Beneath the Shadowlanders

Chapter Thirty-One: Orion

I'm halfway through the door of the shelter when Gabe grabs my sleeve. "What?" I demand, turning around.

I freeze.

My entire world closes to a singularity as the last year of searching and waiting and praying comes to a screeching halt.

"Dad?"

He starts running, feet slapping against the narrow stretch of pavement separating us. His shadow stretches behind him in the late afternoon sunlight – wait. His... Shadow?

I look to Gabe for confirmation, and he nods.

"Is that...?" I ask. I don't even have to finish the question.

"Yeah. It is." He claps a hand on my shoulder.

I start running, too. Closing the gap between us. It feels like miles. "Dad!" I call.

"Ri!" he calls back, and I know for sure, then. It's him. I pinch myself, just to make sure it's not a dream.

We run full speed into one another, embracing for the first time in two years. When we finally let go, I turn around and see that Gabe has grabbed Calista, as well, and she's running towards us now. She jumps into dad's arms and he spins her around before setting her back down.

"Dad!" she exclaims, breathless. "We-we thought you were dead!" She collapses into his chest, a swirling mass of pain and relief.

"What the hell happened to you?!" I interject.

We're interrupted by Gabriel waving us into the shelter. "Guys, I get that this is a big deal, but we really don't have all day to just stand out here. It'll be nightfall soon."

As we approach the door to the shelter, he shakes dad's hand, eyeing his inexplicable shadow suspiciously. "You understand we'll need an explanation before we can really let you into our shadow-proof shelter."

"Of course," he responds, "but I assure you, he'll do you no harm."

"All the same, sir, we really can't afford to risk it." He gestures for Calista and I to enter, but we refuse.

"We'll wait for our father, thank you. We haven't seen him in two years, we're not going to lose him again," Calista responds, aglow. She stares up at him as if he personally hung the moon with a bendy straw, the faint outline of tears sparkling in the corners of her eyes.

"As you wish," he responds, turning back to our father.

"So, Mr. Castellan, would you care to explain how you've come to cast a shadow again?" Gabe crosses his arms expectantly, leaning against the frame of the shelter.

"It's a rather long story, I should warn you," he responds with a nervous glance up toward the rapidly dimming sky.

Gabriel just nods understanding and gestures for him to continue.

"Well," he begins, "It happened when my Scout squad was attacked on a routine mission, in the middle of the day. We were –"

He's cut off by the appearance of Genevieve just inside the door. "Gabe, we don't have time to stand around. It's almost dark."

"I'm not letting a shadow into our shelter without an explanation," he mutters. "It's too dangerous."

"I think you're being a little ridiculous," she retorts, gesturing at the obviously complacent shadow resting at his feet. "I don't know how, but obviously, he has his shadow under control. Let him in. If it attacks us, we'll kill him too." She turns her attention to our father. "Understood, Mr. Castellan?"

"Of course, Miss..." He pauses, waiting for the answer to his unspoken question.

"You can call me Gin," she finishes for him.