Shadow Dancer Boxed Set

by Courtney Rene

  "Good, because you're not getting it." Then without a goodbye or any further word on my part, I pulled into the shadows. I wanted her to think I was gone, but I wasn't. I stayed in the foggy depths of the shadows and watched her a moment.

  She visibly wilted the moment she thought I was gone. She sat back down and dropped her head into her hands. She didn't cry, but she did breathe really deeply a few times. Then she sat up.

  With her eyes closed and face tilted up at the sun, she again took several breaths. She opened her eyes, and said firmly, "All right then." She got to her feet, and walked away, back toward the castle.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Six Years Ago

  "I said no!" Isaac all but yelled at me.

  "And I asked, why not!" I yelled right back at him.

  "Don't you have enough to do without adding a fairy tale to the mix?" he asked, but some of the fire was missing from his words.

  Good, he was ready to listen. The last four years spent with Isaac and the rebels had taught me many things, but the main one was patience. Most people didn't have any. I had more than enough to go around. It also taught me that Isaac was quick to get mad and yell at everyone, but after he got the anger out, either by yelling or throwing stuff, he would be ready to listen.

  "Isaac, have you looked around at our little group lately?" I asked tentatively. I sat down and waited for him to sit with me. He didn't disappoint.

  "What do you mean?" he asked.

  "They are restless. There is a lot of fighting and a lot of stealing. We don't have anything to do, but wait for the next raid by the King or the next influx of people to come in."

  "And you think going after a phantom is going to stop the raids or the fighting?" he asked.

  "No. I don't," I said. "You used to believe in her."

  "That was a long time ago, Leif," he said.

  "Well, I want to believe," I said.

  "It won't solve anything."

  "So what?" I said.

  "So, what's the freaking point, then?"

  "The point is, it will give us something to believe in. Something worthwhile to reach for. Don't you get it? We have nothing to value here. We are hiding out in a forest that is dying a little bit more every day, and we sit here doing nothing. The creeks are drying up. The people are scared and desperate for something, anything to believe in that will help. Why not believe in this?"

  "Because we don't even know if it's real," he snapped.

  "We don't know that it's not either. All stories are based in part by a truth. Even the stories of Cinderella are based on fact," I said.

  "Cinderella?"

  "Forget it. It's an Earth thing. What I'm saying is, we need something to believe in. Otherwise what's the point of all this?"

  "Where else are we supposed to go?" he said.

  "I mean what's the point of gathering together if we don't do anything. The king and his new guard get stronger every day. The people are afraid. Children are being rounded up like animals and are never seen from again. The spring is coming. You know what that means. The raids are coming. We have to do something."

  "Are you scared they'll take you?" Isaac asked.

  "No. I'm nothing special. They don't want me," I answered. They wanted walkers with abilities. Tracking other walkers was normal, just about everyone could do that. The King wanted his army filled with people who could do other things. There was one family that was rumored to be able to lock the shadows so that people couldn't sneak in on you. Or there was a small family of seers. They could see future events. That was the type of people the king was looking for. It wasn't me.

  "Yeah, me either," Isaac said.

  He seemed almost sad at the fact. Like he wanted to be chosen as part of the guard.

  "I'm worried about the smaller boys. Some of them haven't even come into their walking abilities all the way yet. I don't want them taken," I said.

  "Yeah, I get it," Isaac said. You know you're one of the best trackers we have. I mean, how many walkers have you found?"

  "Six," I said. Six lonely, scared, and confused boys. Boys who had been just like me. "Why do you think there are so many lost shadow walker children in the Water Realm?"

  "Since the King's death and the Queen and her baby went missing, Acadia is not where people want to raise their children. If they know how to, they leave. Most people are too afraid to leave Acadia. Think about all the kids you've found. How many of them had families?"

  "None," I said. Then, "Why do you think that is?"

  "We aren't meant to live in that realm. We're Shadow Walkers. We're meant to live and grow here. You remember the cold and the rain, right? We don't have that. Think how you would be if you had lived and grown up in Acadia, then jumped realms to find a better life in the Water Realm, only to find ice, snow, and freezing rain."

