Shadow Dancer Boxed Set

by Courtney Rene

  The smile on his face grew wider. "Then why did you ask if you already knew?"

  "But you can't," I shrieked. "We aren't ready."

  "That's the whole point."

  "But…"

  "Why would I want you to be ready?"

  "Because…because that's not fair!"

  "Who said anything in war is fair."

  "No," I said and shook my head as if that would simply change his mind.

  "Oh, my dear. You are so young," he said.

  "I hate you," I said and turned to run back to my army to see if Gabriel had made it back over, but Gideon stopped me with a hand on my arm.

  I turned and saw him shake his head. "No, he's not coming."

  "What?" I asked.

  "Your Gabriel," he said. "I waited for him to go back over to that retched red world." Then he pointed back at his army. There were three people at the very front that I recognized. Shadow Guardians.

  "But they…it doesn't work that way. This isn't a closed in area. They can't possibly hold out the Shadow Walkers from all of Acadia."

  He smiled again. "I don't need them to hold out all of Acadia, just this one little area. It will take your people a while to figure out why they can't get back and then a while longer to figure out that all they need to do is phase in somewhere else, and then a little bit longer for them to get back here. Plenty of time for me to beat you and your little army."

  "You can try," I snarled. "As you can see, my army isn't quite so little anymore."

  He again put a hand on my arm. I thought he had something to say to me, but instead he zapped me with a burst of his energy. My whole body went stiff the moment the warm current hit my body.

  I staggered back a step afterward. I stared at him uncomprehending. Why had he just done that?

  He smiled. "That was pay back from your little visit to my home. Remember?"

  Yes, I remembered.

  "And, I will do more than try. Come with me now, end this little struggle of yours and all will be back to normal."

  I glared daggers at him. Anger flowed through my veins, red and hot. My hands fisted hard at my sides. I know he expected me to retaliate with my own energy and he was prepared for that. So instead, I did what any cornered animal would do. I punched him with all my might right in his regal nose.

  Blood burst out in a red mist as he staggered away from me. "You little bitch!"

  Nice to see cuss words were the same regardless of the realm. I smiled the same evil smile he had given me but a moment before.

  "You are done," he snarled through the hands clenched around his nose and mouth. Blood dripped in a steady stream from his chin. I can't tell you the pleasure I got from seeing it. "Get ready. If it's war you want, that is exactly what you are about to get. I'll kill every last one of you."

  I don't think he had ever been hit before. My hand hurt from the impact, but I wasn't about to show it. Besides, it felt good. The pain in my hand, I mean. It felt like I had finally accomplished something. A broken nose was definitely something.

  I didn't answer. I turned my back to him and headed toward my army. If what Gideon had said was true, that meant I was going to be short Gabriel, as well as Austin, since I had sent him back to find Gabriel.

  It looked like Simon and Jack had been busy during my little pow-wow with the king. The army troops were lined up and armed. They were as ready as they were going to get. I shouted to Simon, "I need my sword and my bow!"

  Simon nodded that he had heard and turned away. Lucas came running toward me with Star at his side.

  "Star!" I said. "Why didn't you warn me?"

  "About what?" she asked truly perplexed.

  "That they were coming today," I said as I waved frantically behind me at the other army.

  She shook her head back and forth and said sadly, "That's not how my sight works, Sunny. I get to see events, but they don't come with a time frame. Do you realize we had someone waiting and watching for you to arrive for years, never knowing when you would come?"

  What the heck good was a seer if they couldn't tell you when? I sighed.

  "We all knew a war was coming. We were planning for it. I had no idea when though. I'm sorry."

  I couldn't blame her. She was right. We had known the war was coming. The 'when' would have been really nice to know though. I couldn't do anything about it then either, so I took charge as best I could. "Well, it is what it is." I looked at Jack and Lucas and filled them in on the situation with Gabriel and Austin. "We are on our own here, guys, at least for a while."

