Light and Dark

  Tey was a shadow continent that also held a side of light. There was a constant, clear delineation that followed any individual or group; it was always dark and shadowy on one side and bright and illuminated on the other.

  The group appeared on Tey—on the shadow side—and the brightly illuminated side seemed to pulse with hunger and curiosity. The continent was a land of desert. The shadow side had bright white sands, while the light side had dense black sands.

  Winds blew as Yana focused. She felt the magic move over the continent in dense waves. Sisma seemed to cry out to her, and she listened.

  ‘Mistress. The Shadow Lark is connected to Orb through Tey continent,’ a voice whispered in her mind.

  “How is she connected? Will she be harmed if we separate them?”

  “I am not sure.”

  “Not sure? Is she no longer connected to the stars?”

  “No. I think she was forcefully disconnected.”

  Yana paused. Her last evolution had given her a wealth of information concerning Shadow Larks. The Dune Domain was supposed to disconnect the Lark from the stars, but the Dune Domain had chosen Sisma.

  Yana looked toward Devon. There was something there—something drawing him to Sisma.

  “Devon, do you sense Sisma?”

  “I do. Someone is trying to control her, and she is fighting against them.”

  Tasha frowned. “He is connected to a Shadow Lark? He is too young, Yana.”

  “But he is a Shadow Cat, Tasha. You already know the ramifications of that.”

  Tasha nodded. “This is true, but—”

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  “No buts. He seems weak, but the connection is strong. It is so strong I can feel it like a tight string being strummed by a soft breeze. It is unavoidable. How long has Sisma been talking to you?”

  “Since I met you,” Devon replied.

  Amber spoke up. “You are the catalyst, Mistress.”

  “It would seem so. Devon, can you speak to her?”

  “When I am asleep.”

  “Asleep? Come here Starlight, to me.”

  The Starguide appeared before her and immediately entered Yana’s soul sea, as if she had been gone too long. Yana stood behind Devon, and her sorcery engaged. Runes appeared all around them, and Yana’s form expanded, tripling in size. She became a vast shadow that rose up to protect Devon. The Shadow Cat seemed to naturally embrace the runes before them.

  He stepped into Yana’s shadow and heard Sisma asking for help.

  “Tell her I am here. Ask her if she is ready to go and if she wants to be part of my Dune Domain.”

  Devon shimmered and a dreamscape appeared before them. Devon stood before a small voluminously plumed violet bird whose shadow was larger than a mountain range.

  “Yes, I will go with you,” Devon said, his voice distant.

  Yana frowned. “I didn’t tell you that.”

  “She won’t go without me.”

  “But you will not survive in a Dune Domain, Devon. You will lose everything and only your shadow self will exist.”

  “I will protect him, Mistress of Fate. Let me join with him. We can maintain your Dune Domain together,” Sisma’s voice echoed through the connection.

  “Join?” Yana paused. Normally such things were of no importance, but Amber was family, and Yana now thought of families in different ways.

  “You seem weak. Can you even survive until we reach you?”

  “Devon is here. It is like the half I have been missing has finally arrived.”

  “Devon, I will push you to her. Do you know how to hide in a Shadow Lark’s shadow?”

  “I will show him,” Sisma promised.

  Yana used [Shadow Step] and sent Devon to Sisma. She watched as Sisma's shadowed feathers entered Devon’s mind. The Shadow Lark was a violet bird with the beak of a hawk but the round face of an owl. Her feathers were violet, purple, and billowing shadow. She was the size of a canary Capable of sitting on Devon’s shoulder. She was small, but her shadow was as massive as a mountain.

  Devon instinctually moved to the darkest area. Both Yana and Sisma nodded, and Yana pushed him, with [Shadow Step] further toward Sisma. She saw him settle into that deepest darkest point of the Shadow Lark’s massive shadow.

  ‘We are coming now. Sisma, how long have these shadows had you in captivity?’

  ‘I am not sure. The stars left, and then I was with the greedy ones.’

  Yana nodded in understanding.

  “DD, you and Tasha are with me. Amber, you and Alisha will enter through the back. We will stay on the shadow side, don't worry. We will [Shadow Step] together, and we will start together.”

  Yana smiled deviously, her body becoming eager for a fight. Jasmine, Mag, Amber, and Tasha were about to have a feast—and she would need to make sure Alisha did not devour Tey Continent’s shade.

  Yana was ready for war.