Dancing with Shadows

by Bridie Henderson

  “Quinn? Come on baby, open your eyes,” he murmured, kissing her hair and wiping spattered blood from her delicate cheek. She did, after a moment but her eyelids moved sluggishly… unwilling.

  “Dax?”

  “I’m alright…” a weak voice sounded from the floor. Weak but alive.

  “By the Gods… she healed him,” Kieron murmured, his eyes finally holding the respect the red haired immortal deserved.

  “Not quite,” she murmured, closing her eyes again. “Couldn’t do anything about the blood loss.” Dax nodded in agreement, sitting himself up with a little help from Colt, his face an ashen pale.

  “Still breathing though,” he murmured, “no thanks to you,” he added, scolding Colt. The other man shook his head, his mouth a little agape as he attempted to form words.

  “You can’t blame him… I am a little unpredictable,” she mumbled, burying her face into his shoulder as he heaved her up from the floor, cradling her in his arms.

  “Can you walk?” Colt asked Dax and he nodded, staggering to his feet. One arm around Colt’s shoulders and the other around Liam’s.

  “Now what?” Aaron muttered, his eyes wandering from Quinn to Dax and back again.

  “We follow the plan. Colt, Dax, Diana and Liam go to the prisoner vaults and free who you can. You have a portal disk?”

  “Yeah,” Colt murmured, gesturing towards his boot.

  “Good… free whoever you can and get out. Any room not coated in silver should be a good enough place to set the portal. Once you’re through the other side, keep it open for us. You won’t be able to close the portal on this side so take care of anyone that comes through that isn’t us, alright?”

  “Got it.”

  “What about you?” Liam asked, nervously moving from foot to foot.

  “We’ve got people of our own to rescue. Go and find your friend, Liam,” Slade told him, nodding that it was alright.

  “Nobody kills him, he didn’t betray us… I’ve seen his heart,” Quinn murmured. Colt frowned at her words, looking the kid up and down but apparently, after witnessing a sample of what Quinn was capable of, he wasn’t willing to question her again. Liam looked relieved… and vindicated and the four turned as one, Dax still propped up between the two other men, as they made their way down the corridor.

  “Shay, lead the way,” Slade muttered, following behind her, Aaron and Kieron beside him with their blades raised and Quinn still in his arms. They’d made it halfway through… now if they could just survive the next hour or so, everything would be alright. Still, looking down as Quinn’s blood-covered, exhausted face he was starting to doubt the possibility.

  Chapter 23

  Quinn breathed in Slade’s scent, the warmth of his body giving her strength as she fought against the bone searing tiredness that flowed through her. Using her gifts to bind Dax’s wounds had taken more out of her than she had expected, not that she had a reference for it. She’d never been a healer… that was Amira. Her little sister was the good one, not her. She only dealt in death and destruction. It made sense that doing something that eased pain instead of dealing it would take it out of her, going against the grain and all that. They kept walking, or at least Slade, Kieron and Aaron did, until they reached another antechamber. A few soldiers were in, apparently a second line of defence in case they made it through the first onslaught. Judging by the shock and fear on their faces, they hadn’t really expected them to. Even as Slade gently placed her on the ground, she found herself smiling at them, happy to disappoint. She watched as the three men despatched their would-be attackers with ease. Slade wasn’t the most skilled fighter but what he lacked, he made up for with cleverness and the will to fight dirty. Aaron moved like a dancer, the strokes of his swords like graceful steps of a lethal dance she could almost hear the music to. Kieron was easily the best trained of all of them, and perhaps the most deadly. His movements were quick, precise and unfeeling. He’s a weapon, she found herself thinking. Nothing more than a weapon. Unwilling to think about what is right and wrong, only a weapon to be pointed. She was sure there was more to the green eyed man than that but at that moment, watching him slaughter the soldiers without breaking a sweat or a frown, she couldn’t see him as anything else. Slade turned, picking her up again when the fighting was done, wincing slightly as he hoisted her up.

  “I can walk,” she murmured but he ignored her. Instead she placed her hand over his wound, attempting to heal him as she had Dax.

