Shadelands, p.4
Shadelands, page 4
Imps?
“Yes. Those things you’ve sensed on the shoulders of your fellow Shadians. You have one too, though currently he sleeps.”
Nia clenched her fists until the knuckles turned white. She wanted to break something, but panic threatened to debilitate her. How do I escape him? she asked desperately. What should I do before he wakes up?
“You seek my advice? Funny, Tanni never has. Very well, listen to me very closely.”
The other voices raged on, lobbing insult after insult. Nia closed her eyes to focus.
“If you want to escape your imp,” the kind voice continued, “you’ll first need to rescue Tanni. He’s being kept in the house nearest the warehouse. If you succeed in helping him escape, you’ll free me as well, and I’ll be able to keep your imp from reclaiming you. I might even be able to get you out of the Shadelands and back into the Sunlands where you’re from.”
The excitement of leaving the Shadelands lasted only a moment. Then, Nia’s heart sank, and she felt very small. You want me to rescue Tanni? Won’t that be dangerous?
“If such a path sounds too dangerous, get yourself out of here as quick as you can and don’t look back. But be forewarned that even with a head start your imp will rise soon, and no doubt he’ll be able to find you within an hour of his waking. If he does, resist him with all the strength you have, even if you must die in the process. Life was never meant to be spent in darkness.”
Nia released the flour bag. She ground her teeth at the ridiculous laughter of the unseen imps, then stared at the light, allowing its dull warmth to wash over her.
Something sparked within her—a fire she’d long forgotten. Leaping to her feet, she glared defiantly at the menacing form on the new miller’s shoulder. It hissed. Nia drew in a deep breath and marched away without a backward glance.
Once outside, she went to the nearest house, grabbed the handle, and pulled. It was locked. Balling her hands into fists, she moved to the window and peered in. Tanni was stretched out on a surprisingly clean floor, but his appearance had changed dramatically. His light was gone, and his face was caked in dirt. His once beautiful tunic was filthy and torn.
“Tanni!” Nia called, pounding on the window. “Tanni, wake up! I’m here to free you.” Tanni didn’t move. Going to the door, she continued to pound. Then, it opened, without as much as a squeak. She sprang inside, unwary of such things as traps. Instantly, the door slammed shut behind her. Tanni leapt to his feet with a rope in hand, snatched at her wrist, and tried to bind it.
“Tanni, let go! What are you doing? You’re a Starbeam!” Nia cried, tearing free of his grasp and rushing for the door. It was locked. Vertical bars lined the interior like a giant cage. Tanni slammed her into them and began lashing one of her wrists to the bars.
A flashback of an angry cat springing at Nia flooded her memory, followed by her knocking it into a pile of straw. The memory was fresh as the day it happened.
“Tanni, I’m very sorry about this,” Nia panted. Then, mimicking what she did to the cat, she pivoted her free elbow into Tanni’s face, sending him flying back into a ruined dresser. “Come at me again and I’ll knock you out cold.”
The boy lay in a heap. Nia wondered if she really did knock him out. When he sat up, the start of a black eye appeared on his dirt smeared face. “Nia?” he moaned, regaining his composure. “Nia, is that you? Why did you just hit me?”
Nia opened her mouth to answer, but a sinister voice cut her off, saying, “You’ll pay for waking him up.”
Nia’s blood curdled. The air grew darker and colder. Her ears popped from the dropping atmospheric pressure. The whole shack began to shake. Tanni cowered against the wall as an ominous black shadow descended from the rafters heading Nia’s way. A scream caught in her throat.
But at that moment, the shack burst with a light that exploded from Tanni’s body. It shattered the cottage window and blasted open the cottage door. The shadow gave a piercing shriek before disappearing into the rafters. Stunned, Nia felt something pushing against her. It was Tanni shoving her out the door. A fleeting form appeared outside the shack, but it fled at Tanni’s brightness. Weaving past Shadians on the path, Nia and Tanni broke free and headed for the woods. A pair of beady eyes watched them go.
