How to Hunt a Menacing Magical Shadow

by Christine Schulz

  “Time starts now.” She pushed a button on her phone and flipped it so I could see the timer counting down to what I was pretty sure wasn’t a Sunday trip to the amusement park.

  They took their time leaving the room, costing me at least a precious minute. I threw on the same jeans, a zip up hoodie and a t-shirt I wore the previous day. Digging through the drawers for something new would cost me too much time. If it smelled, well, they’d have to deal with it. They brought this on themselves.

  I rushed into the bathroom, brushed my teeth, and tossed some water on my face. No time to shower, shave, or comb my hair. I’d be rocking the rugged homeless man look today.

  Halfway down the stairs, I realized I had forgotten to put on shoes.

  “Thirty seconds left,” Blair called out from downstairs.

  I knelt down and patted my hands under the bed hunting for my sneakers. Where the hell did I put them? I dropped flat to my stomach, searching the floor to find them.

  “Fifteen seconds. Hurry it up.”

  I kicked around the clothes on the floor, hoping to strike a hard, rubbery sole. Then I saw them, sticking out of the closet. I pulled one out by the laces, slipping it over my socks without tying it. Then grabbed the other.

  “Time’s up.” Like a stalking tiger, Blair snuck up behind me ready to pounce on her prey. Electricity struck my body like a cattle prod up my ass. The sneaker dropped from my hand as I fell forward and braced myself against the floor.

  “Let’s go.” I leaned down to pick up the grey sneaker in front of me, but her predatory voice gave an intimidating growl. “Leave it.”

  “Oh, come on. It’s right there. Why do you have to be such a grumpy pants all the time?”

  Another zap to the ass. I was on my way to becoming a nicely charred steak before the day was over.

  “You do not get to choose when and where your enemies attack. What would you have done if someone really had slipped into your room while you were sleeping? Kindly ask that they wait until you put some pants on?”

  I breathed out my annoyance and, leaving the sneaker behind, resigned to following Blair into Lizzy’s bedroom. Eli and Lizzy followed, several duffle bags loaded beside them.

  “We going on vacation? I could use a trip to a tropical island right about now. Sipping a cocktail out of a pineapple and soaking up some sun.” No one spoke or moved an inch, their stone faces carved with nothing but business.

  It was too early even for the sun to completely wake up yet. Only a faint, diffused light bounced off the brick wall from the adjacent building through the beige curtains covering the bedroom windows. A silver floor lamp in the far corner of the room beamed three spotlights in different directions, creating a sharp reflection off the teal lacquer dresser standing tall opposite the window. And all twenty five or so mirrors scattered across the bedroom.

  Beside me was a delicate, rustic white makeup vanity with a popup mirror reflecting the image of Lizzy’s full-sized bed across from it, the white and feathery comforter piled high like a warm, puffy cloud floating in the middle of the room. A decorative circular mirror hung above her bed, golden and shaped like the sun with pointed rays sticking out the sides. Several long mirrors lined her floor, from cheap plastic ones to elegantly wood carved antiques. Each reflected into each other, encasing the room in an infinite image of mirrors inside mirrors. It was a little unsettling and made my brain hurt just looking at it.

  Lizzy touched the mirror with a fingertip, softly spoke a word I couldn’t hear, and it began to ripple like a stone thrown into a placid lake, distorting the reflection of her face and the rest of the room around her.

  Blair picked up a duffle bag and threw it into the mirror. I cringed, waiting for it to shatter, but it disappeared into the rippling glass. She followed after it, one foot into the mirror. Then the other.

  “Does someone mind explaining this to me? The last time I passed into the magic abyss through a wormhole it didn’t end well.”

  “You’ll be fine.” Eli grabbed another bag and casually walked through the mirror. Porky hopped in behind him.

  Now it was only me and Lizzy left. I shot her a baffled look in a last ditch effort hoping to get an answer.

  “It’s a portal to our training ground. Now pick up that duffle bag and get your ass through that mirror like everyone else. Blair does not tolerate cowards. Or tardiness.”

