How to Hunt a Menacing Magical Shadow

by Christine Schulz

  We stopped for a moment, watching a haggard looking Blair dragging her feet with an arm around Eli’s shoulder approach us. She left her support crutch, hobbling over to face me.

  “That was a dirty move.” She winced as the words left her mouth, clutching the area right above her left hip.

  “Well, it’s not like I enjoyed being hit in the back a hundred times with your lightning bolts. Besides, fights are never fair.” I smiled as I repeated her own words.

  “Would you stop running your mouth for just a second? Let me finish.” She adjusted her stance, trying to keep her balance. “I was going to say nice work. You used a weakness to your own advantage. You knew you couldn’t escape or fight me head on, so you caught me off guard. Well played.”

  “Thanks?” I was not expecting any type of compliment from Blair, especially since the result had been a complete accident. Kind words just didn’t seem her style. She lifted her chin, offering me a nod of approval. I’d take what I can get.

  “I think it’s time for lunch.” Eli unzipped a duffle bag and dug out some sandwiches and bottles of water. We sat down on the grass and quietly ate. A black crow circled above us, looking for a snack.

  I broke the silence by asking Lizzy a question. “Why aren’t you wearing gym clothes like everyone else? Wouldn’t that be more comfortable?”

  “The odds of someone attacking me only on my walks to and from the gym are slim. So I train in what I normally wear. If I can’t run in these boots, if I can’t bend down low enough to avoid someone slicing my scalp off, then what good am I in a fight?”

  “Ah, that makes sense. Such lovely lunch talk.” The crow perched itself on a long, flat rock next to us.

  “Well, hello there, little crow.” I pulled off a piece of crust from my sandwich to feed it to the bird.

  “That’s not a crow. It’s a raven. You can tell by their tails.” Blair corrected me, waving a finger at my face.

  “Oh...a raven. Wait, a raven? Oh, shit! Run!”

  I tried to rise to my feet, but ended up sweeping sideways onto the grass, clasping my hands over my ears as hard as I could. They didn’t even have enough time to laugh at my insane reaction when the raven let out a vicious, gurgling croak that echoed in the open field, making my ears bleed. The bright sun hanging high in the afternoon sky grew dark as my eyelids slowly drooped, then eventually closed.

  Chapter 21

  T he sounds of birds squawking, insects buzzing, and a startled deer splashing into the slow moving stream startled me. Blair, Eli, and Lizzy shook themselves awake next to me.

  “So, enlighten me. How was running supposed to have helped us in any way?” Blair’s eyes were like frosted daggers stabbing my apathetic face.

  “That’s your first question? How about ‘Where are we?’ or ‘Is everyone alright? How can we get out of this nightmare?’”

  I threw my head back, spinning around to do what I did every time I came here.

  “Hold on...nightmare? Do you know this place?” Eli raised a curious eyebrow, simultaneously dusting the dirt off his bare bicep.

  “Just follow me.” Although it was now booming with life, I could never forget this place. I’ve been a frequent visitor for the past two years.

  Find me. Well, I guess only the scenery has changed. Which meant maybe the shadow hunting me was here too. I shuddered at the thought that maybe it was Raven this whole time.

  “Did anyone hear that?”

  “Hear what?” Eli asked back, confirming the voice was only in my own head.

  “Um, I thought I heard something up ahead. Let’s investigate.”

  They shrugged at each other and continued on. No one had heard a thing, but with no other plans to act on they followed me along the path I once solemnly traveled alone in my dreams. Now that I had others alongside me, I wondered if that would change anything or if I would end up sending them all to early graves.

  Lizzy marched on, keeping close to my side. “Adrian’s right. We need to investigate. When the bird let out its call, I sensed some kind of mind control magic. It trapped us here.”

  “Can you find a way out?” I assumed with Lizzy being a master of mind control, that maybe she’d know how to break free.

  She shook her head. “It’s a different type of mind control magic. I can physically control movement. She uses sensory manipulation to control your perception of the land around you. Illusions. The only way out is to be freed by defeating her or hope she hid an escape hatch somewhere.”

