Once I finally stopped crying and sat up, I found myself next to the little stream outside of camp. I stepped over to it and splashed the cool water over my face. I dried my face, along with my tears, and sat back to decide what to do from there.
"Are you all right, little one?" a voice spoke from behind me.
I jerked hastily around to find a man sitting comfortably on a rock. He was not old, but he was not young either. His face was creased with lines of emotion but not of age. He was dressed in soft dark brown pants, a white t-shirt, and dark brown boots. His hair was a light brown, down to his collar. His eyes were green, dark startling green. His aura, his color, was both a clear dark red but it was also a dark forest green.
I didn't know what that coloring meant. It was a mix of good and bad together, which most people have, but his colors didn't mix and meld together like I had always seen before. Instead they remained separate, riding along each other. It was strange.
I stayed still and quiet. How did he know I was there? I was in the shadows after all.
"Come now, I know you are here," he said.
I took a chance and asked, "How?"
He laughed at me. "It is not often that water rises out of a stream on its own, nor do the blades of grass cry."
Darn it. I could never seem to remember that within the shadows noise still carries. I hadn't even considered the water.
"So, are you going to come out of the shadows?" he asked.
Oh, why not? I let the shadows fall around me. The warmth of the Acadia sun immediately settled over my skin. I didn't look directly at him, because I was a little embarrassed and uncomfortable at being caught unaware when I was practically distraught.
"There, that's better, right?" he asked.
"Hmmm," I said, non committal. Feeling at a disadvantage as well as a little rude sitting on the ground, I stood up and brushed off my shorts and shirt. I pushed my long hair back over my shoulders then looked directly at the man, pasted on a smile and said, "Hello."
Before I could take in a breath, he was standing directly in front of me. I hadn't even seen him move. He grabbed my upper arms roughly and yanked me up to his face. I was a millimeter away from his nose, that's how close I was. His breath fanned out over my face and across my cheeks. I found myself holding my breath, afraid to breathe him in.
"What are you…?"
His eyes were suddenly angry. They snapped at me like emerald fire. He focused in on my face, memorizing it, studying it. Finally his gaze fell to mine and held firm. "I know your face."
I didn't reply. I was scared. I didn't know what to do and my brain had shut down at the suddenness of the change in him. One moment he had been smiling, happy and relaxed. Then he changed to a different man, cold, fierce, frightening. I was beginning to understand his colors.
He let go of one of my arms and gently caressed my cheek. His hand was warm but it still brought chills to my skin. "Yes, I know your face."
My brain finally came back into focus. I drew in energy around me. I had no qualms about using it then. No one else was around to be caught in any loss of control I may have.
I had only pulled in a breath of energy when he shook me, once, twice. Then he shook his head slowly back and forth and said, "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Don't."
He felt it. He felt me pull forward the energy. How did he do that? How had he known?
"Don't look so frightened," he said. Then the angry man was gone and the smiling gentleman had returned. He let go of me completely and stepped backward two steps.
I simply stood there. I had a feeling that if I ran, he would catch me easily. One, because my leg, although finally getting better, was still not strong enough to last very long in a foot race. And two, he appeared to be very fit and very strong.
"I think introductions are in order, don't you think?" he said. His tone was patronizing and tinged with laughter.
He executed a lovely, elegant bow and then said, "I would like to introduce you to his royal majesty, King Gideon Eric Robert Sterling.
Oh. My. God. I found myself standing there with my mouth open like an idiot. I snapped it shut and refused to respond.
He tilted his head to the side and watched me. When I didn't say anything, he said, "And you are?"
"I think we both already know who I am," I said. It lacked any force and made me sound small. I needed to find some courage. I was finally before the man I believed had killed my real mother and my real father, and I just stood there. Gawked at him.
"Yes, you are the Sunshine of the Realm," he said.
He made me sound so…royal. Ick.
"Sunny," I said, with a little bite finally in my tone. Yay.
"As you wish," he said.
"What are you going to do to me?" I asked. Better to get it out of the way instead of fretting about it.
"Nothing," he replied, with a negligent shrug of a shoulder.
I was confused. "Why?"
He smiled. "I loved your mother very much. You didn't know that did you?"
"I don't know much about my mother or my father. You saw to that, didn't you?" I said. I cringed inside. That may have been a little bit too much bite.
"Hmmm," he replied. He didn't seem to care. "She was lovely, your mother. Young. So beautiful. Just eighteen when I met her. She was mine, first. Do you hear what I am saying? She was mine, and he stole her from me."
The smile was gone again. I didn't know which side of him was worse. The oily slick smiling one or the angry almost violent one. Both seemed just as dangerous to me.
"She tried to say it was an accident. Something like love wants what love wants. I knew it was him. He did it. It was all his fault," he growled through clenched teeth.
I had to ask, I had to say it, "So you killed him for it? Your own brother?"
He shrugged again. How easily he switched back to the mask of gentle ruler. "It was his choice. He already had everything after all. He was the first-born. He would be king. He would rule. Why did he have to have her too? So, I did what I had to do."
