“Nothing Dylan, I…” She let her voice fall dead and shook her head. It took a moment or two for what she wanted to say to come out right. She straightened and glared right back at him. “I’m not your master, boss or whatever. I didn’t want this. So, do what you want, ok? I really don’t care.” Shade took another step back to dodge around him but stopped herself. “If it is any consolation, this was not my idea. Darren should have manned up and took his punishment; though I do think death is an easy way out. If there is anything I can do to help you unbind us, you just go on and let me know.” She watched him glare at the ground with his jaw set hard. She sighed when he gave her nothing but silence, as she swung her pack onto her back and walked away.

Jack motioned her over as well as all the others. Everyone quickly finished their packing and filed around him. “Okay everyone; we are way behind schedule. Today we anticipate to at least making it to the river lands. We will be near a large iron city, so once we approach, we must be very careful and glamour ourselves to appear more human. We will mostly stay near the rivers and be out of sight but if we are spotted, we might have to do memory charms on any humans that may be nearby. I would like to avoid that, you know how much fun that is,” he said sarcastically.

“Oh, and we have two newcomers on our quest. Everyone welcome Dylan, former Captain of the Teleen.” His arm hung out towards Dylan who stood just outside the circle, his arms crossed and his gaze at the ground. “Also, Miss Sylphi of the Teleen has so graciously volunteered to serve as a tracker. She can help us track down food when our supply runs low around the outside of the Santiran fountains; there are no cities for miles. Please welcome them both with open arms.”

He held his arm out to Sylphi who came over and gave him an aggressive hug, and was clearly invading his space. He stumbled back a bit as he shifted his weight but he did avoid losing his balance. She laughed and smiled, as though it was nothing to volunteer on a treacherous mission.

Shade glared at her. She hadn’t forgotten how she seemed really friendly with Darren the night of the attack. Sylphi caught her glare and smiled sweetly to her, ignoring the look on Shade’s face. I wouldn’t trust her as far as I could throw her boney, pointy body.

“Everyone should be ready by now. Let’s go!” Ewan’s voice boomed in the cavern, echoing down the ravine. The group all swung packs onto their backs and sheathed last minute weapons. In about a minute they were all crossing the great glass bridge. Shade held her breath as she walked across. Unfortunately, looking down made her stomachache, so she avoided it at all costs. She would be happy never to cross this blasted bridge again.

They journeyed through the same tunnels and large rooms that they had first passed on the way in. Shade felt relief wash over her and flow through her, as she caught sight of the great doors. The doors creaked open and a stream of early morning sun beamed in and grew wider to meet them. Shade upped her pace and laughed when she felt the rush of the cool spring morning air. The sun was warm on her face and the tension she had been feeling seemed to ease up. Somehow, she knew she was not going to miss the Teleen Caverns.

Chapter Nine

They headed up around the base of one of the mountains, which were the top of the caverns they had called home for a few days. The trail winded around lazily, through a canyon, made from a dry dead river. The path was packed with flakey clay, and crunched underfoot. There were also rocks that were smoothed by centuries of water, and littered the ground in different sizes. There were signs of drought as they walked along the bed of the river and spied dead bushes and wilted desert sage. In the air was the occasional scent of sage bushes and wildflowers; but there was also a slight odor of old rot mixed in with the sand.

The sand got into everything, it clung to her pants and shoes and gritted against her skin inside her sneakers and socks. She had to stop and empty the dust and gravel out of her shoes quite often, while sitting on the smooth boulders that jumped into their way throughout the path. The advantage of the canyon was that there were a lot of shady areas blocking off the blaring sun and the heat that built with day wearing on. The occasional desert lizard or jackrabbit darted across their paths. They shimmied their bodies into the cracks of earth beneath the stones or bushes. How anything could survive out here for any period of time was mind-boggling. Water was scarce and Shade was giving thanks, she was grateful she had some to enjoy.

