A.N.

Sorry this chapter took so long to get up! I kept changing things.


I didn't get the chance to take a step toward Harkat before the ground split apart. Great cracks in the earth ripped through the tunnel and I found myself falling headfirst into one when it opened right beneath my feet. I reached out and sought for a handhold as I fell; dust had gotten into my eyes and blinded me. I grabbed a pipe sticking out from the ground and hit the side of the fissure painfully. My wounds from Harrison's tender care had not yet finished healing and I felt several scabs break open on my stomach. Drops of blood fell from my chest and down into the darkness. Even as I struggled to climb back up my mind whirred, discarding the original plan I'd had to deal with Mr. Tiny. A new one was forming and I liked it only slightly better then the old, but it involved less acting.

The next handhold was another pipe at least two feet up. My fingers slipped on the rock and went over a sharp piece of metal embedded in the debris. I cried out and pulled back sharply, hanging by only one hand. A gash had been sliced across four of my fingers, right on my second knuckle. I winced but reached up again and grabbed the pipe, trying to get a good grip despite the blood wetting my hand. The initial energy from escaping was swiftly wearing off and I needed more water. The collar had released another dose into my system and the dragon was almost asleep. I had just enough magic to hold the illusions, but I doubted that would last long. I put my feet on a tiny ledge and sucked in a breath, wiping my eyes with the back of my blood free hand. Instead of helping I smeared even more dirt on my face.

"Darren!" Harkats pain filled scream was almost right above me and then it faded away abruptly.

I shouted back at him and reached up, seeking another pipe. I found one and scrambled up another few feet. My new plan was just as dangerous, maybe even more so because it involved Mr. Tiny knowing exactly who I was from the start, but in the long run I thought it would keep him more interested. He knew that magical creatures only were kept here. He would also know that the collars would only be put on those with powers to be kept in check. I would keep up the pretense of not remembering anything, but also refuse to be called Darren and insist on Shadow. I would lead him along with the idea of me having some sort of power and also keep the act of a slightly darker persona going.

"Where are you?" Harkat shouted.

"Down here!" I coughed. Seconds later a body fell past me and into the void. It was a guard and his terror filled face faded out of sight quickly. When another man fell I snaked out a hand and grabbed him on the arm, almost loosing my balance on the spot I stood when his weight yanked me backward. The guard looked relieved, then confused when I swiftly undid his shirt and pulled it off. Then with a derisive sniff I let him fall, pulling the shirt on me and buttoning it. The rough fabric was hard on my injuries but it was better then Mr. Tiny seeing the dragon before I could wake it up fully and send it under my jeans. Even that would be a problem. The dragon had grown and now it was almost three feet long, not counting tail. It had to wrap in an awkward spiral formation to fit on my leg.

"How did you manage that?" Harkat asked and his face poked over the side of the crack.

"It opened up right under my feet," I said dryly.

Harkat looked over his shoulder and then back down at me. "All of the cracks stayed away from me," he said. He looked back again and then sighed. "More guards are coming. I can't take them all."

"Help me up," I said quickly and held out a hand toward Harkat. More scabs cracked when I did so and I winced.

Harkat wriggled out over the edge and reached down. Our fingertips brushed but I was still too far and there were no more pipes for me to climb up. Harkat slid even further so his entire upper body was over the edge and grabbed my wrist. But now he was stuck; unable to get leverage to pull himself up. I tried to shove him backwards a few inches but lost my balance in the process and fell. Harkat didn't let go and we both toppled into the abyss. I barely managed to grab a piece of rock and we stopped falling. Now we were at least thirty feet from the top and the guards footsteps were approaching quickly.

"Maybe they won't see us," Harkat whispered. He was holding onto another rock at least a foot below me.

I nodded and flattened myself into the rock. I could tell at least two of the guards were bleeding but the other four were in perfect condition. My illusions were so perfect that I simply didn't have fangs, but I wanted to rip into their necks even without them. I had also painted over my swirling blue eyes and turned them pale green.

Six heads poked over the side of the crack and I groaned silently.

"Hello boys," one of the guards said gleefully. His companions on each side of him were the injured ones and I licked my lips. "Why don't we lower a rope and you climb up nice and easy?"

"He can't," Harkat said and pointed at me. "He's injured from what Harrison did."

