Arianna had shown them the devastation left in the wake of the attacks. Great places reduced to nothing but ash. No one seemed to know how they did this, but in her own journey of studying the art of transformation, much had been discovered.
She’d learnt the sensation of knowing what a single atom felt like, and how to rearrange them so they no longer behaved like a hand or a foot, but instead became a wing or a tail.
This knowledge was not a thing which could be learnt from lessons in the conventional sense. Rather it was like looking down into a well and being able to see the bottom. Not with your eyes but with those other senses that no one can ever explain to you how they work. They just do.
Like the way you know when someone is behind you, even though you can’t see them. Or when someone you care about is worried but scared to tell you why. But you already felt it, you already knew. Instinctive and intuitive learning, not the type of understanding you get from reading books.
If her knowledge could be used this way, then surely the darkness of the Shadow Creatures could easily be turned into a weapon. Instead of a transformation of atoms, it could become a singulation, a disintegration. Until a wall no longer remembers how to be a wall and all that is left is the dust.
∞ ∞ ∞
In the soft light of the following morning, Aero found her way to the edge of where the protective barrier had been.
She clutched on to her old, battered rucksack, trusting in its comfort in times of danger; a familiar friend strapped tightly, watching her back. Getting to the Shadow Realm was something which she needed to do, but knowing this did not bring her closer to achieving it. Or help her feel ready for what lay ahead.
Before leaving she had gone to visit her dad whilst he still slept. The dawn had not yet arrived, and the murky light had made her task feel darker. Though her betrayal of him was an act of love, Aero felt this was the worst of her sins. But the risk of him following her into danger was too great. Watching his chest as he breathed deeply, the irony of her own peril by following her mum and aunt was not lost on her.
Perhaps the reason for casting the spell was as much for herself as it was for him, because there was no way for her to cope with losing anyone else.
When conjuring the spell to prevent him coming after her, the words had stuck like molasses in her throat, thick with treachery. As he lay clutching the covers, Aero noticed how careful he was not to stray onto her mum’s side of the bed. And when the time came to leave him, the light of the sun had begun to peek its way through the curtains, but it brought her no warmth.
Reaching what ought to be where the bubble was located, her heart sank. It was no longer there. She looked up, puzzled, unaware of the eyes watching her, oblivious to the danger of her vulnerable position in the wide-open stretch of land.
Not seeing anything, nothing of her mum or her aunt or even the Shadow Creatures, concerned her, but she needn’t have worried. The creatures who were looking for her would find her soon enough. Only it wouldn’t be the ones she’d been expecting or hoping for.
Throwing herself to the ground to make herself smaller, her eyes darted this way and that, searching for where the sudden sounds of an attack were coming from. How foolish to imagine herself capable of executing a rescue. She hadn’t even found her family yet and already she was lying down in the dirt, small and afraid.
She had no stomach for a fight. Her family had the illusion that self-doubt was a thing belonging entirely to them, but as Aero trembled on the dirty cold ground, she knew it intimately.
Lying on the soil, Aero realised the sounds were not those of an attack. In fact, they were more like the vibrations of an aeroplane rippling through the sky. Growing louder, the noise became a booming thunder coming towards her.
The day was a crisp one, there were no storm clouds or hints of rain in the air. With reluctance and bravery in equal measure, Aero chanced a look. Darkness filled the heavens and her heart with fear. Shadow Creatures, she thought with dread.
As the noise grew closer still, Aero saw the black mass moving towards her location with intent. With intelligence. So close now they were on top of her. Aero’s heart raced. The blackness had shape and form, beings which could only be described as half eagle and half people. As these creatures came in to land a few hundred feet in front of her, Aero found her feet. The great flock, a single unit, walked barefoot upon the earth and began to move in her direction.
One of the eagle-people (the leader?) stepped towards her, and Aero trembled with the effort of standing her ground. The woman strode with purpose but smiled as if greeting an old friend. Whether it was nervousness or disbelief, Aero almost snorted at the sight of a person with eagle wings coming her way, but she knew better.
