Veil of Shadows

Chapter 52. Absolute Nutcase

For a few seconds, nobody dared to move, just in case Ranger would lose it again. When it became apparent that she had fully regained control and wasn't about to kill them all, the silence was broken instantaneously.

"What was that about?"

"I thought evil alternate personalities didn't exist!"

"What is Red, and what if she takes over again?"

"Do you have enough control to keep her permanently locked away?"

"Was she the one who forced you to destroy Greenvale?"

Ranger listened to them in silence, not trusting herself to speak yet. To be truthful, the only thing she wanted to do was turn invisible and forget everything. But she knew that wouldn't happen.

"All of you shut up!" Midnight snapped, and the room fell back into uneasy quiet.

Ranger glanced over at them, then pushed herself up. "She isn't an evil alternate personality. There's...there's this thing called an Ender Rage that happens when I get angry about something."

"So when you get annoyed your evil side takes over and you murder anything and everything within a two-hundred mile radius?" Wolf asked, earning glares from everyone.

Ranger continued as if Wolf hadn't interrupted. "Red is a mind invader. When I have an Ender Rage, I'm distracted by my anger, and she uses it as an opportunity to take control."

"She is a sentient, nonphysical being living inside my subconscious. Her entire existence has been lived out trapped in darkness. And now...I think she may be sick of it. It's getting harder and harder to keep her locked away."

Her words were met with murmured understanding and sympathy.

"You know, she may have held a sword to my throat, but she's an absolute nutcase, so I kind of like her." Midnight commented.

Ranger shot the Brine a look of complete and utter betrayal.

Blaze was staring at her friend, not all that surprised. "Mid, you really need mental help."

"You think I don't know that, darling?"

Wolf cut them off before more byplay could occur. "Well, we can't have Ranger exploding into rage every time we get into a fight. She's just as likely to kill us as she is to kill the enemy. That is not a good thing."

Ranger started to protest that she was perfectly capable of discerning between enemy and friend, but thought back to what had occurred mere moments before, and ultimately decided against it.

For a while, all was silent as they tried to think of something, anything, that would help Ranger deal with Red. Nobody had any realistic ideas, and therefore nobody spoke. Nothing they could come up with made sense. Then a voice broke the silence once more.

"I think I may have a solution." Midnight said slowly.

~

"My Lord, the Hero Squad and their apprentices...they're nowhere to be found."

Notch looked up. "What do you mean they're nowhere to be found?"

The messenger met his gaze uneasily. "The guards can't find them anywhere in the castle, sir."

Cursing under his breath, Notch stood from his throne, stalking over to the double doors that marked the entrance. Unsheathing his sword, he muttered "If my guards can't find them, then I'll do it myself."

Slamming the doors open with so much force they almost flew off their hinges, Notch stepped out into the hallway.

How had this happened so quickly? One moment the Hero Squad were loyal soldiers, willing to die for the sake of his cause. But now, everything had turned into a downhill spiral, and they were being hunted in the very castle that had once provided them sanctuary.

They hadn't left the castle - his sentries had assured him of that. So they were hidden somewhere, trying their hardest not to be found.

But where could they have hidden? His guards had searched every last room, every last stairway, and had even done a sweep of the dungeons twice. They had to be somewhere the guards wouldn't have been able to find.

Somewhere well hidden, somewhere inconspicuous, in a location almost nobody knew of.

And he knew exactly what place in his castle fit that description.

~

"I'm sorry, who is doing what?"

Wraith fiddled with one of her daggers. "Shadow's knights are preparing for an open attack on the castle."

"This is madness!" The unknown figure exclaimed. "They're being led to their deaths! Why would he commission a suicide mission? He's not a fool, so what's the reason behind it?"

"He allowed himself to be caught so that he had access to the castle to change the situation so that the attack was no longer a suicide mission while simultaneously lulling Notch's men into a false sense of security by his supposed capture."

The unknown figure blinked. "When did you become an expert in battle strategies?"

Wraith sheathed the knife. "When it became necessary to learn them."

"Why must Shadow mess everything up?" The unknown figure muttered, looking out the window of the room he had claimed for himself.

"From his perspective, you're the one messing up everything he's trying to fix. So he tries to fix it again as you mess it up, which is actually the other way around when it's from your perspective."

"Perfect. I understand everything now." The unknown figure replied sarcastically, waving a hand dismissively in her direction.

"I'm sure you do." With that, Wraith vanished in a cloud of dark smoke.

(Sorry this is kind of short compared to the last few chapters, but I'll get back into the 1000+ word count rhythm soon!)