Waiting for Makari's signal was hard. It seemed to take forever. As I spread myself on the floor, I wondered if I should sleep for a while or if it was better to wait it out. My tears were an endless stream. They ran down my cheeks and pooled on the floor. I felt a tearing sensation across my chest and realized it wasn’t the pain. I was being drawn into the shadow world. At first, I thought it might be Makari with the signal at last. But then I felt my father's presence. It was all around me, warming me from within. I closed my eyes and let go, allowing my father to draw me in further. When I opened them again I was with him in the shadow world and, unlike the other shadow people, I could see him so clearly it made my heart ache.
He was smiling, his presence so healthy and strong my anguish melted away.
I am still transitioning, but I will soon appear as the other shadow people, Zain explained. I know you are grieving for me, but I am still with you, Auren. As I told you. I always will be.
I couldn't speak. The experience was too overwhelming. I could only stand and watch as he turned away from me. My father walked towards a shadow in the distance until he appeared to merge with the figure. It had to be my mother.
I left the shadow world, the tears warming my cheeks as I settled back into reality. Only this time, I cried because I felt their joy. After eighteen years my parents were reunited and my father had given me a precious gift; he had taken me to the shadow world to witness it. It was his way of telling me he was happy. I couldn’t feel sad or guilty about that. I would miss him, of course. But intermingled with the loss was the knowledge that my father was finally free.
It's time, Makari said in my mind, bringing me back to the moment.
Shadow Stalker:
Escape Part 1
(Episode 11)
Prologue
"What is it?" Sephir asked.
Kado gripped the wall so tightly his knuckles turned white. "It's Zain."
Cathnor strode to Kado's side. "You feel him?"
"Yes. I'm being summoned."
He didn't wait for Cathnor’s response. He shifted and was immediately surrounded in the shadow world, but not by ordinary shadow people. Every member of the group had, at one time, been Foramar. Standing before him was Zain, Auren's father and Kado's mentor. Zain had fostered him from infancy, the instant he recognized Kado as the next Foramar.
It's time to take your place as Zain's successor, they said with one voice.
Zain's spirit merged with Kado's as the others linked together, forming a conduit. Images poured into Kado's mind, like a moving picture showing him all the events of human history. They had originated from a planet, Earth, which had been destroyed more than ten thousand years before. Billions of their people had escaped in space faring ships, but only a few hundred thousand of those people had survived and found their way to the world they now called home.
While Etera, their new world, was like Earth in many ways, it was not safe for human habitation. The animal and plant life began slowly killing off the remaining population until the shadow people stepped in to intervene—the only option if they were to save the people of Etera. A group of surviving humans came from a shamanic society, their biology containing certain abilities passed from parent to child. The shadow people enhanced those abilities to create a stronger generation—humans who would overcome the dangerous wildlife.
It took several decades, but the group cleared the island chain, now known as the Serpent Isles, of the venomous animals and plants. They relocated them, using their ability to travel through the shadow world; finding a new home on islands with similar wildlife. Though they had served and protected their people, those without abilities feared the shadow stalkers. They began hunting them, forcing the shadow people to intervene once more. When their work was completed on the Serpent Isles, the shadow people led them to an island far from all others. The shadow people hid the island in the mist, the veil between the physical world and the shadow world, so they named it the Dark Isle. Only a shadow stalker could ever find it. Their new home became a safe harbor for shadow stalkers, a place which enabled them to continue their work, maintaining a balance within the human population. When governments would become corrupt, they would enforce a change. When wars erupted, they would bring an end to the suffering.
Kado now understood why the situation with Drevin was so dire. Drevin threatened the continued existence of their species. More than that, he knew why Auren's life was so important. She had been specifically chosen by the shadow people to stop Drevin. It was the reason Drevin feared her—why he wanted her dead. Kado knew killing Drevin wouldn’t be enough. Any shadow stalker could accomplish that. But a whole nation of people believed the shadow people were evil, so it would take someone special to alter their perception. Only his foster daughter knew what had to be done.
After the transfer of information was complete, the shadow people moved away and Kado returned to the physical world. Cathnor and Sephir were waiting anxiously. When they saw him, they knew. All shadow stalkers would know. Zain had passed into the shadow and Kado now possessed the aura of the Foramar.
Chapter 1
I took a deep breath. This was it. My cell was dark and, as I couldn’t risk a light before leaving, I checked the corridor through the shadow world. It was clear. The Dansig Troops on patrol were heading away from me, down an adjacent corridor. As long as Makari had shut down the security system and unlocked the doors, I would be safe. I took a deep breath and tried the handle. The door slid open without protest; Makari had come through for us.
Leaving my cell, hopefully for the last time, I didn't glance back. My focus was directly ahead as I crept down the wide corridor, keeping as far to the side as I could. The space was dimly lit by wall lights, spaced far enough apart that they created shadows. It meant I would be all but invisible to someone on the other end of the corridor as long as they didn’t get too close. As I neared the first intersection I spotted a security camera. Despite the likelihood it had been disarmed, I skirted around it as much as I could.
