Humanity 03 - Marksman Law (4 page)

“
Tina, your Dad wouldn’t
like that idea.”

Tina rolled her eyes. “I make my own
decisions. I’m almost eighteen.”

“
Tina…your family has done
so much for me. I don’t want you in danger.”

Tina winked and drew the cap of her
black hoody up. “They won’t even know who I am.”

Mirage sighed at the stubborn
expression on the human’s face. “I don’t have a choice, do
I?”

“
Nope. We’re not going to
be gone long.”

“
Fine.” Mirage grabbed her
shoulders, embracing her powers. There was a reason that Children
of the Dusk rarely transported through shadows. There had been some
that had lost themselves in the power. Mirage heard horror stories
about being careful when she was little. She was good at it though,
mainly because she trusted her powers more than she could ever
trust a living being. It was all about trust and being
calm.

It would take a lot of energy
transporting them both, but she promised herself a rest after this
last thing. “Don’t fight this and trust me.” Her runes began to
glow, faintly at first before they brightened and reflected in
Tina’s wide eyes. Her powers swirled around them before shadows
trailed from the scarlet marks. Her vision blackened for an instant
before the image cleared and they were in the top of a tree. Tina
stumbled, unable to balance on the round branch, and Mirage caught
her by the arm. Tina bit her lip to keep from crying
out.

“
Why are we in a tree?”
Tina demanded.

“
Shut up and tell me if
you see anyone. My eyes are adjusting.”

She hesitated. “Can you keep holding
on to me like this?”

“
Tina, don’t worry about
it. I’m a bit stronger than a human. I’m not going to drop you.
Just, please, tell me what you see.”

There was a pause before she said,
“There’s a police car parked in front of your neighbor’s, but
there’s no one at your house.”

“
Good. Can you be
quiet?”

“
Please,” Mirage could
hear the sarcastic eye roll in the word. “The Altruistics always
use me for stuff like this.”

Mirage lifted her up back onto the
branch. “Take hold of my shoulders. We’re going to travel again.”
Tina clutched tightly to her and Mirage allowed the shadows to
cover her body. In a moment, they were crouched in the rubble of
her home. Only one wall stood against the hallway and they hurried
behind it immediately.

“
That is a
very
uncomfortable
experience,” Tina muttered.

“
You’re the one who wanted
to come along.”

After a moment, Tina whispered, “Where
was your room?”

“
Follow me.” Mirage took
her hand and led her past the standing wall into a burned entrance
way. Most of the ceiling had caved in, but she could vaguely
recognize the remnants of a bed and dresser. Like she’d imagined,
the nightstand was barely burned. She pointed and Tina nodded. She
went toward it as Mirage’s powers pulsated against her glowing
runes. She used the shadows to jerk the burned drawers open. The
clothing that was in there was ruined, her hidden journals
blackened beyond recognition. The tendrils of shadows searched
better than dogs, sniffing for her power.

“
Is this it?” Tina asked.
She held out the small black book that was so precious to her. Her
shadows grabbed it from her and brought it to Mirage before resting
beside her body like obedient animals. She smiled.

“
Did you find anything
else worth taking?”

“
Hey, what about this?”
Tina stood from where she’d been crouched and she was holding a
torn sheet of paper. “It’s a little damaged, but I can’t believe it
survived.”

“
What is it?”

“
Whoever drew this is an
excellent artist. It looks just like you. It’s
beautiful.”

Mirage swallowed. She opened her mouth
to tell Tina to throw the damn thing down, but she couldn’t bring
herself to say it. Instead, she heard herself say, “Yeah. We’ll
take that. Pick up those few journals beside it and we’ll go.
There’s nothing else.”

Tina obeyed her and they were about to
leave when a shot sounded above her head and the doorway beside her
head shuddered as a bullet hit it. Mirage ducked immediately, her
shadows rising as a protective barrier around her body. More flowed
from her body, coiling like striking snakes.

“
Mirage, no!” Tina grabbed
her shoulder. “Don’t hurt him.”

Mirage shrugged away. “I’m not going
to kill him. I just need to knock him out.”

Tina shook her head.
“Mirage…”

The second shot seemed to pause
time.

Tina’s sentence was cut off as Mirage
watched her eyes widen. She stumbled forward and only Mirage’s
hands on her shoulders kept her from falling.

“
Oh, God, Tina…” Mirage
could smell the sharp tang of blood and she watched Tina’s black
hoody darken as it saturated with blood.

“
Mirage…” Tina coughed as
Mirage picked her up. A quick glance at the policeman told her that
he was making his way closer, trying to get a clearer shot. She
embraced her shadows before he could and shrouded them both in
their comforting presence, traveling back to her home. She lay Tina
down on the kitchen floor and blood immediately began to stain the
white tile.

“
Listen to me, Tina,”
Mirage said as she ripped through Tina’s hoody and shirt without
effort. “Everything is going to be alright. I’m not going to let
you die.” If Tina heard her, then she was unable to answer. Mirage
tried not to think about that—she promised herself that it would be
okay. She wasn’t a strong Illuminitican, but if she worked quickly,
her abilities should be enough to heal her.

Mirage shivered.
Despite the consequences
, her conscious whispered. She ignored the worry—the side
effects of being healed would be better than Tina dying. She
couldn’t break Kinely’s trust…no matter what.

Mirage’s movements were methodical and
instinctive. She refused to allow herself to think as the designs
that decorated her hand began to glow blue. There was a new pain as
her powers flowed into Tina’s skin. The human’s skin glowed blue
and Mirage felt her consciousness begin to weaken. There was
something wrong with her powers. She barely realized the wound on
Tina’s stomach had closed up before she fell against the human.
There was an odd ringing in her ears.

“
Not yours, Mirage. Not
yours to control.”

Mirage panted, trying to stay
conscious. The burning pain had spread, even though she’d stopped
using her power. The whispered words echoed in her throbbing head,
her only company as she passed out. Who had spoken?

In the back of her mind she could feel
something—someone who was watching. She was vaguely aware of a
shower, of fear and resentment, and of Michael’s screaming voice.
In that instant she realized something.

She was bound to him.

The Shadow Cords called to her as she
blacked out. She was bound to him by the Shades. She remembered the
last thing she’d said to him, something she hadn’t even meant to
say when the Shades had circled them. Something she hadn’t even
understood.

“
Bring peace, Parlinn, and
learn from the past’s echo your sins.”

Corrine Shroud lives in the
Appalachian rural reaches of Kentucky with her family, her dog
Scooper and her cat Jaded. She’s a Robinson Scholar and is
currently attending the University of Kentucky, majoring in pre-Med
Biology and Minoring in Mythology and Folklore. Her family is large
and loving and she has three younger brothers. She lives in a
beautiful culture-rich area that has inspired her and that she’s
proud of. She’s an avid reader and writer and is obsessed with
anything of the obscure.