The group stopped for a rest under a large overhang of striped red, white, and orange stone. It hovered over them like a massive giant, threatening to fall at any moment. Ewan assured her it would not fall, that it was well anchored in the ground and was more under the ground than above. Shade sat at the edge of its shadow; she wanted to be ready in case she had to bolt and avoid being crushed alive. She opened her pack and pulled out her canteen. She drank quickly, the cool water felt refreshing as it tumbled down her throat. She would have to thank Jack for her canteen, and she was amazed that it refilled itself with the magical water.

She also pulled out a bag of rations and started munching on the nuts, dried jerky meat and flat bread included in the bag. She immediately felt more alert and not so tired. She glanced around them and noticed how the desert seemed to be blending into a more grassy and bushy area. Off in the distance she noticed greenery weaving itself into the barren desert. It grew thicker and thicker the farther away from them. Great pines and coniferous trees shone small but bright in color, speckling the mountainsides. She wondered if they would be heading into that forest before nightfall.

Dylan parked himself at the edge of the shadows too, but not too close to be considered sitting with her. He had his head down and was also stuffing bits of food into his mouth. He spoke with no one in the group at all. If he was angry or sad, it didn’t show; but his antisocial behavior clued her in on what he must be feeling.

It was tempting sitting there to push herself closer to him and try and pry some information out of him. As she studied him he didn’t seem hostile, but he wasn’t exacting welcoming either.

Sary, Braelynn, and Stephen sat together and chatted loudly. They were in good spirits and enjoying the outdoors; it seemed as if they had felt suffocated underground too. They had told Shade they were grounded to the earth, but they drew their powers from the outdoors. The sun, nature, and life was needed for their strength, and not just stone. Maybe they needed the beautiful life outside to fill their powers. Ewan, Than, Soap and Jack were also sitting near each other; mostly being quiet as they chomped on their rations. They chatted amongst themselves and occasionally laughed and nodded with full mouths. Their manners were a bit atrocious but it made Shade giggle to herself. She was enjoying their company and they were beginning to feel like a surrogate family.

Speaking of family, Shade’s thoughts wandered to her mother and siblings. What were they doing just now? Did any of them really even remember her? She wondered how strong the memory charm Ilarial had used on her family had been. She felt a sinking feeling in her stomach that she ignored. It’s going to be okay. She stopped eating her snacks and closed her eyes thinking about the times they had gone camping when she was younger and her father was still alive.

Camping was a constant distraction from the everyday problems her family had faced. She would share her tent with her younger sister, Anna. She was three years younger than her and most of the time quite a pest. She enjoyed following Shade around like a puppy, which was very annoying. Anna would butt into Shade’s stuff or activities all the time; and she would mess with her Barbie dolls, kick her arrangements over or even resort to just stealing the toy or accessory. Shade hated it at the time but now, she would give anything to have Anna bugging the crap out of her. Maybe she would be sitting with her, sharing food, and drawing in the fine sand with a twig. Anna did have a great big imagination; she would tell Shade the longest stories about her day at school or simply made one up, and always seemed to take hours to tell it just right. She would love to hear an Anna story right now.

She felt the sting of tears in her eyes and looked down before anyone else would notice. She took a bite of jerky and tried to distract her thoughts by concentrating on chewing the tough meat. She felt very alone; though she knew her new friends would not let anything happen to her. She still longed for her best friend Brisa, who could be counted on for a quick joke when things were bad. She pulled her cell phone out of her pack and stared at the reception bars. For one reason or another, they were nonexistent, even out here, above ground.

She felt the tears break their tension on her lids and slide warmly down her cheeks as she stuffed the phone back into the pack. Pulling her knees up to her chin, she nuzzled them with her face, hiding in her skin.

This will not last forever and soon I’ll be home. She sniffled and pulled a soft washcloth from her pack, wiping her face and clearing her drippy nose. She sighed, stuffing the cloth back into the pack and jumped with a start, realizing Dylan had crouched down and was staring at her with his intense, steel-grey eyes. His face was alert and watching her, as if waiting for some sort of word from her.

“What?” Her voice came out sharper than she had meant it to but she did not like him interrupting her melancholy memories.

