Mrs Steel strode out of the barn with Snowdrop prancing on the end of his reins, which she thrust at Holly. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from giggling at the sight of Holly holding the pegasus’ reins. She looked absolutely terrified and pissed off at the same time. But that expression evolved slowly into one I had grown to know and fear. She was plotting something. I glanced at Nat. She looked slightly scared as well. She must have seen the subtle glint in Holly’s eye as the prankster started fiddling with Snowdrop’s saddle. I schooled my face back into an appropriate expression when Mrs Steel reappeared, looking down at my hands in an attempt not to burst out laughing. Mrs Steel cast a disapproving eye over the whole class. I was waiting for a scathing remark from her, and she didn’t disappoint me.
‘I expected the lot of you to be turned out better than that. Sarah, your horse is filthy. Ira, you could at least have made an attempt to tame your hair. Natalie, I despair whenever I see you sitting on that poor creature. Shadow, I don’t care if you own your steed, I expect you to sit properly!’ I gritted my teeth, winding my fingers into Merlas’s mane. For a start, I didn’t ‘own’ Merlas. She owned herself. Secondly, I had never got the hang of the strange saddles they used here. For me, the proper leg position was the heel tucked under the rider’s backside, not dangling down, getting in the way of the pegasus’ wing. Mrs Steel sniffed, grabbing her reins back from Holly without as much as a thank you. She started to swing herself up into the saddle. The saddle slipped, sending her into the mud. The entire class and Holly fell about laughing. I gripped Merlas’s mane hard as I tried not to fall off her back. It was such a typical Holly thing to do.
I passed many a happy year at the Academy. Going to classes a lot stranger and more exciting than regular classes, avoiding doors that weren’t really there, (courtesy of Holly), trying not to get too involved in the many food fights that broke out in the school canteen. I managed to get to my seventh year without too much of an incident, if you didn’t count the run in with the dragon in the forest. And the possession of a couple of the students by Karthragan’s demons, and…well, let’s just say they were eventful and leave it at that. But we had fun, Holly, Natalie and I, always embroiled in danger. Of course, things started to go wrong in my seventh year. Very wrong indeed. And it started with Arias.
I was walking with Holly and Natalie, heading back to the dorms after a long day. I had gone through Magical Manipulation and combat practise that day. I can tell you, having those two subjects in one day is not a fun thing. I was sore all over and exhausted to boot. I paused. That feeling, like jumping into cold water. I realised a split second before I found myself face down on a marble floor. Oh, my head! It felt as if Merlas had seen fit to dance the fandango on it. I pushed myself to my knees.
‘Welcome back, Shadow.’ Oh goddess, I knew that voice. I looked up to see Arias sitting on her throne, an old book in her hands. My eyes narrowed into slits as anger boiled up in my mind. I jumped to my feet, struggling to control my demonic side. How dare she? How dare she! She no longer had any control over my life!
‘Why did you bring me back? And did you have to poof me out right in front of my friends? It’s hard enough to keep a low profile!’
‘Shadow!’ Arias snapped, slamming the book shut. ‘You will not answer back. You will not ask reasoning. You will not take that indignant tone with me. I do not care where you have been for the last number of years! I remain your superior, as does every being in this dimension! You will show nothing but grateful and gracious respect to us!’
I bit my tongue to keep from making another comment. Instead, I got to my feet and bowed low. ‘Why have you seen fit to rip me from a life I was actually starting to enjoy?’ Okay, so I couldn’t stop myself from making a remark. I must have been hanging around Holly too much. She was starting to rub off on me. Arias narrowed her eyes at me, but didn’t tell me off.
‘Synairn is at war again. We need you on our front lines.’
‘Oh no!’ I clenched my fists, battling down my magic. ‘I battled for you once. I’m not doing it again! I’m not going to war!’
‘You will do as you are told!’ I swear the white pillars shook with the force of her voice. I flinched. ‘You will report to the armoury immediately.’
I had no choice really but to obey. I turned tail, stalking out of her receiving room, my cloak billowing out behind me. One day, I was going to punch her. My superior indeed. She didn’t command me anymore!
