2. Shadow & Bones
I t had been over an hour since Cordelia had left the castle, and Nicodemus Nightshade was growing concerned. Cordelia would sometimes disappear into the forest for hours at a time, but she was a creature of habit, and if she said she was going to be back within a certain timeframe, she always was. Her morals—much like his own—were slightly askew, but she regarded punctuality as something to be taken with the utmost seriousness. If she threatened to murder you the next day, you could be damn sure she would be very prompt about it.
The last time she’d strayed outside of her appointed time, she’d come back with a bloody knee, having fallen into a ravine, and he felt awful for not going to check on her.
It couldn’t hurt to check…
Sighing, he put aside his book, and opened the doors to the balcony. The grim arrows of the stark treetops rose to greet him, piercing through the veil of mist. Visibility was poor. Perhaps she was just walking slowly…
But she was only going to the grove just south of Manticore’s Pass to forage for herbs. It wasn’t a long trip.
No. There would be no getting anything done until he’d retrieved her.
He drew his hand around him, slow and steady, almost stroking the air. A shadow rose from his feet in the form of a wyvern. Strange to think that once upon a time, such a feat would have been difficult for him. Now, his shadows formed around him like the simple stroke of an artist’s brush, responding to commands he didn’t even utter. The wyvern flattened itself at his feet, allowing him to board, and he crouched on its back, ignoring the twinge in his left leg.
The pain reminded him that he wasn’t dressed for company. He soared back into his study, collecting his mask and long black coat. If he ran into anyone other than Cordelia, it was best to look the part. He’d been lucky, so far, that no one had caught him outright and lived to tell the tale, but when they did (and it was always a when ) he was determined to leave the appropriate impression.
Coat and mask secured to his person, he directed the wyvern outside, clicking the doors shut with a flick of his wrists to keep out the cold. He swooped over the forest, heading for the pass, keeping above the treetops while trying to catch a glimpse of the white world below. It looked like a troll was on the loose. A handful of knights were chasing it. He tried his best to stay out of sight. He was confident in his ability to best a group of knights, but not without killing them and he didn’t feel like murder today. He generally tried to avoid murder where possible—it was, after all, a messy affair—but when someone tried to kill him, he was absolutely going to kill them right back.
And sometimes, even when they weren’t trying to kill him. Sometimes, murder was the goal.
But not today.
It was a short fly to Manticore’s Pass, whereupon he dismounted and walked on foot to the grove where he knew Cordelia was heading, the wyvern vanishing at his behest. He’d forgotten his cane, which wasn’t ideal, but walking felt better than trying to balance on the back of his shadow beast while the ground beneath him was invisible. However impressive it looked, it was mighty uncomfortable. He could always summon a shadow cane if his leg started to bother him.
With the knights afoot, he decided against calling out for Cordelia, not sure how to explain his presence—or his appearance. He wondered how long that resolve would last if he didn’t find her soon.
The ground gave way beneath him. Nico’s shadow shot out under his feet, another wrapping around to steady him before he could fall. He stumbled backwards. Someone—the knights, probably, or a monster-hunter if not—had laid a trap for the troll.
He really hoped Cordelia hadn’t fallen into one. Like most mancers, she was powerless without a source, and bones were harder to come by than shadows.
He quickened his gait, walking on through the mist-shrouded trees, biting back the urge to call out. Voices sounded ahead of him. Lela?
The mists opened up. Ahead of him, standing in a glade, was Cordelia. And next to her, brandishing a sword, was a knight .
Nico’s mind jolted back to another time, with another knight, another child. To different people and a different blood-soaked blade.
Murder, it would have to be.
He whipped out a shadow slice and hurled it in the knight’s direction, barely taking the time to aim. She moved at the last second, sensing his presence, the cut only managing to strike across her knuckles. Red mist dusted the damp leaves at her feet.
The knight didn’t even drop her weapon. “Run!” she hissed.
She darted forward into the trees.
Who was she talking to? Were there others nearby? No one else emerged from the trees. Nico gave chase, summoning a wyvern to follow her on his behalf. He stopped briefly beside Cordelia. “Are you hurt?”
“No, but—”
He didn’t waste time. He needed to stay close to the wyvern. It would dissipate if he didn’t stay within a certain distance. He raced forward, ignoring the pain that sprouted in his leg, leaping over fallen trees and squelching through mud.
Who attacked a child, anyway? Even one like Cordelia who was more than capable of defending herself. Maybe the knight had seen her fingers and realised what she was. Like him, Cordelia was born a crime. If her powers had been obvious at birth, she could have been put to death before she ever had a chance to use them.
It made his blood boil to think about it.
The knight had made a sharp turn, heading towards the river. When he caught up to her, she was standing calf-deep in the stream. Doubtless, she’d been trying to disguise her tracks. She’d taken her glowstone from her belt and was holding it above her head. The light seared against the wyvern’s shadows, making it hiss though Nicodemus knew it was incapable of pain. His shadows were not alive. Not even when he wanted them to be.
The wyvern leapt into the air, winding through the bursts of light, the rays striking its limbs. The knight used her sword to direct the stone’s glow, but her aim was no match for its might.
Not stupid, then.
Nicodemus summoned another wyvern, feeling a sharp tug as it left his body. The second was always harder, like a piece of him being yanked away. He’d done a dozen before. He didn’t recommend it. He’d slept almost a full day afterwards.
But he’d make a dozen more today and crawl back to the castle, if that’s what it took to keep Cordelia safe.
The knight looked up, locking eyes with him just as the shadow lunged from his feet.
She stumbled, her foot catching on a stone, falling backwards into the river with a sharp splash. Her glowstone shot off into the water. The light rayed out, shooting daggers at her shadowy attackers.
The knight seized the moment, scrambling to her feet and pelting upstream, leaving the light to distract them.
Nico froze. There were caves up there, caves wreathed in darkness—
And without light, there were no shadows.
His wyverns soared after her, but he couldn’t follow. His leg was a column of agony. He could summon another beast to get him up there—but what was the point? The wyverns circled over the stones, snapping. One vanished entirely, engulfed by the darkness.
He didn’t fancy his chances against steel without them, and the knight appeared to be one of the plucky, resourceful kinds—not trained by the King, clearly.
He let out another flurry of shadow arrows, cutting down several trees, striking the water and rock.
He felt a bit better after that, but only just.
Cordelia crept up to his elbow. “Not that I mind you trying to kill someone, but is there any particular reason you’re so insistent upon it?”
“She drew her sword at you!”
“Oh, yeah, no. She was actually helping me get out of the hole.”
Nicodemus paused, his shadow wyvern slouching, its form still save for the smoky tendrils dancing over its body. “She was helping you?”
“Yes.”
“With a sword ?”
“She used it to get out of the hole. She was a bit of a show-off about it, actually.”
Nico threw up his hands, the shadow monster vanishing. “And you’re telling me this now? ”
“Like I said, I don’t mind if you kill her, you just seemed to be getting a bit cross and I wanted to know why.”
“You stopped me out of concern for my wellbeing?”
“‘Concern’ isn’t quite—”
“Bones, I’m touched!”
Cordelia pursed her lips, regarding him carefully. “Sarcasm?”
“No, genuine!”
“Your sarcasm and genuine voice sound very similar.”
“It’s been said,” Nico responded, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Well, now that that’s been cleared up, perhaps we should be heading home. Did you get the herbs you were searching for?”
“I did!” She gestured to a small pouch on her belt. “You don’t want to wait for the knight? ”
Nico scoffed. “It’s just one knight, Lela,” he said. “How much trouble could she possibly be?”