The Shadow Thief

by K.L. Bauman

Chapter 14

  Nothing is Certain

  The torrent of rain kept time with Echo’s rush of terror. Shimmer was fast, but Midnight Sun was faster. Propelled by each others’ fear, horse and rider pushed harder to gain speed. The grass quickly became slippery, and Shimmer was losing traction. Rain pelted them from above, and Shimmer’s pounding hooves soaked them from below. Through the streaming water over her face, Echo chanced a glance behind; a shadow of a figure, blurred by the rain, raced toward them from Ulway.

  Echo looked forward. Thildin was in sight, but never seemed to get closer. A journey that would’ve, on a normal day, taken a few moments seemed to stretch before her like an endless nightmare, the goal always just within reach but never attainable.

  The sound of Midnight Sun’s hooves reached Echo’s ears as an uncomfortable tickling sensation rippled up her spine. She knew that Brecker would be upon her in an instant. If she didn’t turn to face him, she feared he’d strike her in the back, driven to madness by Belzac’s spell. He’s not going to kill me. Belzac wants Brecker to bring me to him. He wants me alive. Brecker won’t kill me! Echo hoped as she realized they’d never make it to Thildin before Brecker reached them. She gave Shimmer a gentle signal, asking her steed to resist the urge to run away and face their attackers. Shimmer slowed slightly, enough for Echo to know that she’d understood. Together, they turned to face Brecker and Midnight Sun.

  As Shimmer spun around, nearly losing her footing as she did so, Echo let go of the horse’s mane and clumsily drew her daggers. Her stomach knotted and a lump caught in her throat as she faced the charging horror of Brecker. Shimmer ran toward Midnight Sun, and Echo felt a sudden fury and determination rise from the horse. It fueled her courage as she readied for the impact.

  Brecker’s face was twisted and ugly as he yelled and swung his sword. With unnatural clarity, Echo could see every droplet glance off of his blade as it sliced through a wall of rain. The silver sword was tilted, ready to strike, but not toward Echo. In a terrible split second, Echo realized that Brecker was about to imbed his blade into Shimmer!

  As Shimmer reared, Echo reflexively swung her dagger toward Brecker’s sword, causing his blade to glance off of hers and away from Shimmer’s chest. Midnight Sun ran a short distance past them, then spun around and stopped. Horses and riders stood motionless in the rain, staring at one another, each waiting for the other to make a move.

  Echo held her blades ready on both sides of Shimmer’s neck. She stared into her brother’s eyes, trying hard not to add tears to the water already blurring her vision. Brecker’s face twisted into different expressions--first dark fury, then horrific sadness. He seemed as if he wanted to speak, but his mouth twisted into a grimace as Midnight Sun danced on the soaked earth.

  Without warning, Brecker’s face resumed its darkness and fury blazed again in his eyes. He yelled and Midnight Sun reared. As the colt’s front hooves touched the ground, he charged again toward Echo and Shimmer. Shimmer pranced nervously. Echo knew her horse wanted to charge, to fight. But Echo couldn’t do it. She couldn’t hurt Brecker. All she could do was defend herself and Shimmer, and hope that they’d somehow escape and get to Thildin.

  Shimmer snorted and Echo spoke to her horse, “I know, Shimmer. Just trust me, please.” The horse shook her mane, but remained where she was. Echo readied her daggers as she watched death dance in her brother’s eyes. She realized he would try again to hurt Shimmer.

  “Run Shimmer!” Echo yelled as she leapt off of the horse’s back, splashing water against her already soaked feat. Shimmer side-stepped a few paces, then pawed the ground in frustration. “Go!” Echo screamed, but the horse refused to move. Echo didn’t have time to try to force Shimmer to leave. Brecker and Midnight Sun were on top of her. Her brother’s steed rose in the air and Echo’s blades struck the horse’s flinted hooves. As Midnight Sun descended, one of his knees struck Echo hard on the shoulder. She fell back with a yell and a splash, landing on her back. Icy water seeped through her clothes and into her skin. She lost hold of her daggers and they went spinning across the ground, splaying water in every direction.

  Shimmer screamed her challenge, and she and Midnight Sun rose above Echo, their hooves pawing dangerously at each other. Echo rolled out of the way just as the horses descended. She quickly stood and held her injured shoulder. It throbbed painfully; she could feel a bruise spreading under her skin. She glanced toward her fallen daggers, but had no time to fetch her weapons. Brecker swung his blade at Echo, ready to knock her down with the flat of his sword, just as he’d done not very long ago.

