Shadows Book 1 in the World of Shadows (4 page)

I stared at him, then turned back to the
desert. The soft rise and fall of seven breaths lulled me into a
peaceful calm while I studied the dunes. I fingered the blade at my
belt and wondered if I would be of any use with the strange weapon
if I ever had to use it. I breathed in the cool night air, a
pleasant counterbalance from the barren heat of day. A faint breeze
blew tiny wisps of sand from the tops of the dunes.

The moon rose in the distance, a pale orb
that cast soft light upon the land and washed it from red to gray.
My Duskie eyesight, as keen as the Nathos at night, took in the
slight scurry of beetles and faint, winding tracks left by hissing
tams during the heat of the day. I enjoyed the simplicity of
sitting in a twisted tree, free with my thoughts, surrounded by
people who at least didn’t seem out to hurt me, and to finally be
away from the Caves.

Chapter 4

The silence of the night just before dawn
caught my attention. I strained my ears but couldn’t hear any of
the sounds I had learned to attribute to a safe night. The bats had
vanished, creatures had stopped howling and hissing, and even the
bugs seemed to have abandoned us. I couldn't remember the last time
I had seen one of the silver beetles crawl beneath the scented
canvas.

I stood in a crouch on the branches and
stared out at the darkness, studying each mound of sand as though
it contained a thousand Sathen. I was beginning to feel foolish
when one of the mounds moved. My heart leaped into my throat. I
clutched a branch hard enough for the rough bark to draw blood in
the hopes that I would wake and find this just a dream and myself
being carried across the hot sands in Dathien’s thick arms, but I
didn’t wake up.

The mound separated into smaller mounds,
each moving steadily toward the east side of the camp. I caught my
lip in my teeth and bit down hard to keep from crying out. There
was no one to listen, and it would only draw them in faster. I
tasted blood and rose slowly from my crouch.

Black, pupil-less eyes caught the light of
the moon and absorbed it like voids. They stood almost as tall as a
Luminos with wiry arms and legs that ended in razor sharp black
claws. Their red-scaled skin blended in the desert night like
camouflage. At least two dozen of them made their way toward our
campsite. I had never seen so many together. They usually roamed
singly or in pairs; the thought of so many in a group sent a surge
of fear through my limbs.

They sniffed the air, their mouths open to
reveal row upon row of serrated teeth in the moonlight. I gathered
my chain around one arm and slipped down from my tree as silently
as I could, then made my way across the soft sand to the side of
the tent. Barefoot as I had been my whole life, it was easy to keep
from making a sound as long as I held the chain still. The soft
sand still held warmth from the day, but a shiver ran through my
body just the same.

The thought crossed my mind that I could run
and leave the Luminos behind. Without the power of the sun, they
would be helpless to defend themselves and be easy prey for the
Sathen if I tore down the tent, distracting them while I made my
escape. One glance at the quiet forms around me stilled my
thoughts. They trusted me as no one ever had. They gave me food,
carried me, and Axon's promise of freedom rang more true to my ears
than I dared to admit. They slept at the thought that I would
protect them, and I would be worthy of that trust.

I slid the curved sword from the ring,
careful to keep the metal from touching, then crouched behind where
the Sathen gathered near the edge of the tent. I don’t know what
brought them so close. A glanced at the horizon showed pink just
edging on orange. I could only hope the sun would rise before we
all died.

A black clawed foot slipped beneath the
tent. Surprised hisses rose from behind the canvas. The oily scent
of the cloth masked the smell of death and decay from the creatures
beyond, but I had fought them often enough at the Caves that the
scent rose unbidden to my mind. A claw poked through the cloth
level with my head. The claw drew downward, tearing through the
canvas with a sound so Chaxa’s whip slicing through the air that
the lash marks across my back throbbed; then the canvas parted to
reveal the horde of Sathen beyond.

I rose to face them, moonlight glinting off
the blade in my hand, and wished desperately for my spear and
shield. The Sathen stared at me in surprise, but the toothy mouths
turned up in wicked grins of anticipation. The first Sathen
charged.

