by Tara Maya, Elle Casey, J L Bryan, Anthea Sharp, Jenna Elizabeth Johnson, Alexia Purdy (epub)
She wondered what he saw behind his lids, in a world that was his alone. She hated to leave him like this, without a goodbye, but she had to go. His intentions had not been honest, and she couldn’t tolerate that. Deep in her thoughts, she squeezed her eyes shut. Shade liked him, but felt betrayed by his magic. It hurt that he’d done such things without her knowledge. He could’ve been so much more than just a friend. Flinging her eyelids open, she knew what she had to do. Bending down, she let her lips glide softly over his still very human-like ones. One lonely kiss for the road.
She stood back and saw that he had not stirred, that he remained oblivious. She silently wished him a goodbye as she left the room. At the door, she swung her pack onto her back and shut the door softly behind her. As it clicked, she never looked back again, but she’d forgiven him after all.
The streets had filled up quickly; she pulled the hood of her long cloak over her face, hiding her hooded sweatshirt and jeans effectively enough. She took a look around and watched the people scurry by, none of them giving her a moment’s glance.
Well, I’m alone again. She breathed in deeply and walked toward the edge of town, feeling her newfound determination filling her with purpose.
Shade felt no fear and embraced the anonymity of the crowd. It was a most welcome protection. As their magic swirled around her, she drew it in for comfort. She continued to weave around the people and made it to the edge of town. Walking along the road, she followed it until the town fell out of sight. Now she truly was alone. The gravel crunched under her feet, and the leaves of the trees rustled franticly in the breeze. Pulling out the maps she’d taken from Ursad, a feeling of regret washed over her as she thought about the way she had left. After what he had done to her… no, leaving was the only way she could forgive him. If this whole experience taught her one thing, it was that forgiving wasn’t the same as forgetting.
It was time to get a move on. Obviously, this wasn’t the kind of place where you make lifelong friends. I’ve got something more important to do, anyway. She smoothed out one of the maps on a flat boulder that was close to her height. She traced her finger along the road that she had followed out of the town. According to the map, she was heading north toward the mountains. She could see the great mountain peaks just beyond the forest. They seemed to be taunting her, appearing closer than they really were.
Sighing heavily, she folded the maps up neatly and placed them into her backpack. Pulling out an apple and a roll of bread at the same time, she munched on her small breakfast as she walked briskly along the road.
The day wore on, and she stopped frequently, checking the maps and refueling on the many snacks and drinks she carried with her. She made sure to put any garbage back into her bag in a trash bag or bury it. Frequent stopping to listen out to see if anyone was following her ate up the time quickly. She would go many miles on the desolate road before she came across anyone; then she’d crouch behind trees or fallen logs in the tall grasses of the forest floor until they passed. She wondered if any of them had been Ursad. Shade highly doubted it since they all were on carriages or small carts that wheeled on by.
She thought about him constantly and his unfortunate curse, wondering what his real face looked like. She didn’t like the fact that she’d left him alone again, especially when they had agreed to travel together. She shook her head. It had been unavoidable. He screwed up. She was not going to have people around her who she couldn’t trust completely; not now, when she was in so much danger.
Glancing around the lonely road, she pulled her pack tighter to her back. It was lonelier still without him. Where was everyone? Her thoughts wandered to Sary, Braelynn, Ewan, Stephan, Than, Soap, Jack and Dylan. Somehow, probably because of the blood bind, she knew Dylan was not returning to Teleen without her. He was out here somewhere, with or without her friends. She hoped she’d run into him soon. The forest seemed so vast and lonely without them joking beside her and chatting vibrantly, making her miss them terribly.
A sound made her pause as she listened to the woods. She heard the animals scurrying around and the birds singing high up, hidden in the canopy. Swearing she had heard something, she turned, straining her ears for any little noise. The blue sky above was swallowed by the trees as the branches swayed in the soft breeze. The strong scent of pine and damp mulch swam in the air, circling around and penetrating her nostrils. Nothing showed itself, so she trekked on.