  “No. Save your strength. The fights not over yet, sweetheart,” he muttered, jostling her so her hand left the site of his injury. She huffed but didn’t try again. He was right, after all. They headed down another corridor and then another, Shay guiding their way like a floating ethereal lamp.

  “Something doesn’t feel right,” Kieron muttered, pulling free another blade from his waist and she was inclined to agree. Besides the soldiers in the first room and the few they had run into on the way, the place was practically undefended. If it was indeed a trap and the King knew they were coming, either he was overly confident or extremely stupid. Or… they were walking into another trap. You don’t get to be a king by being stupid or arrogant, she thought.

  “Put me down, Slade. I feel fine now,” she lied, but with a sigh Slade did as he was asked, his hands lingering on her body a little longer than necessary.

  “By the Gods, do you think you two could do that later,” Kieron hissed and she turned towards him, eyes bright with irritation.

  “Shut up, asshole,” she and Slade muttered in unison. Aaron snorted beside them as they made their way forward. She had one blade left and five throwing stars. Thinking about it she felt a pang of guilt for losing some of the weapons she had been given. Maybe she could gather them on the way out… not likely. Another corridor later and they found themselves outside the medical wing. The door was locked with some sort of biometric seal.

  “Can you open it?” she asked Aaron. He nodded, kneeling down and pulling a small set of odd looking tools from his belt as he got to work. By the Gods, the work was slow. She could practically feel the minutes tick by, one after the other as they waited.

  “How much longer?” she hissed, her impatience getting the better of her.

  “Patience is a virtue, Red,” he muttered, not breaking concentration.

  “Not right now it isn’t,” Slade muttered, pulling free his pistol and cocking it, aiming for the door.

  “You can’t shoot it, it’ll shut down completely,” Aaron snarled, irritated.

  “I’m not going to shoot the box, now mind your head,” Aaron ducked down as Slade pulled the trigger, blasting a hole big enough to fit a fist through, directly through the door itself. The metal pin inside that was keeping the door locked was shattered and with a swift kick the door opened. Sometimes violence is the answer, she thought, giving Aaron an apologetic grin as he grumbled, gathering his tools and standing up. They entered the medical ward, white walls and soft grey carpets greeted them with a clinical vibe and the scent of cleaning chemicals.

  “This way,” Shay murmured, leading them down a well-lit corridor with an orange stripe on the floor. Quinn found herself following the stripe after a moment until they emerged into a large open-plan ward. Beds were spaced out evenly, six rows of six beds and each with a seemingly sleeping inhabitant. It was eerie… all these people and yet nobody was there. Nobody but them. She could feel it as she stepped further into the room. Passing by bed after bed and feeling nothing from the people lying there. Their hearts beat and their lungs breathed with the aid of machines but it was like walking through a room full of living dead. They weren’t sleeping, they were suspended in the place in between life and death. Their bodies nothing more than empty husks. She felt her eyes water as an undeniable rage filled her… all these people had someone who loved them out there. Someone who cared. They did not deserve this. Nobody did. Swallowing the grief that washed over her, she followed Shay to a bed in the corner. A young girl, whose face she knew s
o well, lay there. Her blonde hair gathered at the nape of her neck and fell onto the pillow. A tube was inserted into her open mouth and if it hadn’t been for the spirit standing beside her, her image flickering in and out of view, Quinn would have said it would have been more humane to pull the plug, so to speak, and let her pass on to the next life or whatever lay beyond.

  “What do I do?” Shay asked her and she felt like she’d just taken a punch in the gut.

  “I… I don’t know… just- just give me a second to think,” Quinn muttered, her mind racing as she took a step back, running her hands through her matted hair. She knew she had made a promise and by the Gods she wanted to fulfil it but shit… how the hells was she supposed to do this?

  “Hey? You okay?” Slade asked, turning towards her, concern in his eyes. Of course he was concerned now, she thought bitterly, knowing she wasn’t being fair but unable to give a shit at that moment.

  “I don’t know what I’m doing,” she hissed quietly, her heart racing as imminent failure loomed over her.

  “Just breathe sweetheart. I know you’ll figure it out. I believe in you,” he murmured, reaching his hand out. She batted it away in anger.

