Shadow's Rising {Wing 6} Chapter 6 (Part 2)

Chapter 6

A Devilish Deal

Part 2

Shadow looked up into the void the thread connected to and felt curiosity burning within him. He wanted to know more about this power and about Bellum too. Shadow closed his eyes and felt for Bellum’s consciousness but didn’t sense it.

Shivering with curiosity and excitement, Shadow entered the void. The instant he did everything became muffled, but when he pushed deeper he found a dark, shadowy memory. 

Shadow felt himself enter the body of Bellum, who stood just outside an ancient dungeon cell. Inside the cell was a green-eyed Night Wing hissing curses and rattling the bars. Then he felt part of himself enter the cursing Night Wing’s mind, forcing his way through the mental barriers and into the dragon’s inner thoughts. Shadow could see the Night Wing’s body twist and contort as he tried to resist the mental invasion, but Bellum’s will was too strong. He contained the Night Wing’s mind, severing its connection to its body.

With a snap of Bellum’s fingers, the Night Wing’s body stood at attention. Shadow could feel his satisfaction, but a moment later the Night Wing’s mind began to shake and his body began to tremble. Bellum tried to force it back under his control but the tension became too great. Shadow felt a snap as the dragon’s mind collapsed and the shock sent vibrations down into his spine.

Bellum snarled in frustration, but Shadow was frozen in shock. The dragon’s body had collapsed almost instantly but he wasn’t dead. His eyes wandered aimlessly as his mouth hung open, drool dripping off his tongue. His body wasn’t dead but the dragon might as well have been. In the dim green of its eyes Shadow saw no trace of whoever it once was.

Shadow felt himself begin to tremble and the whole memory started to shake, then he was suddenly ejected from Bellum’s mind with such force his head slammed into the bars behind him.

What are you doing!? Bellum roared in Shadow’s head. Shadow cowered and hid his face in shame.

I told you not to go poking around. I thought I could trust you to respect at least that much. He may have been human but I thought Jarid taught you better than that.

Shadow felt crushed. He had broken Bellum’s trust so quickly. But more than that, he had disappointed Jarid. An overwhelming need to make it up to him flooded Shadow’s mind. He had never felt so ashamed in his life, but even now he couldn’t shake off what he’d seen. Bellum seemed to sense this and answered his question before he could ask.

You want to know what that was? Well I’ll tell you. That was what it took to learn the power I’ve so graciously given to you. Years of tormenting criminal minds. Feeling them snap, pop and turn to mush while I was still a part of them. For the first time in centuries I wanted to give someone a kindness because I saw myself in them, but you had to stick your nose where it didn’t belong. Congratulations, foolish little Night Wing. Now you will see this memory whenever you try to help your friends and that fear will make you just as powerless as you ever were. Goodbye, foolish dragonet.

“No! Please, wait!” Shadow called out, reaching upwards, but Bellum’s presence was gone. The other dragonets looked at Shadow in confusion but he hardly noticed. He slumped back down and covered his face with his talons as he began to cry. He had failed Aurora… again.

Boulder came over and placed a comforting talon on Shadow’s shoulder. I don’t know what is going on inside your head. I don’t know what to say, but I hope this is enough.

“Leave me alone!” Shadow cried as he slapped it away and curled up on the stone floor of the cell. He knew Boulder was only trying to help, but he was just too overwhelmed to handle it. It felt like anytime he did anything his friends suffered. If only I hadn’t let them come with me when I went to find Jarid, if I didn’t get bitten by the Basilisk, or even if I hadn’t convinced Tempest to rescue Ariel, they would all be fine.

Aurora would be fine.

Then Shadow felt a loud wave of voices as the crowd above started cheering. He clutched his head in agony as he tried to shut out the voices. But something amid the chaos caught his attention. It was like a flickering blip of pink among the storm of searingly loud thoughts. He wanted to shut it all out but something drove him to listen. Then it happened again. A small, meek voice nearly drowned out by all the others. Shadow’s heart began to pound as he pushed through the chaotic crowd of voices seeking to hear it again.

Ow! Please stop poking me. What did I do wrong? Tempest! Boulder! Someone please help me!

It was Aurora! Her soft and familiar voice cut through the chaos as Shadow hurried to the window so he could peek out into the arena.

