Veil of Shadows

Chapter 62. Summoner

Something had changed.

She was being pulled, and she didn't know where, or why the energy she was tethered to felt so familiar. Like light and dark.

And then she remembered - Equinox, the boy with black and white hair, and the words he'd sung in that empty hallway as her blood dripped onto the tiles. That was his energy she felt, pulling her back into the world. Patch wondered what the limit of his powers would be.

Through the tether, a single word entered Patch's consciousness. "Summoner."

And that was when her apparition appeared in a rebel tent. She wasn't physically there, no - her body was still beneath the stone she'd watched Ranger carve. She was present only in spirit. She looked down at her hands, expecting to see some ghostly form. Instead, her gaze was met with empty air.

She turned, looking at the young boy with black and white hair and the symbol of a half-moon half-sun on his dusty cape. He inclined his head slightly.

Patch tested out her mouth to see if it would work. "Books." She said out loud, her voice a little raspy, but functional, and that was what mattered.

A thought struck her, and she looked down to see if the stab wound was still there before remembering that she couldn't see herself. As if realizing what she was trying to do, Equinox shook his head.

"The spiritual apparition does not retain physical wounds or ailments. You are in good health." He said quietly. "And I suppose I have some explaining to do."

"I'd say so." Patch managed to get out. "Also, that was an interesting rescue."

Equinox pondered it for a moment. "I suppose I could have done better. Perhaps reacted faster. I am sorry, Patch. I am not powerful enough to return your physical form to this world, but I can return your spiritual form. I am a-"

"Summoner." Patch murmured before he could say it. She'd heard it through the tether.

Equinox nodded. "I am indeed a Summoner. I have the power of light and dark magic, including that which some would consider evil or forbidden. Including spiritual and physical necromancy."

That must make his energy incredibly unstable, Patch thought. To have such powerful opposites existing inside you at the same time would be lethal, especially to the extent of the power she felt through the tether. "What is this...connection thing?" Patch asked.

"In order to keep your spiritual form in Minecraftia, I need something physical to attach your essence to. Otherwise, you would dissipate and be unable to exist in this dimension. Thus, I tethered you to myself. Think of it as an anchor." Equinox explained as quickly as he could without being too confusing.

Patch understood the concept. It made sense. As soon as the full reality of it hit her, she was glad that she didn't need to breathe, because she likely would have choked. "Is Ranger alright? Is she hurt? She followed me, didn't she?"

"She certainly did follow you. She crashed a chandelier when she found out that you'd been taken. And when she heard that you were dead...she still hasn't been the same. She's been detached and distant. Darker." Equinox told her, walking around the other side of the table. "That is another thing I can sense. Positivity and negativity. It comes with being the physical manifestation of every opposite known to man."

He smiled drily, but it didn't reach his eyes, and he became solemn within another few heartbeats. "Usually, the people I see are an even balance, or close to it. Ranger is anything but balanced. It doesn't even remain at one extreme or the other - it fluctuates, going back and forth so fast that it's difficult to properly read. Like she's constantly trying to balance it, but she can't."

"Can I let her know I'm here?" Patch whispered.

Equinox shook his head again. There - that was genuine regret in his eyes. "I am the only one capable of sensing your presence and communicating with you. For others to do so, I would need to restore your physical form, and...I am incapable of doing that."

Well, it was a start. "So why am I here then?" She asked, pushing away all the other thoughts that crowded into her head.

"I thought you might want to help us win this war." Equinox laid his hands flat on the table. "You are invisible to everyone but me. Physical barriers cannot hold you. The limits of space and time do not confine you. You can go places that no other rebel can."

Whoa, hold up. "Rebels?" Patch repeated. "Since when are we rebels? Aren't those guys the people who killed me?"

"You were killed by an unauthorized act of violence, which has been punished accordingly. Shadow had not intended for any of his men to fatally harm you." How casually he said the name. No formality. Just Shadow. Not King, not Commander. Just...Shadow.

"And the rest of the Hero Squad have allied with the revolution?" Patch asked. She knew that if Ranger was committed to a cause, then that cause was worth fighting for, was worth changing her allegiance for. Not just because Ranger had been her mentor, but because in the short time she'd trained under the Ender Hybrid, she'd quickly realized that Ranger would die for anyone who earned her trust.

The Ender didn't know it, but she was the type of person people would want to follow into battle.

"They have. They assisted in the first siege of Notch's castle. Even if they hadn't meant for it to be that way, they're rebels now, whether they like it or not." Equinox allowed a hint of a smile at that. "Some were more willing than others."

It wasn't much of a decision. "Alright. When do I start?"

~

Shadow jolted back to consciousness, aided by the throbbing pain in his side. It wasn't as bad as it had been when Notch had jammed a sword into him, and he supposed that was a good thing. His power must have slowly been knitting the wound together as he regained the energy he'd lost.

"You're awake." He looked up upon hearing the relieved voice of one of the apprentice healers. Part of his rebellion. That meant that he was in a rebel-controlled camp, which meant that there were enough of his soldiers left to make up a functioning camp. Shadow hadn't been able to see how many men were lost in the attack, but braced himself for the worst. "Whatever was in that vial must have worked."

Oh. Then it hadn't been his own power that healed him. Shadow fought down the urge to laugh at himself - of course his powers hadn't been what healed him. It had been a potion, or something akin to it.

Then he paused. If it had taken a potion to heal the wound, and even his Ender Energy hadn't been able to do anything...how bad had the injury been?

"How long have I been out of action?" Shadow asked, forcing himself to sit up in a quick, smooth motion, before he could convince himself that lying down was more comfortable. Almost instantly, he regretted it when the wound stretched and he had to lean forward, breathing evenly and waiting for the discomfort to pass.

"Five days, Shadow." The healer replied, inclining his head slightly in respect, despite the fact that Shadow could still barely stand. "Your Generals are sending reinforcements, and they should be here within a week. You must be recovered enough to lead them when that time comes. Rest while I inform the others."

"I've been resting for five days." Shadow rasped, swinging his legs over the side of the cot. "There are things to be done. I can rest when I'm dead." He stopped for a moment, staring at the wall, contemplating whether or not it had been a horrible idea to say that.

The healer sighed, but didn't respond. Then he leaned over and poked Shadow in the ribs, causing the rebellion leader to inhale sharply and jolt away as pain flared up.

"Rest." The healer repeated, more sternly this time. Shadow came to the conclusion that he'd best listen. So he slowly lowered himself back down onto the cot as the healer exited the tent.