Shadow and Wild Magic

Shadow held his paw in the other. It’d stopped bleeding after they’d brought him back to the cell. He was uncontrollably purring. a mechanical way to release stress. The rest were silently licking their wounds. But that wasn’t going to bring their claws back.

They’d removed three of Ten Zin’s claws, and Mielo’s already-impaired paw was entirely declawed. Khaleen, on the other hand, had lost all hers. After a while, she stopped licking her wounds. She hadn’t cried at all, and now, she was staring at Shadow. It was like she wanted to say something.

“What did you do?” she eventually asked.

Shadow had little idea what she referred to. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“The pressure...” she added. “Was that magic?”

Shadow shook his head. Everything that had happened in the prison yard was just a blur. He remembered the whirring sound, though. That noise had first been in his head then blasted and resonated through the air. And he remembered the look in the lizardman’s eyes right before he…

That image was still so clear in his mind. Shadow had picked up that dagger on the ground without thinking. He’d walked to the guard without thinking. He’d struck without thinking.

It was all he could think about.

The worst part was that he didn’t even feel guilty. He’d expected that taking a life would destroy someone. Should he even be feeling guilty? Instead, he sensed a dark seed in his gut. And this seed had just sprouted. Was it because the guard deserved it?

“Boy!” Ten Zin caught his attention.

Shadow looked at him. “What?”

“Listen. The guard is leaving.”

Khaleen and Mielo were also looking expectantly at him.

“So what?” Shadow asked, confused.

“You need to go!” Khaleen whispered loudly.

“We need to move!” Mielo said.

Shadow frowned, then he chuckled awkwardly. His friends actually wanted to go through with the plan, even after everything that had happened. Even more so, they wanted nothing but to execute the plan. They were done with this place, and so was he. That dark seed would have to be buried for the time being. Shadow had other things to focus on. He didn’t hear any sound beyond the wall. Maybe Ezra was already on the move.

Shadow rose to his feet and headed for the door. He opened it slightly and peeked through.

No guard.

Perfect. Shadow had three minutes and something to sneak to the stairs. It was a good thing that he remembered the way.

Shadow rushed through the dark tunnel. He could not see much because it was entirely submerged in darkness, but he knew where to go. When he reached the hall with six doors, he didn’t hesitate. He took the second on the left and started climbing the stairs. Here, he could see much better. Even if it was dark outside, the weakest light source was like a bright torch for his feline eyes. He had not run into guards yet, but he could hear them. They were back into the hall he’d come from. They were probably returning to the cells. Shadow climbed as fast as he could. When he reached the fourth floor, the heavy iron door was ajar. Beyond the door, he could hear two lizards talking.

Now, he had to be careful. He eavesdropped on them. They were talking about what had happened in the prison yard. They said something about the dark human and his strange abilities. Their voices were erratic. Was that what a scared sithrax sounded like?

Shadow slipped through the door quietly and carefully. They had their backs to him. He could pass them without them noticing.

His hind paws, thick and furry, dampened his every movement. They would not notice him, even if he stood an inch behind them.

Suddenly, Shadow heard shouting. It was coming from the ground floor. The two guards looked at each other then headed towards the stairs. They passed Shadow again but didn’t even see him in the darkness. Something was happening downstairs. Shadow knew what it was. His friends had probably done their part of the mission.

It didn’t take long for Shadow to hear shouts and screams. He could hear guards rushing down the staircase behind him. Everything was going precisely as Ezra had predicted it. The sithrax were all hurrying towards the escaped prisoners.

Shadow rushed to the end of the corridor. There was the messy desk with all sorts of objects on it. Shadow closed his eyes and, for the first time, he prayed. To whom? He had no idea. But he prayed for the amulet to still be there. When he opened his eyes, he saw it. The glowing, flower-shaped pendant with a red gem at the center. Shadow reached out for it but stopped. His eyes opened wide. To his surprise, the amulet was glowing brighter. The closer he got, the brighter it glowed.

What did it mean?

After some hesitation, Shadow seized the amulet. He received a slight shock when touching it. The glow dimmed as he held it tight, and Shadow felt a strange sensation. A warmth that couldn’t be defined. It was like waving his hand above a fire. Not touching it, just feeling its warmth. Shadow placed the amulet around his neck. He was about to walk away when he suddenly remembered something. He had to find a weapon for Ezra.

Shadow scanned the desk and behind it. There were two weapon racks against the wall, but these weapons were for sithrax. On the desk, Shadow caught a glimpse of that sickle-shaped weapon. It was the same as the one the guard in the interrogation room had held. It was too big for Shadow, but for Ezra, this could be a good sword.

Shadow picked it up. It was heavy, but he could carry it. He could even carry another one. Shadow quickly glanced at the desk, searching for a weapon that would fit him. That human dagger with the black handle would do.

With two weapons, Shadow rushed out of the corridor and back into the spiral stairway. He hurried down, quickly, and on the next floor, he ran into Ezra.

“Shadow!” Ezra called. “I was praying you’d be there...”

The man had a hint of worry in his eyes. There was a lot of noise coming from downstairs. It sounded like a lot of fighting.

“I got the amulet!” Shadow said proudly. “And this.” He handed him the strange sickle-like weapon.

Ezra laughed in disbelief. “Gods, you got me my scimitar! I never thought I’d see it again.” He gave a kiss to the blade, which was very weird.

“Where’s Master Khan?” Shadow asked. Ezra had said he knew where the wizard was.

The worry returned in Ezra’s eyes. His gaze went dark. Shadow wasn’t sure what it was, but it couldn’t be anything good.