Page 60 of Two Thousand Shadows

“Let’s push on. We still haven’t reached the spot Marcus indicated on the map,” Xiao Dan ordered.

Junjie marched with Xiao Dan, Huli, Yichen, and Rei through the woods to investigate a potential spot for another fae ritual as a team of Variks examined a separate location. The rest of the Zhang clan remained at the manor, prepared for yet another attack by Jiang Chong.

As much as he dreaded a massive battle with the fae, Junjie was equally tired of this stalemate they’d reached. They had been unsuccessful in locating Trin’s or Jiang Chong’s hiding spots. The fae knew where to find the Zhang clan, but they appeared unwilling to attempt a direct assault, thanks to Kai’s presence.

That left the fae with one option—send in Jiang Chong to create chaos and fear within the clan while the fae bolstered their position.

The one good thing out of all this was that Leo had promised to remain at the manor and protect Erik while he was away. Thatfelt safer for both of them, and Junjie could focus on the task in front of him.

Out of their group, only Huli seemed to be enjoying himself. The fox would run ahead of them, sniffing the air and searching for any sign that the fae were in the area. After several minutes, he would return, running straight to Xiao Dan, circling him as if checking to make sure he’d come to no harm. His tails flicked and fluttered about him and Shixiong. The things acted as if they had minds of their own, and yet all they probably thought about was Xiao Dan.

“Do you smell any fae in the area?” Xiao Dan asked on Huli’s most recent return.

Huli sniffed the air twice and sneezed. “Hints here and there, but nothing fresh. Of course, if they’re downwind of us, I have no hope of detecting them until it’s too late.”

Xiao Dan ran his hand along the top of Huli’s head. “It’s the coming storm. No one is blaming you for that.”

Huli darted a short distance away from Xiao Dan to run up a fallen log that had one end wedged in the dirt and the other balanced several meters in the air on a flat rock. The fox stood at the top, his head held high and chest puffed up. Behind him, his nine fluffy tails danced in the wind like a cape.

“What do you think, Gege? Am I impressive now? Like one of the superheroes,” Huli called out.

Xiao Dan walked to the fox. “Huli is always impressive.” His hand moved on Huli’s head to get a spot right behind his ear and Huli’s mouth fell open, showing off rows of sharp, pointed teeth. He would have looked vicious if his long pink tongue hadn’t lolled out the side of his mouth.

Just when Junjie thought he would have to nudge his shixiong and the fox spirit into continuing their journey, Huli’s head snapped up, his ears erect and turning on his head. Junjie couldn’t tell if he smelled something on the wind or heardsomething above the rattling of the branches, but he was alert while the rest of their team stood silent, hands sliding for their weapons.

“Get down!” Rei shouted.

The words were still leaving Rei’s lips when Huli dove straight into Xiao Dan, knocking him to the ground. Junjie fell to the dirt and rolled to a large tree. The wind eased, and he could hear the approach of dozens of feet as they ran through the forest toward them. Bow strings twanged and arrows thunked into thick tree trunks. He peered out from behind the wide maple to see at least twenty elves racing in their direction with bows and swords drawn. Only one of them was on horseback.

“Trin.” Rei’s voice became a vicious snarl as he launched himself from his hiding spot. The wind nearly carried Yichen’s curse away, but the vampire didn’t hesitate to follow his mate into the fight.

“Huli, the horse!” Xiao Dan pointed at the magnificent beast, sending Huli in for the attack.

The fox raced forward, getting ahead of Rei to lunge at the horse. The beast was still larger than the fox, but Huli could maneuver faster, avoiding the creature’s hoofs as it kicked and bucked. Other elves tried to attack Huli as the fox worked to unseat Trin, but they didn’t have a chance. Both Xiao Dan and Junjie joined the fight, protecting the fox and cutting through their adversaries.

Trin roared in frustration as he gripped the horse’s reins with his left hand while trying to swipe at Huli with the black onyx sword in his right. Trin’s sword swung too close and clipped the tip of one of the fox’s tails. A pained yelp ripped from Huli, and Xiao Dan cried out.

“No!”

In the blink of an eye, brilliant sunlight cut through the forest. The forest of maples, oak, and pine changed to greenbamboo. Junjie cringed for a heartbeat, his body instinctively fearing the sunlight, only to realize that none of it was real. Xiao Dan had called on his powers to wrap them in a massive illusion.

And just like he always did when he panicked, Xiao Dan had taken them back thousands of years to the time of their human existence.

Junjie glanced down to find that he was in a deep-green robe with leaves stitched into it with a fine blue thread. His throat tightened. He’d always loved this garment, but it hadn’t had a chance at surviving the long years.

Close to him, Xiao Dan and Yichen were dressed in old-fashioned robes while Rei and Huli had vanished. The elves had paused for a breath, seeming stunned by the shift in their surroundings.

“You think you can stop us with this weak glamour?” A dark and twisted chuckle escaped Trin’s throat, and he pointed his sword at Xiao Dan. “No one is better at glamour than the fae.”

As he spoke, tiny holes dotted the air as if embers had fallen on Xiao Dan’s illusion, burning holes. With each passing second, the openings were growing larger and larger. The sparkling sunlight was fading, and the bamboo stalks were disappearing. Even Junjie’s emerald-green robe was fading from existence.

Shoving aside the lingering feelings of loss, Junjie jumped into the fight, slashing one elf across the throat while he was still distracted. A troll-like creature blocked his blade with his staff at the last moment and darted away with a high-pitched squeal.

“I don’t need my glamour to be better than the fae’s. I just need mine to distract you.”

As the wind carried away Xiao Dan’s words, Trin’s horse’s panicked shrieks pierced the night. The horse bucked, kicking out its hind legs and then its front. As the last of Xiao Dan’s illusion dissipated, Huli appeared and chomped on one of the horse’s legs.

One more wild kick and Huli flew off, but so did Trin.

---