Shadelands, p.8
Shadelands, page 8
“Tanni, it’s just me,” Nia cried. “Calm down!” She pulled at her hand but couldn’t escape his grasp. “Tanni!”
In a flash of recognition, the boy smiled apologetically and let Nia go. “Sorry,” he said sheepishly. “Nightmare.”
“It’s okay,” Nia said, rubbing her wrist. “But if I spend much more time around you, I’ll be covered in bruises.”
Tanni reddened and apologized again.
Before Nia had time to reply, Ease whispered in her ear, “Enough words. We need to get moving. I’ll heal your bruises later. But as things currently stand, we’re mere steps ahead of the imps.”
Nia relayed Ease’s warning. Getting stiffly to his feet, Tanni pulled a stale loaf from his pack, broke it in half, and handed the half to Nia. In the stress of the situation she could barely taste it. While Tanni slipped his pack over his shoulder, she caught sight of a frayed pinecone dangling midair. Alone and exposed to the elements, the cone appeared to be hanging by a thread from a weathered tree branch. With Ease’s faint light trail leading her away from their makeshift camp, Nia shook her head. This was no time to ponder something so seemingly insignificant.
***
Lord Accuse ignored his lackies’ quizzical looks and flew on. He’d shot past the northern farmlands and was approaching the northeastern mines at the foot of the Sawtooth Mountains. Grim Pass was mere miles ahead, but the forest blocked it from view.
Coming across an abrupt clearing in the woods, an abandoned cart from Sunburst caught his eye. Lord Accuse stopped mid-flight to study the cart, his eyes glittering. Prattle and Ire stared from the cart to their lord, scratching their heads and whispering to one another. Finally, Prattle cleared her throat.
“Yes, Prattle?” asked Lord Accuse, stiffening.
“Well, my Lord, I assume there’s a reason we didn’t go to the farmlands?” she asked in a grating voice.
“Yes, a very good reason,” said Lord Accuse impatiently.
“And, well,” she screeched, “I assume you’ve also got a good reason to be looking at this cart?”
Lord Accuse crossed his arms, “Uh-huh.”
“So—do you mind telling us what you’re planning, sir?”
Lord Accuse motioned Ire to him. “Feel up to some enchantment magic, my friend?” he asked with a devilish grin.
Ire straightened at the request, “Your wish is my command, sir!”
“That’s what I like to hear. Get Squeaky over here to summon some flour sacks for you. It’s your job to conjure up some fruits and dried meats to fill the sacks. I’ll fill the cart’s empty basket with loaves of bread,” he chuckled darkly. “Sets of fresh clothes and sandals would probably also be enticing.”
“But, why, my Lord?” Prattle stammered. “I don’t understand.”
“I didn’t figure your empty little dunder of a head would. Get to work,” Lord Accuse snarled, “unless you wish to find yourself disgraced and out of employment.”
Prattle rushed to the cart with a frightened screech. Quickly, she busied herself making the sacks, while Ire summoned a feast. That’s more like it, thought Lord Accuse. Soon, the cart mirrored the merchant wagons he had seen in Sunburst hundreds of years ago. It overflowed with sacks of fresh fruits, colorful tunics and footwear, soft breads, dried fish, and salted pork.
Lord Accuse’s dark eyes gleamed. “Nicely done,” he grinned. “Now, make it look ransacked. It would look awfully suspicious unsullied, don’t you think?”
His minions sniggered in sudden understanding. While they smashed the cart and its contents, Accuse flew to the tree line flanking the clearing. There, he reduced the ridiculous lullaby to a hum. It irked him to admit, but Pester did this right. The song he cast was powerful and curiously effective. Its enchanting influence seemed universal. Could it work on all Starbeams, though?
When Lord Accuse returned to his lackies, the cart and clearing looked like a tornado had blown through. He crossed his arms and nodded proudly. This would do. Turning to Prattle, he said, “Deception magic’s one of your specialties. You know about Operation Lighthouse, I assume?”
“Yes, sir,” she said cautiously.
“Can you imitate their signal?” asked Lord Accuse.
“I believe so, sir,” she said.
“Show me, then.”
