Lords of Shadow

Good Talk

“You serious? A shadowed beast ran away?” he asked. Elvis had been Loki’s best friend for as long as he could remember. A chubby, always hungry guy who had it just as rough, but pretended to live the life whenever he could.

“It didn’t have a shadow when it scampered off.”

“Huh, didn’t have? So what happened to its shadow?”

“I took it,” Loki replied, keeping his face as straight as possible.

“Like a collectable, alright. You sure you’re okay, ski?”

“I’m okay, just take a look,” Loki said, pointing at a smudge on the wall. Or rather, one of the many smudges. It was a bit darker, but that didn’t mean it was special; it could just be part of another meal he splattered while eating.

Then Loki moved, and the smudge followed suit, buzzing as it did. Elvis shuffled through four expressions in the same gasp.

Shock, that his street buddy had ascended to godhood and he was still stuck sniffing grass. Envy, that it should have been him. Then scepticism, about how real that reality was. Then finally, confusion.

“You didn’t tell me you stole the shadow of a bee.”

Loki turned to his shadow, a bit embarrassed. “It wasn’t a bee when the beast had it; maybe it sorta changed to my nature or something.”

Elvis stood up and looked out the crack of his wooden caravan to make sure no one was listening. His dad wasn’t home, and wouldn’t be for a very long time, so he could rest assured that no ears were pricked.

“Wait, hold up. Your story isn’t checking out, ski—”

“What the hell is ski?”

Elvis shrugged. “It’s slang I invented this morning in the public shower. It’s like bro, then ski… um, broski, but I like to abbreviate.”

“I didn’t know you take showers.”

Elvis smiled at the compliment. “Well, I was feeling a little bit fluorescent.”

“Do you know what you just said?”

“Enough, we’re getting sidetracked, back to the mystery. How did you even absorb its shadow?”

“Dilly-dallying, I fell into its shadow mid-fight and sorta sucked it in.”

Elvis shook his head. “So, what’s next?”

“Well, I need to lay low for now; I’m supposed to be with the forest crew, rotting.”

“That’s it?”

“Well, no. I have a theory, but I’m sure you’ll think it’s crazy.”

“Everything here is crazy, mate.”

“Guess you’ll tell me you invented that one too?”

Elvis rolled his eyes. “You love a bit of chit-chat, don’t you? Back to what you were saying.”

Loki leaned forward, afraid the air might hear, become disappointed, and refuse to flow into his lungs. “Well, a bee’s shadow was never meant for a human, was it? So maybe this isn’t. It could evolve, grow, into a regular shadow, or something greater… if exposed to the same conditions.”

Elvis pushed back his chair, petrified. “You definitely must be crazy! You want to go shadow hunting?!”

“Yes,” he replied calmly, as if commenting on the weather.

“You ca—”

“Chill out, broski,” Elvis smirked, “I’m only going to be hunting low-level shadows.”

“Low level? Any shadowed thing is too high a level for anyone who’s not a lord or a close affiliate. Even the lords know when to back down. They wouldn’t die, but it still hurts.”

“Well, I could handle a bit of pain. I won’t die either.”

“Says who? People with human shadows don’t die; don’t know about you.”

“Well, I wouldn’t know until I try.”

Elvis stared, wondering if he had picked up his mother’s traits. Either way, there was no stopping him.

“You going alone?”

“I’m supposed to be dead, and a dead man has no allies.”

“Quit your yapping.”

“…well… you in or not?” Loki asked, like he was negotiating a drug deal.

“In? What am I going to do? Cheer you on as you get your ass beaten? I’m definitely out.”

Loki huffed, a bit let down. He stood. “Good talk then, just don’t let anyone hear about it and we’re fine.”

Elvis’ eyes drifted from the smudges on the wall to the bee shadow and Loki’s figure leaving. He chuckled. “Where are you going, dead man?”

“It’s imp to you.”

“What?”

“Don’t worry. And I’m not leaving; I stood for dramatic effect.”

“No kidding, everything about this discussion was drama. Why do you even want a bigger shadow anyway?”

“For something even crazier than shadow hunting…”

Loki continued. “…to kill the shadow lords.”

Elvis hiccupped out of fear. “G–good talk, I’ll get you something to eat…and shut up while I’m doing it.”

Loki smiled. It was a good talk. One that had gotten them absolutely nowhere. Well, it was funny to watch Elvis stagger away with disgruntlement and petrification, or poop dangling between his butt cheeks.

Either way, the purpose of his coming here and not going to a therapist had failed. What would its success have even looked like?

“Fat…”

Well, he was on his own for now. He would wait for his meal, and an uncomfortable night’s sleep in the house of a snoring engine, then venture into the forest again, act as bait, and hope something he could handle came scurrying by.

All, on the premise that if his jaw was snapped, he wouldn’t die.