Free Shadows of Time: Shadow Maiden by B.R. Nicholson Page A

free, let alone risk their life.
    Yet, despite his comprehension, his mouth
itched to smile back. He reached out for her hand and rose to his
feet. The din of crashing glass and muffled screams fluttered down
the corridor. Merrick gazed at the direction of the chaos, grasping
for what to do. In his vision, there was no band of mercenaries or
any others for that matter. The woman he saw was alone. She may be
hiding. He nodded to himself, his mind firm with his decision.
    With his hand still firmly set around
Amaeya’s, he turned from the screams and roars to the still end of
the hall. His legs were moving before he knew it, pumping viciously
as he peeked through darkened doorways.
    “Make sure no one comes up behind us,” he
said, his words a rough whisper. Amaeya nodded at him and then
fixed her eyes to the opposite end of the corridor.
    He passed door after door, each empty of life
and silent as a grave.
    Suddenly, he found himself staring at the
blank face of a locked door, his clenched fist fighting against the
unmoving knob.
    Dropping Amaeya’s hand, Merrick brought
himself close to the door. He kicked at it, bouncing off the thick
wood. He kicked again, tearing the knob from its place. His heel
throbbed viciously where it had hit metal, but Merrick had come too
be far to be mired down with pain.
    He poked his head into the room and gazed
deep into its shadows.
    A huddled figure sat on one of two narrow
beds. Merrick strained his eyes, hesitant about charging at the
shadow. Without warning, the shadow jumped from the bed and dashed
for the door. Merrick caught the child up into his arms, his hand
firmly placed over her mouth.
    The little girl’s eyes were wild with fright
as she struggled against him.
    “We’re not going to hurt you,” said Merrick,
whispering through clenched teeth. “You’re safe with us. We’re
trying to help you.”
    He looked into the girl’s eyes, his
expression calm. Her struggling stopped, her limbs dangling from
Merrick’s embrace. He slid his hand from her mouth and sat her on
her feet.
    “What’s going on?” Her voice was small yet
surprisingly strong. “I heard screams and shouting. I tried banging
on the door but no one came.” Her voice crackled with fear.
    Merrick was silent, not knowing whether to be
truthful or lie to the child. He could not afford to have her in a
panicked state.
    “As he said, we’ve come to help you. And a
lady that lives her. She’s in danger,” said Amaeya, knelling down
to brush the girl’s hair from her eyes and comfort her with a
smile.
    “A lady? What does she look like?”
    Merrick tilted his head, thinking. “She has
green eyes and long blond hair. She may be someone of great
importance, maybe someone—”
    The girl’s eyes opened wide as she clasped
her hand to her mouth. “—Mama.” Her words spilled out, muffled by
her fingers.
    “What is it, girl? Do you know her?” Merrick
could feel his heart race, the blood pounding in his head.
    The girl glanced at him and tore down the
hall, screaming.
    “ MAMA!”
     
     
    ***
     
     
    Evanna could feel the life squeezing out of
her. She hung there as helpless as a doll as the darkness crept its
way into her vision.
    Luthen’s head rolled back onto his shoulders,
blood smeared on his smiling face. Evanna slid from his arms and
onto the warm red-stained floor. Raising a hand to her neck, she
held the wound closed. Her skin had become dry and brittle with
age. Silvery strands of hair now framed her face instead of golden
curls.
    Luthen stood gazing into the mirror of her
vanity, running his fingers through the blood on his face. His
wrinkles smoothed and his face shifted into a stranger’s. “Much
better,” he said, running his fingers along the chiseled angle of
his jaw. “No more frumpy elf, no more withered old man. Just my
old, wonderful self.” He laughed with a voice younger and sharper
than before.
    Evanna’s breath rattled in her chest. Her
body was weak. But her mind was