Prattle bit her lip. Trembling, she lifted her hand and let out a pulse of energy that appeared to be the same frequency as that of the Lightkeepers.
“That’ll work,” Lord Accuse said. “Emit that pulse when I ask. Do it without useless questions, and you may just find yourself in my good graces again.”
Prattle drew her lips into a fine line and nodded.
“Sir,” said Ire, “there’s usually more than one Lightkeeper looking for wanderers. Would it not seem strange if only one signal went out?”
“Excellent point. Three Lightkeepers should be sufficient,” Lord Accuse replied. “Now, to talk with the mine imps, and then head to Grim Pass. There’s work yet to be done.”
The three of them took to the air in the direction of the mines, a dark purpose to fulfill.
Chapter 15
Pester grinned. Vex’s eyes glittered. Throughout the night they’d labored to find the children. Now, with dawn fast approaching, they were zeroing in on their target. At times, their quest had felt like they were chasing a wild bat, but the sprite’s concealment magic was weakening by their constant search.
“Hmm,” Pester said, pushing away from a tree. “Odd direction she’s taking.”
“She’s heading for the northeastern mines,” Vex exhaled. “I would have expected her to steer clear of chokeholds or dead ends. Surely, she can sense them. She can’t be that dense.”
“Something must be drawing her that way,” Pester said, thinking, Perhaps Lord Accuse is tricking her.
Vex wiped his brow and said irritably, “Operation Lighthouse. I can feel their pulse.”
“Come again?” asked Pester.
“Must I explain everything?” Vex rolled his eyes.
“Yes,” said Pester. “As my servant, yes—you must.”
A growl rumbled in Vex’s throat, “If you weren’t the one in charge, I’d fry you for being so stupid.”
“And yet,” Pester said sternly, “I am in charge. What is Operation Lighthouse? I order you to tell me.”
Snarling, Vex raked a clawed hand down the trunk of the tree, leaving deep gashes. Turning back to Pester, he snapped, “They’re Starbeam rescuers. Got it?”
“Oh,” said Pester. He’d heard of the Lightkeepers, but not of their rescue brigade. “Well, this is troubling.”
“You think?” exclaimed Vex in annoyance.
“We’ve got to pick up the pace and head them off. I’m not gonna miss this. Let’s get going.”
Vex spat, then followed without a word.
If I don’t get this right, I’m dead, thought Pester grimly. He found it odd that Operation Lighthouse would appear so close to the mines. Most were very careful about where they opened portals into the Shadelands. The whole thing savored of Lord Accuse’s work, as if he were trying to keep Pester from failing. But when I catch up to the children, he wondered, how will I deal with that sprite? With that disturbing thought, he led the way, hoping he was right about the imp lord. Otherwise, he and Vex would be hard pressed to find the sprite and children before the Lightkeepers got to them first.
***
Nia and Tanni were long out of breath. Still, Ease kept them at a relentless pace, only halting when they needed a sulfurous drink from the cloudy stream. Nia’s lungs burned and her sides and legs ached. Her bare feet were bloody from tripping over stones. She was parched and lightheaded. Jogging alongside her, Tanni looked only slightly less worse for wear. He at least had shoes, though his sandals were starting to fall apart.
The sun was directly above the trees. Beneath the thick, dimly lit canopy it was hot and humid. Overpowered by heat and exhaustion, Nia fainted. She came to as Tanni was flipping her onto her back, his expression grim behind dripping sweat. The boy hovered over her anxiously, gasping for air.
“I can’t hear you, Ease, but I know you can hear me,” he said through tempered rage. “We can’t go on like this.” With that, Tanni collapsed onto his back, his chest heaving.
The forest and sky spun above Nia. Her skin was cold and clammy. Turning onto her side, she vomited into the needle-covered dirt. Searing pain wracked her skull.
“I’m so sorry,” Ease said, her tone a mixture of remorse and fear. “My magic is almost worn out, but what use would concealment be if I ran you both to death?”
Trembling, Nia felt the sprite’s small hand touch her damp forehead. For a moment, the throbbing in her head eased. “C-can you please let the imp find me? I just want to stop feeling for a bit,” said Nia, her throat dry and scratchy.
