Shadow Stalker Part 2 (Episodes 7 - 12)

by Renee Scattergood

  Shai nodded. "I was captured trying to get in to see him."

  *****

  My emotions threatened to overwhelm me as I left Shai's room, and I had to choke back a sob. Makari grabbed my arm and dragged me to my father's room. He didn't dare comfort me until the door was closed.

  "What happened?" he asked, wrapping me in his arms.

  I didn't answer right away. I wanted to tell them both what I had witnessed, but I needed to pull myself together first. Knowing we didn't have much time, I took a few deep breaths before I pulled away from Makari. I took his hand and led him towards my father, who watched me curiously as I knelt next to him. We hugged briefly.

  "Shai is in really bad shape. I doubt there’s an inch of her body that isn’t covered in bruises. I'm afraid for her well-being." I looked at my father. "I didn't know she was so young. She's younger than me. I've decided. I won't leave without her. I won't leave her to this fate."

  Both men sighed, but Zain reached over and gave my hand a squeeze.

  "I have to agree," he said, surprising me. "I knew she had to be young considering I didn’t know Kado and Raven had a child, which meant Shai was born after I was captured. When you mentioned her, I assumed she was closer to your age. Our people must be desperate if they sent someone so young, without being fully trained."

  "From what I know, she was sent to make contact with you and relay your instructions on what should be done about the Council of Elders. I don't think they expected her to return."

  My father rubbed his face with his hands. "They could send no other?"

  I shook my head slowly. "The elders prevented the others from leaving the Dark Isle. They didn't suspect a child, so no one was watching her. That's the only reason they sent her."

  "I have been able to withstand the torture only because of my training. When our people go on a mission, they do so with full knowledge of what they will face, and the training to handle any situation that arises. Even if it means committing suicide to evade capture and protect the rest of our people. Shai was not old enough, or knowledgeable enough, to understand what she was walking into. Leaving her would be wrong."

  Though it shocked me, I was relieved to know my father supported my decision.

  "But listen well, Auren. If it comes down to it, and only one of you can escape, you have to think of yourself first. Swear you will do this. I know you are having a difficult time accepting your importance, but you can't throw your life away for the sake of someone else. You have to swear you will sacrifice Shai's life to save your own."

  "But I can't—"

  "No, Auren," Zain said, sternly. "Do not tell me you can't. The entire human race is on the line here. You cannot risk everyone for one life. You will swear to me, on your mother's spirit that you will sacrifice Shai's life to save your own."

  "You mean kill her?"

  My father nodded. "It would not serve her to be recaptured."

  "Kado would hate me."

  Zain shook his head. "Kado would understand. He would expect you to do the same."

  I stood and walked away from him. There was no way I could kill her. I had a hard-enough time considering taking the life of an enemy. How could I possibly consider taking the life of an innocent? Not to mention the daughter of someone I loved like a father. In a way, we were almost sisters, though we’d only just met. I couldn't do it. I wouldn't do it.

  Makari approached from behind. He pulled me into his arms and whispered in my ear. "He's right, Auren. I know it’s hard, but wouldn't it be better than leaving her to suffer here? She would be able to return to the shadow world."

  "You're not helping." I tried to pull out of his arms, but he held me tight. The tears came then, pouring down my face as my thoughts spun out of control. It made me dizzy. Could this situation get any worse? I wondered if Drevin's parents were still alive and whether they now understood the damage they've caused by breaking the rules. Though the venom I felt towards them faded when I remembered I had come close to making the same mistake. Who was I to judge?

  Makari turned me so I was facing him. He lifted my chin so he could look into my eyes. "I'm sorry, but this can't be done if you're unwilling to accept reality. You'd be better off as my prisoner, where I could watch over you and keep you safe, than having your identity discovered and being forced to wear a recinder. Believe when I say this, Auren. You don't want to know what my father has planned for you. It's worse than you can possibly imagine."

  I could imagine it. I'd seen it when I’d looked upon his leering face in Kado's vision. I sniffed and cleared my throat. "Okay, but I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure it doesn't come to that."

  "I wouldn't expect anything less," Zain said, sighing in relief.

  Chapter 2

  As I sat with Makari in the cleansing room later that day, I couldn't shake the image of Shai being tortured elsewhere in the building. "You have to do something to stop her sessions, Makari. She needs time to heal if she's going to escape."

  "There's nothing I can do," he said, closing his eyes and letting out a long breath.

  I could see from his expression he expected me to challenge him, and though I didn't want to argue, I had to make him understand that Shai couldn’t escape unless she healed. "What if you take over her sessions, like you did with mine?"

  Makari was shaking his head before I finished speaking. "Your sessions are scheduled around the same time, so if I did that you would be assigned another guide. You would have to go through the cleansing sessions without my help."

  That was something I hadn't anticipated. I didn’t like the thought of enduring the cleansing sessions again. Still, I pushed the fear from my mind and gazed at Makari. My mind resolute. "It doesn't matter."

  "What do you mean it doesn't matter?" Makari's expression was hard.

  "I mean I have the ability to hide in the shadow world and avoid most of the pain. Shai can't. Plus, they won't be as hard on me, and you can help her heal faster. Does the Danam work on bruises as well?"

