The Shadow Thief

by K.L. Bauman

Chapter 30

  Apples and Old Friends

  Two days had passed since Echo and her dad had seen Brecker. Echo couldn’t shake the image of her brother from her mind. He was so dark, so different. Yet, something of his old self remained inside, something strong enough for him to seek them out with that pleading look in his eyes.

  Echo’s heart ached. A series of ‘if onlys’ circled in her mind like a dog chasing its own tail. If only she’d tried harder to stop Brecker from listening to Moodey, if only she’d been brave enough to stop him from shaking hands with Belzac, if only she’d offered the Fate something other than the crystal…

  Shaking her head, Echo tried to rid her mind of thoughts that led nowhere. She walked toward the grove of canopy trees as she attempted to focus on the training session she was about to do. A lone figure waited in the midst of the mushroom-like trees, turning Echo’s mind in a completely different direction.

  Keebo leaned against one of the spongy canopy trunks, munching an apple and looking thoughtfully at the mesh of branches stretched over him. More apples rested in a large pile at his feet. Echo paused, smiling as she watched him. She took in every detail for a moment, drinking in his boyish features and his newly revealed wings and pointed ears. Her fingers tingled, longing to touch those ears. His jagged, sandy hair ruffled in the breeze as he grinned at the tree, producing a dimple at the corner of his mouth. Echo found herself wishing they could try another kiss.

  Keebo took a last bite of apple, threw the core into the trees, and then looked in Echo’s direction. She felt her cheeks warm, embarrassed at getting caught gawking. She walked toward him, averting her eyes for a moment in attempt at gaining her composure. Keebo was to help her sharpen her reflexes today. She wasn’t sure how he meant to accomplish this, but she needed to clear her head and ready herself for the exercise. Shimmer had remained behind to receive a well-deserved grooming from Echo’s dad.

  A disturbing smirk played on Keebo’s lips as she came closer. “There you are. Are you ready for this?” he asked, giving an extremely sneaky smile.

  Echo looked down at the pile of apples. “What are the apples for?” she asked. But when she looked up, Keebo was gone. “Keebo?” Echo turned around and scanned the trees. Something hard zipped through the air and pelted her thigh. “Ow!” Echo shouted and then looked down to see an apple, as bruised as her leg, rolling across the ground.

  “You’ll have to be quicker than that!” Keebo’s voice called out. He appeared quickly through a canopy trunk, grabbed another apple, and then vanished again.

  Echo drew her daggers and attempted to guess which tree Keebo had jumped to. She had no clue. A whisper of a sound drew her attention to her left, just in time to see another apple whizzing through the air toward her face. Her arm muscles jerked, but not quickly enough to stop the apple from striking her cheek. “AAAHH!” she screamed, touching the tender spot on her cheek with the back of her hand. “That hurt!”

  “Have to be faster!” Keebo taunted. Echo still couldn’t tell where he was. She stilled herself, listening intently for any unusual sounds. She jumped at Keebo’s whispering voice behind her. “Listen to the trees, Echo.”

  Her heart thumped against her chest. She wanted to hear the trees, to be able to understand them like Keebo and Song did. A breeze stirred the branches of the great canopy trees, causing their leaves to brush against each other like a thousand whispering voices. Echo turned sharply to her left, certain she’d heard Keebo emerging from a tree. Instead, she screamed as he flew toward her from the sky, his dragonfly wings barely visible for their speed. He dove at her, grabbing her wrists and forcing her to cross her arms so that the flats of her blades rested against her chest. She fell back and Keebo pinned her to the ground.

  A wave of emotion swept through Echo as Keebo smiled down at her. But then, he smirked again and said, “You have to be ready for anything. You’re too slow.”

  Echo’s anger ignited. She growled as she pushed Keebo off her. He leapt back, the annoying smirk still on his lips, as they both jumped to a stand. Echo glared at him and said, “Try it again!”

  With mischief gleaming in his eyes, Keebo grabbed a few more apples and then disappeared into a tree. Echo stood ready, listening to the wind in the leaves and the thumping of her own determined heart. She dared to close her eyes. Every sound became clearer. She singled out a turtle dove cooing, a grasshopper buzzing, and the wind. She focused on the wind as it combed through the branches of the trees. A soft thump sounded to her right. She snapped her lids open and spun her blades around just in time to slice a flying apple. It landed on the ground in two spinning halves.

  “I did it!” Echo shouted, pleased with herself. But another apple shot at her from a different direction, pelting her in the back.

  “You let your guard down!” Keebo sang.

  He was so annoying.

  Echo and Keebo played the apple game for nearly three hours. By the end of the session, Echo was able to hear when her friend was emerging--that soft whispering sound followed by a small thump. That was the sound of tree hopping. Her response time had improved greatly; she felt as quick as a rattle snake striking. (She also sported more bruises than she cared to admit.) She’d sliced dozens of apples by the time they were done. “What are we going to do with all of these?” she asked, looking at the mess of apple chunks cluttering the ground. Her blades, hands and face were sticky with their juice.

