The Kingdom of Noitcif

Chapter Twenty-One - The Shadow in the Kingdom

  When Espen and Lee Rose returned later that evening, the young king heard rumors from the civilians that a shadow was on the loose. What exactly it was, no one could tell, but it was said to creep through the maze of alleyways of the main island after dusk, but would never allow itself to be fully seen. Some people described it as a large beast, while others waved away that theory and disregarded it to be nothing more than a sewer rat. But others still were convinced it was truly a shadow of a person - although if there was a real figure behind that silhouette they could not say.

  The first conclusion Espen came to was that one of the four silhouettes had gotten loose and was now roaming the kingdom. But Lee Rose told him his theory was impossible, for the shadows were destined to be forever contained inside the structure on Yrteop.

  After a few days of various stories spreading about, one tale began to dominate the others. Instead of the shadow seen sneaking around all of the alleyways, it was mostly spotted on the side street referred to as the Oaken Path - for there were large oak trees growing alongside it. The shadow was in the form of a human - although a rather disfigured one that appeared to have a tail and two humps upon its back. It stayed in the street for about an hour after midnight, pacing back and forth, and would duck into another street if anyone waked by.

  "Well, it does not sound dangerous," Lee Rose had commented after Wesley finished explaining the story to her.

  "Not dangerous, Your Majesty, but odd. Very odd. The knights are planning to corner it so we can make sure it is not malevolent."

  That night, Espen lay awake in his canopy bed, thinking about the silhouette's poem when the rumors about the shadow came into his mind. He glanced at the ornate pendulum clock on the other side of the room. It was quarter past midnight. One of his side windows overlooked the Oaken Path, so he couldn't resist the temptation to peer out. Cautiously, he pulled back the satin curtain ever so slightly and scanned the path below. A few leaves blew across the cobblestones, causing an aggressive rattle that made Espen jump. Slowly, something came out of the bushes... a dark form... rather small. Oh. He realized it was just a rabbit.

  Espen grinned and shook his head. Maybe this whole thing has been blown out of proportion. Perhaps Noitcif citizens were easily alarmed; even superstitious. He started to latch the window glass and adjust the curtain closed again.

  Just then, the torches glinting on either side of the path allowed him to see the shadow standing in plain sight against the wall. It fit the description the people had given it almost exactly, for as it began to pace, its long tail swung back and forth against its legs, and the humps upon its back brought it to a hunched, unnatural position.

  What was this strange creature? And why was it loitering around the castle night after night? As Espen saw it with his own eyes, he realized the figure was more mysterious than frightening, and he was determined to find out what it was. A new theory had just entered his mind: a young boy had been fooling the kingdom by appearing as some sort of shadowy ghost, and thus, he meant no harm – only needed a good reprimanding. But more than wanting to give the culprit of this crime a lecture, Espen was curious.

  The young king changed into his blue robe and set his crown atop his flaming red hair before he descended the stairs from the turret which he and his mother shared. He passed her suite on the way down and debated about waking her, but decided against it. Once outside, he waited in the shadows until the night guard walked around to the back, and then crept silently down the Oaken Path to the bend.

  The dark figure looked exactly how Espen saw it from his window, although now, it was taking much slower steps, as if it had finally tired from pacing. This was an ideal time to sneak up on it and discover its identity once and for all.

  Crouching down, Espen waited until it was closest to him and had its back turned before he raced forward. As predicted, as soon as the shadow heard the king chasing him, it broke into a sprint. Espen looked to the opposite wall to see its owner, but there was no one there. For the first time, he realized that this silhouette might be just that – a shadow. But he still kept up the chase.

  Espen knew the Oaken Path ended at a dead end, so he ran as fast as his legs could carry him down the skinny road, not once taking his eyes off of the one he was pursuing - framed just ahead of him on the wall. As soon as they got to the dead end, the shadow ducked behind a flowerbed, and as Espen rounded the bed to catch it, it was nowhere to be found.

  Lungs heaving, he put his hands upon his knees, trying to catch his breath. Where could it have gone? Espen feverishly searched around for the hiding place of the strange creature, and found that, there was no trace of it. Finally, he began to search all of the darkened walls where the shadow might have been concealed, and every so often knocked on them to see if it had any effect. Nothing.

  Espen gave a heavy sigh. The cold night was pressing in on him, and he decided he should start heading back to his quarters, where the bed was warm, the sheets were soft, and there were no shadows to lead him on a wild goosechase. But as soon as he turned his back on the blackened wall, a strong, firm, and very solid hand clapped upon his mouth.