  "Yes, it does."

  Makari was quiet for a moment. I could see the struggle on his face though he blocked me from his thoughts. My mind turned over, trying to find a way to convince him, but he spoke before I could get the words out.

  "Okay, Auren, but I don't like this. What if you are too injured to escape?"

  "I won't be. They will only beat me if I move. I just won't move."

  His eyes grew darker. "That's not good enough. I need to know what you’ll do if you’re punished."

  "I’ll think of something."

  Makari mumbled words I couldn’t hear. "I don't like this, Auren."

  "Neither do I. But what other choice do we have? I won't leave without her."

  *****

  That evening my door opened, and an unfamiliar robed figure came into my room. He held out a hand to help me to my feet and, without a word, led me out of my cell. I wasn’t fooled by his gentle manner because I knew he wouldn't hold back during the cleansing session. He would be as relentless as the other guides.

  The guide who managed the kitchen smirked when she saw me enter. She probably assumed Makari had given up on me and wanted nothing more than to gloat. No doubt she had been assigned to the kitchen because of her sadistic tendencies. From what Makari had told me, guides were taught to treat "residents" with compassion. It was based on the belief that residents weren’t at fault, given they were under the influence of the delohi-saqu. This sense of compassion was meant to encourage acquiescence in the cleansing sessions. The kitchen guide didn’t have a compassionate bone in her body. These thoughts made it difficult to hide my own smirk, and the last thing I needed was to give her ammunition to have me punished.

  I ate quickly before filling the bowls to take to my father and Shai. The sooner I got out of there the better. I visited Shai first, and as soon as we were alone I filled her in on the new arrangement.

  "I know," she whispered. "I've already seen Makari today. He put some smelly green p
aste all over me, but I'm already feeling so much better."

  "Good. Hopefully we'll be able to get out of here soon." I glanced over my shoulder. "We’d better not talk anymore in case my new guide comes back."

  "Will you be okay?"

  I nodded. The guide returned within a few minutes. He didn't give me nearly as long as Makari had. Thankfully, Shai had finished, so I already had her bowl in my hands. The guide took it from me and led me to my father's cell. Zain threw me a questioning look as soon as the door closed. Clearly, he had spotted the new guide.

  "Makari is taking over Shai's sessions so he can heal her," I told him.

  He nodded, and we didn't speak for the rest of my visit. He understood the danger.

  *****

  I had the same guide the next day, and he quickly led me through my morning routine. I didn't speak with Shai or my father, knowing my time would be short. Unlike some of the guides, this one didn't talk much. The anticipation had my stomach in knots. It began doing somersaults as we approached the cleansing room. Gone were my leisurely afternoons with Makari. I tamped down on my fear so I could prepare to wrap my mind in the veil. It was the only way I could protect myself from the pain.

  When the door opened I was shocked to discover two other guides in the room. They were holding the shorter shock wands meant for punishment. Panic threatened to overwhelm me. My mind was screaming at me to run, but I had to force myself not to react. This was not a normal cleansing session. I couldn’t help wondering if Makari had suspected this would happen. For a moment, I regretted the decision to send him to Shai. But I could think of no other way to heal her.

  The two guides nodded at my escort, who gripped my arm tighter. He probably felt my body stiffen.

  "Your last guide passed you on to me because he failed to make progress with you. He knows I have been successful when cleansing those who are reluctant to accept the process. From this point forward your sessions will be harder than you have previously experienced. You will be bound to the table." One of the other guides stepped forward to grip my arm.

  They half dragged me to the table, even though I didn't put up a fight. While they weren't necessarily manhandling me, I could tell they would not accept any defiance. Not that I planned to make their job difficult. They would not break me as they seemed to believe they could because I would be hiding in the shadow world. First, I had to drive out the panic to focus on my task.

  My mind was already deeply hidden by the time they began. The two with the shorter wands jabbed random parts of my body, sending a continuous flow through me. The guide holding the longer wand zapped me every few seconds. Despite being hidden away, the sporadic nature of their torture and the different intensity settings on the wands made concentrating difficult. I had to focus, so I didn’t slip out of the safety of the shadow world. If that happened, I knew it was unlikely I’d get back again.

  This was the kind of pain I did not want to feel first hand. My back arched off the table, an involuntary response to the electrical currents coursing through me. My throat would be raw from the screaming, and it occurred to me that Makari had been right. In addition to the bruises, the constant spasm in my muscles would cause stiffness. I would be sore later. It meant my escape would be more difficult than I had anticipated.

  *****

  By the time my torture ended it was time to feed Shai and my father again. I wasn't wrong about my muscles. The cramps made it impossible for me to walk properly. The guide had to carry the food bowls so I wouldn't spill them. He didn't appear to mind. In fact, he seemed to anticipate the need to assist.

  I was encouraged by Shai’s appearance. Some of her bruises were already starting to heal, and she had a lot more energy. We didn’t speak, but we didn’t need to. Her expression told me everything I needed to know. Makari was taking good care of her. My earlier regret faded. It was enough to know she was finally experiencing relief.