  Shimmer rose against Midnight Sun as Echo stood frozen. That strange slow-motion effect set in again. The horses’ water-soaked manes swirled around their graceful, powerful necks as they struck at each other with hooves and teeth. Their screams seemed distant as a million memories flooded Echo’s brain in the span of one long, drawn-out second; memories of her and Brecker growing up together, playing together, fighting together, learning together. And now they’d be enslaved together.

  The black figure of another horse appeared out of nowhere, slamming into Midnight Sun. Brecker’s horse slid across the ground, screaming in surprise and fury. A shadowy figure flew from the back of the dark horse and tackled Brecker. The two figures splashed to the ground as their mounts continued to fight.

  Cage pinned Brecker against the flooded earth, twisting ghostly appendages like rope around Brecker’s arms and legs. Brecker roared in anger and struggled unsuccessfully against his captor. Cage’s voice growled through the sound of the pounding rain and the screaming of fighting horses. “Echo, run! I can’t hold him for long. Belzac will punish me soon!”

  Echo was torn between helping Cage and running for her life. Cage yelled again for her to run. She knew she had to listen--she was no match for her brother. Reluctantly, she fetched her daggers and mounted Shimmer. The two of them raced into Thildin as if the hounds of hell were at their heels.

  Echo burst through the door into their temporary elf home. Her parents, Mari, Dorian, and Keebo stared at her as she stood there, dripping all over the floor. This time, she didn’t wait to start speaking in a rush. “I saw Brecker! He was with Belzac, and then I talked to Brecker and he said he had to hunt me, so he and Midnight Sun chased me and Shimmer almost to Thildin. We fought and he almost had me, but Cage showed up and saved us!” Echo received the same reaction as she had when she’d told everyone about Cage. They stared at her as if she’d turned into some strange creature and spoken a different language. “Did you hear me? I SAW BRECKER!”

  Dorian was the first to finally respond, “First, dear child, remove your soaked clothes and put on something dry. Then stand by the fire before you catch cold.” Echo wanted to scream. Who cared about her wet clothes? Brecker had returned and was hunting her down like some wild animal! Dorian raised an eyebrow at her exasperated expression. “If you catch your death, you will be no help to anyone, least of all Brecker.”

  Echo ran to the back room that served as her and Mari’s shared space. She tore off the wet material with frustration. It made slopping sounds as it reluctantly pulled away from her wet skin. She hadn’t realized how cold she really was until she put on warm, dry clothing. A chill ran through her as she pulled on a fresh pair of soft leather pants and a warm shirt.

  Once dressed she scurried back to the front room and stood by a glowing fire in the center of the room. The smoke rose in spirals toward an opening in the roof. By some elf magic, no rain trickled into the gaping hole to douse the fire. Echo stretched her hands toward the dancing flames, allowing their heat to soak into her body as her jaw vibrated from her chilled state. Through chattering teeth, she asked Dorian to send someone to tend Shimmer--the chill she felt wasn’t just her own, but the horse’s that she’d left, once again, standing stressed and alone in the rain. Dorian left momentarily to call one of the elves to tend Shimmer, and then he return
ed.

  Kiani handed Echo a cup of warm liquid. Multi-colored steam rose from the surface of the tea; yulnea, the special elf drink that smelled and tasted different to everyone, but had the same strengthening effect for all. Echo sipped the tea which tasted to her, of course, like chocolate and strawberries. The soothing liquid seemed to seep through her entire body, warming her bones, blood, and skin. After she’d taken several drinks, Dorian asked, “Now, please relay your story to us again, but slowly and clearly so we may get a better idea of what is happening.”

  Echo felt her cheeks warm. No wonder everyone had looked at her so strangely before--she’d probably talked so fast that her words actually had sounded like a foreign language. Keebo walked up to her and wrapped a warm blanket around her shoulders. He smiled, but his eyes were filled with concern.

  Echo thanked him, then forced herself to slowly re-tell what had happened with Brecker, making certain to add more of the details, including Brecker’s attempt at giving her a head start. She realized at that moment just how horrible it must be for him--the one thing he’d wanted to do was protect his family, but he couldn’t protect them from himself.

  She wondered, too, what terrible punishment Cage had to suffer for helping her.

  Keebo paced back and forth throughout the telling of Echo’s tale. She could see him from the corner of her eye, fidgeting with a stack of books on the table, pacing away, and then back again. He scratched at his hair a lot and, Echo noticed, he and Dorian made significant eye contact several times, especially when she told how Belzac was planning to enslave her as well as Brecker.

