***
The gray shifting landscape materialized around Astrid. She caught sight of white trousers next to her. She rolled onto her back. The ebony-haired man kneeled by her side, his cloudy eyes staring down upon her. Longing played in the shadows of his gaze, while a startling smile graced his lips. His beauty set her heart hammering.
"You've returned to me."
She fought back a lump in her throat.
You sent your assassins to murder my mother, but you failed.
Her words buzzed through the space.
Hurt flashed across his face at her accusation. His eyes fluctuated again, switching between so many emotions that it confused Astrid.
"Nei love, you misunderstand."
Astrid sat upright, scooting backwards, scrambling to her feet. The man followed, slithering like an uncoiling snake. The fluidity of his movements hypnotized Astrid for a moment. She struggled to compose herself and grabbed at her side, snatching her blade. Within a heartbeat, the point of her sword rested in the hollow of the man's neck. He grinned, obliging the tip by raising his hands in the air.
Astrid's arms quaked at the sight of his surrender. Her mind flashed with the memory of his arms around her, melting into her, desiring her. She drew air through her nose, willing herself to keep steady and banish the treacherous thought.
"I am here to help, not hinder." His face flooded with compassion as he continued, "Your mother didn't understand you. She blocked you from your power. She forced you to believe the shadowwalk was wrong, when in fact, it is instinctual, as natural as life itself."
You lie! she yelled, but her statement faltered, her surety dissolving.
"Do I? You are here, aren't you?" He slunk closer, the heat of his skin palpable even with the short distance between them. His face continued to change from tender to angry to loving within a single breath.
Stand back, she warned, tightening her grip on the hilt of her sword, but she knew that was wrong; a tense hold would slow her movement. She attempted to relax. Her fingers refused, squeezing themselves around the iron even tighter.
"Was it not easy to slide into the walk? Why would a mother try to keep her daughter from using her innate talents? You know it's a gift you possess, don’t you?"
The shadowwalk is a dark and evil thing.
"Like you?"
Nei, like you.
Her voice quivered. The place she feared inside herself opened like a swelling blackness.
"I am the same as you, love."
I am nothing like you!
His insinuation caused her blood to rush, fearing he spoke the truth. In response, she swiped her blade, striking the man clean through his middle. His figure disappeared upon contact, melding within the haze.
Astrid flicked her gaze side to side, searching for the man. The landscaped rolled around her, changing as it did, causing her head to spin.
"You are exactly like me," soothed the man's voice from behind her.
She swirled around to meet him. He stood opposite to her—unscathed, fully formed, the grin still charming his face. Panic bubbled in her chest.
"I am part of you." Though his tone remained steady, his features softened again, brimming with understanding.
Astrid struggled against the desire to believe him. She heaved her sword once more and jabbed at the man. He disappeared then re-appeared a few steps away. She lunged, stabbed, and thrust with her blade, but each time he evaded her blow. The muscles in her arms finally failed; she lowered her sword, gulping air.
"You cannot fight me."
The man disappeared and materialized behind her, slipping his hand over her sword arm to quell her blade. His breath warmed her neck. His hair brushed her cheek. The nearness of him flooded her insides with heat.
"For your entire life, not a soul has understood what you are."
Astrid pinched her eyes closed against his words. He pressed his body into hers.
"Even you don't understand your capabilities."
The tone of his voice rolled over her like a sweet caress. A tremor ran the full length of her spine. His arms engulfed her, wrapping around her middle, pulling her close. The hotness of him burned like fire on her skin.
"But I do, and I can show you how to unleash your power…if you let me."
For a moment, she surrendered to the connection. She craved contact, speech, and intimacy with another and this man provided what she sought.
"Your mother failed to show you because she is not like you and me."
His words pricked her senses. Astrid realized she was not the beacon of light her mother proclaimed; she possessed both dark and light powers within her. And in the shadowwalk, she could speak. And if she could speak…
You are right. I am not like my mother.
The muscles in her throat loosened. The beat of her heart blossomed, spreading throughout her limbs, filling her ears. In the distance, the thrum of the moose's life force resonated with her own, until her body flooded with rhythm. The Mother's song surged through her. A beam of light rushed forward from inside her. Astrid allowed the light to flow from her chest to her limbs. The brightness swelled, running the length of her arms, like a dam releasing. She reached up, drawing the ward with her finger. The light complied, weaving through the distance, forming the symbol that hung in midair as she sang.
Algiz!
The word sounded, its melody lilting, pulsing, and chiming. Lightness filled her being; the threat of darkness receded. She felt as if she could take flight.
Astrid squirmed out of the grip of the Shadow and faced him.
But I am not like you, either.
His smile sunk as a bubble of brightness sprung up around her. The gray landscape fluctuated as the man's body wore thin. With the grin erased from his face, his features looked harsh. His ever-changing emotions became unreadable once more.
"When everyone else has failed you…when you are alone…and you will be, because they cannot understand what you possess inside you…When they have all abandoned you, and they will… I will be here waiting, because I understand your power. I understand what you need. This is not done, love. Your darkness will always be a part of you, and you will always belong to me."
Then the Shadow winked out of existence.