Mindplay stood over the fallen spellcaster and his lizard mount. The battle was over, and Beth went out to be sure the spellcaster was the only one around. Mindplay knew that no one else was around to fight, but he didn't tell Beth. While she looked, he watched over the body, ponding about magic. For centuries, modern man believed that magic was only a made-up concept for uneducated people to explain what could not be presented otherwise. Magic, gods, and monsters did not exist in the mind of the modern man, but only now did Mindplay realize what that could mean for the world he knew. If this man could throw a log like a stone and shoot darts of light at his enemies, then what did Mindplay go through years of suffering for?
Beth came from behind Mindplay, but he didn't notice her because he was distracted.
"Are you ok?" She asked. "Did you find something?"
"No." Mindplay looked around the battlefield with broken trees where the lizard crashed into. "Have you ever seen magic before?
"Yeah. All manner of magic happens in the rainforest."
"I mean, have you ever seen another human cast magic?"
Beth took a moment to look back on her memories. "Shaman magic, but all that does is give vague prophecies and commune with nature. It's something, but this guy was more in line with what most would call magic. Have you seen magic before this?"
"Who can say? I wonder where it has been in the modern age."
"You should think about that another time."
She was right. With the help of Silver and BD, Mindplay would have his chance to get answers. He searched the bodies but found nothing that meant anything to him or Beth. They arrived where they left their companions but only found Raya and BD on Raya's shoulder. Raya was staring at the ground.
Mindplay approached the two and asked, “Where’s Silver?”
“The idiot got captured by a ghoul we were fighting!” said Raya angrily. “His wyvern took me out of the fight without warning or a plan.”
“You were low on stamina,” said BD, defending her master. “If you had kept fighting, you would have died.”
“That wasn’t his call to make!”
“And what call would you have made? Would you have stopped fighting?”
No, she wouldn’t have. Mindplay didn’t need to be a detective to know Raya had long since devalued her life. But Mindplay noticed that Raya was hiding how mixed up she felt under her stoic expression. A monster she had just met risked his well-being to save her.
Unfortunately, there was no time to unpack Raya’s drama.
Mindplay began to explain the situation as he understood it. “A magician was riding a giant lizard as well. They were both sent by Shadow Fang, most likely in response to our encounter with the dryad.”
“He’ll be expecting us,” said Raya.
“Most likely. However, if Silver is in his custody, there’s a chance his focus will be on Silver.” Before Mindplay could finish his thought, Raya began to walk in the direction the group had been traversing. “Where are you going?”
“I have hunted monsters by myself longer than you can imagine. If anyone can get to Shadow Fang and free Silver, it's me alone.”
“We need to work together on this.” Although it wasn't intentional, Mindplay felt he was losing control over Raya and wanted it back.
“No, we don’t. We are not a team. Our partnership is over once I have Shadow Fang, and I’m only helping Silver because he saved my life.”
The day was almost over. There wasn’t time to argue. As painful as it was, Mindplay had to submit that Raya was the expert in this situation, and he had no power to say otherwise. He had to get Silver back, whatever it took.
“We stick together until we get to Shadow Fang's camp; then, you can do whatever you must once we’re there.”
As they walked in silence, Mindplay continued to think of a plan. He was not going to be outdone or outplayed.
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As soon as I realized I was breathing, I took a sharp breath, and my eyes snapped open. Heavy, cold iron chains bound my hands behind my back. I was inside a tent lit from the inside with electric lights. The area was small, with nothing but me and the people watching me. It was Bre and two of Chase’s friends. As my eyes focused on them, only Bre managed to stay stoic compared to her scared-senseless friends.
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A rumble in my chest resonated with my voice as I said, "So, you're here, too."
Two other leatherbacks flinched, but Bre just scowled at me. “To think you would come all this way just to get back at Chase.”
“What makes you think I’m here for Chase? I'm here for Shadow Fang and no one else.”
“You’re in luck then. He wants to talk to you.” She then turned to one of the other leatherbacks and said, “Go get him.” The leatherback didn’t leave immediately. His body was tense, and his eyes measured my every move. Took Bre threatening him to get moving.
I tried moving the chains around to see if I could break them. They were too heavy to lift, and my hands were bound so my claw couldn’t scratch the metal. Were they enchanted by magic like the ghoul's bones?
Bre looked down at me as I fiddled with the chains and said, “Chase hated that about you; your determination. Even though he was holding back in your fights, even when you were outnumbered, you always stood against us. Why?”
I stopped tampering with the chains after making zero visible progress. “Because I could,” I said plainly. “I trained so that I didn’t have to watch people die. Maybe you should have stopped when you had the chance.”
