Veil of Shadows

Chapter 50. True or False

Ranger had almost fully regained her Ender abilities, and was recovering well. Luckily, no permanent damage had been inflicted, but she would be a bit dizzy for a while.

Wolf was sitting in one of the chairs, leaning so far back that Ranger was sure it would tip backward at any moment.

Toxic had decided to try scaling the wall for lack of anything better to do. Thus far, she had gotten halfway up - which was a feat in itself - but was currently stuck trying to find another handhold.

Blaze was conjuring tiny fireballs, tossing them up into the air and watching them burst into sparks as she hummed a random tune. Dave and Pro were having a heated argument over whose knives were better.

"What a wonderful group of friends you have. It would be such a shame if something were to happen to them."

"Red, shut up." Ranger said under her breath.

It took a few seconds for Ranger to realize that Midnight was now staring at her. She avoided the Brine's gaze as best she could, hoping that if she had heard it, she wouldn't ask any questions.

Shadow paced nonstop, unable to stay still, keeping watch over the entrance to the hidden room. He only stopped when the sound of footsteps echoed from down the hallway.

He was moments away from calling a warning when the identity of the intruders was revealed - the Hero Squad apprentices. Olivia, Jaddie, Poppy, and Myst trailed behind an unfamiliar boy dressed in a messenger's uniform.

Wolf stood from her chair so fast that she had to grab it before it crashed to the floor.

"Jaddie. You're alright?" She asked, walking over.

"Yes. We're all fine. But we heard that guards were coming to find us, and-" Jaddie gestured to the boy "-he said that he would bring us to you."

Wolf turned her gaze on the boy. His appearance was rather peculiar. One eye was gold, and the other was pure black. His hair was alternating patterns of black and white.

In addition to the messenger's uniform, he wore a turquoise cape with the insignia of a half-sun half-moon. He couldn't have been more than twelve years old.

"Who are you?" Blaze asked, having been drawn over by the arrival of the apprentices.

The boy inclined his head slightly in both a greeting and a gesture of deference. "I go by Equinox."

"Not a half bad name," Wolf murmured. "So, Equinox, you wear the uniform of one of Notch's messengers, and yet you aid us. Can you explain that please?"

"I've heard legends of the Hero Squad, as well as rumors that you might be having trouble at Notch's castle. So I came here, stole a uniform, and worked as a spy to find out what was happening."

"Why do you care about the Hero Squad?" Blaze interrupted.

"One of your apprentices - Patch - was my cellmate while she was locked in Shadow's dungeon. I was there when she was killed, and I returned the favor to the guards responsible."

Almost everyone looked over at Ranger, who was on her feet in an instant. "You were there?"

"I was."

"Did you try to save her?"

"It was a puncture wound to the heart. Instantly fatal. I couldn't do anything about it."

Ranger was quiet for a moment. "Was it quick?"

Equinox nodded faintly. "And painless."

This time, Ranger nodded in return, then walked away, clearly not eager to discuss the topic any further.

~

Equinox kept them updated on the events in Notch's castle, where the guards would search next and if they had found the servant's passages. So far, they were safe, but they had no way to escape. Yet.

Ranger was trying to recall a book by memory when she got the feeling that she was under surveillance. Upon looking up, she saw Midnight watching her once again.

The Brine tilted her head, as if in question. Ranger didn't dare try to respond, verbally or otherwise. Pretending that nothing had happened, Ranger kept trying to remember parts of a book.

A few minutes later, there was a tap on her shoulder. Ranger's head jerked up as she realized that Midnight was now standing directly beside her.

"Can we talk?" Midnight asked.

Not really in a position to refuse, Ranger nodded. Midnight took up a place at her side.

"Having trouble with something?" Midnight asked, meeting her gaze evenly. Ranger made an attempt to keep eye contact.

"No." Ranger replied. It was almost believable. Almost.

"Don't bother with lies. I can sense them."

"It's not a lie."

"There's a person in your head. True or false?"

Upon hearing that blunt statement, Ranger almost fell over. "I'm sorry, can you repeat that?"

"There's a person in your head. True or false?"

For a few uneasy seconds, Ranger debated lying, wondering if it might be better if nobody knew of her issue. Eventually she gave it up.

"...true." Ranger said quietly.

"Thought so. And this person is trying to get you to give them control over you. True or false?"

"True."

"This person can communicate with you in your mind, obviously because they are in your head. True or false?"

"True, for goodness sake. If you know everything about me, why do you bother asking?"

"Because the one thing I don't know is whether or not I can help you."

Help. It was such a general word, one that had many meanings. But in this case...could she be helped? Was this some kind of problem that could be fixed? Was there some way to reverse it?

She doubted it. Red was as much a part of her as her own brain was. As far as she knew, there was no kind of magic that would remove a person from one's head.

"Ranger?"

Stuck with a person in her head for the rest of her life. No escape. You can't hide from a voice that comes within your mind. Dealing with the constant threat of death and destruction on the people she cared for.

"Ranger. Focus."

She had let Red take over once. Just once - and it had resulted in the deaths of thousands. Even now, she could remember how the town looked, still smoking. She hadn't mean to hurt them. She didn't want to hurt anyone.

Each memory was like a blow to the wall she had built, one after another, breaking it down. Just like Red had aimed for them to.

Ranger had been shoved deep into her own subconscious, into endless dark, while Red slaughtered every single one of them. And she would never be free of this. Never.

"Ranger, no."

She stopped hearing. Stopped seeing. Just...stopped. She couldn't feel anything. Numbness spread through her body...then all she knew was darkness.

For a few moments, she was silent, with her eyes closed, hardly breathing. Then she lifted her head and said in a voice that was not her own "Ranger yes."

She opened her eyes, and they glowed bloodred.