  I gulped, wondering about the endless number of ways Blair would enjoy torturing me to death. She was strict, by the books, and did not take kindly to people who challenged her dictatorship in any way.

  I brushed a finger against the rippling glass, the face staring back at me more twisted and contorted than an acrobat baking pretzels. I got the feeling my own reflection was mocking me.

  “Get going.” Lizzy lifted her black boot and punted my ass into the mirror.

  I was coughed out the other side, somersaulting across the unforgiving earth. Dry, brittle hay scratched against my face like itchy wool. I kept the momentum going, and somehow managed to roll my way up onto my uneven feet, a sharp piece of broken wood stabbing my bare sole right through the sock. I limped a little off balance, but stuck the landing.

  “How do you like that expert save?”

  No one was impressed. What a bunch of zombies they were in the morning. I was glad I didn’t normally wake up this early.

  I whirled my head behind me at the sound of a thud as something heavy hit the ground. Lizzy appeared through the second mirror huddled in the corner of the barn with a scowl directed right at me for leaving behind the duffle bag she told me to take.

  I then put two and two together...the first mirror in Lizzy’s bedroom had led us through a second mirror here in this barn. I smiled to myself thinking about Mike...how excited he’d be to learn about this much safer, more convenient way of traveling.

  The delightful thought was quickly ripped away when the musty smell of the abandoned barn punched my nose. The worn down building had seen better days. Rotting wood along the walls let in warm spears of sunlight that illuminated the clouds of dust swirling in the air. Years of rain and baking in the summer sun had left holes in the roof like slices of swiss cheese. A glint of light brought my attention to the second floor loft. Perched on the edge of the railing was a bird with grievous eyes and ink stained wings, staring down at me with curiosity.

  The dry air irritated my nose as I drew in a deep inhale. Or perhaps that was because I was allergic to horses and hay and nature in general. I began sneezing uncontrollably as my eyes instantly began itching and my throat became scratchy. Yup. Nature can go to hell.

  I hurried to catch up to the group as they passed through the massive barn doors, or what was left of them, hanging from a rail that once slid open and shut to enclose the animals inside.

  What came next made me forget everything I’ve been through since my adventure began that fateful night I was framed for murder. Moments ago, we left a city apartment at the crack of dawn. Now, a grin on my lips reached upwards toward the wisps of white clouds shuttling across the vibrant midday sky above me. A soft, warm breeze stirred the hair around my face, the scent of pine and lilacs replacing the dank smell from the barn. Ahead of me, a lush, green field with tall grass continued on for miles beyond what my human eyes could see, two groves of pointed pine trees flanking either side. In the distance, the imposing mountains stood tall like sleeping giants, shimmering infinite shades of blues and greys.

  It was a special occasion for me to ever leave the city. Work consumed my life, and with no friends or family to go anywhere with, I rarely traveled. Even if my eyes had started swelling up from overloading on nature, it was a refreshing change from the toxic fumes in the city slowly killing my brain cells and giving me cancer. We could be across the country or on a different planet. I didn’t know, and I didn’t really care. I just wanted to enjoy the peacefulness and take my mind off things for a while.

  “Adrian.” Blair ruined my moment, reminding me I wasn’t alone. Her sha
rp emerald eyes fixated onto mine. Eli and Lizzy stood nearby listening in and waiting for orders. Porky ran off galloping in the tall grassy field, scratching his back and grunting with happiness. “I realize we had been foolish thinking you could handle yourself with your current level of both physical and magical ability.”

  Gee, I was so glad they were eager to see my potential.

  She continued. “After what we saw at the auction, and at the pizza joint, it appears your target is likely working with ours. You need to be able to handle yourself if anyone comes after you. Like I said before, you have no control over when or where an enemy might attack, and you’re already at a disadvantage. I could slit your throat before you could even get the first syllable out to activate your magic. There are people out there with abilities you couldn’t even imagine. You have to be ready for anything. And we will help you do that.”

