She had become accustomed to their sound, and sometimes even managed to drown them out. She also noticed that the whispers started to listen to her now. If she told them to be silent they would obey, if only for a short period of time. It seemed that more than just whispers followed her now; shadows were near her everywhere she went, watching over her. And unlike the whispers, the shadows could be noticed by other people too. Her mother asked her once how she made the shadow of a glass that was on the table move. She asked how she walks without making a sound and why she stays in the most shadowy corner of the room every time. She grows concerned when she hears her daughter talk and no one else is in the room. But she knows what her daughter is and she isn't afraid because she knows he will come for her soon.
The little girl started to like the shadows, to enjoy playing with them. And she found out there were many ways to use them, from making doors close to helping her get to different parts of the house faster. She learned to slide along them and she could even make them lift her up off the ground. She scared her mother once by doing that then making her turn around to see her at eye level. But most of all, she liked to tie the shadows of two objects together then watch them close the distance between them. She listened to the voices and understood that these whispers resonated from darkness, and not from shadows. She realized that there are two kinds of shadows, the ones through which you could see, the shallow and ephemeral ones and the dark ones, the ones that completely black out any light. Those are the ones that talk. The ones that tell her things a little girl is not supposed to know. They tell her of red skies that block out the sun and creatures with blood stained claws that hunger in the night. Of the man that will come on horse back and claim her, of how her mother will let her go and never see her again. But she doesn't believe them. She knows they're just stories. Or at least she didn't until that night.
She woke up to hear them arguing. She had never heard the voices talking like that, they were always on the same page, but now they were fighting among each other. When she stood up the shadows grew silent, but she heard other voices. These seemed to be live and coming from the other room. She could not make out what they were saying.
She got up and left the room following the sounds. She saw at the end of the hall a door opened ajar and actual people's voices coming from inside. She realized that the voices she had heard in her room were merely the echo carried through the shadows. She came closer and as she did the whispers of the darkness grew louder and more agitated until she was in front of the door. Then the whispers silenced to let her hear the people. She looked inside through the crack and saw her mother sitting in a chair and a caped man circling her like a vulture.
"Don't tell me you've grown fond of the little devil." The man had a hard, rough voice and the little girl watched his eyes move from the fire place to her mother. She saw the look he gave her: cold and hungry.
"She's my daughter." Her mother's voice echoed through the room.
"She's mine."
Her mother looked up into the demon's eyes.
"I know, but maybe you could let her stay with me for a little longer. The girl needs her mother." The man laughed, but it didn't sound like laughter, it was too loud, too abrupt.
"I'm serious, she might not be what you look for."
"Are you telling me what to do, woman?"
"No! No, I … I was just…I'm sorry." She drew breath, trying to find the courage to tell him what she wanted.
"Tell me about her."
"She's growing up quite fast."
"Is she developing her powers?" The man asked quickly, he was not interested in petty things.
"I think so."
"You think so?"
"I saw her making things move, and she can lift herself off he ground."
"So, she's telekinetic?"
"I don't know. I think it has more to do with shadows."
"Shadows?"
"I saw her making the shadows of different objects move. When she's making them float I can see something underneath, almost like their own shadow was carrying them to her."
"Interesting."
"But she has started talking to herself, I don't know why, but I caught her telling people that weren't there to shut up. I even heard her having conversations like this." The woman blurted out this information, almost as if she was trying to let him know her daughter was not well to go with him. She was definitely having second thoughts about their agreement, but she would not deny him. She still loved him after all these years. And she would give him her little girl knowing that one day she would sit beside him, as his queen and her daughter as his most skilled assassin.
"And she's changed."
"How so?"
"Her eyes are getting darker every day, as if these shadows are invading her eyesight. It doesn't seem to be blinding her, though. I sometimes watch her just to see if she can follow objects with her pupils…"
"Anything else?"
"I noticed, before this, ... she has your eyes…" the woman barely whispered. A little detail that she treasured in her daughter because it reminded her of him. He didn't seem fazed by her comment.
"Tonight. I will take her tonight."
"What? Please, just let her stay a little more with me, she's only 8…" Her mother's voice reflected her panic.
"No, I think it's better for her if she were to come with me now."
"But…"
The man glared at her and that was enough to silence her.
The little girl realized they were going to check on her, so she ran back to her room as fast as she could, sliding along the shadows. Without making a sound she threw herself into her bed, covered herself with the blankets and closed her eyes pretending to be asleep. She soon heard footsteps outside her room, and then the door opened. She felt someone put their hands on her chest and she recognized the soft touch of her mother.
"Darling. Wake up, there's someone here to see you."
The little girl blinked a few times and even though there wasn't much light in the room, she saw him clearly. The most striking thing about him was his eyes: a very pale blue, almost gleaming in the dark when he was looking at her. Measuring her. He smiled revealing his sharp teeth.
Her mother lifted her in her arms until she was face to face with him. She gave her daughter to him and he walked out of the room without saying anything more. The woman followed them with her eyes on the floor, feeling completely defeated. The little girl watched her over this man's shoulders until they reached the porch and she realized what was going on. This was the man the shadows were whispering about. She panicked and started crying.
"Oh, Darling don't cry." Her mother said, although there were tears forming in her eyes as well. "Listen to me, this man is going to take you on a little trip, he's going to show you marvelous things and he's going to care for you."
"But I want to stay with you! I don't want to go!"
"Shhh, it's okay." Her mother reached out and grabbed her out of this man's arms. She held her close. The little girl buried her face into her mother's shoulder, crying. She reveled in what little comfort this embrace gave her, but she was scared. The shadows had said things to her, things she did not want to believe, but was afraid were true.
"Darling," her mother said tearing her from her shoulder to look into her only daughter's eyes, "this man is you father, and he's going to take you with him. But don't be frightened, many things await you, a lot of them will be hard to go through, but you will be okay." The woman wiped the tears away from the little girl's cheek. "I will always love you, and you'll always be my daughter. Besides, it's not like we won't see each other again. We'll be apart for just a little while, then we'll be together again. Don't worry." The little girl was still crying, but she didn't know what to do. The voices in the darkness, were agitated, some crying with her, some panicking, but some whispered not to do anything else for it could cost her her mother's life.
The woman handed over her daughter and the man turned away to leave, but she grabbed his arm. She looked into his eyes with new found courage for the first time in the night.
"You will come back for me." It was not a question; she uttered the words almost like a threat. The man paused then smiled and said:
"Of course." Then he looked at the little girl in his arms:
"Don't worry, I'm going to take care of you." She met his gaze and, even though his thirst for power like a wild-fire was mirrored in his eyes, for a moment she believed him.
He mounted his horse and rode into the night, darkness swallowing him and his daughter.
She never saw her mother again, although it's not because she didn't try to find her. The house and the woman living inside of it were never to be seen again. All she found in their place was ashes and shadows.
