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“Do you know what it is?” I asked.
“Not really. At least, I didn’t think I did until I saw what you did to it with your magic.”
I scoffed. “I did nothing to it. It swallowed the light I conjured, and then it somehow got even closer to us.”
Valerian nodded. “That’s exactly what led me to use the amulet.”
“You had a hunch.”
He nodded. “I did.”
“So? What is it?”
“Like I said, I don’t know what they call it… all I’ve heard are stories.”
I watched him carefully, saw the way the dim candlelight danced across his face. “You’re stalling,” I said.
“Maybe, yes. I guess I am.”
“Just give it to me.”
Valerian frowned.
I shook my head. “Stop it. That wasn’t meant—I didn’t mean—just tell me what this thing is so we can figure out how to deal with it.”
“If my hunch is right, there is no dealing with it.” He paused again, as if wrestling once more with whether to tell me or not. After a moment, he continued. “Folklore and stories. That’s all I have. They tell of a creature, a shadow figure that exists at the very edge of perception. No matter where you go, it’s always right in front of you, blocking off all hope of escape. The more energy you use trying to run or fight it, the stronger it gets, and the stronger it gets, thecloserit can get to you.”
“That… sounds almost exactly like what we just went up against.”
“At first I thought it was a Shadow Wraith.”
“Shadow Wraith?”
“It’s a spirit of pure darkness that sucks the light out of its surroundings. When it’s dark enough, the wraith attacks its target viciously, taking advantage of the fact that—usually—the person they’re attacking can’t see enough to defend themselves.”
“That doesn’t sound like the thing in the forest.”
“No, and that’s what worries me.”
“Why?”
“Because if it’s not a Shadow Wraith, then it’s the other thing… and if it’s the other thing, then it means we’re in more trouble than I thought.”
An ice cube fell into the pit of my stomach. I felt my entire body flush with fresh cold, a cold that raced through my chest, and shot all the way to the tips of my fingers. “Okay,” I said, “I’m guessing you have an idea what may have happened to us.”
Valerian nodded. “This creature…” he paused. “It’s almost not a creature at all. It’s a warped extension of Fate itself.”
“Fate?”
“From what I’ve heard and read about this thing, it hunts down those who should not exist.”
“Shouldn’t… what?”
“Fate isn’t just a construct, or an idea. It’s not just a series of strings that tie people to other people, or places, or things, or even destinies. Fate is alive—like a force of nature that exists to maintain some kind of cosmic balance. At least, that’s what they tell me.”
“That’s what they tried to teach me at school. I didn’t buy it.”
“I’m sure anyone would be hard-pressed to impose their views about the world on you.”
