Shadow's Arc

Chapter 8 of 8

The stone hall rose gray against the trees. Shadow and Emma circled its base. The front door stood shut. No horn would open it now. They ran their hands along the cold stone and found no crack, no window, no gap. Then Emma stopped. A low slot near the ground, half hidden by weeds. Air breathed out of it, warm and stale. A drain. Wide enough to crawl through. They squeezed inside. The tunnel dumped them into a dark room. Dust hung thick. On a table sat an open book, its purple cover marked with silver runes and a glowing orange stone. Their father's spellbook. Shadow's throat tightened. This was where Felix worked his dark magic. Emma reached for the book. Shadow caught her wrist. "Leave it. That's his. It only helps him." A door creaked. Felix stepped in. Purple hair, purple goatee, the dark key swinging on his chest. He smiled the way he always did before he hurt someone. "My children. You found the back way." His hand lifted. Green fire pooled in his palm. "You should not have." Shadow charged. Felix threw the bolt. It missed and cracked the wall. Shadow swung his axe at his father's arm. Felix twisted away. Emma came from the side, oak blade high. Felix ducked, snatched the spellbook off the table, and pressed it open. The orange stone flared. The room filled with light. "Cover your eyes!" Shadow shouted. Emma turned her face. The light burned white, then faded. When Shadow looked again, Felix stood between them and the door, book raised like a shield. He fired again. Shadow rolled. The bolt scorched his hood. He understood then. The book fed his father. As long as Felix held it, he could summon fire faster than they could swing. "Emma, the book!" Shadow lunged low and hooked his axe behind his father's knee. Felix stumbled. The spellbook slipped in his grip. Emma dove and struck it with her handle. The book flew from Felix's hands and skidded across the floor. Felix reached for it. Shadow stepped on the cover. The orange stone dimmed under his boot. "No more," Shadow said. Felix's hand shot to the key on his chest. He tore it free and slammed it into the far wall. A hidden door swung open. Green fire swallowed him. When it cleared, Felix was gone. The door hung open on a dark stair. Shadow picked up the spellbook. It was heavy and cold. He looked at the open door where his father had fled. "He ran," Emma said, breathing hard. "But he ran up. There's nowhere left above us." Shadow read the book and it said resurrection