Sorrel peers at the mass of murk that cloaks the city in front of us, her head cocked to one side and her mouth slanted at an even sharper angle. “So we just… think happy thoughts, and the darkness goes away?”
The skepticism lacing her voice is echoed on the faces of the group of shadowkind I’ve gathered. A couple dozen of the beings who answered Rollick’s call for help when the rift first puked shadows all over the city agreed to come with me to attempt a larger clean-up. But that doesn’t mean they won’t question my methods.
I smile as brightly as I can in an attempt to inspire confidence. “It’s a little more complicated than that, but only for me. I do all the talking. All you need to do is keep an open, friendly sort of attitude and let my energy flow through you.”
A short, lumpy-headed figure who I’ve gathered is a toad shifter—and looks the part—scratches his head. “Is it going to hurt us?”
“I… don’t think so. It’s all good feelings.”
Mirage pipes up with a whirl of his five tails. “Like a warm hug, ever so snug! Even if it doesn’t fix the city, we’ll all feel happier.”
I appreciate his words of support, even if I’m not sure I should be making promises like that.
Fen steps up next to me with an uncharacteristically firm expression. “Peri’s already done a lot of work to clean up these shadows. We have to do whatever we can to stop the problem from spreading.I’mgoing to pitch in everything I can.”
Not a single drip falls from her fingers, showing just how sure she is of her convictions. The beings around us who know her from school look a little chagrinned, as if embarrassed that the naiad most of them saw as weak might be showing them up.
The imp glances around us with twitchy eyes. “What if the hunters or the other angry humans attack us again? I’m not into bondage.”
I ignore Hail’s snort and motion to the scattered buildings around us. “That’s why I picked a spot as far as possible from the camp and any other places the humans have been hanging out. They shouldn’t even realize we’ve shown up here before we’re done.”
I only have the strength to keep at it for an hour or two.
Our efforts had better not fail becauseI’ma weakling.
I stuff that thought down and clap my hands. “But that does mean we should get started right away! My mates will stay next to me, and the rest of you spread out nearby. You don’t need to touch each other, but keep close.”
When my men and I tackled the rogue shadowkind who was destroying the city weeks ago, we created a barrier of lightaround Viscera while standing several feet distant from one another. But I don’t want to count on my energies being able to flow so easily between a whole bunch of beings I barely know.
The crowd of shadowkind gathers just a few steps from the border of the strange murkiness. A gust of wind rattles a signpost, and a shifter on the fringes jumps out of her skin—literally. She shrinks into a cat with fur raised all along her back and tail puffy, and has to shake herself a few times before she can return to human-like form.
“What if the humans bring chainsaws?” someone says abruptly.
My gaze twitches in the direction of the voice. “What?”
“Sometimes the mean ones chop people up with chainsaws. I saw it on TV.”
I’d like to point out that most things humans show on TV aren’t real, but considering that any support I’ve gotten from our mortal friends came frommyTV appearances, I’m not sure that’s the best idea to put out there.
“I haven’t seen any chainsaws,” I say instead. “Even when they kidnapped me. I think that’s more of a small-town thing than a city thing.”
Another voice pipes up. “Yeah, in cities they don’t have as much room to swing things around. They like butcher knives there. We can dodge those.”
“But what if they’re made out of silver and iron?”
“They still have to catch us.”
“One timeIsaw a show where?—”
Raze clears his throat with a sound like a growl. “There are no humans anywhere nearby right now. I’d smell them if there were. We need to let Peri work her powers before any of themdoturn up.”
The reminder that the weaponry they’re talking about could appear if we don’t get on with things quiets the conversation, buttrickles of anxiety still lace the atmosphere. I tune out the sour prickles that cross my tongue as well as I can and turn toward the city.
Despite my insistence that we don’t give up on the humans or their home, it takes longer than usual for me to dig into my reserves of compassion. When I stare into the shifting shadows, I don’t think of figures wielding chainsaws and butcher knives… I remember the dark gazes of the humans who tied me up and interrogated me. The grim expression Colonel Hueber has when he talks about keeping shadowkind away.
Those people don’t stand for all humans, I remind myself. I should think about the news reporters who’ve seemed interested in my story, about the refugees who spoke up about how we’d helped them, about Gracie trekking all the way out here to show how much she still cares about me.
“Hey,” I say to the murk as if I’m talking to a being rather than a mass of shadow vomit. “I know things have been pretty chaotic around here, but we can still find a place for you. All of us can live together with peace and joy. Doesn’t that sound nice? Let’s see how you can fit in…”