  As I made to address my army, it suddenly got quite a bit darker. I turned to see what the heck was going on and what I saw scared me. A wave of arrows, so many I couldn't imagine the numbers, crossed over the sky. They turned the bright day to darkness as the arrows crossed over the light of the sun.

  "Oh, my God," I whispered. I ran forward toward the arrows and sucked up energy along the way. "Get ready," I shouted. I doubted anyone could hear me though, as from the sounds of it, chaos reigned behind me.

  I lifted my arms and waited for the arrows to get in my range. When they did, I blasted them with white light and energy. I hit them hard and strong and did my best to ignore the slicing grating pain as I pushed the energy out. I started at one end of the field and carried it over to the other end. I hit and incinerated as many of the arrows as I could, but a few did make it through.

  "Sunny," Lucas said and tried to wrap me protectively in his arms.

  I pushed him aside, grabbed his hand instead and rushed us back to the lines of my soldiers. I screamed as loud as I could, "They're coming and coming in strong. Look out for yourselves and look out for each other. I will hold them back as long as I can, but they will come through."

  "Sunny," Lucas said again and jerked on my arm to get my attention. "You can't fight this battle on your own."

  "I know that," I snapped. "But I can try to take the main brunt of it."

  "No," he said, "You can't. You have a whole army here to help you. We need you to lead us, not kill yourself trying to save us."

  "But…"

  "No, Sunny," Lucas said again. "Lead us."

  "He's right," Jack said.

  Simon hobbled up to us and handed me my bow and arrows, which I slung over my shoulder, and my small sword. The sword, although made special for me by Gabriel, was still heavy in my hand, but the weight felt firm and gave me something to hold onto.

  "Let's get this show on the road then," I said and turned to face the oncoming army. "Simon, should we retaliate with arrows too?"

  "Don't waste your arrows on that far off field," he said.

  "Have you had a chance to see what the fire people can do?" I asked, afraid of the answer I would get.

  "No," was his answer.

  I didn't think so.

  I was going to kill Gabriel when and if he ever got there. Then I had an idea. I spun around and grabbed Lucas. "We need to take out the Shadow Guardians. If we knock them out of the fight, Gabriel and Austin can get back here to help us."

  "How in the world are we supposed to find them in all those people?" Lucas said.

  I smiled and hugged him in a quick show of affection. "They hum."

  "What?"

  "When they are using their gifts, they put out this humming sound."

  "And you know this…"

  I laughed and said, "I have been sleeping with one for weeks now, remember?" David would get such a kick out of knowing he was helping our side. I couldn't wait to tell him. Well, if I survived the day anyway.

  "Ew, don't say it like that," Lucas said as he scrunched up his face. The twinkle in his eyes gave him away though. I knew he wasn't really mad.

  "Come on, let's go see who we can give this secret mission too," I said, excited to have a plan of action at last.

  "They're advancing!" someone shouted across the field. I hesitated and turned back to see that yes, Gideon was advancing and was advancing fast.

  "Lucas, you need to do it. Fi
nd two others to go with you and take out the Guardians."

  He was already shaking his head. "No, I'm not leaving you."

  I shook my head right back at him and said, "You have to. This is our chance. We need all the help we can get."

  "Sunny,"

  "Hurry," I said and turned back to the army crossing the field toward us, but I couldn't leave it like that. I spun around once again, grabbed Lucas by the shirt and kissed him with all my might. I poured my heart and feelings right into him. Things I hadn't been able to say before. Things I was afraid to say, I said in that kiss. It was more than a meeting of lips and tongue. It was a meeting of hearts and mind as well as an agreement of a future that may be.

  I pulled away and said, "You be careful. Come back to me in one piece or I will be really ticked off at you."

  He leaned down and kissed me softly once more then said, "Same goes for you. Be safe, Sunny."

  It seemed to take forever for Gideon's army to cross the field to us. When I had asked if we should head in their direction, Jack had said, "No. Let them tire themselves out getting over here."

  I stood front and center of my own army and shook in my boots, okay my flip-flops. What I wouldn't have given for a pair of boots or even tennis shoes, but I was out of luck. All I had were the flip-flops. What can I say? I hadn't been expecting a battle that day.

