The Shadow Thief

by K.L. Bauman

Chapter 31

  Tomorrow Night

  The other main concern was the attitudes of the villagers. Although scouts of every possible race had attempted to gain the villagers’ confidence and warn them of the upcoming battle, very few of them had listened--too few to be prepared to defend themselves or their homes.

  A plan was formed, a very risky plan, for Echo and her dad to show themselves to the villagers with their winged steeds and explain again what was happening and what would be taking place in just a few nights’ time. The villagers had been told about the resurfacing of the Kavalah, but since none of them remembered them in the first place, the news did little to sway them. However, if they saw the winged creatures and their riders--people they’d known their entire lives--perhaps they’d have more faith.

  So, with only two days left before Belzac’s attack, Dorian, Keebo, Mari, and Kiani accompanied Echo, her dad, and their two winged horses into Ulway. Echo and her dad rode in the sky over their companions, keeping their eyes peeled in both the air and on the ground for any signs of danger. Sunlight sparkled off of the river like diamonds. They hadn’t heard from Cage for days. Echo was beginning to worry he’d been punished by Belzac, or that he’d changed his mind and decided to fight with the shadow dwellers.

  Echo shook the latter thought from her mind. Cage wouldn’t betray them--he wanted his freedom too badly.

  As they approached Ulway, Echo and her dad descended. They didn’t want to scare anyone by swooping in from the air. Landing lightly, the Aleniah and their riders walked behind the others into the village. Echo’s stomach flopped with nerves as the faces of the townspeople came into focus. A small group had gathered near the village border. As the travelers came closer, Echo could see that her grandfather and Jiggers were at the head of the pack. They welcomed them all with open arms and warm smiles.

  The rest of the small group came toward them eagerly--those that had been convinced that the elves were friendly and that they were there to help them fight off shadow dwellers. Echo couldn’t help notice how few of them there were.

  The crowd stopped short when they saw the winged horses and their riders. Eyes widened and jaws dropped as the horses stretched out their wings, showing everyone their grandness. A few people jumped when Finear flapped his wings, causing a snapping sound. The people stood back, their expressions showing uncertainty.

  “It’s okay, they won’t hurt you,” Echo said. Shimmer arched her neck, her pride seeping through to Echo’s emotions. The horses allowed the people to stroke them, to touch their feathered wings, to see that they weren’t an illusion, and that they weren’t fearsome.

  “What is this? More elf magic? How many times do we have to tell you all to clear out of here and stay out?” an angry voice yelled, drawing everyone’s attention to a larger crowd gathering inside the village. The voice had come from a burly man with hair sprouting from the top of his shirt, which was unbuttoned to the middle of his chest. He carried a bow, nocked with an arrow and ready to cause damage. The crowd gathering behind him wore fearful, angry, guarded expressions.

  Dorian stood in front of the Thildin companions and smiled serenely at the crowd. “Please, stay your weapons. We are not here to bring you harm, but help. You are all in great danger from the doon, Belzac. He will be attacking this and the other villages in two nights’ time. Please, let us help you prepare to defend yourselves and your homes.”

  “We’ve heard all this before. What proof have you?” a strong, feminine voice called out. Echo spotted the woman. For such a powerful voice, she was a frail looking thing. Her form was thin and wiry and she carried a small, pudgy child on her hip. Four more children surrounded her, tugging on her clothes or playing with the dirt at her feet.

  Echo’s dad nudged Finear forward until they stood next to Dorian. All eyes rested on the great, winged stallion. Only when Oran spoke did several villagers tear their eyes away from Finear. “You all have seen what happened to my son. It was no elf magic that took him. We’ve lived with the elves for many years and have seen first-hand that anything that comes from them is good, not evil. The elves long to save Brecker, and you all, if you will only listen.”

  Oran’s voice had remained steady and calm. But Echo noticed several faces in the crowd that seemed to get darker with his every word. She shivered at their hardened expressions. The man with the bow and arrow spoke again, his face more determined and rigid than before. “If Belzac really is the reason for your son’s disappearance and for the disappearances of so many lately, then what hope do we have of victory? How can we fight such a force? Even,” he looked at Dorian with distrust and distaste, “elvish magic can’t hold back such darkness, surely?”

