatiable hunger.

  “I knew in my heart that the spells in that book were awful but to actually know what some of them are is different,” Cressida admitted. “The Shadow Assemblage should be ashamed of themselves for even owning such a book, as well as being careless enough to lose it in the first place. What if I hadn’t been drawn to it? I mean I like Miss Weber and everything but what if the book had bonded to her instead? Would the government be using the spells to wage war? After all it wouldn’t take them long to find out Emily could read ancient Elvish and they’d have had her kidnapped and forced to work for them and…There’s no point in speculating on what could have happened. I picked up the Book of Fire and that’s all there is to it.”

  Ginger hugged her. Cressida didn’t think she could cope with all this if she didn’t have her mother to hold her and say everything was all right. It felt like a dream, from the very moment she had picked up the book. Things like this didn’t happen to girls like her, especially if they born without the magic gene. She had wished so often to be able to do magic and now she could and she didn’t know why.

  Joe dropped Emily’s bag onto the bed in the spare room. He remembered this as the room where Cressida used to keep her My Baby Unicorn collection. Where were they all? She must have chucked them out as they seemed too babyish to her now. The two of them always had fun in here, playing My Baby Unicorn versus Mighty Troll Warrior. Perhaps it’s time to give up my toys, he thought. Well, maybe next year.

  “It smells of mildew in here,” Emily complained.

  “The only thing I can smell is your lavender perfume,” said Joe.

  “I’m not wearing perfume!” Emily protested. “It must be my natural musk.”

  “Unless you sweat lavender then you’re wearing perfume,” said Joe.

  Emily blushed and turned away to begin unpacking. First came her toothbrush and toothpaste, then a thick book with the title “My Secret Diary” followed by about ten pencils held together by a blue rubber band. After that came her underwear, some changes of clothes, and a packet of marzipan fruits.

  “Do you like marzipan fruits?” Emily asked him.

  “They’re my favorite,” Joe admitted.

  Emily smirked. “Maybe I’ll give you one later. For now, though, I’d like to go to sleep. Goodnight.”

  “Er…goodnight,” Joe muttered, shuffling backwards out of the room and into the upstairs landing. He closed the door.

  He heard Corona giggling on his head.

  “What’s up with you?” he whispered, walking to the stairs.

  “She likes you,” said Corona. “It’s so obvious!”

  “Don’t be stupid!” he told her. “Emily doesn’t like anybody. She’s emotionless.”

  “Take it from me, she fancies you,” said Corona. “Now go to the bathroom, we have things to discuss.”

  Joe reluctantly agreed. He had things he needed to discuss with Corona too. He was totally confused about what to do; should he take the book from Cressida or not? Every time he thought he’d come up with a definite answer he would start to have doubts. At the moment he was veering more towards the “betraying Cressida” side.

  He closed the upstairs bathroom door behind him and pressed his back against the door. He felt like a traitor already and he hadn’t even done anything. The simple fact, though, was the irie had been lounging around on his head for hours now and he hadn’t told anyone, so that was a betrayal.

  “You said you’d do it earlier,” said Corona. She’d left the comfort of Joe’s scruffy, bouncy hair and was now sitting on the toilet seat. “You said you’d wait until the protection spell was broken and take the book.”

  “You heard everything Emily said,” Joe told her. “Only the person bonded to the book can say any spell in it. So even if we take the book I can’t read any of the spells because it’ll still belong to Cressida.”

  Corona had forgotten that. She sighed, thinking through her options. Ginger had still been siphoning off his power, though. She could still use that as leverage to make him steal the book. Humans were always up for a spot of revenge, and she was sure even Joe would like to get back at the people who had taken away his ability to do magic properly.

  Joe put his hand on the door handle and said, angrily, “I’m going downstairs to tell everyone what you’re up to. I want you out of this house!”

  “But Ginger is stealing your power!” Corona cried, feeling the situation slipping out of her control. “You have to have your revenge!”

  “Emily says the book itself has been giving Cressida its own energy,” shouted Joe. “So it looks as if I’m just naturally crap at magic.”

  Corona felt her fury bubbling up inside. She had worked so hard to turn this boy away from his friends and that stupid Emily had ruined it all. She really didn’t want it to come to this. She genuinely liked Joe. He was nice, for a human. She had her orders, though. The irie had to have the book.

  The door was open now, and Joe was about to leave. Corona flew at him like a dart, knocking him onto the carpeted landing. He swatted at her with his hands but she was too fast for him. She was inserted into his brain within seconds and this time she didn’t give him the chance to talk or for her to talk to him or for him to give the game away with arm flailing and yells of pain. She locked his mind away inside that unreal bedroom of his inside his mind and took over his body completely.

  “I heard someone fall over,” a voice said behind her. Corona/Joe turned around to find Emily standing in the open doorway of her bedroom. She was wearing a light green dressing gown and her long black hair was untidy and free.