In a blink of an eye, Bre kicked me in the face. Because of how fast it came at me, I was knocked unbalanced and fell sideways on the floor. Bre seemed more hurt by her attack than me, but her rage hid any sign of pain.
“Tuff talk coming from someone who can’t bleed anymore! If you had just stayed out of our way, this would still be our world. Our problems! All without you. But now you’ve taken the name of Silver, and it will be impossible for you to leave it and all its troubles.”
“I have no intention of keeping that name,” I responded as I slowly got up.
"Doesn't matter. This is your world just as much as it's been ours. Its problems are your problems."
My chest flared up, and I retaliated. "If it wasn't for Chase and the rest of you trying to kill me, I wouldn't have awakened as Silver."
This time, Bre flinched along with her friends, but she had one more ounce of courage. "Even if you never knew us, how sure are you wouldn't be the next Silver?"
A chill ran down my spine, and my heart sank. Through this journey, I realized I couldn't return to my old life as Joe Backberge. I felt anger towards Jurya and, now that I thought about it, Shadow Fang. This wrath did not belong to Joe; it was Silver's. So, if I am avenging the Silver's of the past, then is Joe hunting, or is Silver.
From behind Bre came the ghoul I fought, and Shadow Fang followed close behind. When he gave the leatherbacks the ok to leave, they wasted no time making themselves scarce. Shadow Fang wore a nervous grin, and I didn’t know what to think. I was captured and in the vampire’s territory. If I had to guess, there must be over a hundred people outside the tent. In other words, even with Shadow Fang standing inches from me, I was no closer to him than I was yesterday.
Shadow Fang began to speak. “I’ve spent a long time researching everything I could about you. While I didn't find much, one thing I thought was interesting was how much you rely on your claws in combat.”
“Is that why you didn’t put me in a cage?” I asked.
“If you could break those chains, why would I think a cage would stop you? I needed to restrain you long enough to continue our conversation. I need your help, Silver.”
“After what you did to my parents, what makes you think I will help you with anything?”
“I tried apprehending your parents because you wouldn't have trusted me anyway. How could you trust someone who hides in the shadows and only comes out at night? I meant it when I said I wouldn’t harm them, but the plan didn’t go through. If you're going to help me, you need compensation. I’m willing to give up Jurya for your help.”
My muscles tensed so much that I could feel my bones at the mention of Jurya. However, before my rage could fog my mind, a question floated to the surface of my thoughts.
“You’re willing to sacrifice one of your own just for my help?”
Shadow Fang laughed nervously. “There’s no way I can convince you I’m anything more than the bad guy. Just know I am calculated with how I sacrifice my assets. Besides, I need the scroll in the decrepit pyramid more than I need some dryad.”
“Just because you hand over Jurya as payment doesn’t mean I’ll stop coming after you.”
“I know, but at least you’ll know where I’m going. If the dryad escapes now, can you say you’ll be able to find her again? Are you willing to enrage the dragon of this forest just to get one forest spirit?”
Shadow Fang was right. I needed Jurya in my hands again. Even though I couldn’t remember the last time I saw her, it was too long for me to wait again just to see her. Giving Shadow Fang what he wanted was a terrible idea, but I didn’t want to be stopped from dealing with Jurya. Not again.
---------
The sun had set when Raya, Mindplay, Beth, and BD arrived at the Shadow Fang’s camp. The area was fortified with barbed wire to lightly defend the tents and equipment. Creatures of all kinds walked back and forth in the generator-powered lights carrying out different tasks. Some with hands had weapons acting as guards, while those without visible weapons tirelessly worked at computers, chemical desks, and so on. They had been here for a while.
Mindplay was looking through binoculars explaining every detail he could see. “Silver must be down there. The crowd is unsettled.”
“How does an unsettled crowd prove he is here?” asked Raya.
It didn’t. Mindplay had other reasons to confidently say Silver was in the camp, but that wasn’t the point. If Mindplay could exploit even the slightest weakness within the militia, it could give his allies a leg up in any interaction.
With BD still on her shoulder, Raya was about to make her move. She didn’t say anything and barely made a sound, yet Mindplay knew she was moving. Mindplay told her to wait at that moment as something caught his eye.
“Is that Silver?” he asked mostly to himself.
“Where?” Beth whispered as she and Raya tried to see the boy with the black and white hoodie in the crowd.
"On the pyramid," Mindplay pointed at the opening at the top of the old structure. With lights illuminating the door, it was easy to see Silver standing with two guards on either side.
It was clear to Mindplay that everyone was confused, but something else had his attention. Just as he turned to see what was coming towards the group, a fast-moving object ripped through the trees and bushes with hot air.