Shadelands, p.6
Shadelands, page 6
Peace washed over Nia. She breathed in slowly, deeply, and met Tanni’s eyes again. “You both are so kind to me. I don’t deserve it.”
“Yes, you do,” said Tanni, the words a healing balm on her soul. “Ease, you know where the portal is. Lead us the rest of the way to it.”
A light appeared abruptly in front of them.
“Ready, Nia?” Tanni asked.
Still under Ease’s calming spell, Nia began the last leg of the journey, with only a slight hesitation remaining somewhere in the back of her mind.
Chapter 10
The sun was setting. Tanni’s spirits were rising, in spite of the never-ending lullaby and the watchful, forbidding trees. As Tanni explained, he’d nearly completed his personal quest to save a Shadian. He couldn’t wait to see The Lumen’s face when he and Nia walked together to the other side.
“Oh man, Fiddi’s gonna be so jealous,” he chuckled, practically dancing.
“Why would he be jealous?” Nia asked, trying to ignore her growing nervousness.
“He’s my older brother. He reminds me of that fact almost daily,” Tanni said, rolling his eyes. “He likes being the one all the cool stuff happens to. But now I’ll have something to hold over his head for a change. You should just hear all his talk about how being a teenager has made him so much wiser than he used to be. ‘Tanni,’ he says, ‘when you’re a teenager, you’ll understand just how much the adults don’t actually know.’ Well, now I’ll be able to say I know even more than The Lumen himself.”
Just ahead, Ease let out an exaggerated sigh. Nia started to ask why Tanni’s statement offended the sprite, when a wave of cold air washed over her. A foreboding sense of dread made her cower in place. Tanni stopped sniggering. He scanned to the left and right nervously. The dark feeling was almost palpable. An icy wind whipped through the forest, sending the tree branches into a frenzy. Tanni grabbed Nia from behind and held her before him like a human shield.
“Nia,” he whispered, “what is that? What’s happening?”
Tanni’s light faded away and was replaced by twilight. Through the darkness, Nia’s breath came out in frozen puffs. Her heart hammered in her chest.
“Nia,” said Ease, her voice frightened and strained. “I need you and Tanni to go as quietly as you can and hide in the bushes. Do you see them? They’re to your left.”
“Ease, what’s going on?” Nia asked.
“The lord of this world is coming. The portal is drawing him. Go!” the sprite urged. “He’s almost here.”
Nia snatched Tanni’s right hand from her shoulder and pulled him toward the bushes Ease had indicated. Wordlessly, he followed her lead. Hiding amid the bushes’ thorny canes, the children crouched and waited. They hardly dared to breathe. The feeling of dread deepened, as did the darkness. Nia was simultaneously relieved and unnerved at the absence of light shining from Tanni. He now looked ordinary, like a Shadian.
A tense, quiet moment passed. Then, a sound reverberated through Nia’s head: voices. Turning to face them, she sensed shadows moving to a slightly brighter spot between two trees. The shadows were no more than thirty yards away. The bright spot is Ease! Nia thought, her mouth going dry. The sprite is doomed! I must help her. I have to stop them from catching my friend!
A dark voice shouted, its tone as deep as the lowest note on a pipe organ, “Curses! Here’s the portal. I knew I sensed one. What idiot Starbeam opens a portal and then fails to close it behind them when they leave?”
“My Lord Accuse,” squeaked a second voice Nia sensed belonged to a female, “if I may, I don’t sense any sign of reentry.”
“What do you mean, Prattle?”
“Look at it carefully, sir,” Prattle said. “Whoever entered hasn’t left the Shadelands yet.”
“Ugh!” cried a gravelly male voice. “As much as I hate saying it, I think she’s right, my lord. And I sense something else. Whoever cast this portal was fairly young and inexperienced. There was also only one of them.”
Lord Accuse grunted, “Did you get a sense of how powerful this Starbeam was, Ire?”
“Pretty weak, sir, judging by the instability of this portal,” Ire cackled.