  “We have the means to fend off the shadow dwellers if you will allow us to teach you,” Dorian stated calmly.

  A few hopeful whispers sounded from the crowd. The woman with the five children spoke again. “What sort of means? I don’t want any kind of hocus pocus spell placed on my kids.” Echo noticed the woman wasn’t wearing one of Jiggers’ special necklaces. She suddenly seemed a lot more respectable in Echo’s eyes. This woman wasn’t easily fooled.

  “Fire and light are the two greatest defenses against shadow dwellers,” Dorian replied. “We have been making hundreds of torches that can be placed around and inside the villages to create light and heat. Also, an herb can be taken before bed--and yes, it is safe for children as well as adults--that will stave off hags. It will keep your dreams happy.” Dorian smiled at the children at the woman’s feet. Their big eyes rested on Dorian as if they’d just noticed he was there. Two of them smiled back at him.

  “And what of this Belzac? If he is of ancient times, won’t he be the most powerful? What plans do you have to defeat him? More torches?” A few chuckles followed the bow-man’s questions. He was beginning to grind on Echo’s nerves--in more ways than one. He was stirring the crowd in the direction of doubt, and he had mentioned the one thing Echo didn’t want to have to think about--the moment she’d have to face Belzac.

  Attempting to keep her hand from shaking, Echo pulled the Sun’s Heart from her pocket. She and Shimmer moved to the front of the travelers and faced the villagers. She swallowed the lump of fear in her throat as she absorbed encouraging images from Shimmer. She held the crystal above her head so that everyone could see it. With a voice stronger than what she’d expected, she quickly told the villagers about Azura, the doon war of 3,000 years ago, how the Aleniah and Kavalah had been hidden, and how they had been revealed. Taking a deep breath, she finished by saying, “And this crystal, the Sun’s Heart, the heart of Azura’s crystal sword, will help us defeat Belzac with a powerful burst of light.” A rush of excitement mixed with fear washed through Echo as many in the crowd murmured and looked at her with new hope and expectation. She lowered her hand, gripping the crystal until it dug into her palm. What if I let them all down? She suddenly wished she hadn’t gotten into the whole story.

  But, the crowd was looking more hopeful, and that was what they had come for. However, Echo’s anger was ignited as the bow-man once again shouted, “More elf magic! How do we know that crystal won’t bring the shadow dwellers out? What if it’s some sort of portal and once it’s activated, there will be no stopping an army of shadow dwellers from pouring in on us?”

  One thing was certain, the man had imagination. Unfortunately, most of the superstitious crowd was falling into his delusions. Arguing erupted as those that believed the elves to be good fought with those that believed them to be evil. Echo and her party stood and watched in dismay. “What are we going to do?” Echo asked Dorian. The chaos made her feel utterly hopeless.

  Before Dorian could respond, however, a familiar, commanding voice shouted above the crowd. The silence that voice produced was deafening. Echo gripped Shimmer’s mane and gasped as all eyes turned to the thin, pale figure of Moodey Muckerson as he climbed onto his straw platform. His scarecrow-like
features had intensified, his face more sunken and his frame bent as if he carried a heavy load.

  “I know in the past, I have said many things against the elves.” Moodey’s voice crackled, as if his emotions were about to get the best of him. “But I was wrong!” A lot of gasping and murmuring followed this statement. Moodey ignored the crowd and continued, “I was fooled, misled by this doon, Belzac.” Echo was satisfied to see some of the non-believers, including the bow-man, as their faces drained of color with the realization that the elves hadn’t been lying to them. “I believed that he was someone great, someone that would bring our villages to better times. I believed he would keep our children safe and defend us against the darkness.” Moodey’s face scrunched up for a moment before he took a deep breath and continued, “But I was an idiot! Belzac is the darkness! He is the one who has taken so many of our loved ones. He is the one who stole my child.” Moodey’s voice broke and tears flowed without hindrance. “He is the one who ordered my wife murdered!”

  Gasps rippled through the crowd like a wave, and Moodey sobbed openly in front of everyone. Echo felt her own tears surface as she thought of Brecker killing Moodey’s wife. She hoped Moodey wouldn’t mention her brother’s name.

