Tyrant in the Shadows

Part 19

The girl was beautiful. Young, she looked Julie's age, Miriam thought. And she was the one in cahoots with the shadows? That seemed... odd. The girl looked towards the small army assembling, and smiled. Her eyes were purple. A dark purple. She looks like Julie too. Not just her age. Her face shape, her hair color. The length was different. It looked like something from a new art style that was going around. 

It was long, reaching her knees, and it flowed in the light from the torches surrounding her. The amount of shadows was unnerving. It wasn't an insanely large amount, but more than usual.

"Oh, you finally came? I was wondering how long it would take your sensors to pick up my presence," she spoke in a clipped accent. It greatly contrasted how young she was. "My father finally agreed to let me come to this world. Isn't that exciting?"

"Hello," Ivan spoke, quickly recovering from the shock of the girl's youth, "What is your name."

"My name? Minerva. I'm assuming you'll want to know what my power is next? My power is mind. I can't control you, but I can do this."

Miriam had no idea what was going on, but suddenly people were shouting. They were shouting their partner's names. Rhodes grabbed her arm, looking forward with wide, terrified eyes. He kept whispering "No" over and over again.

"Rhodes?" Miriam grabbed his arm, unwrapping his fingers that were wrapped tightly enough to hurt, "Rhodes, look at me." When he didn't, she turned to the girl, "What are you doing!?"

"To your little boyfriend? The rest of your army?" She laughed, "Well they're seeing the most painful thing they have encountered, or could encounter. Isn't it exciting?" She asked again.

"No, it's not," Miriam growled, beginning to shoot fire at the shadows.

The few not feeling the wrath of Minerva's power followed her lead. A few energy weilders, Delaney. But the shadows kept multiplying, and the girl was never touched. The five able to fight weren't holding out well, and they had to look out for those distracted with Minerva's power. She had reached her limit and couldn't control the rest. If she wanted to change her control, she would have to release everyone, and they wouldn't be as susceptible to her powers again. 

She let the shadow the King assured were coming in a constant flow protect her.

The final transport arrived and the outpost potentials got out, along with Julie.

"Sorry," one of the potentials muttered, "That girl is surprisingly terrifying."

Julie locked eyes with Minerva, and Minerva smiled again, "Ooh, you're who I was looking for. Nice of you to come to me."

"I didn't come to help you," Julie smiled back, tilting her head. She looked so innocent in that moment, like an angel. Miriam hit a shadow that came too close with a fireball. Julie looked to Miriam and smiled at her, "Thank you." 

Then she looked back to the mass of shadows and held her hand out to them. The shadows immediately rushed to her, but the couldn't touch her. A white glow surrounded the child, and when the shadows touched it, they were obliterated, leaving only white particles. The particles reformed and then dissipated.

"What the-" Delaney's eyes were wide. That was her power? What even was it?

"Oh, you ruined all my fun," Minerva pouted. She released her control on the group and turned her attention to Julie.

"Close the opening!" Delaney ordered, "Energy weilders now!"

The group shifted, energy weilders moving to the  front while the girls distracted each other. Julie was no longer able to fight the shadows, but with everyone released, they were holding on to their advantages. 

"Closed!" echoed through the group, distracting Minerva enough for Julie to get an edge. She twisted her hand, and a glow appeared around Minerva as well, though hers wasn't white.

The other girl glared, "You'll pay for this," she hissed, "Father said I could have you." And a black veil engulfed her. She had disappeared.

"Julie-" Miriam glared.

"Miri!" the small girl ran to her sister, "Miri, I'm sorry, but you couldn't beat her. Not alone, not without the other elementals," she hugged Miriam tightly, "I'm sorry," she started crying.

Miriam sighed and hugged her little sister back, "It's ok. Just- when did you learn to do that?"

Julie looked up and smiled, again causing Miriam to make the comparison to an angel, "It was instinctual."

"What was?" Ivan asked, "What was that?"

"Well, you wanted to know what my power was," Julie let go of Miriam and turned to the senior officer.

"Yeah, this doesn't answer any questions," Delaney came to stand by her partner, raising her brow, "The shadows turned white. And then just disappeared. They didn't have to get smaller. They just changed color and disappeared."

"Mhmm! That's because my power is soul, and they're just corrupted souls. They take the form of living shadows," Julie shrugged.

Ivan looked to Miriam, "You knew?"

"What? That her power was soul or that she could do this? Of course I didn't know that she could do this! She's never trained, she's never used her potential other than sensing people. You know, whether they were good or bad, where they were. I wouldn't let her because if she made a mistake she could, well, she could kill them on the spot. Release their soul and leave an empty shell of a body!"

"Anyone here could hurt people, Miriam. She should have been training."

"She's seven!"

"Yeah. And probably stronger than anyone else here. Or anywhere except maybe that mind kid. Where did she go, anyway?"

Miriam shrugged, still quite angry, then turned to Julie, "What did you mean the other elementals?"

"Air, water, and earth. The other elementals."

"And you know they exist how?"

Julie shrugged, "That's the pyramid. Body, mind, and soul are at the top. They're more rare, more powerful apart but less together than elementals."

"And where is 'body'?" 

Julie shrugged again, "Minerva accidentally opened her mind when she was fighting me. She knew that, I think. But that's all I know because that's all she knows."

Ivan and Delaney traded glances, "We may need to find this other person before they get caught by Minerva."

"Body. Body is my age, same as Minerva," Julie nodded.

"Ok, I'm ready to go back to sleep," Rhodes yawned, "Can we gawk over Julie and her new friends later?"

Ivan nodded, "Back in the transports! Count the injured."

Julie smiled. She knew more than she was letting on, but what and how was a story for another day.