“No,” Ease said, “I’m not losing you. Tell Tanni to think of happy memories. I’ll try restoring you both. After that, I’m casting something the sprites call wingfoot. You’ll be able to run without tiring for a while.”
After Nia relayed Ease’s request, Tanni forced himself up. Closing his eyes, slowly a smile spread across his sweaty face and his faint light brightened until he glowed like an alien moon. Ease again touched Nia’s forehead, sending a warm pulse through the girl’s body. As the warmth radiated through Nia, it removed all her exhaustion, dizziness, nausea, pain, and soreness. She sighed in relief.
Ease groaned, “Now the wingfoot.”
A second pulse traveled through Nia. In an instant, she was on her feet, hopping from one foot to the other, consumed with a sudden desire to run.
Next, Ease’s faint form moved to Tanni. As Nia ran in place, the fatigue and bruises left Tanni’s face. His light brightened, almost matching its original brilliance. Then, he, too, sprang to his feet and looked quite prepared to run a marathon.
“Wow!” laughed Tanni. “Ease—why didn’t you cast this before? I feel incredible!”
“You may feel incredible, but I’ve never felt more drained,” said Ease. “If I don’t take a nap now, I may never recover.”
“You’ve helped us beyond what anyone would have asked for,” Nia said. “How can I help you?”
The sprite landed on Nia’s shoulder and clung feebly to her dirty hair. “Run,” she replied, her small voice filled with fear. “Just run!”
Nia froze. Her legs suddenly felt glued in place. “Why, Ease?” she wondered nervously. “What are you so afraid of?”
“No time for questions,” said the sprite feebly. “Look, I wish I could say things will be easier now that you both are restored, but I fear everything is about to get a whole lot worse.”
“Things are going to get worse?” cried Nia. Tanni, hearing only Nia’s part of the conversation, looked on in alarm. “How so, Ease? What’s going on?”
“Dear ones,” Ease began, “I haven’t just been concealing the three of us from the imps. I’ve also been using suppression magic to keep the lullaby at bay, and I cannot do it any longer. I nearly emptied my entire energy store on the two of you. I’m using the last bit now to keep the lullaby silent, so I can warn you before I faint. Once I do, the music will blast in your ears louder than ever before. When it does, it will numb your senses and dull your minds until you can’t think straight.”
“Ease, no!” Nia shouted. “If you faint, how will we escape the imps?”
Hearing this, Tanni gasped.
“I already told you,” Ease said. “Run! If it’s the only thing you remember ever doing in your entire existence, keep running. Your life depends on it.”
Terrified, Nia turned to Tanni and shrieked, “Tanni! Run!”
The two of them took off as best they could in a north-easterly direction. Tangled in Nia’s hair, the sprite grew fainter and fainter. “Run,” she whispered a final time. A moment of eerie silence followed. Then, music erupted around the children. Nia’s vision and mind instantly clouded. Her thoughts came slowly, as if through a sluggish soup. She repeated the word run over and over in her brain, but now she couldn’t remember why it mattered.
Blindly flailing her arms, she felt something flailing back against her. To her left, she saw a boy running, his expression completely blank. What an odd world this is, she thought. I wonder why it matters that we’re running. Ah yes, we’re both runners. We were created to run.
Grabbing for the boy’s hand, a slow thought came to Nia’s mind. She knew him. His name was Tanni. They had to run together. They mustn’t stop for anything. But why would they stop?
It seemed she ran and struggled for answers for an eternity. She knew an explanation was attainable if only she struggled long enough. But despite her best efforts, nothing made sense. So, she and Tanni continued onward, his gaze hollow, face free of expression.
Finally, after what seemed several lifetimes, it came to her—Ease! Nia thought in relief. I must run for Ease. I must not get caught so the sprite can rest and recover. But what’s trying to catch me? She screwed up her face as she ran. Oh yes, an imp. If it finds me, I won’t get to meet my younger sister. I won’t get to see my parents again. I can’t let that happen. I’m never going back to that imp again. I’ll die first.
Nia kept a firm hold on Tanni. The pair began running impossibly fast. If necessary, they would run to the moon to find freedom and an escape from this horrible, twisted land.
