We step out of the prison tent and the first thing we see is a shadow. It's over at the far end of the camp, surrounded by soldiers. The soldiers are shooting round after round after round into it, but it's completely unfazed. In fact, it seems to be ignoring them.
"Nashua!" dad calls, and I realize he's right. It is Nashua, wading through a sea of soldiers calm as you please, walking right toward us. He presses through the crowd of soldiers like they aren't even there, arriving at our position in front of the prisoner tent in no time. He greets my father with a hug before moving behind him, placing his hands on dad's temples. His eyes roll back again, and Nashua's voice comes out of his mouth.
"Do not fear me," it announces to the soldiers, who stand stunned, unsure what to do. "I have not come to harm any of you, but to deliver a message. I have met with Raoul, on behalf of humanity. He has agreed to a parlay, on one condition."
"What is it?" Gabe asks.
"He will speak only with his former host."
The soldiers begin to cry out, then, demanding that Raoul surrender completely to their armies.
"Raoul is prepared to negotiate a peace on behalf of Shadowkind, but only with his former host!" Nashua shouts through my father, silencing the crowd.
"Who is his former host?" I ask, finally.
He looks right at me, and I swear I can almost see the fear in his normally blank face.
"The General."
This starts the outcry all over again, as soldiers accuse the shadows of underhanded tricks to capture their leader. They refuse to turn him over, demanding once again that the shadows surrender to the human armies.
Nashua doesn't respond, instead releasing my father and reconnecting with him, becoming his shadow once more. The soldiers' cries die out almost immediately as my father begins to walk away through the crowd, casting a shadow on the ground behind him. They murmur to themselves as they make way for him to move between them, careful not to tread on his shadow. We follow behind him as he walks right up to the commander, shadow in tow, and demands that he alert the General at once.
Even the Commander is silenced, as he nods vigorously and borrows a walkie-talkie from a nearby officer. He speaks into it. "This is Commander Isaacs, over."
"Aye, Commander, what can I do for you sir?" comes a voice over the other end.
"Please inform the General his presence is requested on the surface..." he pauses, voice shaking uncontrollably. "Immediately."
The man on the other end is silent for a moment, before responding, "Sir, is there a problem?"
"Deliver the message to the General. That is an order." The Commander is pale as a ghost and his voice is weak and uncertain.
"Yes, sir," the soldier responds nervously, and the talkie is overtaken by static once more.
The Commander nods at my father, who thanks him with a nod before turning curtly away and marching toward the edge of the camp. We're left with no real choice but to follow.
"Where are we going?" Gin asks.
"To await the General," dad responds. "We're taking him to Raoul."
YOU ARE READING
Beneath the Shadowlanders
Science FictionWe knew something wasn't right from the moment we awoke. It was like something was missing - a part of our very souls - and we couldn't sense the deficiency, no matter how hard we tried. A hundred million eyes adjusted to the dark all at once, all s...