Chapter 6
Pester awakened dizzy and disoriented. Blinking to clear his vision, he felt nourishing yet unsatisfying energy wash over him. It left him strangely irritated. Frowning, he sat up to take in his surroundings. The room was run down and filthy. Fleas hopped all around him but seemed unwilling to touch him. Garbage was everywhere.
Someone is a poor housekeeper, he thought in bemusement. Then, he remembered a girl maneuvering over the rubbish. Oh yes, that poor housekeeper is me. Go figure.
Hopping from the head of Nia’s ruined bed to her nightstand, Pester rubbed his temples and wracked his brain. Imps rarely slept. They didn’t need to. Why then had he been lying there?
Finally, he chuckled, “Oh yes, the healing spell. Glad I’m not dust after that one.”
He slapped his thighs and laughed in relief. But a moment later, he stiffened. His mouth hung open as he scanned the cottage. No Nia. “Is she dead?” he questioned. “Did someone come and remove her body to the edge of town? No, she’s alive. I can feel her energy. She’s wandered off somewhere in the village. Brilliant,” he muttered. “Now, I have to go find her.”
Pester flew clumsily through the rafters and crawled through the trap door. Then, he relied on his inner sense to search for her from the rooftop. At first, he drew a blank. Something strange and foreign blocked him from seeing clearly. A moment later, his eyes popped open. Nia was at the warehouse, and the imprisoned sprite was interfering with his connection. Angrily, he pushed off the roof and toward the girl he hoped to get away from “that conniving, nasty sprite.”
When Pester reached the imp’s doorway above the main door taken by the Shadians, Nia was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he overheard several imps joking from their drudges’ shoulders about how long it would take the girl to starve to death. So, every imp in Shades wants her dead? Pester’s stomach went cold. This doesn’t bode well. Such coarse talk would never have been exchanged at the mines. Even the puniest mine drudge was too valuable to discard, assuming they were healthy.
Maybe now that she’s older, the mine imps won’t turn her down again. She could be useful as a camp cook, thought Pester.
He was turning to leave when a light blasted through the warehouse. Oh no, he thought. Not again!
Imps exploded into dust on impact. Windows shattered throughout the building. The blast’s searing heat shot Pester through the warehouse doorway into a pile of rotten flour across the lane.
When will the carnage end? Pester shivered. Bruised and covered in rancid insect flour, he dug himself out just as Nia, Tanni, and the sprite rushed through the streets of Shades and into the forest. Pester’s heart sank as he watched his energy source scurry away.
Besides himself, few noticed the escaping trio. Shades’ other imps were in a state of shock. No one moved from their drudge’s shoulders or spoke. But as Vex appeared alive but shaken on the roof of his house, a general hiss of anger broke out and a mob of imps charged his way.
“Stop! What are you doing?” Vex bellowed over the clamor of accusations.
“This is all Pester and your fault!” roared Addle. At this, Pester squirmed his way back into the flour, unaware of live cockroaches scuttling away from him.
“You all are crazy!” Vex shouted. “Blame Pester. How’s it my fault?”
“We allowed you to lead us into danger by capturing the sprite and her Starbeam. We’ve suffered casualties because you wanted to torture the sprite instead of killing her. Half the drudges in town are sick because of that boy,” Addle cried. “Now, Pester’s drudge has set him and the sprite loose again.”
Pester peeked out cautiously. Imps nearby picked up trash and tools to throw at Vex. Shouts of “Traitor!” filled the air.
“I told you,” Vex hissed, “the only casualties are on Pester’s head. Kill him!”
Pester’s blood ran cold as the entire town took up the chant for his blood. Mere feet from his hiding spot, Addle, who sat on his tall, muscular drudge, raised a crooked hand. The town quieted.
“What you’ve done equally merits death,” Addle said, his eyebrows furrowed. “You’re an Original, Vex. Surely, you’re aware that if the sprite had been properly disposed of, Daze and all the other mill imps would be alive right now.”
“Pester controls Nia’s actions. Turn your wrath against him and his drudge. If they hadn’t been so meddling,” Vex growled, “no one would have gotten hurt.”
The air filled with shouts of, “Liar!”