"Then he can fall," the guard said disdainfully.

"I can climb if I have too," I whispered down to Harkat. "The blood hunger is making me stronger then I would be under these conditions."

"I thought they fed you?" Harkat asked confused. "It should take at least a month for that to happen."

"Not for whatever I am," I explained. "I need to feed every couple days. Blood hunger starts after three."

"Ok," Harkat said and his eyes narrowed calculatingly. "How can I make you stronger?"

"Ask me what I would do up there," I hissed.

Harkat nodded and shouted up. "Lower the rope!" Then he climbed up so he was level with my left ear and started to speak softly. "You are hungry Darren."

"Shadow," I said automatically. "My name is Shadow."

Harkat hesitated then swallowed and continued. "Alright….Shadow. What would you do to sate your hunger?"

I bared non existent fangs. "Kill."

"How are you going to get up there?"

"Climb," I hissed hungrily.

"And then what?"

"Rip out their throats," I purred. "Feed…"

The rope fell between us and Harkat grabbed on, tying it around his waist. "Then climb with me and feed Shadow!"

My head turned and I looked at him with dark eyes. "Yes…" I looked up at the six guards and licked my lips. "Hungry." I stretched out my gashed hand and began to climb, digging my nails into the rock. I stayed right behind Harkat, pressing my body into the rock like a spider while he splayed out his body to hide me from the guards sight; all had withdrawn from the edge to help pull Harkat up but one and he was directly above Harkat. The moment Harkat was tugged over the edge the last guard pulled back and I waited, the top of my head inches from the top.

"Shadow sate your hunger!" Harkat howled.

I sprang over the edge, bowling over the guard who was trying to force Harkat down the tunnel. I momentarily paused at him, sniffing his throat before moving on. He wasn't the injured one. Normally hunting would have been preferable, but this time I wanted a quick and easy meal. Besides he had told me to fall and I wanted to put an end to his life slower. I was upon the two injured prey in moments; one had their arm in a bloody wrap while the other had their head swathed in bandages. I turned on the bloody one and ripped his sling off ruthlessly, exposing a nasty gash that was still bleeding. I licked his arm, purring when the blood rolled down my tongue. The human tried to flee but I held him down with one hand on his chest and cleaned his arm. I decided that while the illusions were helpful, I did not need one over my fangs. The second my illusion fell, I abandoned the arm and pulled the prey around so his neck was within biting reach.

"Shadow!" Harkat called from far away.

I growled in annoyance and forced the prey's head back so his throbbing veins were exposed.

"SHADOW!" Harkat roared.

I looked up and paused. Harkat was standing in front of another man. Not a guard that was for sure. Not Harrison either. He wore a bright yellow suit and green rain boots and a pair of spectacles that framed cunning eyes. A crimson, heart shaped watch was in his right hand, and it glowed faintly. The man bent down to whisper something in Harkats ear and then stepped out from behind the Little Person and strode toward me. The closer he got the more riled up I became until I snarled at him defiantly and pulled my prey away from him. This seemed to annoy the man because he frowned and his watch glowed a little brighter.

"Stop," Harkat pleaded. "He's just hungry."

The little man pulled back and held up his hands.

When I was sure that the stranger was not going to steal my food I bared my fangs and sank them deep into the preys neck. It squealed loudly and twisted but I held on until it stilled. It was hard to drink with the mask on and I pulled it off thoughtlessly before returning to the ruined meals neck. This time the blood flowed into my mouth easily and I gulped blood down desperately, uncaring of the extra staining my chin, neck and stolen shirt. When there was nothing left to get out of the body I pulled back and twisted around to Harkat and the man. When I faced them the man froze and then scowled. His hands lit up and he took one step toward me, face darkening. All the air was sucked out of the tunnel and my hands flew to my throat, trying to pull in oxygen that wasn't there.

"Wait!" Harkat yelped and latched onto the mans arm, trying to pull him back. "He doesn't remember anything!"

This gave the man pause and he turned his head slowly to stare down Harkat.

Harkat babbled on, spewing out the rest of what he had to say so fast I was surprised the stranger understood him. "He woke up here with me. Both of us have been stuck here. I don't know why they wanted him, or what is up with the fangs. He doesn't even remember his name! He didn't know me. All I know about him now is he…he wants to be called Shadow."

