Off through the woods there was something standing partly behind a tree trunk. It wasn’t a person, but was about that size, with no definite shape. It looked like a person’s shadow standing up in the air. The shadow thing didn’t move. Richard blinked and squinted his eyes trying to tell if he was really seeing what he thought he was seeing. Maybe it was just a trick of the dim afternoon light, a shadow of a tree he mistook for something more.
Kahlan had continued to walk along the trail. Richard came quickly up behind her and put his hand on the small of her back, below her pack, so she wouldn’t stop. He leaned over her shoulder and whispered in her ear.
“Look to the left, off through the trees. Tell me what you see.”
He kept his hand on her back, kept her walking along as she turned her head, looking off to the trees. Her eyes searched as she held her hair back, out of the way. Then she saw the thing.
“What is it?” she whispered, looking back to his face.
He was a little surprised. “I don’t know. I thought maybe you could tell me.”
She shook her head. The shadow remained motionless. Maybe it was nothing, a trick of the light, he tried to tell himself. He knew that wasn’t true.
“Maybe it’s one of the beasts Adie told us about, and it can’t see us,” he offered.
She gave him a sidelong glance. “Beasts have bones.”
Kahlan was right, of course, but he had been hoping she would have agreed with the idea. As they moved quickly down the trail, the shadow thing stayed where it was and they were soon out of sight of it. Richard breathed easier. It appeared that the bone necklace Kahlan wore, and his tooth, had hidden them. They ate a supper of bread, carrots, and smoked meat as they walked. Neither enjoyed the meal. Their eyes searched off into the deep woods as they ate. Even though it hadn’t rained all day, everything was still wet, and occasionally water dripped from the trees. The rock was slick with slime in places, needing care to be crossed safely. Both watched the surrounding forest for any sign of danger. They saw nothing.
The fact that they saw nothing began to worry Richard. There were no squirrels, no chipmunks, no birds, no animals of any kind. It was too quiet. Daylight was slipping away. Soon they would be at the Narrows. He worried about that, too. The idea of seeing the things from the boundary again was frightening. The idea of seeing his father again was terrifying. His insides cringed at what Adie had told them, that those in the boundary would call to them. He remembered how seductive their calls were. He had to be prepared to resist. He had to harden himself against it. Kahlan had almost been pulled back into the underworld when they were in the wayward pine, the first night he knew her. When they were with Zedd and Chase, something had tried to pull her in again. He was troubled that the bone might not protect her when they were that close.
The trail leveled out and widened, allowing them to walk side by side again. He was tired from the day’s hike, and it would be another night and day before they could rest. Crossing the Narrows in the dark and when they were exhausted sounded like a bad idea, but Adie had been insistent they not stop. He could not question a person who knew the pass as well as she. He knew that the story of the gripper would keep him wide awake.
Kahlan looked around at the woods, turned to check behind. She stopped suddenly, grabbing his arm. In the trail, not ten yards behind, stood a shadow.
Like the other, this one did not move. He could see through it, see the woods behind, as if it were made of smoke. Kahlan kept a firm grip on his arm as both of them walked ahead in a sideways fashion, watching the shadow thing. They rounded a turn in the trail and were away from it. They walked on faster.
“Kahlan, do you remember when you told me of the shadow people that Panis Rahl sent forth? Could those be shadow people?”
She gave him a worried look. “I don’t know. I have never seen one; they were in the last war, before I was born. But the stories were always told the same, that they floated along. I never heard anyone say they stood still like that.”
“Maybe it’s because of the bones. Maybe they know we’re here, but can’t find us, so they stay still to search.”
She wrapped her cloak tighter, obviously afraid of his idea, but didn’t say anything. In the gathering night they walked along, close to each other, sharing the same troubling thoughts. Another shadow stood at the side of the trail. Kahlan gripped his arm tight. They passed slowly, quietly, keeping their eyes on it. It didn’t move. Richard felt like panicking, but knew he couldn’t; they had to stay on the trail, had to use their heads. Maybe the shadows were trying to make them bolt, to run from the trail, and cross over accidentally into the underworld. They looked around, behind, as they went. When Kahlan was looking the other way, a branch brushed her face. She jumped against him with a start. She looked over and apologized. Richard gave her a reassuring smile.
Pine needles held droplets from the rains and mist, and when a light breeze swayed the branches, water from the trees above rained down. In the near darkness they had a hard time telling if there were shadow things around them or if it was just the dark shapes of tree trunks. Twice, they had no trouble telling; they were close to the trail and there was no doubt what they were. Still the shadows did not follow or move, but stood as if watching, even though they had no eyes.
“What are we going to do if they come for us?” Kahlan asked in a tense voice.
Her grip on his arm was becoming painful, so he pried her fingers off and put her hand in his. She gave his hand a squeeze. “Sorry,” she said with a self-conscious smile.
“If they come for us, the sword will stop them,” he answered confidently.
“What makes you so sure?”
“It stopped the things in the boundary.”
She seemed satisfied with the answer—he wished he were. The forest was dead quiet, except for a soft rasp he couldn’t quite figure out. There were none of the usual night sounds. Dark branches swayed near them with the breeze, making his heart race.
“Richard,” Kahlan said quietly, “don’t let them touch you. If they are shadow people, their touch is death. Even if they are not shadow people, we don’t know what would happen. We must not let them touch us.”
He gave her hand a squeeze of reassurance.
Richard resisted the temptation to pull the sword. There might be too many for the sword, if the sword’s magic even worked against shadows. If there was no other choice he would use the sword, but for now, his instincts told him not to.
The woods were getting darker. Tree trunks stood like black pillars in the murk. Richard felt as if there were eyes everywhere, watching. The trail was beginning to traverse a hillside, and he could see dark rocks rising up to their left. Runoff from the rains trickled through the rock. He could hear it bubbling and dripping and splashing. The ground dropped away on the right. The next time they looked back, there were three shadows, barely visible in the path behind. The two of them kept moving. Richard heard the soft scraping sound again, off in the woods to either side. It wasn’t a sound he was familiar with. He could feel, more than see, that there were shadow things on each side and behind them. A few were close enough to the trail that there was no doubt what they were. The only way that was clear was ahead.
“Richard,” Kahlan whispered, “do you think you should take out the night stone? I can hardly see the path.” She was gripping his hand tightly.
Richard hesitated. “I don’t want to until we absolutely need it. I’m afraid of what might happen.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, those shadows haven’t come for us yet. Maybe because they can’t see us, because of the bones.” He paused a moment. “But what if they can see the light from the night stone?”
Kahlan bit her bottom lip in worry. They strained to pick out the trail as it twisted to go around trees and boulders, over rocks and roots, cutting its way across the hillside. The soft scraping sound was nearer, all around. It sounded like… It sounded like claws on rock, he thought.
r /> Two shadows stood ahead, close, the trail between them. Kahlan pressed tight against him and held her breath as they squeezed past. She buried her face against his shoulder when they were even with the shadow things. Richard put his arm around her, holding her tight. He knew how she felt. He was terrified, too. His heart pounded. It seemed they were going too far with each step, getting in too deep. He looked behind, but in the darkness there was not enough light to see if the shadows were standing on the trail.