  He had a very good point. Living in the cold when you were used to it was hard enough.

  "Plus, there are different diseases there. We don't have much sickness here in Acadia. On your Earth, there is disease everywhere."

  "Then that is all the more reason to do this," I said. I had him. He had made my argument for me.

  "The fairy tale again? Aren't we past that?" Isaac asked.

  "No. You said it yourself. We have to find the lost children. If we are lucky we can find the lost heir, too. The lost heir to the throne of Acadia can save this land." I was getting really excited at the idea.

  "How is a child going to save our world? Look around you, Leif. You said it yourself, the forest is dying, the creeks are drying, and the animals are getting fewer and fewer. We're starving here, little by little. How will a child change that?"

  "A child can't all by itself. You're right about that. But," I said and hesitated, "the idea of the child, the possibility, will bring hope. Give us something to fight for, all of us here in Acadia, even the rebels, and the king's guard. All it takes is the hope, and we can make this a better world."

  Isaac looked off into the nothingness of the dying forest.

  I pressed him just a bit further and said, "Plus, think of all the other lost children we will find in the process. The more we find to bring home, the better Acadia has to be in the end. You don't know what it's like to think you're all alone and a freak."

  Isaac sighed. Yep, I so had him. "Fine, Leif. Go on your hunt. See what you can find. I don't really believe in your quest anymore, but it will do some good at least in finding new recruits for us. Go, take those two friends of yours with you to keep you out of trouble."

  I didn't say thank you, or appear all that excited at all. I didn't want him or anyone else to see how much the search would mean to me. It was my chance to be someone. Someone great. Someone other than the lost orphan from the Water Realm. It was my chance to prove to them all I was more than they thought. I could be the hero I once wanted to be.

  I turned to go back toward my tent where the guys were waiting for me, when Isaac stopped me with his final words, "Come home, Leif. Be careful, and come home."

  I nodded once to show I had heard him. Then I walked calmly to my tent.

  ~ * ~

  The moment I came into view of the guys, they were up and on their feet.

  "So? What did he say?" Gavin asked.

  "He say we could go with you?" Austin wanted to know.

  I looked at their expectant faces and finally felt a smile crack my own stoic demeanor. "Yes, we can go and yes, you both are coming with me."

  "Yes!" Austin yelled, with a fist pump to the air.

  "When do we leave?" Gavin asked.

  "As soon as we can gather up what we need, which really isn't much is it?" I said. Then I had a thought. "You guys start getting packed. I'll be right back."

  I dashed off through the camp to find Kat. I found her coming out of the woods, a severe frown marred her face. "What do you want?" she said before I could even say hello.

  "What crawled up your butt?" I said right back to her.

  She walked right up and stood
directly in front of me. She had recently grown, but I still towered over her small frame. Her hair was longer, and more golden. Her face was thinner and her lips plumper. I stared at them for a moment before realizing what I was doing and quickly glanced up to her eyes.

  "I hear you're leaving."

  "News travels fast," I said. "I just found out a few minutes ago. Were you listening in on our conversation?"

  "No." The frown turned even fiercer. "Yes! Fine, yes, I was. So what. You didn't even think about me did you? You didn't even ask if I could go with you. You're just going to leave me behind here where I will rot and starve to death."

  "Kat," I said.

  "Don't you, 'Kat', me. You didn't think about me at all, did you?"

  Her blue eyes filled with tears. I felt my heart twitch in my chest upon seeing them. "No, I didn't think about you when I made the plan, but I am thinking about you now. Do you want to come with me, with us?"

  "Why do you want to go searching in the other realm anyway? Why can't you be happy here, in Acadia? Why do you always have to go back there? You are always leaving me behind. Leif, do you think about me at all?"

  "I like the idea of the lost child," I began.

  "It's not a child anymore!" she snapped. "It's got to be what, thirteen, fourteen years old by now?"

  "That's not the point, Kat," I said gently.

  "Fine, what's the stupid point, Leif? Tell me."

