by Alexia Purdy
Dinner flitted by quickly, and Shade was thankful for it. She was exhausted. The mind struggle with Ursad had drained her so much, she wondered if his loose magic had anything to do with it. Sary had kept her company, glancing at her with concern, but not wanting to ask her about Ursad. She knew Shade would tell her if she wanted to. In the meantime, Sary’s patience was a godsend.
Dylan had not said much at all through dinner, either. In fact, Shade had a nagging suspicion he was either avoiding her or wanted to give her space. Either way, she was glad to not have to deal with his moodiness tonight. Soap was the only one who seemed to have a bright outlook. He’d attempted to lighten the mood with a constant stream of chatter and jokes. Shade had nodded and smiled when appropriate but stayed lost in her own thoughts as she ate. She felt bad not engaging with him, especially after he’d put his heart on his sleeve that afternoon, but she just had way too much on her mind to tolerate any kind of mind sparring. Retreating to her room after dinner was a relief. She had curled into the soft covers and faded away before she could even turn the lights off.
Something woke her in the dead of the night. Her head was throbbing even though she’d been sleeping hard. She sat up in bed and rubbed her forehead, wondering if she was coming down with something. She hoped not. All she had was the healing potion Braelynn had given to her before the journey. Faeries never got ill. It was being human that had its disadvantages.
The room was dark. Sary had probably turned off the lights when she had entered after Shade was asleep. She fumbled to find the lamp next to her bed in the dim light of the moon. Finally finding the switch, she flicked it on and squeezed her eyes shut as the room flooded with light. She blinked as her eyes focused and looked around. Sary was not in the next bed. It lay smooth and untouched. Shade wondered where she could be. Who had turned the lights off, then? She thought to herself.
She attempted to stand, but the throb filled her head with an intensity which caused her to sit right back down. Groaning, she held her head by the temples and breathed in until the pounding dulled somewhat. She reached for her pack on the floor and willed the potion to come to her. It appeared immediately and she unscrewed the top and knocked down a sip. She recapped it and stuffed it back into the pack, letting it flop back to the floor. Tossing herself back onto her pillow, she laid her arm across her head. She’d been having more frequent headaches lately. Stress seemed to be the culprit.
Shade.
She sat up, swearing she’d heard a voice whisper her name. She scanned the room, relieved at the same time that the throb in her head was only a small, annoying, pulsating twinge now. Shade waited in the silence but found nothing amiss. She sighed. I’m hearing things. She waited another moment before lying back down on the bed. She wished Sary was there, but she’d probably stayed with Stephen for the night.
She pulled the blanket up to her chin and closed her eyes, leaving the light on, just in case. She was finally calming enough to almost fade back out when she heard the whisper again.
Shade.
This time, she jumped out of bed and grabbed her bag. Her dagger was clasped in her hand before she even realized she’d called it. She scanned the room and again found nothing. She checked under the beds and then checked the bathroom adjacent to the room. Still nothing. She decided to check outside her door to be sure no one was around, in case someone was feeling like a prankster tonight.
She swung her door open and found no one standing in the dim hallway as she scanned both ends. The abandoned halls were strangely silent. Listening for what seemed like an eternity, she frowned, unsatisfied and unsure of what to do. She closed and locked the door behind her. She was fairly certain Sary was not returning to their room that night.
Oh well, she can knock, thought Shade.
She slid back into bed and stuffed the dagger under her pillow. She shut the light off and closed her eyes, letting the darkness engulf her.
Shade, you must find me. I can help you.
The slight whisper was gentle and reassuring this time. Shade let its soothing tone wrap around her as she answered, mumbling in her sleepy state before fading into unconsciousness.
“Okay, I will… tomorrow.”