Veil of Shadows

Chapter 57. Stand Up

"What the Nether happened to you?"

"Not important." Shadow growled, grabbing his helmet from the table and putting it on with one hand. "My Knights are here. We have to get to the main hallway. They'll take it from there."

"What happened to you?"

"I just said, it's not important."

Ranger walked over, looking him dead in the eyes. "What happened?" She asked for the third time.

"I got in a fight with Notch. No big deal." Shadow finally replied, turning away and adjusting his helmet.

"How in the world are you still breathing?" Wolf demanded. "Getting in a fight with the King of Minecraftia is a pretty darn big deal."

Midnight had been staring at Shadow since he'd appeared in the room. "If we don't get moving now, it's likely that he's going to stop breathing." She said, having noted the extent of his injuries.

Shadow tried to answer, but darkness crept further over his vision, and he paused, numbness spreading through his body, clouding over his senses.

Then it consumed him, and he sank into unconsciousness.

~

A long hallway, carved of black stone. Never-ending as he walked down it, watching, waiting for something to happen.

A footstep, barely audible, but there. He turned to the source - but as he looked down the hallway, he saw no one. A footstep, just like before. And yet there was no one there he could see. He turned back, increasing his pace.

Something flickered across his vision - a silhouette with purple eyes and a cruel smile. It was gone in moments, leaving his heart pounding.

A soft laugh, and he froze. It was not the laugh that struck him with fear. It was the voice which made it. Soon he was running down the never-ending hallway.

More footsteps. He knew there was nobody there. Steps. Laughter. Hallways blurring past him.

Suddenly there was a wall. A wall of the same black stone blocking his path. Skidding to a halt, he whirled to face the hallway behind him. Whispers in the dark, sounding so very familiar - but he couldn't figure out what they were saying.

Pressing against the wall, trying to melt into it and turn invisible, he stared down at the ground, noticing that it had an interesting pattern. Almost like...

A cold wave of fear rushed over him as another laugh echoed. Not daring to look up, not even daring to breathe, he kept his eyes fixed on the ground, wishing for it all to be over.

"Don't be scared. It's just me."

This voice - he knew it too. It was not the same as the laugh. It was not the silhouette. Looking up, he could not make out the person's face, but he would know her voice anywhere.

The daughter of the Ender Champion held out a hand. He might have taken it, but he chose that moment to look over her shoulder.

Two silhouettes now stood, one purple-eyed and one red.

"You're haunted, so am I." The daughter of the Ender Champion said quietly. The red-eyed silhouette was suddenly standing beside her, grinning.

"A thousand fires burn." She whispered. "A land of darkness from which I cannot return. You're haunted, so am I. A world of demons wait. Watching my movements and filling my heart with hate. I must confess that I feel like a monster."

A flash of movement, and he knew that the purple-eyed silhouette was now standing beside him. Slowly looking over, he saw his father's shadow, watching him as it had always done.

"I'm haunted, aren't we all?" He said quietly.

"The shadow of a man, I'm nothing less. I am holding on, still holding on. I'm not like you, your faceless lies. I won't live your weak wicked lie. You're not like me, your dark dead eyes. I'm becoming a monster, just like you. After it all, you'll try to break me too."

Slowly looking away, he saw that the daughter of the Ender Champion was still holding out a hand, despite the two silhouettes that haunted their lives.

"We get to come back. We get to come back from this loss, from this darkness. No one can make this better. Take control, it's now or never." She said.

He ran a hand along the floor, staring at the pattern it created. Then he closed his eyes and, exhaling slowly, lit up the dark.

Light engulfed the hallway, the glowing stones on the floor chasing away every last trace of the lingering darkness - and the silhouettes vanished.

"Stand up and fight. Stand up, and you will have a chance to erase the ghost that haunts your past. Stand up."

So Shadow took Ranger's hand, and stood up.

~

"If you die, I'll kill you in the Aether." Ranger muttered as she helped Blaze carry the hopefully unconscious Shadow to the location he'd described as the safe zone where his Knights would be located.

A few hallways later, they reached the area. The first thing they saw was a ring of guards with their weapons unsheathed, clearly meant to be a defense against Notch's men.

The first Knight to see the Hero Squad stared at them with a mix of shock and panic. As far as he knew, they were still on Notch's side. He drew breath to call a warning to his companions - then saw that they were helping Shadow, and his expression faded into confusion.

Within seconds, they were the sole focus of the Knights' attention. No arrows or knives came flying at them, so hopefully the Knights got the idea.

At that moment, Salia burst into the hallway, breathing heavily. Pausing, she glanced at the Hero Squad, then noticed Shadow. Apparently that was good enough for her, and she called "All soldiers back to camp!"

The Hero Squad was gaping at Salia, unsure how they should be taking this. "You're a rebel?" Wolf breathed, thunderstruck.

Salia tapped the badge on her jacket. "I am indeed. A General, to be exact. Well...sort of."

"Is there anything else we were kept in the dark about?" Blaze asked, disbelief plain on her face.

"Not that I know of. Oh, and we should probably get out of this castle fast. Shadow needs a healer - plus I may have annoyed King Notch more than was strictly necessary."

"What did you do?"

"I threw a lamp at his head and then locked him in his own throne room."

For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then Midnight started laughing. "You are officially my new favorite person."

Salia shrugged. "I have no idea who you are, but good to know."

Two Knights came over and volunteered to take Shadow to the camp to find a healer. Blaze and Ranger accepted gratefully, and the Ender told them "He's lost a lot of blood. A healer might not be able to help him."

They just nodded, as if they knew that already, and left. The Hero Squad ended up helping to remove the wounded and otherwise incapacitated rebels from the castle to bring them back to the camp as well.

Poppy stared wide-eyed at the carnage, and Jaddie and Myst followed their mentor's leads with grim expressions. Olivia was on scouting duty, standing watch to make sure none of Notch's guards came upon them while they worked.