Despite her fear, Aero marvelled as the wings of the woman retracted into some unseen space in the clothes of the creature, behind her back. Now it was possible to pick out some details of the unfamiliar fabric she wore, which whilst smooth on the outside, was lined with thick fur and bulk and looked to be constructed for warmth as well as practicality.
Aero stood face to face with the eagle-people. It wasn’t as if things being out of the ordinary was unfamiliar, but these were dangerous times. Her blood ran cold as she regarded them with suspicion and wondered, friend or foe, real or delusion? Or worse, a Shadow Creature.
With a warm open smile, arms by her side, stood a beautiful, although rather petite, woman. Despite her short stature, her skin was taut, and her tawny arms and legs rippled with finely tuned muscles. With brown hair in pigtails past her waist, the most striking feature, besides the obvious wings, were her eyes. Instead of auburn like her own, they shone out with a turquoise blue and held small dark brown pupils. In all the best ways, they reminded her of her mum’s when she transformed, although the age of this stranger remained a mystery.
Aero braced herself as the woman spoke.
“Greetings, Aero. I am Ari.” She blinked slowly and gave Aero a heartfelt smile that reached right up to her dark, penetrating eyes, which seemed to be calculating the weight of their meeting.
With only mere seconds to decide whether to trust this Ari or not, she thought to herself it was already too late, it was irrelevant. She was fully aware of how foolish her delay to seek escape or refuge had been. There was nowhere to hide now, even if there were still time to flee. These eagle-people had the advantage of being able to gain an aerial view. It would be a quick way to hunt her down. If they were Shadow Creatures in disguise, they could have expunged her from the Earth, here and now, with hardly a drop of fuss or nonsense. None would be the wiser. No one would ever know she had been there.
But a rush of warmth flowed into her at the sounds of the woman speaking. Everything about this being radiated goodness and assurance. Still apprehensive, Aero stepped back half a pace but felt a glimmer of hope. This woman knew her name.
Word by word, whispered conversations spread throughout the others. Murmurs in the crowd began to erupt. Is this her? But she’s so small.
Presumably seeing the look of confusion come over Aero’s face, Ari added, “They might be watching. Anyone who fraternises with a witch is subject to punishment, but we had to speak to you. I’m sorry we don’t have time for more civilities, but I believe you have somewhere to be.”
“But how do you know who I am, and what do you mean by punishment?” Aero asked.
“Weaver managed to escape when your mother and aunt were taken. He came to find us straight away and told us you would be coming. As for punishments, Shadow Creatures are not known to be gentle, my dear. De-atomisation is what they have in mind.”
Aero saw Ari’s wings flutter at the mention of this, as if they needed to fly, to escape this horrendous thought. The look of fear written all over the creature’s face sent a cold chill through Aero’s spine. It was clear exactly what Ari meant by punishment. A painful, wicked death. Ari wouldn’t remember how to be Ari then, and neither would Aero if they were caught by the Shadow Creatures.
<
br /> “I don’t understand, so why are you here? Why risk it?”
“To give you the location of the castle and open the portal for you, of course. We have never worried about the Shadow Creatures or any other creature of the Realm. We live in peace and have done so for centuries. A blink in our Realm is a lifetime for you. We keep to ourselves, always have done. In the north, there was no one to bother us, but that has all changed.” Ari’s heavy sigh was deep and long, but she continued. “Even we had heard rumours, and once we saw the castle and spoke to the witches, we knew we had to flee. The Realm is collapsing, the Shadow Creatures are destroying everything. We could not stand by. We ran, but with purpose, dear girl. To find you.”
“The portal—”
“Yes, to the Shadow Realm. So you can try to rescue the witches.”
