Land of Shadows

by Jeff Gunzel

  * * *

  Jade rode on into the night. Her necklace continued to pulse with a faint yellow light. She could feel its knowledge, its wisdom. She knew she was getting closer. There was some kind of three-way bond between herself, the necklace, and who she had been charged with protecting.

  All of a sudden, that feeling took a dark turn. Again, it was not any sort of image that popped into her head, but she knew her dependent was in trouble regardless. He was in danger, and his life was more important than hers.

  The necklace pulsed angrily now, like a rabid heartbeat. It was imploring her to move at a breakneck pace.

  Into the night sped the assassin as her black robe flapped behind her like the wings of a demon. However, with the power of death that pulsed through the assassin, a demon would be less formidable.