Shadow People (The Forbidden Darkness Chronicles, #2)

Twenty-Nine: Heather Hawkins

"Did you get the girl and that bastard Djinn?" a voice said from the Darkness.

It got my attention, because after I gave up screaming, I didn't know what to think. There was no bit of light around me, and I knew I was chained. Someone had put me here, wherever I was. So hearing a voice startled me, but got my attention at the same time.

"Yes, Abaddon," a voice whispered. "She tried to deceive the Darkness. I watched with my own eyes."

Abaddon chuckled. "Well, she's not going to like the Darkness very much now."

I heard footsteps coming near me. My heart was going infinity times infinity, and I thought I was going to have a panic attack. Abaddon. The Shadow People coordinated all of this. Did they control the Darkness now?

And more importantly, what was going to happen to Kadin and me?

"Que the candles," Abaddon said.

One by one I watched as the tall, white candles flickered on. As the room grew significantly lighter, I saw that we were surrounded by rock. Majlis al Jinn? I wasn't sure. It didn't look like any part I'd been in yet. All the other parts I'd been in had enough light to see. This place was cold and dark. Perfect for the Darkness.

Standing before me was Abaddon. What struck me as odd was that he no longer looked like a complete Shadow. His face was slowly becoming more noticeable, and I even saw eyes—pitch black holes in the center of his eyes. He smiled at me, revealing a pair of sharp, white teeth.

Ah hell.

"Heather Hawkins," Abaddon said. "It's such a pleasure to see you again."

"I wish I could say the same," I said angrily. "What do you want from me and Kadin?"

The Shadow laughed. "I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise. No worries, though. You'll see soon enough."

That was when I noticed Kadin on the wall on the other side of the room. He was hung up just like me, by chains and cuffs, but he was waking up. He looked like absolute crap. Hair disheveled, and face black and blue, I wanted to scream for him. Instead, I was silent.

In the center of the room was a cement square, and there were a bunch of hieroglyphics carved into them. I couldn't see what they were, but I knew they were there. The other four Shadow People in the room also caught my attention. They were standing around the cement black.

And I gasped in shock when I noticed the Darkness. It was hard to see, because it blended in so well, so it was all over the wall, stretched out in columns, pulsating.

This was not good. At all.

When Kadin opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was me. Our eyes met, and even from here I could see the silver. Not even a second later, he looked right at Abaddon and growled. Yes, growled. He was not a very happy camper, not that I could blame him.

"Hello, Kadin," Abaddon said, walking over to him. "Wonderful Kadin. We thought you hadn't made it."

"What are you doing with us?" Kadin demanded. "Let her go."

Abaddon snickered. "Why would we do that? We both know what a treasure she is. That's why you tried to recruit her on your side. Before you tried to kill her, that is."

"It was a mistake!" Kadin shouted. "I need her on my side. And when we get out of here, I am going—" I watched as electricity formed at his hands, but Abaddon was quick.

"If you escape, we will kill her in a second," he said. "And the Darkness is all around us. Five of us, plus the Darkness? You wouldn't last a minute."

Abaddon's threat, thank God, got Kadin to not try anything. I wasn't sure if it was the threat to kill me, or the threat to kill him, that got him to stop. Either way, I was grateful.

"Now, where were we?" the Shadow asked. "Oh, that's right. The part where you tried to kill Heather. I do have to say, had you done it right then, the Shadows and I wouldn't have hope. And for that, we're forever grateful."

"Thanks!" I shouted, not knowing whether it was meant to be a compliment. But I figured I'd get a good jab in before all hell broke loose.

Abaddon turned to me. "You're a feisty little thing, aren't you?"

I smirked, trying my best not to show my fear. "There's more where that came from."

"Let her go," Kadin said. "You don't have to do this."

"But we do," Abaddon said, walking over the the cement square. "If we don't, we'll never get to be in our physical forms again. And if we don't do that, we'll never be able to accomplish our goal."

"Which is to what?" Kadin asked.

"We're going to launch a war against the Djinn," Abaddon said, showing his teeth. "And when we conquer the Between, we're going to go for Paradise."