by E Kathryn
It fell down on top of Ocie before shattering and sending her to the ground under its weight. Mark hesitated when he saw her under the ice, his flames dying down when Sil took his side. Ocie moaned a little as she sat up from the icy rubble. Mark spied a little blood on her head where the ice had struck her. “Mark…” She grimaced, dazed and frustrated. “You’re just going to have to learn patience.”
Feeling struck, Mark felt his feet freeze to the ground, staring at the blood upon her brow he couldn’t move. He had done that, with Sil’s help but it was his fault. With the fire dying away, Keller rushed to his daughter’s side, helping her out of the ice and toward the van to keep her safe. “This is exactly what I warned you about. Unrefined Shadows are dangerous. You have to hone them in a safe environment!”
“Shut up!” Mark screamed at Keller. “It’s your fault she’s here. It’s your fault the Shadows are unrefined in the first place. How can you even try to speak to us now?”
Keller let Ocie sit before he glanced back at Mark with a vehement glare. Mark tensed at the flash of blue in Keller’s old eyes. He had never seen the man angry. Clenching his fists, Keller stomped across the pavement at Mark, each heavy footstep resounding through the ground. Mark’s heart welled up with fear as Keller walked right up to him. “I’ve had enough of you!” he muttered, soft and threatening.
Abruptly, Keller grasped Mark’s arm tightly, manhandling him like a child. “If you are Nova Liberanti, then that’s all the more reason to keep you with the Shadows! You’re coming back to the ASH!”
“No!” Mark couldn’t scream loud enough, fire weaving about from his palms as he flailed. “The Shadows will be free now! Shadow Trust told me!”
“You don’t have the slightest clue under god who Shadow Trust is!” Keller blared, dragging him toward the van in spite of the fire coming off Mark’s hands.
“And you do?” Mark shrieked, but he realized Keller’s sleeves weren’t catching fire. Panic rose in Mark’s heart as he dug his heels into the concrete. “How am I not burning you?”
Keller finally gave up and released him, throwing him down to the pavement. “Because I am a Shadow too!” he bellowed. The Shadows froze in terror. Keller held his hand forward and showed them as a cyan mist flowed from his palm. “I am Shadow Inhibitor, the first Shadow! How have you not gotten that yet? I created the ASH because, apart from each other, the Shadows are disjointed and unrefined. Only together can you achieve your powers’ full potential! The Shadows have to stay together!”
Mark’s wide eyes faded to mahogany. “What…” Keller’s whole Shadow was devoted solely to inhibiting the Shadows.
Keller ran closer to Mark. “If you listen, I can save Kip!” he pleaded. “But we have to go back to the ASH!”
“Shut up!” Mark screamed again bashing away Keller as he tried to hoist him to his feet again. This was the Shadow he was meant to defy. Keller’s Shadow Inhibitor didn’t work on him, and he wasn’t sure Keller knew that for certain yet.
Mark scurried back on his knees away from the cyan mist in Keller’s hands. Mark rose, finding his footing even though his entire being was tense. Tremors ripped through his bones so fearsomely that once more his fist lit into bright crimson flames.
Mark’s rage grew only more fervent as his eyes burst into gleaming cherry, and the fire stretched all the way up his arms. Mark was almost sure he gained another red strike between his nose as he screamed, lashing forward. If not, he certainly gained a few gray hairs for how his anger dulled his senses.
Mark’s fists flew around Keller wildly. “This is your fault!” he screamed. “Not just the ASH, not the truth, not the Shadows, it’s your fault!” Keller ran, it was all he could do to keep himself safe from potential burns. Mark was feral and uncoordinated, rage locking him into this spellbound state of pure violence.
Keller formed the cyan mist around his hands again to defend himself. The old man appeared out of practice, as if once he had fought for the Shadows, but he hadn’t used his Shadow in defense in too many years to count. Mark was much stronger than him. Throwing fire at Keller, Mark could not help but cringe when he realized he was burning himself.
Blisters were appearing on his knuckles, and the tremors rippling through him never subsided. Keller wasn’t as strong as him—he could do it. He could take down Keller and free the Shadows.