The glowing in the mans hands subsided somewhat but he still looked annoyed.

I wiped my mouth and then blinked. I was finally back in my right head but didn't know if it was a good idea to admit that with Mr. Tiny so close to mental unbalance. Then again he was always like that. My own insanity seemed to be waylaying Mr. Tiny's anger though.

"Will you come with us?" Harkat asked me.

I stared at him with suspicious eyes and tossed aside the dead guard, straightening up to my full height. I hid my fangs again and crossed my arms, flicking my eyes toward the exit. All of a sudden going with the pair and dealing with Mr. Tiny's distrust and hate for who knows how long seemed unappealing. I wanted to run out and find out what I was really capable of. On the other hand I was tired, bleeding and wanted a roof over my head that didn't involve being electrocuted.

"Why?" I rasped.

"Because I am your friend," Harkat said. When that didn't seem to be a good enough reason he continued. "You need medical care and sleep. We are in the middle of a desert and I don't think you would make it out of here."

The tunnel shifted suddenly and pipes popped out of place. Another man rounded the corner and almost fell into the same crack that had almost claimed Harkat and I. Harrison. Harkat and I turned on him with equal hatred and ran at him, uncaring of the consequences. Halfway down the tunnel Harrison pulled out a dial. I stopped dead and so did Harkat.

"Subject One and Two," Harrison said and sighed dramatically. "You both have been quite the nuisance."

"Good," Harkat and I said together.

Harrison rubbed the dial and pursed his lips. Then he looked past us and spotted Mr. Tiny standing where we had left him. "Who is that?" He asked curiously.

Mr. Tiny walked up the tunnel until he was directly behind me, but did not give a response.

"Is he like you?" Harrison asked me.

"I don't know," I said. "I can't remember."

Harrison's face twisted angrily. "Again and again we do this Subject Two."

My entire body was tensed in preparation of the collar coming to life. "You didn't break me," I spat. "I got free."

"But you are broken!" Harrison crowed. He pointed wildly at us and danced from foot to foot. "Both of you would have been my perfect creations!"

I rolled my eyes.

"I already have a creator," Harkat said flatly.

"Come with me," Harrison said, ignoring Harkat. "Now."
"No," Harkat said.

"Come now or I will kill your friend!" Harrison twisted the dial abruptly and I was down on the ground flailing violently. A scream broke free and then I couldn't stop. "I took everything from him! Don't think I won't take his life!"

Harkat went down on his hands and knees, trying to get the collar off but it was firmly locked in place. "Stop it!" He shouted desperately. "STOP IT! He hasn't done anything wrong!"

"He wronged me when he refused to bow!" Harrison yelled. His speech was becoming garbled and I wondered if it was him or if my hearing was starting to go. Harkat was practically sitting on me to keep my body from twitching into one of the cracks. "He wouldn't become mine!" Harrison screamed. "If he won't fly for me then he will never fly!"

My body arched and my voice broke. Spots danced in my vision and I started to go into shock. My heart was beating to erratically and I couldn't breathe. I wheezed loudly. Then another pair of hands was at my throat. I tried to pull them off before they could strangle me but my jumping muscles just sent them in the wrong direction. The collar snapped in two and the mind numbing pain stopped. Mr. Tiny was crouching beside me with the collar in two pieces; one half in each glowing hand. He was studying the needle with interest, touching the tip.

I lay on the ground, covered in dirt and blood from my newly broken open wounds and stared at the ceiling. Harkat was trying to get me upright but I lacked the energy to force my still twitching body into submission. Mr. Tiny grabbed me by the collar and pulled me upright with one hand, and for the first time spoke.

"You had to put this much drug in a half vampire to keep him subdued?" He sounded just like the old Mr. Tiny: creepily polite with an undercurrent of darkness that kept you wary.

Harrison snorted. "A vampire he may be, but he has something else in that blood of his." He smiled furtively. "Fought like a dragon that one."

The hand on my collar tightened a fraction then loosened, and then Mr. Tiny turned around and walked away, dragging me along. Harkat followed at his heels protesting.

"Why did you let him live?" The Little Person asked, frustrated.

"He interests me," Mr. Tiny said blandly.