I stepped to the right, drawing my blade
across the front of his red scaled chest. A howl ripped from his
throat and he fell writhing to the ground. Within the space of a
heartbeat, the Sathen from behind had jumped on him and tore him to
pieces; then they advanced on me, their grins colored in the first
Sathen’s dark blood.

I needed a second weapon. I glanced around
quickly and saw a wooden handle sticking out from under the packs.
I looked back just as the Sathen crossed the tent line.

Four of them attacked at the same time. I
caught two with my blade, but the others dove under my guard and
bowled me over. Jagged teeth bit down where my neck and shoulder
met. I threw the creature off, feeling my own skin tear, and rolled
to the pile of packs. The chain from my manacle wrapped around my
legs and impeded me from getting back to my feet. Another Sathen
jumped on my back and clawed me with his feet and hands. The claws
tore across the whip lashes and I screamed.

I reached the handle and pulled, bringing
out a double-sided axe with a wicked-looking spike at the top. I
slid the axe across my back and the creature fell to the side, two
of his limbs missing. I jumped up and swung at every Sathen within
reach. The creatures fell away, baring their teeth in outrage,
mind-chilling screeches tearing from their throats. They turned
away from their fighting target, their attention locking onto the
forms still sleeping around me.

My heart skipped a beat. I ran after them,
yelling and slashing at as many as I could reach. The Sathen in
front was inches from the closest sleeping form that leaned against
the base of the tree. Axon. I shouted and threw the axe as hard as
I could. My shout caught the creature’s attention and as it turned
to look, the axe took off its head and buried in the trunk inches
from Axon. He stirred and I felt more than saw the rays of the sun
peeking out over the top of the desert hills.

Five Sathen turned from Axon and rushed me.
I jumped back and tripped over the body of one I had slain. Blood
slicked my feet and legs from the partially eaten carcass. Sathen
shrieked their anger at the interruption of their meal and dove at
me. I rolled, holding my sword high so I didn’t impale myself on
the blade. The Sathen jumped on me and fought to get a good hold.
Teeth and claws drove into my side and thigh. One creature bit down
on my right hand, forcing me to drop the blade; blood streamed down
my wrist.

They were everywhere, clawing, biting, and
screeching. Pain filled every move I made. I rolled against the
canvas that made up the ruined tent and curled into a ball,
covering my head with my hands so that the chain could help protect
me; but there were too many of them. I hoped they would finish me
quickly.

A savage yell tore through the air. Echoing
shouts sounded around the camp and the Sathen on top of me were
ripped away. Cloth brushed my arm and I opened my eyes to find Axon
crouched in front of me, his curved sword in his hand and his light
eyes flashing with steel and ice.

Two Sathen jumped at him and he cut off
their heads with one swing of his sword. He spun back and sliced
through the chest of a Sathen near my feet, opening the creature's
ribs so the last beat of its dying heart was revealed to the light
of the rising sun. Three more Sathen dove at us from the other side
of the tent, tearing the fabric as they tried to force their way
through.

Axon kicked out and brought his sword around
in a deadly arc. His foot caught the first Sathen in the stomach
with a sound like a sledge hammer driving through rock. The
creature fell back against the sand and thrashed in pain while
Axon's sword sliced through the neck and shoulder of the next
Sathen and the chest and arm of the last one, nearly decapitating
them both. They fell to the side with a sickening thud and a gurgle
of blood flowed to color the red sand in a merciless black.

Around the camp, the other six Luminos
fought back to back against the creatures. The warriors moved with
silent and deadly ease, killing the Sathen around them with swift
and lethal accuracy. It was soon apparent that though we were
outnumbered, the Sathen were losing the battle. In less than a
hundred heartbeats, more Sathen were dead than alive and the rest
ran from the ferocity of their attackers, carrying pieces of their
Sathen companions with them to eat on the way.

When the last Sathen left the perimeter of
the tent, Axon turned to me, his brow creased over tumultuous blue
eyes. He picked me up without a word and carried me to the center
of the camp near the tree. “Staden, Jatha, she needs your help,” he
commanded.

