Shade of Deception (Two)

Three - SoD

Three:

“I just thought there would be more to it!”

I said, and Senna gave me an acrid look that bespoke her dwindling patience.

“We are more technologically advanced than the mortals by miles. What did you expect? A gauntlet with swords swishing in every direction. This is not for you to live out your knightly fantasies. Now, put your damn hand in the box so the machine can gauge your expression and power threshold.”

Senna said more ardently, and her eyes flash a dangerous glowing blue. I had seen that look on Skylar’s face a few times, but never directed at me. Sky never really lost her temper with me. Something about the pair of us seemed to have a mellowing effect on the other most of the time.

The silver box reminded me of an old movie called Dune, where a boy’s pain tolerance was tested in a harmless-appearing box such as this. I later discovered it had been a book series before that, so naturally I devoured the entire collection.

“You’re thinking of Dune, aren’t you?”

Sky said, more than asked, and I gave her a mildly shocked look.

“You need to stop reading my mind you brat!”

My tone was completely playful, even still several Nix nearby recoiled in pain at how casually I spoke to their apex. She was the closest thing to a goddess on earth as they were ever going to meet. The Nix all have reptilian aspects, but only the apexes could fully transform into a dragon. Senna, Hawker, and Skylar were the entirety of the Nix species capable of this feat. That gave them something beyond any VIP or elevated status any other being could begin to fathom. From what I heard; the rest of her bloodline had held the gates as the Nix escaped to earth during a war with a terrifying species she refused to speak about. Considering Senna’s fractional tolerance towards me, I did not dare press her for answers.

“Eternal, she believes you intend to torture her or assassinate her.”

Hawker explained, and I swung my gaze back to Senna.

“No! I mean, not exactly!”

Senna’s fingertips flashed to talons for only a split-seconds, long enough to display massive razor-like claws.

“You insult me, I would shred your flesh to the bone with my own hands, should the need arise. I do not play with my food little girl. I would make it swift and decisive.”

Senna locked her glowing gaze on me, and I felt the weight of unseen force of raw power between us. The first time I had felt the full magnitude of her power, I had been rendered speechless, and I had nearly allowed her to overpower me. While I could fight her aura, I merely began to envision myself in a rippling wave of expression. I saw her aura bending all around me. Senna’s eyes were widened fractionally as she saw the seamless expression of effortless evasion.

“Remember what you taught us? Power alone is not the path to victory. Sometimes, one need only bend power.”

Senna’s lip twitched in what could have passed for amusement. Knowing her as I did now, I still couldn’t be sure.

“Interesting display, however, can we please move the theatrics along?”

A board almost monotone-sounding voice said. He was not Nix; he was something other. He felt completely of this world—which was to say I could read his expression aura to tell he was native to earth.

An olive complexed man of about twenty-years-of-age came over and yawned like a lazy cat. He flicked his round-eyed-gaze upon me and cast one appraising look over me from head-to-tone.

“So, how abouts you be a good little world-ender, and put your hand in the box, ok?”

The air was charged around us, as the others seemed terrified at what he had called me to my face. I had heard the immortal community’s slang and veiled insults before regarding shades. World-ender was an immensely popular one. It was akin to being called Hitler to your face. Who in their right mind—or even wrong mind—would want to be called Hitler?!

“Sure, but if that thing bites me, I will end your world first.”

I said, my promise was genuine, but I was mostly just projecting my annoyance, however, I had learned that if attacked, one should be decisive. This is not some romantic nineteen-fifties comic book world where I am cast as the pure-white heroine. In the immortal world, you must punch back with finality in your fists and expressions, unless you wish to just bow your head and allow it to be decapitated.

“Siegfried, please don’t taunt the shade. We have managed nearly two bloodless years with her thus far, let us keep it as such for as long as her nature can allow.”

Senna said, her tone was chastising, and Siegfried notably did not bow or cower before Senna. The only being he appeared to regard in any manner whatsoever was Skylar. He seemed unimpressed by anyone else, and that troubled me. He did not feel powerful to me. In fact, he felt mild, almost weak in expression compared to me, Senna, Hawker, or Skylar.

“Ok, ok, the shade is putting her hand in the freakin box.”

I murmured in an irritable tone, and I felt only mild head wash over my palm as something almost like an electrical current surged through my hand momentarily. I saw numbers begin to stream across a holographic interface screen beside the box and my jaw slacked slightly. I was still too much in the human world to be accustomed to the technology differences in the Nix and the Hidden. This entire world was still new and shiny to me.

“Shut it off, she’s about to short it out!”

Hawker boomed and sure enough, the box exploded and flew outward all around me. The other youths lined up behind me all ducked, and Clark just shook his head in mock-disappointment.