He turned away from me, the smile again leaving but this time it was not replaced by anger. It was replaced by a sadness. My brain whirled as I tried to understand the emotion I saw. Then it hit me.
I shook my head at him and said, "But it didn't matter, did it? She still didn't want you, even after my father was gone. She still refused you. Then she ran, where you couldn't find her."
My mother was a very smart woman. That I finally knew. And my Uncle, the King, was crazy. Absolutely loopy.
The anger tried to take over, the other side won out. In a chilling, quiet tone, and with a sinister evil smile he said, "No matter. You are here now."
He again approached where I stood. He ran a hand through my hair. I stood completely still, poised, and prepared for an attack, but none ever came.
"I can see her in you. She is you," he said.
The implication of what he said blasted through my brain. "Eww, gross. You're old."
He laughed, hard and loud. "Not that old. I am only thirty-seven. We will mesh well. You will see."
I shook my head furiously side to side and said, "No."
"Your choice," he said.
I thought about the 'choice' he had given my father. "Wait. What exactly is my choice?"
"You will come to me. We will rule the Kingdom together as it should have been with your mother. You will be mine, for always and forever," he said. He then paused.
All I was thinking at that moment was that I was about to hurl.
"Or…you can refuse me as your mother did. Just know that whatever your plans are for yourself or these people you are currently with, your rebels, I will destroy. I can do it too. One way or another."
"Why would you do this? You don't even know me." I hated to plead with him, but maybe the good in him would help to see reason.
"You are close enough. I may have lost your mother but I will have you."
"You can't mean it," I said.
"Don't think I don't
know what you plan. What you and that bunch of trash are trying to do to me. I won't let you take from me my kingdom. I worked hard to gain all that I have. Know that I will destroy them all to get what I want."
"Killing is not hard work," I spat out at him. "These are your people as much as mine,"
They are MY people. Don't mistake them for yours," he said.
"Then how can you talk of destroying them," I asked.
"A simple means to an end."
Shock and nausea rushed through me at his carelessness with his kingdom and people. My people, no matter what he said. "You make me sick."
"No matter." He shrugged. "I will give you time to consider your choices."
"How gracious of you," I snapped.
"I am gracious. You will see that one day," he replied. Then he phased into the shadows.
His voice echoed eerily out of the nothingness, "Two days, Sunshine. You have two days to decide.
"How will I find you?" I shouted out in the emptiness.
I didn't get an answer.
Chapter Twelve
Kat
My knees gave way beneath me and I dropped to the ground. "Oh, God, oh, God."
I was shaking all over. Everyone had always said the King was an evil man, they forgot to tell me that he was a whack. I didn't think there was any reasoning with someone as crazy and selfish as he appeared to be.
I didn't see any way out of the mess I was in, but I wasn't about to martyr myself without first looking at all my options. There had to be another way.
I pulled myself together and with a deep breath went back to camp. I needed to talk to Leif. Then I remembered. A wave of crashing grief went through me. My day sucked.
I swallowed my sadness and my fear and trumped onward.
I entered camp, and pandemonium ensued. I was suddenly surrounded on all sides. Leif, Gavin, Leigha, and even Austin made an appearance. All screeched at me at once, like white seagulls, loud and annoying.
"Where have you been?" Leif yelled right in my face.
I pulled back from him in surprise at the attack.
Not that he would have noticed, as before his words had stopped echoing in my ears, Leigha was right there, hands and arms flailing around us.
"You had us all scared to death! How could you do that? Did you even give any thought to us?"
"I…"
"Of course she didn't. All she ever thinks about is herself," Leif spat out.
"Stop it," I said.
"Everything is riding on you. You need to understand what we have gone through to get you here," Gavin said. Although he didn't scream at me, his calm voice was just as penetrating as if he was.
"Maybe we should give her a chance to explain," Austin said. I knew there was a reason he was my favorite.
"Oh, don't think I don't know what you went through to get me here. Don't think I don't understand everything you all have done," I said.
I was furious and they suddenly realized it. Their eyes widened in shock. Why they were shocked was beyond me.
"I'm not explaining anything to any of you right now. You know what, maybe never."
"Maybe we should all take a breath," Austin said.
"You all take a breath," I said. "I'm going to my tent."
It was a lovely exit, even if I do say so myself. I spun on my heel, my hair whipped around dramatically and I stomped off to my tent. People along the road stepped quickly out of my way. I only half noticed them as I was too angry to question why. It wasn't until I got to my tent and flopped down on my bed that I realized I was white with energy. I had to be a sight, especially with my hair floating around me.
"Damn it!" I screeched. I was overwhelmed with all that was going wrong, especially since I had to deal with the consequences of pulling in all that energy. I wanted something to throw, but my tent was as sparse that day as it had been the day I arrived.
I stomped out of my tent again and went straight to the barn. I needed room to release the energy.
Taylor didn't give me a hello either when I got there. I am sure I was a little scary in that state. I jumped the fence into the horse pasture and found a place that was empty. All the horses made room for me. In fact, they kind of ran from me.
I took a breath then another. I focused my attention upward and slowly began to let the energy out. No matter how slow I tried to hold the flow, there was too much inside me. I started to cry. I could feel the tears hot against my cheeks.