“Enough!” Addle crossed his arms. “Look, I’d remove your head myself, but everyone knows you’re too good of friends with Lord Accuse. No one would dare set a claw against you. That said, you’ve entirely worn out your welcome. Get out!” The town echoed Addle’s last statement. Vex pleaded with the town imps to settle down and not make rash decisions. This only aggravated the mob, and they yelled “Get out!” all the louder.
It was the perfect moment to escape. Pester peered at the imps and drudges near his rancid flour pile. Nearly every imp was focused on Vex. Shaking the rotten flour off, Pester silently flew in the direction the children and sprite had escaped. Three blocks from the town center, he rounded a bend—and ran right into his sister, Taunt. Her back was to him, but she spun around. Their eyes met. Pester felt he was going to be sick.
“Ugh!” Taunt eyed Pester with characteristic disgust and hatred. She sniffed the air. “You look disgusting, and you stink. What are you covered in?”
“None of your business,” Pester said. In the distance, the crowd renewed their shouts to find and kill him. He fidgeted and inched away from his sister.
“Getting out of dodge, brother? Too cowardly to face the mob? I knew you were weak,” Taunt teased, “but this is a new low for you.”
“You know that mob is only looking for blood. So yes, I’m getting out of here.”
“Oh ho, not if I tell them you’re here. I’ve waited a long time for this!” Taunt laughed. Flashing a nasty grin with soiled teeth, she cupped clawed hands around her mouth and prepared to shout.
Pester lunged at his sister. Tackling her, he covered her mouth. Taunt sank her teeth into his hand as they rolled through the coal dusted dirt. Pester bit back a scream and pinned Taunt beneath him. Then, he repositioned his hand to cover her nose as well.
“You and Wither have wanted me dead since we were in the nest. If it hadn’t been for mother’s determined protection, I probably already would be. But we’re not implings anymore. Did you forget? We’re legally considered family now.” Pester’s mouth twitched with rage. His hand remained in place on her face. “The law specifically prohibits outright killing or committing an action that leads to the death of a family member. The imps of Shades could all back up your murderous deed, but our magic will know what you did to me. Do you really want your magical abilities to vanish? If so, go ahead and shout. Just thought I’d give you a fair warning first.” He then yanked his bleeding hand from her mouth.
Taunt spat in his face. “Fine,” she said. “Get out.”
Pester stood up. He peeked around the building at the distant crowds. They were still shouting for blood, but they didn’t know where he was—yet.
“Believe me, sister, I intend to. And I may never return.”
“Don’t call me sister. Don’t call me anything. You were to blame for mother’s death. I never want to see your ugly, little face again.”
“Mother died trying to heal all three of us, not just me, remember?” Pester snarled. “If you’d been the last to be healed instead of me, the blame would be on your head, wouldn’t it? Think about it for a minute. And trust me. I hope to go several lifetimes without seeing your ugly, little face again. May this be the final time we ever have to speak to each other again.”
Leaping into the air, he fled from his sister and the screaming crowd and sped after the children. He had a drudge to catch.
Chapter 7
Hands on their knees, Nia and Tanni gasped for air. They didn’t know how long they’d been running, and they had no idea where they were. Panting, Nia peered around the dark, acrid forest. It was littered with dead branches and coal dust, illuminated faintly by Tanni’s light. She would have been glad of the light, if she didn’t have the distinct sense the trees were watching them.
“No!” she cried in response to a memory of endless days spent lost and hungry. “What have I done?”
Tanni caught his breath and straightened up. “What’s wrong?”
“How could I bring you here? Tanni, you can’t imagine what a nuisance I’ll soon be to you. This is just like the time I entered the Shadelands and ran into a lady who didn’t know her way through the trees. I told her I did and tried leading her out the way I’d come. We were getting nowhere, and she was getting more and more angry with me. Finally, she told me I wasn’t worth the trouble—that she’d find her own way out.” Nia shivered and rubbed her arms. “She was right. I wasn’t worth the trouble. I never found a way out of these woods. Don’t burden yourself with me. I’m a terrible guide!”