  “Yeah, right. Of course you do,” she sneered, her voice full of spite. “You believe so much you were repulsed by the idea of being tied to me. But now that you need me? Just go away, Slade. I need to think,” she spat the words at him, tasting her own venom on her tongue, even as he staggered back a step as though she’d slapped him. Good, she thought. Asshole.

  “Quinn?” Shay’s soft and scared voice pulled her from her hate-filled spiral and she looked up to see the glimmering girl, her cheeks damp with tears but her eyes strong and brave. “It’s okay if you can’t save me. I won’t blame you,” she said. So much courage in one so young who had already suffered so much. Hells, Quinn didn’t have a gods damned clue what she was doing but that didn’t mean she wasn’t about to try.

  “Just hold that thought, Blondie,” she said with a brave grin she forced herself to feel, moving towards Shay’s empty vessel. “Okay, get up here… can you, like, lie inside?” Shay frowned but floated up onto the table, lying inside her body with a look of discomfort.

  “What is it?” Quinn asked, concerned.

  “I don’t know, feels weird,” Shay murmured, her glowing face poking out of her real one with an eerie motion and a look of disgust. Quinn almost laughed at the girly response when everything felt so serious. Here they were on the razors edge and the youngest, probably bravest, of them was disturbed by a weird feeling. Of course she was. The little bit of levity affected her greatly, easing a tight knot of hopelessness in her gut, and she closed her eyes willing her power to surface. First came the heat, the flames that she knew so well, next the cold, icy fingers of her shadows as they climbed through her skin, embracing her lovingly. Those were not what she needed right then though, pulling deeper on the gift inside her, teasing her abilities outwards she felt it… the light. When she opened her eyes she saw the glowing white tendrils, dancing over her fingers and around her wrists. She couldn’t describe the feelings they produced. They felt like the first days of summer, a ripe harvest, laughter of little children, holding the one you love… everything left in the world that was still pure, still good… following her intuition more than any real plan she reached out, her hands landing on Shay’s warm body. One hand touched the girl’s forehead, the other resting over her heart. She stood there for a moment before calling Shay’s name. Again the ghostly girl lifted her head, her apparition poking out of her body. She shook her head and lay back down and Quinn tried again. She sent more power, more everything, even as she felt herself weaken, her knees threatening to give out and her brain screaming for release. The pain intensified to the point where she felt sick, sick and defeated, but then there was a light at the end of the tunnel. She could feel Shay’s soul, or whatever she was, just a little further… a little more energy was all she needed. She vaguely heard Slade shout something from behind her but she ignored him, barely registered as a dark tendril of fire-encased shadow lashed out at him, keeping him at bay. She cried out as the pain grew and a wetness fell from her nose… she felt it dripping down, tasted copper in her mouth but she was there… in her mind’s eye she grabbed the bright white orb that was Shay’s consciousness and pulled it… with the last of her energy she pulled, her body burning and her mind screaming in pain as she cried out again and again. Her power rushed back into her, all at once slamming inside her with the strength of a damn Mech mutt and she almost passed out right then and there but she wasn’t finished. She felt full… too full… a small voice told her she was no longer the only one inhabiting her body. She staggered back a step, blood dripping from her nose and ears decorating the grey carpet and the white bed sheets over Shay’s body. Breathing heavily and feeling like she was going to burst, she moved forward, almost falling, as her hands dropped onto Shay’s head and heart once more. She felt the spirit inside her clamouring to get out and instead of forcing it she just closed her eyes and let it happen. Her head fell back and her mouth opened in a silent scream and she felt her gifts explode from her, fire, shadow and light flowing from every part of her body. She heard shouts of shock and pain and the crash of metal hitting metal but she didn’t care… all she cared about was the relief of the extra soul inside her clamouring free at last. She fell down, her eyes rolling back in her head as it ricocheted off the carpeted floor. She felt like she was dying, felt like she was the one whose soul was separated from its body. She felt herself float upwards… felt the world tilt beneath her as she watched from above. She watched Slade leap towards her, his hands gripping her shoulders, shaking her.