  “I…” Hearing a boy’s voice come out of her mouth was very peculiar, but she liked it. She liked being loud. “I tripped over on the carpet when I was coming back from the bathroom. Crikey, this landing is a death-trap.”

  Emily inspected the carpet. It was laid down perfectly. What was he doing falling about on the landing anyway? Then Emily realized why; he had been loitering outside her room for some reason and had fallen over upon hearing her walk to the door. Had he been trying to pump up the courage to ask her out on a date?

  “Anyway,” mumbled Corona/Joe. “I better go and see what Cressida is up to. What time shall I tell her lessons start?”

  “Nine on the dot,” said Emily.

  Corona/Joe gave a half-hearted smile and made for the stairs. She hoped Emily wouldn’t cause any trouble. The last thing she needed was to have the girl mooning after her/him all the time. Emily could well become suspicious and discover Joe’s spirit was not the one driving his body. How do I learn to act like Joe? Corona had been on his head for a few hours so she thought she might be able to pull it off. It was time for a test of her abilities.

  Corona tested out her new legs. It felt stran
ge not to have wings but it was also very empowering to be tall. The whole world seemed a much bigger place than it had just a few seconds ago, and it was wonderful. I could stay in this body forever, she thought rebelliously.

  Chapter 7 – Growing Up

  In the living room Cressida was flicking through the book as Ginger read a book of her own, some novel with the title “My Love for the Troll with a Heart.” Corona/Joe walked hesitantly, then with more confidence, and sat down beside her. Corona knew if she couldn’t fool Cressida then she couldn’t fool anyone. Cressida Widdershins was the ultimate test for her abilities.

  “How much of what Emily said earlier have you remembered?” he/she asked.

  “None of it,” said Cressida. “Although to be fair she didn’t exactly read out an exact translation, just bits here and there. I imagine the fun really starts in the morning. She wants to start lessons at nine a.m.”

  “I hope all this time off school won’t be noticed,” said Cressida. “You’re not going to have the school authorities putting you in jail or anything, are you Mom?”

  Ginger laughed. “I imagine I shall have to come up with a decent enough excuse. They’ll believe me. I am one of their star teachers after all.”

  Cressida put her hand to her forehead and said theatrically, “I have the flu, mother; the most terrible case of the worst kind of flu ever to hit Pangaea!”

  Corona/Joe decided to play along, reckoning Joe would do the same. Besides, it looked to be fun.

  “I think I’ve caught it too!” Corona/Joe wailed. “This is the last time I ever stay at your house, Cressida! You’ve got more diseases than a hospital!”

  They giggled, and Corona thought things were going rather swimmingly. Impersonating a human had been easier than she’d thought. All you had to do was go along with the dominant person and nobody noticed anything different. She felt a little sorry for Joe, actually. Did all he do was agree to everything Cressida said?

  “What do you think he was like?” Cressida asked suddenly. Ginger had returned to her book, and they could hear Martin and Snaps wolfing down their food in the kitchen. Like every living thing in the cosmos they made a lot of noise as they ate.

  “Who?” Corona/Joe inquired.

  Cressida pointed down at the drawing of Prince Fatespore. Corona couldn’t help but give a little shiver. She knew pure evil when she saw it and this Elf was pure evil and then some. This creature had begun the Book of Fire, the object she had to get for her irie brethren. Had Bullavent known what the book was when he sent her on this mission? She liked to think not, but she couldn’t be sure. Corona knew what the Book of Fire was all about, and she just wished Joe had agreed to their plan. It was vital she got the book back to her people, now more than ever. The Book of Fire, she thought. I am looking at the most evil spell book ever created. I have to get it!

  “The word evil was invented for a person like that,” said Corona/Joe.

  “You really think he was evil and not just a bit…misguided, maybe because he was upset over his daughter dying?” said Cressida.

  “Do you really believe that?” said Corona/Joe.

  Cressida shrugged her shoulders, not really sure. Prince Fatespore was just another figure in history to her, someone whose past could never be really known because he had existed so long ago. Yet would a misguided person really begin a spell book with such dark, destructive spells in it?

  Cressida closed the book. The evil spells in there were making her feel nauseous. She shuddered to think of all the people this book had hurt over the centuries.

  “Do you remember when we used to play that game in your Grandpa’s attic?” Cressida asked, smiling fondly at the memory.

  Corona/Joe smiled. “Of course.”

  “Prince Fatespore reminded me of it,” said Cressida. “I used to be Princess Cherry, and you were her mortal nemesis, the Black Rook of the Abyss, come to take her away! The Black Rook of the Abyss isn’t evil. It was cursed to pull souls down into the Abyss or it would wither and die. I thought that maybe Prince Fatespore was like that, but…well, never mind. I’m too tired to think anymore.”