“But, my lord, you are going to close it, aren’t you?” Prattle squeaked. “Weak or not, Starbeams sometimes carry sprites around with them, and if that sprite is allowed to leave the Shadelands, who knows what damage they could do—knowing where our own weaknesses are and how to exploit them, and—”
“Silence! I’m well aware of the dangers a sprite poses,” Lord Accuse snarled. “Besides, I may be able to use this to my advantage. Somewhere in the Shadelands a sprite may be desperate to get home. The promise of safety is a powerful lure. Ire, you specialize in deception magic. Convert this portal into a trap. Let’s see what sort of fish our net catches.”
“Yes, sir,” said Ire.
Nia’s stomach knotted as the portal’s color changed ever so slightly.
Ire took a step back and gestured grandly toward the modified portal. “The trap,” he said, “is set, sir.”
“Is it escapable?”
“No, my lord. It’s still a portal, but now it leads to one of your dungeon cages. Nothing going in will ever get out again. You’ll be able to deal with them at your leisure.”
“Good,” said Lord Accuse. “As they say, a watched cage catches no birds. I’ve just realized we’re not far from the town of Shades, and I’m keen to check in on a friend of mine. He goes by the name of Vex, and he practically runs the place. Perhaps he knows something more of this reckless Starbeam brat. If the youngster did have a sprite with him and Vex got word of it, the wretch may be dead already. Only one sure way to find out.”
“But sir, what if the sprite does get caught in here? What do you plan to do with it?” Prattle asked anxiously.
“Feed you to it and listen to your screams!” Lord Accuse laughed menacingly. Ire cackled. “No, Prattle,” the imp lord said soberly. “If the sprite gets caught and is transferred to my dungeon, I’m sure I’ll get to it eventually— in the next ten years or so. For now, to Shades.”
As the voices of the three imps grew fainter, the air lightened a bit and grew warmer. A faint glow emanated from Tanni.
“What was that?” Tanni wondered with a shudder.
“The imp lord and two others were here,” Nia said, her body aching from fear. “Didn’t you see or hear them?”
“I saw them,” Tanni said, “but I didn’t hear them.”
“Oh Nia, I’m so, so sorry.” Ease sounded as low as Nia felt.
Shaking away his jitters, Tanni crawled out of the thorny bushes, wearing a dumb smile. “They’re gone! I don’t know about you, but I’d like to get out of this nasty place. Shall we go through the portal?”
Ease audibly groaned. Nia smacked herself on the forehead.
“What?” asked Tanni.
“Didn’t you see what just happened?” asked Nia.
“What do you mean?” Tanni crouched down to Nia’s level.
“We—we can’t go through the portal,” Nia said numbly.
“What?” cried Tanni. “The portal is right there! Don’t make me drag you through it.”
“No need,” Nia whispered. “It won’t take us to the Sunlands anymore. The imps have changed it.”
Tanni’s mouth hung open. “They changed it?” he asked. “How? What did they turn it into?”
Shuddering, Nia answered, “A trap.”
Chapter 11
It was fully dark beneath the canopy when Pester stopped yet again to gather the children’s direction. It had been slow going thus far. Wherever the sprite was, she was using her magic to counter his spell and send false readings. As a result, he was hard pressed to find Nia’s true location, and was forced instead to sift through a cacophony of misleading information. He’d worked throughout the day without a single break, as if his life depended on it—which it did.
Pressing his long, pointy ear against a tree’s bark, Pester held his breath and listened. Nothing came—no sound at all. His heart sank. Something had interfered with his song.
“You know, Pester,” Vex yawned irritably, “I’ve been thinking. Your nest mother gave you the wrong name. Shouldn’t you have been called Lull? You’re taking so long you’re lulling me to sleep.”
Pester bristled, “I wasn’t named Lull because it was already taken. That was my mother’s name.”
“Wait, Lull was your mother?” Vex asked, humor in his voice. “The Original Lull? Isn’t that rich? She always was very tiresome. Yes, she used to make me yawn considerably. No wonder being around you is so draining.”
Rage coursed through Pester, but he stifled it. “You know,” he hissed, “if I drain you so much, there’s a sturdy branch up there in the canopy. Settle down and take a nap if you’re so tired.” Vex took a menacing step toward him. Swallowing down the rest of his anger, Pester held his palms up and said quickly, “I meant no disrespect.”
