INSIDE THE SHADOWS

"You let yourself be taken."

Dmitri Evans opened one cobalt blue eye to survey his surroundings…wherever his surroundings were. They had been moving, gliding, and in his case struggling alongside the shadows for about three months now. It wasn't as if they were congenial enough to tell him the time. No. His instincts-instincts he had long oppressed-supplied that information. Occasionally, they would stop to set up camp like the old days-cursed days-float him above a roaring fire like caught kill on display and have their sadistic fun with him. But at least then, he could see the stars brightening the inky sky with their light. Nature could tell one many things. Infuriately for Dmitri, they lacked the information he desired above all to know.

"Did I?"

Tonight he was in a cell. Edgar Allen Poe would've adored it, he mused. The place seemed to be a villain's lair straight out of a classic horror novel: absurdly dark, damp, and disgusting. The three D's. A fireplace crackled eerily in a nearby corner, but he had yet to feel its warmth. Shivering, Dmitri's lip curled as an emaciated rat scurried underneath his feet. It was hard to feel anything when you chained hand-and-foot to a wall.

"You did," Sergei snarled. "You knew it was Morgaine when she approached you, but didn't run. You hid away from the muggles…a wise choice. Running is futile."

"Is it really?"

"I WILL BE ASKING THE QUESTIONS HERE!"

His voice thundered throughout the chamber, but Dmitri showed no fear. He gazed at his former comrade pitilessly with a sneer planted on his handsome face. The doctor knew his appearance angered Sergei. Even in Russia, he had never been attractive and, when compared to Dmitri, it was painfully so. Cobalt eyes studied the other man's teenage appearance.

"Let me go. I have nothing you want."

A cruel smile played on his lips. "Au contraire, my comrade-in-arms! You have everything we want." Sergei's body floated eerily into the air and he reclined as though sitting on a throne. "Judging by how overjoyed Master was to hear about your capture, you have a few things he wants too…besides your corpse."

"As I said before, I've had nothing to do with you bastards," The brunette glowered icily, "and we stopped being comrades the moment you hurt that girl."

"Not very friendly! I think it's time for another attitude adjustment. Morgaine!"

The archaic woman was sitting farthest from the fireplace in the darkest corner. Her fetal position was being cradled by the moving shadows. Mumbling wildly, Morgaine glanced up at the call then grinned, revealing two rows of crooked yellow teeth. She pointed a clawed finger at the chained Dmitri and watched gleefully as her beloved pet began to swirl up her arm. Then with it firmly inside the sorceress's grasp, Morgaine launched a ball of darkness toward him.

Blue eyes narrowed. Not again!

A shield of golden flames intercepted the attack before swallowing it whole. A howl of outrage echoed solemnly, but it did not belong to Morgaine.

"HOW? HOW?! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE POWERLESS!"

"Just because I have power doesn't mean I have to use it," snarled Dmitri.

"Power? Ha! This coming from the man who swore he would never use, touch, or look at magic again! You vowed in front of all that would be so! TELL ME THE TRUTH!"

"There is no truth. My sins have been forgiven, Sergei!"

"BUT NOT FORGOTTEN!" His face was filled with hatred, but then he calmed and began to pace in mid-air. "What we have accomplished will always be remembered by the hands of time! By the Book of Shadows! And you-you were the most glorious-,"

"Glorious or insane?"

"Ambitious. You delved into magic long forgotten, unlocked every secret, and became their master. Your name was feared throughout the realms and you were second only to one. The ultimate power was in your grasp and-like a fool my friend-you turned it away…from all of us and it's time to take that power back."

At his words, the once silent group of six including Morgaine jeered out insults toward him. Indeed, Sergei was their leader and it suited the bloodthirsty arse-kisser perfectly. Dmitri eyed the robed figures. There were seven when he knew them. But despite their hoods, he begrudgingly could differentiate between them. One was a newcomer to the ranks and another was missing. Blue eyes widened in horror.

"So you've noticed. Yes, Mirage has been given a grand assignment from the Master…gets to stay in a princess's castle and everything."

He watched in glee as the color drained from Dmitri's face before turning to face his comrades.

"You see," called out Sergei. "Our old friend has let himself go. When we knew him, he was invincible! He had no flaws...no weaknesses." A low chuckle resonated. "But now there's three...Speculum Trivium!"

With a flick of his ebony wand, three black strands of light shot out the tip and into the air. Each began to separate then form solid floating surfaces. The doctor felt his heart clench as he saw the faces of the family he'd been stolen from. In one mirror was pretty Gloria Evans sitting at a pub by herself with a sad, wistful expression. In another a laughing Petunia ate dinner with Herbert, Cornelia, and a massive blonde lad at her side. And, the largest mirror in the middle showed beautiful Lily magically straightening her red curls with a wand while tiredly applying lipstick. Green eyes widened in horror as she hit her left cheek on accident. Then, she began to urgently remove the mistake by rubbing only causing it to smear even more.

"I suppose," Sergei drawled, "that even royalty have their flaws. You know they've been looking for her, yes? Is that another reason why you've been hiding out so long? To avoid your parents?"

"No."

"Have you told her about being a half-breed?"

"Shut up."

"Well I suppose that doesn't matter. Once everything's done and gone me doubt there will be much left. Those emeralds of hers will make a wonderful trophy, don't you think?"

"If you hurt my children" His voice became colder than an Antarctica winter, "or my wife, there's no place in all the realms that can hide you from me."

For a moment, the teenage-looking man appeared frightened, but his fear quickly erased itself. "Still the same after all these years…arrogant even in chains!"

"I theenk 'e needs to be taught another lesson. 'e forgets 'iz place." The newest member spoke-his French accent shining through.

"I agree. Master wants to keep you alive until his arrival, but he didn't say we couldn't have fun with you." purred Sergei, lifting up his wand between Dmitri's defiant blue eyes. He despised those eyes. They held the same intensity as they did in the old days. The better days. The days when he could stare this man-this traitor-in the eyes and call him his comrade. His friend. But, those times were dead and gone. Over. All Sergei wished now to do was wipe those colbalt orbs blank...to watch the light leave them as he despatched Dmitri into Death's welcoming arms. But that deed belonged to the Master. For now, Sergei would settle for this:

"Crucio!"

The traitor's screams provided some comfort.

Hmm...I wonder what Dmitri did to become a traitor. Who and why did these people kidnap him? Who is the "Master"? Why did Dmitri swear to never use magic? Isn't he supposed to be a muggle? Who's this "Mirage" person? Why is this chapter called, "Inside the Shadows"?!

Hmmm...well, the good news is I KNOW and you'll find out! I have to say I missed Dmitri a lot so I had to write about him. He's probably the most complex character in this story!

NEXT CHAPTER UP SOON! (Hopefully this tickled your tastebuds!)