Spirits in Shadows:
By Kellie Fay
Spirits dwell within the home of Shadow the Hedgehog, but he needs his spirit housemate when Sonic's soul hangs between the world of the living and the dead.
Disclaimer: Sonic and Co belongs to SEGA, 4Kids and whoever else owns them not me.
Okay call me superstitious I don't like posting chapter 13 alone so here's chapter 14 too. Please keep Reviewing!
Chapter 14
Messages From Elsewhere
Shadow wanted to be at Sonic's side demanding answers, but all he could do to sit there breathing heavily allowing his own body to purge himself of the toxin.
"Shadow you must see the healer," Andrea said. Shadow shook his head and brushed the girl away.
"My body can rid me of the toxin on my own. Let the healers deal with Sonic for now." Shadow said trying to concentrate. He never felt so ill or tired in his life.
"Katrina told me to attend you," Andrea told him. She offered him some juice which he accepted. While he drank to his surprise the little kit took both her thumbs, and hit what Rouge would call one of his sweet spots between his quills. Before he knew what hit him his eyes closed, his head dropped to his chest, and his arms relaxed. The glass fell from his fingers, but Andrea caught it neatly, and put it aside. Keeping a steady massage on that single point on his back Andrea began to whisper an incantation that caused the Chaos Emeralds hidden in his quills to release energy into his system. Without understanding how he knew what to do with the energy Shadow allowed the Chaos energy fill his being. It ran through his body revitalizing him. It didn't burn away the toxin, but when he opened his eyes again, and lifted his head he definitely felt better.
He turned to look at the little kit amazed. "What did you do to me?" He asked.
"Grandmother told me the Chaos Energy would sustain you until you got better."
"Shadow wondered at that. "And she told you how to get me to accept the Chaos energy within me?"
The girl nodded.
"Thank you, don't ever do that again. I don't like losing control of myself even for a little while. Do you think you can do that for Sonic?"
Andrea shook her head no. "Sonic is too weak, you have to be able to call on the Chaos energy."
Shadow got to his feet, and moved over to where a dozen kitsune healers in brightly colored robes hovered over Sonic. Katrina paced around the edges of the hoard nervously. "There is still no change," she said when Shadow and Andrea joined her.
"Is there anything your healers can tell us that might help?" Shadow snapped. Something was buzzing in the back of his mind, but he did not know what.
One of the healers a young fox not much older than Katrina turned, and said, "It is a toxin we have never seen before. Our people do not use poisons normally, but it is making it hard for him to move or breathe."
Shadow felt a dizziness that he attributed to the toxin in his system, but words bubbled in his mind, and he felt compelled to say them. "Neurotoxin, a...a very old and ancient weapon. The Guardian will know the ancient knowledge."
"Your highness what is he talking - " an older healer asked. Katrina hushed the healer and softly whispered to Shadow, "Shadow, who is telling you these things?"
Shadow felt like someone wrapped their arms gently around him comforting, and whispered in his ears things he needed to say. "She says The Guardian of The Master Emerald has the ancient knowledge. We...we have to take him home. Knuckles will know the poison Knuckles will know what to do."
"The Guardian of the Master Emerald?" one of the healers shouted breaking Shadow from the odd spell. "The Echidnas?"
Shadow put his hands to his head he could feel the soft quiet voice begging him to listen, but Shadow shook it off this time. "Something…someone wanted me to say that."
"Randolf!" Katrina scolded sharply. "You distracted him from the spirit."
Shadow, still feeling fuzzy brained, and disconnected, registered that something wanted…no needed to use him to communicate. "Spirit?" He asked confused. Suddenly he knew where the impulses came from. "The band!" Shadow looked down at his wrist, and the band was still there. Fingering the beaded chord hesitantly, Shadow could almost feel the voice trying to get him to listen again. He shook his head trying to retain control of his mind. "Katrina? What is going on with me?" He demanded.
"You see the band now, don't you?" Katrina said gently.
Suddenly Shadow realized he hadn't thought about the band at all not since Knuckles gave it to him. "Yes, a friend gave it to me. He said the spirit connected to the band would help us."
"She was helping you, she was telling you something." Katrina explained. "Most people can't hear or see spirits. When they want to be heard they have to bring your mind closer to where they are. That's why most people see spirits in dreams. Your mind is open then."
One of the healers now noticing the band around his arm sneered at Shadow. "That is an echidna talisman. I don't see how that could be helpful at all. Echidnas were a crude and violent group. They wiped themselves out of existence, and better our world for it."
Shadow's ears went flat against his skull. He didn't know much about Knuckles, but he knew that The Guardian was honorable, and true to his duty. He trusted Shadow on Sonic's say so alone. He knew that Knuckles often felt out of place being the only one of his kind still living, and to hear the pompous kitsune talk down about his species grated on his already frayed nerves.
"Say something like that again, and I'll show you why The Chaos Emeralds need a guardian!" Shadow snapped his hand glowing from pulling in the Chaos Energy from within his quills.
"Shadow calm down!" Katrina and Andrea begged him. A slight moan caught the attention of all three. Sonic lay on the healing pallet trying to move.