  “We need to find a way out of here quickly. This can only be the work of the Storyteller, the woman you bumped into at the auction. Which I’m guessing you had already figured out before any of us.” Blair scrutinized my scandalous smirk.

  “Do you guys have cheesy names for all your hot shot prisoners?” I challenged her back. First the Mammoth, and now the Storyteller. I was seeing a gimmicky trend here.

  “Only the most evil, notorious ones, Mr. Obsession Killer.” Eli winked at me while I rolled my eyes.

  Ignoring me, Blair continued. “This woman is dangerous, Adrian. Why is she following you?” Blair picked up the pace, overtaking my position at the front of the pack and commanding the group like the experienced leader she was. Sure, she was an arrogant hard ass who enjoyed torturing me. But she was at least logical in her actions and I took solace in the fact that if anyone attacked, I wouldn’t be the first to get hit.

  “Uh, let’s just say she’s a not so secret admirer,” I cryptically replied to Blair.

  Lizzy was creeping closer to my side, brushing her shoulder against me. Her eyes darted around attentively like something had spooked her.

  “What’s up with you?” I asked.

  “Most illusionists can only manipulate small things, like making you believe you saw someone that wasn’t really there walking down the street. But there are a few illusionists who are extraordinarily powerful. They can manipulate all five of your senses, meaning even though this isn’t real, everything looks, sounds, feels, smells, and even probably tastes real. It’s just...very unsettling.”

  Little did she know I was no novice to this. Experiencing such a vivid dream over and over again made it as good as real in my mind. Including the death part.

  FIND ME! Sheesh! The voice was angry today. Maybe he wasn’t too pumped about getting up at 6AM this morning either.

  The path opened up to a bustling village clinging around the edge of a steep mountain overlooking the vast horizon. The crumbled piles of rubbish were now assembled into their original structures revealing the true character of the magnificent seaside community. Neatly constructed stone buildings soared into the mountain sky, each a decorative mixture of assorted blues, browns, and greys. Some smaller homes had sweet smelling flowers planted in colorful ceramic pots set outside their doors, while those reserved for businesses had massive windows and signs to catch the attention of those passing by.

  The cemetery was also missing...because the villagers were still alive. The chattering of busy residents going about their daily routines grew louder as we climbed along the main stone path deeper along the rocky cliff.

  No one seemed to notice us, apart from one person who was anxiously waiting for our arrival.

  The bird, which I assumed was Raven, curiously watched over us as she flew from building to building while we continued to walk, navigating us through the streets. Eventually, she perched herself on the ledge of a stone tower built with a complete view of its surroundings on all sides. The military base sat at the top of a rugged cape that jutted out into the sea. I had seen its remains before, but there wasn’t enough left of it to piece together what it used to be.

  We trudged up the curving cobblestone pathway through the village, then marched up what seemed like a hundred uneven steps until we reached the flattened piece of land that lay on top.

  Upon entering, unease immediately swept over me. The small compound was more like a fort. Massive thirty foot stone walls surrounded the large stretch of empty lan
d in the center where we now stood, trapping us inside. Archways slithered around the perimeter like a snake, leading to different pathways and rooms concealed below. We awaited Raven’s arrival as she flew down from the tower and graced us with her undesired presence.

  “Welcome, Adrian!” She shied away from my gaze. “You didn’t come to see me. I’m disappointed. Is there...something you don’t like?”

  She playfully extended her arms out to her sides. She mimicked, well, a raven. I should have probably seen that one coming. Her long, choppy hair created the illusion of feathered wings shimmering with a hint of dark blue. Her shiny leather bodysuit, the same darkness as her hair, was so tight that it moved like it was painted on her olive skin. She seductively traced her hands down the curves of her waist, stopping on her thighs. I couldn’t help but flush a little bit from the embarrassment.

  “Adrian!” Lizzy snapped, annoyance written all over her face. I coughed to clear my throat and stepped forward toward Raven with an answer.

  “It’s been like three days. Give a man some space, will ya?”

