Shadows

Lightless day +19

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When I reached out to take my shadow’s hand in order to teleport out of this realm, two things happened: we didn’t move an inch, and my wrist was twisted.

I let go of my shadow and examined the deep gashes on my wrist.

"What the hell is going on here? Are you the one who did it?"

I shook my wrist, enraged.

No! I have more pressing matters to attend to than debating with $py. Specifically, how do you return all of the shadows to Lightville?

"Do you believe you’ve been enchanted?"

I felt irritated. Is it possible that this horror night could go any worse?

My shadow remained silent.

"What got in the way of me teleporting you?"

The shadow winced and gave me a dark look that told it all: it wasn’t going to answer any questions.

My pupils dilated.

"What can I do to get you out of here?"

The bracelet started squeezing my wrist once more. The blood had stopped and then resumed its flow.

Half of the shadows had shifted behind my shadow. I had only recently observed. We were now face to face, as if we were two boxing opponents in a ring.

The bracelet was less painful.

"My mistress has a magical pendant to which I am connected, and she can summon me at any time. She employs it to compel me to remain in this realm until the tournament is completed."

$py had already informed me that this type of pendant was an antiquated method of command.

"Do you think you’re the only one who’s linked to this pendant?"

Yes, the horror has the potential to get considerably worse.

My shadow, on the other hand, was not bound by a crude charm.

"My mistress is a sorceress," the shadow said and I felt a tinge of pride in its response.

The mistress, enchantress or not, left any impression on me. I had never been terrified of anything I had never fought before, and I had never been rated.

A sigh escaped my lips. It made no difference. My shadow remained the same.

"Can you tell me where I can obtain this pendant? The clock is ticking."

"It was offered as a prize," the shadow replied in a hushed tone. "A tournament."

"You’re the trophy, then?"

It becomes worse.

With a shrug, the shadow replied, "If you want to know, there’s an invitation over there."

A scroll caught my eye as I looked about.

"Following the grand tournament conducted in Luxnevia three days before the blue moon, Nyx, queen of all enchantresses, offers the shadow summoning necklace of the heir to the Duchy of Ombreville as a prize. Volunteers will be required to take part in death matches. Outside of Luxnevia, all participants will be protected by magic."

"The heir to the Duchy’s shadow summoning pendant… Is this the pendant of my Duchy? Is this my necklace?"

In my tight fist, I crumpled the parchment.

"Your entire Duchy is presented to the winner on a silver platter. Do you have any idea who is going to participate in this farce? Not only will you lose your Duchy, but all of the inhabitants will be forced into slavery and will be unable to return to their former state."

"Basically, they will remain shadows forever" I came to the conclusion.

As I approached Luxnevia, I noticed a few of these candidates. Nyx and the other two, I was certain, wanted to do whatever they could to eliminate Emerveille. They wanted to do it swiftly because I was frail and untrained for combat. They had even considered using my shadow as bait. What might a poor human like me accomplish in a magical world if I didn’t have any power?

"What made her do it? What was her method of obtaining this pendant? What is the essence that this summoning pendant is made of?"

"Arum’s final ray of light," the shadow said quietly.

Before I could ask the shadow what it meant, it continued, firmly:

"The final ray of light from Arum is the only means to restore light to the Duchy of Emerveille. I shall be absolutely committed to follow whoever wins the tournament as soon as it begins. All the shadows I brought from the human world, as well as all the residents of the Duchy of Emerveille who are already half-shadows, will come with me."

The shadow didn’t appear to be scared.

"What’s the point of telling me all of this? Now…"

The bracelet on my wrist tightened once again, and I became silent.

I was able to comprehend.

And now you want me to be the one who brings you home.

"All I was attempting to do was describe what was going to happen to me."

Someone had just slammed their fist into my face.

If it were my shadow, it would sense the danger and have the same desire as me: to save all of the Duchy of Emerveille’s shadows and residents.

The more I stayed here, the more I felt responsible for the people of this Duchy because I had no news of my mother or father, whom I had glimpsed between two curtains.

The one in front of me was completely unaffected.

"What if I just went ahead and stole the pendant? And you with it?"

"It’s guarded."

"I can simply break this enchantment, just as I did the magical barrier."

"Arum’s light protects the locket, which is placed in a closed bell. It can’t be taken; only the winner of the death match competition can claim it."

This was something I had never heard of before. Taking a quiz on human history did not guarantee that I would understand the power required to effortlessly bypass this enchantment.

"You must have a plan in place to get it."

With a shake of the head, the shadow expressed dissatisfaction with the situation.

"Not at all. If it were, I’d tell you."

I was so focused on controlling my fury that I forgot about the pain that was twisting my wrist even more.

"I’m sorry to be your shadow," the shadow said softly, as if it were carefully considering each word.

I must take action to protect my Duchy.

As if I really needed that right now! I should have been grateful for $py’s arrival, which had given me a boost in my abilities.

Because I didn’t have a choice at this point.

"My shadow, I bid you farewell."

The sun was starting to shine brightly in the room.

"Are you going to leave?"

I made my decision based on the urgency in its voice.

The shadow was heartbroken.

"Are you planning on stealing the pendant?"

"I’m going."

The shadow opened its eyes wide this time.

"Please don't! Whatever you desire, I'll do!"

As the sun's blistering rays flooded the room I took one last look at the shadow and vanished.