Page 18 of Shadows in Bloom

I fumbled, pondering what else I could form with my magic. A cat? No, that would cause the same issue. An object? Or a person? Eventually, I settled on a humanoid form and drew in a shaky breath as I once again focused my mind.

Darkness began to pool in the grass until the shape of feet became visible. Then legs, a torso, arms, a head—until the fullfigure came into view. It was a faceless creature formed from shadow, just as the bird had been. However, this was different, eerily too familiar. I stepped back on instinct, bumping into Alandris’ chest, still behind me, gripping my shoulder to dampen the strength of my magic.

“Nicely done,” he hummed, using both hands to steady me. “Command it to walk toward the tree away from us.”

But the creature did not turn away, instead it started to walk toward us, one slow, staggered step at a time.

“Nairu?” Alandris’ voice grew distant, a whisper against the one echoing in my mind.

You call upon me, child?

Another step closer. Wisps of black swirled around the creature’s arms like roots.

You are still far too weak, but you’ve improved. Do I have the Elven mage to thank for that?

Another step, and the faint sound of Alandris calling out to me again.

Or is he a distraction?

This time, the creature lunged forward as a dark tendril shot forth from its hands, aiming straight for the two of us.

“No!” I shouted, breaking out of the trance.

Suddenly, the world was too loud, and I found myself jumping forward to shield Alandris, severing his grasp on my shoulder, and thus, his hold on my magic. For a moment, the world went black, and I stumbled backward. It was then I felt a firmarm wrap around my stomach, pulling me back sharply, as a violent wall of flame shot up in front of me.

When the fire dissipated, the shadow creature, too, was gone. All that remained was singed grass, the smell of smoke, and the sound of winded breaths behind me. Panic rushed up inside of my gut, and I turned around, still tucked under the arm of the one who’d saved me. My heart sank into my chest when I saw him, and the inky tendrils creeping up the side of his neck and jaw, staining his skin with the sign of my magic gone wrong. I’d felt the excruciating pain of them last time, but I could only imagine how it felt to be covered in so many of them.

“I’m-I’m so, so sorry. Alandris, I—”

“It’s quite alright.” He smiled to reassure me, but he struggled to speak the words, wincing between breaths. He was fooling neither of us. “The marks will fade as they did before.”

“I don’t know what happened… It was like I was somewhere else.” I sucked in my bottom lip. I couldn’t meet his eyes for my shame.

Alandris loosened his hold on me, dropping his arms to his side. “I think we should have that chat now.”

I gave my best effort to help him walk toward a log a short way away, where we could sit, but my small frame provided little boost, considering his height. The entire walk he limped, and with each crunch of the grass beneath us, he struggled to withhold a groan. All the while, I ground my teeth to nothing with guilt. Getting Alandris seated was another feat in and ofitself. Once he’d gently eased himself down onto the log, I took a seat on the opposite end, keeping my distance.

“What happened there?” He sighed in relief as he leaned back.

I stared at the marks on his neck, refusing to meet his eyes. I thought I might be able to relax enough to face him if I watched them recede. “That thing… it spoke to me. I couldn’t hear or see anything else. It was all fading away faster and faster as it moved toward us.”

“Interesting.” He pulled his long, black hair back, knotting it out of the way, so he could rub at his neck. “What did it say?”

“That I was weak. That you…” I hesitated. I knew if I told the truth, he would most likely be afraid of me—see me as a monster, like everyone else did.

Alandris scooted closer, his face struggling to mask the pain. He took my hand in his. “Please, look at me. I’m not angry with you. I understood the risk.”

I looked up at him. As he said, I did not find anger there, only concern, swimming in those icy blue irises. I trusted him, and I cursed myself for even considering that he couldn’t be earlier. “It asked me if you were a distraction. That’s when it lurched forward.”

“Have you seen it before? Heard it?”

I thought back on the shadow creature, on why it seemed so familiar. The voice was a sick and twisted mimicry of my own. Like the nightmare I’d had. The mirror. Not so easily explained. “Only in a dream,”I settled on.

Alandris scrunched his mouth. “Would you be opposed to me inquiring about your magic to my mentor? I know you keep to yourself, but I believe he would be able to provide valuable insight.”

“I don’t think Kallistra would approve…”

“You said she’s your captor.”

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