Sworn To Transfer

dark clothing hidden in the shadows. He came forward with his hand outstretched, chanting. She had no time to defend herself and soon was falling into a deep sleep. As she slumped over and fell back onto the forest floor, Ciardis noted something unique. The man’s shadow. It was moving. But it was moving independent of him, walking by his side as he moved closer to her.

In the dense shrubbery of the forest, Terris suddenly felt her link with Ciardis twang in

Fear. There was something wrong. Ignoring her search for Barren at the moment, she backtracked in search of her friend. She arrived at the clearing just in time to see Ciardis fall to the forest floor with a tall man standing over her. With a shout of anger Terris surged forward to defend her friend. At least she tried to. From behind her a hand appeared out of nowhere and clamped over her mouth, while a strong arm gripped her waist and hauled her back. Struggling, she tried to get them off of her, but she was at a disadvantage facing away from the perpetrator. Pissed off, Terris half turned and kicked the person in the groin.

As he released her, she looked back at the clearing to see that Ciardis was gone. Vanished into thin air. Terris raced into the clearing, hoping it was an illusion, that her eyes were playing tricks on her. But Ciardis wasn’t there, and there was nothing to show that she had been. Leaves crunched behind her as the person who’d stopped her came forward. With an animalistic growl, Terris whirled around with her hand balled into a fist.

She was ready to get some answers from this person. If they were in on this, not even the gods would be able to help them. For a moment she stared, her jaw dropped, her fists still balled. It was hard to comprehend that the person in front of her was working with the shadow creatures. More than the shock of seeing who it was, she felt hurt. And that hurt didn’t lessen when the large gray owl in the tree above her hooted.

Barren stepped out of the shadow of the tree that he was leaning on. She hadn’t kicked him that hard.

He came into the light of the clearing clutching his head. When Terris got a look into his eyes, she froze. They were black—as black as the shadows around them.

He fell to his knees, clutching his head and panting for breath.

And then Barren stood up and the shadows in his eyes were gone.

Barren stood before her, holding out his hand defensively. “Wait,” he whispered.

“We saved your miserable life,” shouted Terris, “and this is how you repay us?”

The owl hooted again and mind-spoke. Flightfeather is sorry. Flightfeather—

“Shut up, you miserable bird,” said Terris, anger clouding her voice.

She continued forward to Barren and prepared to hit him so hard he would see stars.

“It’s not what you think,” he said, backpedaling fast. “Can’t you trust me for a moment?”

“Hell no. I don’t know you,” she said bitterly.

“I’m not here to hurt you,” he said. “I didn’t bring you out here for the shadow man.”

“At least, I didn’t mean to,” he continued.

Terris stopped, “The shadow man? That was the shadow man?”

He nodded.

“How dare you,” she whispered in fury. “That man—that creature—is killing your comrades, and you gave Ciardis to him.”

“I didn’t give anybody to him,” he said. “It was like I was in a dream, following the sound of his voice. He told me he chose not to let me die. That I had purpose—to bring the Weathervane to him. I fought him, but as long as his magic lingers in your system, you can live at his will or die. There are no other options.”

“And you chose to live,” Terris said bitterly.

“I chose to find out as much as I could about him,” he countered, “for my people. But when he finally decided I needed to serve my purpose, my will was gone.”

She dropped her fist in disgust.

“And now my friend is gone.”

“I know.” He nodded. “But I know where he’s taking her.”

Terris looked at him, wary disbelief etched on her brown face. Contemplating her options, she decided she didn’t have much of choice. Not if she wanted to get to her friend in time.

“Well, then,” she said, “why didn’t you say so in the first place? Let’s go!”

“We need backup,” he said firmly.

“While that man does gods-know-what to her?” Terris replied angrily. “No, we’re going now.”

With Terris standing firm, Barren sent Flightfeather back to the village for the warriors and to alert their guardians to where they were going. And then they were running in the darkness and the night, hoping with all of their might that Ciardis Weathervane was still alive.

*****

The world folded and time stood still.

When Ciardis awoke, she was no longer in the clearing. She lay in a makeshift bed of vines. She twisted and turned, trying to see more. Her head was the only thing capable of movement, her body from her shoulders to her feet bound by the moving vines. The vines were twisting, never still, and a dark color that shifted like smoke. Stifling a scream, she saw that the vines were made of shadows.

The man must have brought her here, but where was here?

Looking up, she saw more trees, but they were different. The trees had huge trunks and red leaves falling to the ground. She looked around but couldn’t see much else. The shadow man walked out of the darkness of the surrounding forest.

“Ciardis Weathervane,” he said softly. “I’ve been waiting to meet you.”

“Who are you?” she said while trying to fight against the vines. But every movement just caused them to tighten, cutting into her blood circulation and making her feel faint.

“And can you call off your creepy vines?” she snapped.

He looked at her with unreadable eyes.

“It’s not like you’re going anywhere.”

She glared at him. “I’ll ask again: Who. Are. You?”

“I go by many names. None of which are important to you. Just know that I work in the service of the empire.”

“By killing kith?” she said sardonically.

“By doing whatever is necessary to right the wrongs against me,” he hissed back.

She watched him impassively. He was very focused on his anger.

“You and the Duchess of Carne?” she questioned more cautiously.

“Who?” he asked in genuine confusion.

Guess that means she had nothing to do with the kith deaths. Guess that means I owe the duchess an apology. She still tried to kill my mother, though.

But Ciardis had more immediate problems to deal with. The Shadow Mage had decided that they had talked enough. He released the shadow vines. Before she could even comprehend that she was free, he’d moved swiftly and grabbed her wrist, twisting it in his grip and smiling as pain flashed through Ciardis’s arm.

She fell to the floor screaming, her wrist still in his hand.

He said, each word distinct, “And I will do anything to accomplish my goals.”

Maybe angering him isn’t such a good idea, she thought when the pain arcing through her body like fire had been subdued enough for her to think.

He released her wrist and smiled down at her.

“And you, my dear, are my key.”

Snatching her wrist back, she fought hard not to let the tears welling up in her eyes fall down her cheeks. He’d think it was because she was weak. Because she was afraid of him. She was anything but. Furious, angry, tired, but never scared.

“What do you mean I’m the key?”

“You’re calm for a girl who thinks she’s going to die.”

“Am I not going to die?” she asked hopefully. “I mean, I assume you wanted me here to help you increase your powers, but it’d be nice to get some assurance.”

When in dangerous situations, Ciardis tended to be flippant.