Instantly Shadow knew why. "Of course the energy!" He said. Turning quickly to Andrea he asked. "That spell you cast on me before, can you do it again?"
Confused the girl said, "Yes but, you absorbed the energy. Taking in more will not burn the toxin any faster."
Quickly Shadow explained. "Sonic absorbs energy the same way you and I take in food and air. If you help me channel The Chaos Emeralds in the same way as before in his presence –"
"Sonic may absorb the energy directly from you," Katrina finished quickly figuring it out. "Come stand besides Sonic. Andrea when you are ready."
Andrea came up behind Shadow, and pressed at the pressure point again. Shadow prepared by trying to keep calm. Again he felt his head drop to his chest, and a feeling of deep relaxation overcame him, but this time he went with it allowing the sensations to flow, and listening to the strange words she spoke. He still didn't know what they meant, but he found himself obeying even though he didn't understand. With his eyes closed he pulled the energy from the four chaos emeralds into himself then he placed his hand on Sonic's shoulder. Somehow he knew that if he called Sonic would hear him. Sonic the power is here, use it. He felt Sonic take a deep breath, and suddenly he felt the drain of the energy. When he opened his eyes Sonic's eyes were open too, but somehow Shadow knew that his blue reflection didn't quite see him.
"Where did you come from?" Sonic's voice seemed week. It seemed to be an effort to speak, but Sonic looked past Shadow apparently looking at someone no one could see.
"Sonic?" Katrina asked, but Sonic didn't seem to hear her. He tried to raise one hand, Shadow grasped onto Sonic's hand encouraging him to absorb more Chaos Energies.
"Shadow," Sonic said. "Tikal says I have to go home. Knuckles…..she says Knuckles can help me."
"Sonic, who is Tikal?" Shadow asked, but Sonic didn't seem to hear him. Instead he still looked past Shadow seeing something that the others could not.
"She says you were scared to listen to her, Shads. You have to listen to her..." Sonic seemed to lose his breath with the effort of speaking. "Has...has old knowledge...so does Knuckles. Can...can help us."
"Shadow who is Knuckles?" Katrina asked.
Shadow noticed Sonic weakening again. He placed his hand on his blue reflection's chest, and to his surprise Sonic's breathing evened out. "A friend," he explained then more softly he said, "He's the current Guardian of the Master Emerald. It was he that gave me the arm band that contained the spirit. He has access to the knowledge of the ancient echidnas."
"If he gave you an active talisman I would say so." Katrina said. "Shadow I know you said you do not like to give up control of yourself, but that is the best way spirits can speak to us. You must relax, and allow them to use your body and voice to tell us what they wish us to know."
"We know enough now," Shadow said. "She told me, and she told Sonic to tell us Knuckles has the knowledge to save him." He looked up at Katrina. "We need to get home."
"You are going to trust the knowledge of an echidna?" The chief healer said. "He probably knows about this toxin because his people made it!"
"Probably," Shadow said narrowing his eyes, and flattening his ears again, "but one of your people decided to use it." He looked back at Katrina.
"I can help you," Katrina said. She went to retrieve her staff, and with a wave of her hand the healers stood back. She raised her staff at the wall, and then placed her hand on Shadow's shoulder. "I want you to think of your home Shadow," Katrina said. "The place you feel safe and protected."
Shadow nodded, and did what she said. He closed his eyes and focused on the home that he made with his own two hands. He opened his eyes when he felt Katrina moving her staff, and she called out in a loud voice "Yusō pōtaruōpun"
The top of her staff began to glow. She held it out to the wall where the light transferred itself to the wall. The small white light suddenly became a multicolored swirl that made Shadow dizzy to look at it. He refused to take his eyes off of the image though, and watched the swirl change, and increase in size. When the swirling energy grew to almost the size of the wall itself the center began to change. The colors started to stabilize, and with a gasp Shadow recognized the image as the inside of his own cabin. When he could see his entire room within the colors he looked up at Katrina puzzled.
"Take Sonic and go through," Katrina explained. "You will find yourself at home. Please find this guardian, and help him. If nothing is done, Sonic will stop breathing."
Shadow nodded he glared at the remaining healers who hurried to get out of his way. He strode to the pallet where Sonic lay again unconscious. Gently Shadow picked up his blue reflection then with a nod to Katrina and Andrea, Shadow carried Sonic through the porthole.
Coming Soon
Chapter 15
Walking the edges
Shadow noticed that Knuckles ignored the group of them and moved around Sonic giving the hedgehog a thorough examination. He tried to wake Sonic. Then took his pulse, felt his chest and for a full minute just stood there watching Sonic's chest rise and fall. He took a sniff of Sonic's breath, and frowned deeply. "Okay then," He said looking at Sonic. You'd better live thought this you idiot."
"Kunckles?" Tails asked warily.
The Echidna looked at all of them reluctantly. "Well I've got news, a lot of it, good and bad."
"Bad first," Shadow said always determined to see the worst first so he could fight it.
"They told you my people used this toxin right?" Knuckles asked. When Shadow nodded Knuckles said, "Well they were right, long ago. It was designed to put their targets to sleep and paralyze them, eventually it paralyzes the breathing muscles and the victim usually dies."