  My father looked concerned when he saw me, but he said nothing.

  "I'm fine," I told him and left it at that. I didn't want him worrying. Besides I was more tired than in pain. The session had exhausted me. By the time I returned to my cell I was ready for sleep.

  Just as I began to doze Makari slipped in, turning up the light in my room.

  "You look awful, Auren. What did they do to you?"

  "I'm fine." Makari looked as doubtful as my father had earlier when I’d used the words on him. "I'm mostly just tired."

  "Shai should only need a few more days to heal. I’ll come up with something to help you escape by then. I promise."

  I nodded. "I trust you."

  Makari sat beside me. He pulled me into his arms and began gently massaging my sore muscles. "The only snag I've run into is the security system. The Dansig Troops act as security within the building, and there has never been much in the way of resistance, but all the doors, and the few windows in the building, have security locks with alarms. Without the proper security clearance, you won't be able to get through. So I have to disable it long enough for you to escape. You won’t have long before the backup system comes online. You'll have about fifteen minutes at most."

  "Couldn't you give me your key card?" My voice was a whisper, and my eyes closed as I relaxed into him. His kneading fingers hurt, but felt good at the same time. I didn't want him to stop.

  "They're genetically coded to their owners. You wouldn't be able to use them."

  "That's some technology your father has managed to develop." I glanced up at him.

  Makari's gaze became distant. "It's amazing how motivated a person can be when his family is threatened with torture and death."

  I nodded gravely. "Yeah, I imagine so." Had he ever been the one to deliver those threats, I wondered.

  His gaze dropped from mine, answering the question. I didn’t know how to reassure him that his past didn’t matter to me, so I sent him loving thoughts and hoped he would understand.

  "I'll arrange for the system to go down when there are minimal guards on duty, but you'll still have to be careful. I won't be able to help you," Makari said after a moment.

  "Wait." I sat up, wincing when my sore muscles began to protest. "You're not coming with me?"

  "I'll meet up with you afterward, Auren. But I'll have to watch the computer, so I can warn you when you're running out of time."

  "Okay." I relaxed in Makari's arms again.

  Chapter 3

  Something was wrong. I knew it the moment I woke. I couldn't sense Makari. It was like he had vanished. My first panicked thought was that he’d been killed. But that didn’t make sense. I would still be able to sense him in the shadow world and had they discovered the truth, I would be in a recinder. That thought brought on a new wave of terror. What if he was the one in a recinder? It would certainly explain why I couldn’t sense him. He could have been captured while trying to arrange my escape. I would never forgive myself if that was the case. The fate his father had in store for me paled in comparison to what Drevin would do to Makari if he discovered the betrayal.

  I instinctively rolled into a defensive crouch when the door to my cell opened. I had expected it to be the Dansig Troopers coming to haul me off to Drevin, but it was just the guide. I couldn't see his expression beneath the hood as he approached me. He knelt to grip my hands in a reassuring gesture.

  "It seems we are finally starting to get through to you," he said, softly.

  He had misread my fear, but at least I hadn't given myself away in my moment of panic. I didn't answer. I knew he didn’t expect me to.

  "It's normal to feel fear when the cleansing begins to work. You may even feel confused and disoriented. It's a clear sign that the delohi-saqu's grip on you is starting to weaken. It's a good sign."

  I nodded, letting the tears fall. The guide would expect them, and he would never know they were for Makari. I couldn’t bear the thought that something had happened to him. Worse, that it was all my fault.

  *****

  As normal, I visite
d with Shai first. Only this time I was anxious to begin the routine. "Have you seen Makari?"

  "No. I don't have my session with him until later."

  I handed her the food. "I think he's in trouble. I can't feel him at all."

  Her expression turned to one of concern. "I hope he's okay."

  "Me too," I whispered. But my gut was twisted into knots.

  When the guide left me with my father I ran to him, finally giving in to my panic. I practically threw myself into his arms. Zain held me for a moment, then eased me back so he could look at me.

  "What's wrong?"

  "I'm worried about Makari. I saw him last night, but then this morning I woke with a sense of dread. I can’t feel him. I think he's in trouble."

  "Be patient, Auren. You can’t jump to conclusions. He might be blocking you for your own protection or for his. If he was in danger you'd know, so if you act rashly and give in to your fear, it could endanger you both."

  I nodded. He was right, of course. Regardless of what happened, I was no help to Makari if I didn't keep a clear head.

  *****

  The visit with my father did little to reassure me. I tried so hard not to worry, but being unable to sense Makari meant I couldn’t push my doubts completely from my mind. They plagued me constantly. So much, that during my cleansing session that afternoon I lost focus and, as a result, lost my connection to the shadow world. The instant my mind slipped back into reality the pain overwhelmed me. I could no longer concentrate on anything else.

  "Stop, please stop," I cried out.

  The guides stopped for a moment. "That is the delohi-saqu trying to maintain his grip on your mind. You have to fight it and let go. This will help."

  Then the beating began. By the time they stopped I was so hoarse I could no longer speak. The torture didn't end there. I was just too delirious to fight it anymore. I was so numb I only became aware the session was over when I opened my eyes and realized the guide was carrying me along the corridor.