  “Please, don’t leave me… please,” she heard him repeat again and again as he pulled her close to his body, rocking her still form. She felt herself being pulled back, felt herself re-entering the weak body she had left. She didn’t want it. Didn’t want the pain that came with it. At least here, in the place in between, she was free. No pain, no sadness… just freedom. If she closed her eyes, she felt like she might disappear. “Please, Quinn. Think about Amira… We still need to find Amira,” his words registered as she was forced lower still, just above her body, and they snapped something inside. Of course… Amira. The other reason they had come. She couldn’t rest yet. Not yet. The time for that would come later. She stopped fighting the pull on her ethereal form and slowly, smoothly, sunk back into her body. She knew it the moment her soul, or whatever it was, connected with her body. The pain was beyond intense and once again she felt like she were dying. Coughing up blood, she opened her eyes with a wince.

  “Shay?” she croaked weakly and he shook his head, looking from her to his daughter on the table. Was that it? Had she killed her? Had she- A choking gasp sounded from the bed above and Aaron leapt forward, his hands working quickly as he stilled his niece and pulled the tube from her throat. She cried out in pain as he worked it free, stilling only when it was gone. She heard the tall immortal whispering to the girl but she didn’t blink, didn’t want to believe it until a pale, blonde head peered over the side of the bed.

  “Quinn?” a soft, crackling voice, weak and broken from years without use called down to her. Quinn smiled, a weak smile, but a smile nonetheless. She’d done it. One down, one to go. Her smile was cut short by another wracking cough as more blood escaped her lips.

  “By the Gods, you stupid, crazy bitch,” Slade cursed, pulling her closer to his body. She wanted to laugh, to protest, to push him away, but she couldn’t. His words were rough, his voice hoarse and his hands tender. Gods, how she wanted him to kiss the pain away. To take her home and hold her, love her until she no longer knew where she began and he ended. Gods she wanted it so badly she could taste it. But that was not her fate. Whilst she could though, she would take the comfort he offered. Aaron lifted Shay off of the bed and attempted to help her stand up but the moment her feet hit the floor she started to crumble. Apparently, her voice was not the only thing th
at was out of practice.

  “We’ll need to carry them both,” Aaron murmured, sweeping Shay up in his arms as Slade stood, cradling Quinn once more. “Maybe we should cut our losses and come back for Amira,” he added, looking pointedly down at Quinn.

  “No!” she cried out, ignoring the pain it caused her.

  “Take Shay home. Quinn and I will go on to find Amira.”

  “Can’t do it, brother. We only have one portal disk, remember?”

  “Then leave it here and this is where we’ll retreat to,” Slade argued, anxious to get his little girl to safety.

  “No, you wait right there. I’ll take Shay home and then come back through the portal and we’ll go together,” Aaron said firmly, telling his brother without words that what he said was final.

  “Fine, hurry up about it. Quinn, I know you’ll say no but will please consider going back through the portal as well? I don’t want to lose you,” he murmured, peering down at her and in her disoriented state she almost believed him. Though it was odd, he had what he wanted now, didn’t he? She knew she was being cruel, assassinating his character without cause but her heart still hurt. Even if he didn’t want her the way she wanted him, he was still an honourable man and they had made an agreement. He might not care for her the way she wished he would but he did care.

  “No, Slade. She’s my sister,” she offered weakly, forcing him to put her down with a swift painful buck of her hips. He did, albeit with a disapproving growl as Aaron placed the portal disk down after pressing the button on the side and stepped through the swirling purple portal. A few minutes ticked by and she started feeling anxious. Kieron and Slade were apparently not immune to the sensation either because both had their blades at the ready, one facing the portal and the other the door to the clinical wing. She looked around to distract herself, eyeing the destruction she had caused. When her gifts had exploded from her in a fiery mess of light and dark she had sent all three men careening backwards, slamming into the hospital beds behind them. Though she knew there was no hope for the empty husks lining the beds and now the floor, she still felt a pang of guilt for the way she had hurt them… even if they couldn’t feel it. A moment later she was pulled from her pity party as Aaron staggered back through the portal, a fresh cut lining the side of his face.