Terror of the Shadow

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

The gentle back-and-forth swaying of the Kannebore as it rolled across the desert would have been enough to put Laban to sleep, if only it hadn't been for the noise. The wheels made an awful, grinding noise as they turned that was amplified to near-deafening levels as it vibrated through the hull of the machine.

But even that could have been ignored if it weren't for the constant whooping and hollering of the crew, all of whom were more than a little drunk. Their captain had finally decided to reveal his secret stash of ales, which the crew took full advantage of. Before the sun had reached noon, there wasn't a drop of alcohol left to drink.

And so the journey from their camp at Riverbottom to the city of Ura-chan was, for Laban, unbearably long and very much sleepless. He couldn't have been more eager to disembark once the Kannebore had finally slowed to a halt, safe once more beneath the protective blanket of the shield generator.

When the egress ramp was unlocked, the entire space of the Kannebore was filled with a great rushing noise, like the terrible sound of the wind during an approaching sandstorm. Laban worried that the wind outside might be too strong for them to be able to safely leave the Kannebore. Why would they have stopped in the middle of a storm? Was the shield down? Laban tried to turn and head the other way, to find shelter somewhere deep in the mechanical structure. But the pressing flow of the hunters would not allow him to move even an inch in the other direction. His heart pounded, and he braced himself to enter the chaos and storm that awaited them outside.

The ramp had lowered sufficiently for Laban to get a glimpse of what was going on outside. His worries suddenly abated. The source of the noise was not wind or storm, but a numberless mass of people, cheering and applauding the return of their husbands, brothers, and sons. Their return not only meant a reunion of families, but also an end to their long weeks of starvation.

Laban knew that the food they had gathered would not last long. The War'acks had forced them to cut their expedition short. If the people of Ura-chan had known truly how dire their situation was, perhaps they would not have cheered so loudly.

Pushing his way along the path of the impromptu parade that had formed, Laban finally found a place to break free from the stream. He darted out into the empty streets, moving as quickly as his exhausted body would allow.

When he had cleared the final corner, Laban could see his mother's shadow silhouetted behind the glass window of their apartment. She must have seen him, too, because she immediately burst through the door, half-hobbling, half-stumbling down the steps to greet him. The dark circles around her eyes told Laban that she had probably slept worse than he had over the last week. He rushed to meet her but stopped walking when he realized that this was not his mother. At least, she wasn't the real version of her. This one was just a shadow, a false imitation of his true mother.

"Laban!" the woman cried. "Laban, oh, Laban, I'm so glad you're home. I'm so glad that you are safe..."

She dropped her cane on the ground and threw her arms around him.

"I've missed you so much. It's been so hard without you here. We've had no food..." she sobbed into his shoulder.

"I know... it's okay now," Laban repeated, trying to console her.

"Listen," Laban said, prying her away from him, but still gripping her shoulders to hold her steady. "I can't stay here. I need to leave."

"What? No! You can't leave! You just got back..." she wailed. A look of panic washed over her eyes. Laban looked at her face. Even though he knew that this world—this home, this mother—were all contrived through the sorcery of the Shadow Man, he couldn't ignore the fact that he was still seeing his own mother's face. He couldn't abandon her.

"I'm sorry. I wish I didn't have to leave. But I can't stay here. I don't belong." Laban said.

"You don't belong? What do you mean, Laban? You do belong here! You belong here with me! I'm sorry for whatever I've done to make you want to leave me..."

"Mother," Laban said, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Don't worry. I'll make sure that you are taken care of. I won't be gone long. I just need some answers. I will be back soon. I promise."

Laban grabbed her crutch out of the dirt and propped it up underneath her. He gently placed an arm around her and walked her back towards the house.

"I wish I could make you understand why I have to go," Laban said. "It would take too much time to explain. I feel like it has something to do with the seer-stone that you gave me."

The stream of tears running down his mother's face suddenly stopped. She looked at Laban.

"You believe it is the will of Those Above that you go away?"

"I don't know," Laban said. He wished he could have said yes, but he knew he couldn't lie. "But I believe that Ithtar—the Shadow Man—is behind this. I need to stop him. Before more people get hurt."

"Then go," she said. She cradled her son's face in her hands. "Go wherever They send you. Find the answers you need."

Laban couldn't let go. He closed his eyes. This isn't real, he told himself. His mouth silently shaped the words. The sooner he was able to convince himself of that, the sooner the spell of the Shadow Man could be broken. You cannot stay in Ithtar's trap forever.

Before he had a chance to change his mind, Laban let go and turned around. Without looking back, he walked away from his mother and his home, hopefully towards the answers that he sought.