  I worried about Lucas. I worried about Taylor. Where was he? I worried about Gabriel and Austin. I knew they would both be frantic trying to get back here and not understanding why they couldn't. I worried about all the people of my army, the young and old, the natural fighters and the ones that were fighting for other reasons.

  While I worried and waited, Jack and Simon ran around and through the ranks giving instructions and last minute words of advice. Words that I should have been giving but couldn't. I didn't have any advice to give other than be careful, don't die.

  The army was close then. I was at the point of preparing to fight what I could when they halted, a loud sudden halt with a stomp of their feet and tremble along the ground. Gideon moved forward and walked alone toward me. When he was in the center of our two armies, he stopped and waited.

  I didn't have anything more to say. I looked at Simon and Jack and they both just gave me the shooing motion to go see what he wanted. I didn't want to.

  Then Jack gave me a good glare and pointed from me to Gideon. I realized I didn't have a choice. I think if I waited much longer, Jack or Simon would have dragged me out there.

  I took a deep breath and walked out to meet Gideon, my shoes loudly flapping with every step. Nice.

  I stopped before Gideon. I was happy to see his nose was nice and swollen. It was something, at least. Before he could say anything, I growled, "I have nothing further to say to you."

  "Rules, my dear. The rules of war must be obeyed." He ran a finger down my arm from my shoulder to my wrist. I tried not to shiver at the touch, but goose bumps rose along my arm, giving me away.

  He smiled. He was actually a pretty decent looking man if you ignored the old part and the crazy part.

  "Don't," I said and yanked my arm back from him.

  "Ari…"

  "I said, don't," I snarled. "Take a good look at me Gideon. I am not my mother, Arianna. I am her daughter, Sunny. Remember it. Burn it into your brain, I am Sunny."

  He shrugged one shoulder at me as if he didn't care what I said. "You are still a part of her. You come from her, so therefore, you are."

  Freaking crazy nutjob. That is what was going through my head at that point. Then something caught my attention in my peripheral vision. We both must have seen it at the same time as together we looked and saw a figure walking our way. As it got closer, I realized with a deep bone dread who it was.

  "What are you doing here, heathen?" Gideon said to Leif.

  Leif tsked at us. Actually tsked. "I heard the war had begun and no one had bothered to let me know."

  "You weren't invited," I snarled.

  "It's not an invitation only event, Sunshine," he said to me.

  Gideon looked from me to Leif as a slow smile rose to his lips. "Well, and whose side are you on then?"

  Leif smiled back. "Mine."

  Gideon laughed outright at that. "Where is your army then?"

  Leif smirked then said, "Oh, don't worry. It's here."

  "Leif," I said, but I was immediately cut off.

  "No," he snapped. "You don't get to tell me what to do."

  I wasn't. Well, not really. I was just going to try to get him to join forces. I could see that that wasn't going to happen.

  "Fine," I snapped back. "Let's get on with it then. What are the rules?"

  Leif laughed at me. It wasn't a nice laugh, but snide and hurtful. "Are you stupid? There are no rules in war."

  Oh. I felt blood rush to my face in embarrassment. I didn't like it. I narrowed my eyes at Leif and was just contemplating whether or not I should give him a nice toss, when a shower of red slammed into Leif's chest. He was jerked off his feet, flew several feet backward, and slammed to the ground.

  I spun around and said, "Gideon!"

  He shrugged, then said, "I didn't like the way he spoke to you and since he said there were no rules…"

  "But…"

  I glanced back at Leif and saw him get to his feet. His legs seemed a bit shaky under him, but the red spots of anger on his face showed his rage and determination.

  "So," Gideon said, "we begin."

  He lifted a bejeweled silver sword into the air. A sign to his army, I realized, when a wave of noise from his army arose to such volume that I wanted to cover my ears. My army responded with yells of their own excitement.

  Gideon tilted his head to the side, smiled a gleaming toothed smile and said quite politely, "En guard."

