Page 90 of I Accidentally Hired a Shadow Walker
That hesitation. What was that about? What was he going to call me?
I shook the thoughts from my head to explain what he hadn’t known.
“When I was a young girl, I had what I thought was a dream here, in this cave, with a woman with pink eyes. She told me I was special and took me into a magical pool.” I pointed at the water behind her. “When I was in there, she cast a spell. When I woke up, for a long time, I felt uneasy about that dream. I kept trying to remember the words I heard in the water. It took a while, but I did eventually remember it. I thought the dream was just somewhat of a prophetic moment. I thought it was my powers unlocking themselves, but it was really you. I'm sorry, I don't know your name.”
“Likosa.” She smiled. “It’s nice to meet you officially. Our last encounter was brief. I wanted to keep you here longer, but I couldn’t risk it.”
“So you brought her to the Bane to unlock her abilities and then sent her back?” Raymond recounted what I told him, but there was a suspicious tone in his voice, like he recognized something in the information I hadn’t.
“Yes.” The simple word fell from her lips like a bird’s morning song.
Howdoes she do that?
“Why?” He stepped between her and me. “Why would you do any of this?”
“I just explained that.” Likosa scoffed. “I know you shadow men have a hard time listening, but this is bad, even for you.”
“No, Likosa. I know there is more to it. I know who you are.” As he spoke, the tattoos on his arms shifted like they were preparing for a fight. “You don't do things just because they feel good. You do things because they must happen. What did you see?”
“I don't owe you any explanation of my visions.” She waved him off. “Don’t come into my space and assume you know anything.”
“You had visions about me?” I asked over his shoulder. “Is that true?”
“You are an important person. That's all that matters.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “And that's why I helped you. Raymond is just paranoid because he’s been running from his past for so long.”
“What do you want with her? They told me you practically tripped over yourself to help us create those charms. Your eagerness surprised me, but there wasn’t time to question it. Now, it turns out you already knew Jericha long before she got here, which means you knew I was near her, right?” His arms flexed more as he spoke, and something in the back of my mind told me this would not end well. “And what about everything that happened with Metice and Rayna? You knew all of that too. You did the same thing with her and that pool of water, right? Why are you so interested in these women?”
“Don't strain yourself trying to connect the dots of things you can't even fathom exist.” There was a sharp cut to Likosa’s voice that betrayed her previously sweet tone. “Watch yourself, Raymond.”
“You're hiding something,” he insisted.
“Andyou're getting on my nerves,” she snapped.
“Wait, you said there are others you have found and helped? People like me.” I stepped around Raymond and ignored the way he bristled. He had questions, but suddenly, so did I. “Is it just Rayna, or are there more? Are you connected to our bloodline? You said you’re not from the Bane, right? Is that why you want to help us? To connect with us?”
“Why are you all so obsessed with this question? Can't you just say thank you?” She sighed, throwing her hands up as she walked away. “I got bored. Is that a good enough answer for you? I don't belong in the Bane. So, from time to time, I look out into the verses. I try to find something to entertain myself when it becomes too mundane around here. I found your people, the originals, in their home world. They were these intriguing beings with unique gifts, and I could not stop thinking about them. I thought of leaving the Bane and joining them, but before I could, something terrible happened: their world was all but destroyed.”
She strode towards the opulent, tall seat that echoed her own bold energy and sat at the pool's edge like a throne. Her fingers gripped the armrest as her head dropped against the tall back.
“It took so long to figure out where they were, but I knew they still existed. That magic feels so unique, one of the few with a distinct texture. After a lot of work, I traced them to Earth. I don't know why, but I could not get the idea out of my head that there was something more there. Time moved so fast on that little blue planet. By the time I found them, most of them died out, but not all of them.
Some adapted. They lived in that dismal world, and they bred with the humans. Their babies inherited those magical genes, but over time, the sound of their magic became muted as it was buried within them. I thought it might have been lost, but I had a vision that it could be unlocked.”
“So you made it your job to do so?” I asked. “Why did it matter so much to you?”
“Why, why, why?” She sighed. “Because such beauty should not be lost. It shouldn’t quietly vanish. I’ve seen it happen—magic stolen, squashed out. I couldn’t let that happen again.”
“How many?” I asked, my throat tight with concern.
“How many what?” Her face twisted in confusion.
“How many others have you unlocked?” I looked at the water. “How many have you taken in there?”
“There have been a few others of your bloodline. They exist, but not all of them can be unlocked. Some are too resistant, but there are a few more. Now that your abilities are awakened, Rayna’s as well, it may call to them. That’s something you might want to keep an eye on.”
She looked at me with this knowing expression, and I immediately thought of my sister. Could she also be awakened?
“You know the others,” Likosa continued. “They are a little more resistant to the change, but you took right to it. You even got your first companion shortly after we met, right?”