Keeping his distance for as long as he could, Keller was slow, prudent, and stayed defensive. Mark might have been younger, faster, and stronger, but Keller was far more trained in fighting and more refined in his Shadow.
Making only one motion against him, Keller hooked his foot under Mark’s ankle, tripping him and kicking his leg in the back of the knee. It looked effortless, but Mark howled in pain. His leg wasn’t broken, was it?
His knees knocked against the concrete the instant Mark felt Keller grasp his arm to keep him from scraping himself, and with his other hand, Keller spread cyan mist about his hand. Mark couldn’t react, it happened too fast. Keller’s hand swooped in, trailing with light, and he touched Mark’s forehead gently. In one last semblance of confidence, Mark was certain Inhibitor would have no effect on him.
Mark’s spine stiffened. He was immune to the ASI and the injection form of the inhibition, but in its raw form, Mark felt it racing through his veins. Mark’s eyes briefly flared with cyan then died down to dark brown, almost black as his Shadow was completely inhibited in a second and more so, Keller took control of another piece of Mark.
It took no effort for Keller. With the brief contact he stole Mark’s power and his very consciousness. Mark collapsed lankly with nothing in him to fight as his consciousness escaped. Keller snuffed out the cyan light in his hands and turned his attention back to the Shadows. “I won’t take any more of your arguments, get in the van now!” Keller ordered them.
A few officers responded to the order and took Mark’s unconscious form into the van, followed by a few who cautiously moved toward the crowded group of shivering Shadows. Gritting his teeth, Sil took a step closer to Keller. He couldn’t abandon Mark, and regretfully he made the decision to take the lead here.
With sorrowful eyes, he sent a tone into the Realm, only focusing on Emilie’s eyes. She couldn’t walk and knelt on the ground with her scrawny legs under her. There was so much devastation in her eyes, but she couldn’t find her voice as Sil knelt with her to carry her himself. Sil and Emilie were the last two Shadows to give up freedom, and seeing them walk willingly to the ASH destroyed the Shadows’ hope.
XX
DISCOVERING HOPE
A gurney was ready at the door when they arrived in the last light of the evening. Kimberly rode in the front with Kip in her arms safe, having stolen the blanket from Mark’s house, which was wrapped around him like a baby. He hadn’t stirred, too weak to awaken at all, a fever raging like she had never seen. As they pulled to a stop, she just prayed they had enough time.
One of Keller’s staff opened the door for her, but she personally carried Kip to the gurney, and laid him on it. At his side constantly, she took him into the ASH with very little help. Being inside the ASI’s barrier wasn’t going to help him at this point. He needed Inhibitor in his blood. She did receive some help in moving him into the small infirmary bed, but the moment his back hit the firm cushion, he coughed. His mouth welled up with blood, and he choked.
“He’s aspirating it!” Kimberly panicked, guiding the other nurse to turn him on his side. Kimberly had her hand in some medical expertise, especially after caring for the Recluse until nine months ago. However, she felt very out of practice and it was difficult sinking back into these stressful fits. She had seen them many times before.
Kip gagged, blood bubbling in his throat and on his side, blood drained from his mouth onto the white pillow. “That’s it, Kip.” Kimberly soothed, stroking his curls over his forehead and humming, “get it out.”
Kip didn’t have the strength to cough it all out, his breathing was so faint. And it was loud, hoarse
to the point it could be heard across the room. She only left him to fetch an IV tube and a bag of light blue fluid. Déjà vu struck her, remembering all the silent hours, just listening to his breathing, making sure it was still there.
She let the nurse sterilize a section of Kip’s skin on his arm, and she placed the intravenous needle herself. “Once his Shadow is inhibited, the fit will slow down. Hopefully, we caught it in time, or this is going to be a long night.” Hanging the IV bag, Kimberly fretted over Kip. “I’ve got it,” she assured the nurse gently.
Fetching a stethoscope which was always close at hand, Kimberly didn’t watch her helper leave. Placing the cold metal inside Kip’s unbuttoned vest, she listened quietly. His raspy breathing could be heard by the most untrained ear, but she understood from what she heard, Kip’s lungs were saturated. They were full of blood, welling with it, expelling the Shadow in his veins.