“Why am I dilly dallying with you, anyway? I’ve never found much value in your filthy hide. Why do I get the distinct sense you’ve just been fiddling around with me and don’t actually know where we’re going?” Vex demanded, his tone dangerous. Extending a clawed hand toward Pester, he said, “Tell me, what would I lose by killing you right now?”
“A bit of your magic, for one,” Pester gasped. “You’ve already agreed to my services. So far, I’ve proven faithful. Killing me in the middle of our spoken contract would leave a permanent mark on your skin, and you’d find certain spells would no longer work for you.”
Pulling back his hand with a snarl, Vex whipped his head around and spied a bat flitting between trees. Screaming a curse, he shot lightening from his palm and fried the bat mid-flight. It fell to the ground with a dull thud. Pester cringed as static and the smell of burnt fur and skin wafted past.
Turning back to face Pester, Vex appeared to grow larger. “Find them,” he snarled.
Shaken, Pester hastily pressed his ear against the tree trunk. A moment later, his eyes brightened as he said in relief, “The children! They’ve turned eastward a bit. Th that way.”
Nervously, Pester flew over the dead bat with Vex trailing just behind him. Less than a hundred yards into their flight, a sudden chill cut through them like a knife. Pester’s relief was replaced with dread. The wave of cold could only mean one thing—Lord Accuse was on his way. It was all too much for the young imp. Nia, he lamented, I should have just let you die.
Vex seized Pester by the scruff of his neck. “Finally, some relief!” he laughed. “I look forward to the look on your face when Accuse makes you into imp fritters.”
Pester responded with a small, frightened squeak. The chill in the air deepened. His heart pounded in his throat. Then, with startling abruptness, Lord Accuse and his lackies, Prattle and Ire, appeared in front of them, the residue of an invisibility spell falling in sparks from their skin. Vex sneered and released his captive. Pester dropped like a stone to the lord’s feet and laid as one dead.
“My Lord Accuse,” said Vex pleasantly, “how good it is to see you.”
The imp lord’s eyes bore into the back of Pester’s head. Pester expected him to strike at any moment. His whole body went rigid in anticipation. Instead, Lord Accuse said, “I’d say the same to you, Vex, but what is this I hear about you being the cause of a loose sprite and the deaths of nearly fifty town imps?”
“M-my lord,” Vex stammered, “it wasn’t my fault. Blame Pester here. He’s the one who freed the Starbeam the sprite belonged to. If it wasn’t for him, I’d still be in control of the situation.”
Pester recoiled as Lord Accuse’s gaze returned to him. “Is this true?” he demanded.
Somehow, Pester knew that lying or augmenting the truth would only worsen his situation. Perhaps if he spoke truly, Lord Accuse would grant him a more merciful execution. “M-my lord, my drudge was sick,” he shuddered. “The Starbeam had brought a plague into town. Vex wouldn’t heal her, so I sought the sprite and asked her to teach me a healing spell. Vex had bound her quite effectively to a post, but she was still able to show me how to do it, and—”
“You had her bound, but you didn’t kill her?” Lord Accuse’s tone was hard as ice.
“Sir,” Vex cried, “she was completely harmless. She would have remained so if Pester hadn’t stupidly used her spell to heal his drudge. Once healed, his drudge freed the Starbeam, who in turn freed the sprite. The blame lies with Pester alone. Don’t you see that?”
“Vex, Vex, Vex. As an Original, I’m so disappointed in you,” Lord Accuse sighed. “According to Addle, with whom I just spoke in Shades, it was you who led the town imps to capture her in the first place—an action that left seventeen maimed, thirteen permanently blind, and thirty-three dead. What Pester did is, in comparison, mere child’s play.”
Pester felt a sudden glimmer of hope. Could it be he might live through this?
“The sprite was dangerous!” Vex cried, eyes darting like a trapped animal. “Was I just supposed to let her escape?”
“You were supposed to go after her yourself, dimwit!” Lord Accuse thundered. At this, Vex fell to the ground, groveling beside Pester, who looked on in alarm. “You are responsible for the underlings you’ve been placed over—not Pester, not anyone else! The Shadelands stand or fall upon the actions of those who created her. Did you forget? You were a sprite once! Of all those town imps, you alone could have handled the sprite and gone unscathed. Would you have sacrificed all of Shades just to protect your precious hide?”