Synari scattered as I walked through the halls, heading down into the underground floors of the Senate Towers where all the weapons and armour were stored. I felt the genuine streaks of fear as they remembered who I was. Shadow Roth, daughter of the late Senator Arellan and Karthragan the Demon. No longer was I the frightened girl who hid in her room for fear of being the target of people’s hatred. Years on Earth had taught me that you shouldn’t cower. I was as strong as, if not stronger, than the Synari. I had nothing to fear from them. I could hold my head high and let them challenge me if they dared. Then I felt a familiar presence. I smiled slightly. One of the many Synari stepped out from the horde and held out his arms.
‘Armen!’ I called, running forwards and hugging him tightly.
‘My, my, Shadow, how you have grown tall. I take it our beneficent ruler has brought you back for the battle?’
I pulled away from him, my smile fading into a scowl. ‘Yes, she did.’
Armen accompanied me to the armoury, where Rai still stood chief over all he surveyed. He greeted Armen as an old friend before he cast an eye over me, nodding in approval.
‘At least this time, the armour I give you will actually fit!’ he said with a smile. I tried to smile back, but I think all I managed was a pained grimace. My stomach was starting to tie itself into knots as I thought of the coming battle. He said nothing more, digging into his piles of metal plate. I found myself, much to my dismay, outfitted in much the same manner as before. The leather shirt, although this time with a matching pair of trousers, with the plates covering shoulders, arms, torso, back and legs, although this time, he handed me a long scabbard attached to a belt, which I wrapped around my waist. I drew the blade, a heavy, unwieldy thing made for two-handed swordplay. With another grimace, I sheathed it again. I clipped my cloak over my shoulders once again to keep away the cold as Rai handed me a helm. I ran my hands over it, feeling the slightly dented metal of the helmet, which looked a little like the Roman helmets I had seen in my human history book. I jammed it on my head before nodding once in thanks to Rai and heading out of the armoury.
I had never been out on the streets of Synairn on my own before. It was a curious feeling, as if I was a child doing something forbidden. I followed the rest of the armoured Synari out towards the plain, the same plain I had fought on before. I had to fight down the fear that threatened to overwhelm me. Why had she brought me back for this? I didn’t want to fight! I just wanted to get though the end of year exams and finish my school years without getting myself killed!
‘Demoness!’ someone called. I turned in the direction of the sound, ready to snap a retort. A troop of Synari mounted on pegusi watched me critically and, standing next to the captain of what I guessed was a unit stood Merlas, decked out in plate armour, wearing a proper Synari pegasus saddle and guidance loop. I rushed to her side, hugging her tightly. The unit felt faintly amused, if my empathy was anything to go by. I felt my face burn in embarrassment as I realised how stupid I must look to the seasoned City Guards. Just another silly little girl hugging her favourite pony. I pulled myself up into the saddle, strapping myself in, enjoying the feeling of being back with her, even if it wasn’t in the best of circumstances. The Synari I guessed to be the leader of the unit moved his pegasus to stand lengthways in front of Merlas, blocking any forwards movement. Merlas laid her ears flat along her neck, making a low growling sound more akin to a dog than a pegasus. I laid a hand on her neck, shushing her quietly.
‘Listen up, Demoness. Here are the rules. Ob
ey my command to the letter, and you’ll do fine.’
I nodded once. The captain passed me a bow and quiver of arrows, saying that the ‘pointy metal stick’ was only going to be of use to me if Merlas went down. I didn’t like the sound of that. The unit moved out, heading for the plains where the battle would be held. For the moment, the Synari were alone, arranged in ranks. Several pegusi units, including mine, stood on a small hillock, waiting for the signal from a commander standing with the foot soldiers. I have to admit, I couldn’t see the Synari as foot soldiers. I couldn’t even see them as soldiers. Never before in the history of Synairn had there been so many battles in such a short space of time. It made me wonder what Arias was up to, because this was not normal. I swallowed hard. Merlas shifted nervously beneath me. The captain glanced at me, feeling indecisive, sympathy battling with fear.
‘Hey, Demoness, just try to keep calm. There is no need to work yourself up.’ He paused for a moment, as if trying to find his words. ‘Try to see it this way, would you rather be battling a horde of bloodthirsty monsters, or facing an angry Arias?’