  Corona didn’t like the analogy one bit. For starters she had actually met the Black Rook of the Abyss and it wasn’t an experience she would ever forget in a hurry. There was no doubt in her mind that the Black Rook was a nasty, evil thing that took pleasure in ripping out people’s souls but she couldn’t tell Cressida that. She doubted that Joe would ever have had the opportunity to go sightseeing in the Abyss.

  “Do you want to play Cherry and the Black Rook?” Corona/Joe tentatively asked. The irie wasn’t entirely sure what to say next. The feelings she had from Joe’s spirit was that he enjoyed playing in his Grandpa’s attic and it sounded like a good idea to help them unwind from all their recent stresses.

  Cressida giggled. “We’re not six anymore.”

  “I thought it might make us feel better,” said Corona/Joe. “A little harmless messing around won’t kill you, will it? You like adventure. Things have gotten far too seriously lately. Come on!”

  “I have things to do,” Cressida objected, but the thought of the fun they used to have together started surfacing in her mind. “I have the Shadow Assemblage after me! I can’t be playing games!”

  Corona/Joe pulled a game out of Joe’s mind. It was something called tag, and it was a pastime that Corona was familiar with. The game might be more fun if you were small and had wings and had an entire forest to play in but the house would be a good play area.

  Corona/Joe touched Cressida on the arm, shouted “tag, you’re it” and made a run for the stairs. Cressida gave her mother a look as if to say “oh please, I’m far too mature to be playing childish games.” Then she decided “what the heck” and put the book down on the coffee table and ran after her friend.

  Chapter 8 – The Bell

  Cressida looked out of her bedroom window into the night sky, thinking she could make out the sky platform. Were they cold up there? It must be so boring just watching one single thing for days at a time. She was grateful for their vigilance as it could save her life one day but she couldn’t help but think that they could be doing something else apart from hovering up there, doing nothing. Or maybe it’s just me that needs to be doing something, she thought. Instead of locked up inside my own home with Emily Swine. How am I supposed to learn anything from her? And how are my mother’s spells and the government agents going to protect me from the Shadow Assemblage?

  The Book of Fire was in her bed. She wanted to keep it with her at all times, just to be safe. There was no telling what might happen. Joe or her mom might touch it by accident and end up in the river, or Emily’s evil cat might be sick on it. She looked down at the offending item, half sticking out from under her covers like it was peacefully sleeping. In a way it was. It would only be truly awake when somebody was casting one of its despicable spells. All the spells in that book were designed for one purpose only; to hurt and cause destruction.

  On one of her shelves was a small paperback book entitled “Spells for Beginners.” She had stolen it from the library at school when she was eight years old. At the time she had been feeling particularly depressed at having no magical abilities. Emily had just received a gold badge from her Magic Technology teacher and wasn’t shy in showing off about it. Joe was, as usual, not doing very much with what abilities he did have and her mother was too busy marking the test results of another of her magic classes. Everywhere around her people were doing what she so longed to do, whether they were excelling or, as in Joe’s case, flopping very badly indeed. She hadn’t thought it was fair and so, in a peak of jealousy, had stolen the book. She could never use it but that didn’t matter. She had a little slice of magic in her life now and it made her feel that little bit more special.

  Cressida opened the book to the first page. She was feeling slightly giddy, like she was about to open up a surprise birthday present or a Snow Day gift.

  “Simple levitation,” she read. She ski
pped that part as she knew how to do it already. On the second page was something she hadn’t yet mastered or even heard of; a spell to create a virtual bell. It would appear to be quite a useless spell but she knew she had to try.

  She sat in the middle of her bed, legs crossed, and the less evil book resting on her knees. Reading the spell, thoroughly, testing the way the words sounded on her tongue and inside her head, Cressida recited the spell. Nothing happened although she did hear a tiny tingling noise, like somebody dropping a shell a mile away.

  “Try creating this bell first, then you will be shown how to customize your own bell later on in the book,” she read out. The bell she should have created was your standard school bell, golden and loud but smaller than average. She tried again and grinned in triumph when she succeeded; a little too well. The ringing of the bell was so loud it hurt her ears and, just as she’d expected, she found the entire house crowding into her bedroom. They all looked sleep deprived and very, very angry.

  “You could wake the dead with that thing!” Emily scolded her.

  “Or the living dead in your case,” spat back Cressida.

  Martin was barking at the bell as it continued to ring. Cressida was too confused and didn’t know how to get rid of it and was about to check the book when her mother made the bell disappear herself. Cressida felt so embarrassed.

  “Everybody else out,” Ginger ordered. The others obeyed, all sleepily heading back to their beds. Ginger closed the door.

  “Tonight might not be the best time to be trying out your new abilities,” said Ginger, sitting on the bed. “You have a long day tomorrow.”

  “Which is why I should start now,” said Cressida. “The more magic I know the safer I’ll feel. What if something happens to you or Miss Weber and Seth?”

  “Nothing is going to happen to me,” Ginger assured her.

  “Do you know that for certain?”