  I heard a growl from behind me. It wasn’t the answer Lizzy wanted to hear, but I needed to play along until I figured out what was going on here.

  “No worries! It seems I will get my wish anyway. I regret to inform you that my boss was not thrilled about our last meeting. I have been given orders to exterminate these little parasites you travel with and take you with me. And then we can be together! Isn’t that exciting?”

  “Hardly.” The words spit out of my mouth like dry desert sand. “What if I came with you? Will you let them go?” I bent to press out the bottom of my jeans at the feeling of something itchy against my pant leg.

  “Sorry. I can’t risk your minions coming after you.”

  “Minions!? You are really getting on my nerves, lad,” Lizzy barked in the background. A dark glowing blur whizzed past my ear, Raven lifted her hand across her body, her long hair flowing with the movement while deflecting the dagger with a gust of wind like it was a plastic knife.

  “Well, I suppose it’s expected you wouldn’t simply surrender your lives to me. Very well. If you’d like to fight for the right to claim him, then a fight is what you shall get. To the death, of course.”

  “Hey, wait a minute! I’m no one’s pet human.” I watched as two short daggers disappeared from Lizzy’s forearms and instantly appeared in her tightened fists. She charged at Raven, who transformed and flew out of harm's way leaving Lizzy to swing at nothing but air. Raven wrapped her sharp claws on the handles of a camouflaged green motorcycle leaning against one of the archways. Dark black and deep blue shadowy swirls reformed her body as she leaned casually against it.

  “You will have to do better than that if you want to keep him.”

  Darkness crossed Lizzy’s eyes as she grunted in frustration, her anger swelling and burning with a hungry desire to take this infuriating woman down.

  “Woah! Ladies, ladies...certainly we can work this out.” I knew women sometimes fought over men, but this...this was simply nuts. The ironic part of this was I wanted nothing to do with either of these crazy lunatics.

  In that instant, the bike shot into the air above Raven. She flung her arms out and swung her feet as she lost her balance, catching the wall before she fell. Eli then let go of his hold and four hundred pounds of motorcycle rained down upon Raven from above.

  Raven stood there staring at the sky. At the last second, she threw up her hands and hurled it away with a whoosh of air. “My, what powerful magic you have there. But you must remember this is my illusion. I can do whatever I want.” Raven held out her hand as several bladed black feathers glowing an eerie sapphire blue appeared. She fanned them out across her finger tips, and casually whipped them directly at Eli, who held up his palms to repel the blades in their path. To Eli’s surprise, the blades passed right through and sliced across his arms. With his left hand, he traced a wound that ran up his forearm as he examined the blood seeping from his open skin.

  “Feathers are not magnetic. You have no control over my attacks here,” she dipped her chin and smirked at Eli. “While your physical body may remain unharmed outside the vision, that is not what your brain perceives. If I kill you here, your true body will shut down and eventually die on its own.”

  “It’s four against one. You can’t possibly control your illusions against all of us at the same time.” A glorious bow appeared in Blair’s hand. She drew it back and launched a spear of lightning at Raven. Once again, she swatted it away like a fly.

  “Your petty attacks are nothing but annoying,” Raven commented as she spread her reach out wide and thrust her arms forward with a forceful gust of wind that knocked everyone off their feet, conveniently sending us flying in four different directions.

  “You know, many birds are masters of remaining hidden while they hunt their prey.” Her body vanished in a burst of shadowy wind, and a small black bird flew upwards toward the sky.

  “I can’t see her. Where’d she go?” Lizzy shielded her eyes with her hand as she squinted at the scorching afternoon sun above us.

  “Lizzy, look out!” I screamed from across the courtyard. Behind her, the black bird grew three times its size as it dove with sharp pointed talons at Lizzy’s head. She ducked last minute, its razor sharp weapons shredding through Lizzy’s leather jacket and ripping through the skin on her back.

  “Others like to attack with high speed blows powerful enough to kill with one swoop.” Raven’s tall body reshaped back on the ground in the center of the courtyard.

