Dancing with Shadows
Per the usual, everything was dark. I could hear the moans and struggling breaths of other unfortunate captives around me. I had expected our “host” back hours, or even days, before, as my consciousness had fully returned but he hadn’t. Hue, tell me you are on your way? I was greeted with silence. Hue, can you hear me?
A slow, questioning unease met my thoughts. Alizeyah, are you there?
Yes.
His relief washed through me, quickly replaced by sorrow. Dani retrieved an Elven Prince from your father’s people. We know who has taken you but not how to get to you. He hesitated.
What?
If we don’t find you before the contract is complete you will become a Wraith, stuck somewhere between the living and the dead.
My heart pounded wildly in my chest. His fear and my own mixed, causing me to feel light-headed. I must escape from this place.
Romijeer isn’t that easy to escape. What are the chances you have your bead with you?
Non-existent. I forgot to put it on that morning. I paused for a moment and listened closely. For a moment I thought I heard movement, but no more sounds came. So what or who is a Romijeer?
He is an Archmage. He takes magical creatures and uses them to fuel the powerful magic he controls to complete a contract.
Someone hates me enough to give me to an Archmage to use as a battery?
No, more like they didn’t really care who they got as a battery as long as they were powerful. Unfortunately, the magic will most likely be used on someone else.
Hue, if I don’t make….
He cut me off. You’re coming home to me. Promise me you will come home to me?
I love you, was all I could say. There was a rustle of movement across the stone room. I could see shadows shift. I watched carefully as a door cracked open. A shadow slid through a small opening then urged the door shut. It moved slowly around the room, stopping at what I could only guess were other victims. It was looking for someone. As it got to me I tried to look as incapacitated as possible.
“I know you’re awake. I’m not here to harm you,” it whispered beside my ear. I opened my eyes and turned my head to see the stranger, but he was little more the a swirling mass of shadow. He placed a hand over the shackle on my wrist and my arm fell free. He did the same with my other arm and both ankles. My body screamed in agony as I moved it into a more natural position. “Follow me,” he whispered.
I stood my ground. “We can’t leave the others.”
He reached out and grabbed my wrist, giving me a strong tug. “Their contracts are complete. There is no saving them.”
I pulled free. “Why are you saving me? How do I know I can trust you?”
He paused. “You don’t. Now let’s go.”
I looked around the room and darted to the table that housed a number of bottles and books. I grabbed the bottle Romijeer had used to subdue me and the book he had jotted his notes in. “Ok, now we can go.”
The shadow stood dumbfounded. “Why are you taking those?”
“Because they were used on me, and quite frankly they may lead me back to who has contracted him.” I would have continued to argue but there was the sound of footfalls on stone approaching.
The shadow clutched my wrist again, and when he pulled me in the direction of the door he had entered through, I followed. He shoved me through and pulled the door quietly back in place. We began mounting a spiral staircase as quickly as we could. I could see the top of the stairs when an ear-piercing screech rent the air and the very stone I stood on shook. “We must hurry. He has noticed you are gone. The contract must be almost complete.” We sprinted up the last few stairs.
At the top was a room with what seemed like a hundred doors. “Where are we?”
“The gateways to the realms. Quickly, you must leave.” He shoved me in the direction of a door.
“Which one is mine?”
“It doesn’t matter, and you don’t have time. If you stay you will die.” He pulled open the nearest door and pushed me towards a swirl of golden light.
“Aren’t you coming?” I asked.
“I can’t, Princess. I’m a Wraith. When you find your way home, tell Lady Jura that Leonide sent you.” With that he shoved me through the door. I turned as I fell and for a split second I saw a face. Two large, piercing violet eyes with dark brows framing them seemed to lead back to two pointed ears. Something seemed very familiar, but I couldn’t say exactly why I knew that Elf.
I fell backwards into the light until the tower overhead disappeared from view. I splashed down into icy cold water and sat in a muddy puddle. Looking around, the sunlight danced through the trees overhead, and in places where I could see the sky multiple moons hung visible in daylight. “Dorothy, you aren’t in Kansas anymore.”