It felt like knives slicing their way out of me. I couldn't hold back the energy anymore. It took control and forced its way out of me. I screamed as the backlash blasted over me from above like a hurricane.
The pain was overwhelming. The pain took over everything. The bites from within consumed all my attention and strength. I tried to block it out, but it wouldn't let me. It was too strong, too much. I knew the moment my nose started to bleed. A moment of relief went through my brain as I knew that it was almost over, but then fear as the worst was on its way.
The last blast of energy shot out of me upward into the Acadian sky, and with it, I screamed again and again. I couldn't help it, I couldn't stop myself, the last dregs of energy flowed out of me, burning like fire, as it took a part of my soul with it.
Finally it ended. It seemed like it had been forever, but it had only taken a minute, a moment. I dropped to my knees then all the way to the dirt, hard and dusty. Everything around me blurred as my sight closed in.
The last thing I saw was Taylor kneeling down next to me. I could see his lips move but I couldn't hear what he said. I couldn't understand him.
I lifted a weak hand and placed it over his. I tried to say that I was all right, but no sound came out. I finally closed my eyes and let the darkness claim me.
~ * ~
When I came to, I was still on the ground, but I was lying on someone's lap. My eyes drifted upward and landed on the anxiety-filled face of Taylor.
"Hi," I said.
"That's all you got?" he asked.
"Right now," I said. Considering how weak I felt? "Yeah, that's all I got."
We drifted into silence for a moment before he said, "You all right now?"
"Yeah. Just give me another minute and I'll get up."
"Take your time. I'm not in any hurry," Taylor said.
That was good as my head hurt, really bad. It was a sharp pounding pain. "Thanks, Taylor."
"Are you going to tell me what that was?" he asked.
I thought about what to say and decided on the truth. "That was a curse."
"Pretty powerful one," he said.
"Yeah, you have no idea," I replied.
"I think I do. You cried blood," he said.
I had? That was a new one. I reached my hand up to my face and sure enough when I wiped my cheeks, my hand came away streaked in red. I was used to my nose bleeding, but the inclusion of my eyes had me a little shaken.
"I can't go back into camp like this," I said, a little on the panicky side. I didn't want people to see me like that. I looked broken and weak. How was I supposed to invoke feelings of safety looking as I did?
"Sit tight, I'll be right back," Taylor said. He slid out from under me, laid me gently down on the ground, and ran back to the barn where he disappeared within. He was only gone a moment, before he reappeared with a bucket and a piece of material and hurried to my side.
"Here, this will help put you back in order," he said with a proud smile.
I gingerly sat up. Pain rolled around inside my head and my vision swam dizzily. I slammed my eyes shut and grabbed my head. I waited out the wave of pain in silence. Taylor didn't say a word either, but when I opened my eyes, I saw Taylor's face was wrinkled in concern.
"I'm all right. I promise," I said, trying to reassure him, maybe even myself.
"You look like crap," he replied.
I tilted my head and tried to decide if he was joking with me. When the corners of his mouth twitched up, I realized he was. I was thankful for it. I could only deal wit
h my own worries right then.
"Thanks a lot," I said.
He negligently lifted one shoulder and said, "Anytime."
He handed me the small cloth that he had damped in the bucket. I wiped off my face as best I could without a mirror to guide me. "How's that? Did I get it all?"
"Here, let me," he said. He took the cloth, rinsed it out and then gently swiped over the places I had missed. My eyes were locked on his face. I watched his intense expression the whole time.
He locked eyes with me for a second before he glanced quickly away. He cleared his throat then he said, "Um, yeah, that should do it."
I hesitated, not sure how to proceed. Finally I said, "Thanks." It didn't seem to convey all that I wanted it to, but it was all I had.
"Yeah," he replied.
"I better get back. They were already mad at me. I am sure this little disappearance will make it worse."
I slowly got to my feet. "How long was I out?"
"Not long, maybe a few minutes. Who was mad?" he asked.
"Leif, Leigha, all of them," I said. "What a crappy day."
"You want me to walk back with you?" he asked.
I thought about having to face the angry crowd that I was envisioning at my tent alone and realized what a true coward I was. I shook my head at myself and said, "Yeah, that would be great. You sure you don't mind?"
"I don't mind," he said.
We walked casually back into camp and made our way to my tent. I passed by Carrie's tent and gave her a wave.
She came on a run and said, "Wait, Kat's home. You promised to meet her."
I wasn't really in the mood for a meet and greet, but I had promised. I turned to Taylor who stood next to me and asked, "Do you mind?"
"Nah, its fine," he said. "I don't have anywhere I need to be."
Carrie reappeared with her sister, Kat. I physically blanched and took a step backward.
Taylor looked at me, questions in his eyes.
Before me stood my latest nemesis, the heart breaker. She was tall, thin, with virtually no hips. Her hair, though not as long as mine, was as blond and instead of it being flaxen, it curled about her heart-shaped face. It made her look pixie like. Her light blue eyes glowed brightly in the twilight.
Shadow Dancer Boxed Set Page 24