Harkat scowled but followed without protest as we walked into the desert. We walked until the moon hovered in the sky, the first stars popping out. Harkat was trailing behind, his feet dragging through the sand in exhaustion. My body was equally tired, but I would have preferred to walk instead of being carried like a misbehaving puppy. Every time I tried to get my feet underneath me Mr. Tiny shook me warningly. The shocks that went through my abused body were enough to keep me still for awhile. We stopped in the shelter of two huge sand dunes, and Mr. Tiny sat me down rather roughly and started a campsite before I could blink. Harkat slumped down and leaned against the sand, uncaring of the stuff sliding down the back of his robes. Mr. Tiny's mood was swiftly returning to its previous state and I decided to revert back to the feral state I'd been in when he first showed up. For some reason it seemed to calm the man.

Mr. Tiny set up a simple tent with a flick of his fingers and entered. Harkat helped drag me inside and I gaped when we entered the flap. The inside was huge. Huge fluffy rugs decorated the floors and plush furniture dotted the outskirts of the room. A fireplace was at the back half of the tent, and on other side was a huge old fashioned stove. I retreated to a corner with a big rug that was so soft I wanted to fall asleep right then even with Mr. Tiny pacing around the tent. I staked out the rug as my territory and much to the amusement of Harkat, who was sprawled out in a huge armchair growled at Mr. Tiny whenever he approached my corner. Astoundingly Mr. Tiny only seemed to get slightly irritated at this, settling on eyeing me speculatively. Somehow going into a simpler state halted the magician's anger, but it also reduced me to possibly making bad choices. At least I was aware of who everyone was.

After both of us was quiet Mr. Tiny made up a gigantic bowl of soup and handed out large helpings. He set mine just outside the rug and I felt a thrill of victory. I grabbed the bowl and hunched over in the corner with my arm wrapped around it protectively. I used the spoon for a few mouthfuls then abandoned it when I couldn't get enough food in my mouth at one time. Instead I tilted the bowl and swallowed the soup down in one go, nearly blistering my throat in the process. Harkat was doing nearly the same in his chair and when I lowered the bowl he had a ring of soup around his mouth. By the look on his face I knew I had the same problem.

"If you are quite done go and clean yourselves," Mr. Tiny said and pointed at a shower in the corner I hadn't noticed before. It was surrounded by screens for privacy and clean clothes were hung over the racks. Fresh robes for Harkat and a complete outfit for me. Harkat and I exchanged looks, silently warring over who would go first.

"Darren go," Mr. Tiny said after nearly a minute of silence.

I decided not to antagonize him and quickly hopped over to the shower and got in. It took several minutes to get the layers of dirt and blood off my skin and hair. When I got out I felt ten pounds lighter and pulled on my new clothes; sending the dragon down to my leg. The water had not only washed away the pain lingering from the electricity but it had partially healed my wounds and awoken the magic. The cuts on my hands were completely gone and the ones from Harrison were scabbed over again. I scurried back over to my rug and Harkat got in. He took even longer then I did and I thought with some glee about the sand he'd let down his robes.

"Sleep," Mr. Tiny said and gave Harkat a blanket. He once again set the item down just outside my rug and I stared at for a long time.

Finally I made up my mind and turned my back on the blanket. I lay down at the edge of the rug and rolled it over myself, turning over and over until I was wrapped securely in the rug. There was momentary silence and then Harkats laughter echoed in the tent.

"You look like a burrito!" He chortled.

I huffed indignantly and burrowed deeper into the rug until none of my body could be seen. "At least I don't look like a mushroom," I muttered.

"Burrito!" Harkat retorted.

"Mushroom!"

Something hit the top of my rug and I knew Harkat had thrown a pillow at me. I smirked and snuck a hand out of my rug; searching for a pillow of my own. When I couldn't find one I stuck my head outside and came face to face with Mr. Tiny. He held the pillow and was looking at me with exasperation. I stared at him, trying to decide if he really had thrown the pillow or if Harkat had and Mr. Tiny had merely picked it up. Now I could do the obvious thing and retreat, or do something idiotic. I opted for the latter and snatched the pillow from him, withdrawing back into the rug; using the pillow to plug the hole and sighed happily. When instant death did not rain upon me I grinned and snuggled into the softness.


Writing 'evil' Mr. Tiny is hard, but I love writing his interactions with Darren. It makes me laugh xD

R&R please? :D