Dream and Nightmare

Chapter 12 - Just Drunk

"They're called black shadows or shadow creatures or just shadows. They have a lot of names really." Lina sat at the end of the couch with Felidy's head in her lap, stroking back her ginger hair. Just having finished telling them about her kidnapping story, Lina had begun giving Anah and Jack more information about the creatures that had attacked them. 

Rendel was resting his chin on his knees as he sat on the floor with his back against the wall. "They're twisted, soulless creatures that lull their victims into a false sense of security and happiness, and then they tear it all away before they beat them to death." 

"And Rendel being a twisted, soulless creature can really relate," Felidy said. Though both of her eyes were closed from exhaustion, she still hadn't lost any of her attitude. 

Rendel continued on as if he hadn't heard her. "Fortunately they're incredibly easy to kill. You'd have to be pretty pathetic to lose against one in a purely physical fight." 

Felidy raised her middle finger for him to see as a response to the jab against her fighting skills. 

"Oh you're so hot," Rendel said, his voice saturated in sarcasm. 

Her other middle finger joined the first one. 

"Kiss me." 

"Children, please," Lina said in a tired, monotonous voice, seeming very used to their incessant bickering. 

"Why'd they go after Anah?" Jack asked. "Why not me or Felidy, or even Kendelyn?" 

"I don't know," Rendel said. "But they're dead now so it doesn't matter." Lina and Rendel had disposed of their bodies deep in the ocean where hopefully no human would ever find them, and Rendel had brainwashed Teena to forget the whole ordeal. She was upstairs taking a well deserved nap, something Anah envied her for. 

"And what if they come back?" Jack wasn't content letting the subject drop. 

Rendel clearly couldn't hide his annoyance. "They won't. Shadows aren't an organized group, they live in clans of around ten. This was more than likely an entire clan, working on their own." 

"I have a question," Lina added, staring directly at Rendel like she had been for the past ten minutes. There was no way Rendel couldn't feel her glare so Anah had to assume he was avoiding her. 

"Are you sure you two are related?" He mumbled with ample amount of sarcasm soaking his words. 

"Why was that light green? And more importantly, why was your magic green?" 

Kendelyn jerked her head up, ears perked in interest. "Green magic?" 

"No." Rendel gritted his teeth, more frustrated by the conversation than he was letting on. "My magic was blue; Lina's going blind." Pulling his cap from his back pocket, he shook it twice before placing it over the mess of dark hair on his head. 

"It was green. What do you know about it, Kendelyn?" 

"Just what I've read about. I'm a bit of a book worm, and I love learning about your world. Green colored lights usually come from the use of dark magic. It's very antiquated, and rarely used now that people have discovered how to use magic without such an emotional and physical toll. Shritaum was the last Elvita known to use it." 

"So of course the Shriian knows it," Felidy opened her eyes just enough to glare at him. 

Rendel slammed his hand against the wall, leaving a hole in the plaster. "I'm not a damn Shriian you useless whore!" 

Gritting her teeth, Felidy turned away. For the first time that day she looked actually angry and upset by his words. Anah wondered if it had been Rendel who had gone too far or Felidy by calling him a Shriian.