  “Let the deer and unicorns have them. They love apples,” Keebo replied. Echo knew he spoke truth. She’d seen golden deer and shining young unicorns nibbling fallen apples beneath the trees many times. “I know some other beautiful creatures that would like a few bites.” She picked several of the apple chunks from the ground. “The horses will love them, too,” she stated.

  “You’ll have to do this again tomorrow, you know,” Keebo stated as they walked away from the canopy grove. His face took on a more serious look. “Only you’ll have to stop yourself from slicing the apples next time.”

  Echo looked at him curiously. “Stop? Why would I do that? I just got the hang of striking them.”

  Keebo glanced at her. “You’ll need to be able to stop your blades in case your target ends up being an ally--or Brecker.”

  Echo hadn’t thought of that. Her stomach churned as she envisioned her blades slicing through the air toward her brother’s face.

  Keebo nudged her with his elbow. “Hey, you’ve done it before, remember? You avoided chopping my head off that one time.” The memory of Keebo’s face that day wrung a giggle out of Echo. “Your reflexes have always been great, Echo. You have nothing to worry about.”

  “My reflexes need to be better than great, though,” Echo said, becoming serious again. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she harmed Brecker or any other innocent creature, even if it was accidental.

  Silence stretched between the teens as they continued walking. Echo’s mind was deep in shaded thoughts. What was going to happen? How could she be the one everyone was counting on to destroy Belzac? How could she be the one her family was counting on to save Brecker? Her mouth dried and her insides trembled just thinking about it all. Still, she’d been the cause of this mess, she would do her best to try and fix things.

  Keebo’s excited laughter brought Echo out of her thoughts. She raised her head and stopped short in shock. Four intimidating creatures--the wolfix--were bounding toward them with wings and tongues flapping. And flying over them, her brilliant wings a blur of color as they buzzed faster than the speed of light, was Song. Her companion, Jia, slithered gracefully through the air next to her. A series of shrill neighs sounded and several of the horses, with Shimmer in the lead, trotted toward them all, following the fae and her friends. Jia spun in mid-air and greeted the horses playfully. The horses snorted and shook their manes, happy to see Jia. Shimmer, whose coat shone like gold from her grooming, rose to the sky and proceeded t
o play and dance with the tiny dragon.

  Echo dropped the apple bits and ran forward to hug her friend as the fae landed gracefully before them. “Song! What are you doing here?” she asked.

  As they parted Keebo approached, his eyes bright. He and Song held up opposite hands and pressed their palms together, causing a soft glow between their fingers. They smiled and then hugged, causing the slightest unexpected pang of jealousy to tickle Echo’s stomach. She shook the feeling away and looked curiously at Song.

  The fairy pulled away from Keebo and spoke, “You did not think I would let you fight without me, did you? I only apologize that my friends and I took so long to get here. The wolfix can fly, but only for very short distances. We walked most of the way.”

  Echo looked around, expecting the huge creatures to be lingering near them. But they had passed her and Keebo and were munching on the apples Echo had dropped. “They like apples?” she asked, surprised.

  “Oh, yes. Apples are very pleasing to them,” Song stated.

  “Do they eat any meat?” Echo asked. Somehow she couldn’t imagine the monstrous beasts staying so large by eating fruit.

  “They do, but they also eat fruit, vegetables, and other vegetation. They are well rounded creatures.” Song turned to Keebo. “It has been too long, friend. You have grown since we saw each other last.”

  “Likewise,” Keebo stated. “We were both faelings when you and your family visited Ulway. It was a long time ago.”

  Jia and Shimmer returned to the group. Shimmer landed near Echo while Jia played with the rest of the herd. The horses squealed with delight, rearing and pawing at the dragon. “Why is it that Jia and the horses seem so familiar with each other?” Echo asked. “It’s almost like they’ve known each other their whole lives.”

  “It is curious,” Song replied. “Perhaps they have a natural connection, like you and Shimmer. The two species may have been close friends in the past, when the Aleniah flew freely.” Song smiled at Shimmer, her face radiantly peaceful. Her long black hair stirred in the wind, wrapping around her colorful robe. “She is magnificent!”

  Echo looked at her horse, feeling a mutual pride. Her horse was magnificent, and Shimmer knew it.

  “I heard that the crystal assisted in helping to reveal Shimmer’s wings,” Song said.

  “Yes,” Echo replied. “Turns out you were right--for whatever reason, the crystal is mine.” She thought of the painting on the story wall of the figure holding the crystal against the frightening shadow. “I have to use it to try and stop Belzac,” she said quietly, unable to hide the dismay in her voice.

  Song grasped Echo’s hand in a soft but firm grip. Echo looked into her gentle, dark eyes. “You will have friends to help you. You will not be alone.”