  "The point is that he or she could be out there. They may or may not know about the shadow walkers and their gifts. They may be scared and afraid or confused. I don't care if what I find is just another shadow walker like me. I want to find them and bring them here, bring them home."

  "Why do you care? You don't know these lost walkers or the lost child," Kat said. Her voice, although still harsh, was finally starting to calm.

  "No, I don't know them, but I do know what they will or might be going through. I know, because I lived it. I'm going whether you like it or not." I was starting to get mad at her. "Why are you being so selfish? What's wrong with you?"

  She burst fully into tears then and wailed, "Because! I can't go with you now. I'm going to be stuck here!"

  I gathered her into my arms and tried to sooth her. "Kat, what's wrong? Why can't you come?"

  "Dad and Glory Ann are getting married," she mumbled into my chest.

  "So, that's a good thing," I said. 'Isn't it? You always liked Glory Ann. We all do."

  "She's only a few years older than me, Leif. It's gross. My dad is old and she's like what, eighteen? Plus Glory Ann is already expecting a baby, and I have to help her here. I won't be allowed to go with you because I'll be stuck here being a slave."

  I had already heard about Glory Ann and the baby. It was hard to miss, as Glory Ann was already big and showing. I didn't know what to tell Kat, though. "Maybe you could help the search from here," I said trying to think of a way to include her, but that wouldn't take her away from the camp for long.

  "How? What can I possibly do to help the search from here?"

  "Do you want to? If you don't, just tell me, I'll find someone else who can do it." I was baiting her. I had learned the way around Kat was to pretend that maybe she couldn't handle a job, and she would do all in her power to prove me wrong.

  "Fine," she snapped. "What do you want me to do?"

  "No, no, if it's too much trouble," I said

  "Leif, just tell me," she all but screamed in my face. I had to hold back my laughter, otherwise I may have ended up with a fat lip. Kat had quite the temper sometimes, just like her father.

  "Okay, if you're sure," I said. "I was thinking that no one really has any idea what this child may look like. Are there any photos of the Queen or King Malcolm?"

  Kat grew serious and quiet. I could tell she was thinking about what I was asking. "I don't know. I can see what I can find, though. That's a good idea, Leif."

  "Thanks," I said. "Don't get into any trouble though. See if you can find something, anything with a likeness of the king and queen that we can use."

  "I will. I promise, I won't let you down," she said.

  "I know you won't," I said.

  "When do you leave?" she asked. Her voice was no longer loud and taunting, but quiet and subdued.

  I shrugged and said, "As soon as we're packed. Maybe tonight."

  She nodded at me. I had the strangest urge to kiss the sad frown from her mouth. I was going crazy with the idea and found myself staring again at her lips. I caught a quick glimpse of her little pink tongue as it slid over her bottom lip.

  I couldn't help myself. I took hold of her arm and drew her closer. With her tiny hand, she tucked a piece of her golden hair behind her little elf like ears. I buried my other hand in that hair of hers, right behind the ear she had just tucked it behind, and drew her face up to me. I stopped just a hairsbreadth away. I was looking for acceptance. I was looking for a sign that she had the same desire, the same need that I did. The corners of her mouth curved upward just enough to give me what I was waiting for.

  I dipped my mouth to hers and tasted her for the first time.

  ~ * ~

  "So, how'd it go?" Isaac asked not even one second after Gavin, Austin, and I jumped back to camp from Earth. Our first search for the missing heir was a bust.

  We had found one walker, whom we had brought back with us. I shrugged at Isaac and indicated our tag-along. "It went. Didn't find what we were looking for, but we found him. This is Cal. We need a space to set him up."

  Isaac smiled. It was one of the few smiles I had seen from him in a long time. He hadn't been the same since Jodi. "I'm one step ahead of you. I have set up a small area in the middle of camp for any walkers you and your boys hunt down. They will want to stick together, I bet. At least until they get used to Acadia."

  That would be good. I'd been through the uncertainty of Acadia. I knew what Cal would be going through. "Good. Gavin? Can you get him set up? I want to go hunt down Kat."