  Echo’s family remained tensely quiet. Oran’s brows furrowed, but his eyes held fear. Kiani hugged her own arms, as if to stave off a dark chill. Mari slowly made her way closer to Dorian, seemingly longing for some sort of comfort from his presence.

  When she finished, silence once again reigned for several minutes. Dorian’s face was as still as a sculpture, his eyes looking past everyone as if his mind was somewhere else. He finally turned his attention toward Echo and spoke, “For the time being, you must stay within the borders of our city. However, I feel it is imperative to meet again with Cage. His actions today have proven his faithfulness. I have complete trust in him.”

  “But, she’ll have to leave Thildin to meet with him. He can’t enter against the shield charms,” Oran said. He was tense, and Echo knew he would do anything to keep her inside the city. And, if it weren’t for the desire to save her brother, she would’ve agreed with him.

  “Yes, that is correct,” Dorian responded. “However, I do not expect her to go alone and we will travel during the brightness of mid-day.” He held up a hand as several in the room began to speak. “I know that Brecker can move about in the day, but I do not believe he will be able to as easily now. The darkness that controls him will have affected him. The brightness of mid-day will be difficult for him to bear.”

  Kiani asked her question, her voice filled with forced calmness, “Won’t Cage be affected the same? He’s Belzac’s slave, too.”

  “He’s a water wraith, Mom,” Mari said. “He has magical abilities of his own. He’s stronger than a human.”

  Kiani ran her hands over her face and Oran cupped his arm around her shoulders for support. Echo gulped down the last of the elvish tea. Emboldened by its effects, she questioned Dorian and Keebo. “I saw the look you gave each other when I was telling about Belzac wanting me as well as Brecker. Is there something you’re keeping from us?” Dorian gave Keebo a warning glance, and Keebo’s lips pressed into a thin line as if to keep words from escaping. “I only think it’s fair that you tell us. It may be something that could help us help Brecker,” Echo said.

  Keebo gave Dorian another sidelong glance, but the elf didn’t return the gesture. Dorian kept his gaze steadily on Echo. His eyes sparkled with what emotion, Echo couldn’t tell. His words brought more frustration. “Before I can reveal my suspicions, I must first confirm their truth. Please, be patient. It may only be that you and Brecker are new defenders, fresh, green. Belzac may wish to mold you to his purposes.”

  Echo studied him for a long while. “But that isn’t what you really think, is it?”

  “Nothing is certain,” Dorian responded.

  Echo looked at Keebo. She bore daggers from her eyes into his, but he merely gave her a lopsided grin, blushed, and then cast his gaze to the floor.

  “What are we going to do? Are any of us safe to leave Thildin?” Oran asked.

  “It would be wise to stay within our borders,” Dorian said. “You can tend the horses in the evenings while they are within our protection. In fact, the elders are considering keeping the herd within the shield constantly. Thildin Valley is no longer safe. We do not want Belzac getting his hands on any more of them.”

  Echo shivered, thinking of how close she and Shimmer had come to being enslaved by Belzac. She lost herself in horrid images of living in darkness and shadow, never again seeing the light of day the same, never again enjoying the warmth of the sun. Dorian’s voice brought her to attention. “Echo, I believe it would be wise for you and Shimmer to begin training for combat together. You must learn how to fight while astride your horse. The two of you have a unique connection, but perhaps that connection could be strengthened. If you could sense each other more clearly, you would be able to work together more efficiently in battle. I will have Alena and Thalen create some exercises and battle scenarios for you to work on.” He put his hand gently on her shoulder. “It will serve you well to keep your mind focused on things other than Belzac and Brecker.”

  Echo nodded, but she was sure that nothing could keep her mind from her brother or his dark captor. Her mother wrung her hands and bit her lower lip. Not only was Echo unable to help Brecker, but she was also causing her mother even more worry.

  The next three weeks proved more than difficult not only for Echo, but for everyone. The entire family, though very much at home with the elves, began to feel imprisoned. They only left Thildin if accompanied by several warriors and for only a short time for fear that Belzac may try to capture any one of them. Echo wasn’t even allowed that luxury. Forced to stay in the city and train, she was becoming more and more irritable--and more and more desperate to fix the mess she felt she’d made.

  Whenever she had a spare moment, Echo would read with Mari. They made their way through never-ending mountains of scrolls and books, reading every line and between every line in attempt to find some hidden meaning in the words that might break Belzac’s spell.

  Echo didn’t think she’d ever feel happy again, but at times when she and Mari read late into the night, fatigue would throw them into a bout of giggling fits. The simple act of laughing helped to bring her a slight hope that, someday, they would be able to find what they were looking for. As soon as the false elation faded, however, so did her hopes.