Veil of Shadows

Chapter 42. Life Advice with Ranger

Notch's face was lined with disapproval. "I was notified that you had something to do with the incident at Greenvale, and that you were once a close friend of Shadow's. I would very much appreciate an explanation."

"You can stop trying to be subtle now. Yes, I was the person who torched the town." Ranger said, wanting to get it over with as soon as possible. Notch, of course, destroyed any chances of that happening.

"And my second question?" He prompted.

"I'm the daughter of the Champion Warrior of the End. Shadow is the Ender Prince, as you probably know. Our occupations led to us becoming friends, but nothing more." Ranger continued.

Notch pondered her answers, studying Ranger thoughtfully. To her credit, the Ender didn't break his stare. Eventually Notch cleared his throat and looked away.

"Was there a particular reason why you failed to tell me that you're a mass murderer?" Notch asked.

"Was there a particular reason why you failed to tell us that you tortured some of Shadow's spies?" Ranger retorted.

"Please do not bring that up," Notch mumbled, pressing a hand against his temple. "I've driven myself crazy with guilt ever since I did it. And given what happened at Greenvale, you have no right to be lecturing me on morality."

Ranger raised an eyebrow ever so slightly. "It's not a lecture. You make me sound like I'm getting on my high horse - and we all know how awful I am at horseback riding. I prefer to call it valuable life advice, which is in truth an accurate description."

"Call it what you may, but we're getting off topic. I cannot let your actions at Greenvale go unpunished. I have also looked into Pro's backstory, and where she comes from." Notch said irritably.

Ranger stopped dead in her tracks. "You know everything, then. That's why you ordered her to stay behind. Not because of her slime hybrid powers, but because she could-"

"No need to go into detail. I was perplexed by the fact that she was aided by someone in her escape, but there was no evidence proving it to be one person or another. Except, that is, for this." Notch said, holding up a small, sharp-as-death throwing knife.

"Whoever did it must have been unbelievably careless in leaving the knife behind. Knives are extraordinarily precious and the fact that a person could lose one while on a mission makes me wonder what the world is coming to. A mediocre mistake, one a novice might make."

"Indeed they must have been. Ironic also that the hilt of the knife is patterned in red and black, the exact two that you seem to have taken on as your personal colors."

"An unlucky coincidence. In knives, red and black are very popular colors - for reasons I really don't care to understand."

"The entire mechanism of the cell had apparently been blasted open."

"Rather untidy in my opinion. Sounds like some kind of explosive. Probably TNT."

"If I wanted your professional opinion, I'd ask for it. The metal was heated to the point that it was near-melting. That is not the work of a mere bomb."

"Short periods of intense heat could easily have caused that effect on the lock."

Notch smiled sadly, and Ranger got the sense that she had just condemned herself. She mentally went through everything she had replied with, checking and double checking for mistakes but finding none.

A handful of guards entered the hallway. "I charge you, Ranger, with arson, murder of the first degree, armed assault, breaking and entering, theft, and aiding a convicted criminal."

Before Ranger could even attempt to run for it, the guards had grabbed her, keeping her arms pinned behind her back. "With these charges, by law I am required to sentence you to death."

Ranger was staring at him now, her gaze a mix between fear and fury. She cursed herself for a fool, wondering if she had somehow unwittingly confirmed Notch's suspicions.

He noticed, and gave her a bleak smile. "You're wondering where you slipped up, aren't you?"

Ranger didn't care to nod. Instead, she just stared him down, stubbornly prideful as usual.

Notch continued, answering her unspoken question. "I never mentioned anything about locks."

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The door banged open, and Shadow was escorted inside the cell. The moment all three guards released him, he had whirled around, aiming a powerful right hook at the jaw of the nearest guard, almost knocking the surprised soldier off his feet.

Another guard gripped his shoulder like a vise, attempting to restrain him by force. Shadow lashed out with his other hand, breaking both the soldier's grip and arm in a single maneuver. The door loomed up in front of him, so close, and yet-

The third guard slammed a fist into his gut, and Shadow was momentarily unbalanced, struggling to regain his breath. Within seconds, the three soldiers had left the room, shut the door, and slid the bolt on the lock. No escape.

Everything was going just as he had planned. And as long as his generals showed up on time, it would stay that way. Considering their capacity to understand more subtle tactics, he doubted they thought the plan would work. But they were the best Shadow had to work with, and he wasn't going to complain.

So he leaned against the wall and began to wait.