  It was more than just a possibility our targets were working together. I knew Nolan was controlling the Black Mark. Come to think of it, since they decided to exclude me from their conversation, I never had a chance to tell them my side of the story about what happened at the pizza place. I decided to take a leap of faith and let them in on what I learned. After all, as much as I would prefer to fight this battle on my own, I begrudgingly admitted to myself that it was unlikely I could. I needed their help.

  “Actually, the second man who attacked us yesterday informed me that Nolan is at the top of the food chain when it comes to the Black Mark. He is the mastermind running the criminal organization. And he’s using his crew, which appears to be many of the people you’re chasing, to come after me.”

  Blair’s eyes bulged out of her sockets upon hearing the unexpected news. Lizzy gasped, cupping her hand over her astonished expression.

  “You said that man ran away,” Eli pressed, hands resting on the top of his hips where a white stripe ran down his black track pants.

  “Well, yeah. Technically he did run away because I told him to.”

  “WHAT?” Blair charged me, a lightning storm raging across her fingertips.

  “Woah! Hold up a minute. Before you crisp me up like a chicken tender, hear me out. All those magic technicians being kidnapped, it was the Black Mark. Nolan is forcing them into joining his crusade, presumably to capture and kill me. That guy didn’t want to get involved with this in the first place and he doesn’t need to be.”

  “Run,” Blair growled as the murderous words left her mouth. Eli and Lizzy took off like wild horses sprinting away from a hungry wolf. Blair hurled her lightning storm directly at my chest.

  “There’s a jump start. Now run before I can get my hands around your neck!”

  “Yes, Ma’am!” I turned and raced to catch up to Eli and Lizzy, now well ahead of me even with just a few seconds head start. Blair, with her long, slender legs, had no problem running at my heels and launching a continuous stream of lightning bolts at my back.

  “This isn’t fair! I only have one shoe!” I panted out the words while I was running for my life, the uneven earth pounding into the bottom of my tender foot. My muscles felt like they were liquifying inside me. I made no claims of being in exceptional shape, but the thinner air in the mountains combined with my missing shoe and pollen bath really wasn’t helping.

  “Fights are never fair. Your enemy will take advantage of every weakness.” She spoke the words like she was having a casual conversation with me, no hint of exhaustion from running or anger from holding back information. Just the harsh truth. Then she hurled another lightning bolt at my bare foot, reminding me of my current weakness. My legs gave out, and I stumbled losing what little momentum I still had left in me.

  I tumbled into the tall grass, rolling like a bowling ball down the field. I was out of juice. Wait, I had a watch full of magic juice. Blair had said fights were never fair, so it was now time to play a little dirty.

  “Impetus,” I whispered out loud, hoping she wouldn’t hear. I laid there lifeless on the ground, my back facing her, hiding the ball of energy I was forming in my hands. I listened to her approaching footsteps, stopping a few feet away from me.

  “You realize this would be your death. If this is all you’ve got, then you don’t belong with us. Not only will you get yourself killed, but you’ll get one of us killed. I won’t allow you to do that.”

  The tendrils of lightning sizzled and snapped in her palm, screeching louder until I was shrouded in darkness from overhead.

  Her shadow moved as she readied her final blow. And that’s when I struck. I rolled onto my back, thrusting my glowing orange energy ball at point black range. She flinched, throwing her arms up as a shield. Being so close, the only thing she could do was brace herself for a crippling punch to the face.

  A deep, treacherous laugh broke out from my chest as I waited to celebrate my victory. And then an unexpected silence stifled my laughter, turning it into sheer panic. Nothing happened. The energy sphere disintegrated before it even left my hands.

  I swore up, down, and sideways in every direction.

  Blair curled her lips into the same victorious smile I had hoped to offer her. This was going to hurt. I hoped she wasn’t actually going to kill me, but this was Blair. Anything was possible. She certainly had the power to do so, and I wouldn’t doubt she had killed people before in her line of duty.

  She drew back her arm, and like a lumberjack chopping wood, sent the lightning bolt straight down directly at my head. She really was going to kill me.

