Sunshine and Shadow

Warnings earlier. Down at bottom, review button.... *cough*

Sunshine and Shadow
Chapter Five

"Oh, Sunshine, you'll like this," Edison smiled cruelly at me. I tried not to let him see how much the name bothered me. Somehow he must have known without any outward clues. I looked towards Shi, I did not care what he thought I might like to see. The blow to my stomach wasn't entirely unexpected; my weakness was. I fell hard te ste stone of the road, bruising my knees.

"I said, you'll like this," his voice was full of cruelty, silken cruelty. I looked towards him, and he pointed to one of the stalls in the market. My eyes traveled across it's contents, chains and ropes of various lengths lay on his table. And in the very middle, a shelter of sliver bars surrounded a FireBird. A bird renowned for its beautiful aerobatics. The FireBird's traveled in groups, and spewed fire from their mouths, whilst flying in wonderfully intricate patterns. Instinctively I reached to feel it, to assure it, and felt nothing.

I stood, angered and sad, and ran to the table, gasping as I looked into it's sparkling red eyes. "Please," I looked at the shop keeper. "Please, set him free..." I expected the hands that grabbed my shoulders and wrenched away from them. "Please!" I cried desperately, flailing with my self, trying to feel anything, any magic. I had to free this captive.

A scream caused to me to whirl around. Edison was kicking Shi unmercifully, and reaching inside of her shirt. I stared, torn, helpless. "Stop..." I whispered, and Edison turned towards me.

"What?" he asked tauntingly. "What would you do about it if I did not?"

I glared at him. I would kill him. I had never killed another living creature, but I would kill him. I tried to pass him the message with my eyes, but he seemed amused. "Would you take her place, Sunshine?"

"No." It was the first thing she had said to me. Shi looked at me intensely, her eyes filled with fear once more. "No," she repeated, and I stared back at her. Clear water came to her eyes, causing them to sparkle, and for once the City became silent around me. "No," she repeated, looking towards the ground as droplets began to fall from her eyes.

"I did not ask you, Shadow," Edison said cruelly, slapping her forcefully, causing the clear water to become tinted with red. My stomach clenched, and I could not breathe.

"Lord Edison," a voice called out. A voice that was alive with anger and other emotions, a voice that seemed to command the very air to be silent. I looked at Shi, barely concealing my relief. And Shi looked away from me, face flushed with anger and shame. I swallowed deeply, noticing for the first time how dry my throat had become. I hadn't eaten or drank anything since the day before. I laughed slightly, usually I never missed a meal.

I felt a penetrating gaze fall upon me and looked towards it. A woman, dressed elegantly in white stared at me with grey eyes. This was the first human I'd seen without brown eyes. A silver belt was clasped around her waist and a silver crown lay upon her dark brown hair. "It finds something amusing, what would that be, Lord Edison?"

I shuddered inwardly, none of the others had used the term 'it'. I looked at her, unable to hide the loathing in my face, I'm sure. She either missed it, or chose to ignore it, continuing to look towards Edison.

"I do not know what Sunshine thinks, my Queen," Edison answered, the tone of his voice amused.

"It is as beautiful as the other." She stared at me, studying me as though I were an object. Her eyes traveled over my being quickly and flicked back to Edison. "Yes, it is beautiful. But defiant. Perhaps a demonstration? Perhaps. Shadow." Shi walked over to her and knelt at her feet, head bowed eyes to the ground. The Queen ran her tanned hands through Shi's hair possessively. "Sunshine." The Queen used her voice then, calling to me. Telling me to follow my friend's example. Telling me that all would be well if I acquiesced, saying this in one word.

I walked forward, still stumbling, from weakness or from trying not to respond to the Queen's order, I do not know. My eyes traveled back to the FireBird, trapped within its shelter, and my mind went back to the Silver Gate. "I am sorry..." I sang to it sadly in my own tongue, an apology and a prayer. A prayer for us both.

I knelt beside Shi, flinching slightly at the soreness in my knees. I looked down to the stones of the street and counted my tears as they flowed onto them. My silver hair fell in my face and I was grateful for the shield in seemed to create. I could imagine for a moment that there was nothing more sinister than one of the trees in front of me. I smiled at the thought. I had spend many hours kneeling in front of trees learning Life Magic. I choked back a sob, remembering suddenly how cut off I was from nature.

The Queen placed her hands in my hair and I struggled, trying to pull away. "No," she whispered soothingly. "I will not hurt you." As she whispered I felt safe, protected. She would keep me from harm. I only had to do as she bid. I closed my eyes tightly, trying to ignore the message in her voice. I would not be safe. She was not safe.

I was not ready for the loss as she walked away from Shi and I, towards Edison. She would keep me safe, at least from the other humans. Perhaps I'd have to provide some services for her, but she would keep me safe. I stared after her as she walked away.

"But there will be more time for recreation, later, my friend. I have business to attend to. See that Sunshine and Shadow return to my quarters safely. Come, Allan. I believe the matter of your payment is at hand." The Queen walked away and I stared after her. My mind screaming for her to come back.

Edison laughed then, as she left, loudly. "Oh, ho, Sunshine, you should see yourself now. My Lady does have that effect on people. Yes, she does. Well, come on then. You heard her, to her quarters safely. And I think, I have had enough fun for the day." He continued laughing as we continued towards the middle building.

My thoughts spun in my head, trying to grasp the situation. What had happened? She had enchanted me, somehow with her voice. Yet, doing her will would keep me safe among the other humans. I needed to be able to feel the world about me, then I would know what was going on. I would know which thoughts were truth, and which were created by her voice.