It had happened slowly, but she realized she’d been changing and actually was enjoying the woods. So much had happened to her, she’d barely noticed this subtle difference in her personality. Somehow, though, it was clear she was now different; her life had been altered and would never be the same.
She rubbed her arms in the coolness of the late morning breezes. The altitude grew with each step as she walked toward the mountain range in the distance. I’ll have to use Dylan’s blanket soon. Already it felt colder as she edged closer to the Santiran Mountains.
As the day wore on, Shade decided not to walk on the gravel road anymore; it was becoming congested with travelers. More traffic could be heard as carts and bands of people shuffled by, heading away from the mountains mostly, in the opposite direction of her. She wondered why there weren’t as many people headed toward the mountains. The tension of possibly being seen and not knowing if the others were harmless or trouble was fraying her nerves. She’d hide behind trees until the road emptied and the people passed.
At one point, the road had filled with soldiers, and she’d hidden behind a large fallen tree for about half an hour before she could get moving again. The soldiers wore armor similar to Blythe’s army, and the sight of them made her heart jump and her breath tighten inside her chest.
The flashback of the fight in the river lands made her want to vomit. She had to breathe in slowly and close her eyes, praying she wasn’t going to be found by this strange militia. Who knew where their loyalties laid? She was relieved when they’d moved on without a moment’s glance in her direction. Shade was paranoid after that and dashed between the trees, pausing often to listen for any movement or snap of twigs. Every noise made her jump. It was hard to stay focused; she was starting to feel exhausted as the day wore on. She was about ready to hike farther from the road to camp for the night when she heard something that made her skin crawl.
“That little bitch killed Blythe! When I get my hands on her scrawny little neck, I’m gonna snap it like the twig she is!” a husky male voice echoed through the trees.
“Yeah, and give her a stab for my friend Mike; he died as well. Those warriors were no joke, where did she find them? That red-haired one got me on the shoulder, and the darn stitches hurt! That’s okay, though; I knocked her out before she got too much of me. Wish I could’ve finished her off. Whoever called retreat was a chicken shit,” another harsh voice replied.
Shade’s eyes widened at the description matching Sary’s looks. She gripped her backpack straps until her knuckles were white and her fingers ached in protest, fighting the urge to scream. She wanted to pull out her sword and charge the two soldiers. She closed her eyes and slowed her breathing again, shifting on her legs, which were going numb from crouching too long. Shade cringed as she heard the snap of a twig under her sneaker. She held her breath and waited.
“Hey, did you hear that? What was that?”
“It’s probably a squirrel stupid!” the second the soldier snapped.
“Shut up, moron, someone’s there,” the first solider responded, clearly sounding irritated.
The scratch of metal sliding out of a sheath made Shade swallow hard, her throat tight with nerves. Oh no!
Now they were whispering, so she couldn’t hear them any longer. Their careless footsteps crunched on bits of wood and dead mulch under their boots. As their steps grew closer, her panic intensified. She heard them come to a stop, but they didn’t speak. They seemed to be waiting for her to betray herself. The wait made her impatient, and she decided to risk peeking over the log to get thei
r position.
She spotted them not too far from her. They were scanning an area to the right, but soon enough, they would be near enough to see her. She glanced behind her, into the endless forest for an escape route.
“There she is! Get her!” they grunted as they turned toward her and began sprinting, dodging other logs and debris. Shade’s eyes widened, and she bolted, running as fast as she could through tangled branches, twigs and wet leaves.
“Stop! You’re in a lot of trouble! Stop and we won’t kill you,” one of the men called. He did not sound very convincing.
Yeah, that’s gonna make me come to a halt.
She jumped over boulders and logs, occasionally slipping and sliding as the terrain became uneven and full of dips and hills. Falling to her hands and scraping them on twigs and rocks, she felt no pain but was sure it was going to leave marks. She came to a rock bed where the boulders were enormous and bobbed out all across the land. She hopped on the flattened tops, nearly losing her step as her feet slid over the smooth surfaces. Her arms waved in the air, catching her balance just in time before she fell into one of the crevices.