  I instinctively thrust out my open palms above me as if I could somehow catch the bolt of lightning. Her blazing golden magic collided with the faint orange glow shrouding my hands sending a massive jolt throughout my body. There was a brief moment where we both looked at each other with uncertainty, then a bomb of orange energy exploded out of my hands, literally blowing Blair off her feet and sending her soaring like a cannonball in the air a good fifteen feet away.

  Whoops. I wasn’t expecting that to happen.

  I glanced at my hands, the hazy orange glow fizzling out. Well, that was the end of that. I knew I hadn’t used all the magic it held, but whatever I just did seemed to be a one time trick.

  “Fights are never fair!” I echoed her words from earlier as I raced off while she struggled to reach her feet.

  A shot of adrenaline rushed through me and I caught a second wind. I never looked back, although I did hope she was alright. That was a pretty nasty head-on hit.

  I slowed to a jog when I saw Lizzy and Eli sparring further up the field. Lizzy lunged toward Eli with twin daggers in her fists, while Eli countered her attack with a metal rod. They paused at my approach, peering into the distance behind me.

  “What happened to Blair?” Lizzy’s voice was reproachful, knowing full well I wasn’t strong enough to evade her without some trickery.

  I hunched over, hands on my knees as my lungs screamed for air. My legs were wobbling and about to give out. “She’s, um, catching some sun. And her breath. Probably a mile back because I accidentally sent her flying her across the field.”

  I hung a lopsided grin, like my face couldn’t decide if I should be worried or excited about successfully beating her to the finish line.

  “I’ll go check on her.” Eli retreated in the direction I just came from rushing to locate Blair.

  “Meanwhile…” A smirk most evil bent Lizzy’s lips. “I need a new sparring partner. Come on. Try to hit me.” She tightened her grip around her daggers and readied them in a fighting stance.

  “What? I’m not hitting a girl.” I raised my hands from my knees and raked my drenched hair off my forehead.

  “I am not a girl. And besides...you didn’t hesitate to hit Blair. You don’t think I can take you on in an even match?” she whined in an offended voice.

  “Oh, no. You could whoop my ass. That I’m sure of. I just don’t want to...accidentally hurt you. Anna told me that I’m a Nullifier. I somehow can cancel out magic, and apparently absorb it? I don’t know what just happened to Blair
, but I do know I can’t effectively control using magic. I’m dangerous.”

  “What? Who’s Anna?” A bitter expression tightened Lizzy’s face.

  “The cleaner at the pizza joint.”

  She crossed her arms and shrugged her shoulders. “Fine. Then we’ll fight with no magic or weapons. Hand to hand combat only. If you can land a single hit on me, you win.”

  I sighed and threw back my head. “Alright. Let’s get this over with. But if you get hurt, I don’t want to hear any bitching! No temper tantrums, you got it?”

  My muscles were still screaming at me, but my mind hadn’t given up yet. The magical release of energy earlier opened a floodgate of adrenaline still pumping through my system. It made me wonder...how did Nullifier magic work, exactly? Was it even actual magic? I should probably figure that out at some point.

  The thought left no sooner than it came. “First thing’s first.” She tossed a grey sneaker at my feet. “Blair also taught me about teamwork. We work together and help each other out. Do you understand what that means?”

  “And you just waited until now to give this to me?” A pinched expression caught her face, eyes narrowing and lips turning white.

  “I mean, um, thanks. You’re a super teammate!”

  We circled across from each other like vultures claiming a dead carcass. At a little over five feet tall, her head came up to about my shoulders. She tightened her ponytail, bent her knees, and raised her arms to a fighting stance.

  I had some hand to hand combat training thanks to my law enforcement background, but nothing compared to her fluid-like ninja assassin moves. It was like fighting a real life shadow from my dreams. Her petite frame made her a difficult target to hit, while her flexible body twisted and contorted in ways a normal body never should. Even her ponytail was a weapon, whipping me in the face like a broom. She evaded every single attack and landed several very painful punches to every major target area on my body. My throat, my stomach, the back of my knees, my...manly area. Everything was fair game. I gave up pretending to hit her and actually started trying. I still couldn’t land a single scratch on her.