Kami's courage - A Born of Shadow Fanfiction

2 - Resolve

“Kami?! Kami! Kami, please, wake up!”

Kami's head was pounding. She seemed to have hit it harder than she'd thought. She slowly opened her eyes, shaking her head slightly to clear it but stopping quickly because it made it hurt.

“Kami!” a voice said, full of relief.

Looking up, her vision cleared and she found herself staring at Liam.

“Liam...?”

He was standing with his arms stretched on either side of him. That was stupid, Kami thought, why would he do that?

“Oh, thank Goodness...” Liam said. “Are you alright?”

“I think so...” Kami replied.

Her mind steadily cleared and she was able to take in her surroundings. Boy, did her head hurt! It was then she realised they were all chained to the wall by some black shadow binds harder than stone.

“Nice job, kid. Now, we'll never get out of here...” Samuel grumbled.

“Hey! Don't even talk like that! We will find a way out eventually.”

That was Yasmin. Never giving in.

“Sorry to burst your bubble,” Samuel said, “but our only hope was Kami, and she's stuck here with us. So unless one of us has secret telepathic powers they never told us about...”

He glanced hopefully at Chris.

“Hey! Don't look at me like that, you know I can't do anything like that!” Chris protested indignantly.

“Okay, okay... relax...”

Kami tried pulling against her own chains.

“No good, cousin, I already tried.” Yasmin said.

“Yeah, drove us nuts with it.”

“Samuel, do you not see your snark is getting us nowhere?” Liam interjected irritably.

“Sorry, this is how I react to stress or dire peril. And right now, I'm getting both.”

Liam rolled his eyes.

Kami had no idea how much time passed. All she knew was she was stuck and no longer had any idea how to help her friends. What were they going to do now...? It seemed like every attempt they made at stopping the shadows was met with an even worse threat... she sighed, beginning to feel discouraged.

“Kami, look at me.” Liam's voice said.

She glanced up and looked into his eyes.

“Don't you even think of giving up. We're not done yet.”

Kami heaved another sigh.

“I love the optimism, Liam, but I just don't-”

“Just because the solution doesn't hit on the head yet doesn't mean it's not there,” Liam interrupted.

“Alright, then, what brilliant idea do you have in mind, then, Sherlock?” Samuel asked.

“... Right now... I have none,” Liam admitted.

Samuel snorted, unsurprised. Yasmin looked from one to the other.

“Okay, this has got to stop. Samuel, Liam's right, there has to be a way out.”

No one answered.

“Can't you see this is why we're not possessed already?” Yasmin went on. “She's trying to crush our spirit, discourage us. To better break us. We mustn't let her, you hear?”

“Look, I hate to burst your bubble, kid, bu-”

“Uncle Sam, just shut up, for once, will you?”

There was a stunned silence. Given Samuel's expression, he had never heard his nephew speak to him that way.

“Look, we're all scared, we all want out. So just cut it out, okay? If you want to help us figure out how to leave this creepy place, great. But enough of your snide comments that don't help in any way.”

Zaynah was pacing in her chambers, her long robe flowing noiselessly about her as her heels clicked and clacked on the ground. Her eyes were narrow, thoughtful. She was trying to think what to do with those meddlesome fools that were locked up in a cell. She could have just disposed of them... but then, Alexander had stopped her. She wasn't sure why. He claimed he had sensed something dangerous that they should observe before attacking. What, he couldn't – or wouldn't – say. And whenever she tried to insist, he wouldn't answer. Zaynah shook her head, perplexed. Most of them were children, she couldn't see how they were a threat to her and her immense power... but Alexander had been categorical. They were not to be touched or harmed. Yet. What was that saying humans had? Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, that was it. Yes, that was what this was about. He was being cautious, assessing the threat, as any intelligent man would. He just wanted an eye on them until he knew what to do with them. But then, if that was the case, why them? They couldn't be the only people in Egypt not yet under their power... Zaynah had to confess herself baffled. But it was of little importance. The intruders were no threat to her, Alexander or their plans. And they could help her create more shadow creatures. So all in all, no harm done. Even if she was curious to know the reasons behind Alexander's decisions. But he had given her power beyond imagination, so who was she to doubt him? He had his reasons, and she didn't have to know them if he didn't want her to. Besides, he seemed likely to turn against her in the worst way if she insisted. SO she thought it wiser to not do so. Her time would come. He was nothing but a bodiless voice in her head. She was the real empress of darkness, the queen of shadows, the ruler of the night. And that was how she liked it.

It was barely light enough to see by in their cell. Kami wondered how long they'd been in there. Hours? Days, maybe by now... she felt exhausted, sore, thirsty... and helpless, which she'd always hated...

“If any of you have any bright ideas, I'm all ears,” Samuel commented.

No one answered. Being chained up was oddly unhelpful for inspiration. They had been silent for a while, tired and discouraged. Even Yasmin was losing her spark. Kami looked around at them, thinking it was unfair that they were in trouble because of her. It was her grandmother who'd called her here, her scarab necklace that had glowed with no explanation... and now Liam, Yasmin, Samuel, and little Chris were all caught up in it... This wasn't fair, or right... and she couldn't for the life of her think what the Shadow Queen wanted with them to keep them chained up instead of taking control of them or feeding them to her shadow monsters...

“... I'm sorry I got you all caught up in this...” she said after a while.

“None of us were coerced into accompanying you, Kami,” Liam said kindly. “It's not your fault.”

Kami glanced in his direction, only just able to make out his features. She found that fact somewhat comforting. Not being able to see Liam made her uneasy, though she wasn't quite sure why. She wasn't surprised he'd try and cheer her up. He was always there for her. She offered him a small half smile. And then, something in his eyes caught her attention. He... was confident. He had faith. In her? That they'd get out of this mess? But how? They were all stuck, Haji didn't know where they were and would never stand a chance on his own... and they weren't even sure who to trust anymore, except each other... but he hadn't given up, even though everything looked hopeless... she looked at Yasmin, whose eyes burned with determination despite her weariness. Chris, though scared, wasn't crying or trembling. Samuel... well, was Samuel. Undecipherable. But this made Kami realize that if they hadn't given up, then she couldn't either.

“I know what we'll do.” she said finally.

They all looked at her, a mix of astonishment and hope in their eyes. She looked back at them all in turn, her will to get them out of this place and to safety burning steadily stronger inside her.

“We bust our way out of here.”