As the group rode through the peaceful village, the Shadowkin went about their daily lives. Working, farming, fishing and trading.
Many times, when Adalia travelled on foot through the district, she would brush up against the body of a Shadowkin, but they were none the wiser, oblivious to her prescense.
In their spirit form, Lightners and Thorns remained invisible to the Shadowkin, but, occasionally when a tear went unhealed for too long, Thorns would slip through and reveal themselves in Shadowkin form, their wings hidden. With this ability, theywould try to influence and deceive innocent children into choosing Oscuro over Lucius.
It was a Lightner’s responsibility to protect The Grey from such influence. Occasionally, Lightners had revealed themselves to a Shadowkin, but only in dire situations. Thorns seemed to take that gift and squander it.
“Do you have a plan in mind?” Shiloh’s question brought Adalia’s head around.
“Go to the farm, check the Veil and try to work out how this happened.”
“And what if we don’t ’t find a Thorn or a tear?”
Adalia threw a glance towards Shiloh and grinned. “Then I’m going to be grumpy.”
Shiloh rolled her eyes and chuckled. “We’d better find something then.”
They passed the huge fountain in the centre of the village, a place where many villagers would stop to hydrate themselves or their animals. Water shot into the sky, glinting like jewels in the sun, then fell back in a spray that splashed the rock formation.
Adalia took a deep breath of air tinged with salty sea. Shadowkin were busy in the marketplace, unaware of the very spirits that walked amongst them. She smiled as she looked at them.
As the group left the hustle and bustle, the world became quieter. The road to the boy’s house appeared up ahead, and they broke their horses into a light canter. Adalia slowed once they reached the farm and turned to face her three companions. “We will enter the woods behind the house.”
The soldiers nodded.
It was quiet in the trees. The only sounds were birds and the soft rustle of leaves in the breeze. Adalia’s keen eyes skimmed between the thick tree trunks. Rainbow eucalyptus and cascading weepers, two of her favourites. Despite her mind being occupied with finding her enemies, she took a moment to appreciate the magical feeling of this place.
Adalia and her companions moved with ease and skill as they searched their surroundings on horseback. They scoured theground for traces of their culprit or the possibility of a tear in the milky curtain.
“No sign of struggle or disturbed foliage over here,” Caden called.
“We move closer to the Oscuro Veil then,” Adalia replied.
“We could search for hours, Ada,” Shiloh said as she scanned the scenery. “They wouldn’t have lingered.”
“I need to be certain,” Adalia replied. “I will look over here with River while you take Caden and look that way. Also, watch for tears in the Veil. If you find something, whistle.”
Shiloh nodded and moved off with Caden in tow.
Adalia’s gaze returned to the foliage. Unfortunately, Thorns knew how to blend into the shadows all too well.
There were a few physical differences between a Lightner and a Thorn. While Lightner’s wings were an array of colours, Thorns were always black. The other difference was their eyes, something about the eyes of a Thorn screamed emptiness. They spun narratives full of lies they themselves believed were true. Always speaking of the light trying to diminish the darkness, and of a king who was coming to end the Kingdom of Oscuro.
River followed her deeper into the woods and closer to the Oscuro Veil. His presence was somewhat of a comfort. Not that she feared what lurked in the shadows, but having two sets of eyes was better than one. The duo moved along the edge of the Veil upon their warm-blooded companions, looking for any clues to where the Thorns may have entered.
When a Thorn soldier breached into The Grey via a tear in the Oscuro Veil, evidence usually accompanied it: black feathers, trampled foliage, snapped branches, footprints in the earth, or petals from the black rose that only grew on Oscuro’s borders.
River had gone ahead. Whistling low, she caught his attention and gave him a look that asked if he’d seen anything.
Shaking his head, River shrugged.
There had to be something here, and Adalia wasn’t going home until she found it.
A twig snapped to her left and her body stilled, ready to pounce. A shadow moved in the distance. Black wings shimmered under asingle ray of sun that pierced the canopy above like a shard of glowing light and she veered her horse towards it. The Thorn must have spied her too because it took off running.
“River, get Shiloh and hurry,” she yelled as she pushed her mare on.
No Thorn was going to outrun her, especially not on horseback.