  Echo could tell that Moodey was sincere this time. Sincere and broken. He seemed so frail that Echo’s heart went out to him. He sobbed for a few horrid moments as the crowd murmured. Several were wiping tears from their eyes as they watched Moodey. He seemed to get a hold of himself and straightened his form. Looking to the people before him, he said with a firm, determined voice, “Belzac must be stopped! And if the elves and these wing-riders say they have a way to do that, then I say we help them!”

  Most of the crowd cheered, ready to follow their fallen--and re-risen--leader. People are so fickle! Echo thought. How easily they’d been swayed in their opinions. Still, she wasn’t about to complain. Finally, the villagers were willing and ready to receive instruction from the elves. There was hope.

  As the people swarmed around them and Moodey, Echo’s eye caught the movement of a smaller group of people breaking away from the crowd. Those people looked at them with hate in their eyes. They had not been convinced. Those would be the ones still in the greatest danger, and would be the greatest danger to the others.

  A hand touched Echo’s, drawing her attention to the figure it was attached to. Dorian looked up at her, his eyes sparkling. “You did well, Echo. And try not to worry about those whose hearts were not swayed. We will instruct these people,” he made a sweeping gesture toward the crowd around them, “how to handle those of their friends, neighbors, and family who may be more susceptible to the shadow dwellers. They may try to fight us, but we will harm as few of them as possible.”

  Echo nodded, though she felt no comfort from Dorian’s assurances. One person harmed was one too many. She focused her attention toward the straw platform before her thoughts could dive into terrifying visions. Keebo and Jiggers had climbed onto the straw bales with Moodey and, after comforting the old man, they addressed the crowd. With some help from Dorian’s magic, the two fae revealed themselves for who they really were. The villagers were ecstatic--fae are good luck! The two fae had to hover over the crowd momentarily to keep from having their hair and clothing torn from them for charms. The crowd eventually calmed after it was explained that Keebo and Jiggers could bring no more luck than a pile of horse dung.

  The revelation of Keebo and Jiggers’ identities brought even more hope to those that had embraced it. They reveled in watching the fae produce bursts of flames from their bare hands. That is, until Keebo accidentally set the straw bales aflame. A few confused seconds followed by some organized chaos found the bales black and smoldering after being dowsed with water. Keebo looked bashfully at Echo, his pointed ear-tips as red as the flames he’d produced. She shook her head at him, unable to keep the smile from tugging at her mouth as he shrugged at his folly.

  The next two days were alive with activity. The elves and the fae kept busy instructing the villagers as best they could on how to defend themselves from the doons and other shadow dwellers. Staying together and staying close to light and heat were the main methods of defense. But they would, undoubtedly, have to fight solid beings as well, even some of their own people. Weapons were distributed and instructions given on how to fight without killing. They wanted to shed as little blood as possible.

  Meadow fae arrived to lend their assistance. Echo marveled that these fairies could transform size at will--one minute they were human size, the next as small as butterflies. The fairies brought tales of Ayden Green’s defeat of Degus. Echo was mesmerized as they wove a romantic thriller of betrayal, death, and love. In the end, Ayden’s love for a siren--and her love for him--had helped him overcome the evil sorceress. The pureness of the siren’s voice combined with Ayden’s bravery had defeated Degus. It was a magical, breath-taking story.

  But stories are always more amazing when they aren’t happening to you. Echo doubted her own tale would be so glamorous.

  Echo and Shimmer trained harder than ever. It didn’t seem as though she could ever get good enough, even though everyone had told her she was now as sharp and talented as any elf. Fear dominated her emotions. Fear, dread, and doubt. She still didn’t think she’d forgiven Belzac, especially after seeing and hearing Moodey. How could she forgive that Belzac had ordered Brecker to kill that man’s wife? That one act alone had hurt so many. And yet, without Moodey’s speech, the villagers may not have gotten the help they needed to defend themselves. And without Mavel’s death, Moodey would have never given that speech.

  Echo stood next to Shimmer in dim light of dusk. Only a tiny sliver of moon was left in the sky, reminding her that tomorrow night no moon would exist at all. A memory of one of Dorian’s lessons from what seemed ages ago resounded in her mind; “Can you stop the moon, even though you know it will reach a time of darkness?” She could feel the darkness pressing against her insides.

  Tomorrow night.

  Echo buried her face in Shimmer’s mane as her sanity threatened to leave her. I’m not ready for this!