  Chapter Thirteen

  Gideon slammed his sword down toward my head. I quickly lifted my own little sword up to block him. When sword connected to sword, the metal made a 'ching' of noise. It was such a small sound for the amount of power that was behind the attack. I withstood it, but my arms vibrated under the strength of the blow all the way to my bones.

  At the first solid drive from the king, my army surged forward toward the advancing Shadow Guard. They quickly spilled past us and around us, and it was full on battle. Soldier to soldier, man to man or woman, the fight was on. The chilling sounds of the swords grew so loud it drowned out all other noise.

  I focused my attention back at Gideon when I saw him draw back and drive his sword down at me once more. I hastily backed up, but it was too late. I had to block the drive of the sword and it hit with a power I was unprepared for. I staggered down under the weight of it.

  I began to doubt myself. He was too strong. I was too weak, just a girl. He was going to beat me. Again.

  Then I felt it, an easy slice of pain, high on my cheek. It snapped me out of my self-doubt and instead let rage in. I advanced on him and shouted, "My face! You attacked my face?"

  He lowered his sword and watched me. I didn't give him a chance to reassess the situation. I went from the defensive side to attacking him instead. I drew my sword back and swung it with all my might at him. I wasn't aiming at anything in general, I was just trying to wound. He blocked and I swung again. He blocked again, but I was too mad at that point. You don't go after a girl's face. That's just mean.

  At that moment, I wasn't thinking about the battle or the war or the kingdom. I was just mad. I drew in energy and with the next swing of my sword I ignored the stab of pain in my head and added energy to it. Gideon blocked me again, but when the swords connected, a shower of white sparks burst into the air around us. Gideon's legs buckled and he dropped to his knees at the force and strength of my sword.

  His eyes widened in shock and then…he was gone.

  I stood there a moment in stupefied wonder at the spot he had just inhabited. I dropped my sword to my side and stared. Then it dawned on me, he had shadowed!

  "You coward!" I yelled into the ch
aos around me. I quickly phased into the shadows myself. That was a lost cause though. There were too many people, too many colors, and it overwhelmed me. I quickly covered my eyes and dropped the shadows. I wiped my bleeding nose on my arm. One little burst of energy and my nose bled like hell. Gifts were wonderful, if you could deal with the lovely side effects.

  I stood in the midst of the battle and saw with some surprise Gabriel and Austin in the middle of the fight. "Gabriel!" I screamed. He didn't hear me. How had they made it back? Then another thought hit me. If they were back, where was Lucas? I scanned the people and turned in a circle searching. Where was he?

  "Lucas!" I screamed and ran forward looking at the faces and people around me.

  "Lucas!" I screamed again and again. Oh God! Where was he? I was frantic to see his wide strong form and face, but he was nowhere.

  My heart was pounding hard in my chest. I was going in circles and still there was no sign of him. Then out of nowhere, a heavy weight slammed into me from behind. My knees dropped and my face planted in the dirt. "Ow! What the hell!" I screamed as I tried to spit dirt from my mouth. Gross.

  I felt hands tangle painfully in my hair and pull. My neck snapped back and just before my face slammed back down to the dirt once more, I caught a quick glimpse of blonde fury. Kat.

  When my face hit the ground and I saw a burst of lightning colors behind my eyes, I decided Kat was trying to kill me. Lovely. I pulled from my energy reserves and pushed a direct ball of energy at her. When I felt her weight lift off my back, I quickly got to my feet and turned to face the enemy that she was.

  Kat was just getting to her feet. She wiped a hand over her face and shouted, "What? Can't you fight without your dirty tricks?"

  I shrugged one shoulder at her and said, "Well, since there are no rules in war, my dirty little tricks will have to do."

  "You afraid you can't win without them?"

  She was baiting me. I knew it, but my pride was stung all the same. "I can win against you any day with or without my gifts."

  "Prove it," she snarled.

  "Fine!" I snarled right back. What was I doing? I knew she could kick my ass without even trying. Or could she? I hadn't been trained as long as Kat, but I had been trained and hard. Every day for weeks, I had been working.