  "Right now? Dude, we just got back," Austin said.

  "I know, but I asked her to do something for me before we left. I want to see if she had any luck," I replied.

  Isaac stepped forward and halted me with a hand up. "I'd wait, man. She's had a rough few days."

  "That's all the more reason to find her," I said and walked away before they could try and stop me again. Since our kiss, I hadn't been able to get her out of my mind. Her warmth against my chest haunted me in my sleep, along with the feel of my hands tangled in her soft hair. I needed to see her, right then.

  I found her. She was sitting forlorn outside her tent. Her hair was a tangled, greasy mess down to her shoulders. She'd been crying. The evidence of the tears was the trails of clean through all the dirt on her checks. I knelt down before her, and took her face into my hands. Her eyes were blank. Empty. "Kat," I said quietly so as not to startle her. Her eyes and expression were so empty, they were creepy.

  Her eyes sharpened, the pupils widened, and her brows drew down as anger replaced the sad. "Leave. Me. Alone," she snarled.

  I wasn't intimidated. Maybe I should have been, as she was shooting sparks of fire at me with her eyes. "What's happened?" I asked, her face still held firmly in my hands.

  She tried to jerk away. I didn't let her. I held on tighter, squeezing her cheeks in the process. I didn't see any signs of actual abuse, other than her un-kept appearance. The best way to describe what happened next was that Kat flipped out.

  Instead of pulling away, she pushed forward and pounced on me. Being unprepared for attack, I fell backward to the ground. A puff of brown dust took flight around us. Kat sat back on my stomach and began to pummel me in the chest. It hurt and I immediately tried to restrain her, but all in all was thankful she took out her aggression on my body and not my face.

  "Kat! Damn it, stop!" I yelled into her face. I pulled her forcefully down against my body and rolled us over so that I was on top of her. I used my weight against her small form and held her down and still. That
was when the anger in her dissolved into a puddle of tears.

  The moment the first tear fell, I released my hold of her and pulled her into my arms. "What happened?"

  "She's dead," Kat said with a finality that was cold and ugly.

  "Who?"

  "Glory Ann."

  I'd only been gone about four weeks. The last I had heard was that a wedding was in the works and a baby on the way. How could she have died? "When? How?"

  Kat hiccupped once, and settled into my arms. Her tears finally abated just as quickly as her anger. That was Kat. She was all spark, but fast to fizz out. "Dad and Glory Ann were married almost right after you left. It was a pretty ceremony, with flowers and everything. Dad went all out. I think he actually cared for her. In his own way, I guess. Who really knows with him?"

  I nodded, but didn't speak out loud. She didn't need me to anyway. She continued on with her story as if I hadn't responded at all.

  "Then a week ago, she started having the pains. I was worried because she wasn't supposed to have the baby for another month. She said it was nothing to worry about. They weren't real. They were just preparing pains and the real ones would come later. But then her water came and there was no stopping the baby from coming, early or not. Glory Ann suffered something awful, Leif. For two days her screams echoed through the camp. I can still hear them even though they stopped two days ago."

  She turned and looked into my face and said, "The baby came and Glory Ann died."

  I waited for more, but she didn't continue. I finally asked, "What about the baby? Did it live?"

  "My father tossed it at me. It was all wet and bloody and screaming just as loud as Glory Ann had been screaming. I held it against my body. The wet soaked into my shirt and dried against my skin. I asked him what I was supposed to do with it and he told me it was mine and I was to take care of it. He didn't want it and didn't ever want to see it again." Tears began to course down her cheeks once more. "What am I supposed to do with a baby, Leif?" she asked. "I don't know anything about babies."

  Neither did I. Just then, within the folds of Kat's tent came a small wavering cry. Without any emotion showing on her face, Kat got up from her spot in my lap and went inside her tent. Her lack of emotion scared me more than her tears or her anger ever could. Tears and anger were real and were something I could handle and deal with. Kat had looked dead inside for a moment. How do you handle nothingness?