“Get back here you little… Damn! Reike, my foot’s caught! Get her!” One soldier was struggling to pull his foot from a crack between two boulders. He waved at his partner to follow her.
Shade glanced back, but was near the end of the boulders when she missed her step and slammed against one side of a large stone. She tried to grip the rugged rock but only scraped her hands as she slipped down into the large hole between the rocks. She slid and slid, down under the boulders until the hole morphed into a tunnel, sending her spiraling down into darkness.
Chapter Nineteen
THERE WAS NOTHING but darkness and silence surrounding her. Shade was face down in the fine, sandy dirt floor. Sparks twinkled in her vision as she moved, causing her to slow down and breath through the wave of dizziness. She must have hit her head when she landed. Moving her arms under her body, she pushed herself into a sitting position, or what felt like it, because the darkness seemed to cancel out her sense of direction. This did not help her stomach. She lurched the last bits of her afternoon snack into the black dirt around her.
Yuck! Shade spit onto the ground, trying to expel the remnants of the nasty taste in her mouth. Breathing in deeply, she sat up again, balancing herself with her hands in the dirt. Bending over to let some more blood rush into her throbbing head, she let her senses normalize. I think need a doctor or something. As the moments passed, the pounding lessened and her stomach settled. She was able to sit straight and fished through all her pockets for the light stone. Finding it in the back pocket of her jeans, she wrapped her hand around it, willing it to life.
The soft glow grew with every breath she took. Her fear subsided just a bit when the light brightened and showed more strength. Holding it in the center of her palm and stretching her fingers straight, it lit the room like a small lantern. The light was dim, but she could see that the room was rounded and made out of stone. Dirt, rocks, and debris littered the floor of the underground cave. She studied the smooth walls all around her, not seeing any exits or cracks in the stone. The ceiling where she was sure she’d come from was sealed and just as smooth as the walls.
What the…? How the hell do I get out of here? How the hell did I get in?
Shade once again scanned the room to no avail. It was like being inside a very hard bubble. She placed the stone in front of her in the dirt, thinking Please, just keep glowing. She prayed as she watched the warm yellow light, her only solace in the dark. She smiled, proud that she’d managed to do some sort of magic. She attempted to stand up and take a better look around, but the floating stars in her vision caused her to kneel back and wait out the dizziness.
After a few moments, Shade felt well enough to stand and was glad she didn’t hit her head on the ceiling. Walking along the side of the walls, she felt along the stone, finding it rougher and grainier than the boulders aboveground. The bumps scraped against her already wounded and sore hands. After inspecting every inch of the surface, she was sure there was no way out. Spinning around with her heart pounding in her chest, she felt claustrophobic and frustrated. All kicking the stone wall and punching it with her hands gained her was more pain. Her hands were burning as her closed fists irritated her excoriated palms. Shade slumped to the floor, leaning against the cold rock. She hugged her knees to her chest and rocked back and forth until sobs shook her body and her tears soaked her cheeks. Her cries echoed in the cool, still air. She could smell the dampness and mold intermingled within it.
The time ticked by, and she didn’t know how long she had rocked herself, but it was long enough for her tears to dry up, staining her dirty cheeks. Even her hands had stopped throbbing. She pulled off her pack and dug through it for some water, hoping that afterward, she might be able to think more clearly. Her ravenous chewing on a small snack filled the emptiness for a moment or two. She wished her spirit guides were still with her and giving her advice. She wondered why the attack had caused her to expel them along with Darren. She rubbed her arms and felt a chill run down her entire body. Pulling out Dylan’s warm blanket, she wrapped it around her until just her eyes were visible from its within folds. The warmth provided by the blanket was instant, and her eyes were drooping with drowsiness, heavy with sleep.
