Nightbound: Curse of Shadows

1

   "Come on, it's alright. It's just a scrape."
   "I know, but it still hurts," I said, sniffling. My foot was stinging.
   Thunderstorm draped her wing over my back. "Yeah. But we've both survived more than that," she said with a hint of a smile. "Honestly, I think anything else we go through from now is nothing compared to where we've been."
   I grinned. "Can you just imagine how much trouble we'd be in if we were free?" I asked as she traced my vision to the glassy energy barrier around the desolate mountains.
   "Honestly? Much more than this. But it'd be worth every bit of it. And we'll always have each other. No matter what."
   "No matter what."
   No matter what.
   We'd promised each other time and time again that we'd always be together. But it had been years since I'd seen her. I hadn't even seen a hint of her existence since the night the barrier had collapsed and the sky dragons had escaped the strange prison. Her or my mother. A week later, my father was gone, too.
   Thunderstorm was the person who made me wonder why soulmate had romantic connotations.
   But she was only with me in my memories now. The worst part was that I'd started getting used to her being gone. The chill in the air felt colder than being alone. For some reason I wanted the pain of being away from her back. Maybe I just didn't want to keep thinking of her like she was dead. Even though she probably was.
   I'd had blue scales then. Shifting colors slightly as they had to with day and night. Now they were just dark. Everyone says Shadows like me are evil. Maybe they are and I just haven't quite realized it. How would I know? If I met anyone tonight they would die. It's not like I could ask.
   "Maybe we're wrong about Shadows, and they aren't actually evil. What if we're just scared for no reason?" the last friend I'd ever had once wondered. "Or maybe they are. I can't imagine them working with Araktine against their will and not sneaking off."
   Or maybe they were right. I got up anyway. Kazra was gone. It wasn't like she'd come back from the dead or wherever she was to explain it to me.
   It's not that I've gotten used to death. I can't imagine ever getting over it. It's never gotten easier watching someone bleed out on the ground. I guess I just know what to expect.
   I stepped out of the cave and into the light of the moons. Colors scattered across the ground between patches of silver. If I couldn't have sunlight, at least I could have this.
   I spread my wings and took off from the mountaintop. Trees stretched endlessly below. A few nervous creatures peeked out, but the moment they looked up and saw me they ducked back into wherever they had been. The way they saw it, I, the Phantom, was the monster roaming the night, ready to pick them off as I saw them. It didn't matter what was overhead or how sure they were. People were wary of anything that flew at night. It would be funny if they weren't right to be.
   I've talked to people, asked what they think of me. They say that the Phantom is always hunting for a new victim. Always searching for the next person to murder. Those talks never ended well. They ended up dead. It's not me stalking people. It's Araktine who slaughters anyone I speak to. It wouldn't matter if I could convince them I was good.
   The only people I was hunting for were my sister and parents and the Star, the Arere Luxra. And I didn't want any of them dead.
   Two deer crept cautiously below, more wary of predators than murderers: it was all the same to Ta'ar prey-creatures.
   I killed one before it saw me coming and settled down to eat, hoping nobody would bother me. If I spoke to them, they would die. If they spoke to me, there was a good chance they would die.
   Something rustled in a bush behind me, and it wasn't the wind.
   I slowly turned around. It was a small black bear, less than half my size.
She saw me at the same time as I saw her. Her eyes widened in terror. My heart thudded in my chest. If I spoke a single word, or even gave a single signal that she would be okay, Araktine would come slinking out of the trees, claws smoking with darkness, ready to do his business.
   Don't speak, don't speak, don't speak...
   "Y- you're the Phantom, aren't you?" she stammered. I wanted to say no. Or at least that she was safe.
   But she wasn't. Glowing golden eyes appeared behind her, the cold gaze raking over her like search lights.
   I stood up, flexing my claws. The bear seemed frozen in fear. Araktine stepped out a little farther.
   I sprung over the bear's head and almost slammed into him, but he dodged easily. The panther was in the open now, anyway. I had more space to move. I slashed at him, but he dodged before I could get more than a patch of fur. He broke away barely ruffled with his tail twitching. The bear hadn't moved. He leaped toward her and I reached out to stop him. It was too late. He had her.
   She was gone.
   He turned to me with victory gleaming in his eyes, seeming to illuminate the golden markings around them. I could see the scars on his back in the moonlight. I wished I could say I had done it, but it was long before I was even hatched. Before I could even blink, he was gone.
   I looked at the bear. I couldn't tell if my heart was aching. It didn't feel much different from the night before.
   It would be so easy.
   The thought surprised me, but I didn't know why. I'd thought it before, more times than I'd wanted to, but not like this. I felt weirdly lightheaded thinking it, but I didn't shut the thought down immediately.
   It would be so easy just to go with it.
   Everyone already thinks I'm a murderer.
   Nothing would change except I really would be a killer. Nobody would notice anything.
   I curled my claws into a tight fist, letting my talons prick my palm. I clenched my eyes shut. I didn't know what it would be like, directly killing someone. At least now I could blame it on Araktine, even though I was getting credit for his crimes, even though my work went unnoticed.
   It would be nice to be noticed for once... For something I did, since what I'm doing now gets ignored.
   I couldn't, though. I couldn't kill anyone.
   But why not? They haven't done anything for me.
   They're innocent.
   Nothing would change for me.
   I'd be a murderer.
   So what?
   My eyes cracked open.
   So what? I'd be a murderer. Nothing would change in anyone else's eyes.
   Thunderstorm...
   Thunderstorm's probably dead by now. Why do I even bother?
   It would be so easy...