He hadn’t been coughing much already, she could tell, there were no scars yet, once his lungs cleared, they would heal. Tenderly, she set aside the stethoscope and cleaned the blood off his lips.
The bleeding was normal, and this was nothing like the most extreme case she had dealt with. Kip moved a little when she touched his lips. He didn’t shift at all or cringe, he closed his mouth briefly, swallowing some of the blood and continuing to breathe through his mouth.
Finally, Kip coughed voluntarily, not quite conscious, but delirious enough to force it. More blood came up, and Kimberly found herself patting his back, wishing he had the strength to sit up on his own. She could remember hours of this, sitting at his side, holding him up while he gagged on it. She cleaned Kip’s pillow as much as she could, this was already going to be a long, sleepless night, waiting for Kip’s lungs to clear, and praying he could get Inhibitor in his system fast enough to heal his lungs.
The door slid open to the side and Keller appeared, overwhelmed and keeping his panic away from Kip for as long as he could. “How’s he doing?”
Kimberly threw away another bloodied tissue. “He’s stable. I haven’t put him on oxygen yet.”
Keller leaned against the wall for support and rubbed his face. “How’s he taking Inhibitor? No negative reactions, right?”
Nodding aimlessly, Kimberly sighed, rubbing Kip’s back lovingly as he drooled blood. “So far so good. He’s never been on it before, so he has no immunity and we shouldn’t have to use a very high dosage.”
Blinking tiredly, Keller found the ability to sink down into the Recluse’s bed. “I sent all the Shadows to their rooms. Mark is segregated from them.” He sent her a look for her approval, but Kimberly made no response, her dull eyes locked onto Kip’s pained face. Distraught, Keller lost the ability to look at her. “Mark got me to reveal my identity tonight… after all I did to cover it up, blocking myself out of the Realm. The plan was to never let them know I was one of them.”
Grumbling, Kimberly supported herself against the higher bed, frustrated. “And what did that accomplish?” she snapped, startling her partner. “None of them trust you.”
“They already didn’t trust me when I built the ASH!” Keller rose, “If they knew who I was, what Shadows who came here in the beginning would have protested, bringing them up to not know I was Shadow Inhibitor kept them from being afraid of me.”
“It’s too late for that!” Kimberly yelled down at him. “After what you did tonight? You knocked Mark out by touching him! Now they know you could do that to any of them! They have every reason to be afraid of you! None of them know what Inhibitor is for, and how much good it does. It’s just a prison to them!”
Gritting his teeth, Keller paced into the kitchenette area of the infirmary. “So, what do you propose we do?”
Kimberly clenched her fists upon the bed railing over Kip. “Take down the ASI! Let them see the outside world. Let them know this isn’t a prison and that the ASI protects very specific Shadows, not all of them.”
Keller stopped pacing, all the pent-up aggravation inside him splitting him apart. “Kimberly… don’t you think I would have thought of this?” He belittled her. “I can’t risk it! And I understand, I really do, the Shadows need to be free, but all I want is to keep them safe.”
Kimberly’s confidence in his motives had been destroyed. She glared at him like he was the devil himself, letting his belittling words be the death of him.
Heaving a sigh, Keller finally built the courage to meet her gaze. “Mark is Shadow Hope, isn’t he?”
Grimacing, Kimberly formed a tight fist around the cold bar. “I’m sorry, Keller… but you’re wrong…”
“Then who is?” he demanded.
Her eyes flaring pink, Kimberly tried to remain firm. “I’ve known the identity of Hope since the birth of its wielder, and I’ve watched her all her life, growing and maturing. I don’t know how you could have become so blind to not see her right under your roof.”
Drawing his brows, Keller seethed. “Regardless, Hope didn’t help the Shadows escape. Even with Mark’s defiance of my power, if the Shadows were planning to escape, we would have known about it in the Realm!”
Kimberly’s gaze fell to the floor while Keller faced her sternly. Keller crossed his arms, bearing over her. “Unless, the surveillance data was corrupted…” Kimberly tensed trying to lose eye contact with him, Keller grinned. “I knew it…” he lost his voice. “It was you. Why! Why would you help them escape, and you knew Kip was with them!”