  She squeezed her friend’s hand, thankful for her strong words and presence. “Thanks,” she said, and they made their way into the streets of Thildin.

  As they walked Song spoke again, “Dorian has told me when the battle will take place.”

  Echo felt cold. “Yeah, less than a week. In complete darkness.”

  “The wolfix will be helpful. They can see any form of creature in the night. And, if they cannot see them, they will smell or hear them. Their senses are very strong.”

  Glancing back, Echo caught a glimpse of the great creatures playing with each other as they ran toward the canopy trees. At least they wouldn’t have to worry about what to do with the apples. “Well, that is one good thing. I mean, about the wolfix seeing shadow dwellers,” Echo said. She wished the news would bring her more confidence. In the end, if she couldn’t manage to forgive Belzac, none of that would make any difference.

  Mari’s voice drew Echo’s attention toward the weapons storage building. “Echo, over here!” Echo and her companions turned toward Mari whose arms were draped with folds of shimmering cloth. The cerulean blue color leapt out at Echo as she approached her sister.

  “What do you have there?” Echo asked as her hand almost involuntarily reached toward the brilliant fabric. It was smooth and soft, like her horse’s coat.

  “This,” Mari said, “is your new riding outfit.” She walked to a stone bench and spread the cloth across it so they could see it better. A male fae emerged from the storage building carrying a set of boots and leggings. He greeted Song with the same exuberance as Keebo had done earlier. He and Song conversed cheerily as the fae absentmindedly handed Mari the footwear.

  “You’ll have to try them on, of course. But, well, what do you think? I designed it!” Mari said breathlessly. She flipped her hair back and looked expectantly at Echo.

  The entire ensemble was breathtaking, even draped across stone. The soft leather tunic was long--Echo was certain it would fall to her calves. But it was split in four places. “I designed it so the tunic could protect your legs, but split so that you could sit astride Shimmer easily. Plus, it’ll look awesome!”

  Echo could feel her sister’s intense stare. She looked at Mari and raised an eyebrow. “Would you like me to try it on?”

  “Please,” Mari said as Echo scooped up the material and walked toward their elf home.

  After slipping out of her sticky sparring clothes, Echo eased the short-sleeved tunic over a thin, white, long-sleeved shirt. Yep, it was long—down to the tops of her calves. And the slits went clear up to her hips. Thankfully, a pair of matching blue leggings accompanied the tunic. She slipped on the form-fitting pants, and then pulled the boots onto her feet. A pair of boot tops went over these--white cotton cloth tied on by wide pieces of matching blue leather. A set of arm bands were all that remained. Echo slipped them over her forearms. The leather bands reached from her elbows until they came to a point over the backs of her hands, acting as shields for her delicate skin. Brown leather straps hung from the arm bands at Echo’s wrists.

  “Mari!” Echo yelled, and her sister scurried into the room. Mari squealed with delight when she saw Echo.

  “Oh! It’s just as I imagined it! I mean, I had imagined it green at first, to match your eyes, but I though you should match the sky, so I changed it to blue...”

  “MARI!” Echo interrupted her sister. “What am I supposed to do with these straps?” She pointed to her wrists where the straps hung loosely.

  “Oh, here.” Mari grasped the thin leather in her hands and criss-crossed them up Echo’s arm, tying them off at her elbow to hold the arm bands firmly in place. She repeated the exercise on the other arm and stood back to admire her work. Smiling proudly, she asked, “Well, what do you think?”

  Echo moved around, getting the feel of the fabric. It was as light weight as all elf fabric--breathable and smooth to the touch. She moved her arms around as if wielding her daggers. The clothes didn’t deter her movements in any way. “It’s nice, Mari. It moves with me, like it’s a part of me.”

  Proud tears started to form in Mari’s eyes before she blinked them away. “I added this symbol here,” she pointed to Echo’s chest, just below her left collar bone. A simple form of a creature in flight--a winged horse--was embroidered there. Echo traced it with her fingers from her right hand. Now the tears were threatening her eyes.

  She looked at Mari, “Thank you, Mari. It’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever given me.” They hugged for a long time. Echo wanted Mari to know how much she appreciated her--just in case she didn’t get a chance later. “I love you.” she mumbled into Mari’s shoulder.

  “I love you, too.”

  Echo wore Mari’s designer outfit every time she and Shimmer flew. Two more days slipped by as they practiced fighting in the sky with her dad and Finear and also in the trees with Keebo and his apples. She was beginning to hate apples. Even more so, she was beginning to hate the coming of night. She’d never been fond of it, but every night brought them closer to doomsday. Even the elf song at sunset did little these days to comfort Echo. The moon became thinner every night as if some giant, evi
l being were taking bites out of it. Soon, it would be completely consumed, and it would be time for Echo to face her greatest fears.