  Eli raced over to check on Lizzy, who insisted she was perfectly fine.

  “Enough.” Blair’s voice polluted the air with rage, becoming impatient with Raven’s childish games. “Team, let’s do this.”

  “Um, do what?” I yelled over to Blair. Everyone was too far away to speak discreetly.

  “Get out of the way, Adrian. You will only slow us down.” Blair, Eli, and Lizzy regrouped and took their attack stances, ready to execute some plan I was not in on.

  “No, I’m helping.” Once again defying Blair’s orders, I proudly stepped forward and puffed out my chest. Without warning, I folded in on myself and was blasted through an archway by sizzling golden yellow energy, tumbling down a set of stairs that lead into an officer’s quarters. I shook it off, quickly scampering to my feet and rushing back out to the courtyard.

  “Respect the woman’s dying wish, will you?” Raven whipped her arm across her chest, and a whirlwind of air formed a dome around my body.

  “Dammit, get me out of here! I’m not useless!” The windy prison trapped me beside an archway at the edge of the sandy courtyard. I balled my fists and punched at the barrier with no success.

  I watched as Eli reached into his pocket and threw a popcorn kernel into the air. A smoke screen erupted, concealing the entire stretch of empty land. I couldn’t see much else other than the blurs of magic circling around me faster than my eyes could keep up with. Screams, grunts, and savage cackles broke out from both sides.

  When the smoke began dissipating, I saw that Lizzy was bleeding from a gash on her head, Eli had suffered more damage to his arms and legs, and Blair was limping as she clutched a wound to her thigh. Their clothing was ripped to shreds. Raven, however, appeared untouched. Under normal circumstances, I bet the three of them could take her down easily. But with the addition of an illusion she could manipulate to her liking, their attacks were less effective.

  Lizzy hurled a sharpened boomerang in the direction of Raven.

  “I thought we were over these tricks.” She motioned to block the attack when the angled blade abruptly changed direction. I strained my eyes to make out a faint blue leash attached to the weapon, whirling it in all different directions. Eli kept changing the trajectory of the metal object as Raven swatted at the speeding weapon unsuccessfully. Before she knew it, she was wrapped in a string of blue magic, the thin, sharp wire securing her arms to her sides.

  “Now!” Eli cr
ied. A lightning bolt leapt from Blair’s arms as it connected with Eli’s metal wire. Raven froze in place and dropped to the ground, her feathery hair standing on end from the shock of electricity that just coursed through her body.

  “Hahahaha!” I couldn’t help it. The bird was just roasted.

  Raven patted at her static-laced clothes and did her best to flatten her hair. “No one attacks me in my illusion and gets away with it.” With a yearning for vengeance, Raven ripped free from the wire and put the full force of her power into a cyclone that circled the space around us. One by one my comrades were sucked into the vacuum. The turbulent force catapulted then into the air, launching them over the wall and deep into the streets of the village. I couldn’t see where they landed, but I knew they did somewhere from the sounds of buildings being destroyed in the distance.

  Play time was over and Raven was getting serious. Her body disappeared, splitting into three threatening ravens that shot out like heat seeking missiles in the direction of the dusty smoke from each crash.

  She left me trapped in my windy dome. I didn’t care what they told me to do. I had to get out of here and help them. It was no secret I didn’t trust them, and they didn’t fully trust me, but they were fighting to survive and I couldn’t live with myself if they died while I waited here completely safe in my little protected bubble while it happened.

  I sat down on the packed sand and began to think. My only chance to escape would be to dig myself out from underneath. It could work, but I’d be here forever scooping out the earth with my bare hands. Unless…

  “Impetus.” Using my magic was risky. The two times I had used it, I nearly destroyed an entire building and killed Blair. If I accidentally set off an explosion inside this windy dome, I could end up saving Nolan the hassle of having to kill me himself by ending my own life.

  I cupped my hands, coated with magic, and plunged them into the rocky sand. Unfortunately for me, the hard, rocky dirt was difficult to penetrate even with my magic. My arms quickly grew tired and I wasn’t even nearly halfway through.