Kimberly held her shoulders. “I didn’t think. I was too hasty, and I didn’t realize he’d be in so much danger.”
“Dad?” Ocie’s voice came from the open doorway, roaming the halls freely while the other Shadows remained locked in their rooms. “Is everything all right?” she fretted, her attention on the blood around Kip’s face. “How’s Kip doing?”
“He’ll be fine,” Keller groaned, his tone softening. “What about you? How’s that scratch?”
He spread out an arm toward her and she floated into his arms, hiding a touch of grief. “Just a bump. It’s not the first time I’ve run in with Sil.” She found Kimberly’s eyes, seeing the sorrow in them, and Kimberly turned away, inadvertently admitting to the girl that she had lost faith in Keller. Ocie nuzzled closer to her father before standing back and looking him in the eye as an equal. “What do you want to do?”
Keller awed at the maturity in his daughter, the inspiration she was to all the Shadows and the hope she still had. “I need you to convince the Shadows…” he stopped himself, unwilling to use his daughter to meet his ends. “I need you to give them hope… if Mark’s not Shadow Hope. I need you to let them know I’m not here to hurt them.”
“I know, Dad,” she whispered, a sparkle of blue in her oceanic eyes. “I’ll tell them.” Her brunette tresses bounced behind her as she turned and left, settling the uneasiness in Keller’s stomach.
“She’s Shadow Hope,” Keller whispered, parental love in his eyes, even if it was weak.
Kimberly frowned behind him. “Took you long enough…”
Whirling about, Keller met eyes with her shocked. “You’re telling me that my daughter is an Orchestrator!”
“Only the most powerful one out there next to Trust,” Kimberly snapped, letting go of the bed railing and rushing at Keller. “And Shadow Love,” she threatened.
“Please!” Keller scoffed, “your Shadow has been dormant for over twenty years. Are you really going to try to use it now?” Even though he stood shorter than her by about half a head, he stood up to her with cyan eyes. “Do you think I look up to you or something for your powers. It’s good none of the Shadows ever figured out about your past or they’d be more scared of you than they are of me!”
“That’s not true!” she roared, mostly trying to convince herself. “I’m trying to become who I was meant to be!” Swiping her hand to the side, a bright magenta light and flicker of flame trailed her hand.
Keller stepped back, startled when he saw it. “How? You can’t use any of your Shadows.”
&nbs
p; Kimberly’s excitement welled up inside her to see the magenta aura in her hands. “You and I are both liars, and because you’ve sheltered and hid away the Shadows, it will be your downfall and theirs. Don’t you see the damage you’ve caused by hiding the truth from them.”
Holding out her hand to him, a dark mist, much like Mark’s surrounded her fingertips. She tested it, holding up her true power to use it on him. “Forget everything I told you about my past and the Shadows I’ve had contact with. All you will know me as is your assistant and the one who raised and cared for our son before he died.”
Keller fell to the floor. “Kimberly, stop this!” he screamed unable to use his own Shadow, seeing just how powerful she was. “You know the risk, if the ASI doesn’t protect them, they’ll die!” he warned her as if in his last effort. “Think of Kip!” he begged. The dark mist surrounded him, covering him in darkness, both destroying and altering his memory of her entirely.
Kimberly watched coldly, as Keller fell unconscious while his mind recovered from the tampering. It would be a while before he awoke again. Turning to Kip, Kimberly assumed her true form, having finally brought the powers of Shadow Love out of dormancy. “There’s still the business of Hope… and I can’t exactly allow Ocie to die with her destiny in place.”
Kimberly used Love’s powers, a Shadow she hadn’t used in twenty years to retake her true appearance, the magenta coat of a cardinal covering her, and her long overdress skirt flowing out behind her.
October 31, 2030
Clinging to sleep, Kip savored the warm bed covers, sinking deeper into it even when he felt himself being jostled and moved. He couldn’t open his eyes, too exhausted to even try. The cold air felt fabulous in his throat and helped his lungs to open, but it wasn’t long before he acknowledged the feeling of the air in the enclosed elevator. With a needle in his arm, he recognized the smell of his bedroom, and the sounds of the Shadows around him.