Aero supposed if her dream was, in fact, real, and her aunt and mum were being held in the castle, these could be the witches Ari was talking about. Yet something in the way she’d spoken made her think there was more to it. “But why should I believe you? You could be working for the Shadow Creatures for all I know. And why are you helping me? Wouldn’t it just be safer to give me over to them? I’m sure taking me hostage would give you something to negotiate with. Information like that would be very valuable.”
As Ari seemed to consider her words for far longer than made Aero feel comfortable, it occurred to her she had been foolish all over again, giving them an idea like that.
But no sudden surprise attack followed. Instead, Ari turned to regard Aero fondly. Sympathy oozed from her and at once Aero wished to wipe it away. For the second time since meeting the eagle-people she was reminded of her mother, and now understood her vision of their imprisonment had not been the product of an overactive witch’s imagination but the very real threat that her family’s life was once again in mortal peril.
“I guess it’s a matter of trust, my dear. You know where we are, and you could just as easily betray us. Now, let us dilly-dally no longer, child. Every moment we hesitate here is a risk. My friend will give you the map you need, but I’m afraid you’ll be on your own.”
“You’re not coming with me?”
As one of Ari’s people stepped forward to hand Aero the map, her eyes couldn’t help but notice the wing which hung limply at her side, instead of being neatly tucked away in the pack of her clothing.
“I’m afraid the danger is too great,” Ari replied, never once taking her beady eyes off the broken, limp wing of her friend.
Once more Aero thought of her mum and aunt. Without saying goodbye, she broke into a run.
Chapter Eight
Perri Meets Some New Friends
In his purpose-built castle in the Shadow Realm, up in the Wastelands, Umbria’s men had collected two essential witches. They were particularly fine specimens indeed: Perri and Louise Westwood. Acquiring them had been laughably easy.
As things stood, every part of Umbria’s being focused solely on ensuring all the magic of this world and Earth could be harnessed. Without it the Realm would die, and so would they.
With the help of the human, he had instructed his general, Ursule, to procure and oversee the installation of electricity in the castle. Construction came easily to them. The Shadow Creatures’ knowledge of molecules and atoms made them superior to humans in every regard. They who were of dust and had endured eons could build anything required.
But Umbria had to admit, electricity provided them with something this world sorely lacked. And he had grown fond of the comforts it brought. The castle was illuminated with the soft hum and glow of lighting. Powered not through magic but through technology and invention. If he’d had teeth, they would have ground with the rage he felt at this world which yearned for so little, and for the pathetic creatures who dwelled here. Creatures who lived in meagre wooden shacks and caves. Or the forest dwellers and beings of the lake, who had never endeavoured to move beyond such a primitive lifestyle.
For too long they had relied upon Constello and the unicorns, depending too on the power of the witches to give life, living in conditions tantamount to squalor and most certainly not fit for creatures such as he. The backwards land of the Realm had never ventured beyond rudimentary technology. The inhabitants knew nothing of money and left all the decisions to the unicorns. Where was the power? Where was the prestige they deserved? Was it any wonder the Shadow Creatures thirsted for more?
As Umbria paced his room in the castle, not far away Perri closed off the world around her and went to the deep place in her mind where her soul and magic came together. Her only intent, escape.
The art of transformation was contradictory, both a precise art and an emotional one. If her mind were to wander there would be no control over the spell. Pursuing constraint over her own atoms came not from a place of order but from belief. Her eyes became glassy as she leant into the moment and found the way to pull strength from deep within her heart.
Pushing aside all thoughts of concern for Aero or fear the Realm would not support her quest, she focused instead on her breathing. She felt the tingle of electricity around her as the air began to bend. Despite the circumstances, joy swept over her like a blanket as she drew on the power of the Realm to help her transformation. All the noisy thoughts melted away. Leaving this place was all that mattered. For Aero.
A moment later and with a jolt, Perri was thrown backwards. It felt as if her magic had pushed into a barrier as hard as a herd of elephants stampeding over her. She paused for a moment to recover her breath. Another minute passed by with another failure, her efforts weakened with each renewed effort, each attempt wounding her as deeply as a knife cut.