I paused at the next corner, my gaze on the row of lifts. If I took a lift, I would get to my destination faster. On the other hand, there was a risk of being caught if the lift was occupied. Stairs seemed like the safer option, given that I only had to travel down one flight. But I had no idea where the stairwell was located. I weighed the odds, contemplating Makari’s advice about using the shadow world. He had warned me of the dangers of traveling into the shadow world in proximity to my father and Shai’s rooms. The Galvadi had the ability to scan the area, enabling them to detect when a shadow stalker's powers were being used. It had something to do with energy surges; a device that had captured many shadow stalkers in their attempt to rescue Zain, including Shai.
I chanced a quick scan, which revealed the stairs were located directly across from the lifts. Convenient. It was barely a hundred meters away. It meant the only thing I had to worry about was being intercepted at the lift or stairwell door. As I edged my way toward the stairs it appeared luck was on my side. The moment I entered the stairwell, however, I detected a threat; the clanking of hard soled shoes. A second later I heard voices travel toward me from the level below. Acting quickly, I ran up one flight, praying they didn’t keep climbing. I didn’t want to be forced further away from my destination.
The men answered my silent prayer by walking through the door I had just used, exiting the stairwell. It crossed my mind that I could have used the lift after all since nobody appeared to use it. My instincts told me the stairs saw the most traffic, so I risked another shift into the shadow world to watch and wait. Two more guides entered from the lower floor. I recognized one of them as the guard who had accompanied Makari when he caught me snooping around in the office. Their voices were muffled, but I could just make out their words.
"What makes you think she's a shadow stalker?" the unfamiliar guide asked.
"It's just a hunch, but either way it wouldn't hurt to check."
Their voices reverberat
ed off the walls, filling me with a sense of dread. I could no longer decipher the echo of their conversation, but it didn’t matter. I’d heard enough. They were on their way to my cell. I was sure of it. It was clear that, had I not begun my escape tonight, the guides would have discovered I was a shadow stalker and fitted me with a recinder. I had come too close. The thought made me queasy, but I had no time to dwell on the startling fact. The moment the guides reached my empty cell, they would raise the alarm. Time was running out.
*****
As soon as the stairwell was clear, I ran as fast as I could down the two flights of stairs. I paused only to check the corridor beyond the exit and, seeing it was clear, I slipped out. My chest tightened as I hurried past my father’s cell. A part of me wanted to go inside, even knowing what I would find. Ignoring the impulse, I moved on toward Shai’s cell.
Inside, I was taken aback by Shai’s appearance. She was in bad shape. Her body was covered in bruises, evidence of her beatings since Makari had been called away.
I pushed away my doubts, my concern about her ability to escape and moved over to where she lay. "We don’t have much time." I told her what I'd overheard in the stairwell.
An alarm sounded as if to validate my words, and we spoke at the same time.
"We have to go."
Back at the door I checked the corridor, and then we were running. The intersection we were aiming for was directly ahead. All we had to do was go right, and travel down the next corridor to the end of the hall where, according to Makari’s directions, an emergency exit was situated. We slowed as we reached the turn, pausing long enough to peer around the bend. My heart sank when I spotted the Dansig Trooper guarding the exit.
I motioned for Shai to back up. "We can't go that way after all." My voice was pitched low so we wouldn’t be overheard.
Shai motioned to an empty cell on our left. We slipped inside, leaving the door cracked open in case the security came back online. It was safer than standing in the corridor as we considered an alternative route.
"I'll have to try to contact Makari. He might know another way out. Can you watch the door?"
Shai nodded.
It took me a few precious seconds to realize Makari was blocking me again, so I went into the shadow world. It didn’t take long to find him, even without our connection. I understood immediately why he was ignoring me; he was with Drevin. Makari’s father was clearly annoyed about something, hopefully that something wasn’t me. I didn’t have the luxury of waiting to find out, regardless of my concern. Shai was waiting for me.
Slipping back into the room, I met Shai’s worried gaze. "We're on our own."
"Maybe I should go back to my room. You can still escape through the shadow world. It might be the safer option."
"No." It wasn’t an option I wanted to consider. Not unless we were left with no other choice. "I'll think of something."
My mind whirled as I scanned the small room. In the sliver of light coming from the corridor, I caught a glint along the back of the cell. Walking over to inspect the wall, I saw it was a vent, and it looked big enough to climb through. Briefly I wondered if every cell had one, hidden in plain sight. I pushed the distracting thought away, grateful for the opportunity it presented. If we could maneuver through the vent, we could avoid the corridors, and hopefully find another way out.
"Feel up to crawling?" I asked.
Chapter 2
"I think I can manage." Shai glanced from the vent to me and back again. "What do you have in mind?"
"Close the door all the way. There are too many people out there, and a cracked door is bound to draw attention."
I winced when the lock clicked into place, trapping us in the dark.
"I guess their security system is back up?" Shai said.
"So, it would seem." I took a deep calming breath. "Don’t worry. It'll be fine. We're going out through the vent."