“Nia!” Tanni’s light pulsated as he spoke. “It doesn’t matter if you know your way out or not. I don’t expect that of you. The lady who did was crazy to demand so much out of you. You were what, five? No one in their right mind would abandon a child like that. And, if it hadn’t been for you, I’d still be under the control of the cruelest imp in the Shadelands. Think about it. Where else other than the woods would you bring me? That shabby town is surrounded by these trees.”
“The lady had a perfectly good reason to abandon me. My presence tends to irritate people.” Nia lowered her eyes as she said this. “You look irritated yourself.” She stood lifeless and dejected like the Shadians she’d just left behind.
Tanni took a few calming breaths. At last, he said evenly, “Nia, you don’t irritate me. Imps do. It irritates me that they would lie to you so long and lead you to think you weren’t worth anyone’s time. The Lumen calls them the Parents of Lies for a reason.”
“What’s a Lumen?” asked Nia dully.
“The Lumen is a man. He’s my instructor. He shines without the help of sprites, so he’s been given a special title,” Tanni explained.
“What are sprites?” asked Nia in confusion.
“They’re shining beings that make Starbeams—well, Starbeams,” Tanni clarified. “I can’t see mine or hear her most of the time, but The Lumen says I have one. He told me her name was Ease.”
“Ah. Now I know who was speaking to me in town.” Nia continued staring at the ground, her voice cheerless. “Thank you, Ease.”
“Wait! You’ve heard her?” Tanni cried, his light brightening in excitement.
“Sure,” Nia said dejectedly. “She’s the one who told me to save you. Now you’re saved. I think that’s all the use I was good for. Now that I’ve served my purpose, it’s probably best not to trouble yourself with me any further.”
“You are not a burden!” Ease insisted.
Tanni balled his hands into fists. “Nia, don’t listen to imps. Your value doesn’t come from whether or not you can perform their useless tasks. Listen to me,” he said. “You’re coming with me. We’re going to find a way out of here. You’re going to be rid of this place once and for all.”
Despite Tanni’s optimism, Nia remained disconsolate. Tanni placed a hand on her shoulder. “As I said before, you have parents who’ve been looking for you for a long time.” His voice softened, “Wouldn’t it be great to see them again?”
Nia shrugged, “I’d only be in their way. Mom needs a quiet household so she can take care of the baby.” Her voice was small, like a young, lost child.
After an awkward pause, Tanni gave Nia’s shoulder a squeeze. “I had no idea being here would give you such a false perspective of time. Your mother’s baby is your younger sister, Rosa. She’s seven now. There’s no way your presence would make the house any more or less boisterous than it already is. Besides, I know Rosa. She feels cheated. Cheated out of having an older sister.”
Nia’s face felt hot. She looked up at Tanni’s faintly glowing eyes. They were brown, like she remembered hers to be. Warmth and sympathy shone through them.
“I have a younger sister who knows about me?” She asked breathlessly.
“Yes,” Tanni said with a smile. “She often draws pictures of the two of you holding hands. Your parents have described you to her to the last detail.”
Tears started in Nia’s eyes. “I have a sister,” she said, her heart full.
Tanni grinned, then reddened and turned hastily away from her. He rubbed the curly, black hair on the back of his head. After a few moments of deliberating, he cleared his throat and said bravely, “Since I haven’t eaten a real meal in a few days, how about we go find my food pack? Then we can talk about how in stars we’re gonna rescue ourselves.”
“You really think we can get out of here?” Something like hope broke into Nia’s bleakness.
“I make no promises,” Tanni said, hands in the air, “but I’ll give it a shot.”
Longing for the sister she never knew, Nia followed Tanni deeper into the trees. In the warmth of his smile, she’d momentarily forgotten about the darkness surrounding her. Now, it felt doubly oppressive. The forbidding bows of the trees seemed plagued with watching eyes.
***
If Pester thought it would be easy following the children, he was wrong. He hadn’t realized how strong sprite concealment magic could be against one imp. When flanked by the adult imps in Shades, Nia’s trail was so easy to follow it was laughable. But this—this was hopeless. The trees only offered vague echoes of the children’s direction.