“You’re in distress.”

She fought the urge to be a smart ass. “Really, you think so?” She snapped.

He smirked and blinked, settling down next to her as if he had been invited. “Don’t get angry, I only meant to help. I am blood bound to serve you, aren’t I? Well if you are in distress, I can feel it now, and I have to try and fix it. I am compelled to; it’s part of the magic.” He was looking at the dirt where he sat.

Shade watched him as his face seemed to freeze into his own memories and his hand sifted through the fine sand. The stillness surrounding him froze him like stone. She waved her hand in front of his face to break his gaze. “Are you alright?” She stared at him as he returned from wherever he had gone.

His eyes flashed back at her, as he snapped out of his thoughts. “What do you care?” He asked coldly.

Shade pulled her gaze away first and glared back at the ground, smearing her tears away with the back of her hand. He was so mean his words felt sharp and put an ache in her chest. “I just thought that maybe, um, well I…oh never mind.” She pressed her lips together and shook her head. It was entirely useless to talk to Dylan; the walls he built around himself were too thick. She could almost feel her pressing up against it, just sitting there next to him. His resentment was palpable.

“Why don’t you just go away?” She asked irritated and started scooting away, when he grabbed the sleeve of her hoodie. She looked up, expecting an angry glare but found an ocean of concern floating behind his eyes. His mouth tensed up firmly with unexpectedly seriousness.

“I would but I can’t. Like a cord between us, it binds me to you. Where you go, I must then follow. If you go too far, I am compelled to search for you until I find you. If I try to run, I would freeze in my own steps and be made to turn back. I am anything but free, I’m your slave. I intend to see this to its finality and end it.” He snickered then and let her go. “Til death do us part, Shade.” He ripped off a bite of his jerky and chewed without looking at her again.

She didn’t try to leave again. A tight knot had formed in her stomach, making her want to throw up. Nothing about this seemed right. She could feel the suffocation that bound them pressing down on Dylan. She didn’t even like him and didn’t believe he liked her, for that matter. It was like having to choose the kid that no one ever picks for your team in gym class. You didn’t want to do it but you had to and it sucked.

“Alright everyone, let’s get going again. We have to make it to the emerald forest of the River Lands before nightfall; that is where we will stop for the night.” Ewan waved to the group as everyone jumped to their feet, slinging packs on and re-strapping weapons on.

Shade stood up and watched as Dylan re-strapped his sword sheath over his thin armor. He stretched his arms and legs as he stood, well defined muscles rippled in his arms. He had a slight golden brown tan that meant he had seen some kind of sun. She wondered if the Teleen guards were the only ones that spent some time outside the caverns. The queen had been so chalky pale, just like most of the other Teleen people had been. Their complexion hid the blue electrical fire that dwelled within them well. She had some unanswered questions about them and wondered whom she could ask. She glanced at Dylan, pondering for a moment to ask him but decided she would ask the others first. Dylan would be the one to go for answers when there was no other choice, literally as last resort.

She jogged up to Sary and fell into step with her. Stephen moved to the side when he spotted her and smiled, nodding to her as she passed. He and Sary seemed always glued to each other’s side. Shade flushed at the thought of them as lovers; of the entire group, these two were the most inseparable.

“Yes dear, everything alright?” Sary’s sweet voice flowed from her cherry red lips. She was quite pretty, beautiful actually. It was no wonder that she was royalty. Why she would be out here in the middle of who knows where, getting dirty, grimy and really sweaty? Shade would never understand it.

“Um, I was wondering about something.”

“What are you wondering about?”

“Why I didn’t get burned, when Darren touched me? I didn’t get electrocuted or burned, like Jack told me I would. He wasn’t in glamour at all and Jack and Soap said that if you touch a Teleen when they are not glamoured, you could get electrocuted or burned. Darren seemed surprised that I didn’t, he was frustrated at first that I wasn’t being hurt. Then I think he found it fascinating and intriguing.” She heard her voice quiver with the lump forming in her throat. She could see everything so clearly in her mind, like it was happening all over again.