Chapter 16
The chase was on. But the children were getting farther away, not closer. Initially, Pester was filled with hope. He’d sensed his song had finally overcome the sprite, and relished Vex’s grunt of approval. That joy quickly turned to dread. From what he could tell, the children had gone from a jog to a blistering sprint.
“Wingfoot. Brilliant. Of all spells!” Vex hissed. His claws dug into the palms of his hands in fury. “If we don’t do a similar spell ourselves, we’ll never catch them.”
“Do you have a similar one?” Pester wondered.
Vex growled, “Do I look like Lord Accuse to you?”
“Far from it. Will this do?” asked Pester, casting jetflight first on himself, then on Vex. Vex stared, open-mouthed. Though drained from the spell, Pester felt the full force of the ancient imp’s compliment. He shrugged nonchalantly, “It helps to read a lot.”
In annoyance, Vex snarled, “Know-it-all,” and shot off. Pester quickly caught up with him.
Shadowy trees zipped by, while Pester’s song ricocheted through the forest. As they sped along, a wandering Starbeam woman came into view standing stunned and completely overcome by the lullaby. Moving at such speed, she was only a quick blur of black hair to the passing imps.
Lord Accuse had a rule regarding wanderers. Any Starbeam found unescorted by an imp and deemed too old or unfit for service was to be killed—immediately. Pester had never run into someone fitting that description. He didn’t relish finding one now. Glancing askance at Vex, he saw his servant deliberating the same rule.
“Thoughts?” Pester shouted over the whistling wind.
“We don’t have time to go back and look at her,” Vex yelled back. “Besides, she looked young and fit to me!”
Pester didn’t look back. By following his servant’s report he wasn’t breaking any rules. Besides, the idea of killing a Starbeam made his stomach churn. Focusing on his goal, he swerved around the trees that came at lightning speed.
Unfortunately, maintaining focus wasn’t so easy. The black blur of hair wasn’t the only wanderer along their path. Four others came at regular intervals. At each sighting, Pester held his breath and looked at Vex. Each time, all was well. The wanderer was not deserving of death. Then, the pair rounded the bole of a particularly large tree. At its foot was a bent man with silver hair.
Pester’s heart sank. I’ll say nothing, he thought desperately. I’ll will the Starbeam to be a mirage or some kind of phantom.
To his dismay, it wasn’t. Vex came to an abrupt halt. Cursing, Pester followed suit.
“We’re short on time,” Pester said. “Is this necessary?”
“Oh, we have time,” Vex said darkly, taking in the sunken eyes and sallow cheekbones of this man. The elderly Starbeam appeared lost to the music in his ears, his expression vacant.
“I don’t believe I’ve ever seen one so old or so bent,” said Pester, marveling at the gnarled features of the creature.
“Shows you aren’t an Original. I’ve seen far older,” Vex sneered, his eyes glittering with malice. “Put him out of his misery, Pester.”
Pester crossed his arms and spat, “You seem keen on killing the old man. So, you do it.”
“What?” Vex threw back his head and laughed, “Is little Pester too soft to kill a Starbeam?”
“No, just reminding you who gives orders around here. You just tried ordering me. Thus, the lot falls on you. As your master, I order you to kill the man.”
Snarling, Vex turned and poured out his full magical wrath on the poor, unwitting gentleman. Pester heard the imp breathing his name with each evil blast. Agonized screams filled the air as the man, awakening from his trance, fell to his knees and begged for mercy.
Sweat started to bead on Pester’s forehead. Bile rose in his throat. “Stop!” he shouted. “Vex, stop!”
Vex didn’t. With each tortuous blast, he crowed in increasing glee and delight at the man’s gurgled screams and excruciated shrieks. Pester shouted at him again and again but Vex completely ignored him.
Watching this horror scene unfold, something finally snapped inside Pester. Raising an arm, he took aim and shot out a killing spell. Instantly, the old man’s body went limp, his face still twisted in anguish. Robbed of his fun, Vex turned to glare at Pester.
“We don’t have time for this!” Pester breathed furiously, blood throbbing in his temples. “I asked you to kill him, not torture him. One more act of disobedience, and the deep magic of this place will make sure you thoroughly regret it. Besides, did you forget? The children are getting away!”
