Page 12 of Sword & Shadow
Auden called while they worked to bring down the remaining Shades, “We have to stop here. I can’t sense the way forward.”
As their party came to a halt, Deckard jumped into the fray. He ranged to the left, defending Ilain’s side as Evylin worked with Auden. Ethenn picked off Shades from the back as Thom and Rafferty stood still, irritated that they were useless in the dark.
“Do we need to clear this wave?” Deckard asked.
“That’d be preferable,” Auden confirmed.
It took them several minutes, but they managed it. Thick clouds of shadow hung around the room as Auden finally reached for his sister. “I’ll need help,” he said. “Night and I...”
Ilain took his hand without any more explanation. They stood together in the center of the room, their heads bowed and eyes closed as they concentrated.
The desire for action beat in Evylin’s rib cage. She met Deckard’s gaze across the cavern.
“We should watch for the next wave,” he suggested.
Thankful for something to keep her moving, she turned to check the passages on her side while Deckard examined the others. Ethenn stood watchfully by Thom and Rafferty while they grumbled together about the disagreeable nature of being blind while battle raged around them.
Used to the darkness of Night, Evylin scanned each rocky corridor. A faint breeze drifted from them all, raising gooseflesh on her skin. She heard droplets of water down one path. The air smelled of dampness and metal.
Her ears strained for the telltale hum of the Shades as she stepped up to the next opening. It looked like the rest, with formations of rocks, curved walls, and dark shadows.
Evylin did a double take, blinking into the darkness. One of those shadows had moved.
She was about to call out a warning when she froze. Her palm tingled around the Night sword’s grip. Her breath caught in her throat, and without thinking, she took a step forward, her chest straining with hope.
“I have it,” Auden said, causing Evylin to whirl around in shock. The Calders were already leading Ethenn toward Deckard, who stood nearby at the head of the cavern.
Panic bound Evylin to the spot, and she spun back to peer down the passage again. But the shadow was gone.
“Evylin,” Deckard called.
Blinking away what she was sure must have been a hallucination, Evylin forced herself to step away. She turned to the troop and hurried to follow. Deckard waited until she reached his side to join them down the path.
“Did you see something?” he asked.
Had she?
“No,” she said, tightening her grip on the Night sword. “It was the shadow of a rock.”
Forcing the vision from her mind, Evylin pushed to the front again. The Shades returned. She fought without hesitancy or thought. Every action came from impulse, allowing her mind to drift elsewhere.
Evylin could have sworn—for a moment, she would have staked her own life that she’d seen him. Burly shoulders, towering height, scraggly beard. Hewitt.
He couldn’t be there. It was impossible.But I saw him.
The Night sword pulsed in her grip. Evylin knew it couldn’t really be her uncle. No matter how deeply she wanted to believe it. Sheknewthat she’d imagined his form, hidden in the rocks. What she didn’t know was why. Why now? After ten days without him, why had she imagined himnow? And why here, of all places? Could she blame the heat of the fight? Or was it theintensity of her Warrior magic drumming up strange visions? Could it do that?
The ground rumbled under Evylin’s feet as Ilain used Terrae magic to summon a stone pillar to crush a whole section of Shades. Without missing a beat and swinging the Night sword with barely conscious effort, Evylin took down three more. Auden rushed past her, barreling straight for an iron door.
So focused on the fight and caught up in her thoughts, Evylin hadn’t even realized they’d made it to the exit.
The troop chased after Auden. Given her speed, Evylin made it to him just as he set his hand on the metal, guarding his flank. Thethunkof the lock caused the Shades to attack with renewed aggression. Ethenn sent arrow after arrow into them, losing precious weaponry to their defense. Deckard held the line with his blade, and Ilain reached through Thom and Rafferty to send a slice of wind through the horde.
The door opened behind Evylin, and she spun to get out with the Night sword in hand. The second she crossed the threshold, the Shades would have nothing to defend, and their attacks would cease. Or at least, that’s how sheassumedtheir instincts worked.
But when she turned, she found herself faced not by an empty antechamber but by two men. They wore dark coats emblazoned with two golden moons on a patch of amethyst over their breasts: the emblem of the Order of the Night. The unknown men presented an immediate threat.
The Night Mages raised their hands, deep purple shadows already eliciting from them. Their magic roiled viciously through the open entrance.