The sandy floor of the arena had been leveled and a ring of guards with spears stood around the edges. Near the center of the arena a large group of gladiators stood with a variety of swords, spears, tridents, nets and small bucklers in their hands. They wore little armor save for helmets roughly shaped like dragon heads and most were bare chested showing off gleaming muscle.

The cheering crowd slowly quieted and a deep, booming voice rang out. “My most esteemed guests! Today, we have a performance unlike any other. Our brave dragon slayers have taken to the arena for a fight to the death against a most powerful threat. But I hear you whispering… Have we not seen dragons of all kinds slain in this very arena?!”

The announcer paused to let the crowd begin muttering among themselves.

“But fear not, dear patrons and honored guests, for by the request of the Sage of Humanity, we bring you a dazzling dragon never before seen in any arena… The deadly, Delphinium!”

The guards around the arena started slamming the butts of their spears into the ground with a rhythmic ‘Thud, Thud, Thud.’

A large gate opened in the far side of the arena and Aurora leapt into the arena. OWWWW! Stop poking my rear! She paused and looked around the arena, slowly shrinking back. Uh oh, I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. Heh, heh… Um…

The gate slammed closed with a loud metallic clank that made Aurora jump. “And now we begin!” the announcer called. A horn blared and the crowd cheered while the gladiators shook out their arms and got into fighting stances.

I have to help her! Shadow’s tail tapped the floor anxiously as he looked out at the sharp weapons in the gladiator’s hands and smelled the dried blood caked into the arena floor. He looked for some way to help her but the only thing he could think of was the mind control technique. Bellum’s words echoed in his mind even as he thought of it. You will see this memory whenever you try to help your friends and that fear will make you just as powerless as you ever were. Even so, he had to try, there was no other choice.

Shadow picked out the largest gladiator wielding a net and trident. He stared at him and focused only on him, trying to find his mind among the thousands in the arena. Shadow trembled with the effort and soon found who he was looking for.

This little dragon is hardly worth our time, but the sage wants a show so we’ll give him one. If we want this to be entertaining we’ll have to drag it out. Maybe I’ll start with the tail, the crowd always loves it when they leave a trail of blood.

Shadow’s brow furrowed at the man’s thoughts and he began pushing deeper into the man’s mind. First he searched for the hand holding the man’s spear and forced him to let go. As he did so, the man’s mind recognized the foreign presence and tried to push him out.

What the…? What are these emotions? Anger… fear? Not mine. My hand! What’s going on? I can’t control my hand. Argh, my head! The man groaned as he fell to his knees.

Shadow pushed back as the man’s mind tried to force him out. It felt like he was being compressed from all sides while navigating a maze to scrape muscles off the walls. But slowly and surely he was removing the man’s control of his own body. First the hands, then the arms, then the legs. But the deeper he went the more of the man’s memories flooded into him along with his pain.

His name was Marcus and he had two boys waiting at home and a beautiful wife who had passed away from a famine years ago. He became a famous dragon fighter in the arena when he joined up to provide food for his boys and they looked up to him as a hero. Their smiling faces when he came home lit up his mind with joy and determination.

Shadow’s eyes blurred as he felt Marcus’s love for them. His heart ached and he couldn’t push the man’s mind back any further. Yet the pressure from his resistance kept building and Shadow could feel cracks beginning to form. Shadow trembled as he was reminded of the sickening snap when the mind of the Night Wing prisoner had broken. This man didn’t deserve that.

Shadow stopped pushing entirely and was ejected from Marcus’s mind in a violent current of emotions.

Marcus’s body trembled as his mind settled back into place. What was that? he wondered as he looked around in confusion. One of the man’s companions went over to check on him but Shadow hardly noticed.

I couldn’t do it. I failed just like Bellum said I would. I’m not strong enough.

Shadow watched the rest of the gladiators as they slowly circled Aurora, making small jabs at her and taunting her. She jumped like a frightened cat and tried to run away as the crowd jeered and laughed. He whimpered in despair as tears trailed down his snout.

Then Shadow felt a now familiar presence in the back of his mind.

It would seem I was right, and you are unable to use my technique on your own. But fear not, young Night Wing. I am here. As your future teacher I feel obligated to help. However, you will need to regain the trust you lost…

And I know just what you can do for me to regain that trust.