‘Monsters every time,’ I said before I realised that I had spoken aloud, not just thought about it. The pegusi mounted soldiers within earshot chuckled quietly. I bit my lip, looking at the captain. He was watching me with a critical eye that made my heart hit rock bottom. I had gone too far. It had been a test. It—
One corner of the captain’s mouth twisted upwards in a smile.
‘You are not the creature we thought you to be, are you?’
I didn’t know how to answer that one, so I didn’t. He probably meant it as a rhetorical question anyway. Instead, I looked down at Merlas’s mane, hoping that the shape of my helm prevented too much of a blush showing.
‘To coin a phrase I believe you use in your current dimension of residence, ‘you’re all right’, Shadow,’ spoke one of the soldiers, giving me a light, friendly shove. There was an emotion there, echoed by all the other soldiers. I couldn’t figure out what it was. It felt alien yet comforting, a familiar stranger. I realised I had sensed this before, from Holly and Natalie. Acceptance. They accepted me for who I was. For the first time in Synairn, I felt relaxed. At peace. We chatted idly for a few moments, most of which I spent committing their names to memory. Why had Arias locked me away all those years ago when all it took was for the people to see that I was still like them? She had said that the streets would not be safe for me, yet here I was, sitting on the back of a pegasus, making light of the coming battle with a group of soldiers.
From the plains of the upcoming battle, a great rip in the air spilled light onto the silver grass about to be stained with blood. Creatures began to spill from out of the gap, onto our plains. I chewed the inside of my cheek, trying to keep the anger from boiling over. Next to me, Captain Kildren swore in a steady stream under his breath. He glanced at me.
‘Shadow?’ he asked, his nervousness not quite hidden in his tone. ‘We, uh, could probably use a distraction when we charge on them. Normally, any one of us could do it, but, uh, being a demoness, you could perhaps, uh, be a little…’
‘Scarier?’ suggested one of the soldiers.
‘Yes, scarier.’ The captain watched my reaction carefully, looking a little afraid himself. I bit my lip nervously. I could appear to be in the throes of a demonic possession, but such an exercise was highly volatile, requiring me to only let a little of the demonic influence escape through the barriers in my mind. I had experimented with it a little back at the Academy, but I had always been supervised by teachers who knew how to deal with an experiment gone wrong. Here, I was alone. If I went too far, all I would get is an arrow through my head. Everyone watched me nervously. The beginning clashes of the battle sounded below us. Merlas twisted her head around to nose at my boot. I let a half smile twist one corner of my mouth. Why learn things if you couldn’t use them without being watched all the time?
‘Yes. Yes, I can, and yes, I will.’
Our unit took to the skies. I let Merlas fly as she saw fit while I tried to tap into the demon. It was difficult, forcing myself to take down the defences I had spent years constructing. Piece by piece, I dismantled them. It surged forwards, able to taste the freedom it was on the verge of gaining. I clenched my fists, panting, trying to slow the advance. It was terrifying. It felt as if I was truly breathing the air. As if I was really in my body for the first time ever. My vision tinted red, doubling in focus. My teeth lengthened slightly. My claws grew. The soldiers watched me with fear in their hearts. I was acutely aware of the magic coursing through my blood. It would be so easy to obliterate the lot of them, to end the battle before it could even properly begin. I gritted my teeth. No. I wouldn’t. I’d kill every single person in my unit before I even touched the enemy.
‘Shadow?’ the captain yelled over the winds, trying to make himself heard. I could still hear the wariness in his tone.
‘It’s okay. I’m still in control,’ I called back.
‘Take point and scare the living daylights out of them!’
I grinned, drawing my sword. Merlas brayed to the open skies as we began our dive towards the heart of the enemy’s ranks. Black magic streamed from the two-handed sword. My hair and cloak billowed out behind me. My eyes glowed. Everyone looked up. Fear shot through the crowd. Then we joined them in battle.