Staggering, to her feet she looked around uneasily. The room was airless and dim, but there was nothing to explain her trouble. Her trembling hands eased the throbbing in her temples as she gently massaged her head to relieve the strain. She knew if she had a mirror her face would look pale and hopeless, but giving up was simply not an option.
Wiping the sweat from her brow, Perri cleared her throat as if to thwart the creeping despair before pushing on and on. Testing, trying, until tears rolled down her face and she slumped into a ball with exhaustion and defeat. She did not know how long her efforts had taken her but knew every attempt was as futile as the last. There would be no success, and her daughter would remain out there alone. The cell was silent aside from her gentle rhythmical sobs, which did nothing to ease the pain. Just then, though, Perri heard a noise and gasped. Someone was in the cell next to her.
“Hello, is there someone there?” Perri shouted through the stone wall.
“Yes, I’m here!”
Perri inched her left ear closer to the perfect set and impenetrable stone and thanked the Realm the thick walls were not soundproof as well as magic proof.
“My name’s Perri, what’s yours?”
“I’m Cadence. Cadence Southwood.”
As Perri moved to each of the walls surrounding her cell, she repeated her call. Beyond her on three sides, were other prisoners. How many beyond that? she wondered.
A hot, musty smell also surrounded her, and whilst she’d tried to use her magic several times, it was of no use. Whatever the Shadow Creatures had used in the stone prevented her or the other witches from conjuring spells, leaving her helpless.
Still, the activity of speaking to her fellow captives was the best type of distraction from her dark thoughts. Perri quizzed her new friends for news of her sister. None had heard anything, but Cadence promised to pass on the query to her neighbours. Like a childhood game of Chinese whispers, Perri hoped news would come back to her.
Cadence had, in turn, asked for news of her family but all the prisoners Perri had spoken to were women; there were no men or children. Hearing the pain in her new friend's voice drifted her own thoughts towards Xander and Aero. What if they were dead? Mentally, she swiftly slammed the door on the gloom and despair creeping over her skin.
Perri hadn’t slept in forever. The worry for X
ander and Aero, the hard stone bed, neither were conducive to a good night’s sleep. Inside the walls of her cage, time lost meaning. Minutes and hours stretched out as indefinable as one another since she and Louise had been captured.
A lonely bowl of half-eaten unidentifiable stew sat on the floor. Suspicious, Perri hadn’t eaten at first, but hunger was the real controller in the battle with herself. Eventually, succumbing proved the only choice.
Her mind was a numb fog of loss and function. Without her family, without magic, half-starved, she struggled to make sense of the situation. The last conversation with Xander and Arianna played on her mind. The attacks weren’t random. The Shadow Creatures had kidnapped her and others. What did it mean? What were they planning?
There had been plenty of chances for Louise and her to stay safe. How foolish they had been to try and capture a Shadow Creature and end up caught. Now here she sat, while her daughter was in danger. They’d risked their necks for nothing.
After a moment, her attention turned back to Cadence. Had she said she was a Southwood?
“Cadence, do you have any idea what’s going on here? Or what’s beyond the walls? The Shadow Creatures, what do they want with us? Someone must know something!”
Cadence sighed heavily. “We’re done here, Perri. That’s what’s happening. We’re going to die and Isaac and Amanda, my husband, they were with me. For all I know they’re already dead. Amanda doesn’t even know.”
Perri asked, “Know what?”
“That she’s a witch.”
“There has to be a way.”
“There isn’t.”
“Tell me about them, Isaac and Amanda. We’ve come too far to give up now. Why don’t you talk about why you didn’t tell Amanda she was a witch? I promise you I won’t judge you; I’ve been there myself.”
“Look, we’re just a normal family, you know. I wanted her to be normal too.”
A Sorcery of Shadows: The Westwood Witches 2 Page 6