Met by Midnight: Shadow World Stories and Scenes, Vol. 1 (The Shadow World)

by Dianne Sylvan

  The inside was a shambles, but not everything had been destroyed. Nico had lived here as he did at the Haven: surrounded by books and plants. Even wrecked, the place had the lingering trace of Nico’s presence, and Deven touched a wall or shelf here and there, almost smiling. He wished he could stay here, for a while, in a place so much a part of the Elf, one that meant so much to him he never spoke of it. Perhaps if the Elves rebuilt the Sanctuary he could help Nico restore this place.

  “I brought everything with me that really mattered,” Nico was saying as he stepped over broken furniture and gathered up a few last belongings. “But there have been a couple of things I’ve found myself wishing for, and one or two I think Mother would like to have. Give me just a minute…”

  Deven stayed out of the way; they still had time. Ethelin had remained outside.

  Nico emerged from another room—the only other, it looked like—with a bag in which he’d stowed his treasures. He slung it on his shoulder and gave the little house a long, searching look.

  When he turned back to Deven his eyes were damp again. “Okay…let’s go.”

  Ethelin was standing on the path, staring back at the Sanctuary, which they could see almost in its entirety from here. It wasn’t a large town, its main section branching off the central circle, a web-like arrangement of houses, shops, and schools. The whole thing was about half the size of the Haven property in Austin. The view here must have been breathtaking before tonight. Now, it revealed only a wasteland…and a graveyard.

  “We didn’t find anyone,” Ethelin said, heartsick. “I thought surely there would be a few.”

  “Where are the rest of the bodies?” Nico asked. “As many as there were in the Commons it wasn’t enough—and if they only took twenty alive there should be dozens more.”

  Deven sighed. “They piled them inside the houses,” he replied. “Then set fire to the walls. Even if they weren’t reduced to ash there will be debris covering them.”

  He coaxed the two Elves back down the path, the way they’d come; Nico could have built a new portal here but there was always the possibility that a straggler or two had appeared in the meantime where they’d started.

  “Do you want to check your house?” Nico asked Ethelin.

  She shook her head and resolutely didn’t look at the destruction as they passed. “I saw it already, on the way in, or what was left of it. Only the chimney still stands.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  She looked at Nico keenly. “Is it true what they’re saying? That this happened because of you?”

  Deven watched Nico’s face, unsure what his answer would be—he expected Nico to claim guilt, but instead, the Weaver said, “I made the Gatestone for Kai, and the humans stole it. And the only reason he came to Earth in the first place was to help me. But I think perhaps it would be more productive to place the blame on those who burned this place to the ground and murdered all our friends. No matter what hand I had in it, their leader chose to do this. And it is he who will pay for it.”

  Nico didn’t add that first they had to find a way to get the Prophet out of Kai’s body. Best not to drop that particular bomb to just anyone.

  They made the rest of the trek in silence, pausing here and there to double check an empty house or pile of rubble that caught their attention.

  Now and then he saw a look of despair or panic cross Nico’s face, and reached out to him both with a hand and with energy, keeping him steady. There would be time to weep later, at home in the safety and quiet of one of their suites, either in each other’s arms or with the whole Tetrad. Just a little longer, and Nico could exhale again.

  Finally they reached the part of the path where the survivors had departed, and with a heavy sigh, Nico got ready to open another portal.

  As soon as the gateway stood open Ethelin darted through as if the horror she’d seen here was snapping at her heels. Deven, still holding his palm against Nico’s back, slid his hand around to take the Weaver’s and lead him through. Once Nico took his attention from keeping it open the portal would fall shut in about thirty seconds, long enough for them to pass.

  Their eyes met. Then Nico lowered his head to rest on Deven’s shoulder, and they held on to each other tightly a moment before taking that last step through the portal and leaving Avilon behind.

  *****

  As soon as they were back at the Haven Nico went looking for his mother, and found her at the infirmary where Mo was giving the baby a looking-over. All the children had been brought for a quick examination even if they weren’t obviously injured, as the smoke inhalation was worse for them. Two others sat in the clinic with oxygen masks over their fair little faces.

  Kalea and Nico embraced, and she even had a smile for Deven, who again hung back so none of the other Elves around would be distracted or made anxious by his presence. He stood near the door, arms crossed, fighting two strange urges: one to go get a closer look at the baby, and another to run screaming into the night.

  “If you’d like, Mother, you can stay in my suite,” Nico said. “You and Inaliel will have more space and privacy, and you might find the atmosphere in here more soothing.”

  Kalea looked at him, dubious. “I have no desire to intrude.”

  “You wouldn’t be. I spend most days with my Lord anyway.” Nico glanced over at Deven inquisitively—up to now they had never made assumptions about who would sleep where, but ended up wherever they ended up, on the days they were alone together.

  Deven nodded.

  Kalea visibly relaxed once they had her in Nico’s suite, and Deven could understand why; of all the places in the Haven where she could stay, this one was the closest thing to Avilon she would find. The bedroom was full of the gentle, verdant feel of Nico’s energy.