Feeling the solitude pressing on her, Shade breathed in the faint scent of Dylan’s skin on the blanket. She sighed and watched her light stone glow softly in the dark. What now? She pulled out her sleeping bag from her tent and laid it on the soft dirt. Setting her pillow down, the exhaustion overwhelmed her body, and her bones ached from the events of the day. She hadn’t realized how tired she’d become after being chased through the forest. Wrapping the blanket around once more, she drifted to sleep, hoping to find someone, even in her dreams.
*****
SHADE’S EYES FLUTTERED open, adjusting to the blue flickering light in the room as it intermittently broke up the darkness. The rock seemed to bounce the glow around and reflect the blue coloring. She blinked again and sat up, confirming that she was still in her stone dungeon. Realizing her light stone wouldn’t be as bright as the glow shining in the cave, she rubbed away the sleep from her eyes and looked around.
Did someone just call my name?
“Shade! It is you! I knew you were close but I never thought that you would be here!” a male voice said, filled with relief and eagerness. She stared at the figure; electricity crackled and flames radiated from him like a torch. She stood up quickly, wavering for a moment, eyes wide in disbelief.
Dylan! It was Dylan, without glamour, aglow in the most amazing blue fire swimming along his skin. It licked the air around him.
“Dylan? How did you get here? How did you find me?” Her eyes scanned him, waiting for his still-familiar face to change into someone else. Her heart leapt with the utmost happiness at the sight of him. She smiled and tried to stand until a sway of dizziness changed her mind.
“I don’t know. I came along an ancient riverbed with enormous boulders throughout it. I was compelled to be there, and I’d been tracking you for a while. I can feel when you’ve been in a place, almost like I’m experiencing a feeling of déjà vu. It felt so strong there, but I didn’t even know where to look. Suddenly the land opened up and sucked me down between the boulders and, here I am. That’s never happened to me before, definitely a first.” He paused, beaming at her. “I was meant to find you. I can’t even explain it. It’s the weirdest thing to fall and be right here with you. No, wait, don’t get too close; you might get burned.” Shade retracted her hand, just realizing she’d been reaching out to him.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.”
He smiled and nodded. “It’s ok. You know how we look without the glamour to encase our true bodies. If you were to touch me, I could hurt you.”
Shade pressed her lips together, confusion flashing across her face. “Darren touched me when he was unglamoured, like you are
now, and I didn’t get burned. I asked Soap and Jack about it, and they had no answers for me. It makes me think that I might not be harmed if I do touch you.” She admired his flames and took in his handsome face.
It was a mask of shock as he shook his head. “I don’t know about that, Shade. Maybe it was a trick of his. He could do so many things with mirrors that would make you believe things were real, when they were really just illusion. He was a genius at that.” Dylan’s face was grim at the thought of his brother.
“No, I know because he was shocked when I didn’t burn. He said that much. And I saw it in his eyes.” Her eyes glazed over with the memory of the malice that had been stamped on Darren’s face. He had been filled with so much pleasure when he’d seen the fear wash over her. She looked at Dylan and almost expected to see Darren standing before her. They were similar in appearance, but even as brothers, they didn’t exactly look alike. They certainly didn’t behave the same way.
“Well, if you must, Shade, I will tone the flames down. Then you can touch my skin with just a finger. That way it won’t hurt you too much. Deal?”
She nodded and watched his flames shrink back into just embers glowing across his skin. She studied it and watched how his skin looked smooth and untouched under the heat. He watched her as she walked forward, extending her arm and hand up toward him. They both held their breath as she reached her finger up to his skin and slowly ran it up his arm. Dylan was still holding his breath when her soft touch reached him, seeming to freeze time.
Nothing… is happening. He felt warm, not hot. There was no pain, flying ash, or fear. She extended the rest of her fingers out to brush his forearm. His flames extended to full glow, and she remained unscathed. She brought her hand back and studied it. Dirt and drying scrapes peppered the skin across her hand but no burns or soot. She looked at Dylan, who was as stunned as she was. He was observing her intently, making her suddenly aware of his closeness.