It felt like blood ran from every inch of my
body. Axon set me gently on the sand and I stayed curled in a ball,
my arms around my chest and legs tucked up as my brain fought to
stay conscious despite the loss of blood.

“
Nexa, you have to let them
work on you. You have to relax.” Axon took my hand. “It’s alright,
you’re safe now.” I could tell by the tightness of his tone that he
really wasn’t sure of that. I closed my eyes, but he took my chin
in his fingers. “Nexa, look at me.” I opened my eyes to find his
face only a few inches from mine. “You need to relax and trust us.
You’re going to bleed to death if you don’t.”

It was the concern in his voice that broke
through the fog. I willed my pain-wracked body to relax and let
them roll me to my back on a piece of canvas. Several of the
Luminos looked away and wouldn’t meet my eyes, and I knew it was
more than my Duskie heritage that they avoided when I felt the
blood pool around me.

“
They need to be cleaned or
she’ll catch a fever,” Staden said to Axon. He grabbed a shirt from
a nearby pack and handed it to Jatha, who began to tear it into
strips.

Staden’s fingers ran over my body with
quick, precise movements, soft but steady. He touched the jagged
bite on the side of my neck and the claw marks in my stomach and
side, then he rolled me gently over to check my back. More than one
Luminos swore softly at whatever the tattered remains of my shirt
failed to cover. I bit my unharmed left hand to keep from crying
out when he ran fingers lightly along my shredded back.

“
There are scars here that
weren’t from the Sathen,” Staden said softly.

I felt Axon rise on his knees beside me to
look and I buried my face in my arm, humiliated by the marks of the
lashes I knew they would find.

Axon dropped back beside me. His fingers
touched my cheek lightly and I turned to meet his eyes, my own
filled with defiance. But I didn’t see the judgment in his gaze
that I expected to find. Instead, a sorrow deeper than I had ever
seen reflected back at me. “They whipped you at Firen Caves?” he
asked softly.

I gritted my teeth and blinked back
unexpected tears at the gentleness of his tone. Axon’s face
hardened and he turned away. Before I could react, Dathien was at
my side and had a hammer and chisel on the chain at my wrist. He
grinned at me and struck the chisel. It only took four of his
sun-strengthened blows to break the chain. “We’ll have to remove
the manacle when we reach the city, but this should be a bit better
to start with,” the giant Luminos said. He picked up the chain and
threw it as far as he could.

I could only stare at the chainless manacle.
There had always been a heavy chain attached to my left wrist as
far back as I could remember. Something blocked the rising sun and
I looked up into Axon’s face. “It doesn’t undo what happened in the
past, but maybe it can help with the future.”

There was a sharp pain in my side as Jatha
began to clean. I winced and closed my eyes. Staden spoke softly.
“We have an herb that will put you to sleep while we work. Will you
take it?”

I looked up at the faces around me.
Something had changed. There was no animosity or disgust, just
concern and eyes flickering to the tattered tent that surrounded
us, checking the desert for the possible return of the Sathen. I
nodded and a cup was pressed to my lips. I drank deeply of liquid
that tasted like green grass and sunshine, things that had been
very scarce in my life. My eyelids drooped as Staden and Jatha got
to work.

Chapter 5

Light pounded on my skin and demanded for me
to wake. Without opening my eyes, I tried to remember why light
would be pounding anywhere at the Caves. Then I remembered the
kidnapping, the desert trek, and the Sathen attack. I swayed from
side to side like I was being carried, but I was flat, not folded
up in Dathien’s arms. I opened my eyes slowly as pain flooded back
through my body.

The swaying stopped immediately.

“
She’s waking up, Prince
Axon,” Dathien’s voice said softly.

The pallet they carried me on was lowered to
the ground and shadows blocked out the sun. I squinted at the
silhouetted faces above me.

“
Let’s set up camp here,”
Axon said from my right. I turned to see him watching me
expectantly, his sun blond hair in his eyes. “How are you
feeling?”

I tried to push up to a sitting position,
but found myself held down by gentle but firm hands. I glanced over
to see Dathien kneeling on my other side. “Take it easy, little
minx. You’ve been through a lot.”