“Girl, I can’t take you anywhere!”

Clarke exclaimed and I gave him a wide-eyed look and waved around me in an animated manner.

“Dude, this is so not on me! I mean, you try holding your power and expression in check while people contemplate your potential to be a future Hitler!”

Skylar rolled her eyes and said, “Bring out the second unit.”

I frowned and gave her a perplexed look.

“You mean you have more than one of these power zapping thingies?”

Sky sighed and said, “Not normally, but I could anticipate you might short this one out.”

She waved about to indicate the shards and broken bits across the lawn.

“Don’t worry, I’ll clean this all up.”

Senna grumbled something to herself and Hawker and then raised her tone.

“I will have some young ones do it. This task will give them focus for a few short minutes if nothing else.”

Even as she said that, all the little Nix children shot into action as if they each had a devil on their tail. They were all human-like, the same as Sky. However, the older bunch behind them, had varying degrees of reptilian scales and even some tails or wings could be seen in the bunch. If you combined the entirety, you might almost have a full dragon between them. Senna might be waning in power to Skylar, but her word was still law, for now. The only exception to this was regarding me. Skylar had won the right to decide if I was a threat to the Nix. (No pressure that, right?!)

Human, you are next. I am interested to see if you will read at all on the meter.”

There was nothing in Siegfried’s tone that backed his claim of interest. He almost yawned again but managed to reframe from doing so publicly for the second time.

Clarke seemed to be praying to everything he could think of as he slowly steeped to the machine. That small device would measure his worth in the eyes of the Nix and the Hidden. He worked tirelessly to perfect every expression, and to shape power.

I felt ripples in the air around me, as power shifted, and Clarke began to flex his metaphysical muscles for the device as his hand slowly slid inside.

It did not break as it had with me, but it did beep, and five digits displayed with 50789. Several of the Nix murmured in surprise. I didn’t know anything about the numbers, only that they did not anticipate such a high reading.

“You two stay put. I will require you for the second test.”

Siegfried told us in that lazy tone of his, and he looked over the rest of the young.

“Come along now, I’m not getting younger.”

He said, and he slipped into a loud yawn and he covered his mouth in a languid motion befitting his sluggish demeanor.

Siegfried was extremely attractive, and slender for a man. He was about six-foot-tall, and he had long flowing inky black locks that gleamed with the evidence of his proper brushstrokes. He was dressed to the nines in a black tux and he wore gleaming silver cufflinks. He almost reminded me of what I saw when I thought of a magician or stage performer form a by-gone era. He lacked the gleaming smile but seemed to have just as many theatrics in his negative and dreary disposition as others might in a more positive and up-beat manner.

He was impossible to read as I could read others. He seemed to almost disappear before one’s eyes. Something elusive in him prickled my danger sense. I had already learned to be paranoid, and not to take anything at face value. Siegfried was hardly the first being I have now encountered who is not what he appears.

I watched patiently as each of the youthful Nix teens did their readings. Some were sent packing after their numbers crossed the holo display. I noticed none of them were even in the fifth digit. Most were only three digits. From what little information that allowed me, it bespoke just how much we each stood out in this small community led by the apex family. Besides Clarke and I, only the apexes were remotely powerful. The Nix were not pushovers, but it was a vast chasm between those who ruled and those who served. Not that Sky or any of her kin ever appeared to press this advantage in any manner. They lived humbly in harmony together in a town which utilized as little technology as possible unless it was needed. One could almost compare it to an Amish village, or at least what I have seen of one on a class trip.

“So, what’s next?” I asked Sky, who gave me a veiled slit of a smile.

“You’ll see soon enough, participant.”

She said in a tone that made her appear impartial and indifferent to me. I caught the tiny glimmer of sass in her delivery, which told me she was deeply amused at my shenanigans. She might be the apex, but Sky was close to my age, so she was more appreciative of my sense of humor and my snappy retorts. Oddly enough, my humor seemed lost on both Regan and Randy, Sky’s two older siblings closest in age to us. Roger was over a century old, but he did chuckle at my jokes. Sky was the only one given a name with an “S” because she was an apex child. The others all had very uniform “R” letter names. Senna really loved organization, apparently. I could almost wonder if it was a tool to divide her from her siblings, but none of them appeared hostile towards Sky for all their differences. They bickered like siblings, even with Sky, but at the end of the day, everyone looked to little Skylar for the answers.

“Come, we’ll use the training field for the sprint.”

Siegfried announced, and everyone still participating followed our sleepy disinterested guide from the Hidden.

I was frowning, and still skeptical about the exams as we moved to the field.