I heard her tentative footsteps as she made her way toward me and put out a hand to guide her in. Side by side we lowered ourselves to the floor, so we were on all fours.
“I’ll go first,” I whispered, crawling toward the grate. As I did, I tried to ignore my father’s voice in my head. He had warned me that, if it came down to it, I would have to kill Shai and escape through the shadow world. Though I knew I couldn't risk being re-captured, neither could I contemplate such a task. I had already lost my father, which made me even more determined to get Shai out of there.
"I can't see a thing. Where’s the vent?" Shai asked from behind me.
“Give me a minute.” I felt along the seam of the vent, trying and failing to find an opening. After a moment, conscious we didn’t have time to flounder in the dark, I crawled back to the front of the room. When I found the door, I began searching in earnest, looking for one of the access panels I'd seen Makari operate in my cell.
"What are you doing?" Shai whispered.
I continued probing the wall. "I'm trying to find the light."
"What light?"
"There’s a control panel which operates a set of lights in each cell. It has to be here somewhere. Makari used one right after he broke me."
Shai inhaled sharply. "After he what?"
"Long story. I'll tell you about it when we get out of here." My hands were beginning to shake. I couldn't feel a latch, but there was definitely a crease in the wall. With a frustrated grumble, I slammed my fist against the hard surface, and the panel opened. "Oops, I guess I just had to press it."
Ignoring Shai’s snort, I played with the switches until a soft glow filled the room.
"That's better." Shai crouched low to examine the vent. "I don't see an opening. It's completely flush with the wall."
She slipped her fingers through the grate trying to pull it off. I joined her, but it wouldn't budge.
I gazed back at the door sheepishly. "Maybe I should have thought this through."
"You think?" Shai sighed. "You should leave me before it's too late."
I didn't answer. I was too busy working on a solution; an idea Shai’s words had given me. "I can get into the vent through the shadow world."
"But I can't," Shai said as I disappeared.
Once inside the vent, I looked for a latch I could use to remove the grate. There was nothing, no mechanism of any kind. I peered through the holes at Shai, who was on her feet headed over to the control panel. I watched curiously as she played with the buttons and switches. A second later the lights went out.
"Oops," she said, then turned them back on.
I tried to hold back my frustration as she continued to search. As her hand passed over one of the buttons, another panel shot out. Shai glanced in my direction before she pushed a slider to the right and the grate opened.
"That figures," I said, as she hurried over. "Guess I should have checked that first."
Shai grinned. "I was desperate. It’s one thing to be stuck in my own room, but if nobody thought to look in here, I would have starved to death before they found me."
She would have died from dehydration first, but I didn't see a point in bringing that up. "I'd never leave you like that, Shai. Either both of us return to Appolia or neither of us does." Even if I had to leave Shai to save myself, I refused to leave Nadiria until I could free her.
"We're not going to the Dark Isle?"
"I'll explain later. We have to go."
*****
We made slow progress as we crawled through the vent, putting one hand in front of the other, careful not to make a sound. Any noise in such a confined space would carry, and it wouldn't take the Galvadi long to realize where we were. The darkness also hindered us. Since I was leading, I probed the bottom of the vent carefully every time I moved forward. The last thing I needed was to bump my head or fall down an adjoining vent.
With each movement forward, I felt as though the walls were closing in. My heart pounded in my chest, and sweat soaked my clothes. It took all my effort to stave off a panic attack. I had to force my breaths t
o remain slow and even but, oddly, it was Shai's soft breaths that kept me calm. Perhaps it was the simple comfort in knowing that I was not alone.
After what felt like an eternity, though in reality was only minutes, we came to a junction. I sat up, hitting my head and wincing as the sound reverberated throughout the vent. It was a reminder there was little head room in the small space. I used my legs to measure the gap in front of us. It was the same width as the rest of the vent, continuing above, below, and to the left and right of us. It seemed logical we would need to find a higher or lower floor to escape.
"We can go up or down. What do you think?" I whispered to Shai, hoping she knew more about the building. It seemed unlikely, but she had been a prisoner longer, so it didn’t hurt to ask.
"Going down would probably be easier."
I started to nod until I remembered she couldn't see me. There was also a distinct "but" in her tone, so I waited for her to continue.
"If they have all the exits guarded in the main building, they might have them guarded in the basement as well."
"That's a good point." I hesitated, wondering if it might be easier to escape onto the roof, provided the vent went that far and they weren’t guarding every floor. "Maybe there’s an attic. We could hide out until things settle down."
"There might be. But they'll probably do a full scan of the building."
"What’s the range on the scanners?"
"I don't know exactly. They were in the same room when they used it on me."
"Do you know how they work?"
"I’m afraid not. I've never been around technology until I came here."
It didn’t surprise me. "Why are shadow stalkers so adverse to technology?"
"Sephir told me it would interfere with our work. I never understood how or why, but I didn’t concern myself with the details. Technology isn't allowed on the Dark Isle. It's part of the code set by the shadow people."
Shadow Stalker Part 2 (Episodes 7 - 12) Page 14