  They settled Inaliel, who’d been given a clean bill of health from a bemused Mo, in a sort of corral made of pillows on the bed, and Kalea went to shower and change into the robe Nico gave her. She’d be one of the few Elves sleeping in familiar clothing. The rest would have to make do with the mountain of clothes the Elite had donated or lent. A preliminary shipment of food and supplies had already arrived but tomorrow would bring the first big delivery to a Signet-owned warehouse in town where the Elite would bring it the rest of the way to the Haven.

  Once they had the Weaver and the baby settled, the Pair left for the Signet Suite, where David and Miranda were waiting for a debriefing on the night’s events.

  Miranda got up from her chair and came over to embrace Nico. “How are you holding up?” she asked.

  Nico didn’t know how to answer that, but managed, “Better than most of the others.” He still hadn’t been able to let his grief show, and probably wouldn’t for a few more hours. Deven had seen many, many people endure too many calamities over the years and knew the general timeline.

  They quickly went over the numbers and a rundown of how many Elves were sheltered where in the building. It turned out relocating the Elite hadn’t been necessary—there were far fewer survivors than they’d hoped. The displaced Elite had already returned to their quarters.

  “We’ve got a truck coming this afternoon that’s just supplies for the babies,” Miranda told them. “It didn’t even occur to me to think about stuff like cribs and diapers. They only have to get by for a few more hours, though.”

  “Most of the injuries Mo reported were superficial,” David added. “There were a handful of broken bones and lacerations that needed stitches but mostly it was bruises and smoke inhalation—not to mention traumatic stress. We’re going to need to keep an eye on everyone’s mental health as much as physical.”

  Miranda looked over at Dev. “How are you?” she asked. “That can’t have been easy…all those fallen buildings.”

  He had to smile. Of course she would think about that, even when Nico hadn’t. “I’m all right.”

  Nico looked dismayed and embarrassed. “I’m sorry,” he said. “It never even occurred to me…”

  “Nor should it ha
ve,” he replied. “You had enough to worry about. I can handle it.”

  “Not to call bullshit on your resiliency, Dev,” David said, “but I call bullshit. After the last two years we’re not taking anything for granted with either of you. Now, do you two want to stay here tonight?”

  He and Nico exchanged a look. “No, that’s all right,” Nico told David. “I think I’d prefer to stay in Dev’s room, if he doesn’t mind.”

  Deven smiled. “Of course I don’t, silly Elf.”

  Miranda nodded. “I figured as much—but if you decide you need more support, we’re here.”

  She reached over and squeezed the Elf’s hand. He smiled at her. “Thank you, my Lady.”

  “You said there’s no way to break the spell that makes a Gatestone,” David said. “So basically it will never be safe for them to go home.”

  “It cannot be broken,” Nico affirmed, “but it will wear off. Even if it were never used the spell upon it would fade within three years at most, and factoring in the number of trips Kai had taken, I imagine they have a half-dozen more portals or six months’ time, whichever runs out first. But we cannot predict how they will use it.”

  “Then we’ll need to come up with a more long-term solution.” David frowned, thoughtful. “Obviously we can’t relocate them all to the city; they’ll need something as close to nature as we can provide. It will have to be secure, or at least someplace we can make secure.”

  Deven lowered his eyes to the fireplace, just listening.

  “Is anyplace really secure?” Miranda asked. “Can’t Morningstar go anywhere they want with the Stone?”

  “No,” Nico replied. “The Stone is made using Kai’s memories; they can only use it to go places he himself has set foot upon. Until coming here he had never left Avilon.”

  “But they could come here,” she said worriedly. “They could be here now.”

  “In theory, yes, but I would feel it if a portal opened near me. Now that I know they have the Stone I can block any attempt they make. In fact, if they try, I can latch onto its energy and drain it. The problem isn’t really this Stone, it’s the fact that they have taken Weavers captive; there is always a chance they could force one of them to make a new Stone that will go to Avilon. One or two of those taken have even visited the other Sanctuaries, so they are now in danger too, but I have no way of reaching them to warn them. We may end up with refugees from all three by the end. There is far too much we don’t know to say for certain what Morningstar intends or is capable of; I think our best course is to find the refugees a new permanent home. If they can return to Avilon eventually, so be it, but we cannot rely on that hope. Between the Signet forces and my own abilities we can make a new Sanctuary safer than Avilon ever was. I can seal it completely against the presence or awareness of any human. We just need a location, somewhere the Elves will be comfortable, that is defensible, and someplace neither Kai nor any of the other refugees has ever seen.”

  Deven didn’t really intend to make a noise, but apparently they all heard one, and looked at him inquisitively.

  He lifted his gaze to Nico and smiled softly. “I think I know the very place.”

  To be continued…

  About the Author

  DIANNE SYLVAN is the author of six novels, five fiction anthologies, and two nonfiction books. She lives, writes, and drinks her blood volume in mochas every day in Austin, Texas.