“No,” the shadowy monster hisses, that uncertainty reminding me of my friend. “You, you haven’t done–”
“You want someone to be mad at,” he interrupts, holding up a hand. “To take your anger and hate out on. So go on, fight me.”
“Why?”
“Because I brought the giant down from the Frostlands,” he says coolly, and my grip on the scythe slackens in surprise. “It followed me down here and killed your father. So if you want someone to hate, Ray, hate me.”
I do a double take, unable to believe what Ban just told us. I always thought the timing for the giant was strange, arriving shortly after Ban did into our lives, but there were never any real signs that he had anything to do with it.
And then I recalled how he acted so strangely when I mentioned the giant in the clouds.
All that negative energy leaching off Ray simmers, and for the first time, he straightens, giving Ban all his attention. His tone is scathing when he speaks. “What did you say?”
Ban shrugs, putting more distance between him and Neve. It’s a good idea as I see Ray’s arms fly out, the shadowsmorphing into a bow and arrow. He notches the arrow, and I start pivoting in a wide arch behind his back, circling on the other side from Ban.
This is going to get messy.
“It was a mistake,” Ban says carefully, the ice twirling in his hands. He’s not dropping his guard, which is a good thing because Ray looks ready for a fight. “I thought it fell down the pass, trying to follow, but it came to Sherwood anyway. I never knew what became of it. I still don’t.”
“I know what it did!” Ray screams, turning the conversation on its head. “It killed my father. A beast killed him, and magic killed Tom.”
His words stab right into my gut, and I have to dig my heels into the ground to keep from going to look myself. Where’s Dahlia? Or any of Ray’s siblings? Rapunzel didn’t say much about them, but they have to be here. Surely, they are mourning like him.
Ray hisses, his aim dropping as his shoulders hunch. I frown and pace around him, keeping both Ray and Ban in my line of sight. Neve still stands separate from the two princesses, and part of me wishes she would back up. She’s a capable fighter, but when it comes to the dead and shadows, she doesn’t seem to have the sight like the rest of us.
A guttural scream rips from Ray’s throat, the shadows flying out all around him like his cries have called them forward. I swipe through the magic with my scythe easily, and across from me, I can see Ban doing something similar with his staff. Ray’s magic is explosive, but manageable.
Until he spins and looks into my eyes. I take an involuntary step back, surprise shooting through me as those red eyes lock on me. They’ve completely taken up his eyes at this point, and the inky blackness surrounding him clings to hisbody. The shadow arrow and bow become a part of him, and his voidless eyes seem to almost peer through me.
When he speaks, I’m not completely certain whether he means to address me or Ban. “You wouldn’t understand. You don’t have a family.”
Chapter 36 Ban
Ray’s words are a slap in the face when he turns around, focusing his hatred on me before he launches across the clearing and slams into me. The force of the impact throws us into the nearest tree, and we plow through the bark hard enough that we manage to break the trunk. I’m aware of the sudden pain that lances through me before I slip into the shadows, avoiding any real injuries, with Ray’s hands pressed to my chest.
He’s pushing me, and even stepping into the shadows doesn’t break his hold. It’s like he’s becoming the shadows, my friend fracturing and turning into–
It clicks into my mind a moment too late, and I barely manage to grab his shadowy arms, flip our position, and shift out of the shadows before I tear myself away. “He’s splintering!"
I’m pretty sure everyone hears me back at the tavern, but the only person I care about is Zarev. He’s the only other one who can do anything about this.
I dodge Ray as he tries to punch me, magic be damned, but I swear his arm seems longer than normal. Since going into the shadows doesn’t keep him from touching me I avoid the hit, use my ice, and strike him instead. It’s like he’s not only using his shadow magic, but the shadows are becoming an extension of himself.
“We aren’t supposed to be able to splinter!” Zarev yells, standing back before he sweeps his scythe in a wide arch toward Ray. It looks like he’s trying to miss, but Ray hisses from theshadows and steps away anyway. I saw the way he reacted when the blade touched the shadows, and unlike the two of us, Zarev’s blade hurt Ray’s shadow form. “Keep him away from the tavern!”
Ray holds out two oversized hands, the shadows literally leaking off his fingers as I respond. “How?”
“I don’t know!” Zarev replies, slipping in and out of the shadows again, so we’re opposite each other, driving Ray away in this strange form. For all the heartbreak each of us has endured, nothing like this has happened before.
Zarev’s right, though. We’re supposed to guide the spirits on. We shouldn’t be in danger of splintering like this, but I don’t have a better word for it.
If we don’t get him to calm down soon, will he become a wraith?
“Ray!” Zarev yells, and the red eyes don’t even turn to focus on him. “Ray, it’s me. Don’t listen to Ban, he’s a jackass. Listen to me! I haven’t killed anyone you care about."
I groan, avoiding another hit when Ray tries to strike me. I don’t want to fight him when I’m unsure what my magic will do to him like this, but I can only keep dodging for so long. “Stop throwing me under the rug!”
“Ban, shut the hell up!” Zarev roars, spinning the scythe over his head. It makes Ray stumble back with a cry, and the tone of his voice sounds more like my friend. “Ray, let us help!”