I don’t remember much of the battle. I don’t want to remember much of it. I fought as best I could. I was pulled off Merlas early on, leaving me to stand on my own, fighting with a sword I didn’t know how to use. A blade too long, unwieldy and heavy for me to use properly. I swung it wildly, ignoring the cacophony of pain building up in my muscles. My wrists ached. My shoulders shook. Exhaustion sapped at my mind. And they just kept on coming. Blood spurted beneath the sword, bone crunching. I swiped furiously at my eyes, clearing the haze of sweat and blood. My helmet kept slipping over my forehead, blocking my sight. I pushed it back angrily, stabbing at another enemy. The sword lodged in his chest. I couldn’t free it! Panicking, I tugged at it, widening the wound in the corpse’s side. Another enemy tried to decapitate me. I screamed, raising my arms in defence. The blade snagged on the plates of armour on my forearms, dragging a deep gash through the metal. He jabbed the sword sharply at my exposed stomach. The blade sank into flesh. My jaw fell open in silent agony as I dropped to the ground. Black blood gushed from the wound. I fell onto my side, trying to breathe through the throbbing pain.
‘Oh bloody hell, Shadow. Can’t you do anything right?’ came an irritated voice from above. All I saw was a flash of purple hair before liquid cold engulfed me.
I found myself face down on a fairly soft surface for once, the icy fingers of the abrupt teleportation lingering for a moment along my spine. My head hurt like hell. I could barely breathe through the pain of the sword still stuck in my stomach. Whoever it was that sent me away was going to get a good punch right in the face if I ever found them.
‘Ohmygod, Shad! What happened?’
‘And can you get off me please? Seriously, Roth, you’re heavier than I thought!’
‘Holl? Nat?’ I asked groggily. That would explain the soft landing, if I happened to land on Holly. I groaned as I rolled off her. I managed to get to my knees, bent double over the blade. Natalie looked horrified. Holly, as usual, started her rapid fire twenty questions routine.
‘What happened? Why are you wearing armour? Why are you covered in blood? Why—’
‘Holly! Shut up, we have to get her to the medical wing!’ Natalie insisted.
‘Oh bugger!’ I muttered under my breath.
The medical wing of the Academy is somewhere no one ever wants to get sent to. It was a converted church, complete with altar that the head medic used as a desk. It still exuded the feeling of religion and strict punishment if you didn’t adhere to the status quo. Angels with faces contorted in pain and anguish looked down from the eaves, not helping an already gloomy atmosphere. The head medic, Mr Greene, looked human, but he wasn’t a med
ic for nothing. He was what was known as a Converter. He takes pain and converts it into heat. Other than that, he scared the crap out of everyone in the entire school. I guess that was also kind of a preventative measure. If you didn’t want to face the medic, you didn’t want to get hurt, so you were more careful. It also pretty much meant that I was not happy about going there. Unfortunately, I was in no position to stop a determined Nat. Nothing short of a herd of wild pegusi can stop a determined Nat.
‘Holly, if you’ve hexed your eyebrows off again, I’m not fixing them for you.’
All three of us jumped when the head medic spoke from behind us. He swept an eye over what must have looked like a pathetic trio. He raised one eyebrow before seizing my arm, guiding me with ease towards one of the alcoves hidden by a curtain, dismissing Holly and Natalie.
‘Well, Miss Roth, if you would be so kind as to remove the armour, we can set about getting the sword out of you.’
My fingers fumbled with the buckles, trying to pull off the rusted plates while Mr Greene left for a moment. Once they were finally in a messy heap on the floor, Mr Greene started to look at the damage done. I snarled at him as he touched the sword. He grunted in apology. I shot him a glare, daring him to do something like that again. He sighed, sitting back and matching my glare.
‘I don’t ask how you managed to get yourself skewered like a demon kebab, you try not to kill me when I try to unskewer you. Deal?’ I nodded, looking down at my lap. He was trying to help me, which was more than I could have bargained for in Synairn. ‘Okay, brace yourself. I’m going to have to pull this out of you. It’s going to hurt for a bit before I start converting. Just try to keep still.’ For the first time, I noticed that he had brought in a bar of metal and a bucket of water. I glanced down at them and then back up at the medic.
‘You didn’t think I was going to put the heat into you, did you?’
I smiled tightly and braced myself.
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