Veil of Shadows

Chapter 66. Matters of Convenience

"Stay in the camp," Equinox told Patch, who glowered at him. "You need to keep watch and make sure nothing happens while we're gone. If anything goes wrong, you can talk to me through the tether, and we'll come back as soon as possible."

Patch crossed her arms. "I want to help," she replied, meeting his gaze with stubborn determination. "I already went into the castle and got the directions you needed. I know some of the layout. I could be more useful in there than out here."

"No, you really can't." Equinox said. "Stay here. Remember what I told you."

Before Patch could come up with fifty valid arguments as to why she should go, he left and joined the others. Then, after a few moments, they vanished. Patch groaned to herself. Now she was alone in a camp full of people who couldn't see her, and couldn't hear her. They didn't even know she existed.

She was still getting used to herself. Walking through walls and such. Patch was no longer held back by physical restrictions. It was as strange as it was heartbreaking. While she tried to stay positive and think of it as some form of magic she now possessed, the truth was harder to swallow.

She was still very dead. She didn't belong here, where everyone else was very much alive. She was permanently disconnected from her whole world, and everyone living in it.

She thought of herself as having some physical attributes of her old self. Patch wasn't entirely sure what she was. She did, however, know with unwavering certainty that whatever she was, it was...confusing. A spirit? A shapeless blob of intangible energy? Little more than a breath of consciousness?

This was possibly the worst moment for an existential crisis. Maybe it was best if she didn't question it, no matter how much she wanted answers.

"Excuse me?" Patch paused, then turned, expecting to see that whoever had spoken was addressing someone else. Instead, a young girl stood there, watching her expectantly.

Patch turned back, searching for another person the girl might be talking to, but saw that no one was standing behind her. She stared at the girl, confusion written on her eyes. "You can...see me?" She said tentatively.

"Yes," the girl replied, smiling. "Of course I can. My name's Alyssa. What's yours?"

Patch's jaw dropped. "You can hear me." She breathed. "And see me. But no one should be able to see me - I'm dead!"

Alyssa giggled. "I know. I see spirits. Everyone else thinks I'm a freak or a liar. It's not magic, though. It's just me."

"Why are you here in this camp?" Patch blurted out, having a sudden thought. "It's dangerous!"

"I also knew that." Alyssa started humming softly. "My mom's a rebel officer. Human, just like me." She smiled. "One day I'm gonna be a warrior like her. And like you!"

Patch blinked. "What?"

"You were Ranger's apprentice in the Hero Squad, right?" Alyssa replied, smiling away without a care in the world. "All the humans in Minecraftia think you're really strong and brave. Like Dave! The Hero Squad is made up of some really powerful magic users, but the both of you proved that humans can keep pace with them. You're still my hero even though you're dead."

After a very long moment, Patch was silently thankful that her spirit-manifestation-thing didn't have tear ducts. "I guess I am," she replied with a small smile of her own.

                                                                               ~

They teleported right up against the western wall of the palace to avoid the risk of being spotted in the process of going up to it on foot. "Alright, someone needs to teleport up and see how many guards are on the top platform of the watchtower." Blaze whispered.

Red was gone in a flash of light before Blaze could even finish her sentence.

For a few drawn-out seconds, they heard nothing. Then Red reappeared, a strange light in her eyes. "All clear," she said, flashing a grin, tilting her head toward the watchtower above them. "Up we go."

Rolling her eyes, Midnight teleported them to the top platform of the watchtower. Whatever she'd been expecting to see, seven mangled bodies, blood splattered on nearly every surface, was definitely not it.

"You said it was clear!" Pro hissed, eyes widening as she took in the scene, whirling to face the mind invader.

Red's smile widened. "It wasn't clear, so I made it clear. Basic problem solving. Murder was just a delightful bonus."

Ranger jerked the hood of her cloak down over her eyes, as if trying to block out the world. "Here we go." She mumbled. "The reason why I didn't let you out."

Red shrugged, flicking Ranger's hood back, her smile turning sinister. "It's better than watching a town full of people burn to death before your eyes, isn't it?"

Blaze slapped her. "Leave her alone and focus, will you?" She snapped. "We need to get to the lower platform before someone sees us." Her eyes narrowed as she stared Red down. "Pull a stunt like that again and I'll personally throw you off the biggest tower I can find."

"The biggest thing I can see," Red purred, "is your ego."

Wolf stood a little ways back, eyeing both of them warily, not sure if it would be a wise idea to intervene, or if that would just result in her getting a very explosive lecture. And possibly a punch in the face.

"And the lowest thing I can see," Blaze said with equal venom, "is your IQ."

Red's smirk vanished.

Ranger, mercifully, had recovered her courage and stopped shaking enough by then to drag them apart before they could start trying to kill each other. "Conveniently, now would be a great time to get to the lower platform before someone shoots us, don't you agree?"

Conveniently, everyone agreed, and they descended to the lower platform - the first step to infiltrating the palace.