Vex whimpered. Lord Accuse turned his attention back to Pester. His icy gaze froze the young imp to his core. “On your feet, Pester,” he commanded.
Pester pried himself from the ground, only to fall back to his knees. Lord Accuse motioned for Prattle to help him up. Supported by Prattle, his knees knocking together, Pester waited for Lord Accuse to pronounce his doom.
“Tell me, underling. Did you really cast a healing spell on your drudge?” The mildness in Lord Accuse’s voice was unsettling.
“Y-yes, sir.”
“And it actually worked?”
“Yes, sir,” Pester replied. The air felt suddenly lighter, and the imp lord appeared impressed.
“Hmmm . . . interesting.” Lord Accuse eyed the small imp. “Very well. Since you showed me proper respect and deference, and since you chose not to point fingers or deflect blame, I’m going to go easy on you.” Pester’s heart skipped in astonishment. He couldn’t believe his luck. “I will grant you a full pardon if—and only if—you manage to kill this sprite for me in a timely manner. You have one week.”
“K-kill the sprite, sir? Me?” Pester whimpered. His face fell. How could this possibly be a pardon? he wondered.
“You heard me,” Lord Accuse spat. “As for you,” he said, turning back to Vex, “I hereby sentence you to be Pester’s servant, until he either perishes or so chooses to release you. You used underlings for your own advantage. Let’s see how you like being the underling for a change.”
“My lord, couldn’t you just kill me?” Vex shuddered.
“I could, but what point would that get across?” Lord Accuse chuckled darkly. “Take this mark on your skin, underling. Kill Pester yourself or by means of treachery, and you’ll wish you never hatched.”
Rising from the moaning imp, Lord Accuse said to Pester, “Good luck with the sprite hunting. I’ll be in the northern end of the farmlands for the next week taking care of another two dozen portals that have popped up from the Sunlands. Good evening, you two.”
With that, he and his lackies vanished into the night.
Chapter 12
A strange calm came over Nia as she stared blankly into the gathering darkness. All hope of escaping the Shadelands was gone. The struggle was over. Nearby, Tanni had come to the same bitter conclusion. On his knees, he was covering his face with one hand and pounding the dirt with the other. Sobs erupted from his throat. Nia had no reason to cry like that. Tears were useless here.
Pulling her own knees to her chest, she welcomed the numbness that would ease any remaining pain. But the numbness would have to wait. Ease’s soft voice interrupted its arrival. “Nia, please tell Tanni hope isn’t lost yet.”
Nia jerked her head up to search for the sprite. Failing to locate her, she asked dully, “Hope isn’t lost? How? Can he make another portal?”
“No, but others can,” replied Ease’s faint voice. “Ask if he remembers Operation Lighthouse.”
Nia looked back at Tanni, who’d collapsed facedown, sobbing despondently into the dirt. Seeing him like this, the same sense of detachment overcame her, leaving her with no desire to speak. If I remain silent, she thought, perhaps this painful moment will pass, and I’ll fade out of reality forever. She imagined her imp finding her and returning her to the shack in Shades. Even that would be better than cowering under these watchful trees. She knew with grim certainty that were she recaptured Tanni would be too. Once back under impish control, his captor would make him blank just like the other Shadians.
A despairing moan from Tanni made Nia grimace. Perhaps if he became blank it wouldn’t be so bad after all, she thought darkly.
Though nearly inaudible, Ease’s desperate pleas grabbed Nia’s attention. “Please,” Ease called. “Nia, please! I can’t hold on much longer. Ask him!”
Spurred from her impassiveness, Nia mustered all her willpower and finally asked Tanni the sprite’s question. The effort was exhausting.
“Operation Lighthouse?” At its mention, Tanni’s face brightened ever so slightly. He sat up, a ray of hope kindling in his skin. Wiping tears from his cheeks, he stared into the distance, momentarily lost in thought. Meanwhile, Nia sank back into numbness, glad of the deepening twilight and the ever-deepening silence. It was broken however, when Tanni abruptly cleared his throat. “Get up, Nia. Ease is right. We haven’t run out of options yet.”
